Psychological resources supporting growth mindset across adulthood: evidence from an adult learning context
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY, cilt.45, sa.20, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 45 Sayı: 20
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s12144-026-10201-w
- Dergi Adı: CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, BIOSIS, Psycinfo, Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Business Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Kocaeli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Growth mindset has been widely studied in children and adolescents, yet less is known about the psychological resources that sustain growth-oriented beliefs across adulthood. This study examined how self-efficacy, cognitive flexibility, and optimism jointly predict growth mindset among 840 adults aged 18-65, and whether these relationships vary across emerging, young, and middle adulthood. Participants completed validated measures of each construct, and the data were analyzed using regression, mediation, and structural equation modeling (SEM). Across the full sample, self-efficacy emerged as the strongest predictor of growth mindset, followed by cognitive flexibility. Cognitive flexibility partially mediated the association between self-efficacy and incremental beliefs. Optimism was uniquely predictive only in emerging adulthood. SEM results replicated the mediating role of flexibility and confirmed adequate model fit. Although descriptive age differences suggested stronger mediation in emerging adulthood and weaker effects in midlife, moderated mediation tests indicated that these developmental variations were not statistically robust. These findings highlight self-efficacy and cognitive flexibility as core psychological resources supporting growth mindset across adulthood, while suggesting a more developmentally specific role for optimism. The study contributes to adult development and motivational psychology by demonstrating that growth-oriented beliefs remain meaningful beyond youth and by identifying mechanisms that may support adults' adaptation to learning, reskilling, and changing life demands.