Implicit theories: International perspectives from multiple domains.

Individuals develop fundamental assumptions about human attributes to explain and understand their world. These implicit theories incorporate beliefs about the fixedness or malleability of a personal attribute such as intelligence, willpower, and personality, and organize the way people ascribe meaning to events. These lay theories about the self have been shown to make a difference for success in different fields (e.g., academics, social relationships, and physical health). The study of implicit theories has gained increased importance as modern societies are confronted with numerous economic, social, and structural changes that shape individuals’ personal and occupational domains. Implicit theories have a high interdisciplinary appeal. This issue of Zeitschrift für Psychologie brings together current research on implicit theories from different psychological subdisciplines. The six empirical papers presented here investigate implicit theories of primary, secondary, and university students from Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States in different domains (education, health, willpower) using cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental designs. The papers provide current research on implicit theories and their effects on attitudes, thoughts, or behavior, and report on cross-cultural effects of interventions designed to influence implicit theories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
Source: Zeitschrift fur Psychologie - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research