Progress-focused

Recent advances in mindset research highlight the importance of teacher mindsets in shaping classroom culture. Understanding how teacher mindsets and behaviors impact students is useful for promoting positive educational outcomes. A new study by Muenks et al. (2024) helps in this regard.

  "Gen Z has no work ethic", "Boomers don’t understand technology", "Millennials are lazy and spoiled." We hear them a lot: these kinds of generational stereotypes . These stereotypes are used to explain differences in work attitude, lifestyle, or values. But how true are these statements? Is there really such a big difference between generations, or are we missing the real point? In this article I will discuss, based on research by sociologist Martin Schröder, why the distinction between generations is of little use.

I recently received a message that got me thinking about what I call “ the illusion of effortless success .” Someone shared with me their struggle: they saw themselves as a constant struggle, while others around them seemed to achieve everything effortlessly. When asked about pride in their own accomplishments, their response was a soberingly negative one. This struck me, not only because of its candor, but also because it echoes a sentiment that many of us are familiar with.

  Psychological knowledge is useful to everyone because psychology permeates every aspect of our lives. From our deepest thoughts to our interactions with others, psychological factors influence how we perceive the world and how we act in it. As George Miller so aptly put it in 1969 :