Frontiers in Psychology (Jul 2021)

Fanning the Flames of Passion: A Develop Mindset Predicts Strategy-Use Intentions to Cultivate Passion

  • Patricia Chen,
  • Patricia Chen,
  • Yuching Lin,
  • Don J. H. Pereira,
  • Paul A. O’Keefe,
  • Paul A. O’Keefe,
  • Paul A. O’Keefe,
  • J. Frank Yates

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.634903
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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College students are encouraged to major in subjects they are passionate about but less often advised about what to do when passion is low. What self-regulatory strategies do students use to up-regulate their passion toward their subjects, and how might they be oriented toward using such effective strategies? Three studies examined how the belief that passion is developed – a “develop” mindset – relates to students’ intentions to use strategies to actively grow their passion. The more strongly students endorsed a develop mindset, the more of these “cultivation strategies” they reported using, and in turn, the larger their increase in reported passion toward their subject majors (Study 1). Instilling a develop mindset causally increased students’ intentions to use more cultivation strategies (Study 2) – with some effects lasting up to a year (Study 3). Instilling a develop mindset can potentially help students to ignite their passion when its flame burns low.

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