Week 2: Perceptions of Intelligence

In the last class we discussed perceptions of intelligence, which can be "fixed" or "flexible." Fixed apparently means that one is convinced one is either clever or not, and anything that doesn't fit into your skill set immediately is either dismissed as uninteresting or impossible. Flexible means you learn from failures and are open to new and uncomfortable experiences. Well, it's pretty obvious which one the vocabulary wants you to strive for.

We were asked to raise our hands based on which one we think we are. I raised my hand for the "fixed" category, but I was hoping to be called on. I'm kind of uncomfortable with this dichotomy--but maybe I've misunderstood it. My reaction was "That's ridiculous... not being naturally good at something doesn't make me either doubt my own intelligence or doubt the validity of the task." I can't sing for beans, but I love listening to other people do it. I have no athletic ability, but physical feats are still impressive. I'm way too busy and lazy to make my own clothes (even though I technically know how), but I deeply envy people who have the time and patience. So... did I just misunderstand something, or is this dichotomy extremely reductive?

Note: sorry this post is up so late, I accidentally left it as a draft last week!