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We Are Each The Product Of The Efforts Of Many Other People
When you read the title of this article you had one of two predictable reactions: A. You said “ah, yes!” or, B. You scoffed. Both of these are predictable reactions and they mark the mindset you carry. The title of this piece is a statement that, on the surface at least, flies against our perception of our sense of agency.
In cognitive neuroscience the sense of agency we experience is an awareness that we are the cause of our actions. This leads us to believe that we are the architects of our journey in life and the force behind who we become. Because this I something we all experience the predictable reaction to the title stems from the mindset you carry. Mindset theory proposes that the beliefs we hold determine our attitude to the stimuli the external world provides to us.
That attitude shapes our behavior. Our reaction to the title of this article is then determined by whether we have an open (or growth) mindset that is receptive to fresh ideas and new experiences or a closed (or fixed) mindset that considers who we are as an inalienable quantity fixed in time and space. The former allows us to constantly expand our concepts, ideas and store of knowledge and change our belief structure, attitude and behavior. The latter does not.
