The field of mindset

The field of mindset. © Ashley Buchanan. For high res version, click on the image. is best viewed on a computer screen.

A few weeks ago, I published a journal article on the history of mindset. This journal article focused on 32 bodies of work that explicitly referenced the psychology of mindset between the years 1908-2010.

In this post, I will share a ”field map” of the field of mindset that I have been building over the past decade based on my experience as a practitioner in the field. This field map shows the breadth and depth of what I’ve been studying as part of my dissertation on the psychology of mindset.

As a quick orientation, this field map provides an overview of fourteen contemporary communities that use the term mindset, which have been visually depicted as young plants, and I have provided some examples of how they describe what a mindset is. Next, down in the soil and root system, I have traced some of the major lineages these contemporary communities are connected to and drawing their wisdom from. Then, in the sky and the clouds, I have included voices that speak to the emerging future potential for mindset psychology and practice in the world.

It's important to note, while I have attempted to be inclusive in the creation of this field map, this is not an exhaustive survey. It is a map of the field I encountered as part of my own decade long learning journey in the mindset field. What’s more, while I have attempted to be inclusive and comprehensive in the creation of this field map, it includes my own biases and blind spots. If there is a perspective you feel should be included in this map, but you don’t see acknowledged sufficiently here, I would be appreciative if you reached out in a kind and supportive way.

On one hand, I have found that the field of mindset is a collectively intelligent ecosystem. It’s as if each of these communities, lineages, and emerging future voices are exploring the phenomenon of mindset from a different perspective, each revealing a different feature of the landscape, helping everyone in the field see some facet of the whole.

On another hand, I have found the field of mindset is quite fragmented. Some parts of the field seem to be operating in silos, as if they exist separately from one another, which may be limiting the field’s overall ability to embody and express its collective intelligence.

Overall, what I hope to do in sharing this field map is offer you and everyone in the field the opportunity to move beyond a silo view, and develop a more holistic understanding of mindset with a systems view, with an awareness of all of the diversity that is present in the field as a whole.

As far as I am aware, this is the first attempt by anyone to map the field of mindset in an inclusive and comprehensive way. It is an original contribution I am making, to help the field of mindset see and sense itself, and to make it easier for more people to access the collective intelligence that is on offer here.

Would you like to learn more about the field of mindset? Here is a link to an research paper that explores these ideas in greater depth -> 🌻