implicit self theory
the proposal that people hold a self-belief that psychological attributes (e.g., personality, emotion, intelligence) are either fixed, essential qualities that are impossible to control (entity theory) or are more malleable, controllable, and able to be developed gradually (incremental theory). These self-beliefs imply certain expectancies, which in turn guide behavior. In particular, beliefs about controllability guide the way people construe their reality and influence their motivation to engage in self-regulation. [formulated by U.S. personality psychologist Carol S. Dweck (1946– ) in her analysis of cognition, personality, and motivation]