Friday, July 21, 2017

7.1 The Great Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods in 2013
Dweck tells us about Tiger Woods’ father and that he has said that he didn’t care what Tiger grew up to be, as long as he succeeded at whatever it was he chose to be:  "If Tiger had wanted to be a plumber, I wouldn't have minded, as long as he was a hell of a plumber. The goal was for him to be a good person. He's a great person" (194).

This part of the book was likely written before the news stories about Tiger’s dishonesty, infidelity and alcohol abuse came out in public.

We all have things we’d rather not the whole world know about, but does the fact that Tiger is not always such a “good person” scuttle Dweck’s use of Tiger and his dad as examples?
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6 comments:

  1. UnknownJuly 23, 2017 at 8:01 PM

    In truth, I still believe that Dweck’s use of Tiger Woods is still a relevant example. Tiger Woods’ development in golf was no doubt a perfect dosage of the growth mindset. He found what he had loved and pushed his hardest to succeed- that is what I believe his dad had in mind. Now it is true that Tiger Woods did not succeed in every aspect of his life, but he still managed to thrive in a big part of it. Also, a few mishaps do not automatically qualify us as “bad” people but rather sets another example of how we can improve in our own lives. Even Dweck has stated that we are all made of both mindsets and not one entirely, very akin to Woods’. (pages 254-255).
    -Chance Zernicek

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    1. Brayden BattershellJuly 24, 2017 at 10:50 AM

      I totally agree. Despite the scandals that Tiger Woods went through, the way he took control of his golf career and made a name for himself is a prime example of the growth mindset. Yes he made mistakes but so does everyone. If you look at Tiger Woods with a fixed mindset, you could say he is a bad person because he did all those things. That is not something Dweck would want us to do. While Tiger Woods has his faults in areas of his life, his story of becoming a famous golfer is a great example of the growth mindset and can still be used to inspire people.

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    2. Hannah Danielle HarveyJuly 30, 2017 at 2:59 PM

      This was well said. I would not consider myself a fan of Tiger Woods. However, I believe Dweck’s example still stands. Every person makes mistakes, but should that automatically qualify us as a bad person? No. Everyone’s definition of a “good person” is going to be different, so I believe that we as humans should just strive to be our best selves.

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  2. James NormanAugust 7, 2017 at 8:22 PM

    It is still relevant. Tiger might not have been perfect but he did teach his son good practices. He wanted his son to be the best that he could be and he taught him to do so. Sure he made some mistakes and he might not have always been the best but nobody is always good. He taught his son important values and that's what is what the book reflects on. The book is not referencing how amazing a person he is just that he helped his son to grow.

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  3. UnknownAugust 12, 2017 at 10:00 PM

    I believe that Dweck still has a strong example of the growth mindset when referring to Tiger Woods. Even after the dishonesty and abuse Tiger has always shown resilience. After Tigers issues, he apologized and has moved on becoming a better person. What makes Tiger’s example so strong is how his father helped him pursue his career in golf. His acceptance in whatever Tiger wanted to do helped him succeed and become the greatest golfer of all time and one of the most charitable people in the world. The Tiger Woods foundation provides millions of dollars to charities every year. The key to Tiger’s success and generosity is because of his Buddhist background. Tiger attributes all of his success to his religion. When Tiger’s infidelity occurred, he admitted he had lost his connection to his religion and then he rededicated his life to become a better person by becoming centered again.

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  4. Makala MillhollonAugust 13, 2017 at 9:08 PM

    I believe that it does not hurt Dweck’s example. At the time, he used what people thought to be an upstanding citizen as an example people could directly relate to. He could have not used any names in the story and it would still provide the same concepts he was trying to show to the reader. By using Tiger woods, a well-known public figure, it helped keep the reader’s attention and could have made some people more interested in what he was saying. Using a flashy name is a good strategy for authors to use when trying to really get a point across about something. It was bad luck that Tiger ended up not being the best person in the world like we thought he was. The growth mindset still works either way though in my opinion. His father helped him grow into what he was and what he is currently. As stated above, Tiger Woods came back and apologized and continues to grow as a human being.
    -Makala Millhollon

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