15 Different Types of Mindsets People Have (2024)

This article will help you to understand the different types of mindsets people have, and what they all mean. Whether it be the mind of a socialist, or that of the dreamer, every mindset has benefits and drawbacks.

Have you ever thought about what kind of mindset you have?

But first…

What is a mindset?

According to Dictionary.com, the definition of mindset is this;

“A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person’s responses to and interpretations of situations.”

From this definition, it’s clear that the type of mindset we adopt in life, can easily determine how much success, happiness and wealth we achieve.

All that we are, comes down to the state of mind we choose to live in.

How many different types of mindsets are there?

The number of potential mindsets that exist really depends on how much you generalize the word “mindset”. There closer you look into it, the more differentiation’s you could class as an individual mindset.

However, most people fit into a small number of mindsets, most of which will be listed in this article.

15 Different Types of Mindsets People Have

The different types of mindsets which have been listed in this article are those that the majority of the world’s population will fall into. Many of us will fall into more than one of these mindsets; which can either be a really food thing, or a really detrimental thing.

15. The Social Mindset

People who have the social mindset love to hang around with people, make new friends, and just explore new cultures and ways of life.

People who are social thrive of spending time with their friends. They also get a kick out of talking to strangers, and being able to enjoy conversation with them.

The advantages of having the social mindset:

You find it easier to make new friends
You possess great communication skills
You’re able to be comfortable easily in the majority of social situations

The disadvantages of having the social mindset:

You may rely on talking with others for happiness
You might be too concerned with how others feel about you

Do you have the social mindset?

14. The Growth Mindset

The growth mindset is a wonderful and amazing mindset. People who have the desire and drive to grow are always improving themselves. They love challenging themselves and constantly being better than they were yesterday.

It’s fairly easy to tell when someone has the growth mindset.

They like to make going to the gym a regular activity. They like to always being building their knowledge of themselves and the universe. They often become entrepreneurs seeking to help others grow, and they have an outlook that a situation can always be bettered.

The advantages of having the growth mindset:

You’re going to be improving different areas of your life at a fast pace
It’s going to be a lot easier for you to put in the work needed to succeed

The disadvantages of having the growth mindset:

You might be so set on growing, that you forget to actually enjoy living

Do you have the growth mindset?

13. The Fear Mindset

There’s a little bit of the fear mindset within all of us. However, those that let the fear mindset become their major way of thinking, become stuck.

People who let fear get the best of them are unable to use their time to the best of their ability. All those thrilling experiences, places traveled, achievements and such never happen.

They never happen because of the fear of what could go wrong, and that leads to a very minimal and quite frankly, dull life.

The advantages of having the fear mindset:

There are no real advantages

The disadvantages of having the fear mindset:

You can never achieve your dreams by being afraid
You will live inside a shell, afraid to try new things
It will become difficult to find your passion or purpose

Do you have the fear mindset?

12. The Lazy Mindset

Being lazy is a pretty poor mindset to have, and it’s also a mindset that many more people are adopting upon themselves this day in age.

Why?

We’ve made them lazy. Through fast food and advanced technology such as the likes of TV and social media. Not to mention a number of other factors.

So we have no discipline and no desire to get off our asses and do something productive.

The advantages of the lazy mindset:

It’s easy to achieve happiness in the short term

The disadvantages of the lazy mindset:

You’re unlikely to possess the discipline to achieve big things
Your health is at risk
Your time is often being wasted

Do you have the lazy mindset?

11. The Envy Mindset

Someone who’s envious is often jealous of other people who’re perhaps doing better than them. Maybe they’re jealous because of someone’s success, healthy relationship, job, wealth, body, looks…

You name it.

While it’s not the best mindset to have, there are a few advantages of being envious that you might not have expected.

The advantages of the envy mindset:

It can be a motivational factor in pushing you towards taking action

The disadvantages of the envy mindset:

You will become obsessed with what other people are doing
You will waste time over other people easily
You may come across to others in a negative way

Do you have the envy mindset?

10. The Business Mindset

Many of you reading this article are interested in entrepreneurship, or already own your own business. The business mindset is one in which you love serving others.

You love to provide a service to people, and help change the world, whilst also be working for yourself and making your own path.

The advantages of the business mindset:

You possess the qualities needed to help others
You’re able to solve difficult problems
You can achieve financial freedom and independence

The disadvantages of the business mindset:

You might be focused too much on money, and not on passion
There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with being an entrepreneur

Do you possess the business mindset?

9. The Dreamer Mindset

The dreamer mindset is the one I love the most. People who possess this mindset have the ability to dream big and think big. They love to believe that anything is possible, and they have the ability to come up with incredible visions for their future.

Though, the mindset of a dreamer does have its flaws.

The advantages of the dreamer mindset:

You possess the ability to think big
You know what you want from your future
You realize just how much you can achieve from your life

The disadvantages of the dreamer mindset:

Dreaming is only good if you take action on those dreams

Do you possess the dreamer mindset?

8. The Follower Mindset

The follower mindset is a way of thinking that easily allows others to decide what’s in store for your future. With the follower mindset, you don’t have complete control over your life, but you’re allowed to believe you do.

By telling you this, I mean that people who ‘follow’ are those who go with the normal way of doing things. They don’t like to question things.

Therefore they go to school like they’re supposed to. They get a job like they’re supposed to. They start a family like they’re supposed to.

Does this sound familiar to you?

The advantages of the follower mindset:

There’s less risk being a follower, and you’ll feel ‘safe‘

The disadvantages of the follower mindset:

You will be going after what others want, not necessarily what you want
You might never truly achieve happiness
You’ll potentially only ever do or achieve things that 90% of others also achieve

Do you possess the follower mindset?

7. The Greed Mindset

We’re guilty of always wanting more. It often doesn’t how much money we have, we still want more. It’s a vicious cycle.

In the past, the wealthy have been associated with being greedy. A common misconception. Nothing good comes from being greedy; and when we want more, we never fully achieve happiness despite how much we have to be thankful for in our lives.

The advantages of the greed mindset:

It may motivate you towards becoming a successful and wealthy individual

The disadvantages of the greed mindset:

Your greed may be the death of you
You will always want more, and never fully be satisfied
You’re not focused on helping others, one of the prime purpose’s in life

Do you possess the greed mindset?

6. The Gratitude Mindset

We put the greed mindset before the gratitude mindset in this article on purpose. A lot of people forget to be grateful for everything they have in life. For having a roof over their head, a paying job, a family, a good supply of food and water.

We often forget to be thankful for what we have, because the majority of people within our country of origin have exactly the same as us. The people we speak with and spend time with on a daily basis; all have access to the same basic resources we have.

If you can be grateful for what you have, you won’t take anything for granted in this life, and you’ll be happier in the long run.

The advantages of the gratitude mindset:

You appreciate the things you have a lot more
It keeps you humble, no matter how much success you achieve in life
It’s a lot easier for you to be a happy individual
You’ll make the most of the precious time you have

The disadvantages of the gratitude mindset:

There are no real disadvantages of being grateful

Do you possess the gratitude mindset?

5. The Confident Mindset

Confidence is the key to action and happiness. When you combine confidence with a few of the other state of minds on this list, you become unstoppable.

How confident we are has a huge affect on our mental health. How we think about ourselves, our ability to be social, and our belief in our capabilities.

The advantages of the confident mindset:

You’re happier with yourself and the way you are
You’re more likely to take action on your goals
It’s easier for you in social situations

The disadvantages of the confident mindset:

Over-confidence could lead to arrogance, which won’t benefit you in life

Do you possess the confident mindset?

4. The Creative Mindset

Being creative is a lot more difficult than it seems. At first you think you’re being creative, but you’re really replicating ideas that you’ve seen before without even knowing it.

If you’re a creative individual, that’s a great thing, because it means you’re able to be unique. Many people struggle with this, and it becomes hard for them to produce their best work.

The advantages of the creative mindset:

You’re able to produce unique ideas that others couldn’t think of
You’re a natural problem solver
You possess a skill that is tough for others to master

The disadvantages of the creative mindset:

Creativity could lead you to over-complicating the simplest of things

Do you possess the creative mindset?

3. The Short-Term Mindset

The short-term mindset is rather similar to the lazy mindset. It’s similar in the fact that people who are lazy tend to be people that are only obsessed with short term happiness.

Short term happiness is when some is addicted to things that will make them happy for a short period of time, right here in the present moment. But continuing to do so results in being miserable in the long term later in life.

The advantages of the short-term mindset:

The only advantage is that you become happy for a short period of time

The disadvantages of the short-term mindset:

You’re reliant on addiction and lazy habits
You’re pushing yourself towards a miserable life in the long run
Nothing good comes from something easy

Do you possess the short-term mindset?

2. The Angry Mindset

The angry mindset is simple. People who suffer from anger issues have the angry mindset. Maybe they’ve gone through really tough situations in the past, and that’s led to them becoming an angry individual.

There’s could be a lot of causes behind someone having anger issues, but the end result is them taking things out on other people a lot of the time.

The advantages of the angry mindset:

Potential motivation to improve your life and better yourself

The disadvantages of the angry mindset:

You’ll hurt others around you
You’re unable to control your emotions
You’ll waste time blaming others for the things wrong in your life

Do you possess the angry mindset?

1. The Productive Mindset

The productive mindset is brilliant, because it allows someone to make the most of their time, and get tasks completed efficiently.

People who possess this state of mind are able to work towards their goals at a much faster rate, and are unlikely to fall victim to distractions.

The advantages of the productive mindset:

You find it easy to prioritize more important tasks over others
You can get work done efficiently and without distraction

The disadvantages of the productive mindset:

You might overwork yourself in time

Do you possess the productive mindset?

Summary

Let’s finish off the article by quickly recapping on the 15 different types of mindsets people have:

The social mindset
The growth mindset
The fear mindset
The lazy mindset
The envy mindset
The business mindset
The dreamer mindset
The follower mindset
The greed mindset
The gratitude mindset
The confident mindset
The creative mindset
The short-term mindset
The angry mindset

In Conclusion

There are a lot of different types of mindsets people have in life. Depending on how much you want to generalize what makes a mindset, the number of variations could be endless. On the other hand, it could simply boil down to two mindsets: positive and negative.

By reading this article and looking at the list above, it should be pretty clear to identify which mindsets are going to be beneficial for your life, and which are going to have a bad affect on your life.

The important thing is to combine more one beneficial mindset with another to truly be living life to the best of your abilities.

If you’d like to learn more about adopting important mindsets, you can check out this article we published a while back on the subject.