Based on extensive research with children and young adults, this book examines adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-motivational patterns and shows how these patterns originate in people's self theories; their consequences for one's achievement, social relationships, and emotional well-being; their consequences for society; and the experiences that create these cognitive-motivational patterns. The chapters are: (1) "What Promotes Adaptive Motivation? Four Beliefs and Four Truths about Ability, Success, Praise, and Confidence"; (2) "When Failure Undermines and When Failure Motivates: Helpless and Mastery-Oriented Responses"; (3) "Achievement Goals: Looking Smart versus Learning"; (4) "Is Intelligence Fixed or Changeable? Students' Theories about Their Intelligence Foster Their Achievement Goals"; (5) "Theories of Intelligence Predict (and Create) Differences in Achievement"; (6) "Theories of Intelligence Create High and Low Effort"; (7) "Implicit Theories and Goals Predict Self-Esteem Loss and Depressive Reactions to Negative Events"; (8) "Why Confidence and Success Are Not Enough"; (9) "What Is IQ and Does It Matter?" (10) "Believing in Fixed Social Traits: Impact on Social Coping"; (11) "Judging and Labeling Others: Another Effect of Implicit Theories"; (12) "Belief in the Potential To Change"; (13) "Holding and Forming Stereotypes"; (14) "How Does It All Begin? Young Children's Theories about Goodness and Badness"; (15) "Kinds of Praise and Criticism: The Origins of Vulnerability"; (16) "Praising Intelligence: More Praise That Backfires"; (17)"Misconceptions about Self-Esteem and about How To Foster It"; (18) "Personality, Motivation, Development, and the Self: Theoretical Reflections"; and (19) "Final Thoughts on Controversial Issues." Information on measures of implicit theories, confidence, and goals is appended. (Contains 369 references.) (KB)