Creating a Mastery Climate
As individuals make New Year’s resolutions, creating a mastery climate can benefit their mental health. In comparison to performance climates, which are based on ability and encourage competition and comparison among individuals, mastery-motivational ones focus on collaboration, cooperation, effort and improvement. Mastery goals involve gaining control, knowledge and proficiency.
Help adolescents experience personal growth by encouraging them to set goals, develop skills and minimize comparisons to others. Further positive behaviors for youth to focus upon include being accountable, encouraging others, expressing their feelings, being a good listener, showing gratitude, keeping an open mind and letting others express themselves, serving their community, standing up for themselves and their values, telling the truth, and being comfortable in their own skin while celebrating what makes them unique.
TARGET, which stands for Task, Authority, Recognition, G, Evaluation and Timing can help to create a mastery climate. Use a variety of Tasks, which are challenging, interesting and meaningful; share Authority by giving youth choices and allowing them to help make decisions; Recognize accomplishments; employ individual Evaluations rather than social comparisons; and realize the need for varied Timing as not everyone learns skills at the same pace and some adolescents require additional practice.
In a mastery climate, success is defined with regard to personal improvement; value is related to learning instead of natural ability; satisfaction is based on maximum effort and not outperforming others; effort is expended to develop skills rather than to show superiority; and mistakes are viewed as part of the educational process and not as failures. Other useful abilities include appreciating similarities and differences, compromising, employing positive self-talk, having a kind spirit, and showing empathy and quiet strength.
According to the World Health Organization, having “a sense of mastery” over one’s environment improves mental health. Self-efficacy or the belief that you can succeed in what you want to do can boost resiliency. For individuals with depression, there are simple ways to increase motivation. Place Post-it Notes with positive affirmations (such as “I Am Strong and Capable” or “I Choose to Let Go of My Fear”) where you can see them and congratulate yourself for each goal or task you complete, no matter how small.