Meaning
Set of beliefs individuals use to estimate their past attributes based on their current state and their assumptions about personal development. Founders rely on implicit theories of stability and change to dictate whether they remember themselves as having stayed the same or having evolved substantially over a period of time. These theories function as the default settings for evaluating personal growth or decline.
Memory Distortion
Assumptions about the nature of change guide the reconstruction of the past. If a founder believes that a specific training program was effective, they will often remember their previous skills as being lower than they actually were to create a larger delta. This measurement is subjective and often contradicts the objective figures held in the record.
Developmental Bias
The belief in constant improvement forces the mind to downplay past competence. To maintain the idea that the present version of the operator is the most capable, the previous versions must be remembered as less equipped. This adjustment provides the person with a sense of progress that may not be supported by the actual output of the seat.
Stability Projection
In cases where the theory assumes no change occurred, the mind ignores real shifts in behavior. The person believes they are acting on the same principles as the day they founded the project, even when their methods have fundamentally transformed.
