Psychology and Go #

You often hear: “I don’t need that” when psychology is brought up. However, it’s a serious mistake not to rely on it, especially in the game of Go where the mental aspect is central to everything.

Psychology in Service of Learning #

Go is a magnificent but difficult game, into which people often invest a lot. Despite this, the path is paved with defeats. Indeed, regardless of your experience and efforts, as long as you play against players of your level, you will have roughly as many defeats as victories! And Go is not a game that can be beaten, like a video game that you finish with all achievements. Even if you are among the strongest players in the world, there will always be someone trying to beat you, and you will have to keep training to progress.

The path of learning Go can therefore be difficult, and certain teachings from psychology can help make the journey easier.

Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset #

The fixed mindset is found in people who believe that abilities are immutable traits. Abilities are “fixed” and do not evolve, or evolve very little, with learning. With this way of thinking, failure becomes a terrible judgment of oneself, and losing a game can be very emotionally difficult.

The growth mindset is based on the belief that abilities can be developed through effort, perseverance, and good learning strategies. With this way of thinking, failure is an opportunity to learn and progress. Constructive feedback on one’s way of playing is welcomed as a means to improve rather than as criticism.

What is intelligence?

There are many definitions of intelligence. The one that interests us in this guide relates to learning. As defined by Jean Piaget, intelligence is the capacity to adapt. And this flexibility, this ability to adjust to new information and experiences, is not fixed; it is possible to improve it.

Thus, even if everyone does not necessarily have equal abilities at birth (particularly in processing speed and observational skills), to become better at Go, the most important thing is to be able to assimilate new information and adjust one’s behavior accordingly. Therefore, try as much as possible to be in a growth mindset, where all information that comes your way, negative as well as positive, can be used to progress, rather than to judge yourself.

Self-Esteem #

Self-esteem can be perceived through two concepts:

• Trait self-esteem: This is the stable and long-lasting tendency to evaluate oneself. It’s how one defines oneself over the long term.
• State self-esteem: Reflects fluctuations in esteem at a given moment. It is more variable and sensitive to what is happening “in the moment”.

When you lose a game, or fail to solve a problem, it’s the state self-esteem that should vary. Indeed, it’s normal to be a little disappointed or sad after losing a game. Nevertheless, this should not call into question your entire perception of yourself. Yet, this is often the case; variations in state self-esteem get confused with trait self-esteem. A little phrase players might frequently tell themselves is “I suck,” and this is the kind of overly harsh (and completely counterproductive) judgment one can make when this confusion occurs. If the disappointment is too strong, a more accurate phrase might be “I feel sad”: you accept your emotion, but without judgment, because it’s only about how you feel at that precise moment, and not something permanent. Once the intensity of the emotion has calmed down a bit, you can also tell yourself things like:

• It’s normal for me to lose 50% of my games
• I’m not an AI, it’s normal for me to make mistakes, everyone does
• My opponent played well, congratulations to them

Encountering difficulties is part of the game; don’t judge yourself harshly, it won’t help you progress.

Self-Handicapping #

Low self-esteem can also lead to training less to have an excuse for defeats. Indeed, if a person hasn’t put in much effort, a defeat challenges their abilities less. And so some train less, more or less consciously, to avoid having to question themselves. This obviously doesn’t work: to progress, you have to train. A person with good self-esteem will do what they deem necessary to succeed and showcase their abilities.

Having good self-esteem, and therefore believing in your abilities, is an important foundation for progressing effectively in Go.

Emotions during the Game #

During a game, and particularly important games, you can experience strong emotions. These can disrupt your play, causing you to make less rational decisions.

*Different emotions and their impact on the game.

You cannot control your emotions. Nevertheless, you can prevent them from controlling your game too much. The first step is absolutely not to ignore them. When you feel, physically, that an emotion is emerging, note it mentally: it must be very clear to you that you are feeling fear, anger, or something else. In an ideal world, one could take the time to understand the why and how of this emotion, analyze it so that it has the least possible impact. But during a game, we will often be pressed for time. No pausing the clock to take time to manage anger!

Thus, during play, a fairly simple strategy is to keep the physical symptoms of the emotion in the back of your mind. By being aware of the emotion’s presence, you can reduce its impact on your game. Later, if you review the game, it can be beneficial to revisit this emotion and better understand why you felt it.

When an emotion emerges, be aware of its presence for as long as it lasts.

Maintaining Long-Term Motivation #

Generally, people train in Go for years, or decades. It’s normal to have moments of pause: the brain may simply need a little rest to integrate certain information. This will only allow you to start again even stronger!

However, it is also possible to stop due to lack of motivation, or the feeling that one is no longer progressing. Chapter 8 offers you a method to avoid falling into this trap by building a motivating learning plan.