Hey, thanks for the article. Very detailed! I think it also depends on the person & his/her personality. For example, in high scool I was always noticed for doing good in programming classes but this didn t make me arogant or anything. It pushed me to work harder because the expectations were always high. There are the obvious cases, in which the dude gets overconfident and doesn't perform anymore. So yeah, I consider praise to be good but only in some cases, as you mentioned.
Have a good day! x
Hi razvan-stanciu, you made a good point. I think the effects of praise might be sensitive to cultural context. For example, in many Asian cultures, praise is very rare, and even a comment that is half-praise is highly treasured and deeply motivating. Carol Dweck's study was conducted in the US, and I think in American culture, praise is often too extravagantly lavished on children - to the point the they become worthless or worse, have the opposite effect. The is especially the case when the praise is general (great job!) instead of specific (wow, I like how succinct your code is!).