Beautiful Mistakes: The Psychology of Learning from Failure

Semester & Location:	Summer 2025, Session 2 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Study Tour:	Italy
Major Disciplines:	Psychology, Education / Educational Studies, Human Development
Prerequisite(s):	One course in psychology or neuroscience at university level
Faculty Members:	Gitte Vonsild (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Program Contact:	psy.cns@dis.dk
Time & Place:	See Course Schedule Location: N7-C23

 

 

Course Description

To err is human: although mistakes are inevitable, how we perceive and approach our failures can help us transform them into beautiful mistakes. But what are the intrapersonal and interpersonal psychological factors that either support or hinder learning and creativity? Inspired by Sir Alexander Fleming’s  lab error that led to the accidental discovery of penicillin, we will explore the psychological and social processes that transform failures into opportunities for discovery, growth, and innovation. How does fear of making mistakes impact individuals, their communities, and organizations? Which psychological climates allow individuals and communities to explore new territory, seek out challenges, adapt to change, and engage in creative problem solving? We will examine psychological theories and research combined with real-life cases to explore answers to these questions and consider how we can create optimal conditions for learning and innovation in the unfolding of beautiful mistakes. Specifically, we will emphasize topic areas such as mindsets, perfectionism, strengths-based approaches, psychological capital, self-compassion, mindfulness, creativity, flow theory and psychological safety. Scandinavian and European cultural perspectives will also be considered

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students should be able to...

• Create and put into action evidence-based strategies that allow individuals and groups to grow and learn from failure and avoid fatal mistakes
• Understand the relationship between psychological safety and standards in failure science
• Apply and work actively with mindsets, empowerment, and strategies for overcoming fear of failure at interpersonal as well as intrapersonal levels
• Describe and apply flow design: how to establish the optimal conditions for learning, creativity, and innovation

Faculty

Gitte Vonsild, Master of Positive Psychology, M.Sc. (Econ.), Co-Active Coach (CPCC) is DIS lecturer in Positive Psychology, Organizational Psychology, and the Psychology of Leadership. Gitte Vonsild specialized in Applied Positive Psychology and her main interests lie at the intersection between motivation, performance, and well-being. She has an international leadership (CFO) background and self-employed coach and workshop leader since 2005. Assistant/associate professor in Coaching & Counseling at the Metropolitan University College, 2008-2012. With DIS since 2011.

Readings

Books: 

• Edmondson, A. (2023). Right Kind of Wrong. The Science of Failing Well. Atria Books
• Ben-Shahar, Tal. (2009). The Pursuit of Perfect. How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer Happier Life. McGraw-Hill

Required Articles and Other Media on Canvas: 

Baumeister, Roy F. et al., (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, Vol 5(4), Dec 2001, 323-370

Carlson, R. W., & Fishbach, A. (2024). Learning from failure. Motivation Science, 10(3), 160–170

Choi, E., Leroy, H., Johnson, A., & Nguyen, H. (2022). Flaws and all: How mindfulness reduces error hiding by enhancing authentic functioning. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 27(5), 451–469

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, New York: Harper Perennial. Pp. 107-126

Dweck, C. S. (2019). The Choice to Make a Difference. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(1), 21-25. e 2005). Pp. 299-316

Fast, N. J., Burris, E. R., & Bartel, C. A. (2014). Managing to stay in the dark: Managerial self-efficacy, ego defensiveness, and the aversion to employee voice. Academy of Management Journal, 57(4), 1013–1034

Gaudreau, P., & Benoît, A. (2025). Distinguishing perfectionism and excellencism in graduate students: Contrasting links with performance satisfaction, research self-efficacy, burnout, and dropout intentions. British Journal of Psychology, 00, 1–23.

Guo, L. et al. (2018). Authoritarian leadership and employee creativity: The moderating role of psychological capital and the mediating role of fear and defensive silence. J. Bus. Res. 2018, 92, 219–230

Hout, J.J.J. et al. (2018). The Conceptualization of Team Flow. The Journal of Psychology, 152:6, 388-423

Langer, E. J., & Ngnoumen, C. T. (2018). Mindfulness. In D. S. Dunn (Ed.), Positive psychology: Established and emerging issues (pp. 97–111). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group

Luthans, F. et al. (2010). The development and resulting performance impact of positive psychological capital. Human Resource Development Quaterly, 21(1), 41-67

McGregor, H. A., & Elliot, A. J. (2005). The Shame of Failure: Examining the Link Between Fear of Failure and Shame. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(2), 218-231

Moore, H.L., Bakker, A. B. & van Mierlo, H. (2022). Using
strengths and thriving at work: The role of colleague strengths recognition and organizational context, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 31:2, 260-272

Nakamura, J., and Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009). Flow Theory and Research in  Snyder, C.R. & Lopez, S. (eds.) Handbook of Positive Psychology. 195-206

Neff, K.D. (2023). Self-Compassion: Theory, Method, Research, and Intervention. Annual Review of Psychology, 18 Jan 2023, Vol. 74, Issue 1, pages 193 - 218

Rasulova, S. H. G., & Abbasov, N. T. O. (2024). The value of mistakes: A pathway to experience and wisdom. Euro-Global Journal of Linguistics and Language Education, 1(1), Autumn. Pp. 151-157

Roberts, M. R. (1989). Serendipity. Accidental Discoveries in Science. (Introduction, pp. ix–xi; Antibiotics: Penicillin, Sulfa Drugs, and Magainins, pp. 159–169). Wiley Science Editions

Ting-Toomey, S. (2015). Facework and Facework Negotiation Theory. In J. Bennett (Ed.), Sage Encyclopedia of Intercultural Competence, Volume 1 (pp. 325-330). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

With, S., Benoît, A., & Gaudreau, P. (2024). Self-compassion as a moderator in the relationships of excellencism and perfectionism with indicators of mental health. Mindfulness, 15(7), 1650–1664

Wilson, P. (n.d.). Kodak – A lesson in risk aversion. Blue Steps. Retrieved from https://www.bluesteps.com/blog/kodak-lesson-risk-aversion

Additional academic articles, cases, and materials will be uploaded on Canvas

Field Studies

Field study 1: Exploring the flow of creative problem solving in a natural "fail well" context

During this academic experiential learning we will visit a company specialized in team building and how to promote creative problem solving. More info will be provided on Canvas.

Field study 2: How to foster psychological safety and reduce fear of failure in a group context

We visit a Danish consultant company specialized in promoting psychological safety. We will have the opportunity to try out and experience their teaching methods in action. More info will be provided on Canvas.

Study Tour:  Italy 

Theme: We travel with the question: “What makes a beautiful mistake?”

Why is the Tower of Pisa one of the world’s most famous monuments?
The unintentional tilt, which began already during the construction in the 12th Century, turned the tower into a world known beautiful mistake: The Leaning Tower of Pisa.  As the famous Italian receiver of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award, writer and pedagogue Gianni Rodari wrote: Mistakes are necessary, useful as bread, and often beautiful, like the tower of Pisa. Rodari welcomed mistakes as a natural component of creativity and learning, and so do we. Through a wide variety of experiential learning activities, we put theory into action exploring the role of mistakes and their link to learning, growth, development, innovation and new discoveries as they unfold in the interaction between individuals, culture and context

Approach to Teaching

The teaching in this course is based on experiential learning, so I expect you to participate actively in class exercises, reflection, and discussion.  In so doing, you are requested to follow the following rules of exercises, written assignments, and discussions:

Any personal information revealed in this class is confidential. You may share ideas and experiences with people outside the class, but no information referring to personal identities should be revealed.  Any violation of this confidentiality will be dealt with severely.

Nobody is wrong! In discussion, you should not challenge someone else's opinions or experience. It is appropriate to acknowledge differences, but with the understanding that there is no correct experience or opinion.  Everyone should be treated with civility and respect.

Everyone has the right to challenge someone's factual statements on the accuracy of the facts.

DIS Accommodations Statement 

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support acadsupp@dis.dk. 

Expectations of the Students

I expect you to have done the reading for each class and to participate actively and constructively in all aspects of this course including class sessions, field study sessions, and course-related field studies, as well as activities in class discussions, team work, and to contribute to the progress of the class.

In this course, each one of us has the equal and unique responsibility to facilitate the most optimal learning outcomes.

Students are expected to:

• complete all reading assignments prior to coming to class
• contribute to class discussions and team activities
• draw upon your interactions and observations from daily life in Denmark to theory, research, and practices in class
• work independently and be active in team work
• write down reflections throughout the course
• be punctual and attend all classes; missing classes without a legitimate excuse will result in a lower final grade

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on their participation in class, on individual papers, and on team presentations. Emphasis in evaluation is on active and constructive engagement with the subject and with the rest of the class. Creativity and critical academic reflection is highly valued in your written work as well as in class, where there will be a number of class discussions, open reflective questions related to class topics, teamwork assignments and short presentations.

In your papers, I expect you to use high quality, credible, and relevant sources and to cite all your sources in your text using APA-style references. Please make sure that all statements and claims are supported by academic references.

The grades will be uploaded to Canvas. Detailed explanations of the assignments will also be uploaded on Canvas. Please check the platform regularly, also to be aware of possible changes in the syllabus.

Assignment Type	%	Description
Participation (individual)	20%	The participation grade is based upon the active individual participation in classes, team discussions, workshops, and experiential learning activities
Discussion paper (individual)	30%	In the written discussion paper you will be given a task related to the course literature. This assignment gives you the opportunity to recapture, connect, and discuss central theories.
Beautiful Mistakes: A Photo Documentary (individual)	25%	Beautiful Mistakes: A Photo Documentary Pictures speak a 1000 words!  In this assignment, you will use your camera to make observations connected to course relevant theory and research. This will allow you to gain and explain valuable information about failing well in various social and cultural contexts.
Learning From Mistakes: Team Presentation Assignment	25%	This team assignment takes a real-life case as the point of departure. Further details will be provided in class.

 

Classroom Policies

Late papers will not be accepted and the use of laptops or phones in class is not allowed

 

Academic Regulations (Summer)

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

 

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