A mindset is an "established set of attitudes, esp. regarded as typical of a particular group's social or cultural values; the outlook, philosophy, or values of a person; (now also more generally) frame of mind, attitude, [and] disposition." It may also arise from a person's worldview or beliefs about the meaning of life.

A mindset could create an incentive to adopt (or accept) previous behaviors, choices, or tools, sometimes known as cognitive inertia or "groupthink." Within these concepts, it may be difficult to counteract its effects on analysis and decision-making.

In cognitive psychology, a mindset is the cognitive process activated in a task. According to French and Chang (2016), scholarly concepts of mindset shift "to the varied definitions and conceptualizations" which "demarcates this literature via a novel categorization using the construct of mindset."