Implicit Theory

Implicit theories are “people's basic assumptions about themselves and their world” (Dweck, 1996, p. 69 In contrast to scientific theories, laypersons' theories are often implicit in the sense that their holders are not aware of them and how they affect their behavior.

Implicit theories are best understood by contrasting them with the explicit theories, which are held by scientists and researchers. The latter are explicit in the sense that they must be articulated so they can be shared (via presentations and publications) and tested (via hypotheses and research). For these reasons they must be made explicit. Implicit theories, on the other hand, need not be articulated, shared, nor tested. They are personal, though stable.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/implicit-theory

Plaks, J. E. (2017). Implicit theories: Assumptions that shape social and moral cognition. In Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 56, pp. 259-310). Academic Press.

Dweck, C. S. (1996). Implicit theories as organizers of goals and behavior. In P. M. Gollwitzer & J. A. Bargh (Eds.), The psychology of action: Linking cognition and motivation to behavior (p. 69–90). The Guilford Press.