Psychology of Thinking
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Psychology of Thinking
Thought (also called thinking) is the mental process in which beings form psychological associations and models of the world. Thinking is manipulating information, as when we form concepts, engage in problem solving, reason and make decisions. Thought, the act of thinking, produces more thoughts.
Types of thought (thinking)
1. Creative thinking2. Analytical thinking3. Critical thinking4. Concrete thinking5. Abstract thinking6. Divergent thinking7. Convergent thinking8. Compelling Communication
1. Creative thinking Creative thinking isn’t limited to artists and musicians. It is an analytical skill that’s fast becoming expected of everyone. It’s highly valued and very transferrable, and it ties in nicely with being an efficient problem solver. An ability to conceive new and innovative ideas by breaking from established thoughts, theories, rules, and procedures. People who use this thinking often hear that they “think outside the box”.
2. Analytical thinking An ability to separate a whole into its basic parts in order to examine the parts and their relationships. People with this type of thinking are great problem-solvers and have a structured and methodical way of approaching tasks.
3. Critical thinking The process of exercising careful evaluation or judgment. Critical thinking do this in order to determine the authenticity, accuracy, worth, validity, or value of something. Rather than strictly breaking down information into parts, critical thinkers explore other elements that could have impacted conclusions.
Critical thinking helps facilitate much of the research, problem solving, and creative output, and it reflects your ability to think clearly, logically, and objectively.
It’s much easier said than done though. It’s challenging for us as human beings to separate ourselves from our biases, judgments, and reactions. To practice critical thinking skills means to practice the ability to step away from your beliefs that you may hold dear.
4.Concrete thinking More often than not, these type of thinkers prefer to think, comprehend and apply factual knowledge. It is about thinking of objects or ideas as specific items, rather than as a theoretical representation of a general concept. It involves practical thinking only, always literal, and to-the-point.
5. Abstract thinking
An ability to relate seemingly random things with each other and make the connections that others find difficult to see. People with this type of thinking pay attention to the hidden meanings behind things relating them to other items, events, or experiences. Abstract thinkers usually can observe things as theories and/or possibilities.
6. Divergent thinking
This mindset takes the path of exploring an infinite number of solutions to find one that is effective. So, instead of starting off with a set number of possibilities and converging on an answer, divergent thinkers go as far and wide as necessary and move outwards in search of the solution.
7. Convergent thinking
A process of combining a finite number of perspectives or ideas to find a single solution. Convergent thinkers will target these possibilities, or converge them inwards, to come up with a solution.Consider it as a multiple-choice question in an exam. You have four possible answers but only one is right. In order to solve the problem, you would use convergent thinking.Now, as we explored the 7 most common types of thinking, let us identify your personal thinking style and learn how you can get the most out of it.
8. Compelling Communication
As effective communicators, we can facilitate the potency of all our other analytical skills.Being able to solve problems, think analytically and spot trends are all useful skills in and of themselves. But they mean nothing without being able to actually connect with your team and express your ideas clearly and calmly. That’s interpersonal communication at its finest.
Do schools teach children how to think?
The short answer is no. Mathematics and Science teach specific kind of thinking and problem solving but it probably doesn’t generalize to real life thinking, decision making and problem solving.
We need to teach students how to think Edward de Bono argues that teaching needs to be taught explicitly. Real life problems require creative thinking and problem solving. Lateral thinking might be more useful than the conventional binary thinking.In its ideal form, education should be socially progressive. We teach the next generation of scientists, engineers and medical researchers who will improve our quality of life: they will learn more about the world, build better and safer modes of transport, cure diseases and overcome scientific boundaries.
Binary Thinking Binary thinking means seeing ideas in terms of pros and cons or positives and negatives, black and white, only and not paying attention to the shades of grey and thousands of potential ideas in the middle space. This binary thinking is reflected in the various expressions of the Socratic Method which is useful for examining certain kinds of ideas but certainly not for innovative and creative idea generation. Binary thinking, also known as dichotomous thinking, happens when even complex concepts, ideas, and problems are overly simplified into being one side or another. The gray area in the middle is ignored or goes unnoticed. Binary thinking helps us feel a sense of certainty. In a complex world, binary thinking can feel comforting.
Below are examples of the various formats of binary thinking:⦁ Debates ⦁ Pros vs Cons⦁ Thesis, Anti-Thesis and Synthesis
Limits of Binary Thinking If we consider the example of Kodak and the collapse of the film reel making industry, we note that they collapsed because of not appreciating the impact of the digital revolution. Getting lost in the binary debates they couldn’t see the intervening shades of gray.We can clearly see that the following phenomena heralded the demiseof the above industry:⦁ Internet⦁ Xerox and photocopies ⦁ Printers⦁ Emails⦁ WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram replaced physical photo albums
Innovation requires a new process The innovation lifecycle is an attempt to understand the different stages of the public sector innovation process, the enabling conditions and factors that can support the stages, and how and when different tools and methods can be of use.
Japanese companies used a different process than the binary thinkingformat. This process is sometimes called the Six Thinking Hats.Businesses hold several meetings to discuss a range of innovative ideas.
Examples: One of the most famous and groundbreaking examples of process innovation is Henry Ford's invention of the world's first moving assembly line. This process change not only simplified vehicle assembly but shortened the time necessary to produce a single vehicle from 12 hours to 90 minutes.
Brain Storming "Brainstorming is the process of free thinking and generating ideas without being bound by restraints such as "is this a good or bad idea?Brainstorming helps team members feel more comfortable bouncing ideas off one another, even outside of a structured session." Brainstorming is one of the best-known techniques available for creative problem-solving."Types of BrainstormingThe four types of Brainstorming
1. Reverse Brainstorming A creative problem-solving technique in which the problem is turned around and considered from a different point of view to spur new and different solutions.
2. Stop-and-Go Brainstorming A problem-solving technique in which a group alternately engages in brainstorming solutions without evaluation for ten minutes then engages in a short period of evaluation. The group continues alternating between brainstorming and evaluation.
3. Phillips 66 Brainstorming A problem-solving technique in which a group of six people brainstorms for six minutes and then a spokesman for each group presents either the best ideas or all ideas to the larger group.
4. Brain writing A problem-solving technique in which participants individually brainstorm ideas and document them, then share them with a group to further push their thinking.Emotional Reaction An Emotional Response is the reaction of the body to a situation primarily given by an outer influence such as other individuals, groups, things or entities. Components of an emotional response An emotional response consists of three types of components: behavioral, autonomic, and hormonal.
7 human emotions Based on his theory, Ekman proposed that there are seven emotional expressions universal to people all over the world :Happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, anger, disgust, contempt.
Strongest emotion Fear Fear is among the most powerful of all emotions. And since emotions are far more powerful than thoughts, fear can overcome even the strongest parts of our intelligence.Dangerous emotionAnger This emotion is the most dangerous because it can cause us to take actions that we may later regret.Strongest positive emotionLove Love perhaps the strongest of all positive emotions, love is a feeling of deep and enduring affection for someone, along with a willingness to put their needs ahead of your own; it can be directed towards an individual, a group of people, or even all humanity.Emotional triggers An emotional trigger is anything including memories, experiences, or events that sparks an intense emotional reaction, regardless of your current mood.
Types of thought (thinking)
1. Creative thinking
2. Analytical thinking
3. Critical thinking
4. Concrete thinking
5. Abstract thinking
6. Divergent thinking
7. Convergent thinking
8. Compelling Communication
1. Creative thinking
Creative thinking isn’t limited to artists and musicians. It is an analytical skill that’s fast becoming expected of everyone. It’s highly valued and very transferrable, and it ties in nicely with being an efficient problem solver.
An ability to conceive new and innovative ideas by breaking from established thoughts, theories, rules, and procedures. People who use this thinking often hear that they “think outside the box”.
2. Analytical thinking
An ability to separate a whole into its basic parts in order to examine the parts and their relationships. People with this type of thinking are great problem-solvers and have a structured and methodical way of approaching tasks.
3. Critical thinking
The process of exercising careful evaluation or judgment. Critical thinking do this in order to determine the authenticity, accuracy, worth, validity, or value of something. Rather than strictly breaking down information into parts, critical thinkers explore other elements that could have impacted conclusions.
Critical thinking helps facilitate much of the research, problem solving, and creative output, and it reflects your ability to think clearly, logically, and objectively.
It’s much easier said than done though. It’s challenging for us as human beings to separate ourselves from our biases, judgments, and reactions. To practice critical thinking skills means to practice the ability to step away from your beliefs that you may hold dear.
4.Concrete thinking
More often than not, these type of thinkers prefer to think, comprehend and apply factual knowledge. It is about thinking of objects or ideas as specific items, rather than as a theoretical representation of a general concept. It involves practical thinking only, always literal, and to-the-point.
5. Abstract thinking
An ability to relate seemingly random things with each other and make the connections that others find difficult to see. People with this type of thinking pay attention to the hidden meanings behind things relating them to other items, events, or experiences. Abstract thinkers usually can observe things as theories and/or possibilities.
6. Divergent thinking
This mindset takes the path of exploring an infinite number of solutions to find one that is effective. So, instead of starting off with a set number of possibilities and converging on an answer, divergent thinkers go as far and wide as necessary and move outwards in search of the solution.
7. Convergent thinking
A process of combining a finite number of perspectives or ideas to find a single solution. Convergent thinkers will target these possibilities, or converge them inwards, to come up with a solution.
Consider it as a multiple-choice question in an exam. You have four possible answers but only one is right. In order to solve the problem, you would use convergent thinking.
Now, as we explored the 7 most common types of thinking, let us identify your personal thinking style and learn how you can get the most out of it.
8. Compelling Communication
As effective communicators, we can facilitate the potency of all our other analytical skills.
Being able to solve problems, think analytically and spot trends are all useful skills in and of themselves. But they mean nothing without being able to actually connect with your team and express your ideas clearly and calmly. That’s interpersonal communication at its finest.
Do schools teach children how to think?
The short answer is no. Mathematics and Science teach specific kind of thinking and problem solving but it probably doesn’t generalize to real life thinking, decision making and problem solving.
We need to teach students how to think
Edward de Bono argues that teaching needs to be taught explicitly. Real life problems require creative thinking and problem solving. Lateral thinking might be more useful than the conventional binary thinking.
In its ideal form, education should be socially progressive. We teach the next generation of scientists, engineers and medical researchers who will improve our quality of life: they will learn more about the world, build better and safer modes of transport, cure diseases and overcome scientific boundaries.
Binary Thinking
Binary thinking means seeing ideas in terms of pros and cons or positives and negatives, black and white, only and not paying attention to the shades of grey and thousands of potential ideas in the middle space. This binary thinking is reflected in the various expressions of the Socratic Method which is useful for examining certain kinds of ideas but certainly not for innovative and creative idea generation.
Binary thinking, also known as dichotomous thinking, happens when even complex concepts, ideas, and problems are overly simplified into being one side or another. The gray area in the middle is ignored or goes unnoticed. Binary thinking helps us feel a sense of certainty. In a complex world, binary thinking can feel comforting.
Below are examples of the various formats of binary thinking:
⦁ Debates
⦁ Pros vs Cons
⦁ Thesis, Anti-Thesis and Synthesis
Limits of Binary Thinking
If we consider the example of Kodak and the collapse of the film reel making industry, we note that they collapsed because of not appreciating the impact of the digital revolution. Getting lost in the binary debates they couldn’t see the intervening shades of gray.We can clearly see that the following phenomena heralded the demise
of the above industry:
⦁ Internet
⦁ Xerox and photocopies
⦁ Printers
⦁ Emails
⦁ WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram replaced physical photo albums
Innovation requires a new process
The innovation lifecycle is an attempt to understand the different stages of the public sector innovation process, the enabling conditions and factors that can support the stages, and how and when different tools and methods can be of use.
Japanese companies used a different process than the binary thinking
format. This process is sometimes called the Six Thinking Hats.
Businesses hold several meetings to discuss a range of innovative ideas.
Examples:
One of the most famous and groundbreaking examples of process innovation is Henry Ford's invention of the world's first moving assembly line. This process change not only simplified vehicle assembly but shortened the time necessary to produce a single vehicle from 12 hours to 90 minutes.
Brain Storming
"Brainstorming is the process of free thinking and generating ideas without being bound by restraints such as "is this a good or bad idea?
Brainstorming helps team members feel more comfortable bouncing ideas off one another, even outside of a structured session.
" Brainstorming is one of the best-known techniques available for creative problem-solving."
Types of Brainstorming
The four types of Brainstorming
1. Reverse Brainstorming
A creative problem-solving technique in which the problem is turned around and considered from a different point of view to spur new and different solutions.
2. Stop-and-Go Brainstorming
A problem-solving technique in which a group alternately engages in brainstorming solutions without evaluation for ten minutes then engages in a short period of evaluation. The group continues alternating between brainstorming and evaluation.
3. Phillips 66 Brainstorming
A problem-solving technique in which a group of six people brainstorms for six minutes and then a spokesman for each group presents either the best ideas or all ideas to the larger group.
4. Brain writing
A problem-solving technique in which participants individually brainstorm ideas and document them, then share them with a group to further push their thinking.
Emotional Reaction
An Emotional Response is the reaction of the body to a situation primarily given by an outer influence such as other individuals, groups, things or entities.
Components of an emotional response
An emotional response consists of three types of components: behavioral, autonomic, and hormonal.
7 human emotions
Based on his theory, Ekman proposed that there are seven emotional expressions universal to people all over the world :
Happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, anger, disgust, contempt.
Strongest emotion
Fear
Fear is among the most powerful of all emotions. And since emotions are far more powerful than thoughts, fear can overcome even the strongest parts of our intelligence.
Dangerous emotion
Anger
This emotion is the most dangerous because it can cause us to take actions that we may later regret.
Strongest positive emotion
Love
Love perhaps the strongest of all positive emotions, love is a feeling of deep and enduring affection for someone, along with a willingness to put their needs ahead of your own; it can be directed towards an individual, a group of people, or even all humanity.
Emotional triggers
An emotional trigger is anything including memories, experiences, or events that sparks an intense emotional reaction, regardless of your current mood.
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