According to psychology, there are different types of thinking, which we tend to use on certain occasions depending on the task we are doing. For example, the type of thought that we are going to use when we are going to reflect on a topic such as religion is going to be different from the type of thought that we are going to use to perform some mathematical calculation in the mind. There are 9 types of thoughts, among them are logical, critical, reflective, practical, systemic thinking, among others that we will see later.
In this Psychology-Online article, we are going to tell you in detail what the 9 types of thinking according to psychology.
What are thoughts?: types of thinking and examples
When we talk about thinking, we are referring to a psychological mental process through which people can create, regulate and develop ideas about ourselves, the environment that surrounds us or others. The thoughts that people adopt have different individual characteristics and develop over time. A thought will always be accompanied by other types of mental processes that have a close relationship with the emotions which are regulated by the . Although, as we well know, each person thinks for themselves, it is also true that we adopt different ways of thinking.
When we talk about ways of thinking, We refer to the different social interventions that we have been incorporating over time into our mentality, that is, they have to do with our own history and social constructions.
So it can be said that all our modes of thinking have been created and have evolved over time where human beings have faced different challenges and situations, which we have overcome. This is what makes our ways of thinking extremely important since more than anything it is about our own cultural heritage.
The nine types of thinking According to psychology they are the following:
- reflective thinking
- Critical thinking
- Analytical thinking
- Logical thinking
- Systemic thinking
- Analog thinking
- Creative thinking
- Deliberative thinking
- Practical thinking
Types of thinking according to psychology: reflective, critical and analytical
But,What is the use of knowing these 9 types of thoughts?? Because thoughts influence our emotions and therefore our actions and the way we live, it helps us know and understand ourselves better.
reflective thinking
This type of thinking was exposed by one of the greatest American scholars, John Dewey, in his book: “How We Think.” In this book, he recognizes the following values in reflective thinking: it facilitates systematic action, it guides our actions towards an objective in a conscious manner, it facilitates control between thought and action and it encourages us to seek the meaning of our actions or situations. .
refers to the different ways in which represent and express ideas or situations, which helps us increase awareness of our own actions. In summary, we can say that this type of thinking helps us plan our actions in an orderly and conscious manner according to our expectations.
Critical thinking
refers to the inquiry, analysis and evaluation of knowledge, revealing the different realities that may be hiding behind reality, doing so in a logical manner. It can be said that what critical thinking does is confront us with reality in all its dimensions (reality as we want it to be, the reality that we all see, reality currently and in the past). So this type of thinking, although it cannot allow us to affirm what reality is, allows us to affirm that it is located at some point between which all realities are intertwined.
Analytical thinking
These types of thoughts help us better understand a situation, pigeonholing and/or organizing reality so that we can process it in a better way. People who adopt this type of thinking usually have very clear and defined ideas as they make an exhaustive and reflective analysis of a problem or situation. They manage to do this by dividing the problem into parts or categories, which are analyzed to obtain a good solution.
Types of thinking and their definition: logical, systemic, analogical and creative thinking
We define the following types of thinking as the ability to understand, organize and create the ideas that pass through our minds. Do you want to know more about these types of thinking? Then take note of the following definitions:
Logical thinking
This type of thinking is based on the expression of ideas orderly manner, which can lead us to convince ourselves that we are right. People who adopt this type of thinking fundamentally rely on the rules that are already established by a logical system. The idea is to be able to communicate to other people that the conclusions reached really correspond, or not, to the expectations of what could be expected. In summary, we can say that logical thinking is more than anything about obtaining new ideas from those we already had, following a logical and precise order.
Systemic thinking
This type of thinking refers to the capacity that people have to be able to understand the relationships that different elements have that make up a system. This type of thinking is applicable to the resolution of interpersonal problems, social and organizational relationships, etc. since it studies all the elements of the system and the interaction that exists between them.
Analog thinking
This type of thinking is essential for almost all human activities. Although at first glance it may seem complex, people tend to constantly use analogies in our daily lives. When we think analogically, we are organizing our ideas in order to be able to make comparisons between them. An example of this would be the following: “Teachers who teach in the afternoon are similar to those who teach in the morning, therefore, both teachers are equally dedicated.”
Creative thinking
This type of thinking refers to the production of new ideas, new experiences, new realities, since people who normally adopt this type of thinking have the belief that everything is possible, so they do not limit themselves when creating. People with this type of thinking are flexible and original people.
Deliberative and practical thinking
Each person usually adopts certain types of thoughts on a regular basis with which they are more familiar and have to do with their personality, however all people are capable of applying all the types of thinking that exist to achieve the results we want. Next, we will define the last two types of thinking according to psychology:
Deliberative thinking
This type of thinking refers to the way people make their decisions. The decisions that a person can make are not made based on logic, calculation or reasoning alone, but are fundamentally made based on certain criteria, personal values, ethical principles, already established norms, etc.
Practical thinking
Practical thinking is a type of reasoning that is responsible for applying the knowledge acquired in a more simplified and practical way so that as each of the processes to be followed are established and fulfilled, the desired results are obtained. Developing this type of thinking is very important to develop our activities in daily life and in the workplace more effectively.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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References
- Moya, JMO (sf). Cognitive processes and types of thinking. Retrieved November 26, 2018, from http://www.competenciasbasicashuelva.net/atlantida/EJEMPLIFICACIONES%20CURRICULO%20FORMAL/Integrando%20processes%20y%20contenidos/process