Thinking Styles

Thinking Styles Paper

Critical thinking is the method used when deciding rationally what or what not to believe. It can simply be described as the process for the use of reason in the pursuit of the truth. One of the most important aspects of the thinking process relies on the ability to coordinate and structure our ideas so that they make sense. Human beings have the need to communicate with others. Preparing our mind to utilize this effective process adds power to the delivery of clear and concise information. This paper discusses three thinking styles that when used with critical thinking becomes more effective in application.

Logical Thinking

When thinking critically one must assess all assumptions for validity and appropriateness using our logic as a basis. Although the two concepts are closely tied, there is a possibility for a person to be logical but not be thinking critically. Critical thinking involves knowledge of the science of logic, including how to analyze information and using corrective reasoning. To think critically one must understand the source and nature of knowledge and the nature of truth. The key to thinking critically is applying logic in the process. This can often become hard to do as we find it difficult to separate out perception from reality.

Logic affects my every day performance in all aspects of my life whether it is at home, or at work. The critical thinking process is questioning, analyzing, problem solving, understanding, and such as a loop asking more questions. In order to have a logical decision I need to have true unbiased facts to support my decision. Is this possible? Not always, I respond emotionally first because I am human. After the initial response of emotion, the information will reach my rational mind. My own mind is the greatest barrier between me and the facts. The nature of logic as it relates to critical thinking through the perceptual process has a big impact on my choices and decisions in life. Logical thought is the reasoning with information to come to a truthful result. Logic and critical thinking, while compatible, often do not reside hand in hand.

Kinaesthetic Thinking

Kinaesthetic thinking uses feeling, emotions, intuition and physical exercises. One of my children is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and shows signs of Bi-Polar Disorder. The functions of her brain and thinking process are better equipped when using this style of thinking. For instance, her math lessons involve activities such as playing board games and using tactile resources such as building blocks, peg boards, number cubes and measuring apparatus. Her thinking process is more effective when she is able to apply hands on experience when she is being taught applications. In grade school she was more receptive and maintained a longer attention span with mathematics when using Lego blocks. Kinaesthetic thinkers respond very well to the concept of being able to deconstruct each shape, into its component building blocks, and by touching and counting count each one. The Kinaesthetic style of thinking allows my daughter to better rationalize the choices she makes when done critically.

Creative Thinking

"Creative thinking is the process we use when we come up with a new idea. It can be accidental or deliberate. Have you ever woken up out of a deep sleep with a great solution to a problem you'd been struggling with? Or been taking a shower and all of a sudden the answer pops into your head? That happens to all of us. We come up with our most creative ideas by complete chance when we are not consciously thinking about them." (Fox, 2002) Creative thinking can happen in any situation.

"One common mistake people make during the creative process is they insist on being logical. Logic is critical in our daily lives, but there is one place it does not belong and this is during the creative thinking process and brainstorming activities. There is plenty of time for logic later on, but during the creative process you want as many ideas as you can get, regardless of how ridiculous they might seem at first. Many times we think a creative idea is illogical but when we ask why is it illogical, you often find it's only a few specific rules or procedures that make it so. If you dig a little deeper, you find that the rules may not apply in this particular