TYPES AND THEORIES OF
THINKING
Dr. Shahab Uddin
Senior Lecturer
CONTENTS:
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Definition of Thinking
Types of Thinking
Perceptual or concrete thinking
Conceptual or abstract thinking
Reflective Thinking
Creative Thinking
Critical Thinking
Realistic Thinking
Unrealistic Thinking
Theories of Thinking
Functions of Thinking
Improve your critical Thinking
Summary
References
Behavioural Sciences in Clinical Medicine
DEFINITION OF THINKING
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Thinking is the cognitive activity used to process
information, solve problems, make decision and create new
ideas.
We use our thinking skills when we try to make sense of
experience, organize information, make connections, ask
questions, make plans or decide what to do.
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THINKING
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TYPES OF THINKING
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Perceptual or Concrete Thinking
Conceptual or Abstract Thinking
Reflective Thinking
Creative Thinking
Critical Thinking
Realistic Thinking
Un-Realistic Thinking
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PERCEPTUAL OR CONCRETE
THINKING
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This is the simplest form of thinking.
The Basis of this type is Perception.
E.g. Interpretation of sensation according to one’s experience.
It is also called concrete thinking.
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CONCEPTUAL OR ABSTRACT
THINKING
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We make the use of concepts, the generalized objects and
language, it is regarded as being superior to perceptual
thinking as it economizes efforts in understanding and
problem- solving.
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REFLECTIVE THINKING
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This type of thinking aims in solving complex problems.
It requires re-organization of all the relevant experience to a
situation or removing obstacles instead of relating with that
experience or idea.
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CREATIVE THINKING
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This type of thinking is associated with one’s ability to create
or construct something new or unusual.
It looks for new relationship and association to describe and
interpret the nature of things, events and situation.
The individual himself usually formulates the evidence and
tools for its solution.
For Example: Scientist, Artist and inventors.
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CRITICAL THINKING
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This type of thinking helps a person in stepping aside from his
own personal beliefs, prejudices and opinions to sort out the
faiths and discover the truth, even at the expense of his basic
belief system.
An ideal critical thinker is well informed, open- minded,
flexible, fair minded in evaluation, free from personal bias and
prejudices, skilled in proper use of the abilities like analysis,
interpretation, evaluation and drawing conclusion.
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REALISTIC THINKING
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Also known as reasoning
Help us to adjust to real world
motivated to reach solutions to problems involving individual
livelihood
Three processes involve in reasoning
Deductive
Inductive
Evaluative
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UNREALISTIC THINKING
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Preoccupation with inner thoughts, day dreams, fantasies,
subjective thinking lacking objectivity and connection with
external reality”.
Dreaming
Day dreaming
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DREAMING
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It is an abnormal phenomena of mind that does not occur in
waking life
According to Freud it is the royal road to unconscious
Main features are
Disjointed/ disorganized/ lacking continuity
Admit impossibilities/ nonsense having no head and tail
No critical ability/ no means of testing its correctness
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DAY DREAMING
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It is an altered state of mind / consciousness that occurs
without effort and involve a brief escape from reality into
fantasy
Can occur anywhere any time
It source are fantasies that are construct while one is awake
It is more controlled so it is closely related to immediate event
in the environment
Behavioural Sciences in Clinical Medicine
THEORIES OF THINKING
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The process of the development of thinking has been studied
by psychologists and a number of theories have been
advanced.
The theories are:
Piaget’s Theory
Bruner’s Theory
Psychoanalytic Theory of Thinking
Sullivan’s Concept of Modes of Thinking
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PIAGET’S THEORY OF THINKIG
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The Swiss psychologist, Jean Piaget, using his own children as
subjects, devised ingenious and simple experiments and showed
how cognitive thought development takes place.
He explained behavior in terms of the individual’s actions and
reactions in adapting to his environment.
Unlike animals and birds, human beings have very few
instinctive responses and have to constantly evolve new ways
and means to deal with the environment.
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BRUNER’S THEORY OF
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THINKING
Jerome S. Bruner observed the process of cognitive development or
development of thinking.
Bruner also postulated certain stages.
The stages formulated by him are enactive, iconic, and symbolic
representations which are considered more or less comparable to Piaget’s
preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational stages.
However, Bruner differed from Piaget in focusing on the representations
the child uses in thinking rather than on the operations or manipulations
which take place in the process.
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PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY OF
THINKING
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The Freud theory of development is with its concept of different
stages like oral, anal and genital, drew several conclusions for
the understanding of thinking.
According to Freud, the early period of infancy is characterized
by what is called narcissistic thinking, wherein the thought
process contains a high tint of wish fulfillment.
Freud refers to certain terms like omnipotence of the wish and
the omnipotence of thought or word.
Behavioural Sciences in Clinical Medicine
SULLIVAN’S CONCEPT OF MODES OF
THINKING
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Sullivan postulates three basic modes.
PROTOTAXIC MODE:
This stage operates in the first year of an individual’s life and
during this stage one has no awareness of oneself or one’s ego.
Thought process is mostly in the form of a feeling or apprehension.
PARATAXIC MODE:
During this stage the global or undifferentiated response gives way
to specific elementary thought images and contents.
Logical operations do not occur yet.
According to Sullivan the autistic state of communication reflects a
parataxic mode.
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SULLIVAN’S CONCEPT OF MODES OF
THINKING
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SYNTAXIC MODE:
Represents the development of logical thought processes,
enabling the integration and organization of symbols.
It is at this stage that thought becomes clear with the possibility
of logical operations.
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FUNCTIONS OF THINKING
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Thinking function involves:
INTERPRETATION PROBLEMS:
Known also by defining the problem by way of creative
thinking
PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY:
Make a selection of the best problem-solving strategies some
problem-solving strategies are often used
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FUNCTIONS OF THINKING
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A. TRIAL AND ERROR:
It took a long time (Short Term Memory).
Trial and error is to try to resolve if one tried to repeat it will
know where lies the fault.
B. INFORMATIONAL RETRIEVAL:
Retrieve the information for solving problems quickly (Long
Term Memory)
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FUNCTIONS OF THINKING
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C. ALGORITHM:
That is a problem-solving method that guarantees a solution if
the problem of available opportunities for someone to develop it.
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IMPROVE YOUR CRITICAL THINKING
SKILLS
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To improve your critical thinking skills, you need to go beyond
just maintaining your mind.
You cannot just keep doing the same thing day-in, day-out and expect to get
better.
Critical thinkers are always working on self-improvement.
Instead, you need to exercise new parts of your brain by studying regularly
and keep creating new neural pathways in your mind.
This emphasizes the importance of education for critical thinking.
You always need to be thinking about things that are new and difficult for you
to understand.
The things that you learn need to be difficult.
It’s through the difficulty and discomfort in thinking that you are improving
your critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Behavioural Sciences in Clinical Medicine
SUMMARY
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Cognitive abilities like thinking, reasoning and problem-solving may be
considered to be some of the chief characteristics which distinguish human
beings from other species including the higher animals.
The challenges and problems faced by the individual or by society, in
general are solved through series of efforts involving thinking and
reasoning.
The powers of thinking and reasoning may thus be considered to be the
essential tools for the welfare and meaningful existence of the individual
as well as society.
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REFERENCES
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Behavioural Sciences in Clinical Medicine By:
Wolf & Stewert.
Developmental Psychology for Healthcare
Professions By: Katherine A Billingham.
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