Convergent Thinking

Written By Colēgia

There are many different types of thinking that are out there and each can help us immensely both in school and in life. One of these is known as convergent thinking and this focuses on solving problems through the use of establishing rules and logical reasoning. Thinking inside of the box with more clear-cut solutions falls under this train of thought and appeals to the rational part of our brains. Let's look at some ways we can apply this within our lives and how effective it can be.

Using Logic

Many things in life are best looked at from a logical perspective since it can remove emotional bias from things. Emotions are valid when making decisions but the weight of their validity can vary for things. A great example of this is how we spend money and some of the hurdles that go along with that. Oftentimes we may fall into the trap of emotional spending and find that we don't have money saved up for later for the things we may need. One way to apply convergent thinking here is to look at what it is we're saving up for and then allocate resources to do so. If paying for extra summer courses for college is something we want to do, then we'll need to save up a certain amount of money each paycheck to get there. The idea is that we want to be aware of what we need in the present while being mindful of how resources are spent to get to our future goals.

“Many things in life are best looked at from a logical perspective since it can remove emotional bias from things.”

The Direct Approach

Oftentimes the direct approach can be one of the most efficient. One of the strengths of convergent thinking is that it often leaves little room for interpretation since it helps us more directly get to a clear solution. An example of this is solving a math problem since all the rules for it are already established. Being able to solve problems with this perspective can make it much easier to understand how to get from point A to point B. A flowchart is another way to use convergent thinking since it effectively shows what the next step is for a given project. It also makes it much easier to explain in a group setting since the steps will be more clearly laid out.

“Oftentimes the direct approach can be one of the most efficient.”

Critical Thinking

Convergent thinking requires us to be critical thinkers as well. The reason for this is that we need to deeply look at and analyze any information out there to help us find the best possible solution. It requires research and making sure that what we're looking for works within the context of our problem. It encourages us to use everything in our toolkit to achieve the best possible results while being able to communicate these things cohesively. There are many solutions already out there for many of the problems we encounter and for those that don't, it's a matter of using logic to figure them out.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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