Creativity is the ability to generate novel and useful ideas, products, or solutions. It is often considered a key skill for success in the 21st century, as it enables us to adapt to changing situations, solve complex problems, and innovate new ways of doing things. But how do we think creatively? And what type of thinking is most conducive to creativity?
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Types of Thinking and Creativity
According to some cognitive psychologists and researchers, there are different types of thinking that can influence our creativity. Some of the most common ones are:
– **Divergent thinking**: generating multiple possibilities and ideas by exploring different perspectives and solutions. This type of thinking is often associated with brainstorming, ideation, and imagination. It helps us expand our options and discover new connections.
– **Convergent thinking**: finding the best or most logical solution to a problem or question. This type of thinking is often associated with analysis, evaluation, and decision making. It helps us narrow down our options and select the most appropriate one.
– **Lateral thinking**: using a creative or indirect approach to solve problems or generate ideas. This type of thinking is often associated with Edward de Bono’s concept of “thinking outside the box”. It helps us challenge assumptions, reframe problems, and find alternative solutions.
– **Analogous thinking**: using similarities or analogies to connect different domains or concepts. This type of thinking is often associated with metaphors, similes, and stories. It helps us transfer knowledge, create meaning, and inspire emotions.
– **Associative thinking**: linking ideas or concepts that are not obviously related. This type of thinking is often associated with intuition, insight, and serendipity. It helps us discover hidden patterns, trigger associations, and spark creativity.
– **Visual thinking**: using images, diagrams, or symbols to represent or communicate ideas. This type of thinking is often associated with visualization, sketching, and mapping. It helps us organize information, clarify thoughts, and stimulate imagination.
– **Intuitive thinking**: relying on instinct, feelings, or hunches to make decisions or judgments. This type of thinking is often associated with gut feeling, inner voice, and wisdom. It helps us access our subconscious, tap into our emotions, and trust our intuition.
Which Type of Thinking Is Most Closely Related to Creativity?
The answer to this question may not be as straightforward as it seems. Different types of thinking may be more or less suitable for different types of creativity tasks, depending on the context, the goal, the domain, and the individual.
For example, divergent thinking may be more useful for generating many ideas in a brainstorming session, while convergent thinking may be more useful for choosing the best idea in a decision making process. Lateral thinking may be more useful for finding creative solutions to novel problems, while analogous thinking may be more useful for creating metaphors or stories that convey a message. Associative thinking may be more useful for discovering unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, while visual thinking may be more useful for expressing ideas in a clear and engaging way. Intuitive thinking may be more useful for trusting one’s instincts when faced with uncertainty or ambiguity.
However, this does not mean that we should limit ourselves to one type of thinking for one type of creativity task. In fact, research suggests that combining different types of thinking can enhance our creativity by allowing us to access different cognitive processes and perspectives.
For instance, combining divergent and convergent thinking can help us balance quantity and quality of ideas; combining lateral and analogous thinking can help us reframe problems and find new analogies; combining associative and visual thinking can help us create novel associations and visualize them; combining intuitive and analytical thinking can help us integrate intuition and logic.
Therefore, rather than asking which type of thinking is most closely related to creativity, we might ask which type of thinking is most appropriate for a given creativity task or challenge. And then we might ask how we can use different types of thinking in combination to boost our creativity.
How to Foster Different Types of Thinking
If we want to improve our creativity skills, we need to practice different types of thinking regularly. Here are some tips on how to foster each type of thinking:
– To foster divergent thinking: try brainstorming techniques such as SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify/Magnify/Minify/Maximize/Minimize/Multiply/Modify/Mix/Match/Merge/Morph/Mutate/Migrate/Mirror/Mimic/Mask/Modify/Mix/Match/Merge/Morph/Mutate/Migrate/Mirror/Mimic/Mask), random word association (pick a random word from a dictionary or online generator and use it as a stimulus for generating ideas), or mind mapping (create a visual diagram that shows the relationships between ideas).
– To foster convergent thinking: try evaluation techniques such as SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), pros and cons list (list the advantages and disadvantages of each option), or decision matrix (create a table that compares different options based on criteria and scores).
– To foster lateral thinking: try problem-solving techniques such as the six thinking hats (use different colored hats to represent different modes of thinking: white for facts, red for emotions, black for criticism, yellow for optimism, green for creativity, blue for overview), the five whys (ask why five times to get to the root cause of a problem), or reverse brainstorming (think of ways to make a problem worse, then reverse them to find solutions).
– To foster analogous thinking: try metaphor techniques such as the random picture metaphor (pick a random picture from a magazine or online source and use it as a metaphor for your topic), the forced analogy (pick two unrelated concepts and find a way to relate them), or the metaphor box (write down several metaphors for your topic on slips of paper and put them in a box, then draw one and explain it).
– To foster associative thinking: try insight techniques such as the incubation effect (take a break from a problem and let your subconscious work on it), the remote associates test (find a word that is related to three given words, e.g., cottage, Swiss, cake -> cheese), or the Medici effect (look for intersections between different fields or disciplines).
– To foster visual thinking: try visualization techniques such as sketchnoting (taking notes using sketches, symbols, and words), storyboarding (creating a sequence of images that tell a story or illustrate a process), or mood boards (creating a collage of images, colors, textures, and words that evoke a certain mood or theme).
– To foster intuitive thinking: try intuition techniques such as meditation (practice being mindful and aware of your thoughts and feelings), journaling (write down your thoughts and feelings without censoring or judging them), or body scan (pay attention to the sensations in different parts of your body and notice what they tell you).
Conclusion
Creativity is not a single skill or ability, but a complex phenomenon that involves different types of thinking. By understanding the different types of thinking and how they relate to creativity, we can improve our creative potential and performance. We can also learn to use different types of thinking in combination to enhance our creativity. The key is to be flexible, adaptable, and open-minded when it comes to thinking creatively.
