The process of thinking is the basis for the formation of human consciousness. In modern psychology, some models have been developed according to which the thought process can “move”, and depending on these models, a person’s consciousness, his approach to solving various problems, his lifestyle are formed. In this article we will tell you what divergent and convergent thinking is, how they differ from each other.
Guildford Studies
For the first time, the American psychologist Joy Guildford took up the essence of human thinking and its features. After numerous studies, experiments and experiments involving volunteers, in the 60s he wrote his phenomenal work - "The Nature of Human Intelligence." In this book, the theory of creativity was examined in detail, in other words, the sources of creativity, inspiration, which govern many, but not all people on the planet, were analyzed. Guilford argued that divergent or convergent thinking can be characteristic of a person, and there are individuals for whom only one type is possible, and there are those in which both options are harmoniously combined. Subsequently, on the basis of Guilford's works, many psychological treatises, tests, and other material were published, which modern specialists are actively using in their work. So what exactly was he trying to tell us about the concepts of convergent and divergent thinking and how did he represent all this?
Template thinking?
It’s worth starting with a detailed interpretation of each term individually, and the first in the list will be a convergent type of thinking. What is it and what characteristics does it possess? Convergent thinking is a frequently occurring term in psychology that denotes a linear approach to solving problems, performing specific actions in stages, and observing stereotyped patterns. This term is based on the Latin word convergere, which in translation sounds like "converge." That is, the arguments of a person who thinks convergent, agree on a single concrete solution to a particular problem. And he came to this decision on the beaten track, that is, based on the rules and experience.
IQ test
The development of convergent thinking is best driven by an IQ test. Undoubtedly, in order to solve most problems, one should have considerable skills and knowledge, understand what the essence of the task is, and find a competent approach to it. But all the tasks of such a test are nothing more than template puzzles. It’s just that everything is presented in the form of letters in one, the numbers are the leaders, in the third you should carefully study the position and structure of certain figures, etc. In general, the test trains the brain, but sets it up for the same type of thinking. After you solve a few dozen problems from the test, the remaining several hundred will be very easy for you.
Back to school
Another place in which a convergent type of thinking is developed is school. All tasks, whether they are mathematical, physical or even biological, presuppose the correct answer in advance (often it can be found at the end of the textbook). What then is estimated? It evaluates how stereotyped you come to this answer and how quickly you are given a decision according to the scheme set by the teacher. Indeed, there were often cases when the teacher refused to put the top five to the student who solved the problem using a different formula and the answer was correct, but the teacher did not teach this. On the one hand, convergent thinking teaches us order, rules, linearity, but, on the other hand, it is a theory that in practice is completely useless.
Creativity and lack of standards
Now you will understand that divergent and convergent thinking are polar concepts. They are fundamentally different from each other and sometimes even are mutually exclusive. So, divergent thinking is a problem-solving technique in which a person considers many options without stopping at just one thing. He comes to his many decisions not according to any patterns, but relying only on his own intuition and premonition that it is necessary to do this and that, but this will not work. The term itself also comes from the Latin word divergere, which translates as "diverge." That is, regarding one task or problem, the ways to solve it diverge, sometimes incredibly broadly. Some psychologists call this type of thinking fan-shaped, as many “rays” emerge from one point and are directed in different directions.
What does this lead to?
Experts such as E. Torrance, G. Grubber and K. Taylor were involved in the study of the development of divergent thinking, and they came to the following conclusions. This "fan-shaped" type of problem solving is nothing more than a source of creativity and creativity. In the course of such thinking, analytical abilities appear in the human brain, research interest is shown, and a non-standard approach to solving certain problems is being worked out. Moreover, many people with a divergent type of thinking can choose for themselves non-standard areas of activity, thereby causing resonance in society. Nevertheless, no matter who they are by profession, they can best analyze any situation, compare the facts and draw the most accurate conclusions. At the same time, to solve the problem you will be provided with numerous options.
Criteria for evaluation
Divergent and convergent thinking is so different that there are certain tests to determine whether a person has a second. But to understand at what level of development your divergent thinking is, there are no criteria or tasks. There are only some common symptoms:
- Your mind works fluently - in a short period of time you can come up with a lot of things, and each thought will be interesting.
- A non-standard approach to solving problems. It manifests itself in everything from household to work.
- You see the unusual in small details. It seems to you that much in this world is contradictory. At the same time, you can easily switch from one thought to another, and then also compare conclusions about completely different concepts.
- Imagery. You think with symbols, images. To describe specific objects and phenomena, you most often use impressions rather than specific terms or data.
Creativity Training
Everyone can develop divergent skills, even if this person is no longer young and has done everything according to his patterns throughout his life. One has only to want and do it. Of course, children learn this much faster, so it is important to train these skills with them. So, the tasks for divergent thinking are all kinds of creative “instructions”. Let's start with a simple one: exposition. Ask the child to write a retelling of a text, and the content is not important - let it be based on your own impressions. So you can appreciate how richly he can reveal a topic that he heard about just a couple of times. What other specific exercises are there?
- First, select a letter, for example, “t,” and think up as quickly as possible ten words that begin with it. Then select the letter “a” and write the words in which it is in third place. Then you can choose any other letter and pick up a series of words where it will be located at the very end.
- We select a word, for example, "summer", and select ten other words to it that will characterize it.
Such tasks can be invented on the go, and they may not be humanitarian or technical, but simply everyday. For example, imagine a light bulb burns out in a room. Find ten different ways to solve the light problem.
Differences - what are they?
For some people, having a template and a certain order is the key to happiness. So they feel comfortable and safe, so their brain is predisposed exclusively to convergent thinking. Divergent thinking, or creative thinking, is the absence of not only a pattern, but even a reference point. You only have a problem, and you begin to solve it from nothing. Using the “poke” method, you choose two or more ways to solve the problem, hesitate, but as a result, intuitively begin to gravitate toward one or another. Well, the difference is obvious. It remains only to say that the optimal thing for a person is the presence of a divergent type of thinking in a dominant position, but keep a convergent mindset - maybe a pattern in some industries will come in handy.