Types of thinking

What Are The Most Common Types of Thinking?

People access problem-solving in different ways, and the way they visualize and think about problems and life, in general, varies from person to person and the types of thinking.

Our approach to problem-solving is one of the defining traits of our character, and learning which type of thinker you are can help you be more efficient both on the personal, and professional levels.

In this article, we will explore which types of thinking exist, and learn about the importance of critical thinking skills.

What are the Different Types of Thinkers?

Thinking only helps strengthen what you already have, a brain.

-Jim Kwik, Author of Mindvalley’s Superbrain Program So, let’s see in what way could you improve your brain, depending on which type of thinker you are. There are 5 types of thinkers:

1. Intuitive thinkers Intuitive thinkers follow their emotions: if an action feels right to them, then it’s an action worth undertaking. They are very empathetic, easily sensing and responding to the emotions of others.

However, thinkers of this type don’t care much for rationality and analysis. They may sometimes react according to the emotions they are experiencing in the moment, disregarding the future consequences of their actions.

2. Creative thinkers Minds of creative thinkers are ever at work. They think way ahead than most people around them. They like to come up with novel solutions to the old problems or focus on solving bigger issues than most of the others.

Often, many of their ideas are not applicable in current situations, but that does not deter them in the least. If one idea does not work, the other surely will; and once they find the right one, they will focus on its execution with all their passion.

3. Logical thinkers Logical or analytical thinking is the one that can be proved by using a mathematical approach. Thus, logical thinkers are systematic and calculative, preferring to solve problems methodically and step by step.

They never act in the spur of the moment, or leap to a conclusion – they carefully consider all factors before acting, speaking or making any kind of decision. This trait of theirs makes them excellent organizers and planners.

On the other hand, logical thinkers can focus on details and outcome, neglecting the emotional climate around them. This can lead to complications in solving complex problems that involve the participation of multiple stakeholders.

4. Rational thinkers People with rational thinking tend to observe all sides of a problem, carefully consider all possibilities, and after determining the best possible outcome, they make a decision. Often they are also called reasonable as they can make decisions without letting emotions or biases get in the way.

Rational thinkers even in dramatic moments are able to stay cool and evaluate the situation from a side. They are great at looking at the bigger picture and making decisions that are fair for everyone.

5. Visionary thinkers Visionaries are those who push the civilization forward. They are leaders, inventors, those who love nothing else than to delve into

uncharted waters. Visionary thinkers are great motivators and charismatic influencers.

Deeply focused on all the possibilities, their endeavors can pay off both to other people and themselves. They rarely bother with the everyday practical details regarding the actual realization of their visions. They leave those to logical and rational thinkers.

How to Identify Which Type of Thinker You are?

Basically, you need to identify the focus of your thoughts.

Are you ahead of everyone when it comes to figuring out novel solutions? Do you have some extraordinary “think outside of the box solutions” when everyone else are silent? Then, most certainly, you are a creative thinker.

Do you find (or at least can imagine) yourself in front of thousands of other people spreading the word for the sake of our civilization? Are you pushing everything forward and find practical details unimportant?

Definitely, you are a visionary thinker.

In order to identify which type of thinker you are, it all comes down to finding your true focus in problem-solving situations. We all have the components of creativity, visionary, logic, or intuition as parts of our mindset, but in fact, only one of them is the primary component.

That primary component puts us in a certain category of thinkers.

What are the Six Critical Thinking Skills?

Now that we’ve seen some traits of the different types of thinkers, let us talk about critical thinking skills. Why critical thinking is so important?

Well, we all need these skills to navigate our everyday lives. When we are facing any problem, we are using critical thinking.

Although this type is more common with logical and rational thinkers, all types of thinkers can benefit from developing critical thinking skills.

There are six crucial critical thinking skills: 

Identification: In this step, we identify the problem and all its possible causes. Once the issue is determined, we can start looking for a possible solution.

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Research: Find the source of the information for presented arguments especially if you notice they are not properly supported or they are out of context.

Bias Identification: In order to properly develop critical thinking, we must learn to identify our biases and set them aside so that we can objectively assess the situation.

Inference: This ability allows you to draw conclusions based on the data you have. Bear in mind though, the data you get will not always be perfectly organized or analyzed, so conclusions based upon rough data will not always be correct.

Determining relevance: This helps us decide which information is the most important one for us.

Curiosity: This is more of a personality trait rather than a skill but it is crucial for critical thinking. Question everything – the more you ask, the more you learn, and the more your critical thinking grows.