Convergent thinking doesn’t necessarily mean you should use it as a negative strategy. In certain situations, one solution may be the best way to answer a question. Teaching divergent thinking will allow students to think creatively and solve problems more effectively. Are you one of those people who studies hard for an exam but finds that your mind is blank the moment the exam starts? You might find that instead of thinking about the answer, your brain becomes Autism Psychologist Perth cluttered with anxious thoughts about how you will fail. Maybe your heart is racing and you feel faint. You might be suffering from exam anxiety if you see this.
Exams can be stressful for many people. Actually, stress can actually improve your performance. Exam anxiety is different. It’s anxiety about exams that is so intense or distressing that it interferes with your performance. Exam anxiety is intense fear of the exam. J.P. Guilford (a highly respected American psychologist) is often credited as having coined the terms divergent thinking or convergent thought back in 1956. The latter is sometimes called lateral thought instead. Edward de Bono, a well-known Maltese author is often credited with inventing the term in 1967.
What is divergent reasoning in psychology? Divergent thinking, as defined in psychology, is the ability to use your mind in new and creative ways to solve a problem and find multiple solutions. Divergent thinking is known for “thinking beyond the box” and can involve spontaneous ideas and the free-flowing concept of new concepts. Divergent thinking can be used to solve many problems. Out of all the divergent methods of thinking, brainstorming is most common. One of the key elements of divergent thought is the ability generate an almost infinite number feasible solutions.
A modern example of divergent thought is to send social media followers an open-ended query. Isla is an excellent room decorator with a lot of YouTube followers. She uses her YouTube channel to ask the community what their favorite color is for decorating a living room. She receives thousands upon thousands of responses. Then, she creates videos related to those replies.
Convergent Thinking is found at the opposite extreme of the polar spectrum. This type of thinking involves the examination of a problem, and the search for a finite number, or sometimes only one, solution. This type is more efficient, logical, and produces fast results than free-flowing thought. Instead of searching in multiple directions the thought process is more linear. Instead of looking in multiple directions, it tends to place more emphasis on certainty.
Even though it doesn’t always hold, it is worth noting that extroverts tend towards divergent thinking, while introverts favor convergent. This does not necessarily mean that either one of these types of thinking is superior. They are both distinct styles that can be combined to make a viable method of thinking. Divergent thinking is applicable to real-life examples. Walt Disney, for example, has its famous Imagineers that have come up with new rides and attractions over time. The seven-step collaborative “Experience by Design” process of the team is a unique seven-step process.