What is available to everyone: correct thinking and life as a work of art.

Forms of abstract thinking

With abstract thinking, a person operates with different knowledge and mental experiences.
Over time, all this came to a certain system. Many phenomena of the world are not subject to sight, hearing or touch (and about some we can say that they do not exist at all as such). But such phenomena are part of human life, and therefore must have at least some form. There are three main forms of abstract thinking: concept, judgment and inference. Let's talk about them briefly.

Concept

A concept is a thought that conveys a common property of various phenomena. Properties may vary, but be homogeneous and similar, which allows them to be combined into one group. Let's take a car for example. It can be an SUV, sedan or hatchback; Different cars have different shapes, colors, characteristics. But their common feature is that they all have wheels, an engine, a gearbox, etc., and that they can be driven. These characteristics (design, purpose) allow properties to be classified into one group.

And we are taught such things from the cradle. Mom talks about “cat”, and we immediately understand that this is a meowing and purring four-legged animal with a tail, etc. Cats come in different breeds and colors, but they all have common characteristics by which they belong to the general concept of “cat” or “cat”.

Judgment

A person uses judgment with the intention of confirming or disproving something. It can be simple or complex. Here is a simple thing - “the cat meows” - it can be expressed specifically and unambiguously. But the complex one - “the cat began to meow because he was hungry” - can be expressed in several declarative sentences.

Also, propositions can be true or false. True ones reflect the actual state of affairs and are based, as a rule, on the absence of an individual assessment of a person, i.e. he judges objectively. A false judgment becomes when a person expresses his interest based on personal reasons, and not on what is actually happening.

Inference

An inference is a thought formed by two or more judgments. This is a new – more complex judgment. Any inference consists of a premise, a conclusion and a conclusion. The premise is an initial judgment, the conclusion is logical thinking leading to a conclusion.

These three forms of abstract thinking form its basis. We operate all abstractions with their help. But what we have said (forms and types of abstract thinking and abstractions, their goals, etc.) may not be entirely sufficient for understanding abstract thinking and its features, since, in essence, all this is theory. Therefore, it makes sense to talk separately about specific examples.

Classification

The thought process is classified depending on various factors. They appeared throughout the development of psychological science under the influence of various branches, teachings, and theories.

Kinds

Thinking can be divided into two large groups: theoretical and practical. The first includes abstract thinking, which is often called verbal-logical. It is built on judgments and concepts. The subject compares objects, situations, phenomena, analyzes them, based not only on his own judgment, but also on the opinions of others. This is only possible if a person ideally speaks and has an extensive stock of knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Practical types of thinking in psychology:

1. Figurative. It is built on perception and ideas. Such thought processes are characteristic of architects, artists, perfumers, fashion designers, and poets. They begin to appear already at school age. Some figurative thought processes are observed in the behavior of higher animals.
2. Visually effective. Manifests itself in external actions. Such thought processes are built on transforming the current situation to solve pressing problems.

Theories

There are several theories of thought processes that have both strengths and weaknesses:

1. Associationist - based on the philosophical theory of the same name. Its goal is to make the mind simpler, reducing it to a set of elementary ideas and sensations. Associations are used to connect ideas and events. The main disadvantage of this theory is that with its help it is impossible to solve the problem of creative thinking. Because of this, creativity was considered innate and not acquired.
2. Behaviorist. Followers of this theory argue that thinking is one of the forms of adaptation to new conditions. Behaviorists were criticized by researchers in other areas of psychological science because they took into account only observable behavior, rejecting what is hidden from view.
3. Gestalt theory. The followers of this theory criticized the concept, according to which it was argued that the mind is a passive collection of primitive ideas that are united by associations. They studied the problems of the psychology of thought, describing them from the perspective of perception. Through several practical experiments, followers of this theory have provided clear distinctions between unproductive and productive thought processes.
4. Peripheral theory. Her followers studied the peripheral nervous system. According to the theory, the human brain is one of the constituent parts of the thinking process. When perceiving new information, the psyche, body, and brain are involved.
5. Psychoanalytic theory. The most famous teaching of Sigmund Freud affected the study of thinking. The scientist argued that after birth, narcissistic thought processes appear, which gradually turn into objective ones.

You can also highlight the cognitive theory of development, which was founded by Jean Piaget. The scientist argued that the manifestation of thinking depends on the biological processes of adaptation.

Forms

There are several forms of thinking:

1. Judgment is a form by which the relationship between phenomena and objects is described. In addition, denial may occur.
2. Inference is a form that allows you to draw various conclusions that are based on a number of judgments. Inferences can be deductive or inductive.
3. A concept is another form of thinking, with the help of which essential relationships, connections, and properties of phenomena and objects are reflected.

In this case, inference refers to the highest form of manifestation of thought processes.

Levels

The division of thought processes into separate levels is due to one of the founders of cognitive psychology - Aaron Beck. Levels:

1. Arbitrary thoughts are considered superficial, controlled, conscious.
2. Automatic - these include stereotypes that are imposed on a person in the process of upbringing.
3. Cognitive beliefs, basic schemas. These are deep thought processes. They arise in the area of ​​the unconscious, which is why they are most difficult to change under the influence of external factors.

Is it possible to develop logical thinking in adults?

It is possible and even necessary. The world is changing very quickly, and with the old “baggage” of knowledge it can be difficult to think about something carefully. Many people believe that the basics they receive at school or university will be enough, but this is not entirely true.

The main thing is to overcome your own laziness. Yes, we don’t have enough time, and not everyone will agree to spend free minutes on development. Meanwhile, there is nothing complicated here.

Here you don’t have to sit for hours on books or refuse to communicate with family or friends: many logical exercises can be done in a company.

Did you know? Many people remember the Rubik's Cube, which peaked in popularity in the 1980s.
The toy invented by the Hungarian sculptor was so widespread that in the years 80-83 of the twentieth century, even an official newsletter was published entirely dedicated to the cube.

Why do you need to develop logic?

How to develop thinking?
Every person has it to one degree or another. But for a better understanding of reality and the ability to operate with it, logical thinking, developed at a fairly high level, is necessary. This can only be learned through training. Creative thinking can be developed and negative thinking can be eliminated. The brain is trained no less than the muscles, perhaps more. By constantly training thinking and memory, a person can develop throughout his life, methodically improving his performance. The development of intellectual abilities is a guarantee of effective self-improvement.

It is commonly believed that creative thinking is opposed to logic and reason, but this is a false statement. Creative perception of reality is fundamental to creativity. This does not at all mean the need for negative thinking, which is characterized by focusing exclusively on the bad. On the contrary, it allows you to train your brain, clear it of stereotypes and interfering attitudes, and look at everything from the outside. This is how perfect horizons open up. As a result, the ability to solve problems in a non-standard way, to find previously impossible ways.

What it is

Every day, every person is faced with thousands of tasks that require solutions and affect his future life.

To make informed decisions, you need to think logically, sensibly assessing the situation. Often, the life experiences of friends and personal ones can be disappointing, and advice from the Internet can be useless, so you need to use your brain and develop logical thinking.

To better understand the definition of this word, let's break it down into its components: logic and thinking.

Logic is the science of correct thought processes, the ability to reason. It includes the skills to think consistently, based on real facts and arguments, without distorting them. This science studies the forms and laws of thinking, the course of inferences.

She has basic concepts and laws that help to understand any situation and solve a problem from the side of rationality and science, without emotional overtones that cloud the mind.

Logical laws are valid in any situation and are equally valid in mathematical problems and in life.

Thinking is a part of human brain and mental activity, the highest level of knowledge of reality. Thanks to it, we process information and are able to think, reason and draw conclusions. It is a distinctive human feature as a rational being. This process is characterized by generalization and cognition through the surrounding world.

Information comes to us through the sensory organs, and then we process it in the brain. The conclusion we draw depends on what motivates us and how we think. Objective reasoning includes logical thinking.

From these two definitions we can conclude that to develop logical thinking - the ability to process information based on logical laws and arguments, making an objective conclusion.

We often make bad decisions based on emotions, other people's advice, assumptions, fear or doubts. To avoid dilemmas and mistakes, you need to train your brain and instill in yourself the habit of reasoning logically without the interference of irrational phenomena. The brain loves difficulties and new knowledge, it trains just as well as muscles and bears the fruits of “pumping”. By performing certain exercises, clearly understanding the purpose of these trainings, you can completely change your thinking and become better, smarter, more reasonable.

Practice SWOT Analysis

SWOT is an assessment of the Strengths and Weaknesses, as well as the Opportunities and Threats of anything: an idea, a proposal, an object.

It’s easier to explain how this is done with an example. Let's say you're thinking about going out to fast food for dinner. Strengths: fast, cheap, tasty. Weak: harmful, high in calories. Opportunities: no need to prepare, free up time to learn programming. Threats: you can get poisoned or simply overeat, and you won’t want to do anything anymore. You can also analyze the option “write code now” or “take on another freelance job.” And make a rational choice.

Exercises to develop logical thinking

There are many ways to develop logical thinking in activities. For example, psychologists advise reading more

And it doesn’t matter whether it’s fiction or scientific literature, the main thing is to comprehend what you read, write down your thoughts and conclusions, argue with the author, catch him in contradictions. Board and computer games based on logic, for example, chess, checkers, sea battle and others, help well in the development of logic.

You can also use specially designed exercises for this purpose.

Exercise "Logical chains"

This is one of the most common training tasks for the development of logic. It has many forms, types, modifications for different ages. His goal is to learn to establish logical connections between things, phenomena, and concepts.

Option 1

Example: two objects are given - a fish and a bottle. Find what can connect them. Possible answers include the following:

• both objects have a similar streamlined shape;
• both the fish and the bottle are associated with water;
• if the bottle is plastic, then it, like a fish, can swim;
• the fish and the bottle may have the same color;
• both objects contain substances useful to humans, etc.

You can continue the list further or choose new objects, making sure that at first glance they are completely different and have nothing in common (a cat and a chair, ice cream and a car, etc.).

Option 2

Two events occur, separated by a relatively short period of time:

1. A pencil falls from the desk of the head of the company to the floor.
2. A fire breaks out in a room at one of the southern resorts.

Establish a logical connection between the first and second events. See how many intermediate events are in your logical chain. Try to build another one, where there are more or less events.

If the exercise is carried out in a group, then it will be interesting to compare and analyze the logical chains of all participants and choose the most interesting one. You can continue the exercise by coming up with the next event and establishing a connection between the fire and it.

Exercise “Making sentences”

Logical thinking is closely related to speech activity; it generally occurs primarily in conceptual and symbolic form. Therefore, to develop logical thinking, it is useful to write short (and long) stories, essays, notes, and keep a diary.

And for those who are not very good at this or are sorry for the time, you can start with individual proposals. But not simple ones, but ones that unite unrelated concepts and objects. Your task is not just to write a sentence, but so that it looks completely logical.

Let's select three objects that are as unrelated to each other as possible. For example: “squirrel”, “helicopter” and “cup of cappuccino”. Now make up a phrase that logically combines these objects. For example, a sentence like this could be written: “I was relaxing on the veranda when a squirrel fell out of a helicopter flying above me and plopped right into my cup of cappuccino.”

Try to come up with your own sentence or choose the other three objects. For example: scissors, shark, kebab; book, lemon, circus, etc.

Exercise “I’ll say it differently”

This exercise is also for the development of verbal thinking, which is the basis of logical thinking. Come up with some simple, even banal phrase regarding an everyday event. For example: “We love Friday because it is the last day of the work week.”

Now express the same idea, but in different words. The main condition: not a single word from the original phrase should be repeated. How many new sentences with the same meaning can you create?

Logical thinking is undoubtedly important, and it is impossible to do without it in any area of ​​​​life. But imaginative thinking is no less important.

Development of thinking: ways to train the brain

Thinking can rightfully be called the crown of human knowledge. It is a mental activity with its own goals, motives, operational functions and results. It can be characterized in different ways: as the highest degree of assimilation and processing of information and the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships between objects of reality, as a process of displaying the obvious properties of objects and phenomena and, consequently, the formation of ideas about the surrounding reality, and as a process of cognition of the world based on on the continuous replenishment of the baggage of concepts and ideas about it.

But, regardless of the interpretation, it can be established that the better a person’s thinking is developed, the more effectively he can interact with the world around him and other people, study and cognize, understand phenomena and truths. Thinking is formed as a person develops from his very birth, but life circumstances do not always develop in such a way that it continues to develop. It often happens that, having reached a certain level, development slows down. However, each of us is able to influence this process, like many others. In other words, everyone is capable of developing their own thinking, and we will talk about how this is done in this article.

But before we get down to the main material, we should say a few words about what thinking is like in general. In total, there are several of its main types, studied by specialists most often and most of all:

• Visual-figurative thinking;
• Verbal-logical (aka abstract) thinking;
• Visual-effective thinking;
• Logical thinking;
• Creative thinking.

Below we will provide a brief description of each type of thinking and indicate effective and simple ways to develop them.

Visual-figurative thinking and exercises for its development

With the help of visual-figurative thinking, reality is transformed into images, and ordinary phenomena and objects are endowed with new properties. It involves visually solving problems and problems without the need to resort to practical actions. The right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for its development. Visual-figurative thinking should not be confused with imagination, because... it is based on real objects, actions and processes, and not imaginary or fictitious ones.

Visual-figurative thinking can be developed in adults and children in the same ways. Here are some good exercises:

• Remember several people with whom you had the opportunity to communicate today, and imagine in detail their clothes, shoes, hairstyle, appearance, etc.
• Using just two nouns, one adverb, three verbs and adjectives, describe the words "success", "wealth" and "beauty".
• Try some thought experiments: imagine the shape of your pet's ears or, for example, an elephant; count the number of apartments in your entrance and imagine how they are located in the house; Now turn the English letter “N” 90 degrees and determine what came out of it.
• Describe the following objects and phenomena in words: a flying swan, flashing lightning, the kitchen of your apartment, lightning, a pine forest, a toothbrush.
• Recall in your memory the image of a recent meeting with friends and give mental answers to several questions: how many people were in the company, and what clothes did each of them wear? What food and drinks were on the table? What were you talking about? What was the room like? What position did you sit in, what sensations did you experience, what did you taste from the food and drinks you consumed?

These exercises can be modified at your discretion - you can do whatever you want, but the main thing here is to use visual-figurative thinking. The more often you use it, the better it will develop.

You can also check out a course that will help you develop your thinking in just a few weeks. Check it out here.

Verbal-logical (abstract) thinking and exercises for its development

Verbal-logical thinking is characterized by the fact that a person observing a certain picture as a whole isolates from it only the most significant qualities, not paying attention to unimportant details that simply complement this picture. There are usually three forms of such thinking:

• Concept – when objects are grouped according to characteristics;
• Judgment - when any phenomenon or connections between objects are affirmed or denied;
• Inference – when specific conclusions are drawn based on several judgments.

Everyone should develop verbal and logical thinking, but it is especially useful to develop it from an early age in children, because this is an excellent training for memory and attention, as well as imagination. Here are some exercises you can use for yourself or your child:

• Set a timer for 3 minutes, during this time write the maximum number of words starting with the letters “zh”, “w”, “ch” and “i”.
• Take a few simple phrases, such as “what’s for breakfast?”, “let’s go to the movies,” “come visit,” and “there’s a new exam tomorrow,” and read them backwards.
• There are several groups of words: “sad, cheerful, slow, cautious”, “dog, cat, parrot, penguin”, “Sergey, Anton, Kolya, Tsarev, Olga” and “triangle, square, board, oval”. From each group, select those words that do not fit the meaning.
• Identify the differences between a ship and an airplane, grass and a flower, a story and a poem, an elephant and a rhinoceros, a still life and a portrait.
• A few more groups of words: “House - walls, foundation, windows, roof, wallpaper”, “War - weapons, soldiers, bullets, attack, map”, “Youth - growth, joy, choice, love, children”, “Road - cars, pedestrians, traffic, asphalt, poles.” Choose one or two words from each group, without which the concept (“house”, “war”, etc.) could exist as such.

These exercises, again, can be quite easily modernized and modified, simplifying or complicating them at your discretion. It is because of this that each of them can be an excellent way to train abstract thinking in both adults and children. By the way, any such exercises, among other things, perfectly develop intelligence.

Visually effective thinking and exercises for its development

Visual-effective thinking can be described as the process of solving mental problems by transforming a situation that has arisen in real life. It is rightfully considered the first way to process received information, and it develops very actively in children under 7 years of age, when they begin to combine all kinds of objects into one whole, analyze them and operate with them. And in adults, this type of thinking is expressed in identifying the practical benefits of objects in the surrounding world, being the so-called manual intelligence. The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the development of visual and effective thinking.

An excellent way to learn and train here is the usual game of chess, making puzzles and solving puzzles, sculpting all kinds of plasticine figures, but there are also several effective exercises:

• Take your pillow and try to determine its weight. Then “weigh” your clothes in the same way. After this, try to determine the area of ​​the room, kitchen, bathroom and other areas of your apartment.
• Draw a triangle, a rhombus and a trapezoid on album sheets. Then take your scissors and turn all these shapes into a square by cutting once in a straight line.
• Place 5 matches on the table in front of you and make 2 equal triangles from them. After that, take 7 matches and make 2 triangles and 2 squares from them.
• Buy a construction set at the store and use it to create various shapes - not just those indicated in the instructions. It is recommended that there be as many details as possible - at least 40-50.

As an effective complement to these exercises, chess, etc., you can use our excellent course on developing thinking.

Logical thinking and exercises for its development

Logical thinking is the basis of a person’s ability to think and reason consistently and without contradictions. It is necessary in most life situations: from ordinary dialogues and shopping to solving various problems and developing intelligence. This type of thinking contributes to a successful search for justifications for any phenomena, a meaningful assessment of the world around us, and the competent construction of speech and judgments. The main task in this case is to obtain true knowledge about the subject of reflection with the basis for analyzing its various aspects.

Among the recommendations for the development of logical thinking are solving logical problems (and this is also an excellent training of memory and attention in children and adults), passing IQ tests, logical games, self-education, reading books (especially detective stories), arguing and intuition training.

As for specific exercises, we advise you to take note of the following:

• From several sets of words, for example: “chair, table, sofa, stool”, “circle, oval, ball, circle”, “fork, towel, spoon, knife”, etc. you need to choose a word that does not fit the meaning. Despite its simplicity, this is a very effective technology for developing logical thinking, and similar sets and exercises can be found in large quantities on the Internet.
• Group exercise: Get together with friends or the whole family and divide into two teams. Let each team invite the opposing team to solve a semantic riddle that conveys the content of some text. The point is to determine what kind of text it is. Here is a small example: “The clergyman had an animal on the farm. He had strong warm feelings for him, however, despite this, he carried out a violent action on him, which led to his death. This happened for the reason that the animal did something unacceptable - it ate part of the food that was not intended for it.” Thinking logically, one can recall a children's song that begins with the words: “The priest had a dog, he loved it...”
• Another group game: a member of one team performs an action, and a member of the other must find the reason for it, and then the reason for the reason, and so on until all the motives for the behavior of the first participant are clarified.

Let us repeat that these exercises (in particular the last two) are excellent ways to develop logical thinking and intelligence, suitable for people of all ages.

Creative thinking and exercises for its development

Creative thinking is a type of thinking that allows you to organize and analyze ordinary information in an unusual way. In addition to the fact that it contributes to an extraordinary solution to typical tasks, questions and problems, it also increases the efficiency of a person’s assimilation of new knowledge. Using creative thinking, people can consider objects and phenomena from different angles, awaken in themselves the desire to create something new - something that did not exist before (this is the understanding of creativity in its classical sense), develop the ability to quickly switch from one task to another and find many interesting options for doing work and ways out of life situations.

Methods for developing creative thinking are based on the idea that a person realizes only a small percentage of his potential during his life, and his task is to find opportunities to activate unused resources. The technology for developing creativity is based primarily on several recommendations:

• You need to improvise and always look for new ways to solve everyday problems;
• There is no need to focus on established frameworks and rules;
• You should expand your horizons and constantly learn something new;
• You need to travel as much as possible, discover new places and meet new people;
• You need to make learning new skills and abilities a habit;
• You need to try to do anything better than others.

But, of course, there are also certain exercises for the development of creative thinking (by the way, we advise you to familiarize yourself with our courses on the development of creative thinking and thinking in general - you will find them here and here).

Now let's talk about exercises:

• Take several concepts, for example, “youth”, “man”, “coffee”, “teapot”, “morning” and “candle”, and select for each of them the maximum possible number of nouns that define their essence.
• Take several pairs of different concepts, for example, “piano – car”, “cloud – locomotive”, “tree – picture”, “water – well” and “plane – capsule” and select the maximum number of similar features for them.
• Imagine several situations and think about what could happen in each of them. Examples of situations: “aliens are walking around the city”, “not water, but lemonade is running from the tap in your apartment”, “all domestic animals have learned to speak human language”, “it snows in your city in the middle of summer for a week.”
• Look around the room where you are now and stop your gaze on any object that interests you, for example, on a closet. Write down on a piece of paper 5 adjectives that go with it, and then 5 adjectives that are completely opposite.
• Think about your job, hobby, favorite singer or actor, best friend or significant other, and describe it (him/her) in at least 100 words.
• Remember some saying or saying, and write a short essay, poem or essay based on it.
• Write a list of 10 purchases you would make before the end of the world.
• Write a daily plan for your cat or dog.
• Imagine that, upon returning home, you saw that the doors of all apartments were open. Write 15 reasons why this could happen.
• Make a list of 100 of your life goals.
• Write a letter to your future self - when you are 10 years older.

Also, to activate your creativity and intelligence, you can use two excellent methods in everyday life - synectics and brainstorming. These ways to develop creativity will help you destroy all stereotypes, expand your comfort zone and develop an original and unique type of thinking.

In conclusion, we will say that if you have a desire to organize or continue your education and develop your thinking more effectively, then you will certainly like one of our courses, which you can find at this link.

Otherwise, we wish you every success and well-rounded thinking!

We also recommend reading:

• Storytelling
• Language and thinking
• Thinking games
• Intelligence and its development: several recommendations
• The best blog materials in 2020: developing thinking, brain training, self-education
• Cognitive processes
• Logic vs intuition
• Mental processes: types and brief description
• Combinatorial thinking
• Right-brain thinking: meaning and exercises for development
• Divergent thinking: features, methods of development

Key words:_D1025, 1Cognitive science

What is abstract thinking

A strict examiner criticizes a young man who answers too extensively: “Let’s get closer to the subject of the ticket.”

Why does a student throw out clever phrases like that? To hide gaps in knowledge, or even their complete absence. And this is the essence of abstract thinking.

A person's knowledge of the real world is not complete, exhaustive, or specific. But he needs to somehow navigate among unknown phenomena and things, so he thinks abstractly.

If there was no concept of time, how would people arrange meetings? How would scientists describe new galaxies without any idea of ​​shape, distance, speed, or substances? How would science interact without common concepts?

You have witnessed a family quarrel. Your friend’s wife calls him on the phone, crying, screaming, swearing. What conclusions does the brain make?

1. Concrete thinking: a friend’s wife is hysterical;
2. Abstract thinking: perhaps a friend offended his wife, she endured it for a long time, but now she cannot restrain her emotions.

Thinking and activity

To improve something, it is necessary to determine the essence of the object being developed. So, thinking is an activity that occurs inside the brain for the purpose of understanding and reflecting the world around us. The result of this activity is thought.

Thought processes occur in the head of any person, but their quality differs significantly. Some succeed in work and study, quickly cope with unusual circumstances, easily analyze and remember various information, and quickly solve assigned tasks. Others, on the contrary, do not have such a tenacious and inquisitive mind, which leaves its mark on both everyday life and work.

Lack of creativity, inability to quickly resolve difficulties and quickly cope with various tasks is not a death sentence. The main thing is to set a goal and direct your efforts towards achieving it. You can learn everything - you just have to want it.

How to develop thinking in a child General recommendations:

Educational games and tasks contribute to the development of a child’s thinking, and to increase their effectiveness, you can use special recommendations:

1. Encourage even the child’s small success: this will motivate him and bring him closer to new achievements.

2. Don’t rush your child, don’t rush to correct his mistake, give him time to think again and try to find it on his own. All children are different, and what comes easily and quickly to one may be difficult for another. The results may be affected by the child’s temperament, environment, mood, perception, attentiveness, memory, motivation, attitude, etc.

3. Take your time to suggest the correct answer. If the child’s solution is incorrect, praise him for trying to find the right one, encourage him for looking for or finding an original, unusual way to solve it; show that solving such a problem is not easy at first, and that next time he will definitely do better.

4. Try to study at the same time. Let the child look forward to it.

5. Gradually increase the level of difficulty of tasks, but gradually: the load should not be overwhelming, and at the same time it should become a little more complicated, and the tasks should become more varied.

Thinking and memory, perception and attention can be trained on educational brain trainers online in the form of exciting daily games, with rewards, competitions, achievements and their visual graphs. We sincerely wish you success in self-development!

We sincerely wish you success in self-development!

Photo: Lauro Maia

Exercises for developing abstract thinking

Think about what figures can be made from these details.
The development of this type of thinking is closely related to speech activity, including the richness of vocabulary, the correct construction of sentences and the ability to analyze information.

Exercise “Prove the opposite”

This exercise is best done in writing.

In addition to convenience, written speech has another important advantage over oral speech - it is more strictly organized, streamlined and linear in nature. Here's the task itself

Choose one of the relatively simple, and most importantly, consistent statements. For example: “Sea holidays are very attractive.”

Now find arguments that prove the opposite - the more refutations, the better. Write them down in a column, admire them, and find a refutation for each of these arguments. That is, again prove the truth of the first proposition.

Exercise "Abbreviations"

This exercise is good to do in company; it is not only useful for thinking, but can also entertain you, for example, during a long journey, or brighten up the wait.

You need to take several random combinations of 3-4 letters. For example: SKP, UOSK, NALI, etc.

Next, imagine that these are not just combinations of letters, but abbreviations, and try to decipher them. Perhaps something humorous will turn out - that’s no worse. Humor promotes the development of thinking. I can suggest the following options: SKP - “Council of Creative Writers” or “Union of Crooked Hands, etc.

If you are completing a task in a team, compete to see who has the most original name and what such an organization can do.

Exercise “Working with Concepts”

Exercises with concepts, or more precisely with abstract categories, which have no analogues in the material world, well develop abstract thinking and establish a connection between thought processes at different levels. As a rule, such categories reflect the qualities, properties of objects, their interdependence or contradictions. There are many such categories, but for the exercise you can take even the simplest ones, such as “beauty”, “glory”, “hate”.

1. Having chosen one of the concepts, try to explain as simply as possible (in your own words) what it is. Just avoid explanations through examples (“this, when...), they even scold you for this at school.
2. Select synonyms for this concept and try to determine whether there are any differences or nuances between the main word and the synonym.
3. Come up with a symbol for this concept; it can be either abstract or concrete, expressed in words or in a graphic image.

After working with simple concepts, you can move on to complex ones. For example, such as: “congruence”, “victimization”, “resistance”, etc. If you do not know what this is, then it is permissible to look at the definitions of these words, but you will still explain them in your own words.

The benefit of developing abstract thinking is not only in learning to solve logical problems. Without it, success in the exact sciences is impossible; it is difficult to understand many economic and social laws

In addition, what is important, this thinking will make speech more correct and clear, will teach you to prove your point of view based on the strict laws of logic, and not because “it seems so to me”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=C3RC5D-pn4c

Imaginative thinking and its development

Imaginative thinking is controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain, where the ]creative abilities[/anchor] of a person are also located. This, in general, says it all. But the problem is that the right hemisphere first outstrips the left hemisphere in development, and at the age of 3-5 years it dominates in mental activity. But then the active development of the sign function (speech, writing, counting) stimulates the development of the left hemisphere, which is responsible for abstract logical thinking. The activity of the right hemisphere decreases, and imaginative thinking fades into the background.

“What about creativity?” - you ask. That's it. Creativity and the development of creative potential are impossible without operations with images. And outside of creativity, this thinking is needed. Associated with it is the ability to reproduce pictures, sounds, smells, movements, analyze them, combine them, and include them in mental and objective activity. Moreover, it has been proven that any mental act begins with the birth of images, and proceeds in close connection with them.

What to develop

Returning to the question of the development of imaginative thinking, let us determine in which direction to move, what properties and qualities of our psyche need to be developed:

• figurative memory;
• operations with images, their analysis, comparison, combination;
• imagination, as the ability to create new images;
• combinatorial activity - the ability to consciously and purposefully construct images from elements of what is stored in memory;
• see the qualities and properties of things hidden from logical thinking;
• ability to fantasize.

One of the most effective ways to develop imaginative thinking is to engage in creativity. It helps to constantly keep the right hemisphere in good shape, so many of the exercises contain an element of creativity.

Exercise “Recreation of images”

Most of us are concerned with accumulating knowledge. We strive to remember the necessary information, names, dates, numbers, rules. How often do we try to remember and consciously retain images in our memory? Are they any less important? For example, the image of an autumn park in your hometown or the face of a loved one, the smell of grandma’s pies or the sound of the sea surf. After all, most often what we remember are random snippets of impressions. Let's try to change this and practice reproducing images.

Let's start with something simple. Remember the face of someone close to you. Try to reproduce it in detail, remembering every stroke, wrinkle, and mole. Now imagine that this person smiles, is sad, frowns, winks at you.

Now let's move on to more complex tasks.

Imagine five colored objects. First, five red ones, for example, strawberry, balloon, etc. Then five orange ones, and so on throughout the spectrum. To avoid confusion, write down these seven groups of items in order.

Imagine an image of a tree you know (a birch under your window, a maple on your way to work). Try to remember it in detail and pay attention to what time of year you see this tree. Now imagine how the image will change at another time - autumn, winter, spring, summer. The image of a tree can be replaced with the image of a house or street, river or yard.

Remember and imagine different sounds: 5 sounds of nature (the sound of rain, rustling of autumn leaves, etc.), 5 sounds of the city, 5 sounds made by animals, 5 sounds of mechanisms.

Remember and imagine in detail some event (holiday, family dinner, meeting with your boss, etc.). Try to remember images of people, furniture, utensils, trying to imagine colors, sounds, tastes, and smells.

Development methods

The development of abstract thinking is a long and labor-intensive process. But everything is not as scary as it might seem at first glance. In order to develop this type of thinking, a person only needs to devote an hour or an hour and a half two to three times a week to solving logical problems and puzzles. This is a very exciting process, and before you know it, it will become your favorite hobby! In the modern world, there are enough printed publications for the development of logic; exercises and assignments can also be found on the Internet. This means that finding such information will not be difficult. For example, there is a popular website that presents problems of varying complexity.

This type of thinking originates in the East since the times of the ancient world. It arose as a branch of logic. Logic itself is the ability to think and reason, to draw conclusions about things and their essence. Abstract thinking allows you to build theoretical schemes.

With regular exercise, the results will not take long to arrive. Within a few weeks, you will notice that it has become easier to think, make long-term plans, and solve issues that previously caused difficulty.

Children

The little man is an open book in which you can write anything! Children are more receptive to learning and developing any abilities. The baby’s abilities need to be developed through play. The modern toy industry offers a wide selection of games for early development. For example, these could be small puzzles, mosaics, or a banal pyramid. In adulthood, to teach your child to think, invite him to look at pictures in books and explain his understanding of what is happening in them.

Teaching a child to think abstractly is very important. Abstract thinking is not only the key to his creative development, but it is also the ability to question everything and achieve everything through experience.

Developed thinking helps to collect, analyze information and draw independent conclusions, and then support them with proven facts.

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After completing the course, your vocabulary will become significantly wider. This means that you can establish constructive dialogues with people on a variety of topics. Successful communication is the key to success in your career and personal life.

In addition, after completing the courses you will be able to:

• read twice as fast as the current level, while all the information received will remain in your memory for a long time;
• concentrate on reading as much as possible, which will significantly improve perception;
• easily remember large amounts of text information and apply it where necessary;
• read aloud with perfect diction - anyone can easily understand you.

This program is based on seven unique speed reading techniques. And the main thing is that they are focused not only on the speed of reading books and useful articles, but also on broadening your horizons, concentrating your attention, improving your speech, enriching your vocabulary, etc. When your attention is completely focused on reading, you will begin to better assimilate any material. Consequently, its further application in practice will not be difficult.

The program includes 16 lessons and takes 1 month (if you watch one lesson in two days). The duration of each lesson is 80-120 minutes. They contain maximum useful information. And if you are not sure whether to take the training, the authors have prepared the first lesson for free. After viewing it, you will understand whether you need this course or not.

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Ways to develop logical thinking

If you are determined to take up pumping your brain, then the first thing you need to do is eradicate your laziness and start looking for suitable methods and tasks. There are a huge number of ways to train your thinking. Let's look at some of them in more detail:

Board games. Couples and for a large group of friends, serious and humorous - the choice is huge, you just need to determine which type is more interesting to you. The most popular board games for developing human logical thinking include:

1. Chess;
2. Checkers;
3. Backgammon;
4. "Monopoly" ("Big Business");
5. “Scrabble” (“Scrabble”, “Bulda”);
6. Card games (“Munchkin”, “Uno”).

Logic problems. When searching for and selecting logical problems, use books or the Internet, which is full of various examples and thematic collections. Start with the easiest level, gradually increasing the load, moving towards the highest level of difficulty. If you don’t know the answer, don’t hesitate to peek, because knowing the source data will help you understand the solution and the construction of a logical chain. This type of task includes:

1. Puzzles;
2. Graphic puzzles;
3. Word problems;
4. Puzzles;
5. Anagrams;
6. Puzzles;
7. Rubik's Cube;
8. Solitaire games (“Mahjong”, types of card layouts).

Example of a logical problem: Seven sisters spend their leisure time together. The first one plays chess. The second one is reading. The third one is cleaning. The fourth one is watering the flowers. The fifth one is playing with the cat. The sixth one is embroidering. What does the seventh sister do? Correct answer: The seventh sister plays chess with the first.

• Test tasks for intelligence. There are many online tests based on the principle of cause and effect. Most often these are games of the “Find the odd one out” type.
• Puzzles, crosswords, scanwords, teawords and more. Particularly difficult are the digital types - Japanese crosswords and Sudoku. Also, an excellent task for developing the ability to think logically would be to independently compose a crossword puzzle.
• Mastering deductive and inductive methods. Deduction is logic in its purest form. In 99.99% of cases, the deductive method gives the correct answer to the problem. In everyday life, induction is more often used - reasoning based on facts that have a certain percentage of falsity. In simpler terms, inductive reasoning begins with particular conclusions and seeks confirmation in general concepts. The deductive method, on the contrary, originates from the external world, and the conclusion is already presented in the form of individual conclusions.

Example of a deductive method: Winter has come and that’s why it’s snowing outside.

An example of the inductive method: It snowed outside, therefore winter has come.

When logical thinking begins

Only a few people think logically. Most of us are biased, prejudiced, infected with preconceptions, jealousy, suspicion, fear, pride and envy. © Dale Carnegie

A person is not born immediately with certain inclinations to successfully draw correct conclusions and build logical structures. Human logical thinking is not an innate, but an acquired property. Even the basic type of figurative thinking appears in children at 1.5 years old. The ability to think abstractly appears much later - at primary school age, at approximately 7-8 years. Logic develops gradually with the development of the personality itself. However, regular training and exercises will only give positive results in the development of logical thinking.

The main type of development of preschool children is precisely logical tasks and exercises. Since it is logical thinking that will help a child achieve success in the future by using his intellect. Development occurs in a playful way, according to the age characteristics of children. Logic lessons are included in both the kindergarten and school curriculum. However, parents should not neglect independent studies at home. After all, by developing logical thinking, you improve your child’s intellectual skills.

Is it possible for an adult to improve and improve his logical thinking? Of course, this is possible and even necessary, because in the modern world everything is subject to very rapid changes, the knowledge acquired at school and university gradually becomes outdated, and there is a need to update information. Developing the ability to build logical conclusions for an adult can be a very enjoyable process, since, as in the case of children, it can take place in a playful way. If you are an eternal student or a typical pedant, then you can draw up a detailed plan for serious exercises. However, it will be much more interesting to get together with friends and play logic games. Information obtained in this way will settle more reliably in the mind and be fixed in a person’s memory than dry memorization of rules and solving boring problems.

Logic is the science of conceptual thinking.

Logic, as a science of thinking, was born more than 2 thousand years ago in Ancient Greece. At the same time, the main types of logical thinking were described and the laws of logic were formulated, which remain unshakable to this day.

Two types of thinking: deduction and induction

The elementary unit of abstract-logical thinking is the concept. Several concepts combined into a coherent thought is a judgment. They are affirmative and negative. For example:

• “In autumn, the leaves fly off the trees” - affirmative.
• “There are no leaves on the trees in winter” – negative.

Judgments can also be true or false. Thus, the proposition “In winter, young leaves grow on trees” is false.

From two or more judgments one can draw a conclusion or inference, and this whole construction is called a syllogism. For example:

• 1st premise (judgment): “In autumn, leaves fall from the trees.”
• 2nd premise (judgment): “Now the leaves have begun to fly off the trees.”
• Conclusion (syllogism): “Autumn has come.”

Depending on the method on the basis of which the inference is made, there are two types of thinking: deductive and inductive.

Induction method. From several particular judgments a general conclusion is drawn. For example: “schoolboy Vasya doesn’t study in the summer,” “schoolboy Petya doesn’t study in the summer,” “schoolgirls Masha and Olya don’t study in the summer either.” Consequently, “schoolchildren do not study in the summer.” Induction is not a very reliable method, since an absolutely correct conclusion can be drawn only if all particular cases are taken into account, and this is difficult and sometimes impossible.

Method of deduction. In this case, reasoning is built on the basis of general premises and information given in the judgments. That is, the ideal option: one general judgment, one particular one, and the conclusion is also a private judgment. Example:

• “All schoolchildren have summer holidays.”
• “Vasya is a schoolboy.”
• “Vasya has a summer vacation.”

This is what the most basic conclusions in logical thinking look like. True, in order to draw the right conclusions, certain conditions or laws must be observed.

Laws of logic

There are four basic laws, and three of them were formulated by Aristotle:

• Law of identity. According to him, any thought expressed within the framework of logical reasoning must be identical to itself, that is, remain unchanged throughout the entire argument or dispute.
• Law of contradiction. If two statements (judgments) contradict each other, then one of them is necessarily false.
• Law of the excluded middle. Any statement can be either false or true, something third is impossible.

In the 17th century, the philosopher Leibniz supplemented these three with the fourth law of “sufficient reason.” Proof of the truth of any idea or judgment is possible only through the use of reliable arguments.

It is believed that it is enough to follow these laws, be able to correctly formulate judgments and draw conclusions, and you can solve any most complex problem. But it has now been proven that logical thinking is limited and often fails, especially when a serious problem arises that does not have one single correct solution. Abstract logical thinking is too straightforward and inflexible.

The limitations of logic were proven already in the era of Antiquity with the help of so-called paradoxes - logical problems that have no solution. And the simplest of them is the “liar paradox,” which refutes the inviolability of the third law of logic. In the 4th century BC. e. The ancient Greek philosopher Eubulides shocked supporters of logic with one phrase: “I am lying.” Is this a true or false proposition? It cannot be true, since the author himself claims that he is lying. But if the phrase “I am lying” is false, then the proposition becomes true. And logic cannot overcome this vicious circle.

But abstract-logical thinking, despite its limitations and inflexibility, is best manageable and itself “organizes the brain” very well, forcing us to adhere to strict rules in the thought process. In addition, the abstract form of thinking continues to be the highest form of cognitive activity. Therefore, the development of abstract thinking is important not only in childhood, but also in adults.

Laws of logic

The laws of correct thinking are the objective foundations and principles of logic that lead reasoning to genuine conclusions.

1. The law of identity - the idea is clear, precise and simple (every A is an A).
2. The law of contradiction - if one judgment rejects something, and another declares the same, then they cannot be true at the same time (A is not A).
3. The law of the excluded middle - every judgment is either genuine or erroneous (either A or not A).
4. Law of Sufficient Reason - Every idea, to be valid, must be supported by reasoned conclusions (A, because B).

The laws of correct thinking apply always and everywhere. It doesn’t matter who you are, who your interlocutor is, whether you believe in them or not. They are irreplaceable and indestructible. By violating the laws and forms of correct thinking, you risk drawing false conclusions.

What is strategic thinking

In psychology, strategic thinking is the cognitive ability that allows you to complete complex tasks. The main aspect of this quality is a step-by-step vision of the path to achieving the goal. An individual needs to be aware of the consequences that arise if certain decisions are made. This type of mind is opposed to straightforward thinking, when a person always chooses the most obvious way to solve a problem.

The development of this personal quality is important in entrepreneurship, creativity, science and other activities

Strategy is a term that comes to us from the ancient Greek language. Initially, this word was associated only with military craft. To win any battle, a general combat strategy was required, combining several tactics. Later the term became more general, so today strategy refers to a way to achieve a goal. The most accessible example is the game of chess. To win, the player must gradually change the position of his pieces. However, a straightforward approach is ineffective, since sometimes it is necessary to make sacrifices and make non-standard decisions.

Strategic thinking is required not only in logic games and military craft. The difficulties of everyday life force people to show analytical skills. This quality is inextricably linked with intelligence, since step-by-step planning of activities is a complex cognitive process. Individuals who constantly develop their minds achieve success in work and other areas of life.

Determining your thinking style

Here we will not describe in detail each style of thinking, because... We have already given them the main characteristics, and we will present only the most striking features inherent in each of them.

How to identify a synthesizer :

• Defiant behavior, open expression of skepticism, sometimes ridicule, tendency to oppose (especially against generally held opinions), disagreement with what everyone agrees with.
• A detached view of the situation, originality in judgment, unusual proposals on solving problems and getting out of situations.
• A penchant for philosophizing, theorizing, formulating and resolving paradoxes. A frivolous (at first glance and from the point of view of others) attitude towards problems and difficulties.
• Lack of interest in the simple and banal, attempts to appear irrelevant to the problem or issue being discussed.
• Effective, but quite complex speech, a lot of introductory words and sentences, qualifying adjectives and constructions (such as “essentially”, “more or less”, “probably”, etc.)
• Skillful argumentation of one’s position, but at the same time the ability and desire (!) to smash one’s own ideas to smithereens with the simultaneous manifestation of self-irony.

How to identify an idealist :

• An open and inviting smile. Verbal and non-verbal signals that indicate a desire to achieve emotional contact and inspire trust. Sociability.
• Vivid reflection in behavior of any positive and negative emotions.
• Soft, tactful and non-provocative behavior.
• Reluctance to argue, let alone conflict, desire for a peaceful resolution of any situation.
• A tendency to talk about others and their problems, a desire to get to know a person better, a lot of questions.
• Negative attitude towards the abundance of facts and deep analytics.
• Firmness in beliefs and actions. Strict adherence to social and ethical standards.

How to define a pragmatist :

• Friendly and open manner of communication. Courage, mobility, activity, some tension in relationships.
• Love of easy and relaxed, clear, simple and cheerful communication.
• Dislike of speculative and formal conversations, conversations on abstract topics, conversations overflowing with theory.
• Signs of discomfort in tense situations. The desire to return the situation to its previous course as soon as possible.
• The ability to bring excitement to any, even the most boring situation.
• Need for freedom of action, aversion to control.
• The need for motivation, maintaining enthusiasm and interest.

How to identify an analyst :

• External coldness, restraint, dryness, closedness. Formality in communication. Apparent inattention to the words of the interlocutor (but this impression is wrong).
• Restrained, quiet and even, disciplined, firm, but careful speech.
• Lack of desire to conduct a conversation or voice your opinion as quickly as possible.
• Greater awareness of the subject of conversation in the case of dialogue.
• Reluctance to participate in conversations devoid of rationalism and logic, to conduct meaningless conversations on philosophical and “non-traditional” topics.
• Dislike of small talk, excessive frivolity and inappropriate jokes in communication.
• Stubbornness and steadfastness in tense situations. The desire to stop communication in case of continuous pressure (an option for psychological defense in stressful situations).
• “Rational”, restrained, subtle and intellectual humor.
• Thoughtfulness, seriousness and thoroughness in work and any matters.

How to spot a realist :

• Openness, confidence, sincerity, independence, assertiveness in communication.
• Having your own opinion on any issue and the desire to express it quickly.
• Clear verbal and nonverbal signs of agreement or disagreement.
• Lack of interest in theoretical and sentimental conversations.
• Positive attitude, tendency towards frankness.
• Quick excitability in stressful situations. The result is a domineering, authoritarian, harsh manner of communication with notes of stubbornness and arrogance.
• Increased interest in conversations on current affairs, current facts, news.
• Quickness in decision making, willingness to take responsibility.
• “Closeness” to ordinary people, lack of interest in “overly” intelligent companies.

In real life, a person cannot use only one style of thinking. There is a dominant style, and all the others can be manifested to a greater or lesser extent, and sometimes not even “felt.” In some situations, thinking styles may cooperate, in others they may conflict.

Scientific research has been repeatedly conducted on this topic. The results showed that approximately 50% of people operate in the process of life with one of the most optimal and familiar styles. About 35% of people use both styles with equal frequency. And the remaining 15% successfully use three or more thinking styles.

The researchers also came to the conclusion that the most adaptive, flexible and effective in life and work are people belonging to the latter category, i.e. to those who are able to equally apply one or another style, although they will be inferior to people who “professionally” own one style. But still, psychologists recommend developing the qualities of a synthesizer, an idealist, a pragmatist, an analyst and a realist.

As for mastering new styles of thinking, experts draw an analogy between this process and the study of foreign languages. When you decide to learn a new language, you don’t have to change your worldview or value system. All that is required is to form a system of new skills.

Most likely, you will be able to write, read and speak a new language, using it out of necessity or for pleasure. You will still be able to live a familiar and comfortable life, but the very knowledge of a new language will give you new opportunities.

The situation is similar with mastering new styles of thinking: when necessary, you can “turn on” the style needed at the moment, and then return to the usual one. But the results you will achieve will get better and better each time (with practice).

Personal growth specialist and business coach Alexander Makarevich will tell you how to start mastering new styles of thinking.

We also recommend reading:

• Storytelling
• Leadership styles according to life cycle theory
• Harmful Thinking Styles
• Vroom, Yetton and Iago decision making model
• Cognitive styles
• Learning styles
• When to decide to act
• Fred Fiedler's Model of Effective Leadership
• Divergent thinking: features, methods of development
• Thinking styles Boncheck and Steele
• Six Emotional Leadership Styles

Key words:1Self-knowledge