Divergent and convergent thinking: definition, tasks, features and examples

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

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, and his lifestyle are formed. In this article, we will explain what divergent and convergent thinking are, how they differ from each other.

Guilford Research

For the first time, the American psychologist Joy Gilford took up the essence of human thinking and its features. After numerous studies, experiments and experiments with the participation of 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 origins of creativity, inspiration,that govern many, but not all, people on the planet. Guilford argued that a person can be characterized by divergent or convergent thinking, 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 the works of Guildford, many psychological treatises, tests and other material were published, which are now actively used by modern specialists 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 it all?

Template thinking?

It's worth starting with a detailed interpretation of each term separately, and the first on the list will be the convergent type of thinking. What is it and what characteristics does it have? Convergent thinking is a frequently occurring term in psychology that denotes a linear approach to solving problems, performing specific actions in stages, following 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 convergently converge on a single specific solution to a particular problem. Moreover, he came to this decision along the trodden path, that is, based on the rules and experience.

IQ test

The best way to develop convergent thinking is to stimulate an IQ test. Undoubtedly, in order to solve most problems, it is worth having considerable skills and knowledge, understanding what the essence of the problem is, and finding solutions to it.smart approach. But all the tasks of such a test are nothing more than template puzzles. It’s just that in one everything is presented in the form of letters, in the other the leaders are numbers, in the third you must carefully study the position and structure of certain figures, etc. In general, the test trains the brain, but tunes it to the same type of thinking. After you solve a few dozen problems from the test, the remaining few hundred will be very easy for you.

Back to school

Another place where the convergent type of thinking is developed is the school. All problems, whether they are mathematical, physical or even biological, presuppose the correct answer in advance (you can often find it at the end of the textbook). What then is valued? It is estimated how template you come to this answer and how quickly you are given a solution according to the scheme given by the teacher. After all, there were often cases when the teacher refused to give a five to a student who solved the problem using a different formula and the answer turned out to be 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 turns out to be completely useless in practice.

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 mutually exclusive. So divergent thinking isa problem-solving technique in which a person considers many options without settling on just one. He comes to his numerous decisions not according to any templates, but relying only on his own intuition and premonition that it is necessary to do this and that, but this will not work out. The term itself also comes from the Latin word divergere, which translates as "to diverge." That is, regarding one task or problem, the ways of solving it diverge, and sometimes incredibly widely. Some psychologists call this type of thinking fan-shaped, since many "rays" come out of one point, which are directed in different directions.

What does this lead to?

Experts such as E. Torrance, G. Grubber and K. Taylor have studied 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 manifested, and a non-standard approach to solving certain problems is being worked out. Moreover, many people with a divergent type of thinking can choose non-standard areas of activity for themselves, thereby causing a resonance in society. However, no matter who they are by profession, they can best analyze any situation, compare facts and draw the most accurate conclusions. At the same time, to solve the problem, you will be provided by themnumerous options.

Evaluation criteria

Divergent and convergent thinking are so different that there are certain tests to determine if a person has the second one. But to understand at what level of development your divergent thinking is, there are no criteria or tasks. There are just a few common signs:

• Your mind is running fluent - in a short amount of time you can think of a lot of things and every thought will be interesting.
• An unconventional approach to solving problems. Appears in everything from household to work.
• You see the extraordinary in the little details. It seems to you that many things in this world are 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 in 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 patterns all his life. You just have to want to and do it. Of course, children learn this much faster, so it is important to train them in these skills. So, tasks for divergent thinking are all sorts of creative "orders". Let's start with a simple one: presentation. Ask the child to write a paraphrase of a particular text,and the content is not important - let it be based on their own impressions. This way you can appreciate how richly he can reveal a topic that he has only heard about a couple of times. What other specific exercises are there?

• First, choose a letter, for example "t", and come up with ten words that begin with it as quickly as possible. Then we 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.
• Choose a word, for example "summer", and select ten other words for it that will characterize it.

Such puzzles can be invented on the go, and they may not be humanitarian or technical, but simply everyday. For example, imagine that a light bulb has burned out in a room. Find ten different ways to solve the light problem.

Differences - what are they?

For some people, having a pattern and a certain order is the key to happiness. This makes them feel comfortable and safe, which is why their brains are predisposed exclusively to convergent thinking. Divergent thinking, or creative thinking, is the absence of not only a template, but even a starting point. You only have a problem, and you start solving it from the void. Using the "poke" method, you choose two or more ways to solve the problem, hesitate, but in the end you intuitively begin to gravitate towards one or the other. Well, there is a difference. It only remains to say thatthe optimal for a person is the presence of a divergent type of thinking in a dominant position, but keep the convergent type in reserve - perhaps the template will come in handy in some industries.