Divergent thinking is also known as lateral thinking.
Divergent thinking is that which consists of the search for alternatives or creative and different possibilities for solving a problem . That is why it is also called lateral thinking .
Everything that exists through intellectual activity is part of thought . This is a product of the mind that arises from the rational activity of the intellect or the abstractions of the imagination .
It is possible to distinguish between different types of thinking, depending on the mental operation in question. Deductive thinking , inductive thinking , systematic thinking , critical thinking and analytical thinking are some of them. Divergent , on the other hand, is that which diverges (that disagrees, disagrees or separates).
Origin of the notion of divergent thinking
Divergent thinking can be included within creative thinking , related more to imagination than to logical-rational thinking. The notion was coined by Maltese psychologist Edward De Bono , who stated that divergent thinking is a way of organizing thought processes through unorthodox strategies. The objective, then, is to generate ideas that escape the guidelines of habitual thinking.
For De Bono , lateral thinking can be developed with the training of techniques that help to look at the same object from different points of view . Divergent thinking is an engine of personal and social change as it provides new answers to known problems.
The Maltese psychologist recognizes three main types of thought obstructions: lack of information , mental blockage and the weight of the obvious. This last case, when the obvious nature of the problem prevents us from seeing a better option, can be overcome through divergent thinking.
Divergent thinking is associated with creativity.
brain processes
Generally, our brain tends to relate the data it perceives in its environment to find logical and rational explanations; If we see a destroyed wall, we will assume that it was hit by a vehicle or that it was damaged by a water leak, but the first option we will consider will not be that a mutant being of enormous strength knocked it down with one blow.
In the same way, when it comes to solving the problems of our day to day life (understanding as a problem any situation that we must overcome, from the simple decision of what to have for lunch to the lack of money to pay the bills) we usually use the most reasonable things that we have at our disposal . From our first years of life, we are taught to pursue normality , to adjust to a series of rules and expectations that, according to what they promise, will provide us with stability and security in our adulthood.
If someone needs money, their first tendency is to look for work; Innovative projects rarely arise, blind bets in pursuit of a revolutionary idea that may end in the financial ruin of its author but, instead, turn him into a genius admired by the entire world. The great pioneers of history have known how to look beyond the obvious, pursue objectives that did not appear in books and that did not give them any guarantee of success, and it is thanks to them that humanity advances.
Divergent thinking training
There are many exercises that stimulate the training of divergent thinking, problems that pose a situation that is apparently absurd or impossible to solve. Let's look at an example: « This morning I dropped an earring in the coffee. And although the cup was full, the earring did not get wet. How is it possible? At first glance, given certain cultural and language issues, our brain assumes that the term " coffee" refers to the drink, and that is the first mistake made by a person who believes they cannot solve this enigma.
If, on the other hand, we interpret it as a "hospitality establishment in which meals and snacks are served" , one of the possible correct answers shines before our eyes: the pendant did not fall into the cup, but into the cafeteria, which It is also called " coffee" ; That is why the amount of drink remaining is not relevant.