What is Divergent Thinking

The ability to reason is commonly known by the term thought. The idea of ​​thought can be understood with a series of labels. So there is a thought rational, critical, abstract or creative. In this post we are going to focus on a specific modality, divergent thinking, from from which one develops ideas and expands the possibilities in a situation through various shapes.

The fundamental idea of ​​divergent thinking

This mode of thinking is based on generating ideas through unconventional approaches. In this sense, divergent equals creative. However, creative and divergent thinking are not exactly the same. The first consists of producing original ideas, while the second consists of the skill to see many possible answers to a question. Therefore, divergent thinking looks for multiple solutions and not just one. In other words, it is about think in an unusual way.

Linear thinking versus divergent thinking

In a schematic way we could say that linear thinking is based on already accepted mental schemes, while divergent thinking is an attempt to find answers out of the ordinary. Suppose someone raises the need to find a needle in a haystack. According to the intellectual stance

conventional, someone would search tirelessly until they find the needle, but it is very likely that they will not be able to do so.

On the contrary, someone who thinks outside the box might decide to burn the haystack to ashes and thus finally find the needle. We could affirm that divergent thinking is an intellectual formula that alters the linearity of thought and creates an alternative path.

Let's illustrate divergent thinking again with an example. The cylinder cardboard toilet paper serves initially for one thing, however when thinking with other mental schemes we can conclude that it has other utilities: a hair roller, a rolling pin, a spyglass, a knife hilt, a gun barrel, a witness from Athletics, etc.

Think outside the box

Some scholars of divergent thinking consider traditional thinking to be like a box in which there are already elaborated concepts and expectations.

Instead, thinking divergent involves reflecting and creating ideas outside of the box. Thus, "getting out of the box" involves changing normal perceptions and altering concepts to create new ideas. Not surprisingly, ideas you get out of the box are not applicable for use in the box.

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