Man is differentiated from animals because of his ability to thinking and speaking. More than two thousand years ago, Aristotle referred to man as a thinking animals. The term homo-sapiens used by biologists refer to human beings, means thinking or wise man.
Thinking is higher mental process which involves verbal symbols, internal, visual and auditory images, ideas, concepts and mathematical symbols. It takes into account past experience, future possibilities and external realities as well. Such a situation is known as problem situation.
1. Thinking is a cognitive activity.
2. It is goal directed.
3. It is problem solving behaviour.
4. It is process of mental exploration.
5. Images, concepts, symbols and language are used as instruments of thinking.
DEFINITION
"Thinking is an implicit problems solving behaviour." -Mohsin
"Recognize one aspect of thinking as covered or hidden speech behaviour." -English
"Thinking is the cognitive process that begins with the problem or work facing the person. It include trail and error but is affected by the readiness of person and ultimately its ends at the solution of problem or a conclusion." -Warren
"Defined that is well to keep the term thinking for an activity which converts essentially of a connected flow of ideas which are directed towards some end or purpose." -Valentine
"Thinking is a behaviour which is often implicit and hidden and in which symbols, images, ideas, concepts are ordinary employed." -Garrett
NATURE OF THINKING
Thinking is the process of mentally solving the problems. It includes a flow of thoughts. Thoughts continue to come one after the other and this internal process continue till they ae expressed. Attempt is made to solve the problems through "Trial and error method". If the problems arises, its solution is sought through thinking or any new thought is evolved. Along with analysis, thinking also involves synthesis, foresight and hindsight. One thinks about tangible object through intangible signs and symbols. Hence thinking is a symbolic behaviour. The main form of thinking is reason and this is a process of mental research. Healthy thinking saves time and labour.
TYPES OF THINKING
There are different types of thinking which are as follows:
1. Concrete Thinking
2. Abstract Thinking
3. Logical Thinking
4. Creative Thinking
5. Autistic Thinking
1. Concrete Thinking: It is kind of thinking which is possible only when the material related to problem is present in front of the person in some kind of forms.
For examples: Children are taught counting with help of tones or beads. Similarly, if a person wants to teach the working of part of a machine it will be possible if these parts are shown to the learner. Similarly most of the mathematical problems are solved with continuous working on paper. Such type of thinking develops in the initial stage of development. It is the primary mode of thinking inchildren.
2. Abstract Thinking: It is thinking which is possible even in the absence of any material in front of a person. It is possible with images, concepts and language. It does not require the object and situation in real form. The representative in the form of images, concepts and language help in abstract thinking.
For example: A nurse as a student is given a hypothetical problems to solve that if some emergency develops with the patients and doctor is not available then what she will do? Even in the absence of a real situation she can work on the problem while imagining the situation. It is abstract thinking. As the child grows to adolescent stage, abstract thinking develops.
3. Logical Thinking: It is also called reflective thinking. It is usually done with some reason and logic. These logic and reason are formed with arranging the facts and figures in a sequence.
For example: A person gives logic for poverty in India that its is the result of growing population. This thinking always proceeds yo wards a goal with the objective to solve the problem.
4. Creative Thinking: It is a kind of thinking which proceeds towards some novelty. Various inventions and discoveries are the product of creative thinking. It does not work under any rule and regulations or any tradition and prohibition. It is free floating with novel kind of imaginations and ideas. It always result into some new kind of work which is original and novel in nature. Although creativity is independent from intelligence yet creativity needs at least average intelligence.
5. Autistic Thinking: It is internally focused self centred thinking. It is not stimulated by the external stimulating condition. Thinker does not respond to the external environment. It is also considered a kind of abnormality. These individual are inflexible in thinking and mostly introvert in nature. The source of stimulation is usually internal.
TOOLS AND INSTRUMENT OF THINKING
From the above discussion, it is clear that thinking requires various tools and symbols which aid in thinking process. These explained as follows:
1. Precepts: Precepts are those stimuli and objects present in the environment which stimulate the thinking and also help to find our some solution to the problem.
For example: A child is presented a puzzle problem with stones and the child tends to solve it by playing with stones. Stones serve as precepts. Similarly a nurse when find a patent fainting she started checking the pulse, blood pressure, temperature of the body etc. to find out the reason of trouble to help the patients. Symptoms of fainting pulse rate, blood pressure acts as precepts. thus precepts stimulate a flow of thoughts and also help in reaching to some conclusion.
2. Concepts: These are those words or signs that represent the various ours characteristics of a general group or community.
For example: The word "tree" represents all those plants which have roots, long stem and well spread branches with leaves. Concepts make thinking very easy and comfortable. Without these concepts it is very difficult to tell any incidence or happening. Absence of concepts will make the thinking process filled with vagueness and confusion.
3. Images: These are also very strong tool of thinking. Whenever, an individual wants to think about some problem or situation he will immediately find the images of that situation in his mind. Even those situations and places which and individual has never observed are transformed into arbitrary images. These images are so powerful in thinking that in the absence of situation, images are created in mind. Sometimes images are so clear and powerful that act as reality or precepts. Images are not only limits to visual images but these are auditory, olfactory, gustatory and cutaneous in nature.
For example: Think about a song or smell, its images can be experienced.
4. Symbols and Signs: Symbols and signs help in progress of thinking. These are various symbols which represent some kind of action.
For example: School bell, green light in crossing, green flag for trains. These symbols not only stimulate thinking process but also tell what to do. similarly signs mathematics like +, -, * tell how to work on given mathematical problem. Thus symbols and signs play important role in thinking for various activities in our daily life.
5. Formula: Various Formulas used in science. mathematics and other subjects also facilitate thinking in understanding and solving various problems.
For example: For water the chemical composition of water is describe as H2O, which tells that water is made up with two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen. In statistic's to calculate average the formula of "Mean={X/N}" indicates that when the sum total of all items is divided by the total no. of items, mean will be obtained.
6. Language: It is also very strong tool of thinking. If some psychologists defined thinking as subvocal speech then speech needs a language. With out the language this internal speech cannot take place. During thinking on some problem we can observe some people who talk vocally while thinking and in that language helps to understand, interpret and solve the problems. Some psychologists even believe that a child starts thinking only after learning the language. Sometimes non-verbal language also acts as a tool of thinking. Many time, we use various body signs and symbols as a non-verbal language.
For example- Eye winking, smile, showing thumb, jerking shoulders, etc.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THINKING
1. A number of mental processes are included in thinking.
2. Thinking is affected by motives.
3. Thinking begins from general to special.
4. Analyses and synthesis have an important role in thinking.
5. Thought and language are very important in thinking.
6. Thinking can solve hard problems.
7. Brain remains active during thinking process.
