Extraordinary thinking has always been considered a rarity. In most cases, people tend to think in very stereotyped ways and do not want to go beyond generally accepted norms. They are driven by fear of change, judgment of others, and reluctance to work on the situation as a whole. This behavior is understandable and understandable, but at the same time it is incredibly depressing. People who have a different view on ordinary things are often subject to all sorts of accusations and misunderstandings. A person with extraordinary thinking is bound to face criticism, irony and ridicule from those around him.
He sometimes has to make considerable efforts in order to prove something, to carry out his plans. Let's take a closer look at the pros and cons of this type of thinking. After all, it can both contribute to the development of personality and lead to a certain isolation from the bulk of people.
Advantages
With unusual thinking, you can create a lot of new things, predict the outcome of certain events, and influence the overall result. If a person has an individual view of the world, then he clearly realizes his own value. It becomes much easier for him to find his place in life and to reveal certain abilities. To create a unique picture of perception means to have your own judgment about everything. It is quite difficult to manipulate such a person, because she strives for complete independence and wants to make her own decisions.
Changeling
Try pronouncing a word backwards. Not easy, right? Especially if it's long. But there is a little trick, start by reading signs and store names, then your brain will restructure itself and you will learn to turn words around on your own.
I think there is no need to remind you that daily training is necessary, even if you start to succeed, consolidate the newly acquired skill so that it turns into a skill. If someone close to you practices with you, then over time you will be able to talk calmly on the street or in transport, without worrying about being overheard. Or rather, they will hear you, but they are unlikely to understand you.
Creativity
Creativity in itself is an incredibly valuable asset. It does not copy reality, but transforms it. In fact, everyone has creative abilities in a certain sense. This is expressed in violent imagination, in the manifestation of interest in the outside world. But the fact is that not every individual agrees to voluntarily reveal them to others. In this case, extraordinary thinking will help you express yourself and rely on some personal characteristics.
Creating something is always interesting and enjoyable. As a result, self-esteem increases and a sense of self-worth is formed. A person usually gradually reveals his talent if he sees that he is good at doing certain things. In order to create something original and truly valuable, it is not superfluous to have individual thinking, which sometimes differs from the opinion of the majority. It must be admitted that few people dare to express their thoughts as openly as possible. Many people are afraid of judgment and misunderstanding from others.
Why is it difficult to think outside the box?
We all studied according to the same programs, we were taught to think in a certain way . We have similar stereotypes and often think in stereotypes. Well, how can it be different if that’s what is needed? If so is it correct? Start from the beginning, on the left (or right in Semitic cultures). Take a shortcut, look for connections that lie on the surface. And we follow the beaten path without even trying to change anything. The ability to think creatively and find innovative solutions is not often instilled in teachers.
This kind of thinking helps the brain save energy and guide us along the same path where thousands have already walked. And the brain, considering energy a valuable resource, is accustomed to saving it, and does it with pleasure, unless it is forced to work hard, of course. He himself will prefer instant solutions, quick decisions, beaten paths. Therefore, the ability to think outside the box is not given immediately if you start to develop it.
And most of us prefer the comfort of familiar procedures. The ability to think outside the box can mean challenging our long-held beliefs and societal stereotypes. We don’t want to make mistakes about ourselves, our understanding of the world and people. And we don’t want to upset society and ourselves. For many it is easier to pretend to be a fool or a fool than to fight with society or with the boss. Read more about this in the article why smart people do stupid things.
Companies often avoid risks that could have a negative impact on their profits , even though there are many success stories illustrating that some risks pay off many times over. Steve Jobs was fired by the board of directors of the company he founded. But later, after Apple bought the NeXT operating system created by his team, Jobs became Apple's CEO and its shares rose 9,000 percent under his leadership. But how many followed their example and began to take more risks? Perhaps only a few well-known companies have done this. Others limit people from being creative and trying to think outside the box.
Self-development
Man is designed in such a way that if he does not move forward, he invariably moves backward. We must definitely strive for self-development, try ourselves in different directions. If you didn’t manage to demonstrate your knowledge in one thing, then you will probably be able to do it in another. An extraordinary mind always craves something new.
It is impossible to stay in one place and still feel comfortable. Self-development involves working effectively on yourself and overcoming various obstacles. If something seems incredibly difficult to you today, it is only because the corresponding skill has not yet been acquired.
Similarities
Again, it's time to come up with associations. Well, what can you do if development is faster and more efficient thanks to them? So, as usual, we take a sheet of paper and write down the first 5 nouns that come to mind. Then we write down the general characteristics of the entire associative series.
You don’t have to use one word, and even an adjective, you can think about how you can do the same thing with each of them. Maybe it was thanks to this exercise that the tradition of drinking from the bride’s shoe at a wedding began? Who knows, maybe you too will be able to invent something that will glorify you and bring you success?
Self-expression
Every individual needs to feel socially significant and useful. Without this, it is absolutely impossible to exist calmly in the outside world. Thinking outside the box comes with a lot of responsibility. You must have a high desire to achieve something, purposefully move towards the desired result.
Self-expression is a significant need for any individual. Only when we are willing to put in some effort do interesting transformations begin. The opportunity to qualitatively express your essence can present itself at any moment. This is why it is so important to constantly keep yourself in good shape.
Flaws
Having thought about what extraordinary thinking is, whether it is good or bad, it is necessary to consider the concept from different angles. If a person excessively opposes himself to others, this is also psychologically very traumatic for himself. This means that he will be in a state of forced confrontation with those who may be interested in him. When one individual thinks differently than the whole group, it becomes difficult for him to feel like he belongs, to fit into a certain framework. So, what are the pronounced disadvantages of thinking outside the box?
Mindfulness
We come to the seventh characteristic - awareness. According to Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer, mindfulness is paying attention to what is happening. Through her pioneering research in the 1970s, she became one of the first to show that mindfulness training leads to measurable improvements in human cognitive function. Creativity in itself is a practice of mindfulness because it forces us to notice new things in a topic that interests us.
If you put together the findings of all the research conducted on the topic of mindfulness over the past 50 years, the list of cognitive and psychological benefits associated with it is very long. It will include improved attention and the ability to concentrate on a task, empathy and compassion, the ability for self-analysis, self-regulation, improved memory and learning ability, emotional well-being, relief from stress, anxiety, depression and sleep problems. In other words, everyone needs mindfulness, and if out of the seven characteristics listed above, if you had to choose only one for yourself, it would undoubtedly be an excellent choice.
There are lots of ways to develop it, but personally I like to practice mindfulness when I'm walking alone. I turn on music and walk around the city, trying to notice everything - how people look and behave, what clouds are in the sky, amazing objects in the windows, views from different places.
Conflicts
It is likely that those around you will not understand you. This is not surprising, because people are accustomed to thinking in established stereotypes. In most cases, those who promote new ideas are treated more than warily. On this basis, open conflicts may arise, leading to criticism. If an individual has already formed the habit of looking at the world more broadly, then, most likely, he will have to face misunderstandings from relatives, colleagues, friends and just acquaintances. People who do not live according to a script written by someone are usually laughed at, made fun of, considered more than strange and incomprehensible.
Six creative approaches
Often, a brainstorming technique is used to complete a specific task, during which a group of people propose and reject certain ideas. However, this method is often insufficiently effective due to the rapid rejection of proposals. Brainstorming participants simply do not have time to analyze this or that strategy, since their consciousness evaluates the significance of the proposed solution method by selecting familiar stereotypes. As an alternative, psychologists suggest using the six stages or principles of lateral intelligence.
Six stages:
- Collect specific information about the problem at hand, including specified conditions. It is necessary to determine what information is missing to find a strategy.
- Using emotional resources. You should ignore logic and trust your intuition. Abstract images and associations are used.
- Creative search is the main stage during which it is necessary to offer the least clichéd possible strategies for solving a problem.
- Criticism. Constructive criticism of each proposed strategy is necessary. It is important to use arguments.
- Optimistic view. You need to find the pros of each proposed strategy.
- Organizational stage. A scrupulous integration of the proposed methods for completing the task is carried out.
The listed principles can be applied when searching for solutions independently and in groups.
High probability of risk
An unusual way of thinking suggests that an individual refuses many models of behavior imposed by society. He is ready to act according to his own convictions and often finds himself at risk.
Many people engage in risky business, investing money in companies that are not worth getting involved with. A high probability of risk is always present among those who go against the requirements of society and strive to live according to their own laws.
Study history and concept
British psychologist Edward de Bono made a great contribution to the study of mental processes. In 1967, the scientist published a large article on types of thinking. According to the concept of Edward de Bono, a person has vertical and lateral thinking.
The vertical form of thought involves the use of already existing ideas, that is, cognitive activity of this type is associated with the use of certain patterns. People accumulate patterns and implement complex forms of vertical thinking throughout their lives, but the principle remains unchanged.
In contrast, lateral thinking aims to create new strategies that ignore existing patterns. The main goal of such a process is to consider the problem from all possible sides.
The scientist believed that to improve creativity, two incentives are needed - “escape” and “provocation.” The essence of the first stimulus is the deliberate ignoring of already existing models for solving the problem. Typically, people are not inclined to take this approach, and those who still avoid standard solutions are asked not to reinvent the wheel. However, escaping patterns helps you find more options for completing a given task. The second principle, called provocation, is the suspension of judgment. With a creative approach, it is necessary to refrain from premature conclusions that complicate the further search for solutions. De Bono also emphasized the importance of positive emotions in creativity.
Type of thinking test
Some find it difficult to believe that someone can think about familiar things completely differently than they do. For this reason, dissidents often find themselves alone. Refusal of stereotypes is usually characteristic of people who are seeking, those who are not afraid to seem strange and misunderstood, but want to live exclusively by their own rules. The type of thinking test described below will help determine how much you can think outside the box and show individuality under normal conditions. The authors are E. P. Torrance and J. Guilford. The test task itself consists of ten pictures, which depict a rather abstract drawing.
It can be understood in different ways. The task is to try to figure out what exactly is in front of you: some object, animal or person. If you found more than three or four answer options for each picture, then we can say that you have a rather unconventional way of perceiving reality. Of course, everyone will see something different in these pictures. You can take the test at any age. The task lifts your spirits and helps you feel like a much more developed and self-sufficient person.
Is creativity good or bad?
Thought processes have a variety of applications in everyday life. This is the satisfaction of natural needs, interaction with people, performance of professional duties and adaptation to the changing conditions of the surrounding world. In each case, a person may require a certain type of thinking to achieve better results. The predominance of one type of intellectual activity has its pros and cons.
Having a distinctly non-standard approach is best suited for representatives of creative professions. Creative search requires getting rid of persistent stereotypes. A person needs a rich imagination, free from obsessive images and conclusions. At the same time, such a personality trait may be less useful in the exact and technical sciences, when the mind is required to obey clear principles. It is important to understand that complete dominance of one type of intellectual activity over others is rare.
How to develop
Unconventional thinking tasks will help you develop a new perspective on everyday reality. You need to know how to act correctly so as not to create significant obstacles to self-realization.
Very often people do not understand what they want to achieve as a result, and do not know where to direct their efforts. Let's take a closer look at how to develop extraordinary thinking. It is likely that the steps listed will help someone show their true self.
Associations
Well, where would we be without them? It is impossible to achieve extraordinary thinking without allowing the flow of thoughts to flow freely and naturally, without boundaries and the inclusion of logic. Look around right now, what do you see? Choose only one item. Now you should take a sheet of paper and draw two columns. In the first, you will write down adjectives that describe your association, and in the second, properties that cannot be applied at all to the selected object.
The first thing that caught my eye was a bottle of mineral water. Glass bottle, plastic bottle, small bottle, etc. Or fluffy, liquid. Try to write at least 20 points in each column to get your brain involved in the work.
