Lack of Critical Thinking: 14 Reasons Why Do We Lack

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate information objectively and rationally. It is essential for making informed decisions and solving problems. However, many people lack this skill and rely on biases, emotions, or external influences. We hope that by reading this post, you have gained some insights into your own critical thinking abilities and how to improve them. Remember, critical thinking is not something you are born with or without; it is something you can learn and develop with time and effort.

i wish i had no critical thinking skills

Sanju Pradeepa

Lack of critical thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate information objectively and rationally. It is a skill that can help us make better decisions, solve problems, and avoid biases and fallacies. However, many of us lack critical thinking skills or do not use them effectively. In this blog post, we will explore some of the reasons why we lack of critical thinking and how we can improve it.

Table of Contents

Common barriers to critical thinking.

Common Barriers to Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a fundamental life skill that most people struggle with. It involves an individual’s ability to think logically and critically about different situations. Unfortunately, several common barriers can prevent people from being able to think critically and apply their skills effectively.

First, many people develop cognitive biases over time due to years of repeating the same behaviors and failing to step outside their comfort zone. This can prevent them from being able to look at problems objectively and make decisions that benefit them in the long run.

Second, people often don’t recognize their limitations and may be too quick to make decisions without considering potential consequences or other perspectives. And finally, a lack of self-awareness can lead individuals to draw invalid conclusions or take unnecessary risks to avoid failure.

These are only a few of the potential barriers that people face when it comes to critical thinking. The good news is that with the right tools, anyone can learn how to think more critically and make better decisions in any situation.

Reasons We Lack of Critical Thinking

Reasons We Lack of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate information objectively and rationally. It helps us to make better decisions and solve problems effectively. However, many people lack critical thinking skills for various reasons, such as cognitive biases, emotional influences, social pressures, lack of education, or misinformation. These factors can impair our judgment and prevent us from seeing the truth clearly.

1. Lack of Fundamental Skills

Lack of Fundamental Skills

It’s easy to blame our lack of critical thinking on external factors, but the reality is that we may also lack the fundamental skills, like reading comprehension and problem-solving, that is required to engage in practical and profound thinking.

We all know somebody who can put together an impressive argument using facts but then has difficulty articulating how these facts work together in a wider context.

Tip- These skills can be developed through practice and education. Improving your reading comprehension and problem-solving abilities are important steps on the road to becoming a better critical thinker. 

2. Too Quick to Accept Mediocrity

It’s too easy to accept the status quo of mediocrity. We live in a world that rewards instant gratification, which doesn’t lend itself to engaging in deep thought or taking the time to think critically.

We have become accustomed to quick fixes and simple solutions instead of taking a few extra moments to contemplate the problems we face and deduce better solutions.

Think of it this way: we are presented with a “comfortable” path that is easy to follow but is not necessarily the best solution. Our default setting is to take this path and not look for any alternatives.

Unfortunately, this leads us down a road that does not require us to think deeply about the problem, so we never really get to the root cause.

As a result, we accept failure more readily than success. We do not examine our failures objectively and try to learn from them; instead, we just shrug off any failures as mediocre outcomes.

After all, it was easy and comfortable and move on without addressing or resolving the issue at hand.

3. Fear of the Unknown

Lack of Critical Thinking - Fear of the Unknown

Fear of the unknown is a big factor when it comes to our lack of critical thinking. We often don’t challenge our beliefs and assumptions because it’s uncomfortable or we don’t want to admit we were wrong.

That’s why, when presented with something we don’t agree with or understand, rather than challenging it, we tend to stick with what feels safe and familiar.

Tip- So how can we overcome this fear of the unknown?

  • Reframe the Conversation: This will help us become more open-minded instead of automatically dismissing anything that doesn’t fit in with our own beliefs and experiences.
  • Push Beyond Your Comfort Zone : By doing this, you’ll be questioning your assumptions and engaging in dialog with people who have different opinions or approaches.

By taking these steps, we can start to move beyond our fear of the unknown and begin critically thinking about the world around us. 

Challenge your previously held beliefs and approaches

4. Confirmation Bias

Have you ever heard of confirmation bias? It’s the tendency to look for, focus on, and interpret information that confirms your beliefs while disregarding information that contradicts them.

Say you’re trying to decide if product A is better than product B. You read studies and reviews that tell you that product A is great, but when you come across a study or review that says the opposite, you quickly dismiss it. That’s confirmation bias in action.

This way of thinking has been proven to be detrimental to our society because it can cause us to form flawed conclusions and make poor decisions without even knowing it.

It can also lead to incorrect assumptions based on incomplete evidence, and what’s worse, we may become so attached to these assumptions that we won’t take in any new information that could potentially change our minds.

5. Unwillingness to Challenge Assumptions

Unwillingness to Challenge Assumptions

At times, we can be too complacent and accepting of the status quo, not questioning or challenging what is already established and accepted.

On the surface, this might make sense; it can feel safer to go along with what we already know than to rock the boat. But if we don’t challenge assumptions, then our thinking quickly stagnates and never evolves. We miss out on life-changing opportunities because we don’t think critically and challenge ourselves to expand our horizons.

Even if you’re not comfortable directly challenging another person or idea, the good news is that there are many other ways to test assumptions without causing major disruption or conflict.

Tip- Here are a few ideas:

  • Start brainstorming: Think of creative solutions or alternative ways of doing something that challenges existing beliefs.
  • Ask questions: Ask yourself why something needs to be done a certain way—you might just uncover a better solution that no one else thought of before!
  • Test your ideas: Run experiments to assess how well your ideas will work in practice.
  • Listen to others: Seek out different opinions and listen carefully to open up your mind and gain fresh perspectives that can help you challenge existing assumptions effectively.

6. Avoidance of critical feedback

Are you afraid of criticism? If so, you’re not alone. Everyone experiences criticism in some form or another, and it can be hard to take it in when it’s coming your way. This fear of being judged or rejected can lead to a fear of critical feedback, which can in turn hinder your ability to think critically.

Critical thinking involves analyzing and evaluating information to draw conclusions. Without proper feedback, you don’t get the opportunity to practice this skill or learn by reviewing the results of your efforts.

Unfortunately, many people are so scared of being criticized that they avoid giving or receiving critical feedback, which makes it hard for them to develop their critical thinking skills.

If this sounds familiar to you, there are a few things you can do:

  • Make sure that criticism is constructive and focused on the task at hand rather than on the person.
  • Ask for more specific advice so that it is easier for you to apply it.
  • Take the time to listen and absorb what’s being said.
  • Step back from the situation and take a look at it from an objective point of view.
  • Have an open mind when receiving criticism.

By taking steps like these and actively seeking out constructive feedback, you will be able to better develop your critical thinking skills.

7. Over dependence on technology

Over dependence on technology

We rely on technology for almost every aspect of our lives, and this extreme dependence has had a not-so-positive effect on our ability to think critically. As soon as we get used to having something done for us, it can become almost impossible to do it ourselves.

Take searching for information, for example. It’s become second nature to type a few words into the search bar and have a wealth of information at our fingertips from the comfort of our home or office.

We’ve become so dependent on it that many people don’t think about where the information is coming from or if it’s accurate or reliable.

Moreover, when people become too comfortable depending on technology, they lose valuable opportunities to practice their critical thinking skills like problem-solving and decision-making.

Without regular practice, these skills atrophy over time, leaving us less able to think critically when faced with complex issues that require high-level analysis.

8. Ignoring Alternative Choices

Maybe you’re in the habit of making decisions without considering any alternatives. But if you really want to make progress in your critical thinking skills, then you must start taking into account all the possible options.

  • Weighing Pros and Cons Doing this allows you to see things from multiple perspectives and helps trigger more creative ideas. This way, when faced with a decision, you can thoroughly analyze it before settling on a solution.
  • Brainstorming Ideas: Take a few minutes to jot down a list of different ideas, even if some of them seem too wild or impractical at first glance. This can help you come up with unexpected solutions that are tailored to each case.
  • Consulting Others: Talking through your ideas with people who are experienced and wise can give you the boost of confidence needed to make the best choice for yourself and your situation.

9. Failure to cultivate intellectual curiosity

Failure to cultivate intellectual curiosity

You may not know this, but a lack of critical thinking stems partially from a lack of intellectual curiosity. Many people simply don’t take the time to explore new ideas and perspectives, even when they are presented.

  • Curiosity Gap: People have a problem with constantly wanting to be “right,” which keeps them in this so-called “curiosity gap,” which is when we make assumptions and tend to stick within our comfort zones of beliefs. It’s easy to accept what makes sense to us without really exploring it scientifically or logically.
  • Mental Laziness: Humans also tend towards mental laziness, meaning we easily take shortcuts instead of dedicating energy or time to critically analyzing an idea or concept. 

10. Influenced by cognitive biases

Let’s face it, we all have cognitive biases. A cognitive bias is when we make snap judgments about people and situations without really thinking about them first. This happens all the time and can cause us to make decisions based on false assumptions or incorrect conclusions.

And these biases can lead to some pretty major obstacles when it comes to critical thinking. For instance, we might be more likely to think positively about a decision if it comes from someone we know and trust, even if that decision isn’t actually the best one.

Or, we might dismiss ideas that don’t match our preconceived notions instead of considering them on their own merits.

So how do you fix this? It takes practice and a conscious effort to try not to let your biases impact your decisions. Start by being aware of them, and try to identify any prior beliefs that you have that might be influencing your thinking. Then take a step back and take the time to evaluate an idea or situation objectively before making a decision or forming an opinion.

11. Reluctant To Challenge Their Assumptions, Opinions, Or Worldviews

Reluctant To Challenge Their Assumptions, Opinions, Or Worldviews

One of the main reasons people lack critical thinking skills is their reluctance to challenge their assumptions, opinions, or worldviews. It’s quite natural for humans to stay in their comfort zones and avoid questioning the status quo or examining issues from different perspectives.

This can be attributed to our evolutionary roots, which favored a more conservative approach to risk-taking and decision-making.

But if you want to sharpen your critical thinking skills, then this is something you must overcome. You must challenge your beliefs and opinions , question things that you take for granted, and be ready to accept opposing opinions or views.

Be open-minded and listen carefully to other people's ideas

12. Overconfident in Their Knowledge, Skills, Or Abilities

When it comes to lacking critical thinking, another issue could be that some people are just overconfident in their knowledge, skills, or abilities and don’t take the time to consider other points of view.

It’s a common mistake to think that you know everything there is to know and don’t need to consider other perspectives. After all, if you knew how to solve every problem in life, we’d live in a perfect world. Unfortunately, this kind of attitude cuts off potential solutions to problems.

Luckily, there are a few easy ways for us all to start developing better critical thinking skills:

  • Take an honest look at your own knowledge and admit where you lack understanding or information.
  • Ask yourself questions and look critically at the answers.
  • Look for multiple solutions or perspectives when trying to solve a problem.
  • Listen carefully when others provide feedback, and make sure you understand what they’re saying.

13. Underestimate the complexity or uncertainty.

Underestimate the complexity or uncertainty

You may be underestimating the complexity or uncertainty of certain situations and decisions, which can make it hard to think critically. Critical thinking is all about considering multiple perspectives and weighing the pros and cons of different courses of action.

But if you don’t open your mind to the possibility that there are more than two sides to a story, then you might be missing out on important information.

Moreover, when people fail to take into account the uncertainty involved with certain outcomes, they’re more likely to make decisions without properly weighing their options.

For example, if you think that a particular decision is black and white, without any room for doubt or differing opinions, then you’re unlikely to exercise critical thinking skills to explore other options or consider possible risks or rewards involved.

So if you find yourself struggling with critical thinking, it could be because you’re failing to recognize that there are always complexities and uncertainties associated with any decision-making process. So, it’s important to take these into account before making any final call.

14. Lack of Motivation 

Doing something well often requires effort , and that effort isn’t easy. The same goes for critical thinking; you need to put in the hard work to become a better thinker. That takes dedication and motivation, but unfortunately, many people don’t have it.

There are lots of things that can get in the way of motivation, everything from being too comfortable with how things are to not feeling like your efforts will make a difference.

To overcome this lack of motivation and become the problem-solving machine you’re meant to be, you’ll need to start with some basic steps:

  • Identify the reasons why you lack the motivation to think critically. Is it because you don’t see any value in doing it or because you’re afraid of making mistakes?
  • Break down tasks into manageable chunks so that it doesn’t feel too overwhelming or intimidating to tackle problems one step at a time. This will help make each task seem more achievable, giving you a sense of accomplishment along the way instead of dreading every new challenge before even starting it.
  • Set goals for yourself and reward yourself when you meet them. Make sure the rewards are motivating and meaningful.

Critical thinking is a valuable skill that can help us make better decisions, solve problems, and avoid biases. However, many of us lack this skill due to various reasons, such as lack of education, exposure, practice, feedback, or motivation. In this blog post, we have explored some of these reasons and suggested some ways to overcome them.

We hope that by reading this post, you have gained some insights into your own critical thinking abilities and how to improve them. Remember, critical thinking is not something you are born with or without; it is something you can learn and develop with time and effort.

  • What Causes a Lack of Critical Thinking Skills? by ALEX SAEZ published in study.com
  • 10 things that cause a lack of critical thinking in society by Nguyet Yen Tran   published in deapod.com

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What are critical thinking skills?

How to develop critical thinking skills: 12 tips, how to practice critical thinking skills at work, become your own best critic.

A client requests a tight deadline on an intense project. Your childcare provider calls in sick on a day full of meetings. Payment from a contract gig is a month behind. 

Your day-to-day will always have challenges, big and small. And no matter the size and urgency, they all ask you to use critical thinking to analyze the situation and arrive at the right solution. 

Critical thinking includes a wide set of soft skills that encourage continuous learning, resilience , and self-reflection. The more you add to your professional toolbelt, the more equipped you’ll be to tackle whatever challenge presents itself. Here’s how to develop critical thinking, with examples explaining how to use it.

Critical thinking skills are the skills you use to analyze information, imagine scenarios holistically, and create rational solutions. It’s a type of emotional intelligence that stimulates effective problem-solving and decision-making . 

When you fine-tune your critical thinking skills, you seek beyond face-value observations and knee-jerk reactions. Instead, you harvest deeper insights and string together ideas and concepts in logical, sometimes out-of-the-box , ways. 

Imagine a team working on a marketing strategy for a new set of services. That team might use critical thinking to balance goals and key performance indicators , like new customer acquisition costs, average monthly sales, and net profit margins. They understand the connections between overlapping factors to build a strategy that stays within budget and attracts new sales. 

Looking for ways to improve critical thinking skills? Start by brushing up on the following soft skills that fall under this umbrella: 

  • Analytical thinking: Approaching problems with an analytical eye includes breaking down complex issues into small chunks and examining their significance. An example could be organizing customer feedback to identify trends and improve your product offerings. 
  • Open-mindedness: Push past cognitive biases and be receptive to different points of view and constructive feedback . Managers and team members who keep an open mind position themselves to hear new ideas that foster innovation . 
  • Creative thinking: With creative thinking , you can develop several ideas to address a single problem, like brainstorming more efficient workflow best practices to boost productivity and employee morale . 
  • Self-reflection: Self-reflection lets you examine your thinking and assumptions to stimulate healthier collaboration and thought processes. Maybe a bad first impression created a negative anchoring bias with a new coworker. Reflecting on your own behavior stirs up empathy and improves the relationship. 
  • Evaluation: With evaluation skills, you tackle the pros and cons of a situation based on logic rather than emotion. When prioritizing tasks , you might be tempted to do the fun or easy ones first, but evaluating their urgency and importance can help you make better decisions. 

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There’s no magic method to change your thinking processes. Improvement happens with small, intentional changes to your everyday habits until a more critical approach to thinking is automatic. 

Here are 12 tips for building stronger self-awareness and learning how to improve critical thinking: 

1. Be cautious

There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of skepticism. One of the core principles of critical thinking is asking questions and dissecting the available information. You might surprise yourself at what you find when you stop to think before taking action. 

Before making a decision, use evidence, logic, and deductive reasoning to support your own opinions or challenge ideas. It helps you and your team avoid falling prey to bad information or resistance to change .

2. Ask open-ended questions

“Yes” or “no” questions invite agreement rather than reflection. Instead, ask open-ended questions that force you to engage in analysis and rumination. Digging deeper can help you identify potential biases, uncover assumptions, and arrive at new hypotheses and possible solutions. 

3. Do your research

No matter your proficiency, you can always learn more. Turning to different points of view and information is a great way to develop a comprehensive understanding of a topic and make informed decisions. You’ll prioritize reliable information rather than fall into emotional or automatic decision-making. 

close-up-of-mans-hands-opening-a-dictionary-with-notebook-on-the-side-how-to-develop-critical-thinking-skills

4. Consider several opinions

You might spend so much time on your work that it’s easy to get stuck in your own perspective, especially if you work independently on a remote team . Make an effort to reach out to colleagues to hear different ideas and thought patterns. Their input might surprise you.

If or when you disagree, remember that you and your team share a common goal. Divergent opinions are constructive, so shift the focus to finding solutions rather than defending disagreements. 

5. Learn to be quiet

Active listening is the intentional practice of concentrating on a conversation partner instead of your own thoughts. It’s about paying attention to detail and letting people know you value their opinions, which can open your mind to new perspectives and thought processes.

If you’re brainstorming with your team or having a 1:1 with a coworker , listen, ask clarifying questions, and work to understand other peoples’ viewpoints. Listening to your team will help you find fallacies in arguments to improve possible solutions.

6. Schedule reflection

Whether waking up at 5 am or using a procrastination hack, scheduling time to think puts you in a growth mindset . Your mind has natural cognitive biases to help you simplify decision-making, but squashing them is key to thinking critically and finding new solutions besides the ones you might gravitate toward. Creating time and calm space in your day gives you the chance to step back and visualize the biases that impact your decision-making. 

7. Cultivate curiosity

With so many demands and job responsibilities, it’s easy to seek solace in routine. But getting out of your comfort zone helps spark critical thinking and find more solutions than you usually might.

If curiosity doesn’t come naturally to you, cultivate a thirst for knowledge by reskilling and upskilling . Not only will you add a new skill to your resume , but expanding the limits of your professional knowledge might motivate you to ask more questions. 

You don’t have to develop critical thinking skills exclusively in the office. Whether on your break or finding a hobby to do after work, playing strategic games or filling out crosswords can prime your brain for problem-solving. 

woman-solving-puzzle-at-home-how-to-develop-critical-thinking-skills

9. Write it down

Recording your thoughts with pen and paper can lead to stronger brain activity than typing them out on a keyboard. If you’re stuck and want to think more critically about a problem, writing your ideas can help you process information more deeply.

The act of recording ideas on paper can also improve your memory . Ideas are more likely to linger in the background of your mind, leading to deeper thinking that informs your decision-making process. 

10. Speak up

Take opportunities to share your opinion, even if it intimidates you. Whether at a networking event with new people or a meeting with close colleagues, try to engage with people who challenge or help you develop your ideas. Having conversations that force you to support your position encourages you to refine your argument and think critically. 

11. Stay humble

Ideas and concepts aren’t the same as real-life actions. There may be such a thing as negative outcomes, but there’s no such thing as a bad idea. At the brainstorming stage , don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

Sometimes the best solutions come from off-the-wall, unorthodox decisions. Sit in your creativity , let ideas flow, and don’t be afraid to share them with your colleagues. Putting yourself in a creative mindset helps you see situations from new perspectives and arrive at innovative conclusions. 

12. Embrace discomfort

Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable . It isn’t easy when others challenge your ideas, but sometimes, it’s the only way to see new perspectives and think critically.

By willingly stepping into unfamiliar territory, you foster the resilience and flexibility you need to become a better thinker. You’ll learn how to pick yourself up from failure and approach problems from fresh angles. 

man-looking-down-to-something-while-thinking-how-to-develop-critical-thinking-skills

Thinking critically is easier said than done. To help you understand its impact (and how to use it), here are two scenarios that require critical thinking skills and provide teachable moments. 

Scenario #1: Unexpected delays and budget

Imagine your team is working on producing an event. Unexpectedly, a vendor explains they’ll be a week behind on delivering materials. Then another vendor sends a quote that’s more than you can afford. Unless you develop a creative solution, the team will have to push back deadlines and go over budget, potentially costing the client’s trust. 

Here’s how you could approach the situation with creative thinking:

  • Analyze the situation holistically: Determine how the delayed materials and over-budget quote will impact the rest of your timeline and financial resources . That way, you can identify whether you need to build an entirely new plan with new vendors, or if it’s worth it to readjust time and resources. 
  • Identify your alternative options: With careful assessment, your team decides that another vendor can’t provide the same materials in a quicker time frame. You’ll need to rearrange assignment schedules to complete everything on time. 
  • Collaborate and adapt: Your team has an emergency meeting to rearrange your project schedule. You write down each deliverable and determine which ones you can and can’t complete by the deadline. To compensate for lost time, you rearrange your task schedule to complete everything that doesn’t need the delayed materials first, then advance as far as you can on the tasks that do. 
  • Check different resources: In the meantime, you scour through your contact sheet to find alternative vendors that fit your budget. Accounting helps by providing old invoices to determine which vendors have quoted less for previous jobs. After pulling all your sources, you find a vendor that fits your budget. 
  • Maintain open communication: You create a special Slack channel to keep everyone up to date on changes, challenges, and additional delays. Keeping an open line encourages transparency on the team’s progress and boosts everyone’s confidence. 

coworkers-at-meeting-looking-together-the-screen-how-to-develop-critical-thinking-skills

Scenario #2: Differing opinions 

A conflict arises between two team members on the best approach for a new strategy for a gaming app. One believes that small tweaks to the current content are necessary to maintain user engagement and stay within budget. The other believes a bold revamp is needed to encourage new followers and stronger sales revenue. 

Here’s how critical thinking could help this conflict:

  • Listen actively: Give both team members the opportunity to present their ideas free of interruption. Encourage the entire team to ask open-ended questions to more fully understand and develop each argument. 
  • Flex your analytical skills: After learning more about both ideas, everyone should objectively assess the benefits and drawbacks of each approach. Analyze each idea's risk, merits, and feasibility based on available data and the app’s goals and objectives. 
  • Identify common ground: The team discusses similarities between each approach and brainstorms ways to integrate both idea s, like making small but eye-catching modifications to existing content or using the same visual design in new media formats. 
  • Test new strategy: To test out the potential of a bolder strategy, the team decides to A/B test both approaches. You create a set of criteria to evenly distribute users by different demographics to analyze engagement, revenue, and customer turnover. 
  • Monitor and adapt: After implementing the A/B test, the team closely monitors the results of each strategy. You regroup and optimize the changes that provide stronger results after the testing. That way, all team members understand why you’re making the changes you decide to make.

You can’t think your problems away. But you can equip yourself with skills that help you move through your biggest challenges and find innovative solutions. Learning how to develop critical thinking is the start of honing an adaptable growth mindset. 

Now that you have resources to increase critical thinking skills in your professional development, you can identify whether you embrace change or routine, are open or resistant to feedback, or turn to research or emotion will build self-awareness. From there, tweak and incorporate techniques to be a critical thinker when life presents you with a problem.

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Elizabeth Perry

Content Marketing Manager, ACC

What is lateral thinking? 7 techniques to encourage creative ideas

Critical thinking is the one skillset you can't afford not to master, thinking outside the box: 8 ways to become a creative problem solver, member story: a copilot for the road ahead, member story: career development and shaping my future with intention, be cool: how to manage your emotions and avoid rage quitting, effective negotiation tactics to level-up your career, learn to let it go: how to deal with career disappointment, entrepreneurial mindset: what is it & how to think like an entrepreneur, similar articles, how to be a good team player: tips for becoming the dreamy coworker, what is creative thinking and why does it matter, 6 big picture thinking strategies that you'll actually use, how divergent thinking can drive your creativity, the most critical skills for leaders are fundamentally human, how intrapersonal skills shape teams, plus 5 ways to build them, what’s convergent thinking how to be a better problem-solver, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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  • How to build your critical thinking ski ...

How to build your critical thinking skills in 7 steps (with examples)

Julia Martins contributor headshot

Critical thinking is, well, critical. By building these skills, you improve your ability to analyze information and come to the best decision possible. In this article, we cover the basics of critical thinking, as well as the seven steps you can use to implement the full critical thinking process. 

Critical thinking comes from asking the right questions to come to the best conclusion possible. Strong critical thinkers analyze information from a variety of viewpoints in order to identify the best course of action.

Don’t worry if you don’t think you have strong critical thinking abilities. In this article, we’ll help you build a foundation for critical thinking so you can absorb, analyze, and make informed decisions. 

What is critical thinking? 

Critical thinking is the ability to collect and analyze information to come to a conclusion. Being able to think critically is important in virtually every industry and applicable across a wide range of positions. That’s because critical thinking isn’t subject-specific—rather, it’s your ability to parse through information, data, statistics, and other details in order to identify a satisfactory solution. 

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Top 8 critical thinking skills

Like most soft skills, critical thinking isn’t something you can take a class to learn. Rather, this skill consists of a variety of interpersonal and analytical skills. Developing critical thinking is more about learning to embrace open-mindedness and bringing analytical thinking to your problem framing process. 

In no particular order, the eight most important critical thinking skills are:

Analytical thinking: Part of critical thinking is evaluating data from multiple sources in order to come to the best conclusions. Analytical thinking allows people to reject bias and strive to gather and consume information to come to the best conclusion. 

Open-mindedness: This critical thinking skill helps you analyze and process information to come to an unbiased conclusion. Part of the critical thinking process is letting your personal biases go and coming to a conclusion based on all of the information. 

Problem solving : Because critical thinking emphasizes coming to the best conclusion based on all of the available information, it’s a key part of problem solving. When used correctly, critical thinking helps you solve any problem—from a workplace challenge to difficulties in everyday life. 

Self-regulation: Self-regulation refers to the ability to regulate your thoughts and set aside any personal biases to come to the best conclusion. In order to be an effective critical thinker, you need to question the information you have and the decisions you favor—only then can you come to the best conclusion. 

Observation: Observation skills help critical thinkers look for things beyond face value. To be a critical thinker you need to embrace multiple points of view, and you can use observation skills to identify potential problems.

Interpretation: Not all data is made equal—and critical thinkers know this. In addition to gathering information, it’s important to evaluate which information is important and relevant to your situation. That way, you can draw the best conclusions from the data you’ve collected. 

Evaluation: When you attempt to answer a hard question, there is rarely an obvious answer. Even though critical thinking emphasizes putting your biases aside, you need to be able to confidently make a decision based on the data you have available. 

Communication: Once a decision has been made, you also need to share this decision with other stakeholders. Effective workplace communication includes presenting evidence and supporting your conclusion—especially if there are a variety of different possible solutions. 

7 steps to critical thinking

Critical thinking is a skill that you can build by following these seven steps. The seven steps to critical thinking help you ensure you’re approaching a problem from the right angle, considering every alternative, and coming to an unbiased conclusion.

 First things first: When to use the 7 step critical thinking process

There’s a lot that goes into the full critical thinking process, and not every decision needs to be this thought out. Sometimes, it’s enough to put aside bias and approach a process logically. In other, more complex cases, the best way to identify the ideal outcome is to go through the entire critical thinking process. 

The seven-step critical thinking process is useful for complex decisions in areas you are less familiar with. Alternatively, the seven critical thinking steps can help you look at a problem you’re familiar with from a different angle, without any bias. 

If you need to make a less complex decision, consider another problem solving strategy instead. Decision matrices are a great way to identify the best option between different choices. Check out our article on 7 steps to creating a decision matrix .

1. Identify the problem

Before you put those critical thinking skills to work, you first need to identify the problem you’re solving. This step includes taking a look at the problem from a few different perspectives and asking questions like: 

What’s happening? 

Why is this happening? 

What assumptions am I making? 

At first glance, how do I think we can solve this problem? 

A big part of developing your critical thinking skills is learning how to come to unbiased conclusions. In order to do that, you first need to acknowledge the biases that you currently have. Does someone on your team think they know the answer? Are you making assumptions that aren’t necessarily true? Identifying these details helps you later on in the process. 

2. Research

At this point, you likely have a general idea of the problem—but in order to come up with the best solution, you need to dig deeper. 

During the research process, collect information relating to the problem, including data, statistics, historical project information, team input, and more. Make sure you gather information from a variety of sources, especially if those sources go against your personal ideas about what the problem is or how to solve it.

Gathering varied information is essential for your ability to apply the critical thinking process. If you don’t get enough information, your ability to make a final decision will be skewed. Remember that critical thinking is about helping you identify the objective best conclusion. You aren’t going with your gut—you’re doing research to find the best option

3. Determine data relevance

Just as it’s important to gather a variety of information, it is also important to determine how relevant the different information sources are. After all, just because there is data doesn’t mean it’s relevant. 

Once you’ve gathered all of the information, sift through the noise and identify what information is relevant and what information isn’t. Synthesizing all of this information and establishing significance helps you weigh different data sources and come to the best conclusion later on in the critical thinking process. 

To determine data relevance, ask yourself:

How reliable is this information? 

How significant is this information? 

Is this information outdated? Is it specialized in a specific field? 

4. Ask questions

One of the most useful parts of the critical thinking process is coming to a decision without bias. In order to do so, you need to take a step back from the process and challenge the assumptions you’re making. 

We all have bias—and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Unconscious biases (also known as cognitive biases) often serve as mental shortcuts to simplify problem solving and aid decision making. But even when biases aren’t inherently bad, you must be aware of your biases in order to put them aside when necessary. 

Before coming to a solution, ask yourself:

Am I making any assumptions about this information? 

Are there additional variables I haven’t considered? 

Have I evaluated the information from every perspective? 

Are there any viewpoints I missed? 

5. Identify the best solution

Finally, you’re ready to come to a conclusion. To identify the best solution, draw connections between causes and effects. Use the facts you’ve gathered to evaluate the most objective conclusion. 

Keep in mind that there may be more than one solution. Often, the problems you’re facing are complex and intricate. The critical thinking process doesn’t necessarily lead to a cut-and-dry solution—instead, the process helps you understand the different variables at play so you can make an informed decision. 

6. Present your solution

Communication is a key skill for critical thinkers. It isn’t enough to think for yourself—you also need to share your conclusion with other project stakeholders. If there are multiple solutions, present them all. There may be a case where you implement one solution, then test to see if it works before implementing another solution. 

7. Analyze your decision

The seven-step critical thinking process yields a result—and you then need to put that solution into place. After you’ve implemented your decision, evaluate whether or not it was effective. Did it solve the initial problem? What lessons—whether positive or negative—can you learn from this experience to improve your critical thinking for next time? 

Depending on how your team shares information, consider documenting lessons learned in a central source of truth. That way, team members that are making similar or related decisions in the future can understand why you made the decision you made and what the outcome was. 

Example of critical thinking in the workplace

Imagine you work in user experience design (UX). Your team is focused on pricing and packaging and ensuring customers have a clear understanding of the different services your company offers. Here’s how to apply the critical thinking process in the workplace in seven steps: 

Start by identifying the problem

Your current pricing page isn’t performing as well as you want. You’ve heard from customers that your services aren’t clear, and that the page doesn’t answer the questions they have. This page is really important for your company, since it’s where your customers sign up for your service. You and your team have a few theories about why your current page isn’t performing well, but you decide to apply the critical thinking process to ensure you come to the best decision for the page. 

Gather information about how the problem started

Part of identifying the problem includes understanding how the problem started. The pricing and packaging page is important—so when your team initially designed the page, they certainly put a lot of thought into it. Before you begin researching how to improve the page, ask yourself: 

Why did you design the pricing page the way you did? 

Which stakeholders need to be involved in the decision making process? 

Where are users getting stuck on the page?

Are any features currently working?

Then, you research

In addition to understanding the history of the pricing and packaging page, it’s important to understand what works well. Part of this research means taking a look at what your competitor’s pricing pages look like. 

Ask yourself: 

How have our competitors set up their pricing pages?

Are there any pricing page best practices? 

How does color, positioning, and animation impact navigation? 

Are there any standard page layouts customers expect to see? 

Organize and analyze information

You’ve gathered all of the information you need—now you need to organize and analyze it. What trends, if any, are you noticing? Is there any particularly relevant or important information that you have to consider? 

Ask open-ended questions to reduce bias

In the case of critical thinking, it’s important to address and set bias aside as much as possible. Ask yourself: 

Is there anything I’m missing? 

Have I connected with the right stakeholders? 

Are there any other viewpoints I should consider? 

Determine the best solution for your team

You now have all of the information you need to design the best pricing page. Depending on the complexity of the design, you may want to design a few options to present to a small group of customers or A/B test on the live website.

Present your solution to stakeholders

Critical thinking can help you in every element of your life, but in the workplace, you must also involve key project stakeholders . Stakeholders help you determine next steps, like whether you’ll A/B test the page first. Depending on the complexity of the issue, consider hosting a meeting or sharing a status report to get everyone on the same page. 

Analyze the results

No process is complete without evaluating the results. Once the new page has been live for some time, evaluate whether it did better than the previous page. What worked? What didn’t? This also helps you make better critical decisions later on.

Critically successful 

Critical thinking takes time to build, but with effort and patience you can apply an unbiased, analytical mind to any situation. Critical thinking makes up one of many soft skills that makes you an effective team member, manager, and worker. If you’re looking to hone your skills further, read our article on the 25 project management skills you need to succeed . 

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Global Cognition

Critical thinking skills: what are they and how do i get them.

by Winston Sieck updated September 18, 2021

symbolizing critical thinking skills

Critical thinking is often touted as a superior way to confront the issues one faces.

But what is critical thinking, really? How is it done?  

Can anyone do it, or are Spock-like mental abilities required?

Critical thinking is sometimes talked about as a near-mystical skill that exercises untapped parts of your brain. The supposed benefits of critical thinking can sound equally fantastic. Unfortunately, the reality is a bit more mundane.

Critical thinking is simply a deliberative thought process. During the process, you use a set of critical thinking skills to consider an issue. At conclusion, you make a judgment about what to believe, or a decision about what to do.

There are a number of critical thinking skills. A core set includes the following:

  • Suspending judgment to check the validity of a proposition or action
  • Taking into consideration multiple perspectives
  • Examining implications and consequences of a belief or action
  • Using reason and evidence to resolve disagreements
  • Re-evaluating a point of view in light of new information

Critical thinking is neither magical nor foolproof. Beyond these general critical-thinking skills, knowledge of the specific topic at hand plays an important role in the quality of thoughts you produce.

You won’t easily resolve issues about climate change, for example, without knowing the methods and procedures used by climatologists, as well as their wealth of past findings and theories. Critical thinking skills are no substitute for that specialized knowledge. But, they may well help you to develop a stronger understanding of the area.

How can you get critical thinking skills?

Charoula Angeli and Nicos Valanides from the University of Cyprus tested the idea that critical thinking skills are most readily learned when they are embedded in a specific subject. They called this approach the “infusion method,” and compared it to several other methods for teaching critical thinking skills. Their paper, “Instructional effects on critical thinking,” was published in Learning and Instruction .

The researchers used two authentic, ill-defined issues for their study of the infusion method:

  • Are American values shaped by the mass media?
  • Should drugs be legalized?

Students were given the issues, along with arguments by experts about each. An equal number of arguments were listed that supported or refuted each issue. The students’ primary task was to work in pairs to generate an outline of their own position on the issue.

Students in the “infusion method” training group were explicitly taught critical thinking skills. They also received direct support to think critically through the “American values” issue.

Some questions used to stimulate critical thinking included:

  • What is your point of view?
  • What are your reasons for supporting this point of view?
  • Why do you think that?’
  • Are there different perspectives on the issue?

You can ask yourself these questions to help promote your own critical thinking process. There are other questions you might ask, such as questions to help with evaluating sources .

After training, Angeli and Valanides had the students think through the second issue, and scored their performance. The researchers also measured how well the students understood critical thinking skills using a standardized test.

A key finding was that students trained with the infusion method outperformed students in the control group in handling the second issue. In addition, students who received the critical thinking skills training came away understanding the importance of evaluating different perspectives. Students in the control group did not.

The students also relayed several difficulties they experienced in applying their skills to the issues. One was that the found it hard to suspend their judgment. It’s hard to set one’s own beliefs aside to fully consider another side of an issue.

The findings suggest that an effective way to hone your critical thinking skills includes having another person to confront your beliefs and challenge your thought process. Our parents, friends, and teachers are often more than willing to oblige us with this kind of help.

You can also look back at the lists of critical thinking skills and supporting questions above. Reference them when facing your next thorny problem. Can’t say it will guarantee your survival. But it may help you be a bit more deliberate with your thinking.

Angeli, C., & Valanides, N. (2009). Instructional effects on critical thinking: Performance on ill-defined issues Learning and Instruction, 19 (4), 322-334 DOI: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.06.010

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About Winston Sieck

Dr. Winston Sieck is a cognitive psychologist working to advance the development of thinking skills. He is founder and president of Global Cognition, and director of Thinker Academy .

Reader Interactions

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January 1, 2013 at 3:56 am

Thank you very much. Now I am thinking Critically 😛

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January 6, 2013 at 2:39 am

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January 6, 2013 at 10:00 pm

“The findings suggest that an effective way to hone your critical thinking skills includes having another person to confront your beliefs and challenge your thought process. Our co-workers, spouses, parents and kids are often more than willing to oblige us with this kind of help.” ROFL!! As if!! If we engage in debate, it might cause them to confront their own irrationally held beliefs! THAT cannot be allowed under ANY circumstances! Plus, there might be hurt feelings if we disagree to vehemently, or something. *sigh* No…I just went through a huge argument about how it’s not cool to go around disagreeing with people, cause it makes you look like you’re going around picking fights just for the fun of it (well…that part may be true! I love debating, but very few people I know do. :P). I so wish people would challenge me, and accept challenges from me.

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March 31, 2016 at 10:49 am

Hilarious..I m having the same issue

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March 7, 2013 at 8:35 pm

Great Blog! The steps we take towards understanding our brain remind us that our minds can be programmed as in brainwashed. The training of the mind to think critically and positively is crucial to the success of our business and life.

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March 14, 2013 at 2:05 am

After the Texas Republicans proposed discouraging the teaching of critical thinking in their platform, we had an interesting discussion on the CogSci StackExchange about “can critical thinking be taught?” . Would be great to have your input there.

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March 14, 2013 at 10:27 am

Sounds interesting. I’ll have to take a look. Thanks Artem.

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What Are Critical Thinking Skills? (Example List Included)

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

i wish i had no critical thinking skills

By Mike Simpson

Ah, critical thinking skills. As a candidate, it’s vital to understand that pretty much all employers are on the hunt for job seekers with critical thinking skills. Why? Because it’s universally helpful on the job.

When employees know how to think critically, they are more effective in their positions. They’ll be more productive and self-sufficient. In the eyes of employers, that matters a ton.

But what are critical thinking skills exactly? And, if you don’t have them, what can you do to improve your ability to think critically?

If you’re asking yourself questions like those, you’re in luck. After all, you’re here, and we’re about to tell you all about the characteristics of critical thinking and how to get better at it. So, if you’re ready to dig in, here’s what you need to know.

What Are Critical Thinking Skills?

If we’re going to talk about critical thinking skills, it’s best to begin by answering a crucial question: what are critical thinking skills?

Well, to figure that out, it’s helpful to know what critical thinking means. According to the Cambridge Dictionary , critical thinking is “the process of thinking carefully about a subject or idea, without allowing feelings or opinions to affect you.” That’s actually a pretty solid place to start.

In many ways, critical thinking is a two-fold process. First, it focuses on information-gathering and fact-analysis. It’s all about understanding a subject thoroughly.

Second, it’s about setting your feelings aside. With critical thinking, it isn’t about what you want the facts to say; it’s about the reality of the situation. It’s a very Vulcans-from-Star-Trek approach to topics. Emotions and personal preference simply aren’t part of the equation in the vast majority of cases. Instead, objectivity reigns.

Alright, so what are critical thinking skills then? Well, critical thinking skills are the soft skills and hard skills that help you assess situations, collect data, analyze information, identify solutions, determine the viability of solutions, and make decisions without letting your emotions run the show. Any capability or trait that makes it easier to do those things can qualify.

In many cases, thinking critically plays a bigger role in your day-to-day than you’d expect. When you approach any task, you usually spend a moment analyzing it. That way, you can find the best path toward success.

When a task is simple, it doesn’t take much time to do a quick critical thinking once over, so you probably don’t even notice you’re doing it. It’s only when an activity is challenging or when something unexpected occurs that your thought process really stands out. As a result, you probably spend far more time thinking critically than you realize.

How Are Critical Thinking Skills Relevant to a Job Search?

Okay, we’ve given you a solid overview of what critical thinking skills are. Now it’s time to talk about the importance of critical thinking during a job search.

When you’re hunting for new opportunities, critical thinking skills are immensely valuable. For example, they can help you figure out if a job opening is genuinely a good fit for your capabilities and career.

When you find a job ad, do you just apply without seeing if it matches your skills and aligns with your goals? Of course not. Instead, you take a look at the requirements, examine the job ad for potential, and decide whether or not that opportunity really fits. That’s critical thinking.

But that’s not the only way these skills make a difference during your job search. They may also help you identify what points to include in your resume and cover letter to stand out to a hiring manager or what to talk about when you’re answering specific job interview questions.

How can it do all of that? Well, when you decide what to list in your resume or cover letter, or add to an interview answer, you have to do some analysis. You consider the hiring manager’s needs. Next, you find a matching accomplishment that highlights what they are after. Then, you figure out present it in an engaging way. That’s all critical thinking, too.

Plus, thinking critically can also make a difference post-interview. You’ll have an easier time assessing your own performance, allowing you to identify areas for improvement. Good stuff, right?

When it comes to why hiring managers prefer candidates with these skills, there are actually several reasons. The biggest is that employees with strong critical thinking skills tend to be more self-sufficient and productive. They are better equipped to assess situations and find their own solutions, and that matters, particularly in faster-paced environments.

Plus, workers that know how to think critically may have an easier time collaborating. They can separate their emotions from the situation, allowing them to focus on what’s best for the team and company.

So, which critical thinking skills are they after? Well, that can depend on the hiring manager. However, most want to see you possess capabilities in four core areas: information-gathering, analysis , problem-solving, and creativity. If you tap into all of those, you usually have what it takes to think critically.

How to Highlight Critical Thinking Skills for Job Search

Okay, at this point, you probably understand the importance of critical thinking skills. Now onto the next part of the equation: how to show off your capabilities during a job search.

Let’s start with the earliest part of the job search: your resume and cover letter. When you’re writing a resume or creating a cover letter , the best thing you can do is focus on achievements.

Highlighting accomplishments where you put your critical thinking skills to work lets you “show” the hiring manager you have what it takes instead of just telling them. After all, anyone can say, “I’m an excellent critical thinker,” even if they aren’t. By having examples, you prove that you have those capabilities. That matters.

How do you pick the right achievements? By using a winning strategy, like the Tailoring Method . The Tailoring Method focuses on relevancy. It helps you choose accomplishments that showcase the skills the hiring manager wants to see, increasing the odds that they’ll view you as an excellent match for their needs.

Now that your resume and cover letter are squared away, it’s time to talk about the interview. Luckily, you can use the Tailoring Method here, too. It’s a great technique for straightforward job interview questions , as well as behavioral interview questions .

When you’re dealing with behavioral interview questions, couple the Tailoring Method with the STAR Method . That way, your answers are engaging and relevant, making them even more impactful.

How to Develop Critical Thinking Skills If You Don’t Have Them

Some people may think that they don’t have any critical thinking skills. In reality, that probably isn’t true.

Nearly everyone develops some critical thinking capabilities over the course of their lives; they just may not realize it. Luckily, that’s a good thing. It means you probably have a solid foundation, even if you don’t know it.

Why does that matter? Well, it means you can focus more on developing what you have. You aren’t actually starting from scratch, which can make it easier.

Ready to take your critical thinking skills to the next level? Great! Here’s how you can.

Understand the Critical Thinking Process

When it comes to how to think critically, there is actually a core process involved. By understanding the steps, you can make sure you approach situations properly.

Usually, the critical thinking process involves:

  • Observation
  • Information-Gathering
  • Brainstorming

Typically, you start by observing the issue at hand. Next, you do some research, helping you gather more information. After that, you focus on brainstorming ideas on how to proceed. Then, you consider each option, identifying the best one. Finally, you decide to proceed, taking actions based on what you’ve learned.

It’s a systematic way to address a range of scenarios. By learning the process, you can put it into use more often, allowing you to increase your skills.

Take Up a Hobby

Many hobbies actually require quite a bit of critical thinking. For example, if you want to have a thriving garden, you need to take several factors into account. Soil condition, water availability, the amount of sunlight, aesthetics… those are just some of the points you need to analyze if you want to succeed.

Arts and crafts can also help you boost critical thinking. When you’re making something, you have to evaluate your options for materials, techniques, and more, ensuring you choose a path that leads to the best final product.

Join a Debate Club

If you’re looking for possibly one of the best critical thinking examples around, debate is probably it. That means, if you want to take your skills up a notch, joining a debate club can be a great option.

You have to support a position – at times one that doesn’t align with your personal beliefs – and try to convince others that your side is correct. You’ll dive into unfamiliar topics, gather data to support the perspective you’re assigned, and choose how to present information in a convincing way.

While you might think that, if you aren’t in high school, that this isn’t an option, that isn’t the case. There are many meetups that focus on debate, giving people of all ages a place to boost their skills.

List of Critical Thinking Skills

There are quite a few characteristics and capabilities that support critical thinking. By knowing which skills fall into that category, you can decide what to showcase during your job search.

So, let’s dig in. Here is a quick list of critical thinking skill examples:

  • Self-Reliance
  • Decision-Making
  • Open-Mindedness
  • Deductive Reasoning
  • Problem-Solving
  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Attention to Detail
  • Pattern Recognition
  • Interpretation
  • Active Listening
  • Conceptualization

Now, these aren’t the only skills that can help you think critically. Practically anything that enables you to navigate the process can count.

Additionally, you don’t have to fit all of these skills on your resume to show that you know how to think critically. Instead, you want to highlight a range, demonstrating that you have what it takes to navigate situations effectively and accomplish your goals.

Spend some time reflecting on your work history or educational experiences. Then, identify moments where you used critical thinking to accomplish something noteworthy. Once you have, think about the skills that came into play, and make sure to mention them as you describe what led up to the achievement.

If you’re looking for more skills to put on a resume , we’ve actually taken a deep dive into that topic before. Along with various critical thinking skills, we tap on a ton of other areas, making it easier for you to figure out what you should feature during your job search.

Putting It All Together

In the end, critical thinking skills are essential for nearly every member of the workforce. By elevating yours as much as possible and showcasing them during your job search, you won’t just be a stronger candidate but also a more capable employee. That’s all great stuff. It’ll help you have your ideal career and, ultimately, isn’t that what it’s all about?

i wish i had no critical thinking skills

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

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Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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i wish i had no critical thinking skills

Students Graduating with Critical Thinking Deficiencies

By Peggy Bresnick | September 8, 2022 | Fierce Education

Students have arrived on campus, moved into their dorms, and settled into college life at higher education institutions across the U.S. They are investing the next years of their lives into studying and working on earning a college degree. But how valuable is that degree in the outside world? And, are students getting the instruction and skills that will help them achieve career success once they graduate?

Does Higher Education Teach Students to Think Critically? , a new report from The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ), an intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries that aims to stimulate economic progress and world trade, found that there is a growing gap between the qualifications students acquire at colleges or universities and essential 21st-century skills. These include literacy and critical thinking skills that include problem solving, analytic reasoning, and communications competencies.

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Leaders want strategic and critical thinking more than anything. Most of their workers don’t have it

strategic thinking

“A severe lack of critical business skills is preventing growth at America’s largest companies.” 

That’s a major—potentially alarming—takeaway from a survey of over 1,000 corporate professionals, conducted by online learning platform Springboard for their new report, The State of the Workforce Skills Gap , released this morning.

Across industries, the majority of leaders surveyed for the report said “strategic/critical thinking” is the most sorely needed soft skill at companies today. (Problem-solving and decision-making came in second, while communication, both written and verbal, nabbed third.) 

“With the global business environment in a state of flux for the foreseeable future, companies that can strategically evolve will have an edge,” Springboard researchers explained in the report. “Leaders see this opportunity, and recognize that critical thinking and problem-solving skills are essential to operate with this mindset.”

The problem? Many workers aren’t quite there yet . In fact, 54% of junior employees told Springboard they’re trying to further cultivate their leadership and management skills; a similar share want to improve their communication chops. Nearly 40% of leaders say the gap between the skills they need at their organization and the skills they have is only getting deeper . 

Unsurprisingly, the rapid acceleration of AI —and the even more rapid integration of AI into business—has put a premium on the kinds of soft, interpersonal skills that no robot can quite automate yet. 

The report was admittedly self-serving for Springboard, whose mission—per CEO Gautam Tambay—is to bridge the world’s skills gap. “The more we understand the gap, the better we’re able to execute against it,” Tambay tells Fortune. What struck him most in speaking with leaders is how focused they are “not just on what I’d call technical or perishable skills like AI or machine learning, but on what I’d call durable or non-perishable skills.” Very often, those are soft skills .

A growing challenge

The skills gap has been a growing challenge, calling for ample training and reskilling. Per a World Economic Forum report from 2023 , nearly half (44%) of an individual worker’s skills need to be updated. “The long-term trend is pretty undeniable that the demand for skills outpaces the supply of skills,” Dan Shapero, chief operating officer of LinkedIn , told Fortune last year. The problems remain the same: that WEF report found that the number-one most sought-after skill was creative thinking, followed by analytical thinking and technological literacy. 

Skills like critical thinking, which employers expressed a clear need for, aren’t new. They’ve been top of mind forever , Tambay says, “but despite that, leaders really see a massive gap in this area.” 

But don’t blame AI. The farther automation advances , the more uniquely human traits and attributes will be valued.  “I’ve always believed—and the report validates—that AI is not going to take your job,” Tambay says. Rather, “someone who knows how to use AI better than you is going to take your job.” 

Indeed, Tambay says much of today’s hand-wringing over out-of-control machine advancement is overblown. “It’s not the first time a massive wave of tech has come through and scared everyone,” he says. “Yes, it will change everything and people who can use it more effectively will be more successful. That’s what happened with the Industrial Revolution, too.”

But as always, companies need human beings to think strategically and make decisions. “AI will assist with that, but we still need humans to provide a layer of judgment on top.”

Even the most tech-forward leaders agree with that. Apple CEO Tim Cook has long lauded soft skills , which go hand in hand with creative and strategic thinking. In 2022, he said he seeks out the ability to collaborate, creativity, and curiosity in new hires above all else. “Those are the things that we look for in people, and it’s been a very good formula for us,” he said . “We look for people that think differently, that can look at a problem and not be caught up in the dogma of how that problem has always been viewed.”

Luckily, soft skills like communication, strategy, and judgment can be taught, he says, but they’re often harder to get down pat than technical skills. They need many more hours of boots-on-the-ground practice. “Understanding other human beings and their motivations, intentions, and what drives them—that’s absolutely learnable,” he says. Plus, they’re durable.

“Every business starts with understanding human emotion,” Tambay goes on. “Until businesses are no longer serving human needs, humans will have to be good at soft skills. Especially because today’s average 25-year-old is going to have a job in 20 years that doesn’t even exist yet because the shelf life of skills has gone down so much. You need a durable skill set that will help you to succeed for your whole career.”

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i wish i had no critical thinking skills

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25 Essential Skills I Wish Somebody Taught Me When I Was Younger

How life can be like super mario..

If you are not changing, evolving with the times, there’s a good chance that you’re stagnating, or simply going backwards.

Super Mario. The crazy little Italian-American Plumber that shaped my childhood.

I used to spend hours and hours sitting in front of my TV helping that little guy save his pixelated princess from bad guys.

If case you’ve played it, you might have noticed that it’s extremely difficult to advance from one level to another if you don’t collect mushrooms that make you bigger and give you the ability to throw fireballs (…in real life something else happen).

Life is like a game. Like a Super Mario game.

But in life, you are the character and you need to find your own “mushrooms,” that help you grow and excel.

This could be anything that helps you evolve as a person, in both a personal and professional way.

Wherever your starting point is, it doesn’t matter.

What matters is that you have 24 hours in front of you and you need to use them in the best possible way.

But you have to keep one thing in mind:

The world is shifting and evolving rapidly.

So if you are not changing, or evolving with the times, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re stagnating, or simply going backwards.

“Every life form seems to strive to its maximum except human beings. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it possibly can. Human beings, on the other hand, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all or you can choose to be less. Why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what all you can do?”  — Jim Rohn

And for those who attempt to reach their maximum, the rewards are huge.

So if you nurture your hunger for growth, and I know you do, because you are here on Medium and reading articles just like this one, then you will have an edge in life.

Usually, when someone subscribes to my private list , the first thing I ask them is:

“What is the one thing stopping you from learning a new skill?”

I’ve received a lot of responses, but this one pretty much captures what most of us are going through:

“Too many things to learn, too many choices…and scarce time”

Seeing answers like this repeat, I wonder why we weren’t taught essential skills that every person should learn at the young age (or any for that matter)?

Because of that, I started a research, talking to people and trying to gather everything I’ve learned as an educator, and I finally did it.

Here’s a list of 25 essential skills that will help you be more successful and help you grow exponentially:

1. developing self-awareness.

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”  ― C.G. Jung

In order to be “ awakened ”, you have to understand your life story.

Which events shaped you into the person you are today?

Once you’ve defined those crucial points, try to see what you’ve learned from them and how can you use that to win this game called life.

This will also help you find out when your core strengths came to life and how you can use them to grow as a person.

One more thing that will dramatically help you in this process is feedback from people that know you well and can give an outside perception on things you do well and things that can be improved.

2. Finding Your Personal Philosophy

Most of us use our internal compass.

Most of us use our internal compass. Either something feels right to us or it doesn’t.

But behind the scenes of simply “feeling”, is a conscious evaluation of a situation according to our values.

In order to determine your personal values, ask yourself following question:

What do I value in _____(relationship, work, friendship, life, etc.)?

One thing that supplements our values are our beliefs towards the world.

Ask yourself:

  • What positive beliefs do I have about this world and things that surround me?
  • What negative beliefs do I have?

Once you focus on positive beliefs, your mindset will go from:

“Oh, it’s Monday again. Shit.”

to “Oh yea, it’s Monday! Let’s start!”

That’s a big difference.

3. Discovering Your Vocation (True Calling)

No, I don’t think we are all place on this earth with a purpose.

But, I do believe that throughout the life, we discover what are we good at and what we love to do.

And if you are willing to put some effort into it, we can combine these two and find an opportunity out there, where we can enjoy something and that will bring us success.

So, vocation consists out of:

  • Your Talents (what are you good at?)
  • Your Passions (what do you love to do?)
  • World Opportunities (what opportunities are out there for you to take or create?)

Play around and you will be able to find yours.

4. Goal Setting

There was a study conducted on students in the 1979 Harvard MBA program.

In that year, the students were asked:

“Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?”

Only 3% of the graduates had written goals and plans; 13% had goals, but they were not written, and a whopping 84% had no specific goals at all.

Ten years later, the members of the class were interviewed again, and the findings were incredible:

The 13% of the class who had goals were earning (on average), twice as much as the 84% who had no goals at all.

But the 3% who had clear, written goals were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97% put together!!

Goals work like a lens of a camera.

If you set the focus properly, you will be able to take a clear picture.

If it is out of focus, your picture will be blurry.

Set the focus properly

Here’s an example:

“I want to lose weight.” (Even though it is positive, it’s not specific and focused)

Here’s an improved version:

“I want to lose 4 pounds (2 kg) of fat by June 15th.”

All you need to do is write down yours and start.

5. Visualization

Goal-setting is something your “conscious brain” can do.

The conscious brain is great at imagining things and thinking them through, but it’s next to useless when it comes to actually getting things done because it is easily distracted.

The subconscious brain doesn’t think this way. The subconscious brain sees a complete picture of everything happening all at once. The subconscious brain is aware of the input from all of your senses at every moment.

These two work hand in hand to help you out.

Visualization works best in the moment you wake up and in a couple of moments before you sleep.

By adding details, a clear path, and emotion of how would it feel if you already achieved it, you trick your mind into believing that it is already capable of achieving it.

You can also add a vision board to the mix, where you have pictures of your goals. Remember, we are mostly visual.

I want to be quite clear, this is not the Law of Attraction type of a thing. where you imagine a Ferrari, and tomorrow it magically appears next to your mansion.

It doesn’t work like that.

Visualization is one side of the coin.

Hard work and dedication is another side of the coin.

These two together can actually give you a Ferrari.

6. Habit Formation

Just like math, we tend to have a negative connotation towards habits.

Because of that, I prefer to think of habits as Personal Rituals.

If I think that I have to go to the gym. It’s hard.

But if I think that I am a healthy person, whose identity has a ritual of going to the gym and maintaining my vibrant body, then it becomes easy.

It’s not easy, it will take some practice until your change your perception and start thinking this way.

But start small and start with one habit at a time.

7. Creating a Health Regime (Diet + Physical Activity)

Find the right diet and physical activity

Of course, the end goal is to be healthy. Right?

For me, it is to be healthy and have a high level of energy. Plus, to look good.

I stopped training football (soccer) after 11 years and went from 65kg (143 pounds) to 86 kg (189 pounds) in less than 9 months.

I was fat. And for someone who always had abs, this was so weird and disappointing.

So I decided to do two things:

  • Find the right diet to get me to my ideal weight and maintain it.
  • Find the right physical activity to supplement my diet and then regularly do it.

It took me couple of years to find my minimum amount of food intake and minimum amount of needed activities to maintain my goal.

But now, I look confident in my body, I am healthy and I have a high level of energy throughout the day.

So, set your goal, and then build an action plan and start. Evaluate and adapt accordingly to your results.

There’s nothing more I love to see in a gym that someone who has extra weight and they are working even harder than me to beat their goal into submission.

8. Learning the Art of Learning

Maybe I have a professional deformation, but I highly believe that this skill is the most crucial of all.

“Everything we are and everything we’ve achieved thus far is because of our ability to learn.”

People that operate on a big level, they are nothing more than extremely efficient at acquiring new skills and implementing them in their areas of focus.

I have a hunch that if you are still reading this, that you have growth as your core value, as well.

In that case, take a look at this article on Learning Algorithm .

9. Filtering and Acquiring Information

As I mentioned earlier, we are often over-cluttered with information.

By the way did you know that Kim Kardashian broke her fu*king nail yesterday?!

How can the world go on…?

You get what I am saying?

Everywhere you go, you have information that is distracting you from your goals.

That’s why you should use your time spent on the internet wisely.

10. How To Be A Better and Faster Reader

Learn how to be a better reader

In order to achieve this step above efficiently, you need to know how to become a better and faster reader.

To become a better reader, you need to approach reading anything with a specific intent.

By defining your goals (personal or professional gain), establishing one thing that you are trying to get out of a book (or an article), and skimming through the table of contents and taking notes, you will be able to retain much more information that you ever thought possible.

On the other hand, speed reading is a skill on its own, and it has several steps.

Here I will tell you that if you use a pointer (finger or a pen), to guide your focus, you will be able to double your reading speed.

Because every jump from one word to the next one, drastically reduces your reading speed.

Try it out and see.

11. How To Get Into State of Flow

Every person has something that can get them in the ZONE.

Oh man, when you’re there. Nothing exists.

Just you and your goal.

In order to determine how to enter a state of flow, just ask yourself a question:

When is the last time I was so deeply focused on what was in front of me?

Once you find specific activity. Ask yourself the following question:

What helped me be that focused?

For me, it’s playing good music on headphones and a goal I deeply care about, to be fully immersed.

12. Time Management and Productivity

“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”  – Bill Gates

So I am kind of obsessed with time because that’s the only resource we can never get back.

If you want to be more productive, there two things you should have in mind:

How to get more time:

  • One of the ways is to optimize your sleep schedule (instead of sleeping 9 hours, find your optimal amount that will keep you healthy)

How to use your time efficiently:

  • Reclaim dead time (time you are spending on commute or watching TV)
  • Focus on high leverage activities (implement 80/20 rule: 80% of results come from 20% of activities)
  • Focus on things that can help you grow (reading, socializing with inspiring people and working on your goals)

A useful technique here is called “time blocking”, or as Gary Keller, author of The One Thing calls: “Schedule a meeting with yourself”

This is a block of time, where you are working on your most important goal for the day. No interruptions, just you and your goals.

And don’t forget to “procrastinate on procrastination!”

13. Decision-Making & Critical Thinking

“The more decisions you make, the better you’ll become at making them. Muscles get stronger with use, and so it is with your decision-making muscles.”  – Tony Robbins

The reality is not every decision you make will be a good one, but that should never stop you from taking action.

That’s why you should use your critical thinking skills to evaluate and analyze the situation you are in. Now you can be sure that every decision is heading on the right path.

Even if you make a mistake, draw a learning point out of it and use it for the next step.

You will become wiser on every step.

14. Managing Stress

In order to manage stress, you need to discover sources of it.

In order to manage stress, you need to discover sources of it.

Ask yourself a question:

“What are the sources of my frustrations?”

Once you discover them, the next thing to do is to create strategies to deal with them.

You could have:

  • A short-term strategy (What can you do to relax in an instant? Take a shower, play a song, go for a run, talk to a friend?)
  • A long-term strategy (based on the sources of your frustrations, your guiding question should be: how can I organize my time, focus and priorities in order to minimize or eliminate this source? )

Also, the next skill can help you a lot.

15. How To Meditate

We are constantly working on something, interacting with people and spending a bunch of time on the internet.

We need to stop, relax and enjoy our inner self.

There are two rules I follow in meditation:

Rule #1: Fuck traditional position. (This means that you shouldn’t listen to traditional rules in meditation and limit yourself only to this position)

Rule #2: Do whatever suits you. (If you want to sit down for 2 minutes and breathe, do that. If you want to lie down for 15 minutes and think, do that. Just find something that suits you, and try it.)

16. How To Be Alone

Ever since you were born, you’ve been surrounded by people.

Because of that, we are not accustomed to moments when we are alone for a couple of hours, without human interaction.

In these rare moments, just try to be present and reflect on your inner thoughts.

You will be amazed, how much you will learn about yourself and how much it will help you crystalize certain things.

17. How To Unleash Creativity

“Don’t die with your music still in you.”  – Wayne Dyer

“But, I am not creative!”

You’ve probably thought this to yourself at one point in your life.

Welcome to the club. But let me tell you. That’s a lie.

We all are. Maybe some of us are not in conventional ways (drawing, painting, singing, playing instruments, etc.).

My biggest creative talent is actually “Rapid Solution Creation.” BAM. I invented that.

You don’t have to be conventionally creative.

Ask yourself the following question:

“ What was the last time I did something and amazed not only everyone present but myself as well? “

See if these things tend to repeat, and go with it.

18. How to Write for Pleasure

You don’t have to become an author.

But just create a ritual out of putting your thoughts on a piece of paper.

There’s a lot of incredible ideas just waiting to be materialized through the ink.

19. Public Speaking

This is probably one of the most useful skills I’ve ever developed.

You don’t have to be a professional speaker, but you need to learn how to get your ideas out there.

There are number of tips for this, but the golden rule is:

“People never know what you will say when you are on the stage”

So go on, tell a story or share an idea. They might change someone’s life.

20. Interpersonal Communication

I hate chit-chat.

Man, nothing drains my energy like talking about the weather. And I know I’m not the only one who thinks this way.

So I decided to do something about it and created a sort of “How-To Guide for Creating Unforgettable Conversations” .

There are two parts to this:

What YOU are saying and what THEY are saying.

First, we will focus on what you are trying to say.

There are 3 important things here:

  • Message  — What is the one specific message you are trying to transfer?
  • Sequence  — In what sequence do you want to transfer your message?
  • Emotion  — What emotion do you want to leave your conversation partner with?

Even though I’ve covered what you will say first, I am sorry to disappoint you–it’s not the most important part.

The quality of your conversations depends on how well you are able to listen to your conversation partner and respond accordingly.

So let’s cover the second part: what are they trying to tell you.

Again, 3 important things here:

  • Story  — What major events happened in that person’s life that shaped them or lead them to engage in their career?
  • Next Chapter  — What is the next step in their life? What is something they aspire to do?
  • Message  — What message are they trying to transfer to you?

This might be a bit overwhelming. But just start simple and it will become natural over time.

21. Persuasion

Together with public speaking and interpersonal communication, persuasion will come naturally to you.

The main purpose of persuasiveness is to place the opposite part in agreement with your point of view.

This doesn’t mean you should be a jerk in the process.

Remember that, 90% of the quarrels erupt due to a wrong tone of voice. Only 10% of the quarrels are due to differences in opinion.

You will go a long way if you abide by the following: remain calm, strive for a win-win, and be sure to express the needs and benefits of the other party.

22. How To Say No

Sometimes you need to say NO.

Try to reframe the act of saying NO like this:

“You are not saying NO to others, you are saying YES to yourself and things that are important to you.”

The point is not to ever feel guilt tripped you into doing something you really don’t want to do.

Always chose to instead focus on doing something you love.

23. How To Create Your Personal Brand

Find a way to shape what you already are

Luckily, values we talked about highly correlate with this.

My example again.

One of my core values is growth.

Interestingly enough, everything I’ve done in my life is related to this topic. My degree in Adult Education, my position in Mindvalley as a Learning Experience Director and I started a Blog (Zero to Skill), so help people rapidly acquire skills.

People often describe me as a learning addict.

All of this, just confirms how much one value (growth) can shape your life and direction.

Sometimes, there’s not a lot you need to do in order to create your brand, just find a way to shape what you already are and get it out there in the world.

24. How To Build A Network

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”  ― Jim Rohn

Building a network is basically trying to find inspiring people that share the same values, beliefs and interests as you do.

Where you can provide value to them, and they can return the favor (value can be even food for thought).

The majority of my success and happiness comes from interacting and working with amazing people that drive me to achieve more personally and professionally.

25. How To Manage Your Personal Finances

Rule #1: Spend less than you earn.

Rule #2: Get another source of income (possibly a passive one)

Rule #3: Invest in assets (opportunities that have Return on Investment)

Final Takeaway

Oh man, that was long.

If you are reading this, congratulations!

You must be wondering where should you begin?

Pick one and start.

Some of these can be learned within several hours while some require more than that.

But, you have to know that learning even one of these skills can help you grow exponentially and give you incredible results in every area of your life.

Zdravko Cvijetic is the Founder & Editor-in-Chief at www.zerotoskill.com & Learning Experience Director at Mindvalley with a degree in Adult Education & Lifelong Learning. You can also connect with Zdravko on Twitter . This post has appeared on Medium .

25 Essential Skills I Wish Somebody Taught Me When I Was Younger

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i wish i had no critical thinking skills

Michael Bishop Ph.D.

Are You a Good Critical Thinker?

A critical thinker reasons efficiently to useful truths and effective actions..

Posted April 23, 2017 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

  • Many agree that there's a crisis in critical thinking today.
  • To become a better critical thinker, one needs to implement ways of thinking that efficiently yield useful truths and effective actions.
  • Decades of research in psychology show that good critical thinking seldom comes naturally.

C.M. Coolidge, A Friend in Need / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

The state of critical thinking today is no laughing matter—but let's start with some jokes anyway. They're bad, but they contain more than a grain of truth.

How is critical thinking like driving and sex ? Everybody thinks they're really good at it. How do you identify bad thinkers? Just look at all those people who disagree with you about politics .

There's general agreement that there's a crisis in critical thinking today. 1 But there's no agreement about what critical thinking is. I will offer a proposal (based on Bishop & Trout 2005). And then I'm going to give you an unscientific critical thinking quiz—one I would have failed before I started doing research on this topic.

What is critical thinking?

Philosophers distinguish theoretical and practical reasoning. Theoretical reasoning is when you think about the way things are. Here, you reason well when you reason efficiently to true and useful beliefs. Practical reasoning is when you think about what to do. Here, you reason well when you reason efficiently to effective actions.

There's a lot more to say about what counts as efficient reasoning, useful truths, and effective action. That's why we philosophers write books about this stuff. But if we stick to common sense, we end up with a simple philosophy :

A good critical thinker reasons efficiently to useful truths and effective actions .

This philosophy has a destructive, critical side as well as a constructive, positive side.

The destructive side : Some people identify critical thinking with a single habit, trait, or skill. We can criticize such views by showing that this habit, trait, or skill doesn't always help you efficiently reason to useful truths and effective actions. For example:

  • "A critical thinker questions everything." It's unwise to try to question everything—except as a philosophical exercise or as an effort to annoy people. A good critical thinker doesn't question everything. She asks the right questions—questions that lead to useful truths and effective actions.
  • "A critical thinker always reflects on problems." It's impossible to reflect on every problem you face. And it's unwise to try. ("Should I get out of the way of the speeding truck? Hmmm.") A good critical thinker uses reflection wisely—to help her arrive at (you guessed it) useful truths and effective actions.

The constructive side : To become a better critical thinker, we need to identify and implement good reasoning strategies—ways of thinking that efficiently yield useful truths and effective actions. Needless to say, this is a massive undertaking.

An unscientific test of your critical thinking skills

Decades of research in psychology show that good critical thinking seldom comes naturally. It takes effort. But effort isn't enough. As my soccer coach was fond of saying, "Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes permanent . Perfect practice makes perfect." But too many of us don't think we need to improve our critical thinking skills.

Here's an unscientific test of your critical thinking skills. My answers—which I came up with only as a result of studying critical thinking—are in the footnotes. See if you come up with the same answers, and then judge the answers for yourself.

  • Five percent of people in your age and health cohort have disease D. Your doctor gives you a test for D that's 80 percent accurate, and you test positive for D. What are the chances you have D? (To say the test is 80 percent accurate is to say that if you have D, 80 percent of the time the test will say you have D and 20 percent of the time it'll say you don't; and if you don't have D, 80 percent of the time the test will say you don't have D and 20 percent of the time it'll say you do.) 2
  • On January 1, the HIV rate in Palookaville was 1/10,000. On that day, in response to the HIV rate, the city elders implement a needle-exchange program (where drug addicts can exchange used needles for new needles). A year later, thousands of needles have been exchanged. But the HIV rate is up to 1.2/10,000. The city elders call you in as a consultant to evaluate the effectiveness of this program. What do you say? 3

These aren't just idle brainteasers. It's important for us to be able to reason well about diagnostic problems ("Given a positive test for cancer or drug use, what are the chances a person has cancer or uses drugs?") and policy questions ("How well is a social policy working?").

An optimistic conclusion

i wish i had no critical thinking skills

Despite all the doom and gloom surrounding critical thinking, I think psychological literature offers a hopeful picture. For many of the practically important problems we face, a good rule for solving those problems is already in our heads. Often, to become better critical thinkers, we don't need to learn a new rule; we just need to use the good rules we already know.

1. 93% of employers who responded to an online survey reported that their employees' ability to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than their undergraduate major. 82% said that colleges and universities should place more emphasis on critical thinking and analytical reasoning ( AAC&U Report ). In one large-scale study, 45% of students showed no improvement in critical thinking skills in their first two years of college; and 36% of students showed no improvement in their four years of college (Arum & Roska 2011).

2. Not 80%. 4/23 or about 17.4%. Take 100 people in your cohort. You'd expect 5 of them to have D. Give those 5 people the test and 4 (80% of 5) will test positive. Give the other 95 people the test, and 19 (20% of 95) will test positive. 23 people in total test positive for D. Of those 23, only 4 have D. So the chances that someone who tests positive actually has D is 4/23.

3. The city elders haven't given you enough evidence to properly evaluate the program. You want to know what difference the program has made to HIV rates. So you need evidence about both what happens when the program is present (HIV rates go from 1/10,000 to 1.2/10,000) and what happens when the program is absent and all other relevant factors are the same. Without the needle exchange program, would HIV rates have still climbed to 1.2/10,000? Higher? Lower? Without that evidence—in other words, without a control—you don't know what difference the program has made to HIV rates.

Arum, Richard & Josipa Roska. 2011. Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses . University of Chicago Press.

Bishop, Michael & J.D. Trout. 2005. Epistemology and the Psychology of Human Judgment . Oxford University Press.

Michael Bishop Ph.D.

Michael Bishop, Ph.D. , is a professor at Florida State University.

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COMMENTS

  1. I feel like I legitimately have no critical thinking skills

    22 Sort by: Add a Comment ThePoliteCanadian • 1 yr. ago Honestly, fresh out of undergrad, your critical thinking is in fact underdeveloped for the level of articles and thinking you will have to do. Dw, its a skill, hone it. 128 [deleted] • 1 yr. ago No, you are not dumb. Read more critical analyses from other authors.

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  3. Without Critical Thinking Skills, We Can Easily Be Misled

    Dorothy Sayers' point is well taken. In the world of 24-hour news and social media that often resembles the Wild West, the ability to evaluate has never been more critical. It is a given that we ...

  4. Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist

    How can we protect ourselves from being manipulated by the media and other sources of information? In this blog post, the author explains why critical thinking skills are essential for living a ...

  5. 13 Easy Steps To Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills

    Try to listen without judgment - remember, critical thinking is about keeping an open mind. 5. Gather additional information where needed. Whenever you identify gaps in the information or data ...

  6. Lack of Critical Thinking: 14 Reasons Why Do We Lack

    1. Lack of Fundamental Skills 2. Too Quick to Accept Mediocrity 3. Fear of the Unknown 4. Confirmation Bias 5. Unwillingness to Challenge Assumptions 6. Avoidance of critical feedback 7. Over dependence on technology 8. Ignoring Alternative Choices 9. Failure to cultivate intellectual curiosity 10. Influenced by cognitive biases 11.

  7. How to Develop Critical Thinking Skills

    Here are 12 tips for building stronger self-awareness and learning how to improve critical thinking: 1. Be cautious. There's nothing wrong with a little bit of skepticism. One of the core principles of critical thinking is asking questions and dissecting the available information.

  8. Build Critical Thinking Skills in 7 Steps w/ Examples [2023] • Asana

    Analytical thinking: Part of critical thinking is evaluating data from multiple sources in order to come to the best conclusions. Analytical thinking allows people to reject bias and strive to gather and consume information to come to the best conclusion. Open-mindedness: This critical thinking skill helps you analyze and process information to ...

  9. 10 things that cause a lack of critical thinking in society

    1) Fear Fear is the number one reason that people avoid critical thinking. Fear prevents people from seeing things clearly and accepting conclusions without bias. If you are scared by the possibility of seeing something that contradicts what you think or believe, then you will avoid thinking critically.

  10. Critical Thinking Skills: What are They and How Do I Get Them?

    Louise Rasmussen Critical Thinking Skills: What are They and How Do I Get Them? Critical thinking is often touted as a superior way to confront the issues one faces. But what is critical thinking, really? How is it done? Can anyone do it, or are Spock-like mental abilities required?

  11. What Are Critical Thinking Skills and Why Are They Important?

    Critical thinking is the ability to interpret, evaluate, and analyze facts and information that are available, to form a judgment or decide if something is right or wrong. More than just being curious about the world around you, critical thinkers make connections between logical ideas to see the bigger picture.

  12. My 26f boyfriend of six months 26m has no critical thinking or ...

    It is exhausting doing all the emotional labor and critical thinking. I wish I had read the way you articulated this years ago. I had never really thought of it that way. ... I'm not an expert on learning, but from my experience, the best way for someone to develop critical thinking skills is to try and work and struggle through a problem on ...

  13. You have NO Excuse for NOT Thinking Critically

    Become a critical thinking investigator today, and liberate yourself from Fake News, propaganda, indoctrination, and scams. You'll be happy you did. Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is an innovation ...

  14. What Are Critical Thinking Skills? (Example List Included)

    According to the Cambridge Dictionary, critical thinking is "the process of thinking carefully about a subject or idea, without allowing feelings or opinions to affect you.". That's actually a pretty solid place to start. In many ways, critical thinking is a two-fold process. First, it focuses on information-gathering and fact-analysis.

  15. Students Graduating with Critical Thinking Deficiencies

    These include literacy and critical thinking skills that include problem solving, analytic reasoning, and communications competencies. READ THE ARTICLE There are signs that the skills supply of graduates no longer matches skills demand in the labor market.

  16. Bridging critical thinking and transformative learning: The role of

    By contrast, using critical thinking skills in a way that results in transformative learning will likely include a state of doubt as a pivotal stage in the process. ... If we reconsider Janet, who had never considered the possibility that eating a sentient being could be immoral, a perspective-taking text such as Wallace's essay would be more ...

  17. Can I learn to critically think ? : r/socialskills

    So critical think until it becomes natural to you and you dont have to engage some other persona of yours to do that. People with ADHD sometimes have trouble with "critical thinking skills" - because we approach critical thinking in a different way. Brain fog can be a common occurrence as well.

  18. How To Think (Critically)

    Critical thinking is valuable because it helps us make hard decisions and it makes us harder to manipulate. Ask yourself more questions to improve your critical thinking skills. Always challenge your assumptions. Find ways to help facilitate your thinking time such mind mapping or taking a walk. Mentioned in the Episode

  19. 15 Things We Have Learned About Critical Thinking

    A person said what they said, not how you interpret what they said. If you are unclear as to what has been said, ask for clarification. Asking for clarity is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign ...

  20. Do you ever wish you had a no-thinking-required job?

    Dealing with office bureaucracy isn't exactly mentally stimulating and it ends up being as repetitive as what is usually described for manual labor. I think what you really meant to ask is if we wished we had an ideal low-stress no-thinking required job for the right wages, and sadly I don't think that exists. 5.

  21. Leaders want strategic and critical thinking more than anything

    Skills like critical thinking, which employers expressed a clear need for, aren't new. They've been top of mind forever, Tambay says, "but despite that, leaders really see a massive gap in ...

  22. 25 Essential Skills I Wish Somebody Taught Me When I Was Younger

    Here's a list of 25 essential skills that will help you be more successful and help you grow exponentially: 1. Developing Self-Awareness. "Your visions will become clear only when you can look ...

  23. 6 Main Types of Critical Thinking Skills (With Examples)

    1. Analytical thinking Being able to properly analyze information is the most important aspect of critical thinking. This implies gathering information and interpreting it, but also skeptically evaluating data.

  24. Are You a Good Critical Thinker?

    Michael Bishop Ph.D. Are You a Good Critical Thinker? A critical thinker reasons efficiently to useful truths and effective actions. Source: C.M. Coolidge, A Friend in Need / Wikimedia Commons...

  25. The English Whisperer on Instagram: "Javeria Saad and TEW: In the first

    97 likes, 8 comments - eng_whiz on February 2, 2024: "Javeria Saad and TEW: In the first few years of my career as a teacher of English in Pakistan, I..."