Convergent and divergent thinking | Critical Thinking Secrets

Convergent and divergent thinking may sound like they have a lot of similarities, but the reality is, that they are opposite sides of the same coin. While they are both methods of thinking, they are not the same in any meaningful way.

Convergent thinking is the act of seeking concrete and verifiable information to solve a problem. Divergent thinking is the act of creativity—of seeking new ideas and possibilities, generating a better way of doing something to reach a solution to a given problem.

Put a divergent thinker and a convergent thinker in the same room and, if they have any semblance of teamwork, they will be able to solve just about any kind of problem you can imagine.

Contents

1 Convergent Thinking

2 Divergent Thinking

3 Embrace Both Convergent and Divergent Thinking

4 All Things Considered

5 References

Convergent Thinking

Convergent thinkers are going to approach a problem from the standpoint of finding one, workable solution to immediately fix the issue. For instance, let’s say that your car breaks down in the middle of the highway and you have to pull over on the side of the road.

A convergent thinker will simply call the local tow company and have them come out, tow the car to a reputable mechanic, and have the problem fixed by the mechanic. If the TV goes out, a convergent thinker will replace it or send it to the manufacturer to be repaired.

The quickest, most expedient, and simple solution to a given problem
There is very little in the way of ambiguity
Thinks in a straight line
Logical
Speed
Accuracy

Convergent thinkers generally have the solution most of the time. The only problem is, that when a convergent thinker is wrong, they are completely wrong. It’s the all-or-nothing approach where “nothing” really means nothing.

Convergent thinkers tend to be far more organized than divergent thinkers, because it simplifies everything, making that singular solution all the easier to access at a moment’s notice.

Pros	Cons
Efficient and organized Usually an extrovert Regulates emotions better Objectiveness Finds the simplest and most straightforward solution	It all or nothing When they’re wrong, they’re very wrong

Divergent Thinking

Where convergent thinking is rigid and singular, divergent thinking is far more spontaneous and flexible. In the above example of the car breaking down on the road, a divergent thinker will get out of the car and try to locate a solution, often with several ideas of what might be wrong.

A divergent thinker won’t just send a TV in for repair or replace it. A divergent thinker is more likely to take it apart and try to find alternative solutions to fix the TV. Divergent thinkers think outside of the box, adapt, improvise, and overcome.

Of course, since divergent thinkers are far more likely to think up a dozen solutions, 8 of which may be completely wrong and 3 of which may only be partially right, it takes a divergent thinker far longer to reach a solution to the problem.

Oftentimes, those who are more purely divergent thinkers than convergent thinkers are thought to be slower than others. Of course, this isn’t even close to the truth—they just take longer to reach a solution since they may start out with five potential solutions for one problem.

Highly flexible
Adapts quickly
Out-of-the-box thinking
Highly creative

Divergent thinking is generally a good approach because in finding a solution, a divergent thought process will also find either secondary solutions or new and improved innovations over the original.

Unfortunately, divergent thinking, like convergent thinking, does have drawbacks. People who tend to lean on divergent thinking in their day-to-day lives are often far more disorganized than convergent thinkers tend to be.

Divergent thinkers will often spend far too much time arriving at a conclusion and can end up distracting themselves from the solution as well.

Pros	Cons
Multiple solutions for a singular problem Creates innovations Creative thinking often leads to new, secondary solutions All possible solutions using out-of-the-box thinking	Leads to a lack of organization Can often take far too long to solve a problem

Embrace Both Convergent and Divergent Thinking

It may not always be easy, as most people tend to do one or the other, rather than using a combination of the two. However, even a divergent thinker should be able to come to a conclusion that the simplest solution is the best.

On the flip side, a convergent thinker should be able to realize that just sending the broken down car to the mechanic may not be the most feasible solution, especially if the fix is doable and will save you a ton of money.

As you can see, embracing both ways of thinking has more advantages than just rigidly remaining on one side or the other. Those who lean towards divergent thinking are often far more introverted than their convergent thinking counterparts.

That’s a side effect of divergent thinking. Its easier to draw multiple, accurate conclusions when you have more experience with society and are sociable. How else are you going to try to help someone if you don’t understand and have no experience with other human behavior?

Convergent thinkers can also be too rigid, often so hung up on the singular solution that they fail to see the easier and better option right underneath their noses. Combining both the aspects of a divergent thinker and those of a convergent thinker will allow you to approach most problems and arrive at a more effective solution.

Both divergent thinking and convergent thinking are critical to arriving at the best possible solution, especially when you’re faced with multiple problems. With several problems facing you, using both convergent and divergent thinking (applying each to the requisite problem when necessary) is a far more reliable approach than just using one or the other.

All Things Considered

Thinking of divergent thinking and convergent thinking in terms of opposing processes is the wrong way to go. Both have their values and should be embraced and used interchangeably, depending on the situation or the problem you are facing at the moment.

Convergent thinking isn’t better than divergent thinking and vice versa. They are two sides of the same coin and, like any coin, have equal value while spending the same.