ABSTRACT THINKING: CHARACTERISTICS, EXAMPLES AND EXERCISES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The abstract thinking is the ability that allows us to reflect on things that are not present at the time or place, as well as concepts and general principles. Abstract thinking is usually defined in contrast to concrete thinking, which is less complex.

This type of thinking allows us to realize the relationships between different elements, in addition to developing new ideas, learning from past experiences and reflecting on the future. Abstract thinking is one of the last cognitive abilities that human beings acquire.

According to Piaget's research on the different stages of cognitive development, the ability to reason abstractly appears around 12 years of age. This ability is related to logic and the ability to solve problems; It is very characteristic in humans and has helped us a lot to evolve as a species.

Main characteristics of abstract thinking

Abstract thinking, being one of the most important cognitive abilities of people, has been widely studied by psychology over the years. Some of its most important characteristics are the following:

- It allows drawing conclusions by observing the relationships between elements.

- It focuses on things that are not present.

- Allows you to think deeply and reflect.

- Find multiple meanings for each situation.

- Lets think of abstract ideas.

Let's see each one of them.

Ability to draw conclusions and observe relationships

Through concrete thinking, people are only able to observe what is in front of us and think about it. This ability, although very useful, is not very effective in developing learning, innovation and creativity.

Abstract thinking, on the other hand, helps us enormously in these tasks thanks to its effectiveness in finding relationships between different situations or elements.

This ability to observe the hidden relationships between elements is the foundation of scientific thought. Thanks to this it is possible to formulate hypotheses and draw conclusions based on concrete results.

Therefore, abstract thinking forms the basis of inductive reasoning, and is very useful for deductive reasoning.

Example

Thanks to abstract thinking, an artist can choose the best colors for his painting, and a musician can choose the best note to finish a symphony.

Focus on elements that are not present

Before developing abstract thinking, young children have great difficulty focusing on something that is not in front of them.

This is so to the point that very young children do not have a capacity called object permanence: they believe that when they cannot see, hear or touch something, it simply ceases to exist.

With abstract thinking, people can not only reflect on a specific element that is not present, but on its categories, characteristics and qualities.

For this reason, abstract thinking is very useful to get along on a day-to-day basis. Imagine that we were only able to think about what was in front of us: we would not understand what the traffic lights mean, why we have to go to work every day or what we are dieting for.

Therefore, this ability also allows us to plan, think ahead, and set goals and objectives to work on.

Example

When we see a black cat, we could start to think about the different types of cats that there are, about felines in general, or about why people are superstitious.

Deep thinking and reflection

Thanks to the ability of abstract thinking to reflect on elements that are not present, and on their characteristics and qualities, people can use this thinking to better reflect and learn about a situation.

Even more interesting and complex is the ability it gives us to reflect on our own thoughts. This is what is known as metacognition. Thanks to this ability, people can realize what we are thinking or feeling, and look for the hidden beliefs behind these thoughts.

Examples

If a person ends a relationship, using concrete thinking we can only realize this fact.

However, with abstract thinking we can begin to look for the causes of what has happened, find them and decide to learn from the experience so as not to make the same mistakes in the future.

On the other hand, an example of metacognition can be the following: if in a certain situation we feel uncomfortable, we can begin to investigate our own thoughts to discover what is making us feel bad. In this way we will be better prepared to change whatever is affecting us.

Find different meanings for a situation

Concrete thinking allows us to focus on the facts, without trying to look for a hidden meaning or a different interpretation than the first that comes to mind. However, abstract thinking allows us to go one step further and search for new meanings for a situation.

This is very useful in social settings where much of people's meanings, intentions, and thoughts are usually hidden or implicit.

Example

If someone tells us that they like sushi a lot, are they telling us that they are hungry and want to go to an Asian restaurant? Or on the contrary, is it just a comment?

These types of interpretations are made from the context, from what we know about the other person and from our previous experience in similar situations, and would not be possible without the help of abstract thinking.

Thinking of abstract ideas

The last advantage that abstract thinking gives us is the ability to think about ideas that are not concrete. Much of the concepts that we handle in our day to day are not easily measurable or observable.

Thanks to abstract thinking, people are able to generate ideas and concepts that help us on a daily basis, but that are not directly found in the real world.

Example

We all know what a house is, but what specifically is a country, or a border?

Ideas and concepts can go from less to more abstract. The concept of border is difficult to measure, but what about ideas like love or joy? What are they based on, or how can they be observed directly?

Exercises to develop abstract thinking

Abstract thinking is one of the most important capacities that human beings can develop, and it is one of the ones that separates us the most from animals.

For this reason, in recent decades, researchers and educators have developed various techniques to help us foster this type of thinking.

However, it is not necessary to perform very complex activities to develop abstract thinking. In our day to day we can find many opportunities to exercise it. Some ideas are as follows:

Think about the hidden meaning

When you are watching advertisements on television, on the Internet or on the street, reflect on the hidden meaning that you want to convey. In many cases, for example, the implicit idea in the ads is that by buying a product your life will improve and you will be happier.

Create organization systems for your things

For example, if you have a shelf full of books, you can choose between several systems to sort them: by color, by alphabetical order, among others.

In this way, you will encourage the creation of categories, one of the fundamental parts of abstract thinking.

Try to solve puzzles

Many of the puzzles are designed so that you have to find a hidden meaning, or think in double senses and not very obvious relationships. This way you can exercise abstract thinking while having fun.

Look up jokes on the internet and reflect on why they are funny

Like riddles, humor in general plays with double meanings, subtle hints, and relationships between elements.

Try to draw conclusions from specific events

For example, if you are in a traffic jam, you can reflect on the different possible causes that may have caused it.

If you want this exercise to be even more useful, try doing it with situations that occur a lot in your own life. In this way, finding the hidden causes of what happens to you, it will be up to you to change it.

Try creating a poem or song

If you like to write, you can try writing a song or a short poem. In general, this type of art is based on metaphors, not very obvious comparisons, and the relationship between various elements. Furthermore, this exercise will also increase your creativity.

Read poetry

You can also exercise your abstract thinking by reading poetry or listening to songs and trying to find the hidden meanings behind them. Instead of just being literal, try to understand what the author meant by what they wrote.

Practice with intelligence tests

Many of the modern intelligence tests are based on the ability to find relationships between different elements.

For example, the Raven is the most widely used test to measure cognitive ability and consists of filling in the gaps in different sequences of elements after finding the missing piece.

Read non-fiction books

Although reading in general is very beneficial to our minds, nonfiction will allow you to reflect on your own life, learn new skills, and foster your abstract thinking abilities.

Some especially useful topics for developing this skill are psychology, philosophy, and science.

References

1. "What is abstract thinking?" in: Wise Geek. Retrieved on: February 22, 2018 from Wise Geek: wisegeek.org.
2. "Abstract thinking" in: Definition Of. Retrieved on: February 22, 2018 from Definition Of: definicion.de.
3. "What are concrete and abstract thinking?" in: Learn Net. Retrieved on: February 22, 2018 from Learn Net: projectlearnet.org.
4. "What is abstract reasoning and how to train it?" in: Psychology and Mind. Retrieved on: February 22, 2018 from Psychology and Mind: psicologiaymente.net.
5. Higher order thinking in: Reading Rockets. Retrieved on: February 22, 2018 from Reading Rockets: readingrockets.org.