ANALYTICAL THINKING: CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The analytical thinking is a reasonable and reflective thinking about a problem, that focuses on deciding what to do or what to believe and the relationship existing between this problem and the world in general.

The distinctive feature of this type of thinking is that it divides the object of study or problem into smaller parts that are identified, categorized and analyzed separately to obtain an answer or solution, transferring it or applying it to the whole.

But before delving into analytical thinking it is necessary to define the concept of thought as such. Thought is all activity of the human mind produced thanks to its intellect. It is used generically to name all products generated by the mind, whether they are rational activities or abstractions of the imagination.

According to cognitive theory, there are several types of thinking (such as critical thinking, creative thinking, deductive, inductive, etc.), and analytical thinking is one of them.

Although there is a tendency to think of applying analytical thinking only to mathematical or scientific problems, it is widely used in all areas of knowledge and even in everyday life.

Characteristics of analytical thinking

Analytical thinking is based on evidence and not on emotions. By default, it is questioning: the question "What?" it is always present in the analysis.

He is detailed and methodical. It develops the ability to investigate and allows to organize thoughts with precision and clarity.

Also, analytical thinking implies being able to decompose the parts of a problem to understand its structure and how they interrelate, being able to identify the relevant and the irrelevant.

In the search for the solution or conclusion, several instances are traversed, such as the formulation of hypotheses, the reformulation of the problem, the reflection and proposal of new strategies, to finally select the most appropriate one. This works for decision making, scientific problem solving, conflict resolution, etc.

1- Analytical

As its name indicates, it is analytical, since it breaks down the parts of a whole to analyze the meaning of each one of them, being more interested in the elements than in the relationships.

2- Sequential

It is sequential, since it follows steps in sequence for the analysis, studying linearly, without jumps or alterations, each one of the parts and increases them until reaching or approaching the solution.

3- Resolutive

It is decisive or convergent, since at all times it is focused on the search for a solution; analytical thinking is little given to beating around the bush or investigating alternative scenarios.

Structure and functions of analytical thinking

All thought - and analytical thinking is no exception - is made up of eight basic elements. In thinking, questions are asked and information based on data, facts, observations, and experiences is used.

You think of a purpose with a point of view or frame of reference that is based on assumptions, that is, presuppositions that are taken for granted. These assumptions lead to implications and consequences.

In the thinking process, concepts, theories and definitions are used that allow making interpretations and inferences, that is, conclusions or solutions.

Analytical thinking involves the application of the rules of logic and the search for truth through inferential processes.

In addition, it develops logical thinking skills, reinforcing the capacities to reason with order, analyze, compare and synthesize. To carry out this process, tools such as the mind map, the synoptic table, the word clouds and the timeline are useful.

Analytical thinking is functional for problem solving, as it allows the vision from different angles and perspectives, reflection and learning of new strategies.

In decision making, the analytical thinker collects information, analyzes it looking for different solution alternatives and selects the most appropriate one according to his criteria.

Putting analytical thinking into practice

With all the above, you can build a practical scheme of analytical thinking applicable to problems in any area of ​​study, work or everyday situation. The steps in the analytical process are listed below, and the reader is invited to associate each step with a desired topic.

As an example, two very common practical cases in everyday life are proposed: a vehicle in the garage and a customer service executive from a cell phone company.

1- Think about the purpose: repair the vehicle / solve the problem of the customer whose cell phone does not turn on

2- Expose the question: what is that noise that the vehicle has? / What is the cell phone failure that does not allow it to turn on?

3-Collect information: know since when the fault has occurred, how it worked (the vehicle or the cell phone) before presenting the fault, what was the last thing that was done with it, if there are other problems in parallel, when was the last time it maintenance / service was done, etc.

4-Raise the points of view: engine noise is typical of carburetion problems; It could also be an electrical problem / the cell phone is old; the battery has a limited useful life; the power button could be damaged.

5-Verify the assumptions: the carburetor is checked / the cell phone battery is changed.

6-Think about the implications: if the carburetor is fixed, the spark plugs must also be changed / if a new battery is installed and the problem persists, the ignition button will have to be changed.

7-Concepts (knowledge) are used to make inferences.

8-Reasonable conclusions must be precise, with sufficient evidence, relevant: the carburetor was in terrible condition / the battery and the cell phone's power button were fine, but the client did not know how to turn it on.

Although the conclusions are based on evidence, this does not necessarily mean that this evidence is accurate, sufficient or absolute. The mere fact of reflecting on this leads to deepening the process of analytical thinking.

References

1. Linda Elder and Richard Paul (2003). The Foundations of Analytical Thinking. Recovered from criticalthinking.org
2. Gerlad M. Nosich (2003). Learning to Think: Analytical Thinking for Students. Pearson Educación, SA Madrid, Spain.
3. Example of Analytical Thinking. Recovered from examplede.com
4. Gerald M. Nosich (). Learning to Think: Analytical Thinking for Students. P. 61.
5. Gerald M. Nosich (). Learning to Think: Analytical Thinking for Students. P. 117.