VERTICAL THINKING: CHARACTERISTICS, METHOD AND EXAMPLES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The vertical thinking is a method of thought very linear and selective. Every step is precise, necessary and must be correct. Most of the time, vertical thinking must also follow a very straight and defined path; There is usually no way to deviate from the thought process, nor should they skip steps. Vertical solutions are based on existing ideas or knowledge - solutions that others have come up with and have been successful with.

Many psychologists claim that vertical thinking is the opposite of lateral thinking, which can include wrong answers, various ways of doing things, and randomly jumping from one step to another. Neither method is right or wrong as there is always room for both and both can be useful.

Vertical thinking methods are essentially sequential in nature. You have to proceed step by step along a path. You can go from one step to the next in a messy way and then fill in the gap or allow the points to join in a pattern. You can jump straight to the conclusion and then reason about the path that got you there.

When a valid conclusion or result is reached, it does not matter much which path has been followed, whether it has been done by following the steps in their order or in other alternative ways.

Let's say we have to figure out how to climb a mountain. Vertical thinking moves up the mountainsides, usually from an obvious but tedious approach. Lateral thinking takes a helicopter to the top and then looks around for the best way to climb.

Characteristics of vertical thinking

Top-down thinking and certainly the entire educational system are based on the principle that one must not be wrong. The essence of logic is that one cannot proceed through a step that is not justified.

The fear of being wrong is the biggest barrier we can have when learning new ideas and methods. A step in a sequence may appear to be wrong when viewed from the present context, but once the step is performed, the context changes and it may then be viewed as successful.

The benefits of mistakes

Even a step that still seems wrong can help produce insights or insights that lead to a solution that might not otherwise be achieved.

Sometimes it may be necessary to go through the wrong area because only after that can the correct route be seen. Afterwards, the erroneous area is not included in the final path.

Once you break the barrier of being afraid of making mistakes, you begin to have access to all kinds of thoughts and ideas that would otherwise have been rejected too soon.

Idea creation

Some of these thoughts will change from being considered ridiculous at first to being considered useful. Others will still be considered ridiculous but can form the basis for creating other useful ideas. People usually try to avoid making mistakes when it comes to actions, but there is no reason to try to do everything right when we think.

The only time we need not to be wrong is when we reach conclusions, and even then we must be prepared to accept that we may be wrong.

Vertical thinking method

Most vertical thinking methods are very useful in areas like math and science. These matters imply very precise and objective truths that cannot be changed.

For example, someone who is trying to solve the mathematical operation (21 + 3 - 2 + 10 - 1) must think vertically, since these operations require the use of steps in a specific order.

If you try to solve this problem in the wrong order, the answer will be wrong. Instead, the individual must add and subtract the numbers in the correct order to get the answer of 31.

The same is usually true for scientific areas as well, as scientific concepts such as chemicals, time patterns, and body systems must fit together in a certain way for them to function or be understood properly.

There are many musicians who also use this way of thinking. Vertical thinking is often necessary for someone trying to compose a piece of music, especially when multiple voices and instruments are involved. A person who thinks vertically often imagines how the different instruments would sound together.

This is not to say that a person who thinks laterally cannot do this, it simply means that by thinking vertically, this task can be done faster and easier.

In contrast, many lyricists are lateral thinkers because their creative and provocative methods help them compose more interesting poetry.

Differences between vertical thinking vs lateral thinking

Lateral thinking is often seen as the opposite of vertical thinking. People who think laterally more often tend to have a more difficult time focusing on tasks that require steps that cannot be altered, but they also tend to produce interesting solutions to thorny problems.

Example of something lost

For example, a lateral thinker who does not find something that he is looking for in his house, will probably use for the same purpose something that looks like that object or fulfills a similar function. For his part, a vertical thinker, if he does not find the object, will go and ask his neighbor for one or go out to buy another one.

Neither situation is wrong; they are simply different. Both methods can produce a satisfactory result.

You cannot make a hole in a different location simply by digging deeper into the same hole. Vertical thinking takes care of digging deeper into the same hole. Lateral thinking takes care of digging the same hole elsewhere. The goal of both types of thinking is effectiveness.

Example of the shelf

Sometimes it is better to use vertical thinking combined with lateral thinking. For example, when assembling a shelf that comes in parts, the person who thinks vertically understands how to put the pieces together by following the steps precisely.

Let's imagine that the shelf does not fit quite well when all the pieces have been placed. This person would surely consider buying a new shelf.

The person who thinks sideways can try to assemble the pieces in a different way, in another order, skip the steps, adding a small piece… In other words, by working together, they can discover different ways to achieve the same result.

Vertical thinking has a logical approach

The vertical thinking methods are logical and their effectiveness is proven: the results are as desired. However, with lateral thinking, this approach is different: it seeks to approach a problem through methods that are not logical.

This does not mean that lateral thinking people make illogical decisions; They combine reasoning and imagination to arrive at the most appropriate solution. They use both critical and creative thinking skills to achieve the desired result.

However, they don't have to think that the solution they come up with is the only possible one, the one they will always use from then on; they always consider other possibilities.

Education and vertical thinking

Education has always focused exclusively on vertical thinking and continues to do so today. Techniques that require vertical thinking methods are taught in most subjects.

For example, in mathematics, solving a problem or equation always requires a sequence of steps whose order cannot be altered. In language, to do a syntactic analysis, steps are also followed.

Lateral thinking in education

Lateral thinking deals with the creation of new ideas, while, as we have explained before, vertical thinking deals with the development and use of the same ideas.

Education only teaches vertical thinking methods because lateral thinking has always seemed impossible to teach due to its non-methodical and freer nature.

It has been assumed that nothing can be done about generating new ideas other than waiting for them to emerge and then they could be developed with vertical thinking.

As a result of this attitude, the ability to think vertically is usually developed to a quite useful level, while the skills of lateral thinking remain poor.

The arrival of technology and the need for innovation

With the advent of computer technology, which will eventually take over completely the vertical thinking functions of the human mind, there has been an increasing emphasis on lateral thinking and the more creative aspects of the mind.

In addition, the increasing need for more ideas and the benefits of innovation, both in products and in methods, have focused attention on creative skills.

As a result, creativity has become fashionable and it is no longer heresy to assume that we can deliberately do things to encourage others to be creative. Maybe it doesn't take much more than enriching the environment in which creative activities can occur.

Because of all the attention being paid to it, creativity is in danger of becoming a dubious word of recognition. Increased interest in creativity has led to a wide variety of theories, most of them descriptive and based on empirical observations.

Many of these theories contain useful ideas, some of which are clothed with confusing and unnecessarily complex concepts that betray the empirical nature of the theories. The concept of creativity is becoming doubtful because the emphasis has shifted too much from the original attitude and definition.

conclusion

In real-world problem-solving situations, a combination of the two approaches usually produces the best results. Due to its rigid and structured nature, vertical thinking tends quite a bit not to include novelty in its methods, which is essential, for example, to find and apply innovative processes in business management.

It does not provide many opportunities to experiment and deviate from the established course. However, vertical thinking helps you use details at every step of the process.

On the other hand, lateral thinking could take more time when we want to solve a problem, since it involves making mistakes and learning from mistakes. When dealing with a problem, it is best to use both vertical and lateral methods, as they complement each other and can help you find the best solution.

Even when you are one hundred percent sure that vertical thinking can help you solve a problem, keep in mind that you are closing the doors to other solutions. It is always convenient to have more alternatives to a problem, so that you can choose the best one and find the most appropriate solution.