i'm not good at critical thinking

You Are Not a Good Critical Thinker

Even if you are, you’re not good enough. René Descartes said in his Discourse on Method ,

“The most widely shared thing in the world is good sense, for everyone thinks he is so well provided with it that even those who are the most difficult to satisfy in everything else do not usually desire to have more good sense than they have.”

We all think we’re good critical thinkers, that we’re not easily taken in by things and that we have enough sense to sort true things out from false and good arguments from bad. In the same way, everyone thinks they’re an above average driver. ((Iain A. McCormick, Frank H. Walkey, Dianne E. Green. “Comparative Perceptions of Driver Ability–A Confirmation and Expansion.” Accident Analysis & Prevention, Vol. 18, No. 3 (June 1986). pp 205-208)) But not everyone can be above average. That’s not how averages work, but as I said, we’re not good critical thinkers. Not by nature. We have to work at it.

Thinking critically means assessing beliefs and decisions with thorough examination, seeking out all of the available information, and ensuring that any conclusion reached is well-reasoned. It involves recognizing bias as it crops up and understanding logic and implication. A someone thinking critically understands how to evaluate evidence and what constitutes evidence. Engaging in critical thinking helps create better beliefs and better decisions, because they’re thoroughly considered and grounded in reason. Considering things critically helps us get at the truth more often.

• Self-assessment: As the driving study shows, human beings aren’t very good at judging their own progress. We rate ourselves higher or lower than we ought to most of the time when considering our skills, our knowledge, or just how well we did on tests. For example, here’s a graph from a study where Australian doctors assessed their own knowledge. ((Tracey, Jocelyn M. et al. “The Validity of General Practitioners’ Self-Assessment of their Knowledge: A Cross-Sectional Study.” BMJ, Vol 315 (Nov. 1997).    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2127907/pdf/9418092.pdf )) Notice that some of the doctors who did worst assessed them selves as doing great, and others who did well thought they did poorly. Achievement is no mark of good self-evaluation.
• Statistics and probability: We’re not good at judging odds, or understanding how statistics apply to the real world. Sure, most of us learn a bit of probability  and stats in high school math, but when it comes to assessing probability, how badly we want the thing is a bigger factor than we realize, ((Wright, W. F. & Bower, G. H. “Mood Effects on Subjective Probability Assessment” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Vol. 52, 1992. pp 276-291  http://www.kangsungan.pe.kr/upfiles/dissert/a09_21.pdf )) and with stats we’re not taught about appropriate sample sizes, how to consider outliers, or a lot of the other really important things about applying them in real life.
• Recognizing bias: If you take a look at the two studies I linked above (they’re short, only a couple of pages), you’ll notice that one of the common threads is that we don’t know when we’re making errors and exercising biases. While we’re often quick to recognize these in others sometimes, we’re not good at spotting it in ourselves.

I keep saying you’re not a good critical thinker, but the truth is, you might be. What I’m trying to get at is that you’re not good enough to avoid these kinds of things all the time. Neither am I. Neither are my professors, who have been doing this for a lot longer than I have. But thinking “I’m a good critical thinker” can lead us to rely on our good sense which, as you’ve seen, isn’t good enough, though you may have it in good supply. I think that, with regard to critical thinking, your worst enemy is the complacency which your own good sense engenders. Now that the formal logic posts are wrapping up, I’m going to move on to some critical thinking on Saturdays, starting with recognizing logical fallacies and moving on to other biases. Also, please let me know what you think of the footnoting.

Jim, so which is it? Am I a good critical thinker or am I not?

Frankly, I’m pretty sure that I’m not. And thank goodness for that. I’m not sure I would have the motivation to get up in the mornings if I were completely honest with myself. The truth is we all need some rose-coloured glasses (call it “optimism” if you will) in order to function.

And I definitely would never drive again if I knew just how bad a driver I probably am.

Why would not being a good critical thinker be demotivating? It’s just something to improve at, and we can do that through learning, like becoming familiar with common fallacies, or through technology, by taking the time to check sources and look up facts. We have tools that we’ve developed to help us deal with these things, like independent assessments, anonymous reviews, infographics and the like. I’m not arguing that critical thinking is impossible, merely that none of us is as good at it as we might like to believe, and that believing we have enough good sense to suss things out is a barrier to improving.

As for driving, if it’s a concern. why not learn to drive better? As someone who doesn’t know how to drive, I’m not really in a position to comment on anyone’s driving, but it seems like that’s the answer. You may not be in a position to assess yourself as a driver, but driving instructors certainly would be.

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Are you a good critical thinker?

ou may think that you are a pretty good critical thinker already. Well, you might be, and if so congratulations! But if you are like most people, what you are referring to as being a good critical thinker is different from what I am referring to. Sure, you may say you are constantly thinking and you are doing it effectively. Every single minute of the day you are thinking about what to do, how to do it, how to interpret the information you are presented with, how to parent your children, how to react to the things you were asked to do at work, and more. At this very moment you are likely thinking about whether what I’m saying makes sense.

Mental shortcuts and other flaws in reasoning result in the pervasive existence of fallacies, prejudices and biases in our thinking.

 The problem is that human thinking is often flawed. We have evolved certain mental shortcuts that were helpful to survive and have offspring when we lived in the African savannah. At that time a quick application of one of those mental shortcuts may have represented the difference between living another day or being some predator’s meal. But these mental shortcuts and other flaws in reasoning result in the pervasive existence of fallacies, prejudices and biases in our thinking. These flaws in thinking lead us to war, conflict between peoples or members of a family, frustration, and unnecessary pain and suffering.

To improve life for you and everyone around you you need to learn to overcome these mental shortcomings we are all born with. Being an unreflective thinker is a natural state for us, whereas becoming a critical thinker requires us to learn to think about our own thoughts. Critical thinking is not a natural state for our minds. We need to consciously work on it. You must not only discipline your thinking through an understanding of your own thought processes, but you must also practice that knowledge daily.

You may also feel you are very smart or you have three doctorate degrees and you don’t need anyone telling you how to become a better thinker. But in this case you would be confusing two very distinct concepts. First of all, intelligence and thinking skills are two different things. You may indeed have an IQ of 180 and still be a poor thinker. This is because thinking is a skill, something you learn and practice. Intelligence is something that may be innate in you, and perhaps through systematic practice you have developed more of it. To give you an analogy, you may have the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger and still be a terrible wrestler. That is because muscle size or strength is to wrestling skills what intelligence is to thinking skills. Also, you may be very smart and have a PhD in astrophysics and still be easily manipulated by a charismatic and possibly evil leader, for instance. Just look at what happened to the most intellectually advanced nation in Europe in the 1930s if you don’t believe me.

Thinking is a skill, something you learn and practice.

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Or, you may feel you do not pay attention to the news media, hate politics and ignore what politicians say, and only read reputable sources of information and so none of this matters to you. But even if you do not watch the news at all, you do not live in total isolation. You still one way or another hear what’s going on. You talk to friends or colleagues. You see the headlines in the newspapers as you walk by the magazine stand. Your phone brings up news alerts. In this day and age it’s very hard to really stay away from all this. And if you feel you are above being influenced by the content put out by the news media, TV, movies or Internet websites, think again. Almost all these sources are presenting a biased reality to its audience, while of course trying to persuade you they are neutral and unbiased. What you perceive of what’s going on, if you watch uncritically, is a reflection of what they want you to know. It may or may not be a true reflection of what is really important, or may or may not be an objective and unbiased perception of reality.

O ur goal at Thought Academy is to provide you with the information and tools you need to help you move from the position we all start at, that is, of unreflective thinkers, to one of strong critical thinking.

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“I’m Not Good at Anything”: 16 Tips To Push Past These Feelings

Last Updated: April 18, 2024 Fact Checked

Finding Your Strengths

What it feels like to “not be good at anything”, improving your confidence, expert interview.

This article was co-authored by Tracey Rogers, MA and by wikiHow staff writer, Ali Garbacz, B.A. . Tracey L. Rogers is a Certified Life Coach and Professional Astrologer based in Philadelphia. Tracey has over 10 years of life coaching and astrology experience. Her work has been featured on nationally syndicated radio, as well as online platforms such as Oprah.com. She is certified as a Coach by the Life Purpose Institute, and she has an MA in International Education from George Washington University. There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 10,017 times.

Thinking that you’re not good at anything can cause you to feel lost and like there aren’t many options out there for you. However, the reality is that you are pretty great at a lot of things—you just might not have found your unique strengths yet. Read on to learn what you can do to discover your skills and increase your confidence to help push past these negative thoughts. We’ll also dive into what might be causing these feelings of inferiority. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll be ready to take on the world with newfound confidence.

Things You Should Know

• Some ways to identify your strengths include reflecting on past performance, jobs, and hobbies, asking others what they think you’re good at, and trying new things.
• Improve your confidence by reframing mistakes as learning opportunities and creating goals that are both realistic and measurable.
• Thinking that you're not good at anything may be caused by low self-esteem, unrealistic expectations you’ve set for yourself, or people who overly criticize you.

• Some examples of positive traits are things like being friendly, empathetic, a good listener, creative, responsible, and enthusiastic.
• Some skills you might excel at include working in a team, writing, organizing, resolving conflicts, and adapting to changes.
• If you don’t feel like you’re good at anything and are trying to apply for a job, one tip is to highlight your soft skills. These are things like listening skills, communication skills, and empathy.

• This can be especially helpful if you’re trying to write a resume that highlights your best qualities.

• For example, look through your past resumes to see what you wrote down for your skills.
• Or, scan through your old report cards and see what subjects you excelled in. These might be the key to discovering a new passion and potential strength.

• Sign up for a course that interests you at your local community college.
• Watch video tutorials to learn a new hobby, such as drawing.
• Get a part-time job .
• Learn an instrument.
• Talk with different people about their interests and hobbies.

• For example, become a tutor for a subject you understand well and excel at.
• Or, volunteer through a local non-profit or charity.

• For example, an old performance review might reveal that you have really great interpersonal communication skills but can continue to improve your time management.
• Talk to others around you and get a second opinion on the feedback you’ve received. Feedback can be very subjective, so it never hurts to hear what others have to say about your strengths and areas that can be improved.

• Set specific goals for yourself that have actionable steps. When you give yourself a sense of direction, you’ll be more motivated to continue working hard.

Find your superpower and hone it. "My mentality has always been, If I'm not the best at something, then I might as well be the best at something else. I realized that I wasn't going to be an Olympic volleyball player, but I knew I could model at that level."

• For example, ask your friends or family members to teach you a new skill or tell them about things you want to learn to see if they can help.
• Another idea is to find a mentor who can teach you very specific skills for a job.

• You tell yourself things like, “I wish I were as pretty as her,” “Why can’t I do this as well as they did it?” and “I want their style.”
• Social media may also be a culprit in your feelings of self-doubt. It’s no secret that people tend to only boast about the highlights of their life, and you might find yourself constantly comparing your life to the glamorous things you see online.
• Remember: Everyone has something they’re good at. Just because you and another person don’t have the same strengths doesn’t mean you’re not good at anything.

• These insecure feelings can also lead to you blaming yourself automatically when things go wrong even if the situation is totally out of your control.
• You might also find yourself often thinking about your regrets and saying things like, “I wish I had done that” or “I really should’ve taken the chance when I had it.”
• Remember: Your “mistakes” and “failures” can become learning opportunities. If something doesn’t work out the first time, you can still always try again.

• For example, even if you’re at a job you don’t like, low self-esteem might prevent you from going out and finding a better job because you automatically assume you won’t be good at it.
• Remember: It’s highly unlikely you’ll be perfect at something on your first try. One of the best things about trying new things is that you get to learn along the way and improve your skills.

• Remember: There’s no one correct way to live your life, and everyone moves at their own pace. Even if it seems like everyone is running ahead and leaving you behind, remind yourself that you’re just moving at your own speed.

What causes you to think you're not good at anything?

• You might also find yourself degrading yourself in front of others or using humor to put yourself down, such as by saying things like, “Sorry, I’m just dumb” or “We all know I’m bad at this.”

• For example, entering a new job and expecting to pull off tasks perfectly right from day one is an unrealistic expectation.
• Or, telling yourself that you need to make everyone like you can just end up harming your self-esteem since the reality is that not everyone will always get along.

• For example, you might blame yourself for not doing something the way your boss wanted even though they never specified their wants.
• Or, you might blame yourself for things going wrong during a trip with your family even though there wasn’t really anything you could do.

• Unfortunately, you might feel very guilty or ashamed at not being able to meet others’ expectations, and this guilt can transform into self-deprecating thoughts like, “I’m not good at anything.”

• For example, caregivers who withheld affection and ignored a your emotional needs can make you feel like you’re not worthy in their eyes.

• Depression: Feelings of sadness and/or hopelessness, irritability, lack of energy, trouble concentrating [18] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
• Anxiety: Nervousness, panic, increased heart rate, sleeping issues [19] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
• Bipolar disorder: Manic episodes followed by hypomanic or major depressive episodes [20] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source

• Instead, compete against yourself and do some self-comparison. For example, compare your past and present self to see how much you’ve grown and changed. The only person you should compare yourself to is yourself!
• Take a break from social media . Seeing everyone’s posts on Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter can make it hard to stop comparing yourself, especially when they only post the best parts of their lives.

• For example, if you made a mistake at work, take responsibility for it, then review what happened to see what you can improve for next time.
• Also be sure to point out the things you did well. Even when you make a mistake, there are still things you likely did well that will continue to help you next time.

• One tip is to set SMART goals which are specific, measurable, attainable (realistic), relevant, and time-bound.
• Specific: I want to write a novel.
• Measurable: I’ll write at least 1,500 words a day for 3 months.
• Attainable: I’m on summer vacation, so I’ll have time to write each day.
• Relevant: I really enjoy reading and writing and have a good idea for a story.
• Time-bound: I’ll start in late May and finish my first draft by August.

• For example, when you’re working on a project, reward yourself with a break or treat when you complete each section to keep yourself motivated.
• Reward yourself for the small accomplishments throughout the day as well, such as parking your car successfully, doing a load of laundry, or calling to set up an appointment.

• One idea is to keep a journal where you can write down your feelings and experiences. This will give you an opportunity to review the situation again and work through your honest thoughts and feelings.
• Confide in others and ask for their advice when you’re having trouble. Sometimes an outside opinion can help you see the situation from another perspective.

• Use positive affirmations to raise your self-confidence. Tell yourself things like, “I am strong,” “I am capable,” and “I can do anything I set my mind to” every day to give yourself encouragement.
• Avoid automatically making assumptions about yourself and others. For example, don’t automatically assume that you won’t be good at something or that someone won’t like you. Give everything a chance before you make your decision.

• Another idea is to join organizations and community groups that include people who have similar interests as you so that you can encourage and motivate each other.
• For example, if you enjoy running, find a group of fellow runners in your neighborhood.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about astrology, check out our in-depth interview with Tracey Rogers, MA .

• ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/12942-fostering-a-positive-self-image
• ↑ https://hbr.org/2011/11/five-steps-to-assess-your-strengths
• ↑ https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/being-confident-in-your-skills-how-to-recognise-what-you-are-good-at/
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-for-happiness/202206/how-to-overcome-feeling-inadequate
• ↑ https://psychcentral.com/health/feeling-like-a-failure
• ↑ https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/insecurity
• ↑ https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/self-esteem
• ↑ https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/self-esteem
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-at-any-age/201507/why-we-feel-insecure-and-how-we-can-stop
• ↑ https://psychcentral.com/health/feeling-like-a-failure#ways-to-cope
• ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007
• ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961
• ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355955
• ↑ https://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/counseling-center/top-concerns/what-is-self-confidence.aspx
• ↑ https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/09/relationships-self-esteem

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Copyblogger

How Good Are Your Critical Thinking Skills?

If you can’t think critically, you can’t think creatively. And if you can’t think creatively, you can’t produce compelling content and copy.

To think creatively, we need to step outside the framework of what we see or hear. We have to observe, ask questions and analyze so that we can open up new thoughts and ideas on old matters or commonly-accepted arguments.

Just what is critical thinking? It generally means analyzing statements and determining their validity in support of a conclusion.

Here’s a great example of critical thinking that led to creative exploration :

Some fool once said, “The earth is round!” People shot down that conclusion without even looking at the supporting premises. “Of course it isn’t,” they shouted back. “That makes no sense!” Others tried to refute the claims. “The Earth can’t be round,” they put forth. “The ground is flat. See?”

But the believer pointed out that there was a slight curve to the horizon. The world wasn’t flat. He set aside his biases and opened his mind to analyzing what he’d been told all his life. Why should he believe it? What made it true? What made it false?

He asked questions and demanded proof. He examined the arguments of authorities who made sweeping statements and claims that didn’t hold water. This round-world believer didn’t just refute what others said. He brought up premises to support his own ideas.

He was thinking creatively , and then he took world-changing action after critically evaluating his innovative idea.

Critical thinking and creative thinking go hand in hand. Creative thinking means generating ideas and processes; critical thinking evaluates those thoughts, allowing for rational decision.

So how do you think critically to think more creatively? Here are a few quick tips:

Little Details Matter

Pay attention to words like ‘may’, ‘can’, and ‘will’. There’s a huge difference between something that will [insert marvelous benefit here] and something that might do the same. Never accept anything at face value.

Question the Authorities

If a piece of content quotes an expert to help support the argument or conclusion, ask questions. What qualifies the individual to give advice? What credentials does the person have to make claims? Why is he or she an authority on the subject?

Sweeping Away Statements

Over-generalization usually discredits an argument’s validity from the get-go. Knock down sentences that use words like ‘all’ and ‘everyone’. Not all people do, and not everyone knows. More careful wording such as ‘most’ and ‘some’ pass muster more easily.

Scarecrows and Straw Men

Watch out for fallacies. Fallacies are the tricky smoke and mirrors that divert attention from true critical thinking. There are a ton of fallacies , all built to deflect, detract, divert and discredit arguments without really doing so.

Let Down Your Guard

One of the biggest obstacles to creative thinking is bias, also the enemy of critical thinking. Your values, emotions, desires and experiences influence your beliefs and your ability to have an open mind. Set them aside and take the time to ponder information you receive wholeheartedly.

A last note: Be prepared to accept that someone’s arguments are true. Debating validity can be fun; it doesn’t always mean that you’re right. The guy with the ship and the crazy ideas about a round earth went the extra mile (literally) to test his theories. He sought proof for his own ideas and was prepared to face failure (so we assume).

But the explorer had thought long and hard about a creative idea . He wasn’t acting on a whim. He’d applied plenty of critical thinking before sailing out to discover that yes, indeed, the Earth truly is round.

James Chartrand

If you want to train for better writing skills (and a better business), check out the Damn Fine Words writing course . Designed to bring you business results and brought to you by professional writer James Chartrand of Men with Pens, it's guaranteed to help you reach your goals.

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Reader Interactions

Reader comments (40).

September 29, 2008 at 1:51 am

Thinking is just asking and answering questions. Ask better questions and you’ll get better answers. It’s a key part of critical thinking.

One of the best way to improve your questions is to ask questions based on categories (what, why, how … etc.) For example, when you have a meeting, you can ask – do we have the right people? … is now the right time? … are we focused on the right problem? … what do we want to accomplish.

September 29, 2008 at 3:51 am

The most creative and innovative thoughts in history came by questioning our most fundamental beliefs. Great post, I’ll try to apply these pints in my daily routine.

September 29, 2008 at 4:28 am

One of the best ways I have discovered to encourage creative thinking is to cast my mind to the Universe and ask, what’s the wildest thing that can possibly bounce back?

The ideas that fall in between that extreme and my current thoughts generally imbue that added edge.

Data points, Barbara

September 29, 2008 at 5:15 am

I find a good tactic to use is to note when you are violently opposed to an idea or a suggestion, if you’re sufficiently self-aware you will be able to spot these moments and really reflect on why you are so violently opposed. This doesn’t mean that you automatically subscribe to the idea, but you do give it due consideration. If it still has no merit in your eyes after you critically examine it, you can continue to violently oppose it. Of course this only works as a responsive critical thinking technique, it will not help you when it comes to coming up with original concepts and ideas of your own.

September 29, 2008 at 6:18 am

Hi there, I very much enjoy your copybloging. Particularly the one on Creative & Critical thinking. At 84 years old I started writing on a blog my son set up for me 6 months ago. I!m not a trained writer, but love writing.I enjoy reading anything that makes me stop and think and reading your copybloging frequently does.wondered what an expert like you would say about a novice writer like me. In six months I have almost 100 articles posted & type with 2 fingers. I would be so grateful if you checked me out atoctogenariansblog.com and left a comment. Thanks Anne Cleveland

September 29, 2008 at 8:06 am

Good Morning James,

Great thought provoking article. That is what gets my creative juices flowing – thought provoking theories. Questions to contemplate. I would rather “chew” on something for awhile and really expand on the possibilities. And you are so right about the words people choose. It is amazing how people usually hear what they want to hear not what was said!

September 29, 2008 at 9:00 am

You have to come up with tough questions and work hard to answer them. That’s what a lot of critical thinking is.

Craig http://www.budgetpulse.com

September 29, 2008 at 9:03 am

This is a great article! I’m the senior web developer and graphics designer for a company here where I live, so I have to think creatively and outside the box when it comes to standing out from the crowd.

But I also play another role in our company and that is one of the project developers. I play one of the lead roles in coming up with creative ways for a new product we’re working on to work differently than our competitors and go against the way everyone does it.

As far as feedback goes, so far, this product is all the talk amongst our target market and is growing virally.

You have some realy great tips on helping someone to think outside of the box.

September 29, 2008 at 9:07 am

Great post. Critical Thinking many times can be a revealer–it can reveal what needs to be adjusted-and what could be better. bravo! This is right on.

September 29, 2008 at 9:36 am

I try to bifurcate the critical and creative thinking process as much as possible. Creative thinking is all about numbers, the more ideas you produce the higher the probability of having a successful idea. The number of ideas you generate plummets when you allow critical thinking and creative thinking to take place in tandem.

Instead of this: Idea -> Evaluate Idea -> Evaluate Idea -> Evaluate

Do this: Idea -> Idea -> Idea -> Idea -> Idea -> Evaluate

I come up with as many ideas as I can and don’t think about why they may fail. I then take all of the ideas and evaluate each on their own merit.

September 29, 2008 at 9:40 am

I think that dude who said the earth was round got into some trouble for that with the authorities, if I remember correctly. Be prepared for your critical thinking to get you in trouble, too, when your conclusions go against commonly held beliefs.

September 29, 2008 at 10:18 am

I’m a little nervous in reading this superbly written post, in that so much of the qualities suggested seem innate. I wonder how much a person can actually train themselves to question authorities, test accepted wisdom for fallacies and yet still be confident enough to let down one’s guard.

September 29, 2008 at 10:38 am

@Ted Murphy. Your system is called “brainstorming”, Ted, and has been around for several decades. And you’ve got it right!

@Michael Martine. If I recall my history correctly, by the time Chris got around to scamming Isabella out of her jewels, it was pretty much accepted that the earth was round. Although the first folks to come up with the idea did, indeed, suffer greatly for it, which supports your conclusion.

For instance, suppose you come up with a blog that shows that the concept of Global Warming is “full of it” (it IS, by the way). How much of a firestorm do you think you could spark. Probably as much as if you espoused “global warming” back in the 60’s when “global cooling” was the disaster de jeure.

“If everyone knows such-and-such, it probably isn’t true” -Lazarus Long

September 29, 2008 at 10:45 am

The idea that critical thinking is about sweeping aside past generalizations, and considering any and all possible paths/explanations/ideas should resonate deeply with all creative folks in particular. As a writer, we’re inundated with ideas of what will make it in our career, in our media-crazy world. We have to look outside these rules. Rebel. Only then can something great commence.

September 29, 2008 at 11:38 am

I was thinking of Galileo. Different thing altogether. Never mind. More coffee…

September 29, 2008 at 11:52 am

It is hard not to be biased with anything. However, it will really help you out if you begin not to be biased when you are critically thinking. Too many times we all let our emotions get in the way kind of like a lot of people do when they are trying to pick someone to be our president. What we actually should do is pick someone we know will just do a good job and not let our emotions get in the way.

So we all need to learn to not let our emotions get in the way. I know I have had to work really hard to do that but once you do your thinking process is so much more clear.

September 29, 2008 at 3:50 pm

Please ignore the man behind the curtain.

September 29, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Interesting post. However, your references to Christopher Columbus are incorrect — he was actually wrong, and the people who tried to stop him going were right.

Everyone in that period in history believe the world was round, and had done for some time (it was later Victorian historians who convinced us otherwise). People even had an accurate idea of how large the world was.

Columbus had the mistaken idea that the world was much smaller than it was; the powers that were knew it was much too large for him to be able to reach the Orient by sailing west. What neither of them knew was that there was an intervening land mass in the way, which kind of saved the day all round really. There’s a great treatment of all this in an essay by Umberto Echo in his collection “Serendipities” if you’re interested.

Having said that, your argument still stands, of course!

September 29, 2008 at 5:19 pm

@ Rob – I didn’t mention Christopher Columbus because there is controversy about who did what when and I wasn’t getting into *that* argument. But I do know that someone in a boat set out to discover a round world at some point!

September 29, 2008 at 10:57 pm

My favorite critical thinking question is “Why told you that and why do you believe it?” Asking that question is an amazingly useful mental habit to develop.

September 30, 2008 at 4:12 am

Creative Thinking is important. so always question everything that someone else is telling.

September 30, 2008 at 9:03 am

Reasoning is the foundation of persuasion — after all, copy is one long argument. The most important step of my entire writing, marketing, fill-in-the-blank was competitive high-school debate. Learning to think makes life so much easier. 😉

I’m actually in the middle of an article on the forgotten art of rationality. It should prove to be interesting.

September 30, 2008 at 9:28 am

I’m impressed with the way, you explained your point. hats off to you James …

Mudassir, http://www.richappsconsulting.com

September 30, 2008 at 11:34 am

its funny because people only want to believe what they want to. As a philospher, I know that anything is possible. Who would have ever known that gravity exists? Or that the earth is round instead of flat unless someone use some common sense and critical thinking skills? One time, I mentioned a theory and people automatically shot it down without investigating or analyzing the situation.

If everyone would use critical thinking skills, the world would be a better place! 🙂

January 18, 2011 at 9:56 am

Just to counter you a bit Sajae… you said that “anything is possible.” That’s not true. Just like the article said, be wary of making sweeping statments such as that. There are physical laws that dictate us in this universe, therefore some things are possible and some things are not possible.

…and there are some things whose possibilities that we have yet to discover yet…

October 9, 2008 at 9:09 am

@Ted – thanks for the new meme.

@ Anne Cleveland – wow! you are an inspiration.

Other question hints: Eliminate “why” since it sets up a defensive response.

Use “Tell me about” to expand information.

October 12, 2008 at 6:39 am

Sometimes when problems arise at a meeting I propose solutions that are totally opposed or different to those on the table. I guess I play the role of the devil’s advocate. I find these “What if?” scenarios make me people think and question existing habits.

May 13, 2009 at 11:41 am

What I don’t feel from reading some views is that there is no understanding that this is a SKILL and not a way to look upon and question the authorities upon. As a student taking a AS level in Critical Thinking, there is a lot more to critical thinking than what is posted on the site. There are many complications that follow after looking past the APPEALS TO AUTHORITY or the WEAKNESSES IN EVIDENCE. It is really about peeling away what is the flaws in the argument and then making your own conclusion on whether the argument is good or not. Just looking at the appeals and flaws are not enough though. You have to look at other parts in the argument also such as hypothetical evidence, analogies and even the assumptions that the reader has to make for the argument to work as a whole. The article is very good but those are only the basics. The rest of Critical Thinking is A LOT more on top. Tom F. aged 15

November 20, 2009 at 1:06 pm

I liked Tom’s reference to the rest of the iceberg of critical thinking. Many people are confused by creative and critical thinking or see them as being exclusive. I was very pleased to come across a blog entry that understands their interdependence. I think one of the hardest components of critical thinking is the analysis. The part where you are trying to understand what is going on WITHOUT drawing any judgments. If you can do this well, your judgments about what is relevant or accurate or important or whatever will be much more complete.

December 25, 2010 at 9:35 am

Creativity is the encounter of the intensively conscious human being with his world. Critical thinking as “reasonable, reflective that is focused on deciding what to believe or do…Thinking is “reasonable” when the thinker strives to analyze carefully, looks for valid evidence, and reaches sound conclusions.

This article's comments are closed.

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You Probably Aren’t as Good at Critical Thinking as You Think

From national politicians to our high school acquaintances on Facebook, many of the people we encounter every day spread fake news stories, pseudoscience, or the latest scam without batting an eye. The ability to determine whether or not this information is false is called critical thinking — and it’s in high demand in today’s workforce.

Unfortunately, it’s also in short supply.

This past May, MindEdge Learning    tested   the critical thinking skills of more than 1,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 31. While 59 percent of the participants were confident of their critical thinking skills, 52 percent of participants failed the test.

“The large gap between confidence and performance suggests that for many young professionals, critical thinking and digital literacy represent a potentially serious problem,” says Frank Connolly, director of communications and research at MindEdge. “What’s so serious is that a lot of these young people don’t know what they don’t know. They lack basic awareness about their own strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps that’s because, as digital natives who’ve pretty much grown up online, they have supreme confidence in their own online skills. But that confidence is, at least in this instance, badly misplaced. And if these young people don’t realize they’ve got a problem with critical thinking and digital literacy, how are they ever going to fix it?”

Identifying the Source

First, let’s make something clear: Not everything on the internet is true. There’s a lot of fake information out there, and a lot of bots and people dedicated to spreading it. In fact, a recent study shows that 38 percent of statistics are simply made up on the spot.

The previous statistic was made up on the spot by the writer of this article, but you may have been ready to believe it. Fake information is easy to propagate, and a workforce that lacks the ability to distinguish real information from false information could signify a serious problem for corporate America — especially if the problem isn’t limited to young professionals who are still developing in their careers.

“We don’t know if older people have these same problems with identifying false online content; it’s possible that older folks would fare just as poorly on our quiz,” Connolly notes. “But it’s also possible that young people, who’ve grown up in an era when information is instantly available, have less patience with the process of gathering information, are less inclined to think of looking at multiple sources, and are generally less skeptical by nature because of how they’ve grown up. That’s a question we intend to pursue in our future research.”

As a capitalist society, we have a tendency to push young people into the workforce so that they can produce and contribute. Because of this, many business programs are cutting out non-business classes from the curriculum, such as literature, philosophy, and art — classes that have generally been understood to teach critical thinking skills.

“On the question of whether colleges and universities need to maintain liberal arts requirements to foster critical thinking: It would be nice, but it’s probably not necessary,” Connolly says. “Critical thinking can be taught broadly as an academic discipline, but if we’re talking about critical thinking as it applies to online content, that’s a narrower issue. It’s really a set of habits: be skeptical, ask questions, use multiple sources, double-check everything. Colleges and universities definitely need to be emphasizing those skills and those habits, whether in liberal arts courses or other types of courses.”

Self-Analysis Is Hard

If you can’t think critically, you can’t properly analyze your own behavior or the behavior of others. It’s no surprise, then, that survey respondents were woefully overconfident of not only their own soft skills, but also those of their peers, with 75 percent of respondents saying that their peers were equally as well-trained in terms of critical thinking and other skills.

“On one level, it shouldn’t be a surprise that a lot of people seem overly confident of their critical thinking skills,” Connolly says. “But regardless of the specific numbers, it’s obviously a widespread problem, and it’s potentially more serious because so many people don’t even realize they have a problem. Increasing self-awareness among young people is obviously important, but it’s just as important that employers be aware of this issue, too, and be prepared to invest in training  their new employees in critical thinking skills.”

Even if the nation’s education system vowed to tackle this problem tomorrow, the results would take years to show. It’s up to businesses to offer training in the soft skills they want their employees to have. The good news: 87 percent of the participants in MindEdge’s study said soft skills can be taught, which means most young workers would be open to just such training.

“If businesses are truly concerned about their employees’ critical thinking skills, they should consider investing in training that focuses specifically on critical thinking and digital literacy,” Connolly says. “We think that young employees would be receptive to that, and that the investment would pay off for both employers and employees.”

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Perfectionism Is a Trap. Here’s How to Escape.

Perfectionism among young people has skyrocketed, but experts say there are ways to quiet your inner critic.

By Christina Caron

Yuxin Sun, a psychologist in Seattle, sees a lot of clients at her group practice who insist they aren’t perfectionists. “‘Oh, I’m not perfect. I’m far from perfect,’” they tell her.

But perfectionism isn’t about being the best at any given pursuit, Dr. Sun said, “it’s the feeling of never arriving to that place, never feeling good enough, never feeling adequate.” And that can make for a harsh internal voice that belittles and chastises us.

Perfectionism is so pervasive that there’s a test to measure it: the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. When researchers looked at how college students have responded to the scale’s questions over time, they found that rates of perfectionism surged in recent decades, skyrocketing between 2006 and 2022.

Thomas Curran, an associate professor of psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science who led the analysis, said the type of perfectionism with the steepest rise — socially prescribed perfectionism — was rooted in the belief that others expect you to be perfect. Today’s young person is more likely to score much higher on this measure than someone who took the test decades ago. There could be a number of causes for the uptick: increasing parental expectations, school pressures, the ubiquity of social media influencers and advertising.

The feeling of not being good enough or that “my current life circumstances are inadequate or not sufficient” has created an “unrelenting treadmill,” Dr. Curran said, where there is “no joy in success and lots of self-criticism.”

Regardless of whether you consider yourself a perfectionist, experts say there are a number of small things you can try to keep your inner critic in check.

Get some distance from your thoughts.

Ethan Kross, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and the author of “Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why it Matters and How to Harness It,” said a process called distancing is his “first line of defense” against negative thoughts.

Distancing is a way of zooming out on our inner chatter to engage with it differently. If you’re agonizing over something in the middle of the night, for example, that’s a cue to “jump into the mental time-travel machine,” he said.

Begin by imagining: “How are you going to feel about this tomorrow morning?” Anxieties often seem less severe in the light of day.

The time period could also be further into the future. Will the fact that you stumbled a few times during your big presentation today truly matter three months from now?

Another way to practice distancing is to avoid first-person language when thinking about something that upsets you.

Instead of saying: “I cannot believe I made that mistake. It was so stupid of me,” someone might gain a new perspective by saying: “Christina, you made a mistake. You’re feeling bad about it right now. But you aren’t going to feel that way forever. And your mistake is something that has happened to a lot of other people.”

In Dr. Kross’s research , he found that when people used the word “you” or their own name instead of saying “I,” and started observing their feelings as though they were an impartial bystander, it “was like flipping a switch.” It resulted in an internal dialogue that was more constructive and positive than that of the people who spoke to themselves in the first-person. A number of studies have reported similar benefits to assuming a more detached point of view.

Accept what’s good enough.

Dr. Curran, who writes about his own struggles in his book “The Perfection Trap,” explained that he has worked to embrace “good enough” over perfectionism and its accompanying negative thoughts.

With perfectionism it can feel as though nothing is ever “enough.” Accepting what’s “good enough” requires letting go, Dr. Curran said. Working nights, weekends and holidays had become part of his identity, but after the birth of his son he scaled back his hours, which became “liberating.”

His decisions in the past were driven by an anxious need to better himself, he added. Now, when thinking about how to spend his time, he tries to focus on the things that bring him joy, purpose and meaning.

It’s a philosophy that’s shared by the Canadian physician and trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté, who said on a recent podcast that the feeling of being legitimate or worthy needs to come from within, lest people “sacrifice their playfulness, their joyfulness” for external validation.

Practice self-compassion.

In general, perfectionism is usually a survival strategy — it’s “like an armor that you wear” to feel less vulnerable, Dr. Sun said. So don’t beat yourself up for having perfectionist tendencies, she added.

But if that armor is weighing you down, it may be time to thank your perfectionism for its service and move on, much like the home organizer Marie Kondo does when discarding possessions, Dr. Sun said.

“Maybe you can take off the arms first,” she said, then work on taking off the metaphorical legs. You might want to seek out a mental health professional to help with the process.

“A lot of times I work with people on building that internal safety,” which is the ability to give yourself the validation you need to feel calm and at peace, Dr. Sun said, so that one day they can say to themselves: “I accept the way I am today, versus the way that I’m ‘supposed’ to be.”

Christina Caron is a Times reporter covering mental health. More about Christina Caron

5 Tips for Critical Thinking

What can you do to think critically in day-to-day situations.

Posted November 3, 2017 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

Recently, I was delighted to have had the opportunity to celebrate the launch of my book, Critical Thinking: Conceptual Perspectives & Practical Guidelines , with family, friends, and colleagues. Apart from ‘ thank yous ’ and a brief account of how the book came to be, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to say about Critical Thinking (CT).

I decided to delve into what I get asked most about critical thinking by students; that being, "What can I do to critically think better in day-to-day situations?" I generally have five such tips, and I thought that readers of this blog would also enjoy them:

1. Save your critical thinking for things that matter, things you care about.

CT is necessary when you care about your decisions or when the consequence of a decision is impactful. According to Jean Paul Sartre, every time an individual acts, they are making a choice to commit that act as opposed to not acting, or acting in an alternative manner. With that in mind, if we were to think critically about every single decision we make, we would be mentally exhausted before we even got to work.

Each and every day is filled with thousands of potential decisions. For example, in 2003, a famous coffee chain boasted a possibility of over 19,000 beverage combinations. Though most of the time we choose based on habituation or other automatic processes (Bargh, 2002)—that is, we remain reinforced by successful choices made in the past—at other times, novel and/or considered choices are necessary.

Such auto-pilot thinking is an evolutionary advantage, it helps us stave off decision fatigue (i.e. the decreased accuracy and/or quality of processing in decision-making or self-regulation as a result of the amount of previous engagement with problem situations that required decisions or judgments; Baumeister, 2003) and it serves us well most of the time.

However, this automatic thinking is a disadvantage, cognitively speaking, when we depend on it too much, particularly in cases where you go with your gut regarding things you care about. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter what type of coffee you get; however, if you were to buy a new car—obviously, you will care about your decision a little bit more—a case in which critical thinking is necessary. The point is, save your cognitive energy and your critical thinking for things that matter.

2. Do it in the morning.

The second tip begins with a question: Are you a night owl? That is, do you accomplish your best work at night?

If you answered yes, then whether you realize it or not, you’re lying to yourself. No one does their best work at night unless, of course, you wake up in the evening. Decision fatigue is, again, the reason for this. People expend their cognitive energy on decisions throughout the day, leading to a higher chance of poor decisions as the load accumulates (Danziger et al., 2011) such as at night. Thus, to avoid the cognitive load associated with decision fatigue, make sure to complete the work that matters most in the morning!

3. Take a step back.

I once had a great conversation with a colleague about people who get so good at critical thinking that they no longer have to trudge through it in a step-by-step sequence (i.e. analysis, evaluation, inference). They get so good at critically thinking about overcoming problems, that it becomes almost automatic. However, being so good at it that it becomes this way renders it non-critical. Remember, if thinking is automatic, then it’s not critical.

So, in order to overcome this problem, we must engage a very important aspect of critical thinking known as reflective judgment . From an epistemological standpoint, a formal description of reflective judgment is the recognition of limited knowledge and how this uncertainty can affect decision-making processes (King & Kitchener, 1994). Simply, it’s taking a step back and thinking about the argument or problem a little bit longer.

Recent research indicates that delaying a decision by even a 10th of a second significantly increases decision accuracy (Teichert, Ferrera & Grinband, 2014). I’m not saying that a 10th of a second will help you solve all your problems, but if you are to critically think about something and if you care about your decision, it is vital to take your time in developing or inferring a solution or conclusion. So, no matter how good at critical thinking one becomes, I always urge individuals to ensure that they take that "reflective step back."

4. Play Devil’s Advocate.

Our gut is always going to offer its opinion. In psychology, we often refer to this gut feeling as system 1 thinking or intuition . Whatever you want to call it, we can’t turn it off. Our intuition is always going to tell us what it thinks we should do. This instruction, of course, is going to be biased, reinforced by similar experiences or choices in the past. In the context of critical thinking, a good way of learning to overcome this bias and, likewise, the auto-pilot processing of our gut is through playing Devil’s Advocate ; and by that, I mean truly considering alternatives.

This is best exemplified by what I call the Magic Number 8 . Cognitive psychologists will be familiar with Miller’s (1956) Magic Number 7 (+/- 2) , but in critical thinking, the Magic Number 8 refers to searching for and identifying at least eight of the most compelling pieces of evidence (four for and four against a particular perspective). Searching for the Magic Number 8 is a great way of overcoming cherry-picking evidence from biased searches.

5. Leave emotion at the door.

When I teach CT, I often present a series of arguments regarding whether or not someone should buy a dog. One of those arguments is that "Dogs are quite vicious." As an exercise, I have students develop reasons and objections for the claim. One year, a student raised his hand and in quite an assertive manner, stated that this claim was nonsense and that no dogs are vicious. I put this statement to the test and asked the class had anyone ever been bitten by a dog. I was actually surprised to see about 40 percent of the 150-student class raise their hands. Of course, this could have been a statistical anomaly and is by no means the point. All I needed was for one student to raise their hand to make my point.

I asked those who did raise their hands if they thought dogs could be vicious. They all nodded in agreement. The student in question responded that he didn’t care about this; he owned eight dogs and all of them were lovely creatures and would never harm anyone. As I’m sure you’ve realized, his experience was irrelevant, because a sample size of one is not sufficient. What happened was that his experience and his emotions got in the way of his thinking.

In a similar example (mentioned before in a previous post ), I use the common adage "Dogs are man’s best friend." A few years back, I changed the proposition to "Dogs are people’s best friend." This change is subtle, but also makes an important point about CT. Again, I used to teach this example as "Dogs are man’s best friend," but in one class, upon asking a question about the argument, a student raised her hand immediately. I called on her but instead of answering the question posed to her, she complained about the adage, claiming that it was wrong of me to suggest such a thing—dogs could just as easily be "woman’s best friend."

I explained that I didn’t have a problem with that perspective, but "woman" would be included in this context, as "man" is referring to "mankind" as opposed to specifically males. The student responded that she didn’t care what was intended or implied, that it was sexist against women and that it should be amended at once, perhaps to "Dogs are people’s best friend." I have since done as she asked and amended this particular exercise, however, not for the reason she gave but rather as a reminder. If we want to be able to think critically, we must remove our emotions from our thinking; a perspective consistent with a large body of research on the negative impact of emotion on decision-making (e.g. Kahneman and Frederick, 2002; Slovic et al., 2002; Strack, Martin, and Schwarz, 1988).

As you have probably guessed (and perhaps observed in my previous posts), there are many more than just five "rules" for critical thinking. However, these are the five tips I find most useful for everyday situations, given that these rules are among those most frequently broken. We will be sure to consider some more of these broad tips in the future; but for now, if you are playing Devil’s Advocate, in the morning, only about things you care about, while taking a step back and leaving your emotions out of it, then you’re probably on the right track to quality critical thinking.

Bargh, J. A. (2002). Losing consciousness: Automatic influences on consumer judgment, behavior, and motivation. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(2), 280-285.

Baumeister, R. (2003). The psychology of irrationality: Why people make foolish, self-defeating choices. The Psychology of Economic Decisions, 1, 3-16.

Danziger, S., Levav, J., & Avnaim-Pesso, L. (2011). Extraneous factors in judicial decisions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(17), 6889-6892.

Kahneman, D. & Frederick, S. (2002). Representativeness revisited: Attribute substitution in intuitive judgment. In T. Gilovich, D. Griffin & D. Kahneman (Eds), Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment, 49-81. New York: Cambridge University Press.

King, P. M., & Kitchener, K. S. (1994). Developing reflective judgment: Understanding and promoting intellectual growth and critical thinking in adolescents and adults. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Miller, G.A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. The Psychological Review, 63, 814-97.

Slovic, P., Finucane, M., Peters, E., & MacGregor, D. G. (2002). Rational actors or rational fools: Implications of the affect heuristic for behavioral economics. The Journal of Socio-Economics, 31(4), 329-342.

Strack, F., Martin, L. L., & Schwarz, N. (1988). Priming and communication: Social determinants of information use in judgments of life satisfaction. European Journal of Social Psychology, 18, 5, 429-442.

Teichert, T., Ferrera, V. P., & Grinband, J. (2014). Humans optimize decision-making by delaying decision onset. PloS one, 9(3), e89638.

Christopher Dwyer, Ph.D., is a lecturer at the Technological University of the Shannon in Athlone, Ireland.

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