By: Dr. Tarek Alghannam

Thinking is a complex intellectual process that is too difficult to be defined, as difficult as its hidden content, even though it can be said: "It is an invisible and intangible automatic brain activity that characterizes one person from another."

It can also be said that there are ways of thinking that we might find ourselves, whether intentionally or unintentionally, adopting one of them.

There are some people whose thinking is mainly innovative; they move from an idea to another and finally reach an innovative one, like the one who tries to cross a small stream by throwing a big stone into the water and places his foot on it to get him to the other side.

An innovator is a person who uses an interesting idea to come up with another one, he is the one who tells you where to go. The innovator goes beyond the judgments of mind that might hinder him, and also, he proves that the existing solutions are not the only available ones, rather there are other solutions.

He is in contrast to the rational person who tells you what you should or shouldn't do according to logic.

The innovator is the one looking for alternatives.

While there are some people whose thinking is mainly critical and highlighting the negatives. He is not always a bad person as long as his intention is good. The critical thinking that is based on facts highlights things in all their aspects.

However, some people abuse critical thinking when their intention is not good; they seek rapid superiority, or personal interests to the detriment of the public interest, or to the detriment of others; so, he expresses criticism in order to draw attention without being honest, or respecting the rules of criticism dictated by law, morality or decency.

However, in our time, many thinkers favor critical thinking as it is the easiest way to gain the attention of others without hardship or effort, unlike constructive thinking that takes effort and time.

Contrary to the above, some consider that the impartial absolute facts, which are separate from adding any meaning, are the most correct method of thinking since facts and information will inevitably reach objective and abstract results. They don’t adopt critical or innovative thinking unless it comes automatically from facts. They consider that consistent information or facts are sufficient to reach the desired results. There is no doubt that this approach is distinguished compared to others.

And some other people believe that thinking can only be associated with emotion and feelings, since emotion is a common denominator of human holistic thinking, and cannot be ignored, but it is noted that people who adopt this approach tend to assume when they deal with others, as emotion when associated by thought is a powerful reason for the birth of an event or assumption.

Finally, some people tend to abstract positive ideas from negative events, it is a tendency that reflects the intelligence of those who adopt such a tendency. As they see the unclear aspects that others don't pay attention to.

However, each of us has his own way of thinking; but the fact is that we can think in all the ways mentioned before, but we often tend to one of them and take it as an approach of thinking. The things in which we have choices constitute a force, though, this force can be harnessed according to our thoughts.

If we determine to change this approach that we accepted for ourselves in our way of thinking, it will not be easy, but it is often preceded by confusion and doubt. It is said: Crises make achievements.