Abstract Thinking
Abstract thinking is the ability to think about objects, principles, and ideas that are not physically present. It is related to symbolic thinking, which uses the substitution of a symbol for an object or idea.
What Is Abstract Thinking?
A variety of everyday behaviors constitute abstract thinking. These include:
- Using metaphors and analogies
- Understanding relationships between verbal and nonverbal ideas
- Spatial reasoning and mentally manipulating and rotating objects
- Complex reasoning, such as using critical thinking, the scientific method, and other approaches to reasoning through problems
Abstract thinking makes it possible for people to exercise creativity. Creativity, in turn, is a useful survival mechanism—it allows us to develop tools and new ideas that improve the quality of human life.
Abstract Thinking in Psychology: How Does It Develop?
Developmental psychologist Jean Piaget argued that children develop abstract reasoning skills as part of their last stage of development, known as the formal operational stage. This stage occurs between the ages of 11 and 16. However, the beginnings of abstract reasoning may be present earlier, and gifted children frequently develop abstract reasoning at an earlier age.
Some psychologists have argued the development of abstract reasoning is not a natural developmental stage. Rather, it is the product of culture, experience, and teaching.
Children’s stories frequently operate on two levels of reasoning: abstract and concrete. The concrete story, for example, might tell of a princess who married Prince Charming, while the abstract version of the story tells of the importance of virtue and working hard. While young children are often incapable of complex abstract reasoning, they frequently recognize the underlying lessons of these stories, indicating some degree of abstract reasoning skills.
Abstract vs. Concrete Thinking
Concrete thinking is the opposite of abstract thinking. While abstract thinking is centered around ideas, symbols, and the intangible, concrete thinking focuses on what can be perceived through the five senses: smell, sight, sound, taste, and touch. The vast majority of people use a combination of concrete and abstract thinking to function in daily life, although some people may favor one mode over the other.
A study published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience found abstract thinking was tied to parts of the brain occupied with vision. Concrete thinking, on the other hand. activated parts of the brain that focus on actions taken to complete a goal.
Other research found that abstract thinkers are more likely than concrete thinkers to take risks. This may be partly due to the idea that concrete thinkers, more concerned with “how” to perform an action rather than “why,” might be dissuaded from starting a risky task because they’re more focused on the practical effort involved with the task, while the abstract thinker might be more occupied with considering the pros and cons of the risk.
Abstract Reasoning and Intelligence
Abstract reasoning is a component of most intelligence tests. Skills such as mental object rotation, mathematics, higher-level language usage, and the application of concepts to particulars all require abstract reasoning skills. Abstract thinking skills are associated with high levels of intelligence. And since abstract thinking is associated with creativity, it may often be found in gifted individuals who are innovators.
Learning disabilities can inhibit the development of abstract reasoning skills. People with severe intellectual disabilities may never develop abstract reasoning skills and may take abstract concepts such as metaphors and analogies literally. Since abstract reasoning is closely connected to the ability to solve problems, individuals with severely inhibited abstract thinking ability may need assistance with day-to-day life.
Mental Health and Abstract Thinking
Some mental health conditions can negatively impact an individual’s ability to think abstractly. For example, schizophrenia has been found to impair abstract thinking ability in those it affects. Some other conditions that may impair abstract thinking include:
Some research has connected the ability to think abstractly with a stronger sense of self-control. This means that when people were given a reason to do or not to do something, it was easier for them to adhere to that rule than if they were simply told how to follow the rule.
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found an interesting link between power and abstract thought. A person’s conception of how much power they have may more strongly influence their behavior than the actual amount of power they have. Because of this, researchers posited that an increased capacity for abstract thought would increase an individual’s sense of personal power, creating a positive feedback loop in which their beliefs influence their behavior, and their behavior shapes their personal outcomes.
Abstract Thinking Exercises
In many cases, it is possible to improve your abstract reasoning skills. Working on your abstract reasoning skills may help you improve your ability to solve problems, understand and communicate complex ideas, and enjoy creative pursuits.
One way to exercise your abstract reasoning skills is to practice solving puzzles, optical illusions, and other “brain teasers.” These thinking exercises allow individuals to practice viewing information from different perspectives and angles. As they may help open a person’s mind to different possibilities through the problem-solving process, puzzles can be an engaging way for both young people and adults to get better at abstract thinking.
Strengthening improvisation skills may also help increase an individual’s creativity and abstract thinking skills. Tasks that require the person to rely mostly on their imagination may help strengthen their ability to think abstractly over time.
References:
- Culpin, B. (2018, October 16). ‘Abstract thought’ – How is it significant and how does it define the basis for modern humanity? Retrieved from https://medium.com/@bc805/abstract-thought-how-is-it-significant-and-how-does-it-define-the-basis-for-modern-humanity-a98a5b92fb9f
- Dementia: What are the common signs? (2003, March 1). American Family Physician, 67(5), 1,051-1,052. Retrieved from https://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0301/p1051.html
- De Vries, E. (2014). Improvisation as a tool to develop creativity mini-workshop divergent thinking. IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings. doi: 10.1109/FIE.2014.7044132
- Gilead, M., Liberman, N., & Maril, A. (2013, May 18). From mind to matter: Neural correlates of abstract and concrete mindsets. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(5), 638-645. doi: 10.1093/scan/nst031
- Harwood, R., Miller, S. A., & Vasta, R. (2008). Child psychology: Development in a changing society. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
- Lermer, E., Streicher, B., Sachs, R., Raue, M., & Frey, D. (2016, August 26). The effect of abstract and concrete thinking on risk-taking behavior in women and men. SAGE Open, 6(3). Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244016666127
- Logsdon, A. (2019, June 17). Why children need to use abstract reasoning in school. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-abstract-reasoning-2162162
- Marintcheva, B. (2013, May 6). Looking for the forest and the trees : Exercises to provoke abstract thinking. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 14(1), 127-128. doi: 10.1128/jmbe.v14i1.535
- Minshew, N., Meyer, J., & Goldstein, G. (2002). Abstract reasoning in autism: A dissociation between concept formation and concept identification. Neuropsychology, 16(3), 327-334. doi: 10.1037//0894-4105.16.3.327
- Oh, J., Chun, J., Lee, J. S., & Kim, J. (2014). Relationship between abstract thinking and eye gaze pattern in patients with schizophrenia. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 10(13). doi: 10.1186/1744-9081-10-13
- Renzulli, J. S. (2003). The international handbook on innovation. Elsevier
- Scherzer, B. P., Charbonneau, S., Solomon, C. R., & Lepore, F. (1993). Abstract thinking following severe traumatic brain injury. Brain Injury, 7(5), 411-423. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8401483
- Smith, P. K., Wigboldus, D., & Dijksterhuis, A. (2008). Abstract thinking increases one’s sense of power. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44(2), 378-385. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2006.12.005
- Ylvisaker, M., Hibbard, M., & Feeney, T. (n.d.). Tutorial: Concrete vs. abstract thinking. Retrieved from http://www.projectlearnet.org/tutorials/concrete_vs_abstract_thinking.html
Last Updated: 07-30-2019
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Vince
July 7th, 2015 at 4:52 PMI recently took a psych test for a police department. I was told I failed horribly. When. Contacted the physician that administered the test. He told me I did not do well with abstract thinking. How is that? I am very intelligent, served as a soldier in the US Army for 14 years. Been to combat and was never injured.
david
August 27th, 2016 at 8:36 AMVince, Most professions including most MOS fields involved in soldiering don’t require much abstract thought. They are typically operating in the concrete world with specific tangible and practical applications with boots on the ground. Most police activities deal with policy and procedures which are concrete in form. The application of these must seen through the abstract variables of people and personalities. Many people have a limited ability for abstraction in thought process, that doesn’t mean that they are not intelligent. It just means that their thinking is external and associated with more about what is seen and known in the physical representations in actual form rather than internally as to the function of origin and meaning behind the actual form. One who is a concrete thinker may look at a a painting as a picture of a house. The abstract thinker may think of the meaning behind a place of rest and peace and view warmth of the colors, light, and shadows, as an inter-play with the emotions and vision of the artist in representation of a place of heart where meals are shared and love is fostered, called home.
Mark
November 18th, 2023 at 7:19 AMSo in other words, the Police Department missed out on a potentially great applicant because he was a concrete thinker rather and was unable to pass the departmental psychometric test. How’s that for an abstract comment? Let me ask as a concrete thinker, is there any meta analysis done on the workplace success of concrete vs abstract thinkers?
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