Abstract thinking: concept, examples, forms, how to develop?

A variety of information about the outside world enters our brain through the senses in the form of sounds, smells, tactile sensations, visual images, and nuances of taste. But this is raw information that still needs to be processed. This requires mental activity and its highest form – abstract thinking. It is this that allows not only to make a detailed analysis of the signals entering the brain, but also to generalize, systematize, categorize them and develop an optimal behavior strategy.

What is abstract thinking?

Abstract thinking is the operation of abstract concepts. These include concepts that do not correspond to specific objects or phenomena. These can be generalizations (man, animal, dog), as well as various concepts that receive their meaning directly in the process of thinking or discussion (number, morality, matter).

In dialectical logic, the abstract is opposed to the concrete. For example, you can talk about a specific dog, or you can talk about a dog or an animal in general - this is already an abstraction. You can say that the weather outside today is bad - rain and thunderstorms, or you can talk about the weather as a phenomenon in general.

To properly understand what abstract thinking is, it is important to understand the meaning of the terms “abstraction” and “abstraction.” Abstraction is a distraction from part of the properties of an object. For example, in painting, this implies that the artist discards some of the visual properties of characters and objects in order to emphasize other properties and convey certain emotions. Abstraction is the very process of generalization and simplification, discarding specific details that are irrelevant in the current context.

Abstract thinking allows us to think about various objects and phenomena without specifying their properties. Using it, we can imagine and comprehend a certain situation without formulating what is happening in words and without recreating any images in our thoughts. Being the fastest way of thinking available to us, it is this that allows us to quickly find extraordinary ways to solve the problems that arise before us.

Signs

There are signs by which one can determine that this type of thinking predominates:

The need to build cause-and-effect relationships;
Clear systematization of the information received;
In communication, the use of formulas, calculations, and any conclusions predominates; hypotheses are put forward, and skillful manipulation of words is also noted.
High ability to summarize and analyze
The ability to argue your opinion, justifying it logically

If the above signs are not your strong point, do not despair, because it is easy to fix, you just need to be patient, because this is a long process, but very necessary. Because with the help of abstractions and logic, we can find our truth by questioning certain information. Quickly build a chain of certain conclusions and possible solutions to problems. A person becomes able to quickly make a decision and rely on his experience without devaluing or ignoring it. And who doesn’t want to calculate options for events in advance, anticipating them?

Differences from “concrete” thinking

Abstract and concrete thinking can be considered opposites of each other. The first is aimed at conceptualization and generalization, while the second specifies an object or phenomenon and attaches fundamental importance to it or its properties.

Concrete or concrete-object thinking appears at the age of 18 months and develops until approximately 7 years. Using it, the child can solve problems using specific objects and their images. At the same time, he is not able to be distracted from real objects; abstract concepts and categories are inaccessible to him.

Abstract or abstract-logical thinking appears in a child around the age of 7, after which it develops as his personality develops. Together with it, he gains the ability to operate with categories that do not exist in real nature in the form of specific objects or phenomena.

Logic is the science of conceptual thinking

Logic, as a science of thinking, was born more than 2 thousand years ago in Ancient Greece. At the same time, the main types of logical thinking were described and the laws of logic were formulated, which remain unshakable to this day.

Two types of thinking: deduction and induction

The elementary unit of abstract-logical thinking is the concept. Several concepts combined into a coherent thought is a judgment. They are affirmative and negative. For example:

“In autumn, the leaves fly off the trees” - affirmative.
“There are no leaves on the trees in winter” – negative.

Judgments can also be true or false. Thus, the proposition “In winter, young leaves grow on trees” is false.

From two or more judgments one can draw a conclusion or inference, and this whole construction is called a syllogism. For example:

1st premise (judgment): “In autumn, leaves fall from the trees.”
2nd premise (judgment): “Now the leaves have begun to fly off the trees.”
Conclusion (syllogism): “Autumn has come.”

Depending on the method on the basis of which the inference is made, there are two types of thinking: deductive and inductive.

Induction method. From several particular judgments a general conclusion is drawn. For example: “schoolboy Vasya doesn’t study in the summer,” “schoolboy Petya doesn’t study in the summer,” “schoolgirls Masha and Olya don’t study in the summer either.” Consequently, “schoolchildren do not study in the summer.” Induction is not a very reliable method, since an absolutely correct conclusion can be drawn only if all particular cases are taken into account, and this is difficult and sometimes impossible.

Method of deduction. In this case, reasoning is built on the basis of general premises and information given in the judgments. That is, the ideal option: one general judgment, one particular one, and the conclusion is also a private judgment. Example:

“All schoolchildren have summer holidays.”
“Vasya is a schoolboy.”
“Vasya has a summer vacation.”

This is what the most basic conclusions in logical thinking look like. True, in order to draw the right conclusions, certain conditions or laws must be observed.

Laws of logic

There are four basic laws, and three of them were formulated by Aristotle:

Law of identity. According to him, any thought expressed within the framework of logical reasoning must be identical to itself, that is, remain unchanged throughout the entire argument or dispute.
Law of contradiction. If two statements (judgments) contradict each other, then one of them is necessarily false.
Law of the excluded middle. Any statement can be either false or true, something third is impossible.

In the 17th century, the philosopher Leibniz supplemented these three with the fourth law of “sufficient reason.” Proof of the truth of any idea or judgment is possible only through the use of reliable arguments.

It is believed that it is enough to follow these laws, be able to correctly formulate judgments and draw conclusions, and you can solve any most complex problem. But it has now been proven that logical thinking is limited and often fails, especially when a serious problem arises that does not have one single correct solution. Abstract logical thinking is too straightforward and inflexible.

The limitations of logic were proven already in the era of Antiquity with the help of so-called paradoxes - logical problems that have no solution. And the simplest of them is the “liar paradox,” which refutes the inviolability of the third law of logic. In the 4th century BC. e. The ancient Greek philosopher Eubulides shocked supporters of logic with one phrase: “I am lying.” Is this a true or false proposition? It cannot be true, since the author himself claims that he is lying. But if the phrase “I am lying” is false, then the proposition becomes true. And logic cannot overcome this vicious circle.

But abstract-logical thinking, despite its limitations and inflexibility, is best manageable and itself “organizes the brain” very well, forcing us to adhere to strict rules in the thought process. In addition, the abstract form of thinking continues to be the highest form of cognitive activity. Therefore, the development of abstract thinking is important not only in childhood, but also in adults.

Examples of abstract thinking

The most obvious example of abstract thinking is mathematical operations. You can use mathematics in real life by counting or measuring specific objects and phenomena. But at the same time, we can completely abstract from reality using abstract meanings.

For example, everyone understands perfectly well what the number 10 means, even if we are not talking about 10 specific objects. In addition, mathematical operations are abstract. We can add, divide, multiply and subtract without referring to any specific objects.

A less obvious, but much more extensive example is the language of our communication. It consists of a huge number of abstract lexical units, most of which are in one way or another compared with real objects and phenomena, but in conversation they are not always tied to something specific. The sentences that we use in speech are abstract logical chains of lexemes that our interlocutor can understand and interpret quite unambiguously.

Is it possible to develop logical thinking in adults?

It is possible and even necessary. The world is changing very quickly, and with the old “baggage” of knowledge it can be difficult to think about something carefully. Many people believe that the basics they receive at school or university will be enough, but this is not entirely true.

The main thing is to overcome your own laziness. Yes, we don’t have enough time, and not everyone will agree to spend free minutes on development. Meanwhile, there is nothing complicated here.

Here you don’t have to sit for hours on books or refuse to communicate with family or friends: many logical exercises can be done in a company.

Did you know? Many people remember the Rubik's Cube, which peaked in popularity in the 1980s. The toy invented by the Hungarian sculptor was so widespread that in the years 80-83 of the twentieth century, even an official newsletter was published entirely dedicated to the cube.

Forms of abstract thinking

Abstract thinking can take three forms: concept, judgment and inference. Usually, when thinking abstractly, a person consistently uses all three forms. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Concept. This is a generalized abstraction that describes a specific object or phenomenon, but does not indicate a specific object or event. Examples of concepts: person (an abstract person, not a concrete individual), house, dog
Judgment. This is a certain statement containing information about the property of a certain object. Judgments are divided into true and false, as well as simple and complex. A simple statement indicates a single fact, while a complex statement may describe a pattern or cause-and-effect relationship. For example, the proposition “The grass is green” is simple and true, while the proposition “We don’t slide off the Earth because it is flat” is complex and false.
Conclusion. An inference is a new judgment formulated on the basis of several others. It is the result of rational knowledge (that is, it was not obtained empirically). An example of an inference based on two judgments: “In the morning there were candies in this vase” + “Now the vase is empty” → “Someone ate all the candies.”

Abstract-logical type of thinking

In this case, abstractions are used - these are individual units of precise patterns. They are distinguished from the abstract properties of an object, that is, those that cannot be seen with your own eyes, touched or felt.

A fairly clear example is mathematics, where scientists try to explain phenomena that do not occur in nature in material form. There is no such thing as the number 3. You and I understand that these are three absolutely identical units, and the name was developed to simplify it.

As people evolved, they began to use terms that essentially did not exist. For example, language is a set of sounds, letters and words. But you can’t touch them, and the alphabet itself was invented only so that we could formulate our own thoughts, transmit and receive information. This allowed individuals to communicate with each other.

Psychologist Daria Milai

Make an appointment

An abstract-logical thought process is necessary in the presence of some certainty or, as mentioned above, a dead end. When something that exists in reality is revealed, there is a need to give an explanation for it.

What are the benefits of abstract thinking?

Abstract thinking is the source of creative ideas, which are needed in almost every profession. Creativity allows you to come up with ideas for new projects, find unusual solutions to problems, select tools for yourself and create new ones. A creative approach is useful in all areas of life, and it relies primarily on the ability to think abstractly.

Developed abstract thinking provides such advantages as:

ability to solve complex problems;
high level of intelligence;
high level of creativity;
a penchant for various arts;
the ability to go beyond stereotypes;
ability to generate new ideas;
ability to predict and evaluate project prospects;
ability to spot potential pitfalls.

Practice SWOT Analysis

SWOT is an assessment of the Strengths and Weaknesses, as well as the Opportunities and Threats of anything: an idea, a proposal, an object.

It’s easier to explain how this is done with an example. Let's say you're thinking about going out to fast food for dinner. Strengths: fast, cheap, tasty. Weak: harmful, high in calories. Opportunities: no need to prepare, free up time to learn programming. Threats: you can get poisoned or simply overeat, and you won’t want to do anything anymore. You can also analyze the option “write code now” or “take on another freelance job.” And make a rational choice.

How to develop abstract thinking?

As we have already found out, the ability to think abstractly is very important, so any person should work to develop it. Like other cognitive abilities, abstract thinking develops through active use. To do this, you can perform 5 simple but effective exercises:

Understanding an abstract object or phenomenon. Each of us constantly operates with various abstract concepts, for example, such as “love”, “friendship”, “respect” and so on. A very good exercise for developing the ability to think abstractly is to try to understand what each of these abstract concepts is. You need to comprehend them and define them in simple and understandable words.
Association game. Children love to play this game, or rather, they do it involuntarily. Looking at the clouds, they recognize familiar images in them. They can tell you what a car parked on the side of the road looks like, what shape a tree is, what a vacuum cleaner or washing machine sounds like. Children do this involuntarily because they are exploring the world and everything that surrounds them arouses their interest. But adults should also play this game more often, trying to recognize familiar images in the outlines of objects, look for associations to certain sounds, try to understand what the taste of a particular dish is like.
Development of imaginative thinking. Abstract-logical thinking largely depends on figurative thinking. Therefore, for its development it is useful to actively use the ability to think in images. To do this, you can remember the events that happened during the day, trying to restore in your imagination visual images, voices and other sounds, experienced emotions, smells and tastes. In this case, detail is important. For example, when remembering someone’s face, it is advisable to clearly imagine the shape of the nose, eyes and other details.
Using metaphors. In order to come up with a good metaphor, you need developed abstract thinking. And it can be developed using this feature. To do this, it is useful to read fiction, which often contains interesting and unexpected metaphors. It is also useful to apply them in everyday communication, trying, of course, to make it look appropriate. However, if you are not sure of the quality of the invented metaphor, it is not at all necessary to voice it.
Finding the essence. It is very useful to get to the bottom of various events, phenomena and even your own actions. To do this, you can ask yourself questions about everything that surrounds us. Examples of questions: “Why does this thing have this particular shape?”, “Why do I do this work this way? Shouldn't I do it differently?", "What will be the result of my actions? Is this exactly what I need?”, “Can I simplify my work to achieve the same result with less effort?”. Finding answers to questions like these will not only help develop abstract thinking, but can also make life much easier.

Exercises for children

It is easiest to develop in childhood. At this time, the brain is open to external influences and can undergo any changes. Exercises for children differ from those offered to adults, but are no less effective.

Best exercises:

Reverse reading of inscriptions. Parents should invite their child to play a game in which they read the signs they see in reverse order. It will be very difficult to do this with all the advertising posters. Therefore, additional conditions should be negotiated (for example, read only red signs).
Drawing unusual animals. The child must draw an animal consisting of parts of other animals. When the drawing is ready, you need to come up with an unusual name for the new species.
Shadow play. With the help of his hands, on which the light from a lamp falls in the dark, the child must create unusual shadows depicting certain things. You can even invite him to act out his favorite fairy tale using shadows.
Mental arithmetic. The child will be required to calculate simple examples using special abacus called an abacus. Such training will also develop perseverance and general intelligence.
Puzzles. You need to choose puzzles, rebuses, anagrams, etc. games, taking into account the baby's preferences. His task will be to solve all the problems provided. At an older age, you can add crosswords to them.
Studying clouds. The child should look at the clouds together with his parents and name what exactly he sees. The ability to visually evaluate each cloud for its similarity to different objects or animals increases the chances of successful development.
Construction. Parents need to give their baby a task, which involves building certain objects from toy blocks. This will help develop imaginative thinking and creativity.
Associations. The baby needs to come up with associations for everything he sees or feels. You can also ask him to imagine animals by hearing the sounds they make.
Classification. The child needs to sort all available things or toys according to certain criteria. For example, by shape, weight or purpose. Parents should monitor the process and give hints if necessary.
Questions. Parents should ask their child “why?” and “what if?” questions. etc. to make him think and analyze the situation. You can ask at any time.

Such simple exercises will allow you to achieve good results in a few weeks of training. It is recommended to combine them with other activities that will be aimed at developing general intelligence.

Using special tests, you can accurately determine the level of abstract thinking in a person of any age.

Exercises to develop logical thinking

There are many ways to develop logical thinking in activities. For example, psychologists advise reading more

And it doesn’t matter whether it’s fiction or scientific literature, the main thing is to comprehend what you read, write down your thoughts and conclusions, argue with the author, catch him in contradictions. Board and computer games based on logic, for example, chess, checkers, sea battle and others, help well in the development of logic.

You can also use specially designed exercises for this purpose.

Exercise "Logical chains"

This is one of the most common training tasks for the development of logic. It has many forms, types, modifications for different ages. His goal is to learn to establish logical connections between things, phenomena, and concepts.

Option 1

Example: two objects are given - a fish and a bottle. Find what can connect them. Possible answers include the following:

both objects have a similar streamlined shape;
both the fish and the bottle are associated with water;
if the bottle is plastic, then it, like a fish, can swim;
the fish and the bottle may have the same color;
both objects contain substances useful to humans, etc.

You can continue the list further or choose new objects, making sure that at first glance they are completely different and have nothing in common (a cat and a chair, ice cream and a car, etc.).

Option 2

Two events occur, separated by a relatively short period of time:

A pencil falls from the desk of the head of the company to the floor.
A fire breaks out in a room at one of the southern resorts.

Establish a logical connection between the first and second events. See how many intermediate events are in your logical chain. Try to build another one, where there are more or less events.

If the exercise is carried out in a group, then it will be interesting to compare and analyze the logical chains of all participants and choose the most interesting one. You can continue the exercise by coming up with the next event and establishing a connection between the fire and it.

Exercise “Making sentences”

Logical thinking is closely related to speech activity; it generally occurs primarily in conceptual and symbolic form. Therefore, to develop logical thinking, it is useful to write short (and long) stories, essays, notes, and keep a diary.

And for those who are not very good at this or are sorry for the time, you can start with individual proposals. But not simple ones, but ones that unite unrelated concepts and objects. Your task is not just to write a sentence, but so that it looks completely logical.

Let's select three objects that are as unrelated to each other as possible. For example: “squirrel”, “helicopter” and “cup of cappuccino”. Now make up a phrase that logically combines these objects. For example, a sentence like this could be written: “I was relaxing on the veranda when a squirrel fell out of a helicopter flying above me and plopped right into my cup of cappuccino.”

Try to come up with your own sentence or choose the other three objects. For example: scissors, shark, kebab; book, lemon, circus, etc.

Exercise “I’ll say it differently”

This exercise is also for the development of verbal thinking, which is the basis of logical thinking. Come up with some simple, even banal phrase regarding an everyday event. For example: “We love Friday because it is the last day of the work week.”

Now express the same idea, but in different words. The main condition: not a single word from the original phrase should be repeated. How many new sentences with the same meaning can you create?

Logical thinking is undoubtedly important, and it is impossible to do without it in any area of life. But imaginative thinking is no less important.

How to learn to abstract yourself

Anyone can abstract, often this happens unconsciously, as a defensive reaction from the surrounding reality. Learning to do this is useful to maintain composure, control thoughts and isolate yourself from the negativity of social life. Abstraction will help you ignore negative manifestations; an example of this is the memory of a pleasant evening or childhood years.

From society

To abstract yourself from society, you need to concentrate on positive moments, learn to rest, and relax. It is important to clearly formulate thoughts and goals; this will help you understand your role in society and concentrate at the right time. This is facilitated by planning the day, drawing up plans, and the ability to prioritize goals. If, for example, noise interferes with concentration, you need to imagine it as a background that will not stop without concentrating on it. Then the brain will stop paying attention to the noise. Slow breathing on a count will help you to disengage. You need to relax and count to ten.

It will never be possible to isolate yourself from society and crowds; it is impossible to avoid crowded places. A negative reaction will be reduced by a proper daily routine and good nutrition. Imagination will help you transport yourself to a pleasant place.

Note! Thought processes suppress negative emotions. Stress and lack of sleep contribute to impaired abstract thinking.

Abstraction

From a person

To abstract yourself from a person, you need to not concentrate on the negative. If emotions take over, take a break. For example, stop communicating for a while. Distraction will help you switch to something positive.

You need to concentrate on the positive qualities of a person, paying a lot of attention to them. Remember what happened more in life related to him: good or bad. Focusing solely on the negative only hurts the relationship. Abstraction is the ability to sweep away the unnecessary.

From unpleasant people

When communicating with people does not bring pleasure, but you cannot stop it, you need to learn to abstract yourself. To do this, it is important to understand what exactly leads to negative emotions, identify the problem and begin to fight it. Communication and conversation with unpleasant people can help correct the situation. A calm dialogue in which the problem is voiced will get rid of the irritating factor.

From the situation

Looking at it from the outside will help you abstract yourself from the situation, as if it were happening to another person. Emotions become dull, the mind becomes clear, and solving the problem becomes much easier. You can imagine that this is a film and you need to figure out what the main characters should do to get rid of the negativity.

In any situation, you need to notice only what is important, filtering out unnecessary details. Perhaps they are what lead to irritation. Understanding that this is not worth attention will help you calm down and cope with negativity.

Abstract thinking helps you survive and become happy in the modern world. After all, there is not always an exact plan, and it is impossible to have all the knowledge. An abstract person is able to come to conclusions by analyzing available facts. The main thing is to be able to build logical chains and use your imagination. It is abstraction that helps a person draw conclusions and make decisions.