Mindset - what is it, a description of different types, how to identify and choose a suitable profession?

Updated: 10/01/2021
Someone has been drawing since childhood and wants to connect their life with design, someone likes to solve complex problems and is preparing to become a programmer, someone loves and knows how to make things with their hands, and someone is... confused... Did you know that our abilities in a particular field of activity depend on our type of thinking? From how we perceive information, process it and make decisions? An online test, based on the developments of the eminent psychologist J. Bruner, will tell you what type of thinking is characteristic of you. Its results do not serve as a prize for choosing a particular profession, but help to conduct introspection that may be useful for you.

Psychology and thinking

What is thinking?

Thinking is a type of mental activity aimed at understanding entities and phenomena, as well as the connections between them.

In other words, thinking is a way of perceiving the world and all the processes occurring in it. Obtaining information, analyzing it, searching for cause-and-effect relationships, making decisions and generating new ideas.

Thinking helps us comprehend new information, compare it with existing experience and gain new knowledge. As you already understand, the thought process is closely related to memory.

Depending on what type of information our brain converts faster, different types of thinking are distinguished, which determine the inclination towards certain abilities.

Many scientists have set the goal of their lives to study human thought processes. Their works are united by cognitive psychology.

A prominent figure in this field was Jerome Seymour Bruner.

Who is Jerome Bruner?

Jerome Seymour Bruner (1915 – 2016) – American psychologist. Specialist in the field of studying cognitive processes.

Jerome Bruner

Most of his works are devoted to studies of human thinking and perception. He also developed methods for teaching children, which are still popular today.

He developed a questionnaire that allows you to analyze a person’s thought processes and identify several types of thinking.

The test we offer below is based on this questionnaire.

Please remember that this test is not a clear description of your cognitive abilities, as this can only be done in collaboration with a psychologist. But it will help you analyze your thoughts and actions and draw interesting conclusions.

Any type of thinking can be developed and improved, and accordingly, at different times you can get different answers.

Brain exercises

There are several specially developed techniques aimed at developing mental abilities. For example, an exercise game based on Scott Fitzgerald. It can be played alone, all you need is a notepad and pen. You need to write down on paper several statements that you find questionable and give reasons for them. Then, for each argument, you need to select about 10 reasonable counterarguments. As a result, you need to be able to keep 2 opposing statements in your thoughts while continuing productive analysis.

Another game is to analyze the behavior of strangers in the same room: a waiting room, a queue to the doctor, a nightclub, etc. The essence of this technique is to observe gestures, facial expressions, the way people communicate, reactions and find out what is happening.

As an exercise, you can use self-analysis, evaluating yourself from an objective point of view. You need to ask yourself a few questions about your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as how others perceive you.

Description of types of thinking according to the method of J. Bruner

So, you took the test and found out what type of thinking prevails in you. Below you can find a description of each type.

Subject thinking

Subject thinking involves accepting information sequentially, when a complex operation is broken down into a chain of simpler ones. This kind of thinking is typical for people with a practical mindset.

They do not like long discussions and fantasies; they immediately get down to business and bring it to the end. They seek and find benefits from every action. Quickly adapt to changes.

And, in fact, they develop well in all areas of activity, especially if they set such a goal for themselves. It is believed that this mentality is characteristic of men.

Symbolic thinking

Symbolic thinking is characteristic of people with a mathematical mindset. The result of mental activity is a clearly structured chain of actions with cause-and-effect relationships.

It is important for such people to understand why it happened this way and not another. They try to get to the bottom of the truth, even if they don’t like the result. They say about such people - a person with an analytical mindset, for whom reason and calculation come first, not emotions.

They are stubborn and independent. Such people are little susceptible to criticism. Such people often have highly developed intuition, which means predicting future events based on past experience and conclusions drawn from this. They are characterized by such areas of activity as science, business, politics, and organizational activities.

Sign thinking

Iconic thinking is characteristic of people with a humanitarian mindset. Such thinking implies the rapid assimilation of a large amount of information due to its transformation from signs and bright fragments into a large unit. It is easier for such people to assimilate information when visual memory is involved.

Such people rarely try to understand the essence; the very fact of what happened is important to them. They are receptive and vulnerable, emotional. People with symbolic thinking give preference to such disciplines as history, literature and art, both artistic and other areas. And also jurisprudence, law.

Creative thinking

Imaginative thinking is inherent in people with an artistic mindset. This is a non-standard type of thinking. Such people like to convey information through images rather than words, which confuses their interlocutors. During conversations, they often use adjectives and comparative phrases.

Such people love to fantasize and dream. They are very susceptible to criticism and react sharply to the events they experience. Such people are most often found among representatives of creative professions.

Practical recommendations

How can we improve it? Expert advice:

• A healthy, full sleep is necessary, at least seven hours, and under heavy loads, you need to set aside time for rest during the day.
• You should not start the work process immediately after eating; a short break is necessary.
• Instead of a cup of coffee, it is better to do morning exercises. This is a charge of vivacity and energy.
• "Reminder". This exercise will allow you to use all types of memory if you constantly remember and scroll in your head, and also speak out loud, for example, a plan of affairs for the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytpressen-GB

All these recommendations will help develop your analytical skills. But, most importantly, as in any business, do not overdo it: you should always find time to rest.

Express test to determine creativity

I bring to your attention another test to determine creativity. Some people think it's funny, others think it's serious.

It is based on the assumption that the left and right hemispheres of the human brain are responsible for different abilities.

• The right hemisphere is creativity, intuition, creativity, feelings, emotions
• Left hemisphere – logic, speech, ability to remember information

This topic has already been raised in the article “Right-hemisphere drawing - secrets, myths, lessons.” Depending on which hemisphere is more developed, those abilities predominate.

In order to find out which hemisphere of the brain is more developed in you, clench your hands into a fist in front of you, as in the picture

If the thumb of the left hand is at the top, the right hemisphere

If the right hand - then the left .

Here's an interesting fact.

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How to determine your mindset?

You can determine your type of thinking without the help of psychologists. Let's look at an algorithm for understanding what type of mind you have:

1. Take a close look at yourself. If a person thinks for a long time before making a decision and calculates all the moves, then his mentality can be classified as an analytical type. Spontaneous actions driven by emotions and feelings speak of a person’s humanitarian way of thinking. Such people solve problems intuitively.
2. Ask other people to observe themselves. You can ask them about their mindset. After analyzing the information received, it will be possible to make a decision.

Using some criteria, you can determine the types of mentality of other people. If during a conversation and description of events he pays more attention to details (room furnishings, prices), this means that his left hemisphere of the brain dominates over the right. Individuals with humanitarian abilities will focus their interlocutor’s attention on the emotions and experiences they receive.

Ideal professions

From the first days of life, any individual is endowed with unique forms of body, brain, limbs, and organs of touch. These qualities, given from birth, develop and form different mental and physical tendencies in people.

Aptitudes are divided into general and specialized. It is very important to choose a specialty that suits a person’s individual qualities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=userlifehackertv

Physical abilities are needed in those professions that require endurance, strength, and dexterity:

• waiters;
• police officers;
• massage therapists;
• military;
• trainers;
• security guards;
• firefighters;
• divers;
• rescuers.

This is not to say that these specialties do not require thinking. A massage therapist needs to remember many different techniques and methods of massage for different parts of the body. A firefighter must know the structure of all mechanisms and buildings in which it is necessary to extinguish a fire. Police need to understand the logic of criminals in order to apprehend them faster.

A developed mind and intelligence, good erudition, and comprehensive education are needed in the following specialties:

• teachers;
• lawyers;
• surgeons;
• therapists and physicians of other medical specialties;
• designers;
• accountants;
• programmers;
• psychiatrists.

The degree of mental development is determined not only by genetic characteristics. Life experience, acquired knowledge, and erudition greatly influence the development of the mind. Mindset is a unique method of processing received information. It develops throughout life.

Having studied your own mindset, it is easy to assume success in your chosen profession.

For example, communication skills are important in specialties related to service, study, educational process, and solving organizational issues.

Specialties that require the ability to speak adequately and remain calm in any situation:

• advocate;
• salesman;
• doctor;
• trainer;
• teacher;
• dance teacher;
• stage director;
• head of a large enterprise or department.

In order to choose a future profession for yourself while studying, you must try to learn all lessons the same way. Then you will feel which subjects are easier and which are more difficult. Of course, there are students who are talented in all subjects, but the majority are more successful in mastering only a part.

Those who better understand history and social studies can be advised to become a lawyer. It will be easy for them to remember all the nuances of a criminal case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytcopyrightru

If botany, biology, chemistry, anatomy are easy for you, you can make a good doctor.

Those who can easily solve algebraic equations and physics problems are better off becoming an engineer. A mathematical mind will be useful for solving technical issues. A good programmer, designer, adjuster and repairman of devices are very necessary in the age of the flourishing of digital technologies.

Perhaps you're not doing well at work because it just doesn't suit your mentality? Or are you now facing an important choice in your life - your future profession? In this case, we will figure out which job will suit you best.

Analysts are best suited for those areas that require precision. These include IT specialists, doctors, journalists (or, more precisely, critics and reviewers), as well as lawyers and scientists.

For humanitarian and artistic minds, professions that are associated with creativity are more suitable. These are teachers, educators, writers, artists, musicians and many others.

And for people with an applied nature of mind, an area is required in which they can realize themselves as entrepreneurs. The easiest thing is for those people who have a universal mind, they can choose anything.

Now you know what kind of mentality a person has.