Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You

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Convergent and divergent thinking are relatively new terms in the world of psychology. They were first introduced to the world in 1956 by an American psychologist named J.P. Guilford. These two cognitive approaches, when used appropriately, can be used to solve just about any problem that you face. Divergent Thinking People with “flat” semantic networks have mental networks that are much more connected. That is, sometimes they relate two things to each other that don’t make sense but other networks contribute and an ingenious idea results.

Activities which promote divergent thinking include creating lists of questions, setting aside time for thinking and meditation, brainstorming, subject mapping, bubble mapping, keeping a journal, playing tabletop role-playing games, [1] creating artwork, and free writing. In free writing, a person will focus on one particular topic and write non-stop about it for a short period of time, in a stream of consciousness fashion. a b c de Chantal, Pier‐Luc; Gagnon‐St‐Pierre, Émilie; Markovits, Henry (July 2020). "Divergent Thinking Promotes Deductive Reasoning in Preschoolers". Child Development. 91 (4): 1081–1097. doi: 10.1111/cdev.13278. ISSN 0009-3920. These aren't the only team members who should participate in convergent thinking, but it gives you a good idea of who you might want in the room during this brainstorming portion.

All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy. a b c Lieberman, J. Nina (1965-12-01). "Playfulness and Divergent Thinking: An Investigation of their Relationship at the Kindergarten Level". The Journal of Genetic Psychology. 107 (2): 219–224. doi: 10.1080/00221325.1965.10533661. ISSN 0022-1325. PMID 5852592. Let’s start by talking about divergent thinking. When you think about “brainstorming,” you are thinking about divergent thinking. This type of thinking requires you to expand your mind and find innovative solutions. The possibilities are endless. Divergent thinking allows you to see products in materials in new and different ways. Nerenberg also offers us a path forward, describing practical changes in how we communicate, how we design our surroundings, and how we can better support divergent minds. When we allow our wide variety of brain makeups to flourish, we create a better tomorrow for us all. Critical Praise

FDM is dedicated to identifying healthcare disparities regarding multiply-marginalized autistic people, and providing education to healthcare professionals on that topic to improve patient care. Murray, Noel; Sujan, Harish; Hirt, Edward R.; Sujan, Mita (1990). "The influence of mood on categorization: A cognitive flexibility interpretation". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 59 (3): 411–425. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.59.3.411. The Scamper technique is another creative idea-developing strategy developed by Bob Eberle. It is very useful in creating something innovative and practicing divergent thinking. For example, let’s say we have to come up with an idea for work. Once we have that “idea”, we’ll put it through a series of “filters”.In all areas of life, having a diagnosis can bring you a deeper sense of understanding about why you function the way you do and how to best work with that. Foundations for Divergent Minds (FDM) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization rooted in the principles of disability justice. Founded and led by a team of racially diverse multiply-neurodivergent autistic people of marginalized orientations and gender alignments, our mission is to ensure equity, access, and fulfilled lives through inclusive, practical, affirming neurodiversity based programming and education. FDM utilizes effective, innovative, digital, culturally-responsive methods to serve a broad range of individuals, families, organizations, and providers across the globe. If everyone is shrugging their shoulders, go through a few trial runs. Split the teams randomly or bring everyone together to brainstorm ideas. Clearly split your time between convergent vs. divergent thinking. You will find that some team members have a hard time with convergent thinking, or others fail to speak up once the convergent thinking is over! As you notice these patterns, you will get a better sense of which "group" prefers one style over the other. Go by Myers Briggs Don't have two days to come up with an idea? Split your team into two groups and let the debate begin! Well, sort of.

What is ‘normal’? Who gets to decide? Jenara Nerenberg’s wide-ranging Divergent Mind asks and answers these and other essential questions, offering a vision for how individuals and society can take better advantage of the many ways in which we are human.” — Louise Aronson, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life Before continuing, it would be good to clarify one idea. No one kind of thinking is better than another. Convergent thinking is useful and necessary on many occasions. However, the real problem is that we’ve been “trained” to only think this way. We’ve neglected spontaneity, wit, and captivating freedom. López-Ortega, Omar (2013-07-01). "Computer-assisted creativity: Emulation of cognitive processes on a multi-agent system". Expert Systems with Applications. 40 (9): 3459–3470. doi: 10.1016/j.eswa.2012.12.054. ISSN 0957-4174. Divergent Mind explores powerful and positive ways to understand our fundamental differences. Its focus on women is much needed and timely. The book de-pathologizes those of us who most profoundly and intensely think and feel the world around us. I found it to be eye-opening and healing.” — Mary Pipher, New York Times bestselling author of Women Rowing North and Reviving OpheliaKlein, Ariel; Badia, Toni (March 2015). "The Usual and the Unusual: Solving Remote Associates Test Tasks Using Simple Statistical Natural Language Processing Based on Language Use". The Journal of Creative Behavior. 49 (1): 13–37. doi: 10.1002/jocb.57. The idea of neurodiversity also seeks to frame these differences as ones that are not inherently "bad" or a problem; instead, it treats them in a more neutral manner and also highlights the many different ways that neurodivergence should be celebrated and how it can be beneficial. Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more.

Every woman who struggles to flourish in our one-size-fits-all society should read this book.”—Susan Cain, New York Timesbestselling author of Quiet How do you know which team members are more skilled at convergent vs. divergent thinking? There are a few ways to find out. Have an Open Dialogue Parallels have been drawn between playfulness in kindergarten-aged children and divergent thinking. In a study documented by Lieberman, [2] the relationship between these two traits was examined, with playfulness being "conceptualized and operationally defined in terms of five traits: physical, social and cognitive spontaneity; manifest joy; and sense of humour". [2] The author noted that during the study, while observing the children's behaviour at play, they "noted individual differences in spontaneity, overtones of joy, and sense of humour that imply a relationship between the foregoing qualities and some of the factors found in the intellectual structure of creative adults and adolescents". [2] This study highlighted the link between behaviours of divergent thinking, or creativity, in playfulness during childhood and those displayed in later years, in creative adolescents and adults. Olteţeanu, Ana-Maria; Falomir, Zoe (December 2015). "comRAT-C: A computational compound Remote Associates Test solver based on language data and its comparison to human performance". Pattern Recognition Letters. 67: 81–90. doi: 10.1016/j.patrec.2015.05.015. Psychologist Nina Lieberman’s research in the very interesting book Playfulness: Its Relationship to Imagination and Creativity has something very relevant to add to this discussion. Divergent thinking goes hand-in-hand with joy, optimism, and inner well-being. Having good relationships, being well-rested, and being free of pressure, anxiety, and stress puts you in an ideal position for divergent thinking.Knowing the differences between convergent vs. divergent thinking can help you brainstorm. However, this approach may not be the best process for every team. Below are some other ways to brainstorm new ideas and find solutions to your most pressing problems. Storyboarding