Rational and irrational thinking: features, methods and tips for development

You are more likely to make thoughtful decisions or follow your intuition, or maybe you use both methods at once. Let's figure out what the difference is between rational and irrational thinking, and what type of thinking is best to develop. Rational thinking is based on the logical principle, blocking the influence of emotions, moods, and all subjective forms. Irrational thinking, on the contrary, turns primarily to feelings, emotions and experiences, without limiting thoughts to any boundaries.

Rational and irrational thinking are opposite sides of the same whole. Many people prefer to adhere to a rational approach without further developing other abilities. But these two types of thinking can perfectly complement each other. By learning contrarian thinking techniques, you will be able to navigate a variety of unknown situations faster.

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Irrational and its characteristics

If we try to explain the concept of “irrational” from the position of philosophy, then it can be characterized as a certain beginning of human nature, opposite to the property of rationality, i.e. understand this world intelligently. The irrational admits that there are areas of the worldview that the mind is not able to understand, but nevertheless they are acceptable thanks to faith, feelings, and intuition. Thus, the irrational is one of the characteristics of the special nature of reality. Over the years, issues of the irrational have been studied by such famous philosophers as Bergson, Delta, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and many others.

So to speak, “free” individuals who do not think about the consequences can allow themselves to think irrationally. To act this way is to admit that reality cannot always be understood using scientific methods. Based on the views of supporters of irrational thinking, reality with all its components and derivatives, for example, life and psychological processes, is not subject to generally accepted laws.

Of course, such a position has its place, but in the case of critical thinking it is completely unsuitable. Irrational people strive to understand the laws of existence, violating all generally accepted laws, while rational people, on the contrary, think critically, not trusting what cannot be verified, relying only on reliable and confirmed facts. And, taking this into account, we must say that even if the irrational is characteristic of you, if you want to develop the ability to think critically, you must at least temporarily discard everything that may contradict it.

What exactly is to be discarded? Let's try to clarify this point, because irrational thoughts can be of different types.

Which type of thinking is better?

You will achieve real success, as in all cases, by finding a middle ground.

When you have to deal with everyday issues, it is better to turn on your inner rational, do it without emotions and as always, otherwise you are guaranteed a nervous breakdown.

But when it comes to a project, self-knowledge, finding a hobby, step back from past experiences and imposed stereotypes, turn to yourself and your feelings, then work will become a joy, and discoveries will make life brighter.

I think you have already understood that irrational thinking can and should sometimes be learned in order to better understand yourself.

Typology of irrational thoughts and their influence

Irrational thoughts are thoughts that interfere with an objective and adequate perception of the surrounding reality, and from the position of behavioral psychology, they even cause unreasonable anxiety.

In total, we can distinguish three categories of irrational thinking and the corresponding types of thoughts:

There are other types of similar thoughts, but to one degree or another they will belong to one of the categories of irrational train of thought. Their greatest danger is that they trigger catastrophic thinking: a person plunges headlong into groundless worry and panic, and his ability to make decisions and act is completely paralyzed. There can be no question of any critical thinking here.

You can find topical visual examples of irrational thinking in books devoted to working with it. Here are some options:

• “Think slowly... Decide quickly” Daniel Kahneman
• "Emotional Intelligence" Goleman Daniel
• "Emotional Flexibility" David Susan
• “Problem Solving Using Intelligence Techniques” Jones Morgan
• “Triggers. Form habits - build character" Goldsmith Marshall and Reiter Mark

Here it would be logical to talk a little about how irrational thinking influences what a person does.

As has already become clear, irrational means illogical, unscientific and without any criticism. Irrational actions are aimed at obtaining a result, but the actions themselves are not thought out or evaluated in advance. There are no meaningful options for the development of events, resolution of issues or solutions to problems in advance.

All this, as a rule, has a very direct connection with the spontaneous manifestation of feelings and emotions that irritate or calm thoughts. Irrational individuals can observe manifestations of reality beyond the limits of their logical explanations, and also tend to believe unconfirmed facts simply because they dominate others.

Such people neglect to use the so-called life instructions, i.e. thoughtful behavioral strategies and action algorithms. The basis for this behavior in most cases is a person’s belief in a positive outcome, even if he completely does not understand the practical basis and reasons for success if it is achieved. Most often, success is explained by luck or favor of fate.

But from a practical and even more so from a critical position, either a very spiritual person or a child can allow themselves to behave this way. In addition, when thinking or drawing conclusions, it is effectively guided by the rule of conservation of energy, and thinking irrationally, simply relying on patterns and the first information received, is less expensive in terms of time and effort. But if knowledge based on upbringing or experience is irrational, nothing good will come of it.

Here is just a small list of factors that hinder effective thinking and correct actions - irrational thinking:

• Spontaneously and without reason.
• Leads a person away from the right thoughts.
• May interfere with a person's daily activities.
• Reduces efficiency in professional and other areas.
• Often activated when it is not needed.
• Causes irritability, depression and anxiety.
• Disrupts adaptation to the outside world.
• Not flexible.
• Causes the development of perfectionism.
• Produces fear of public speaking.
• Produces fear of communicating with authorities and more knowledgeable people.
• Reduces motivation to achieve new results.
• Can plunge a person into loneliness.
• Causes problems in personal, social and professional life.
• Creates dependence on other people and public opinion.
• Promotes the development of bad habits.

Behavioral psychology, and even banal everyday experience, suggest that the sooner a person realizes the irrationality and illogicality of his thoughts and actions, the faster favorable changes will begin to occur in his life: the number of negative events and mistakes will be reduced, his psyche will become stronger and his resistance to stress, personal productivity and efficiency will increase, and a critical approach to information processing will be formed.

It is wrong for a sane person to think irrationally. But this obstacle to the development of critical thinking can only be overcome when the reasons for its appearance are known. And it’s worth talking about them in more detail.

Irrationality is in psychology. Different approaches

The term “rational psychology” was first introduced into science by Christian Wolf. By this concept he meant strictly defined relationships within the human soul. Psychology itself studies how a person perceives the world, how he thinks and feels, and according to what canons he builds his internal concepts of existence.

And what is irrationality in psychology? Psychologist A. Ellis described irrational thinking as over-pretentiousness. That is, the desire for self-deification, the refusal to accept one’s human framework, to accept the possibility of mistakes and imperfections around oneself and in oneself. Another psychologist, A. Beck, called unreasonable thinking simply cognitive errors. C. Jung believed that those who have “access” to archetypes are irrational and can create based on these archetypal images.

In fact, there are a lot of approaches in psychology. From what has been said, it can be established that in psychology, irrationality is the definition of thinking built on the basis of illusory ideas.

Causes of irrational thinking

To begin with, it is worth saying that behavioral stereotypes are often laid down in early childhood. They are necessary because not only save energy and time for making decisions, but also contribute to initial adaptation to life and society, ensuring the survival of the individual. But upon reaching adulthood, a person begins to encounter “failures”, i.e. with problems with irrational thinking. The main reasons for this are the following:

• Not all mental patterns and mechanisms formed in childhood turn out to be correct.
• Not all thought patterns and mechanisms that are suitable for a child are suitable for an adult.

Irrationalism is a disorder of thinking. Subsequently, this leads to problems of adaptation to the surrounding reality. In addition, destructive basic attitudes are formed in the human mind, namely:

Adding up all the thoughts above, the output we get is something like: “In no case should I stumble during my speech. If I suddenly stumble, they should not make fun of me. But if this happens, it means the end for me, I won’t survive it.”

In reality, the variety of thoughts can be much wider, but if you discard all unnecessary things, you can always see the standard mechanism of irrational thinking, working each time in different situations in a modified form. By the way, such a scheme often causes all sorts of human fears.

Any problem, any phenomenon or process, when confronted with which a person experiences psychological discomfort, can be disassembled into elements in order to find the main irrational scheme that causes fear, anxiety, panic and other manifestations and disrupts interaction with the outside world.

In simple terms, someone who is unable to distinguish between fiction and truth, as well as find cause-and-effect relationships, is using irrational thinking. It will never help you predict events or calculate the results of your actions, which is why spontaneous actions and unnecessary experiences arise.

But rational and critical thinking to some extent also includes an irrational, one might say spiritual, component. For example, people of art, creating unique works, often contradict logical laws, although they act deliberately. However, the irrational should not dominate the mind of a sane person, and its manifestations can and should be fought.

What determines a person’s type of thinking

Like most psychological characteristics, the type of thinking is established in childhood. Parents teach rationalism when they explain: “If you touch the kettle, it will hurt.” The ability to apply proven and accepted schemes is a purely social skill.

The child strives to do everything in his own way, because he does not yet have the experience that would allow him to do it like last time.

The child’s type of thinking in adulthood depends on whether parents support innovation, interest, and creativity.

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A typical rational student is an excellent student. He knows how and what needs to be done to get the same desired effect - an A. Irrationals are eternal C students. They will not do the same thing for 11 years in a row, they will dodge, cheat, do it during breaks - this way they will further improve their flexibility and in the future will be able to quickly respond to new circumstances.

How to deal with irrational thinking?

Overcoming irrationalism is not easy, but with due diligence and systematic training it is quite possible. It's just important to know what to do. There are many ways, and now we will introduce them to you.

1

Definition of irrational thoughts

Identifying irrational thoughts is difficult only at the first stage. Often they appear in the head very quickly and automatically, they appear as if out of nowhere, and it is almost impossible to catch them consciously. For this reason, the task can be simplified: get yourself a notebook, where throughout the day and every day you will write down thoughts that can cause you negative emotions, anxiety and worries. With practice, it will become easy to determine their appearance, because... your brain will be trained and adapted to it.

2

Establishing objectivity of thoughts

When you are calm, relaxed and nothing is bothering you, ask yourself the question: “How objective are my thoughts?” For example, today someone didn’t want to communicate with you, and you immediately started thinking up God knows what. But look at the situation critically: maybe he was just tired and out of sorts? And if you showed a little timidity when communicating with someone, will that someone really have a negative opinion of you?

To become more aware of the bias in your thoughts, use a simple technique: look at the situation from a new perspective. Those. if you see a person exhibiting the same timidity, do you immediately think badly of that person? And if you don’t want to communicate with someone at the moment, does that mean that you don’t like him? Most likely, this is not the case at all. Always evaluate the situation from several sides, and life will become much simpler and more interesting.

3

Replacing the irrational with the rational

Another method is the systematic replacement of irrational thoughts with rational, more objective ones. But you can expect tangible results only after some time. At the first steps, psychological discomfort may be felt, but it must be bravely overcome with daily training. Gradually, the new habit will take hold and enter your comfort zone.

Here is an example of good thoughts that can replace irrational ones: “It’s quite possible that he didn’t notice my timidity,” “It might have seemed to me that she didn’t want to communicate,” “Yes, they most likely didn’t even think about me,” etc. P.

If we summarize these three methods, we can draw the following conclusion: for example, in a few minutes you will have to make contact with an unfamiliar person. The time before the meeting is getting shorter, and your anxiety is getting stronger. And now is the time to ask yourself why you are scared. Most likely, the fear is due to the fact that your future interlocutor may notice some peculiarities in your behavior: a slightly hesitant voice, a slight trembling of your hands, etc., which is why he will have a negative image of you. This is where critical thinking skills come into play:

• The interlocutor’s thoughts may be occupied with something else at the time of communication.
• The interlocutor may not notice the peculiarities of your behavior.
• Even if the interlocutor notices something, he is unlikely to analyze it, and after a few minutes he will already forget about you.

You can see for yourself that there is really nothing terrible. Irrational thinking plays a cruel joke. But with regular implementation of such a procedure, anxiety states will gradually begin to recede and lose strength.

Here are a few more good techniques for dealing with the irrational that behavioral psychology offers us:

4

Don't go to extremes

When assessing a situation, try to avoid extremes like “this is definitely bad”, “only this is good”, “this is the end”, “one way or not at all”, etc. There are several ways to overcome such thoughts :

Remember that extremes are always harmful.

5

Avoid catastrophic thoughts

By exaggerating the scale and significance of the problem, you make things worse for yourself. When talking about something unpleasant, you shouldn’t give “not very good” the form “nightmarish.” your attitude towards problems and troubles :

• Think about the fact that the problematic situation, although not good, does not at all lead to inevitable death and the collapse of all hopes.
• Try to compare the problematic situation with something truly terrible, for example, the death of someone close, or how homeless or unjustly imprisoned people feel.

You can also try to calm yourself down:

• “There’s really nothing wrong with it to be so worried.”
• “Yes, it’s unpleasant, but life doesn’t end there.”
• “In any case, everything will work out.”
• “No one has ever died from this.”

These things actually work. Check it out for yourself.

6

Think objectively

If you notice that you are prone to exaggeration and irrationalism, and often imagine dire consequences for even minor problems, practice thinking objectively:

Model different scenarios and then predict the likelihood of each of them occurring.

7

Mentally relax

Many people often have the thought “I can’t do this anymore.” But this is typical of irrational and insecure people. To overcome irrational thoughts, you need to reformulate your belief and convince yourself that, despite the difficulties at the moment, after a while you will feel better and you will solve your problems.

And, summing up this section, all that remains to be said is that the most effective way to overcome irrationalism and negative experiences is a critical approach: question your feelings and sensations and analyze the illogical and irrational thoughts that underlie them.

Irrational thinking is generated by a person’s desire to believe in his fantasies. These are almost incoherent arguments that have no logical basis and are based on feelings and assumptions. Rational and critical thinking, on the contrary, consists in taking only facts and evidence based on logic and cause-and-effect relationships as the basis for reflection and future actions. The benefits and effectiveness of this approach are obvious and undeniable, but we’ll still say a few words about it.

Features of the irrational approach

Irrationalists know how and love to fantasize, and are not limited by accepted norms or past experience. Emotions and interest are the main motivators when searching for a solution, not a calculation of benefits.

The most striking example is children. They easily tell fantastic stories and draw unknown creatures. Even their perception of time is irrational: two days ago is a very long time ago, it is something no longer relevant.

How do thoughts affect life?

With irrational thinking, the key to choosing actions is the person’s personality, so it is almost impossible to teach irrationality. Many philosophical movements are a thinker’s irrational view of some subject. They can be separated, but each follower will still perceive the world in their own way.

Another feature is the acceptance of different points of view and the ability to change one’s position. This can also be harmful: just as a child is easily influenced by adults, so an irrational person can succumb to the influence of different people who can act for their own selfish gain.

There are no absolute irrationals: a person must act according to patterns at least part of his life in order to save strength for more important things. And thinking “beyond the accepted framework” comes into play when the “muses” come - so irrational people have to miss all the deadlines and worry about their emotions.

This type of thinking is very useful in the digital sphere, when there is a need to multitask and conditions change at a rapid pace. Today they organize trainings and corporate games. Top companies are looking for irrationalists to put them in charge of development departments.

If, with this kind of thinking, you find something that interests you, your productivity will be the envy of everyone around you. And plans and a tight schedule will kill the “muse”.

Can you imagine how irrational they are in relationships? These are truly terrible partners who I cannot live without scandals, changes of plans, emotions and surges of feelings. Such people can only be balanced by a rational, calm person nearby, who will not support another explosion, but will cool the ardor of a wild partner.

The main advantage of irrationals is flexibility and the ability to come up with new solutions and follow unknown paths.

Benefits of Rational Thinking

Rational thinking helps to draw conclusions and make decisions using logical chains. The desire to think critically and rationally helps to work on your shortcomings. When logical thinking is taken into account, a person stops performing spontaneous actions, and this minimizes the occurrence of unpleasant surprises.

When we think rationally, we begin to see things as they are, we can explain what previously seemed inexplicable, we become calmer and find the shortest and most effective ways to achieve our goals, and we are able to focus on the things that are of highest priority at the moment.

Learning to think rationally is not difficult. All you need to do is follow a few simple rules and tips:

The advantages of rational thinking can be clearly demonstrated with the following example: you talked with a person and he voiced his grievances and reproaches to you, explained that your views and actions are unacceptable to him. The first thing you want to do in response is to repay in the same coin. However, what will be the result, other than misunderstandings, quarrels and hostility? Perhaps even more emotional discomfort and a long-term break in the relationship.

It will be much more effective to try to maintain calm, balance and dignity. And rational thinking suggests doing a much simpler thing in this case: analyze your actions and words that caused criticism and dissatisfaction from your interlocutor, and accept a critical opinion from the outside. You need to come to a compromise - seek mutual understanding and agreement on an issue on which you have different views. At the same time, you should make it clear to the other person that problematic situations can be resolved without humiliation, scandals and insults, and this is acceptable for you.

A rational approach and the development of critical thinking will help you regain peace of mind and psychological comfort. In any situation when you find yourself in the grip of irrational thoughts caused by emotions, fatigue, overwork or stress, banish them from yourself as soon as possible.

It doesn’t matter who you are: a chemist, a physicist, a mathematician, a military man, a businessman, a simple company employee or a student, rational and critical thinking can be an effective means for you to achieve goals, solve everyday and professional problems, improve communication with people and interact with others peace, self-knowledge and development of one’s abilities.

To increase your immunity to irrational thoughts, we recommend that you lead a healthy lifestyle, get plenty of rest, sleep properly, develop your brain, and cultivate a good mood and positive attitude. And, of course, read the relevant literature: Daniel Kahneman “Think Slow, Decide Fast”, Kate Stanovich “Rational Thinking. What aptitude tests don’t measure”, Diana Halpern “The Psychology of Critical Thinking”, Robert Burton “Mind VS Brain. Conversation in different languages" and other books.

How to develop rationality

Psychologists have developed many ways to develop rational thinking. They are quite simple, do not require any special training and are accessible to everyone.

While you are thinking about a question, record the thoughts that arise.

1. 
   Clearly outline the problem that you want to “think about”, outline goals and objectives.

2. Start taking notes. Write down ideas on a piece of paper. This will help you look at the problem from all sides and study it.
3. You can replace paper by typing on your phone, tablet or computer. This way you will sort everything out and remember all the details of the situation. At this stage, errors in reasoning or incorrect conclusions will become visible.
4. Record your ideas on a tape recorder so you don't forget. Sometimes insights come suddenly.
5. Write down the numbers from 1 to 20 in order in a column. Try to write a note about the problem next to each item. Characteristics, assessment, solutions - everything will do. Such brainstorming will help to cover the situation as much as possible. Please study the list received carefully. His analysis will tell you a way out of a problematic situation.
6. Train yourself to look for several solutions at once. Later, comparing them and rejecting them, you will choose one that suits you 100%.
7. If you don’t know something about a problem situation, find out. Making the wrong decision due to lack of information is the most common mistake. Interview people who are aware of the problem, request documents and reports if it concerns a work issue. If you are afraid to show your ignorance, Google it. There is a lot of information on the Internet, perhaps your question is covered on the Internet from all sides.

There are even certain “exercises” that can make your mind more flexible and teach you to look for new ways to resolve difficulties. Of course, they are all based on a rational approach.

1. Meditate. This is not only a spiritual practice. Meditation improves concentration, which is very important. Focusing on any issue allows you to quickly and successfully resolve it, without being distracted from what is important.
2. Walking in the fresh air saturates the blood with oxygen, which allows the brain to work more productively. Try thinking about important questions in nature.
3. Excellent and very simple exercise. Return home, slightly changing your usual route. If you have been walking the same road for more than a year, change it. Walk not along the usual alley, but along a neighboring alley. Get off at the stop earlier and walk the rest of the way. Or drive on and then come back. This exercise is based on the fact that the consciousness does not view all repeating situations, but, as it were, “archives”. We only react to changes. Changing your route will invigorate your brain and force it into “work mode.”

Thus, rational thinking is a tool that allows us to achieve our goals, solve complex and not so complex issues, understand situations, and, in general, fully build our lives.

Rationality and irrationality. What are the differences?

We often say about someone - “he is irrational.” What does this concept mean? Rationality means consistency with reason, validity. From Lat. ratio is reason. Whereas irrationalis is unreasonable, based not on arguments, but on general ideas.

To understand the difference between reasonable and unreasonable, we present the signs of both principles of thinking.

Signs of rational judgment:

1. Confirmation of logical conclusions by experience.
2. Balance of emotions. Rational thoughts never cause a “storm of emotions” in the soul of an individual.
3. There is no absolutization of phenomena. A rational person knows that all events and phenomena mean exactly as much as the value we ourselves put into them.
4. Efficiency.

Now let's list the signs of the irrational.

1. The categorical judgment is “I won’t be able to live if...”.
2. Bias. No facts can prove an irrational thought.
3. Presence of violent hysterics, tears.
4. Inefficiency. Such thoughts do not help you move forward towards a positive goal.

Now it is clear how irrational individuals think. Anyone who is biased, unpredictable and cannot separate the main from the secondary because of his emotionality when solving pressing issues is irrational. What does it mean? This means that a person most likely has emotional-figurative thinking since childhood. And a profession should be chosen by such a creative person, associated with emotional states, not facts.

But sometimes the reason for such thinking is negative attitudes. Such programs serve only destructiveness and need to be corrected with the help of a psychotherapist.