Critical and Creative Thinking can be described as qualities of good thinking processes and as types of thinking. Creative thinking is generally considered to be involved with the creation or generation of ideas, processes, experiences or objects; critical thinking is concerned with their evaluation.
Critical and creative thinking are interrelated and complementary aspects of thinking. Almost all of the thinking which we undertake contains some critical and some creative aspects. For example, when we try to solve real life problems we move back and forth several times between creative and critical reflection as we develop solutions or weigh the consequences of any one solution. It is important, therefore, that any attempts to improve thinking abilities pay attention to both critical and creative aspects of thinking.
To enhance our understanding, I'd like to give you definitions for these two kinds of thinking. According to The Critical Thinking Community, Critical Thinking is that mode of thinking — about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem-solving abilities, as well as a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism.
While Creative Thinking according to Brainstorming (an online brainstorming training) is specific thought processes which improve the ability to be creative. Being in an optimal state of mind for generating new ideas. To think deliberately in ways that improve the likelihood of new thoughts occurring. To maximize the ability of the brain to think of new ideas. The ability to think of original, diverse and elaborate ideas. A series of mental actions which produce changes and developments of thought. The process of exploring multiple avenues of actions or thoughts. (Sometimes called divergent thinking because thought patterns and areas of belief are expanded).
Okey, even I said that these two kinds of thinking are interrelated each other, but much of the thinking done in formal education emphasizes the skills of analysis - teaching students how to understand claims, follow or create a logical argument, figure out the answer, eliminate the incorrect paths and focus on the correct one. The point to be stressed here is by doing so, you will only focus on what has been available in this world. You will never think something new, thus, never do something new, all you can do is criticizing and finding the correct answers or paths. Nah, Creative thinking here, thus, is really essential. It focuses on exploring ideas, generating possibilities, looking for many right answers or paths rather than just one. This makes clear that we can't choose one of them, both of these kinds of thinking are vital to a successful working life, yet the latter one tends to be ignored until after college.
We might differentiate these two kinds of thinking like this :
| Critical Thinking | Creative Thinking |
| Analytic | Generative |
| Convergent | Divergent |
| Vertical | Lateral |
| Probability | Possibility |
| Judgement | Suspended Judgement |
| Focused | Diffuse |
| Objective | Subjective |
| Answer | An Answer |
| Left brain | Right brain |
| Verbal | Visual |
| Linear | Associative |
| Reasoning | Richness, novelty |
| Yes, but | Yes, and |
In an activity like problem solving, both kinds of thinking are important to us. First, we must analyze the problem; then we must generate possible solutions; next we must choose and implement the best solution; and finally, we must evaluate the effectiveness of the solution. As you can see, this process reveals an alternation between the two kinds of thinking, critical and creative. In practice, both kinds of thinking operate together much of the time and are not really independent of each other.
by Naskar Hansam | Hasanuddin University
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