Critical and Analytical Thinking

Critical and Analytical Thinking

            Human beings are always faced with situations that need informed decisions before going for solutions. However, the decision-making process involves several techniques, and different people take different approaches to address their issues. The thinking process is an essential requirement for the solution to every situation. Analytical and critical thinking are standard techniques of thinking that are essential in the provision of solutions. I have always been finding explanations and experiences that will help in understanding both analytical and critical thinking. After going through various experiences around people solving problems, I have come to understand that critical thinking involves a structured and logical way of viewing an issue from different perspectives and coming up with a feasible solution. Analytical thinking, on the other hand, involves breaking down an issue to understand the patterns involved in the process before making a decision. I have encountered situations that have required me to employ both critical and analytical thinking skills, depending on the situation at hand and the required outcomes at the end of the process.

Analytical thinking involves the attempts to explore a problem and analyze the situation to come up with elaborate ideas about it. Generally, analytical thinking looks at the aspects that tend to be overlooked when a problem is being addressed (Wolfe, Christensen & Vandervelde, 2019). My interest in researching the field of analytical thinking has been developed by the increasing interest of companies and firms towards people with analytical skills. Analytical thinking involves several steps, and critical thinking is sometimes needed for successful analytical thinking. Generally, analytical thinking should end up with solutions for the problems that led to the need for analysis. Furthermore, the results from analytical thinking are expected to provide additional knowledge concerning the situation at hand. Moreover, analytical thinking enables an individual to assess the entire problem-solving process and address how new ideas relate to the original idea.

The experiences that I have gone through have required significant attention towards the attempts to seek solutions from complex situations. However, my ability to break down complex patterns into smaller parts that can easily be understood has been essential in the success of my skills. Generally, the patterns in the situations have been forming the basic foundation towards providing the required solutions to the various problems. Besides, analytical thinking does not leave room for logical conclusions, as is the case in critical thinking. Facts form a crucial part when analytical thinking is involved, and conclusions can only be realized after an analysis of the availed information. Moreover, my analytical skills have been essential in the analysis of the experiences that I have come across.

I have been exposed to situations where analytical thinking has been the only efficient option. Although most of the experiences have not been directly associated with my field of specialization, my advice has proved effective in finding the solutions required for the various challenges. A case was presented to me where a nurse had been approached by one of his bosses concerning a policy that had been proposed to address the challenges caused by poor hand hygiene, which has eventually led to a rise in the number of cases of hygiene-related infections. The advice offered was that the healthcare facility needed to obtain data about previous policies on hand hygiene as well as the diseases that have broken out due to poor hygiene. The solutions would only be effective if the data was properly analyzed to have unbiased recommendations. Moreover, I have come to realize that I have a better understanding of critical thinking and m interpretation skills have improved greatly.

Critical thinking involves the objective analysis of the available information through the interpretation of ideas from a specific reference point to make a reasonable judgment. The problem-solving process in critical thinking is not only interested in the results but also the impacts and reasons for the process (Ay, Karakaya & Yilmaz, 2015). Generally, a critical thinking process involves more than a mere analysis of information and goes to the extent of analyzing the sources of the data to be analyzed. Furthermore, a clear combination of logic and reason is developed to interpret and perceive the information that has already been provided. Therefore, the conclusions made after critical thinking are logical, and the perception of the problem is given the best possible uniqueness. Generally, critical thinking is the most common form of thinking, and the conclusions found from critical thinking are reliable. Moreover, the stages involved in critical thinking ensure that the individual considers all the possible outcomes and the impacts on other aspects not considered in the process.

A critical thinker considers several perspectives that can be relevant in the solution obtained after a decision is made. My understanding of critical thinking has led me to develop several skills that are effective in the provision of much-needed problem-solving experiences. Besides, challenges appear continuously, and an individual should always strain to have better critical thinking skills that will always come into play every time a challenge appears. Therefore, I have been convinced that my critical thinking skills are among the best according to the solutions that I have offered to the various experiences that I have come across. Moreover, my application of critical thinking skills has offered solutions that have proved to be effective for several years.

An application of critical thinking should aim at providing solutions that cannot be questioned. Experience in the healthcare facility brought me into knowing that my critical thinking skills are best (Cottrell, 2017). A nurse is faced with a situation where several patients have been presented and need their attention. I am called upon to interpret the situation in a bid to come up with a feasible solution. The patients are conflicting concerning who should be attended first. After a short discussion with the nurse, a conclusion is obtained after several considerations. First, the severity of the patient’s illness is considered, as well as the type of service needed. Then, the patients are asked to discuss among themselves to come up with criteria to be followed. Generally, the nurse avoids unnecessary conflicts with the patients and ends up offering services as required.

In sum, I have encountered situations that have required me to employ both critical and analytical thinking skills, depending on the situation at hand and the required outcomes at the end of the process. Before making a decision and giving advice, I am determined to interpret the situations to assess the potential responses if other actions were taken. Analytical thinking enables an individual to assess the entire problem-solving process and address how new ideas relate to the original idea. However, critical thinking is the most common form of thinking, and the conclusions found from critical thinking are reliable. Moreover, the stages involved in critical thinking ensure that the individual considers all the possible outcomes and the impacts on other aspects not considered in the process.

References

Ay, F. A., Karakaya, A., & Yilmaz, K. (2015). Relations between self-leadership and critical        thinking skills. Procedia-social and Behavioral sciences, 207, 29-41.

Cottrell, S. (2017). Critical thinking skills: Effective analysis, argument and reflection.        Macmillan International Higher Education.

Wolfe, C. J., Christensen, B. E., & Vandervelde, S. D. (2019). Intuition versus Analytical             Thinking and Impairment Testing. Contemporary Accounting Research.