Convergent and divergent production
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2008-06-26T19:47:00Z
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'''Convergent''' and '''divergent production''' are the two types of human response to a set problem that were identified by [[J. P. Guilford]].
Guilford observed that most individuals display a preference for either convergent or divergent thinking. (Others observe that most people prefer a convergent closure).
As opposed to say [[TRIZ]] or [[Lateral Thinking]] divergent thinking is '''not about tools''' for creativity or thinking, but a way of categorizing what can be observed.
==Divergent Thinking==
According to [[Guilford College]][http://www.guilford.edu/academics/], divergent or '''synthetic thinking''' is the ability to draw on ideas from across disciplines and fields of inquiry to reach a deeper understanding of the world and one's place in it.
There is a movement in education that maintains '''divergent thinking''' might create more resourceful students. Rather than presenting a series of problems for rote memorization or resolution, divergent thinking presents open-ended problems and encourages students to develop their own solutions to problems.
Divergent production is the [[creativity|creative]] generation of multiple answers to a set problem. For example, ''find uses for 1 [[meter]] lengths of black [[cotton]]''.
==Convergent thinking==
Convergent production is the [[deductive]] generation of the best single answer to a set problem, usually where there is a compelling [[inference]]. For example, find answers to the question ''What is the sum of the internal angles of a [[triangle]]?''
==Use and implementations==
The terms Divergent/Convergent thinking is widely used to '''describe''' a creative development process.
In some "schools" the model is even used for [[facilitation]] of meetings etc. many facilitators and leaders thus seek to end any facilitation with convergent thinking.
==Critic of the analytic/dialectic approach==
While the observations made in psychology can be used to analyze the thinking of humans, such categories may also lead to oversimplifications and [[dialectic]] thinking.
The systematic use of convergent thinking may well lead to what is known as [[Group think]] - thus one should probably combine systematic use with [[critical thinking]].
Categorizing thinkers as "divergent" or "convergent" may seem appropriatte for the purpose of general analyzes.
==See also==
* [[Dialectics]]
* [[Systems thinking]]
* [[Portal:thinking]]
* [[Lateral Thinking]]
* [[TRIZ]]
[[Category:Thought]]
[[Category:Cognition]]
[[Category:Creativity]]
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[[nl:Convergente en divergente productie]]