BACHELOR OF PSYCHOLOGY WITH HONOURS

SEMESTER 3 / YEAR 2021

SBFS 1103

THINKING SKILLS AND PROBLEM SOLVING

 APENDIKS

INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………. 2

APPLYING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND PROBLEM SOLVING

………………………………………………………………………..……………… 3- 5

CONCLUSION …………………………………………………………………..…. 5 - 6

INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………. 7 - 8
MY STORY ………………………………………………………………………. 8-9
TIME VERSUS FINANCIAL, HOW DID I GET HERE? .…………………… 9 - 11
CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………………. 11

REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………..………… 12

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INTRODUCTION

Problem solving is the main goal in any process of help. The goal towards
problem solving can be easily achieved if it involves levels and application of certain
skills. The word “problem” refers to a situation or experience that can affect an
individual’s imbalance in terms of emotions, thoughts, actions and sometimes physical.
However, the presence of problems can indirectly push or motivate an individual to move
forward, especially in terms of thoughts and actions that can provide a solution to the
problems faced. In other words, the presence of a problem in addition to putting pressure
on the individual, it also encourages the individual to try their best to use personal
strength towards finding a solution to the problem. The efforts of an individual to solve or
end the problem he or she is facing can be summarized as the action of the individual
through certain processes towards solving the problem. (Galley, 2020)
Hence, to solve that particular problem we must have one critical thinking skills.
We must apply the art of thinking before we make a decision. Thinking is the nature
function of human beings. There are several importance of critical thinking and creative
thinking skills that need to be acknowledge. The reason why this must be practice is
because, it can nurture and create good and effective thinking on problem solving. By
practicing a culture of critical and creative thinking, we tend to avoid thinking mistakes.
Nurture and create good and effective thinking may produce a smarter result. The
conclusion drawn are more reliable. (Lumen Learning, n.d)
Thus, this paper will outline the meaning of problems and solutions for the
problems as well as discuss the stages that need to be taken into account in the process
problem solving while providing the help process for the situations highlighted. By
applying critical thinking and problem-solving skills on this task, it helps to trained and
experience various processes to head towards good, effective and sharp thinking through
gather a lot of information, exploring though further and deeper and looking at the
possibilities to reach the effective solution. (Lumen Learning, n.d)

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APPLYING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND PROBLEM SOLVING

One must understand that when a problem occurs, critical thinking and having a
good problem solving skill is a complementary to thinking and learning in our everyday
life. In the current situation, critical and creative thinking are two essential elements for
broad and deep-thinking activities using skills, behaviors and dispositions such as reason,
logic, intelligence, imagination and innovation in all fields of knowledge.
As for the situation given, when I opened my email and found a desperate plea
from a friend but the one that not in contact for a period of time. The email written she is
in needs because she ran into legal trouble while she is on vacation in Zimbabwe, Africa.
She also mentions that if I failed to help her, she will risk lifelong imprisonment. So, the
content of the email is a plea to pay a bail but by sending the money to someone else
account in Switzerland. After I reading the email, it took me awhile to digest the email
and in lieu to that, I will explain my point of view on these matters by express my own
opinion about the email. In line with that, I will present a solution for how to deal with
this issues.
To be honest, is human nature when after we read any news regarding on
someone, we know in trouble we will have a sense of sympathy and have a will to help
that particular friend. Just as like me, I was a bit shocked and sympathy to what had
happened to my friend in Zimbabwe, Africa. However, its also triggered my mind on
how this situation happens and before I help it makes me think of this email is either true
or fraud and to lend a helping hand or not to help. So, I choose to act rationally on this.
This is because, if it is true, I also sympathize with what has happened to her. But to
know if the problem stated by the friend is not a fabrication, I have to wisely arrange
strategically in solving this problem.
As highlighted in the above statement, I will illustrate the stages in problem
solving to solve this plea email. To analyzing a problem, its best if we practice these four
stages in reaching solution that we desire. Firstly, is to recognizing and defining a
problem. So, in this process I note the problem of my friend about her current situation
held by Zimbabwe Authority. In this process, I will dig more information by get
clarification on is its true she is in Zimbabwe. How ? , I decided to reach out her through

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media social and also to her parents. If the finding is promising, then I will proceed to
responding her email by asking on how to contact her and ask what are the problems that
are befalling her abroad. Simple says, if I found out she is not in Zimbabwe, Africa then
case close. (Lumen Learning, n.d)
Therefore, if it is true, she is there, then I will try to contact her and ask what is
the problem she’s facing there now. In like manner, sometimes it is true we will have
problems in other countries while we are traveling. This is coming unexpectedly. Thus,
we are often advised to always be careful and vigilant so as not to fall victim to the
situation. Among the examples of problems that we often hear while in another country
are, lost luggage, being snatched, lost communication equipment, fall sick while
traveling, missed a plane (regardless of schedule changes), getting lost, communication
problems, financial constraints and the list goes on especially if it involve law or
immigration. Due to that, I gave this friend of mine an opportunity to explain the real
situation and try to consider further action on my part. (Lumen Learning, n.d)
In the case of, this friend of mine is stuck in an immigration problem. This
problem can be resolved without involving monetary transactions. Immigration and
customs in other countries are different based on the rules of law that have been set in
each country. So, stage two in problem solving is finding a possible solution. Onto this,
after I identified what problem, she was facing, I tried to extend this matter to the relevant
authorities. A further comment on this matter is, if the critical situation states this friend
of mine has an immigration problem or involves the enforcement of the country. We are
trying to get more info, on is it just an immigration issue or has it violated locality laws in
the country. (Lumen Learning, n.d)
If it is related to immigration issues, I will ask what offenses have been convicted
against her and get the name of the officer handling the case in that country. Then
straight to stage three, after I get the required information, I will contact immigration and
the consular representative in Zimbabwe, Africa. If she is involved in an offense such as
the law of the country, I will ask her to explain more specifically which locality rules she
has violated. As we all know, when we enter another country, we will experience
differences of government and different laws that are implemented according to the will
of that country. That's why before we enter the country, we have to fill in the entry

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permission form or declaration form upon arriving. With the declaration, it states that we
agree to abide by the laws of that country and will be convicted of violating them. So,
after I get info about it, I will help her and her family by getting legal advice. If
necessary, they are required to hire a lawyer that knowledgeable with the matter to help
resolve her problem in that country. This is because, sometimes we as tourists will also
be a scapegoats by syndicates. What we often hear is being a drug mule. Some
deliberately put drugs in our luggage or forced us to willingly carry the material to help
get past the enforcement door. Due to that, we help them to engage to the international
agencies through Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM). (Lumen Learning, n.d)
Onto that, stage four is implementing the solution. Once we have enough
information on hand, we help to solve the problem with available and valid solution
options. In connection with that, if its true need to settle with a certain amount of money
as stated. We can make a prior check with the relevant bank. Investigate first if the
account number given is valid and true then agree to make the transaction, otherwise, we
will lose. Indirectly we are trapped as victims of money scams. (Lumen Learning, n.d)

CONCLUSION

Conversely, if at the beginning of the investigation I found out my friend was not
in the country or if I had no information about her whereabouts and I replied to the email
to demand evidence and she did not cooperate or provide detailed information about the
problem she was facing there, indirectly the email was categorized as a scam too. With
today's advanced technology, outsiders can easily access our information by infiltrating
personal information online. Intelligent hackers and beings hacking this information
exists and can conspire the situation. If we choose not to think more critically about our
friend’s problem, we can also easily conclude that the email was untrue at first. This is
because we have been exposed to warnings issued by the government regarding scams.
Other than that, too, this scammer is also not hard to identify. (Phishing Technique:
Message from a Friend/Relative, 2020)
For putting myself in this situation, I would know this is not true too. Because
scammer is indeed often closely linked to money laundering syndicates. Hackers and

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money are inseparable. In the same way, this scammer often repeats sending emails to us
without feeling guilty. Although the content of the message is different but has one main
purpose which is to ask the reader for money. A weak way of writing and to solicit our
sympathy by putting ourselves in a precarious situation or between life or death. In short,
if we don’t take this seriously and aren’t wise in making a decision, we will be at a lose
out if we realize this is untrue after believing that the email is genuine and making a
transaction without investigating whether the number and owner of the account are true.
(Phishing Technique: Message from a Friend/Relative, 2020)

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INTRODUCTION

Every human being is not spared from facing trials in life. This coincides with the
meaning of the proverb, which earth is not affected by rain and which ocean is not
turbulent. However, the allegations faced vary in degree. The challenges faced by adults
may be as a result of thinking about family, financial or career problems, there are also
challenges in dealing with relationships with peers, friends or problems related to
employers. For some people, the trials they face may bring success and happiness in life,
while others consider these trials as a source of misery and suffering until the stress, they
face leads to the end of life. As a student and working adults, I am also not spared from
facing trials but how we overcome them to achieve those goals is up to us in our own way
to solve them. Therefore, before I miss the opportunity, I have taken some steps to deal
with these challenges. (Everyday Problem Solving across the Adult Life Span: Solution
Diversity and Efficacy, 2011)
The above description is relevant to my assignment today. That is, students are
asked to write a report on personal problems encountered and state the solution to the
problem. As I was thinking about the idea of this essay, I paused for a moment and asked
myself, am I facing a problem that needs to be solved at this point. Honestly, I would like
to state that, like there is no problem to think about. Even at work, there is no problem
because I don't have a colleague. I work in the Sabah State Health Department, stationed
in the Psychology and Counseling Section but our office is in Wisma Dang Bandang and
the only Section under the Sabah JKN Management Division that is separate from the
main office in the Federal House. In relation to that, in this section there is only one Head
of Department, Supervisor and Administrative Assistant, which is me alone. So, I don’t
have a colleague in the office to experience an office crisis. But that statement is a bit
selfish. Because if we don’t open our minds then it seems to deny that we really have to
make decisions everyday and these days for the sake of survival. (Everyday Problem
Solving across the Adult Life Span: Solution Diversity and Efficacy, 2011)
The first step in dealing with these daily requests is with "a problem I've solved or
a problem I want to solve." This situation gives us a lot of flexibility in determining the
problem. This can be an "intellectual challenge", a "research question" or an "ethical

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dilemma." The problem can be big or small. Think broadly about the type of problem we
want to solve in the long or short term. Naturally in life, we all have problems that we
want to solve. And this could be a problem where you’ve found a way out, or that you
hope to find a solution to in the future. Therefore, with this I would like to share the
challenges I faced and how I overcame them for my academic and career purposes. The
selection of this situation for my assignment was because that is what I am facing now
and am also undergoing a problem-solving session for the sake of my future. (Sutherland,
2019)

MY STORY

For a long time, I was interested in learning even though the results were not as
beautiful as any. Just passing the marks for me is perfect enough to have a very valuable
piece of academic certificate and next to get a permanent job to secure the future.
However, it was not easy for me as I was not from a well do family and financial
constraints caused me to have to work while studying. This happened from high school
until I studied at the Diploma level. I work while studying to pay my own school fees.
Never once did I apply for financial assistance from the bank to finance my school fees.
If I wanted to, also I would know the decision would decline. One of the reasons was
because the salary was not enough to qualify for the approved loan and my result also did
not meet the requirements for a scholarship or admission to a local college/university.
This allegation does not stop at the diploma level alone, as this is also what is happening
now. To continue studying at the degree level I also still have the same problem. But the
challenge this time was my increased of spending. This situation occurred because
previously my journey as a part -time employee and student, I was in Kuching and living
with family. Spending is relatively less because there are basic things that have been
provided by the parents. However, now I am in Kota Kinabalu, away from family, as a
civil servant and part -time student as well. My expenses increased in terms of having to
pay house rent, car monthly, food and drink, personal and even school fees. Apart from
that, when the money collected was enough to pay the advance fee to the university, the
Covid-19 pandemic occurred. I was stuck between the essential task and the desire to

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continue learning. It seems, the real problem is time constraints and but there’s another
one, it prevents me from doing side jobs to earn extra money to pay university fees. In
line with between my real wants and desires, I came out with my online side business i.e.
making handicrafts from beads or any craft to generate side income.

TIME VERSUS FINANCIAL, HOW DID I GET HERE?

Yes, my time and my financial, I need to take the time to organized when I need
to devote every second to work. Plus doing craft is not the overnight thing that can be
done one day. Its time consuming and I admit, the process of producing the handicraft is
a bit complicated, but as the saying goes burn the midnight oil, it can all be completed
within the period required by the customer. However, apart from producing the craft as
requested, promotion, packaging and delivery also need to focus, let alone marketing.
Because if there is no marketing it is difficult for me to get the sales. In the beginning, the
handicraft products I produced were only known to my closest friends and relatives. Then
it turned into an enterprise and I got a lot of orders including from government
departments and agencies as well as corporate bodies to be used as souvenirs.
In relate to that, everyone needs money, but money also has its own course of
flow. It cannot be pushed or forced into our hands. To illustrate it, I’m wondering on how
can I be organized and make sure everything goes on smoothly. So, I plan to expand my
business. I have trained a few of my friend who have the same interest with me. They are
doing well which I can put my trust in them to produce the product home-based. While
me doing things behind the scene which is in this world surrounded by scientific and
technological advances, we can enjoy the various facilities of innovation and application
of technology in daily life. The evolution of the telephone to the mobile phone and
beyond to the smartphone has changed the landscape of today's society where everything
moves fast and short. Just as mushrooms grow after rain, so does the use of applications
on smartphones where various applications introduced including online business or
known as e-commerce allow anyone to do business virtually. So here we can discuss how

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the steps to grow my business with e-commerce that has make my life easier and I have
no problem of time to do multiple things at one time but the goal remains achievable.
(The History & Development of the Mobile Phone, 2018)
First, I join the eEntrepreneur Programme. This program is a program fully
sponsored by the government through the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation
(MDEC) as an effort to help the people generate income through online platforms. The
program was launched in 2016 with the aim of providing exposure to digital
entrepreneurship among Malaysian youth and Small and Medium Enterprise micro
-entrepreneurs. In this program we can learn about Sales Clause and the methods of
producing effective sales sentences for digital business (copywriting). Social Media
Marketing, methods of increasing sales with social media like Facebook & Instagram.
How to close sales, the method of getting sales through chat platform like WhatsApp,
Telegram and etc. Website Marketing on how to build a basic website. The building
methods & understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Last but not least, sales at
market place like Shopee, Lazada and Carousell. (Nurul, 2018)
Secondly, I don’t stop there. After the training I implementing it to my business.
In theory, it looks like a lot of work needs to be done. But because now everything is just
at my fingertips, after learning all those modules from eEntrepreneur Programme I only
need one day a week to manage and monitor this business of mine. The important thing is
our own consistency. Any system, whether manual or electronic, requires that we
maintain onto it. I even can spend probably one hour or one hour and a half just to reply
my customer enquiry and purchase daily. Commit my energies one hundred percent to
the activities of the present moment, may it be from morning, breakfast, to the office. Do
my office work, and come back home at night and go through my online business
platform and finally have an enough sufficient sleep. It is totally worth it and I manage to
earn extras to pay my school fees and of course my friends who work on it will have the
same benefits too.
Third, once a month I will do check and balance on myself and business. The
reason I do this is to improve the business and also to be mindfulness, master my own
life. Because if I am too tired to ignore or doesn’t appreciate the people around me, not
focused on the important things and also if I do not care about quality rather than

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quantity, this way of my solution will also not be successful. One of the consequences I
would receive if I didn’t have good planning was I myself would be super exhausted
because of the work, can’t catch up my study and assignments that need to be completed,
at the same time fail to complete the orders that need to be made, doesn’t have time to
post up sales that need to be promoted and lastly don’t have the precious time for myself.
All this will be self-defeating if I am not careful and all my dreams and career will not be
achieved

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, I always plan my work. I plan for my life, hourly, daily, weekly,
monthly and yearly. It is important for me, to avoid mistake, time wasting and back
tracking. Not ever a genius can work efficiently without a plan. Nothing is perfect and
mistake is the life experience we can’t avoid but what I believe is whatever I want in life,
I must well prepared and organized and enjoy life under pressure. People will think I’m
overload and can’t see I enjoying my life but actually I having a good time working,
saving people’s life, encourage people get vaccinated, and continue study what I’m
interest in and also can continue do what I like while turning my hobbies into business.
Briefly, for this subject and the entire process to complete my assignment I can
say that problem build me stronger. That’s what I mean earlier, when problem occurs,
growth demands that we do something harder or something we never done before to
overcome it nor for some felt it’s tiring and makes people giving up. Some says above all
its not a problem but for my it’s a huge problem for me if I failed and think on how I’m
going to pay for my school fees. I’m particularly firm and tough with saving money. No
matter how little I earn, I always save 10 %. In addition, my general guidelines for
problem solving especially what I implement in above statement is by acting what I
wanted to solve, I plan how the flows goes and I do whatever I need to do. Most
importantly discipline in doing it, focus to confirm the effectiveness of the proposal I
have present for my own better life and lastly self-reflection for self-improvement or
declutching any errors that doesn’t serve in improving my life.
(3770 WORDS)

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 ATTACHMENT

REFERENCES

Everyday problem solving across the adult life span: solution diversity and efficacy.

(2011, October 1). PubMed Central (PMC).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746011/

Galley, M. (2020, November 9). Problem Solving - 3 Basic Steps. Problem Solving 3

Basic Step. https://blog.thinkreliability.com/problem-solving-three-basic-steps

The history & development of the mobile phone. (2018). SmartphonesRevealed.Com.

https://smartphonesrevealed.com/history-of-the-mobile-phone/

Lumen Learning. (0). Problem-Solving with Critical Thinking | English Composition I.

Problem-Solving with Critical Thinking. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-

englishcomposition1/chapter/text-problem-solving-with-critical-thinking/

Nurul, M. A. (2018). (English) Grow Your Business with Facebook by Nurul-Huda

Mohamed Afandi. Online Training - Nurul Grow Your Business Online Webinar

Series! https://www.learnabee.com/p/grow-business-fb

Phishing technique: Message from a friend/relative. (2020, October 16). Infosec

Resources. https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/topic/phishing-technique-

message-from-a-friend-relative/

Sutherland, J. J. (2019, October 30). There are 4 main types of life and work problems we

face every day. Here’s how to solve each one. CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/30/4-main-types-of-life-and-work-problems-we-

face-everyday-how-to-solve-each-one.html

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