TANGAZA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

CHRIST THE TEACHER INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION

TERM PAPER

COURSE: CRITICAL THINKING

COURSE CODE: CPH 110

NAME: LORNAH NAMULOMA

MART.NO: C021013

EDUCATOR: CAMILLUS LEKU

TASK: Q19. Purpose or goal of critical thinking

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT.

DATE: 8th June, 2021

 TABLE OF CONTENT

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

PURPOSES OF CRITICAL THINKING

Thinking and problem solving…………………………………………………….3

Need for reflection…………………………………………………………………4

TOO MUCH THINKING………………….………………………………………5

CONCLUSION AND REFERENCE……………………………...………………6

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 INTRODUCTION

Thinking: the process of considering or reasoning about something.

It is also known as reasoning.

The purpose of thinking is to understand our world as best as possible. Our minds have evolved
to think so that we can better adapt to our environment and make smarter decisions on how to
survive, live, and flourish.
At a biological level, our thoughts are millions of neurons firing off in our brains. These brain
cells working together create concepts, language, and knowledge that arises in our
consciousness
Our thinking reflects our map of reality. This is our view of the world and what we find to be
true about it. The more accurate our map of reality, the better we can adapt to our surroundings.
The function of our thinking is to make decisions that eventually guide our behaviors. Our map
of reality is therefore instrumental to how we act and respond to the world.

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 PURPOSE OR GOAL OF CRITICAL THINKING

Thinking and problem-solving

Many psychologists define thinking as “mental exertion aimed at finding an answer to a question
or the solution of a practical problem.”
Common thoughts may include, “What should I eat for lunch?” or “What college should I go
to?” or “What should I do this weekend?”
Often our thinking is directed toward answering problems in our life. The more important the
problem, the more time we usually spend thinking about it. For example, most people will spend
more time thinking about what college they will attend instead of what they will eat for lunch.
The bigger the impact of our decisions, the more we are going to want to think things through
before finalizing our choice.
Some of the greatest thinkers of our time – scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians – have
spent years focusing on just one problem in their lives. Many times the answers they’ve found
have advanced civilization in unprecedented ways.
Thinking is one of the key reasons we have evolved so effectively as a species. It has led us to
consider problems and find answers that other species cannot even conceptualize.
But, no, critical thinking isn’t just about scientific or technological breakthroughs. It also plays
an important role in solving personal problems we experience in our own life. Everything from
relationships to work requires some element of thinking and problem-solving. And it is up to us
to think about our lives and improve them to the best of our ability using our knowledge and
experience.

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The need for reflection
Thinking is valuable to our success in life, so it’s important that we all make time for reflection.
We learn a lot throughout the course of a day, but if we don’t take the time to reflect on what we
learn, then a lot of that information gets misused or forgotten.
Positive psychologist Tal Ben-Sahar draws a relevant distinction between information and
transformation. “Information” is the raw sensory data that our brains collect throughout the day.
“Transformation” is the framework we build around that data making up our map of reality.
During transformation we decide what parts of our experience were most important and worth
paying attention to.
I believe reflection is something we should all practice a short amount of time each day. Just 15-
20 minutes of reflection can help you gain valuable insight into your day and how you can
improve it tomorrow. This practice is essential to thinking more effectively.

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 TOO MUCH THINKING
While thinking does come with many benefits to our survival and evolution, it can also be
counter-productive. For example, many who suffer from mental disorders like depression,
anxiety disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are excessive thinkers. OCD is a
mental illness that causes repeated unwanted thoughts or sensation. They dwell on problems to
unhealthy levels, especially about events in the past or things they have little control over.
This type of thinking is usually misdirected energy. Some people waste a lot of time and effort
ruminating over things they can’t ever change no matter how much thinking they do.
When we find ourselves dwelling on a situation to no end, it’s important to re-direct our thoughts
toward something more constructive.

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 CONCLUSION
The goal of living a healthy mental life isn’t to avoid thinking altogether, but to change our
thoughts to better serve our needs.
Sometimes it is appropriate to ruminate on an issue in our life until it is resolved. Other times it
is appropriate to let go of re-occurring thoughts and move on.
Not every problem can be amended through contemplation.
The key is to find a balance that works. Thinking our way through problems is a valuable way of
finding solutions. But too much thinking can exacerbate problems.
Learn to identify when your thoughts are serving your interests and needs – and when they are
leading you down a road to nowhere. If you can make this distinction, then you have already
won half the battle with your thoughts.

REFERENCE
Mental Health (A Person-centred Approach) – Nicholas Procter 20 December 2013
being happy Tal ben-shahar 23 september 2013

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