How important is Diversity in Thinking? - Retrieved: February 7, 2022, from Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.

com/us/blog/living-automatic/202102/how-important-
is-diversity-in-thinking (Adapted version)

How Important Is Diversity in Thinking?

By: Christine B. L. Adams M.D.

Source: wokandapix/Pixabay

We focus on visual diversity, but is there value in thinking differently?

We are driven to have diversity in our lives -in schools, workplaces, and organizations. What does
diversity mean? Why do we want it? Some synonyms for “diversity” are variety, range, mix, array,
assortment, contrast, dissimilarity, and distinctiveness.

Many of us want diverse people and experiences to be a part of our lives, such as gender, race,
age, sexual orientation, educational experience, accomplishments, cultural background, religion,
interests, appearance, family composition, and political beliefs.

Source: Eric MUSIAT/Pixabay

Why Do We Want Diversity?

We seek an array of people and experiences because we believe it enriches life and because it
appears fair to everyone to be included in the whole of human experience.
Diverse Patterns of Emotional Conditioning

Emotional conditioning is how people are shaped by their parents’ emotional responses to them
early in life. This conditioning follows two patterns. These patterns dictate many facets of us – our
self-esteem, standards, values, ways we expect or don’t welcome emotional support, ways of
committing to ourselves and others, and the scope of our interests.

Most importantly, our emotional conditioning shapes how we think -the capacity of our mind, the
ways we view reality, the quality of our thought, and our style of thought.

Diverse Thought

Exposure to dissimilarity of thought is grasping a diversity unlike all others. It goes deeper and is
more valuable than differences in gender, race, and other varieties of distinctiveness people
possess. Dissimilar thought is not tied to what we see in others - age, race, sex. Nor is it tied to
what we know superficially about others - educational attainment, place of worship, political views,
interest in knitting or fly fishing, married or single, or parent of one child or ten.

These superficial aspects and these we see do not tell us significant or meaningful information
about others, certainly not as significant as a person’s way of thinking. Ways of thinking do not
correlate with anything we see or with the superficial aspects of people. Men do not think differently
than women. Caucasian people do not think differently from African Americans. Nor do gay people
think differently from heterosexual ones.

Value of Diverse Thinking

Diverse thinking is not something for which we use our eyes. We cannot see it in others. It must
come up in expressing viewpoints, in discussion, and in listening. Diverse-looking people can all
think the same. Homogeneity of thought may cripple us from making a better world.

We should opt for eliciting different styles of thinking in others to achieve remarkable and rich
diversity. Diversity in thinking is the pearl of distinctiveness among people because it propels us
forward to make better decisions in life.