Abstract Thinking: How to Develop Abstract Reasoning Skills

Abstract thinking involves processing theoretical concepts. Abstract thinking skills allow people to exercise creativity, solve problems, and ruminate over complex problems.

Abstract reasoning begins to develop during childhood and can instill lifelong critical thinking and decision-making skills. Reading stories, learning new ideas, and understanding “the big picture” all involve abstract thinking. Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget argued children develop abstract reasoning skills as part of their final stage of cognitive development, beginning around age twelve.

Abstract and concrete thinkers take opposite approaches. Abstract reasoning skills center around the intangible: thoughts, ideas, and symbols to better understand the bigger picture (anthropological, economic, political) behind events and actions. Exercising a different type of thinking, concrete reasoning involves physical objects a person can experience through the five senses—smell, taste, touch, hearing, and sight.

In looking at US American realist painter Andrew Wyeth’s masterwork Christina’s World (1948), a concrete way of interpreting the painting would be to note the central woman, her pink dress, and a house in the distance. Abstract thinking abilities would unlock the deeper meanings behind the work: how the tawny colors symbolize loss, how the tableau evokes longing, and how Wyeth’s model for the painting experiences physical impairments, reflecting life’s hardships.

Abstract thinking strategies take many forms. Consider the following applications of conceptual thinking:

1. 1. Criticism: In cultural criticism, abstract thinking may include analyzing films using theories like the Bechdel test, which considers how many movies feature two or more women who converse about something other than men. The more significant implication behind this test is women’s representation in media.
2. 2. Literature: Abstract thinkers can find deeper meaning through symbolism in writing. Writers like David Foster Wallace and Thomas Pynchon are abstract thinkers, and their work features themes and hidden meanings that reward readers. Many writers can process information and tackle complex problems as thought exercises.
3. 3. Philosophy: Abstract thinking can take on different perspectives and is often philosophical. Philosophers think critically about human nature and how care and selfishness collide. Sociological studies, which center on how communities form and their distinct values, also require abstract thinking skills.
   

The ability to discuss and contemplate abstract ideas can positively affect your daily life. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can more easily grasp abstract concepts. Brain teasers, puzzles, crosswords, and analogies are all fun activities that help exercise abstract thinking processes, improving problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking skills. You can also engage in figurative language writing exercises to develop conceptual thinking skills.

Abstract thought can be more difficult for some people to grasp as a concept. Those with mental health conditions such as brain injuries or learning disabilities may have difficulty with this form of thinking.

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