The 10 types of minds: how is yours?
Just as there are different types of people, there are different types of minds. There are individuals who are more reflective, others more practical. There are also more open people and others less flexible and intransigent. Some authors, such as Howard Gardner or Walter Riso, have proposed classifications about different types of minds.
In this article we will review them and explain what their characteristics are.
The mind, beyond the brain
Our brain is another organ of our body that contains different structures and millions of neurons coexist in it. However, our mind has neither weight nor size, it is our perception, our conscience, our ideas, our thoughts ...
Thanks to our mind we give meaning to our life, and the different types of mind determine how we interpret and relate to the environment .
Types of minds
But what are these types of minds? In the following line we explain it to you.
Classification of the mind according to Walter Riso
The psychologist and writer, Walter Riso, in his book "The Power of Flexible Thinking", states that there are three types of mind: flexible, liquid and rigid.
1. Rigid mind
The rigid and inflexible mind is characterized by the intransigence of the individual , who thinks that he is always right, are impenetrable people. Their mental rigidity makes them subjects of immobile thought. In their perception of life, they think that they are always on the right path and are oblivious to the reality that surrounds them. They are stubborn and have great resistance to new beliefs and the opinions of others.
They are easily carried away by prejudices or wrong and anachronistic reasoning. Their lack of reflection leads them to thought processes that are distorted because their concepts, deep beliefs and values are biased. They are usually authoritarian and irascible people. They have a low tolerance for frustration, are susceptible to bad interpersonal relationships, fear uncertainty, and can easily become stressed and depressed.
2. Flexible mind
The flexible mind is the opposite of the rigid mind, for they are open thinking persons . They do not see life in a dichotomous way, that is, in extremes, but they understand it by its different nuances. It has some basic beliefs from which they obtain different forms.
They are the typical people who tend to reinvent themselves, grow, update, doubt, reflect and relate to the environment in the present moment. They understand that everyone is wrong and understand their limits, as well as the problems that may arise throughout life, so they try to solve them. They are people who adapt to change easily and learn from the experiences of daily life.
3. Liquid mind
The liquid mind is an insubstantial type of mind, which does not have a solid base . These subjects are accommodated to the environment but do not do it of their own will, but they let themselves be carried away, because they do not possess a critical spirit or inner strength. They are not consistent individuals, nor do they have reference points to be guided by.
The types of mind according to Howard Gardner
Howard Gardner, known for his theory of Multiple Intelligences, not only proposed a multifaceted model of intelligence, but this one, in his work "Five minds for the future", offers a pluralist vision of the mind .
The author thinks that each person has different styles of solving problems and different minds that have an order of acquisition that depends on the stage of development in which the individual is. The challenge of education is to train people who possess the following types of minds.
4. Disciplined minds
This type of mind is understood to be disciplined in the sense of not memorizing but understanding and solving problems before not studied, and in the sense of acquiring habits that allow you to make a constant progress in learning and mastering a technique.
The disciplined name can lead to error if it is understood as "methodical". Now, Gardner thinks that in the colleges and institutes subjects are studied and not disciplines (hence the name). The subjects are memorized without further ado, but the disciplines have to do with a future professional approach.
5. Synthetic mind
This type of mind becomes especially important nowadays, because new technologies can lead to an excess of information. Faced with this excess of information, people with a synthetic mind are able to summarize it accurately and use only that relevant information and productive.
6. The creative mind
As the name suggests, the creative mind is related to creativity and the ability to be original and ask new questions about different topics of each discipline.They are people who develop new visions, different from those already existing.
7. Respectful mind
This type of mind is key in interpersonal relationships and to create a conducive atmosphere of coexistence , because it allows tolerate differences, be empathetic and show interest and affection for others. Fostering this type of mind is an important part of the education of people and their social development.
8. Ethical mind
It is oriented towards good and values of integrity, collective interest and responsibility that leads to achieving this goal. In education it is necessary to create emotionally balanced individuals who are involved in social needs.
Other types of minds
Other authors have proposed other types of minds. For example…
9. Reflective mind
There are individuals who have a great capacity for reflection and tend to analyze both the environment and their behavior or feelings of oneself. These types of people tend to be more creative and emotional, and do not usually fit into monotonous jobs. Instead, they excel in other professions such as writers, painters or musicians.
10. Practical minds
Practical minds are more influenced by the environment and lack critical thinking . They are individuals who adapt to jobs that need less mental stimulation or that require obedience, such as: factory workers or policemen.
