Thinking styles: A portrayal of an Individual's persona

Abstract

This research paper aims to review the existing literature on thinking styles, types of thinking styles, characteristics of thinking styles and importance of thinking styles in an individual's life. Thinking Styles are described as how people think, perceive, and retain information. Styles should not be confused with abilities. They are the way one prefers to use their abilities to process information, solve problems, and so on. Sternberg in his theory of mental self government, described 13 thinking styles, which fall within five dimensions, namely as: functions (legislative, executive, and judicial styles), forms (hierarchic, oligarchic, monarchic, and anarchic styles), levels (global and local styles), scopes (internal and external styles), and leanings (liberal and conservative styles). These are most widely used and studied among other thinking styles. By assessing the specific styles of a person, one can determine how well they may respond to a given task. Thinking styles also gives an overall reflection of individual's personality/persona.

Keywords: Thinking Styles, Types of Thinking styles, Sternberg's Theory, Characteristics of styles, Individual personality.