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Holistic thinking, the art of going beyond ourselves

People with a more holistic view and mind realize that many of the elements that make up this world are interconnected.

Holistic thinking is a mental competency of great value. It includes the ability to see things as a whole to understand and predict relationships in complex systems. In fact, it is interesting to know that there are people who see the world in a more analytical way, while others do so from a holistic perspective.

Which is better? The truth is that neither has an advantage over the other. They are processes that are equally valid, useful and necessary on a daily basis. Now the truth is that The holistic cognitive model forms a strategy capable of seeing harmony in contradictions. Also about making sense of chaos and filtering reality in a more patient way.

This is an extraordinary advantage. Especially if we are aware of the current moment in which we find ourselves. In such a changing present, dominated by uncertainty and contradiction, It would be useful to develop this approach further. Going beyond ourselves, our mental schemas and personal visions to appreciate everything that surrounds us can be of great help.

Holistic thinkers pay more attention to the relationships between an object and its environment, analyzing all types of connections to understand their causality.

It is often said that holistic thinking is more typical of Asian countries.

Holistic thinking: definition and characteristics

Thinking holistically is recognizing the interconnection of various factors that, somehow, end up forming patterns, more complex systems or larger objects. This term was summarized precisely by Aristotle himself in his writings on metaphysics: “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

An example of this reasoning exercise is making a puzzle. When we pick up a piece we know that that element is part of something larger, and that it is only a part of a larger figure that it gives shape to. Everything is related, interconnected, each detail is linked to another, thus weaving a larger whole.

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In addition, It is interesting to know that the opposite of the holistic view is the analytical approach. In the latter case, what we do is analyze each aspect in isolation, that is, we break down the whole to understand its parts, its small details.

These two strategies have been studied by science to the point that it has long been taken for granted that Asians think holistically, while analytical thinking is more typical of the West.

However, a study from Peking University already warned that this idea was not entirely true. In some ways, we all use both styles of cognitive processing. That is to say, There are no cultural differences when it comes to being more holistic or more analytical, but there are differences at the interindividual level..

How do I know if I am a holistic thinker?

No one is born being a more holistic thinker than an analytical one, or vice versa.. The truth is that we learn it from the environment, from the way our parents solved problems or from the way they taught us at school to analyze information. Little by little we established a cognitive pattern that accompanies us until now.

These are the characteristics of those who use holistic thinking:

People observe each aspect or detail in its entirety and not in isolation. They try to understand the origin, the context where something happens, etc. They study each thing trying to contextualize it. For example, before playing a person’s behavior, they try to understand what could have happened and what conditions surrounded them to make them act like that. They assume that nothing happens just because, everything has an origin, everything is related to more dimensions..They also understand that human relationships define and determine us. Our family, friends and social context is what shapes us.Life is accepting its eternal contradiction. In fact, a thing can be beautiful and unpleasant at the same time. Human beings are noble and also capable of the worst. Contradictory ideas are valuable. People defined by holistic thinking are patient. They know that to understand something requires restraint, patience and meticulousness. Likewise, they understand that although people can evolve, There are patterns that repeat and do not always change.

Holistic thinking is decisive for any leader in an organization. He is required to understand how the different departments and areas of his company work to achieve or not achieve those common goals.

Holistic thinking perceives things as a whole and does not analyze their parts. He prefers to see the forest before the tree.

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How to improve our holistic mindset

Why should we develop holistic thinking? What benefits can it have? It is not that the holistic approach is better than the analytical one (which prefers to analyze the parts of every event or situation). Both are equally necessary and interesting. Only in the case of holistic it is very useful in the work and creative context.

It allows us to understand the relationships of all things, to obtain inspiration from any stimulus by thinking about their relationships, in higher and greater concepts. Therefore, it is always interesting to enhance it a little more. These are the keys:

Thinking holistically forces us to broaden our horizons, to look away from ourselves. to attend to what surrounds us, the context that surrounds us and the people who make it up. It’s time to broaden your vision, to see everything in perspective.Learn to recognize patterns. Instead of analyzing each problem as something unique and isolated, put it in context. Analyze interdependencies, origins, triggers until you identify some type of pattern.Thinking holistically means developing our creativity much more. This means that you will have to reason more innovative solutions to problems taking into account the entire context that surrounds you.

Likewise, this approach requires leaving old conditioning behind and becoming aware that each of us is part of a whole. Also that the relationships between us is one of the most important dimensions. Thinking holistically can improve our lives.

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All cited sources were reviewed in depth by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, validity and validity. The bibliography in this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.

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