FOUR DIMENSIONS OF PI: YOUR MEGA-SKILLS

Much of our exploration into the concepts, practices, and skills of practical intelligence will involve four key dimensions of thinking—“sub-smarts,” we might call them. Each of these four dimensions contributes in its own unique way to our total capability to cope with our environments.We can think of them as polarities—contrasting mental processes that go together with both alternatives to be used to the fullest, rather than to be thought of as an either-or choice. The four mega-skills, or competence polarities, are:
1. The range of divergent and convergent thinking, the “D-C” axis, which we shall refer to as “bivergent thinking,” in terms of the ability to choose freely between both modes. Divergent thinking, as previously touched on, is the pattern of branching out from an initial idea to explore various related ideas—much like tracing the many branches of a tree; it’s how we think up great new ideas. Convergent thinking, by contrast, is the pattern of “de-branching”—narrowing down from many ideas and options to a critical few; it’s how we make effective decisions.
2. The range of abstract and concrete thinking, the “A-C” axis, which we shall refer to as “helicopter thinking,” in terms of the ability to move from one to the other. Concrete thinking is thinking about what we can sense—see, hear, feel, smell, or taste. The more concrete an idea is, the closer it is to something we experience directly.Abstract thinking is thinking about concepts rather than things—understanding things in general rather than one thing in particular.When we think and speak of some particular human who has a face and a name, for example, we’re closer to the concrete end of the scale.When we speak of “mankind,” we’re closer to the abstract end of the scale. Conceptual fluency involves being able to maneuver along the entire range of possibilities from concrete to abstract,much like flying a figurative helicopter from its landing spot on the ground up to an altitude from which we can see much more of the terrain.
3. The range of logical and intuitive thinking, the “L-I” axis, which we will refer to as “intulogical thinking,” in terms of the ability to use either pattern freely and even to integrate the two into a single process when appropriate. Logical thinking is stepwise thinking; it’s procedural, systematic, and progresses from one idea to another; it imposes order on information. Intuitive thinking is “all-at-once” thinking; it seems to originate preconsciously, dealing with the raw material of thought, before the conscious mind dices it up and tries to apply logic to it. The capacity to respect both patterns of thinking and to use them in a compatible combination is one of the hallmarks of highly effective problem solvers.
4. The range of rational and emotive thinking, the “R-E” axis, which we will refer to as “viscerational” thinking (a contraction of “visceral” and “rational” thinking), in terms of the ability to cherish and respect emotional experience while making it compatible with so-called rational or “unemotional” thinking. Although many people tend to think of “being rational” and “being emotional” as two opposing patterns of thinking, a more careful consideration invites us to treat them as compatible, and to some extent even simultaneous.Values, for example, can be considered an emotional aspect of thinking; we want our solutions and decisions to reflect our values and ethics. Compassion is also a worthy emotion that can guide our rational decisions and our problem-solving strategies.We can also learn to temper the influence of our emotions on our reactions and our choices.
As Figure 3.4 shows, we can think of these four key polarities as offering us a rich combination of mental processes, suited to the various situations and problems we encounter. At any one moment, we may find one of the four mega-skills especially useful, and in fact we may choose to dwell on one polarity or the other within a particular mega-skill.As we become fluent and versatile in using these various patterns at will, we become ever more effective in understanding the situations we face, communicating with others, solving problems, and managing our lives.