{"id":2406,"date":"2011-04-13T11:03:16","date_gmt":"2011-04-13T11:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.planetofsuccess.com\/blog\/?p=2406"},"modified":"2020-02-03T15:56:33","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T15:56:33","slug":"problem-vs-solution-focused-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.planetofsuccess.com\/blog\/problem-vs-solution-focused-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Problem vs. Solution Focused Thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every person approaches a problem in a different way. Some focus on the problem or the reason why a problem emerged (problem focused thinking). Others prefer to think about possible solutions that help them to solve a problem (solution focused thinking). <\/span>Problem Oriented Thinking: <\/span>Approaching a difficult situation problem-oriented might be helpful if we attempt to avoid similar problems or mistakes in the future, but when it comes to solving the problem we simply waste large amounts of our precious time! Problem-focused thinking does not help us at all to solve difficult situations, which is especially necessary in times where one must find quick solutions to an upcoming problem. Furthermore, the problem focused approach can have negative effects on one’s motivation, but more on this later.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The whole \u201cproblem vs. solution oriented thinking\u201d<\/strong> – approach does not only apply when a person faces a problem or a difficult situation (as previously mentioned), but is also being applied in one\u2019s everyday life, when we have to face a challenging task or when having to perform several duties. In fact: if we really focus our attention on this topic we can discover that the majority of our decisions and our attitudes towards tasks, problems and upcoming situations will either be problem or solution oriented. In order to demonstrate you the problem and solution focused approach I have chosen to give you the example of a college student:<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say there is a college student that really does not like math<\/a> at all (it doesn\u2019t matter what subject he does not like, but I do not like math as well)<\/em>. Just like every other college student, he will have to do some homework for math and if he wants to pass the exams he will have to study a lot, whether he likes math or not. The student would be approaching the subject math problem-oriented if he would continuously imagine all the negative aspects of math that he does not like and might ask himself the question, \u201cWhy do I have to study for math? For what kind of reason?\u201d<\/em>. The college student would be talking with his fellow students about the pointlessness of math, which will only strengthen his negative opinion about math. Rather than focusing his energy on studying for math he will get uptight and spends large amounts of his time in an ineffective way, that won\u2019t help him to pass the exams.<\/span><\/p>\n

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When I was in school I heard similar questions whole the time, especially when it came to subjects that the majority of my classmates did not like. To be honest, when I was younger I was asking myself these questions as well, especially in subjects that I knew were pointless for the profession I wanted to become. When I grew older I started to scrutinize this behavior and noticed how senseless it was to focus all my attention on problem focused thinking, especially as this only decreased my motivation and strengthened my resentment towards these subjects.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Discovering that one is majorly approaching tasks and challenges problem focused can be really difficult, but once we are aware of this we can start to change our focus from the problem towards the solution and make use of the solution-focused thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let us come back to the example of the college student that was thinking problem oriented. In order to think solution oriented, he would need to completely accept the fact that math is a part of his schedule and will, therefore, be tested in his exams, whether he likes math or not. By accepting this fact he will easily destroy the root cause for questions that focus on the reason for something (\u201cWhy?\u201d)<\/em> and that only waste his time.<\/span><\/p>\n

We start to think solution oriented once we are aware that we cannot change certain facts\/problems and will only spend our time in an inefficient way when we seek for the possible reasons for these situations. By clarifying the reasons why the task we have to face (e.g. math) might be important, for example, to get accepted to a good university or to increase our GPA, we can bring the solution focused thinking to a further level.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is really astounding to see how many people are thinking problem oriented, especially as this behavior starts in school and can be found in the professional world as well, for example when an employee has to face a new task that he is not familiar with, or has little to no knowledge about. Those that think problem-oriented would be imagining all the negative consequences they might have to face or all the mistakes they might commit when trying to solve the task. The employee will talk about his difficult situation with different colleagues, his partner or friends, which will only increase his fear of the upcoming task.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Decision\"
When you focus only on the problem, you might miss a new path.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The employee that quite in the contrary knows of the benefits of solution focused thinking does not struggle with the new task for a second, as he is too busy to take necessary preparations to solve it. He will completely accept the new task as a challenge, or even consider the task as a chance to prove his boss that he is capable of solving even the more advanced tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to avoid problem focused thinking?<\/span><\/h2>\n

#1 Self-knowledge:<\/span><\/h3>\n

In order to avoid problem focused thinking and to replace it with solution-oriented thinking we firstly need to discover that we approach different tasks, problems, challenges, etc. in a problem-oriented way. This is the utmost important step to do. You can identify whether you approach tasks problem-oriented by paying attention towards the questions that arise when you have to face a task that you do not like, which might be indicators for problem focused thinking:<\/span><\/p>\n