Introspection
Reflective thinking is essentially an analogy to looking at a reflection in a mirror. As such, it is associated with introspection, the process of examining your own character, motivations, actions, thought processes and emotions. For example, an individual who takes time each night to review their own behavior to think about the failures and successes of the day in order to improve themselves.Thinking Back
Reflective thinking implies that you are thinking of the past as opposed to your plans for the future. For example, an individual who tries to remember how they were as a child to contemplate how they have changed and whether these changes have all been good.Contemplation
Contemplation is deep thought about the past or present. Reflective thinking implies contemplation about the past. For example, thinking about the actions of your generation and its impact on present problems.Counterfactual Thinking
Counterfactual thinking is the process of imagining how the past could have been different. This may have value in improving future results. For example, an individual who imagines they said something perfect in a social situation when in reality they said something they regretted.Big Picture Thinking
Thinking about the broader context of things. For example, reflecting about why you waste your energies stressing about minor insults when you could just ignore these things and focus energies on greater issues.| Overview: Reflective Thinking | ||
Type | ||
Definition | Careful contemplation of the past. | |
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