Critical Thinking and Decision Making - Essay Example

Emotional thinking may also obfuscate critical thinking if a particular emotion influencing thinking tends to be too strong or uncontrollable at some time. Logical thinking is a way of thinking that aims at solving a problem or analyzing a situation by resorting to a formal and systematic approach that is akin to being mathematical (Thagard, 2012, p. 38). Logical thinking aids the critical thinking process by allowing an individual analyze a problem or a situation, while restraining the influence of the strong emotions that impact the critical thinking process at a particular time.

However, logical thinking carried to its extremes and totally insulated from emotions may turn out to be too mechanical and may lead to wrong conclusions. Pessimistic thinking is one that makes individual blame oneself if the things go wrong (Thagard, 2012). Pessimistic thinking within limits aids critical thinking by making a person become more alert and responsible. However, too much pessimism obfuscates the critical thinking process by causing excessive stress and tension. To a certain extent, all these three types of thinking processes do have an important role to play in critical thinking.