CUMULATIVE THINKING
Nearly every day, students are submitting course related inquiries to me. Since many of these questions are of general interest, I have started this special blog category “Study Corner.”
Check the “Study Corner” often, you may just find the answer to a question you were going to ask yourself.
Best regards,
Dr. Erika
Student Question:
I would really like to understand the difference between the thinking patterns.
I am a methodical thinker and I’ve got that one down.
What is confusing to me are the comprehensive, analytical and investigative thinkers.
Answer:
In graphology, thinking has to do with HOW the person thinks, not what he thinks about or how much quality there is to his thinking.
“HOW” breaks down into four categories:
(1) Cumulative or methodical thinker – the person who is inclined to consciously process “new” ideas or challenges through a thought process.
(2) Comprehensive thinker – the person who is prone to allow his automatic reactions – based on memories of past experiences – to determine his thoughts in the moments.
(3) Analytical thinker – the person who feels that it is necessary to analyze every-thing about a given situation (whether he is familiar with it or not) before he is comfortable enough to take action.
(4) Investigative thinker – the person with an inquisitive mind and the desire to explore for himself whatever interests him. He will not be satisfied with second-hand information.
(1) Cumulative thinking
Cumulative thinkers consciously process new information in order to understand it completely. They are concerned with the whole process and each step involved. When they are thinking things through they need time, which means they have a slower pace of learning – until they grasp all the facts. From then on, they rarely have to repeat that process and move swiftly. They are easily under a great deal of pressure to “hurry up” in learning situations. When such pressure is put on them, their minds tend to go “blank.” And they are usually very irritated when they have to work with faster thinkers.
When cumulative thinkers don’t have the time and repetition they need to learn the basics of a study, they may never be able to move ahead in that study.
This has nothing to do with the writer’s intelligence, but only with the rate (or speed) of the thought processes.
This does not mean that cumulative thinkers spend all their time in contemplation. Only when they are faced with NEW situations are they likely to take time to think things through.
However, not every situation needs or requires extended consideration before action. In situations that require immediate action, the cumulative thinker is often too slow. He is too deliberate in his reactions in daily life situations much of the time.
Actually, he is quick to think, but slow to react.
Counseling the cumulative client
(a) It is very important for cumulative thinkers to take the time to learn all new subjects by rote so that they become familiar and thus easy to them. It will take longer at the start, but later they will be able to move more smoothly and effectively.
(b) Second, cumulative thinkers must be willing to ask for repetition so that they can learn right at the start of anything or the beginning of any subject. This means asking the teacher to over “it” again; this means asking the people to whom they are being introduced for the first time to repeat their names. With repetition comes ease and skill.
(c) These people must learn to stop “thinking” and just let themselves react when necessary. They don’t have to take the time to think through things they have already thought through before. They can react quickly, if they just allow themselves to do so. Just as the comprehensive thinker can take the time to think, cumulative thinkers can react quickly if they decide to do so.
How can they do this? They have to prepare themselves beforehand, rehearsing, if necessary, for what will be expected of them in any trying or new situation.
Most importantly, cumulative thinkers must be careful to keep above the feelings of desperation which, under pressure, make their minds blank. When this does happen, it is because they want so much to take the time to think, that being denied that time completely frustrates them.
Cumulative thinkers and marriage
A comprehensive husband (wife) simply cannot understand how slow the partner is to reach a conclusion sometimes. Because he thinks things should move along quickly, he thinks she should move along quickly, too. He may even think her “stupid” when she is struggling through a thought process, when he has – to his own satisfaction – already thought it out.
And she will take his impatience for criticism of her ways (which it really is) and will be hurt by it. Just as she will be hurt by his quicker reaction time. He will always appear to her to be looking down on her when it comes to “thinking.”
And yet, he is the one who is not really thinking, after all. He is automatically responding based on past experiences.
The cumulative partner (whether he or she) usually has to bear the burden in a marriage. The burden is that of compromising. She must speed up her reactions to make the comprehensive partner comfortable. Of course, the comprehensive partner has the responsibility to slow down and take the time to match rhythm of the cumulative thinker. But he is less likely to do so.
The cumulative child
Cumulative children often have many problems to be dealt with. Often they will be thought “backward,” or “slow,” or even “stupid” by teachers more comprehensive than they are. They need repetition which the teacher may not have the time for during regular class periods.
Cumulative children should prepare their lessons a day or two ahead of the other children to they will feel more secure in recitation periods in class. The more preparation they have, the more secure they will be.
Application to vocation
Research and educational fields are naturals for cumulative thinkers. Any occupation in which planning and theory are involved, will give them satisfaction, as long as the schedule includes enough time for preparation and thought. In other words, cumulative thinkers function best where they can work at their own rhythm.
The influence of other traits
Consciously directed thinking is possible only when the emotional traits are under control. A highly emotional cumulative thinker will be blocked and appear slow more often than a thinker with low responsiveness.
German grapho-therapists have observed that cumulative children with high emotionality (responsiveness) are often stutterers or stammerers. The reason is that high emotionality allows sounds to escape the mouth before the word or thought or sentence is fully formed in the mind of the cumulative person.
Where is the cumulative thinker at an advantage?
a. Where THINKING counts
b. Where theory must be grasped
c. Where it is important to take the time to think.
Where is the cumulative thinker at a disadvantage?
a. Too slow to react in the moment
b. Fails to make practical applications
c) Cannot think under pressure.
To be continued with “COMPREHENSIVE THINKING,” “ANALYTICAL THINKING” and “INVESTIGATIVE THINKING.” Other subjects will follow.
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