Linear Thinking, Associative Thinking

[roy]

1. Does everybody always think in a semi-unconscious way? I mean does everybody always (at every single moment) think? And is this in a semi-unconscious way, their not being aware that they are thinking or not being aware what they are thinking about?
2. Do most people think in a linear (A causes B, B causes C) or associative (A, everything else related to A) way?
3. How do you think?
4. Is this topic related to ADHD? How?


You start thinking about A and many things that are related to A (but not to the gist of the first thought) come to your mind... For example, you start thinking about a room with a desk and chair in it. then you remember the chair you saw at an office 2 years ago. then you remember the chair in your sibling's room. then you remember a chair you had 10 years ago. And you've forgotten about the room which triggered this thought process. And you're not aware that you're thinking about chairs until you realize the 15th chair that comes to your mind. And you can't track your thought process back. So you can't remember the room you thought about at first.
this is associative thinking, right? doesnt everybody think this way? and all the time?
i can think in a linear way if I kind of force it but it's mostly something like this I think: A causes B, B causes C, C for chair, the chair I had 10 years ago...

 

[LadyBird84]

I think in an associative way most of the time. However, when I'm trying to get a point across I can get kind of annoyed when people associate away from my point. My husband has ADD and when I go off topic when he's trying to tell me something he completely loses the plot and does not remember his point (until I remind him), I just get mildly annoyed when someone does the same to me so.. I think I'm just more observant of the things that happen around me and can then continue the conversation with no problem most of the time (unless tired or loud noises or..).

My associative thinking is a lot less structured than yours is.

 

[the_tortoise]

I think in an associative way.

My understanding is that associative thinking is related to a number of different neurotypes and learning styles, ADHD and visual-spatial thinking are among them. Not everyone thinks in a non-linear/associative way, but many people do.

The inability to keep track of your thought process is related to ADHD (and to executive dysfunction, generally), in that the more difficulty you have with working memory and attention regulation, the more difficult it is to work your way backwards and remember what you were thinking about before whatever present-moment you find yourself in.

 

[MrSpock]

I believe I'm able to go back and forth between linear and associative at will. I don't suddenly find myself in the middle of associative thinking as though I'd been doing that for a while unintentionally. When I'm stressed and feel that I'm not thinking as well as I'm capable of, associative thinking seems to disrupt my ability to think linearly, or to hold many concepts which need to fit together in my head at the same time. I get distracted. But I regard that as an aberration, not as 'how my mind works'.

 

[roy]

I think in an associative way.

My understanding is that associative thinking is related to a number of different neurotypes and learning styles, ADHD and visual-spatial thinking are among them. Not everyone thinks in a non-linear/associative way, but many people do.

The inability to keep track of your thought process is related to ADHD (and to executive dysfunction, generally), in that the more difficulty you have with working memory and attention regulation, the more difficult it is to work your way backwards and remember what you were thinking about before whatever present-moment you find yourself in.

I never thought that was such a thing as "attention regulation". While you're thinking, can you people intentionally focus your attention on a thought, then, another? I can't seem to do this. I might have an attention problem more than I'm aware of.

 

[the_tortoise]

While you're thinking, can you people intentionally focus your attention on a thought, then, another

This sounds like meta-cognition (thinking about your thinking), but I'm not sure.

My thoughts are about whatever I'm paying attention to at any given moment, and it's only a small fraction of the time that I'm thinking about my thinking.....I can't actually think and do the meta-cognitive thing of watching myself thinking at the same time -- when I think about my thoughts at the meta-cognitive level, it is only in retrospect, remembering my thoughts.

 

[SusanLR]

My thoughts jump around so fast it's easy to get off topic and forget what I was trying to say.

I understand the thing about the chair idea that leads to thinking about a chair somewhere else in time and
then another that leads to another.
Sometimes I'll even get started on a tangent of talking about a certain thing then saying: "...and that makes me think about the time that"...then onto another thought all on the same line of thought that originated from one thing into another.

I never thought of it as thinking about your thinking, but, that seems to fit.
No wonder people will ask why I have to go all around the world to get to the point.
Uh, what was the point anyway?

 

[Progster]

Both... but mostly, when my mind wanders, I think in an associative way. When I'm focused on something or trying to solve a problem, I can think in a linear way - but associative thinking is also useful for problem solving so it can be helpful to let my mind wander.