The 10 types of minds: what is yours like?

A classification according to the typical mentality and personality of human beings.

Just as there are different types of people, there are different types of minds. There are individuals who are more reflective, others more practical. There are also people who are more open-minded and others who are less flexible and intransigent. Some authors, such as Howard Gardner or Walter Riso, have proposed classifications of the different types of minds.

In this article we will review them and explain their characteristics.

The mind, beyond the brain

Our brain is just another organ of our body that contains different structures and in it coexist millions of neurons. However, our mind has neither weight nor size, it is our perception, our consciousness, our ideas, our thoughts....

Thanks to our mind, we give meaning to our life, and the different types of mind determine how we interpret and relate to our surroundings.

Types of minds

But what are these types of minds? In the following lines we explain it to you.

Classification of the mind according to Walter Riso

The psychologist and writer Walter Riso, in his work "The Power of Flexible Thinking", states that there are three types of mind: flexible, liquid and rigid.

1. Rigid mind

The rigid and inflexible mind is characterized by the intransigence of the individual, who thinks he is always right.The rigid and inflexible mind is characterized by the intransigence of the individual, who thinks he is always right. Their mental rigidity makes them subjects of immobile thinking. In their perception of life, they think they are always on the right path and are oblivious to the reality that surrounds them. They are stubborn and have a great resistance to new beliefs and to the opinions of others.

They are easily carried away by prejudices or wrong and anachronistic reasoning. Their lack of reflection leads them to thought processes that are distorted because their concepts, deep beliefs and values are biased. They tend to be authoritarian and irascible people. They have a low tolerance for frustration, are susceptible to poor interpersonal relationships, fear uncertainty, and can easily become stressed and depressed.

2. Flexible mind

The flexible mind is the opposite of the rigid mind, as they are open-minded people.. They do not see life in a dichotomous way, i.e. in extremes, but understand it through its different nuances. They have basic beliefs from which they derive different forms.

They are typical people who tend to reinvent themselves, grow, update, doubt, reflect and relate to the environment in the present moment. They understand that everyone makes mistakes and understand their limits, as well as the problems that may arise throughout life, so they try to solve them. They are people who adapt to change easily and learn from the experiences of everyday life.

3. Liquid mind

The liquid mind is an insubstantial type of mind, which does not have a solid foundation.. These subjects adapt to the environment but do not do so of their own free will, but let themselves go, as they do not possess a critical spirit or inner strength. They are not consistent individuals, nor do they have points of reference to guide them.

The types of mind according to Howard Gardner

Howard Gardner, known for his theory of Multiple Intelligences, not only proposed a multifaceted model of intelligence, but also, in his work "Five Minds for the Future", offers a pluralistic view of the mind.

The author thinks that each person has different styles of problem solving and different minds that have an order of acquisition that depends on the stage of development in which the individual is. The challenge of education is to train people who possess the following types of minds.

4. Disciplined minds

This type of mind is understood to be disciplined in the sense of not memorizing but understanding and solving previously unstudied problems. previously unstudied, and in the sense of acquiring habits that allow him to make constant progress in learning and mastering a technique.

The name disciplined can be misleading if it is understood as "methodical". However, Gardner thinks that in schools and institutes subjects are studied and not disciplines (hence the name). Subjects are simply memorized, but disciplines have to do with a future professional approach.

5. Synthetic mind

This type of mind becomes especially important nowadays, as new technologies can lead to an excess of information. Faced with this information overload, people with a synthetic mind are able to summarize it accurately and use only relevant information, people with a synthetic mind are able to summarize it accurately and use only relevant and productive information. and productive information.

6. The creative mind

As its name suggests the creative mind is related to creativity and the ability to be original and to ask new questions about different and to formulate new questions on different subjects of each discipline. They are people who develop new visions, different from the existing ones.

7. Respectful mind

This type of mind is key in interpersonal relationships and to create a favorable coexistence environment.It allows us to tolerate differences, be empathetic and show interest and affection for others. Fostering this type of mind is an important part of people's education and social development.

8. Ethical mind

It is oriented towards the good and towards the values of integrity, collective interest and the responsibility that leads to achieve this goal. In education it is necessary to create emotionally balanced individuals who are involved in social needs.

Other types of minds

Other authors have proposed other types of minds. For example...

9. Reflective mind

There are individuals who have a great capacity for reflection and tend to analyze both the environment and their behavior or their feelings of oneself. This type of person tends to be more creative and emotional, and does not usually fit in monotonous jobs. Instead, they Excel in other professions such as writers, painters or musicians.

10. Practical minds

Practical minds are more influenced by their environment and lack critical thinking.. They are individuals who adapt to jobs that need less mental stimulation or require obedience, such as factory workers or police officers.