Sometimes solving problems, however simple, becomes a pain in the ass. This can happen on a bad day, but difficulty solving problems can often be our mental attitude, that is, how we react to adversity.
It can be interesting and smart to use solutions that have worked in the past in situations similar to this, however, insisting on this strategy when we realize that it doesn’t work is a very negative attitude, which prevents us from moving forward. therefore, it is a good idea to use this type of strategy as a first choice; If this doesn’t work, look for other alternatives.
- A positive attitude speeds up problem solving.
- The first step towards a constructive approach to a problem is active adaptation.
- We must face problems head-on.
- Without running away or trying to ignore them.
- Often.
- Solving a problem is not just up to us.
- And we cannot force the situation.
- However.
- Take the first step and act accordingly.
The second step that characterizes a good proactive attitude to the problem is to take responsibility for finding a solution, either forgetting or solving the problem and acting in a way that affects us as little as possible.
The third step is the construction of an action plan; charting a path that frees up mental resources to specifically address each phase of problem solving, freeing us from the stress of trying to solve everything at the same time.
Repeating the successful strategies used in the past can be very useful and we will quickly find the right solutions. This can save time, but it can also create problems.
In everyday life, mental attitude can prevent the solution of a relatively simple problem and make it complex. Often, the lack of flexibility to address a problem or make a decision is complicated because the person cannot open up to new perspectives.
On a larger scale, mental attitudes can prevent the discovery of something important because of a lack of flexibility to address the problem, or lead us to make inappropriate decisions by not evaluating other alternatives or approaches.
Functional fixation is a type of mental attitude capable of seeing only solutions that involve the use of objects in their normal or expected form, it is a cognitive bias that can affect our ability to think about new solutions to problems.
Functional fixation often prevents us from thinking about alternatives to a problem: using different objects in different ways, this can be a limiting factor, since it closes the doors to many opportunities to do things easily or to solve situations that are not as complicated as they look.
The candle problem is a famous experiment created by psychologist Karl Dunker almost seventy years ago. In the experiment, we have a table, a candle, a bedbug box, a matchbox and the wall. The challenge is to place the candle on the wall so that the wax does not flow on the table. Then, mark the time it takes for the person to find a solution to the problem.
Dunker noted that the results changed when the same elements were sorted differently. The solution is very simple and serves to illustrate, among other things, how significant and decisive the small details are to induce the person to make mistakes or correct their visual perception.
The difficulty in fixing them is that an item (the box) already has the fixed functionality of storing bugs, and is not considered part of the solution, so if we present the same problem with the same objects, only with the bugs outside the box, it becomes an element that we can give another function to.
In this experiment, people took less time to solve the problem when the bedbox was empty.