9 Deadly Critical Thinking Barriers (And How to Eliminate Them)

Want to know why the biggest barriers to critical thinking are so insidious?

The answer is simple:

It’s because they’re lurking inside you.

And if you don’t know that these barriers are standing between you and exploding your thinking abilities, you’re powerless to improve your situation.

Starting right now, let’s identify and remove the biggest barriers.

You’ll experience greater clarity of mind just by knowing what they are and how to get them out of your life.

The 9 Most Common Barriers to Critical Thinking (And How to Overcome Them)

As you go through this list, keep a journal.

Write down the ones that pose the biggest issue for you.

Then make time on your calendar to deal with each.

Rest assured, without putting in the time, nothing will change.

But when you do, your independent thinking abilities will explode.

One: Letting The World Revolve Around You

Most of us experience inner talk. And it’s normal to include yourself and your experiences in the topics you think about.

But those who have excellent critical thinking skills know how to contextualize their SRIN.

What is SRIN?

Self-referential Inner Narrative.

Others call this the “blah blah blah” monkey-mind.

No matter what you call it, if you can’t think about contexts larger than your immediate self, it will be impossible to think critically.

Here’s what to do instead:

• Notice when you say or think things like, “I don’t personally know anyone this has happened to.”
• Stop and think about the larger context at the level of your neighborhood, your city, your region, your country, your continent, your hemisphere and the world. Where relevant, include the entire universe.
• Imagine a topic through the eyes of at least one other person. In autobiographical memory studies, this is called shifting from the field perspective to the observer perspective.
• Ask about what would be true even if you did not exist.

For more help, these critical thinking examples will help you think through other perspectives.

Two: Lack Of Critical Thinking Skills

If you want to remove the obstacles to critical thinking you’re experiencing, some study will be involved.

Critical thinking books abound and it is worth spending time with some of the best. Look for books that include examples and exercises.

You’ll also want to think about a particular goal for critical thinking that you have. For example, do you want to think better as a student preparing for law school? Or do you need thinking skills for being a better contributor to your family or neighborhood?

Setting a goal can help guide which resources you choose and your study and practice plan.

Three: Not Knowing Your Cognitive Biases

We are all included to make serious errors in our thinking.

But we’re not alone in making them. Far from it.

In fact, because all of us operate from having a human brain, psychologists have identified patterns.

These are called cognitive biases.

One that I suffer from quite badly is called “recency bias.” Basically, it’s very tempting for me to judge reality based on the most recent events, rather than looking at the broad scope of history.

I use all of the tips on this page to cope and improve. One of the most helpful is to engage in continual discussions with friends about history as I continue to read history.

The more you know and discuss the past, the more you are automatically reminded of a bias like this.

What cognitive biases are strongest in your life?

Four: Being In A Hurry

We’re all in a rush once in a while.

But it’s one of the biggest critical thinking challenges all the same.

If you don’t stop and think, mistakes are so much easier to make.

One of my favorite tools for making sure I don’t rush into making decisions without thinking about them is c...