Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Part I. Roots of Critical Thinking
1. What Does it Mean to be a Critical Thinker? 1
• Requirements and Goals of Critical Thinking 2
• Change and Growth: Nature vs. Nurture 11
• The Journey 15
2. Accountability: If You Mess up, Fess Up! 17
• Would You Like Some Cheese With That Whine? 17
• Snap Out of it! Stop Defending, Start Attending 24
• Chaos or Control? Internal vs. External Locus of Control 25
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 26
3. Logic, Emotion, and Intuition: The Crucial Triangle 29
• Logical Conclusions 29
• The Value of Emotion 30
• The Importance of Intuition 33
• Embracing the Crucial Triangle 34
4. Parental Discipline—the Groundwork for Critical
Thinking 37
• Inductive Parenting 39
• Emotional Intelligence and Coping Skills 43
• Four Styles of Parenting 44
• Teaching Ego Strength 47
5. Where Have You Gone, Character and Integrity? 49
• Moral Development 50
A. Freud 50
B. Kohlberg 54
C. Self-Control 57
• Moral Relativism 58
A. Cheating in Education 59
B. Pressure to Perform 60
C. Very Casual Sex: Friends With Benefits, Booty Call 62
D. Corporate, Political, and Religious Misadventures 63
6. Narcissism, Sense of Entitlement, and Other Descriptions of Spoiled Brats 67
• Cognitive Development and the Connection to Narcissism 69
• The Isms: Egocentrism and Ethnocentrism 70
• Narcissism is Normal—For Toddlers and Teens 72
• The Personal Fable and the Imaginary Audience 75
• Corporate America and Gen X and Y Narcissists 78
7. Memory: You Must Remember This 81
• Three Processes of Memory 83
• Three Memory Systems 84
• Three Methods of Measuring Memory 86
• Causes of Forgetting 86
• Distress, Eustress, We All Stress 90
8. Learning and Decision-Making 93
• Classical Conditioning 96
• Operant Conditioning 100
• Observational Learning 102
• CC, OC, and OL: A Marriage of Necessity 103
Part II. Analyzing Critical Thought in the Real World
9. Higher Education and its Effects on Critical Thinking 105
• Questioning Authority 106
• Becoming More Critical but Less Judgmental 109
• Finding a Purpose 110
10. How Technology Helps/Hinders our Thinking and Social
Skills 113
• Social Networking and YouTube 114
• Cell Phones—Talking, Texting, and Sexting, OMG! 116
• Gaming 119
• Technology and Anonymity 121
• Is Anybody Out There? Does Anybody Care? 122
11. Bipartisan Politics and Critical Thinking . . . a Very Brief Chapter! 125
• Donkeys vs. Elephants 126
• Playing the Political Game 126
• Talking Heads: Technology, Television, and Tuning Out 128
• Family Feuds 130
• Can’t We All Just Get Along? 131
12. Religion and Critical Thought 135
• Don’t Ask, Don’t Think 136
• Cafeteria Religion 139
• Religious vs. Spiritual 142
• Religion and Science: A Tentative Relationship 144
13. Mass Media, Advertising, and the Lack of Critical Thought 149
• Persuasive Techniques—“Hey, Mom!” 149
• Sensationalism vs. News 152
• Being Politically Correct and Other Euphemisms 155
• Messages About Men, Women, and Relationships 156
• The Decline of Self-Esteem and the Rise of Cosmetic Surgery 159
• Numbers Don’t Lie . . . Unless You Increase Your Subject Pool 162
Part III. Demonstrating Critical Thinking Skills
14. Communicating: Do We Converse or Conversate? 165
• What is Your Communication Style? 165
• Lose the ‘Tude, Dude! It’s Not What You Say, But How You Say it! 168
• Hearing vs. Listening, Talking vs. Conversing 170
15. Managerial Expertise, Employee Relations, and Soft Skills 173
• The Necessity of Soft Skills 173
• Authority vs. Power 177
• Decision-Making and Employee Satisfaction 179
• Sealing the Deal 181
16. Everyday Uses of Critical Thinking 183
• Social Skills 183
• Relationship Choices 186
• On the Job 189
• Dollars and Sense 190
• Intellectual Laziness 194
17. Those Opposed to Critical Thinking 197
• Individuals 198
• Groups 199
• Warning Signs 202
18. What Now? Moving Forward 205
• How and When Do I Use My New Skills? 205
• When Not to Use Your New Skills 206
• Keep on Keeping on 208
References 209