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If the word divergent makes you think of a dystopian sci-fi film series, you’re not alone. But there’s another meaning, and it refers to a thought process that can free up your creative impulses and even help you succeed in college and life. 

Understanding divergent thinking starts with recognizing its opposite.

Most of us are taught to focus on finding a single solution — too often, the most obvious one — when we’re wrestling with a knotty problem or question. That’s known as convergent thinking, which means evaluating logical, known solutions for a problem and choosing one to move forward with.

Divergent thinking, by contrast, is meant to open up the process of finding a solution to a world of unlimited possibilities. In this creative approach to problem-solving and decision-making, there are, quite literally, no bad ideas (at least to start). Divergent thinkers are encouraged to consider a wide range of approaches that are out-of-the-box, unconventional — even wacky. The goal is to shift one’s perspective to come up with many possible answers, not just one. 

The American psychologist J.P. Guilford came up with the idea of divergent thinking in the 1950s when he noticed key differences in how creative people thought. He observed they were more likely to:

• Generate many ideas or solutions quickly
• Have ideas that are original and include multiple ways to solve a problem
• Have a knack for organizing the specifics of a solution to turn it into reality

Importantly, this is not an either/or situation. The best of all possible worlds is one in which convergent and divergent thinking are both used, says Samantha Dutton, PhD, LCSW-R.

Dutton, who is the associate dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at ���۴�ý, explains: “Together they help you find different ways to connect things. You make a better decision because you get as much information as possible. But harnessing your creative thinking through divergent thinking can open other doors.”   

What does it actually look like when you’re thinking divergently, either on your own or as part of a group? It starts with coming up with as many ideas, answers and possible solutions as you can for an issue or question. This means freeing yourself (and others) from judgment; the wilder, nuttier, even seemingly impossible, the better. The point is to see possibilities you might have otherwise overlooked, surprise yourself or others with ideas that seem to come out of nowhere, and make connections between things that may not typically go together. 

Let’s say, for example, that your business is having trouble recruiting employees. You might start by listing every characteristic you can come up with that applies to your best and happiest workers, focusing more on, say, their general background (instead of their academic or professional background alone), personality traits and the very specific things they like most about their job.

Your next recruitment campaign and interview process might then emphasize those factors, like benefits employees will appreciate most, personality types who tend to thrive in your business’s environment and incentives that would be meaningful.

Quantity, as we’ve said, is the name of the game. In a divergent-thinking session, don’t edit yourself. Get everything down on a whiteboard, device or paper, and if you’re working in a group, be sure to capture everyone’s ideas.

Dutton shares some thought-starters, suggesting you ask yourself questions like:

• How would a 5-year-old approach this challenge?
• If we had all the money in the world, how could we solve this problem?
• If you had a magic wand, what would you do first? Second?

Games like Pictionary, Boggle or charades can be helpful to get creative juices flowing, she adds. “During my 27 years in the military, you had to think outside the box,” Dutton says. She recalls the “confidence courses” service members underwent to build physical and mental stamina. “We were only given a limited number of items to get through a challenge with a group of people. We would bounce ideas off each other because one person might not consider all the possible ideas, and it’s important to have other people to play off of.”

Other techniques include all kinds of brainstorming and free association. You might consider doing a SWOT analysis, where you list the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for a given solution or idea, or asking questions as a way to cultivate curiosity. As much as possible, free yourself from time constraints when coming up with ideas as a group.

Dutton thinks of divergent thinking as “the cognitive engine behind creativity,” acknowledging that it can be easy to go down a rabbit hole of ideating without coming to a solution. “You have to put the ideas you generate into an action plan. You have to commit to something.”

She shares the example of a parent who’s working full time but wants to go to college. It might seem impossible to balance school with child care and other responsibilities. You could start by asking yourself what you would do if you did have reliable, affordable child care, suggests Dutton. “If you can remove some obstacles so instead of 10 barriers you have only two, that helps with decision-making because it opens up different options. It’s taking little steps toward your goal that gets you closer to the main goal.”

You may be someone who thinks you simply aren’t creative, that divergent thinking isn’t for you. But Dutton suggests you’re probably already cultivating curiosity, openness and problem-solving in various parts of your life. “If you’re figuring out how to get the kids to school when the car breaks down, that’s divergent thinking,” she says.

Dutton concedes that “it can feel overwhelming to add college to everything else. But you probably already have the grit to get there.” 

Applying this thought process — and combining it with convergent thinking, which still has its place — is easier than you might think and can serve you well when going back to school. “Instead of approaching a research paper in one specific way, brainstorm 10 different angles,” Dutton recommends. “It’s like that old [adage]: ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.’”

This approach can be especially helpful when an instructor gives you an open-ended assignment, which is a situation that can sometimes frustrate students. In this case, Dutton says, consider tapping into your own life to visualize your take on the project. “There’s a lot you can use that you can translate at school and approach your classes with your own original thinking,” she says.

Many ���۴�ý classes have discussion boards where you interact with your peers, commenting on their work or sharing information, and they do the same for you. The conversations are often very rich, not least because ���۴�ý draws students from a wide variety of backgrounds, Dutton says. “This is a great opportunity to add new ideas and to feed off others’ perspectives,” she notes. “You can also connect ideas across your courses and, as mentioned, connect ideas to your own experience. It can even lead to new business ideas.”

It can be uncomfortable to open yourself up to blurting out a bunch of ideas, especially in a group. “At the core of all humans is fear — the fear of being wrong or being judged,” Dutton says. “We all carry that fear, but divergent thinking helps us open that up a little. Mentorship and exposure to critical thinking and different cultures and people and ways of thinking all helped me get where I am today. I didn’t know what was available or what I could do until I found more ways of thinking outside the box.” 

If you’re ready to tap your divergent thinking and earn that degree, ���۴�ý offers more than 100 degree and certificate options in fields like business, information technology and healthcare. Request more information to understand all your options.