Critical thinking is the intellectual disciplined process of
actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyz-
ing, synthesizing and evaluating information to reach an
answer or conclusion. It is a structured and systematic
mode of thinking that seeks to improve the quality and
consistency of decision making, arising from well-rea-
soned conclusions and solutions, and testing them
against relevant criteria and standards.
Critical thinking thus has a directive element, as it is
primarily focused on how to get to a desired outcome or
solution to a problem.
Reflective thinking on the other hand is the process of
analyzing and making judgments about what has
happened, free from externally imposed standards and
criteria. It is an active, persistent, and careful consider-
ation of a belief or supposed form of knowledge, an
examination about the grounds that support such
beliefs/knowledge, and to expansively explore where
newfound beliefs/ knowledge would potentially lead.
As such, reflective thinking is more exploratory and inter-
nally focused. It is a tool that causes us to think about
thinking. The outcome of reflective thinking is gaining
greater self-knowledge and uncovering areas that need
further rethinking.
Based on the above definitions, at least three distinct
differences between critical and reflective thinking
becomes apparent. They are differences in terms of (1)
The Thinking Process, (2) The Thinking Skills Required,
and (3) The Situations in which they might be beneficial.
Differences in Thinking Process
The critical thinking process is linear and outcome driven.
It starts off with a problem statement and ends with the
solution. In solving the problem, the practitioner applies
reasoning, making connections among ideas by applying
intellectual standards and criteria.
In getting from the problem to the solution, the types of
questions that critical thinkers typically use are
“What is the evidence that supports this?”
“How is this fact related to the other observation?”
“When did this happen?”
The reflective thinking process is however circular - going
back and forth. It involves four steps of experiencing
something, learning through reflection, developing new
ideas to capture that learning, followed by testing the new
ideas to gain new and better experiences.
In learning through reflection, the types of questions a
reflective thinker would typically employ are:
“What makes that important?
“What do you mean by this?”
“What are you learning?”
Differences in Thinking Skills Required
As critical thinking involves problem solving, the core
skills required includes observation, categorization,
classification, interpretation of data, analysis, logical
reasoning, evaluation and assessment. Critical thinking is
thus rather “linear”, and also requires other broad intel-
lectual traits such as clarity of thought, objectivity in anal-
ysis, accuracy and precision in information presentation.
Reflective thinking involves more exploration and “inter-
nal” vertical deep dives. The core skills required are the
ability to generate new ideas and invent new ones. It also
requires a sense of imagination, the ability to evoke
reasoning through analogies and metaphors, as well as
thinking out of the box and beyond the comfort zone. It is
an emotive process, requiring curiosity and openness to
novelty, unbounded by current norms and standards,
driven by the willingness to try and experience some-
thing different.
Situations/Circumstances Where
They Might be Beneficial
Critical thinking is a tool by which one can reach reasoned
conclusions/outcomes based on a systematic, structured
and reasoned process. It is external focused, and is
particularly apt for problem solving, such as in academia
and engineering, where issues can more easily framed or
structured using scientific concepts/ideas.
Developing critical thinking skills will allow one to be a
better problem solver, to analyze information and draw
appropriate conclusions, to communicate a position
logically to others, and to make decisions based on
observed data or evidence. A well cultivated critical think-
er thus has the ability to raise vital questions about a
problem/issue at hand devoid of feelings and gut, as well
as articulate them clearly and precisely to others, thereby
coming across as cogent and intelligent.
Reflective thinking is directed at uncovering personal
blind-spots and to help one understand ones’ thinking
better. It is internally focused, frequently unstructured,
and helps one develop higher-order thinking skills. This is
achieved by prompting one to relate new knowledge to
prior understanding/feelings, to think in both abstract
and conceptual terms, to use gut and feelings to
challenge one’s own thinking and beliefs to uncover
“gaps”, and to develop new novel strategies and ways to
overcome these gaps.
As problems become more complex and dynamic, the
ensuing rapid rate of change requires strategies and
approaches that constantly morphs and adapts in
tandem. Reflective thinking is thus more applicable to
highly complex or fuzzy problems/issues, where cause
and effect are less obvious, and involves factors that are
beyond the cognitive. It challenges one to constantly
rethink, switch directions, and change problem-solving 4
strategies in relation to the prevailing situation.
Thus, it is increasingly important to use reflective thinking
to help one develop strategies to apply new knowledge to
the complex situations in daily life.
Application to Transformative Coaching
As transformative coaching seeks to empower clients to
shift those fundamental interpretations or beliefs that no
longer serve them, these shifts must occur in how the
client is being, rather than what they are doing. As such,
clients should be prompted to reflect and search within,
rather than turn on their critical thinking hats to derive
solutions to their current situations and predicaments.
Creating shifts in being would require reflective thinking,
as the client would need to transform his/her perspec-
tives, to critically examine underlying assumptions that
supports existing beliefs, shift existing paradigms to
include more, allow an expanded repertoire of possibili-
ties to exist, and develop the courage to empower them
in taking bold positive steps towards the experienc-
es/outcomes they so desire.
As a coach, we should therefore seek to ask questions
with the view of triggering reflective thinking, rather than
critical thinking in our clients. Knowing the key differenc-
es between critical and reflective thinking would be
instructive and a first step in the right direction.
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