{"id":49230,"date":"2021-09-23T07:07:52","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T11:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=49230"},"modified":"2021-09-24T07:10:36","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T11:10:36","slug":"black-hat-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/black-hat-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"The Black Hat: Thinking Like a Critic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is black hat thinking from Six Thinking Hats<\/em>? What type of thinking does the black hat represent? When should you wear the black thinking hat? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The black thinking hat <\/em>is one that many people are adept at using. When you wear the black hat, it’s your job to look for problems and flaws in a situation. However, this hat should not be over-used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to learn when to (and when not to) use black hat thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Black Hat<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The black hat is the critiquing hat. Black hat thinking looks for problems and logical flaws<\/strong>. The black hat is focused on survival\u2014it\u2019s the hat that looks out for danger and keeps us alive. Black hat thinking kept our ancestors from being eaten by predators or falling off cliffs. Being sensitized to danger is a crucial part of our neurochemistry and serves a valuable purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current education systems, especially at post-secondary level, teach and reward critical thinking, so it\u2019s no surprise that many people are experts with the black hat. <\/strong>They excel in finding problems everywhere and pointing out logical flaws. This is useful and important, because black hat thinking keeps us from making irreparable mistakes.<\/strong> But too much of the black hat can stunt our thinking under other hats<\/strong>, especially yellow and green. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People can misuse the black hat in two ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Those who are black hat thinkers by default often have great difficulty switching off the criticism <\/strong>when it\u2019s time to work with the other hats. This can mean that new ideas get squashed before they have time to grow, or that a proposal is thrown out entirely rather than examined for its potential strengths.<\/li>
  2. Black hat thinking can easily become tied to ego<\/strong>. Using the black hat to feel smarter than others is a common abuse of the black hat. It\u2019s important to shelve these motivations as much as possible and remember that black hat thinking serves a larger purpose than ego gratification. Before making a black hat contribution, stop and ask yourself: \u201cIs this genuinely helpful, or am I just saying it to make myself look good?\u201d<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Fortunately, people who have learned to overuse the black hat are usually those who benefit the most when they start to consciously practice with it. People who are lifelong black hat thinkers by default often surprise themselves and others with how creative and constructive they can be when they let themselves take off the black hat for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Black Hat Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    While you\u2019re wearing the black hat, consider these questions: <\/p>\n\n\n\n