Critical Thinking: Evidence Based Practice (EBP) and “Person-In-Environment” (PIE) Essay

Critical thinking, what has happened to it? Is it apart of our daily lives or is it a part of the past? Can you tell me the definition of critical thinking or would every person’s response be different? Does today’s science have anything to do with critical thinking? How does evidence based practice (EBP) and â€Å"person-in-environment (PIE) relate to critical thinking? In this essay I will answer all of these questions plus give you more information on the subjects. So, by the end of this essay you should have a clear understanding of critical thinking: evidence based practice and â€Å"person-in-environment†. Let’s start with the question of what has really happened to critical thinking? It looks like to me we live in a very complicated fast paced world, where we all have problems and issues and at times they are very hard to comprehend. Yet still decisions have to be made. The interpretation of critical thinking goes as far back as the Socrates but in 1906 William Graham Sumner stated that the concept of critical thinking is: â€Å"the examination and test of propositions of any kind which are offered for acceptance, in order to find out whether they correspond to reality or not†. He goes on to say that â€Å"Men educated in it cannot be stampeded. They are slow to believe. They can hold things as possible or probable in all degrees without certainty and without pain. They can wait for evidence and weigh evidence. They can resist appeals to their dearest prejudices. † Another definition of critical thinking has been defined by Ku, K. (2009) as â€Å"judging information, evaluating alternative evidence and arguing with solid reasons. † (pg. 70) So it may seem too many that this notion of critical thinking (also embraced by educational theorists at the turn of the 20th century) is really declining in popularity in this new millennium. To others critical thinking, if somehow it became generalized in the world, would produce a new and very different world, a world which increasingly is not only in our interest but is necessary to our survival. Now after researching the subject of critical thinking I find out a lot of more information. Such as critical thinking is two things. One is the particular examination of an opinion or conclusion based on that specific examination. Two is when presented with a question, problem, or issue of someone’s opinion or conclusion a creative formulation is formed. I also found out that the practice of reasoning is something critical thinking concentrates on. Practicing self-awareness, tolerating ambiguity when faced with ethical dilemmas, and applying knowledge gained from multiple sources are all key components of critical thinking (Carey & McCardle 2011) Critical thinking is that mode of thinking — about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem-solving abilities, as well as a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism. (The Critical Thinking Community 2011) Overall critical thinking makes you work on your thinking continuously, to make your thinking the object of every thought, to make your behavior the object of your own thinking; to make your beliefs the object of your thinking. The extent to which any of us develops as a thinker is directly determined by the amount of time we dedicate to our development, the quality of the intellectual practice we engage in, and the depth, or lack thereof, of our commitment to becoming more reasonable, rational, successful persons. Now for is critical thinking apart of science? Yes, it surely is. In the development of critical thinking science can be seen as the ultimate extension. Science entails thrusting ideas together and putting them to the test. The PIE system attempts to broaden the perspective, by placing psychiatric problems in a much broader context of social problems and challenges (Karls & Wandrei, 1994). This is a step forward, as there is some attention to strengths in this model. It cannot be said to come from a strengths perspective, however, which would seem to require a greater transformation and shift of focus. More importantly, this dichotomy is based on the illusory idea of therapeutic neutrality or transparency. That is, it assumes the practitioner has little influence on the experience or presentation of the client. No one is a critical thinker through-and-through, but only to such-and-such a degree, with such-and-such insights and blind spots, subject to such-and-such tendencies towards self-delusion. For this reason, the development of critical thinking skills and dispositions is a life-long endeavor. References: Carey, M. & McCardle, M. (03/22/2011) Critical thinking, Journal of Social Work Education. Issue: Spring-Summer, 2011 Source Volume: 47 Source Issue: 2 COPYRIGHT 2011 Council on Social Work Education ISSN: 1043-7797 Karls, James M, & Wandrei, Karin E. (1992). PIE: A new language for social work. Social Work, 37 (1), 80. Retrieved July 7, 2010 from the ProQuest database. Ku, K. (2009). Assessing students’ critical thinking performance: Urging for measurements using multi response format. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 4, 70-76. The Critical Thinking Community (2011) Our Concept and Definition of Critical Thinking. Retrieved from: http://www. criticalthinking. org/pages/our-concept-and-definition-of-critical-thinking/411