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How are people in different professions trained to think differently?

Asked by longtresses (1334points) February 6th, 2012

I was reading on unsolved mysteries, and I realized that detectives/investigators do think differently. They are trained to think in a very specific manner; I may even say conditioned, not trained, to process the information in their… problem-solving ways

A few of my friends in engineering professions—obviously well-trained—also have this very organized, methodical way of flowing from one thought to the next. The way they process information, it’s like.. ABC; do this first, and if this doesn’t work, try this; let’s go eat at this place because so and so. Jokes can be sarcastic.

.. while I’m more straightforward. If detectives show up at my door, disguised as neighbors, I wouldn’t have a clue, while their eyes would already be darting all over my house.

So the question is, how are people in different professions trained to think or process information differently? Does each profession-trained mentality carry over in their real life?

Are there books on the topic, e.g. “How Engineers Think”?

Quick examples I can think of right now; please pardon gross generalization for the sake of illustration:

how detectives think? :: (clues, puzzles, why her words don’t match the clues in the room)
how doctors think? :: (diagnostic; this doesn’t match symptoms in the book)
how engineers think? :: (ok, ABC, do this, if not, draw a flow chart leading to another solution)
how carpenters think? :: (SAFETY first)
how athletes think? :: (i don’t really care who says what, or who thinks what. i just care about winning my games. oh, hi, detective *shake hand *)
how diplomats/politicians think? :: (how can i persuade this person to vote for me? is my uniform vote-winning? say this sentence in a way that makes her agree)
how businessmen think? :: (deal-focused: even at supermarket. very tangible-concerned. this isn’t a good deal, let’s look at the other shop)
how artists think? :: (form-focused: this new neighbor has a beautiful form. look at his beard and intense eyes. the way he talks seems to carry a little heaviness. oh, sorry, what was your question?)
how craftsmen think? :: (this is probably my mother: everything has to be neat, every needle, every sole. the room must be kept tidy.)
how social media person think? :: (the ceo isn’t very nice, but we have to make sure he enjoys the party. get more people to join. dress nice for the job.)
how advertisement people think? :: (this ad has to convey luxury, while saying very little. the paper has to be glossy and nice to touch. classy. out for a martini tonight.)
how royalties think? :: (look at the way that man carries himself? when you say something, don’t just *say * it; do it with class and elegance.)
how hippies think? :: (everything is cool. knowledge is unnecessary. be yourself, don’t dress up, just wear something. the hole in the roof is ok as it is. hey, listen to the wind whistling—the essence of that sound!)

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