Thursday, November 10, 2016

Dialectical Thinking in Teenagers?

As I was reading this chapter, I could not help but think about the benefits of dialectical thinking and how beneficial it would be for teenagers to have this skill. After all, teenagers are criticized for being impulsive- a reason that many high schools have students read Romeo and Juliet, which encompasses the tragedy that can ensue with impulsivity. 

Dialectical thought, however, is a process that involves weighing both your own opinion (thesis) and the opinion opposite yours (antithesis). If you are weighing different points of view, then it is fairly difficult to be impulsive. Hamlet embodies this as an older man, around thirty years old, as he procrastinates and procrastinates killing his uncle to save Denmark. He weighs every side of the argument and fully understands what he is going to do. While Hamlet may be swamped in dialectical thought for too long to be productive, I think if teenagers could embody a mix between Hamlet's vast, detailed thinking and Romeo and Juliet's impulsivity, then life would be a little easier for them. 

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