thought process
How thinking unfolds
A thought process is the sequence of mental steps by which someone reaches a conclusion, decision, or understanding.
It emphasizes how thinking unfolds rather than just its result: Walk me through your thought process, I don't follow your thought process.
The phrase often appears when someone's reasoning needs to be explained or examined.
Science of valid reasoning
- deductionConclusion from premises
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
- evaluationDetermining worth or quality
- reasoningDrawing logical conclusions
assessment · diagnosis · synthesis · breakdown · methodology · systematic · problem-solving · investigation
Faculty for forming ideas
- brainstormingGenerating many ideas freely
- ideationForming mental concepts
- innovationCreating something original
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
conceptualization · visualization · invention · originality · experimentation · ingenuity · improvisation · abstraction
Examining one's own mind
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- meditationFocused attention practice
- mindfulnessAwareness of the present
- self-examinationScrutiny of one's thoughts
soul-searching · self-awareness · rumination · journaling · self-questioning · self-inquiry · metacognition · navel-gazing
Measuring mass or heft
- considerationCareful thought or compensation
- mullingDeep, slow consideration
- ponderingThinking deeply about something
- hesitationDelay from uncertainty
careful · measured · thorough · judicious · cautious · second-guessing · circumspection · painstaking
Planned approach to goals
- roadmapDetailed plan forward
- outliningTracing outer contours
- goal-settingEstablishing intended outcomes
- prioritizingOrdering by importance
sequencing · scheduling · preparation · forecasting · organizing · step-by-step · coordination · forward-thinking
Innate behavioral tendency
- hunchUnproven inner sense
- subconsciousBelow conscious awareness
- automaticOperating without intervention
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
premonition · tacit · implicit · reflex · spontaneous · innate · effortless
logic
Science of valid reasoning
- deductionConclusion from premises
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
- evaluationDetermining worth or quality
reasoning · assessment · diagnosis · synthesis · breakdown · methodology · systematic · problem-solving · investigation · validation
imagination
Faculty for forming ideas
- brainstormingGenerating many ideas freely
- ideationForming mental concepts
- innovationCreating something original
inspiration · conceptualization · visualization · invention · originality · experimentation · ingenuity · improvisation · abstraction · synthesis
self-reflection
Examining one's own mind
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- meditationFocused attention practice
- mindfulnessAwareness of the present
self-examination · soul-searching · self-awareness · rumination · journaling · self-questioning · self-inquiry · metacognition · navel-gazing · self-scrutiny
weighing
Measuring mass or heft
- considerationCareful thought or compensation
- mullingDeep, slow consideration
- ponderingThinking deeply about something
hesitation · careful · measured · thorough · judicious · cautious · second-guessing · circumspection · painstaking · methodical
strategy
Planned approach to goals
- roadmapDetailed plan forward
- outliningTracing outer contours
- goal-settingEstablishing intended outcomes
prioritizing · sequencing · scheduling · preparation · forecasting · organizing · step-by-step · coordination · forward-thinking · anticipation
instinct
Innate behavioral tendency
- hunchUnproven inner sense
- subconsciousBelow conscious awareness
- automaticOperating without intervention
insight · premonition · tacit · implicit · reflex · spontaneous · innate · effortless
- cognitionthinking, reasoning, cognition, remembering, memory retrieval
- mental statesknowledge, conscious, mood, anxious, memory
- Mind/Thought Idiomsbrainstorm, brain wave, think tank, mental block, blank mind
- Thinking phrasesI think, I believe, in my opinion, I wonder, I suppose
- stream of consciousnessstream of consciousness, interior monologue, free association, inner voice, consciousness
- clinical interviewspsychiatric evaluation, psychiatric history, clinical assessment, mental health assessment, patient history
thought processgut instinct
Immediate unreasoned knowing
instinct · intuition · gut feeling · reflex · knee-jerk reaction
thought processemotional reaction
Psychological response to stimulus
feeling · blind rage · passion · sentiment · emotional response
thought processconfusion
Mental disorientation or bewilderment
scattered thinking · brain fog · mindlessness · thoughtlessness · mental block
thought, process, thoughtful, procedure, procession, thinks, thoughtfully, thoughtfulness, afterthought