Dialectical Thinking: How Paradoxes Can Secure Our Mental Lives

Today’s world has an overwhelming element of the unexpected and the challenging. Paranoia and dread run amok when circumstances are difficult and our mental health can be jeopardized in trying times. While help should certainly be sought when necessary, we need to think of a prevention before the cure and the former can be achieved through something most immediate– thinking. Our rational capability is the biggest weapon in our arsenal against the ups and downs of life and the right kind of thinking can galvanize our defenses. In the overwhelming times of today, the right kind of thinking has to be holistic, has to reconcile opposing forces or in other words, has to be dialectical.

Claire Nara, writing for Mental Health Today elaborates on the phenomenon of dialectical thinking and notes, “Dialectical thinking, also known as paradoxical thinking is, in many ways, the opposite of the catastrophic thinking that responds to threats. Dialectical thinking is defined as seeing things from multiple perspectives. A fundamental principle of dialectical thinking is that everything is composed of opposites and that to understand things more fully, we need to understand their opposites. For example, if darkness is defined as the absence of light, we couldn’t describe it unless we also defined light. […] Because a defining principle of dialectical thinking is that everything is composed of opposites, it holds that nothing is ever black and white, or all good or all bad. Instead, every person, place, thing, and situation has both good and bad components.”

There is a lot of merit to the point Nara makes since when we sense trouble, the issue in our head is an isolated one. In mentally unfavourable situations, we forget to factor in the interconnectedness of things. Our thinking, instead of being holistic, becomes one-dimensional, forcing us into submission and despondency. Dialectical thinking, which involves thinking of oppositions, by default, brings in other and newer elements to consider, broadening our viewpoint and ending the tyranny of fear and despair. This can help us take charge of things instead of feeling powerless and can open possibilities for our intellect and agency to solve problems. 

For example, if you have been feeling resentment towards a friend for his emotional absence in your life, the situation might appear to be extremely dire. It can feel like a betrayal, a dishonouring of commitment and feelings of worthlessness and isolation. However, when you think dialectically and think of what enabled this person to be present in your life in the past, you might think differently and be able to factor in the person’s personal struggles and professional circumstances. In the latter case, you avoid a heedless villainization of the person as well as a strong feeling of hurt and might be able to rationally figure out new ways of connecting with him. 

This seemingly simple example involves a sophisticated and mature approach which does not allow unpleasant emotions to take over and imperil your peace and relationships. Not only does this dialectical approach make you avoid feeling powerless, it most importantly restores your sense of self and enables you to feel at peace. This is not to say that difficult emotional responses are invalid and sometimes you might be in trying situations or equations and that has to be acknowledged. However, dialectical thinking is about not repeatedly falling into a pattern of compulsory powerlessness and victimhood and letting every tough day unsettle your sense of wholeness. It sustains itself by riding on the planks of your intelligence and strength, activating them to empower you in the process. 

When we see things holistically and life to be made of paradoxes, it can toughen us in hard times and humble us in good times, escaping the traps of hopelessness as well as complacency. Whether it is your career or your personal life, a difficult journey or a windfall gain, dialectical thinking secures your mental well-being by keeping you grounded. A promotion would not make you arrogant because you will look at the milestones you are yet to achieve and an admonition at work would not break your resolve because you will look at what you have done and are capable of doing for your organization. A clear self-image, achieved through this paradigm of thinking can thus give you stability in increasingly uncertain times. Dialectical thinking is a step in the right direction, a celebration of our human abilities and a championing of human effort against the unpredictability of the world.