CATEGORICAL THINKING CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO

YOUR HEALTH
By Dean L. Gano

Categorical thinking is the natural process of the mind that orders

all knowledge into specifically defined classes. A variation of this
process is a strategy called dualism, which establishes an
unnatural set of two opposite categories, such as good or bad,
happy or sad, right or wrong.

This notion is unnatural because this is an invention of mankind

&emdash; nothing in nature is this simplistic. While a common
human strategy, categorical and dualistic thinking can have a
negative impact on our mental health because it sets us up to fail at
problem solving. By using an ineffective problem solving strategy,
our expectations of attaining our goal of good, or happy, or right are
not always met and we become frustrated or angry, etc. With each
failure to effectively solve our problems, we may feel inadequate
and become anxious, stressed or ashamed. We may come to
question our worth, and a vicious cycle is set in motion leading to
sadness, or boredom or more severe forms of mental and physical
distress. Listen to people describe their daily problems and you will
hear their categorical logic. "I really want to do the right thing, so I
keep worrying about it, hoping it will just go away."

Categorization is necessary to carry on daily conversations, like: "It

is a good thing we didn't go to the game last night, they got rained
out." In this case the category of good is used harmlessly as part of
a conversation. However, categorization doesn't always serve us
well. The problem arises when we mistakenly use categories as
distinct causes and attempt to engage in problem solving. For

“Categorical Thinking Can Be Hazardous To Your Health”,

Reasoning and Problem Analysis –September, 1999
Copyright © 1999 Apollo Associated Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 1 of 3
 example, we may believe that to solve a particular problem we
must be good. If my goal is toys and Santa won't bring them unless
I am good, then the solution is to be good. The notion here is that
goodness causes some kind of reward, so to solve the problem I
must be good. Since goodness is a category, not a cause, trying to
control it becomes an impossible task. We are often left confused
and frustrated because we don't know how to go from category to
solution.

Perhaps we misuse categorization because we don't understand

our world causally. Or maybe we get categorical thinking and
causal thinking mixed up. A compelling reason to think categorically
is that it is much simpler than causal relationships. Instead of trying
to understand all the causes behind the situation, we can say things
like: "Ninety five percent of all accidents are caused by human
error, or intelligence is caused by formal education, or equipment
failure is caused by wear."

While these relationships are all true in a categorical sense, they

over-simplify the situation by ignoring the cause and effect
relationships within the categories. They fail to recognize that every
effect has two or more causes and these causes are part of an
infinite set of causes expanding exponentially as we ask "why."

Effective problem solving is identifying causal relationships and

controlling one or more causes to affect the problem in a way that
meets our goals and objectives. By using categories as causes we
fail to discover the causal relationships, let alone effectively control
any causes. When our success at solving daily problems occurs by
chance, not by design, our frustration level increases. The Apollo
problem solving method on the other hand provides a visual dialog
that allows us to create a clear understanding of the causal
“Categorical Thinking Can Be Hazardous To Your Health”,
Reasoning and Problem Analysis –September, 1999
Copyright © 1999 Apollo Associated Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 2 of 3
 relationships inherent in any situation. This clear understanding
comes in the form of an Apollo Cause and Effect Chart with
branched causes supported in evidence. The visual dialog occurs
when two or more people use the chart to exchange their views
without conflict and create a common reality.

The human mind seems to be forever aligned with it's simplistic

categorization scheme but we have the choice to use the simple
tool of an Apollo Cause and Effect Chart to help us break free.
Thinking causally can be good for your health.

“Categorical Thinking Can Be Hazardous To Your Health”,

Reasoning and Problem Analysis –September, 1999
Copyright © 1999 Apollo Associated Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 3 of 3