Divergent Thinking is a combination of Foresight and Ideaphoria. When these two aptitudes are combined, they tell us what kind of thinker you are.
Because Ideaphoria measures the rate of idea productivity and Foresight measures what time frame a person works in, the two together look at “where” in time a person’s ideas land.
For Example…
Low Ideaphoria means a person is better at concentrating on one thing at a time; if they are an immediate, “now” thinker, this concentration will only be enhanced.
On the other hand, a High Ideaphoria score is a person who can generate a lot of ideas in a short amount of time. If their time frame is long (a high score) these many ideas take place in the distance future.
This is why these two aptitudes work together; they tell us more about how a person’s ideas and time frame work together.
The Combinations
- High Ideaphoria and high Foresight scores result in an innovator. This person is constantly improving plans and adjusting as changes happen. They tend to start many projects and be concerned with continually improving things.
- High Ideaphoria and low Foresight is a forecaster, who can track several ideas into the near future.
- Low Ideaphoria and high Foresight thinkers are called inventors. I once had a client like this named Nathanael. He was a very creative person but only worked on one project at a time. He could project a few ideas far into future. This is actually a good combination for artists because instead of starting and dropping a thousand projects, they can follow through on just a few of them.
- The last combination, low Ideaphoria and low Foresight, is a Finisher Studier. These folks see immediate needs and focus on finishing them. They do not have a vision for the future but do have fairly good concentration. They might push studying for an exam to the last minute, but can sit down and get it done for hours on end.
Why Does it Matter to Me?
Your Divergent Thinking score can help you focus your energies on your natural skills – your aptitudes. Rather than pushing yourself to develop a 10-year plan as a low Foresight scorer, recognizing that you need to take it a few months at a time will relieve you of stress and help you maximize your planning capabilities. Saving time, stress, and working out of your strengths is a smart move. If you need help doing this, consider contacting a career coach or profiler after you take your aptitude test. The Career Profiler and Coach recommends The Highlands Ability Battery as the best aptitude test.