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Welcome to Context Thinking – a knowledge platform about context, complex thinking, and psychological vulnerability. Here we explore how differences in context sensitivity influence the way we think, feel, and act.

Not everyone thinks the way you do – and that is exactly where understanding begins.

Context and context blindness

The foundations of this project: what context is, how our brain works with it, and why differences between people are so significant.

• What is context? – what we mean by context, from everyday meaning to neuropsychology
• How our brains use context – the predictive brain: 20–30% perception, 70–80% completion
• The spectrum of context sensitivity – from context blindness to high-contextual thinking, with the Gaussian curve as a metaphor
• The mirror-thinking effect – the tendency to assume that others think the same way we do
• Examples of low-contextual thinking – goal-oriented, black-and-white, often transactional
• Examples of high-contextual thinking – nuanced, empathic, and strong in systems thinking

Context blindness and psychological vulnerability

How differences in context sensitivity translate into vulnerability and diagnoses in mental health care.

• The DSM as a classification system – describes symptoms but does not explain them
• Mirror-thinking effect in health care – how misunderstandings arise when caregiver and patient/client think differently
• Very strong first-degree thinking – rigidity and obsessive thoughts that can develop into psychosis and schizophrenia
• Autism – the origin of the concept of context blindness, and the limitations of DSM stereotypes
• Personality disorders – pervasive thinking styles and how context blindness can explain patterns
• Overstimulation – low-context individuals perceive more and become cognitively exhausted more quickly
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – vicious circle of obsessions and compulsions caused by being stuck in first-degree thinking
• Problem of basic trust – trust requires context, perspective, and timelines
• Burn-out and depression – exhaustion caused by mismatch between contextual capacity and environment
• ADHD – overlap in signal processing and why double diagnoses are common
• Empathy and thinking styles – why empathy is more than emotional resonance
• More diagnoses through less contextualization – why a society with less context is quicker to label
• Context sensitivity and heredity – genetic basis and family dynamics
• High-context individuals as helpers – bridge-builders who often go too far and risk falling into caretaking
• Guidance and treatment – learning vulnerability, engaging in activities, and sometimes medication

Learn more

• Lexicon – definitions of key concepts such as transactional, egocentric, and Theory of Mind
• Frequently Asked Questions – questions from everyday life
• Bibliography and sources – scientific references and literature
• About the project – origin and objectives of this initiative
• About the author – background of the initiator
• YouTube channel (Complex Thinking) – presentations and further explanations