"Abstract thinking" and "high level of abstraction in thinking" are not the same

"Isn't that a bit too abstract?"
"Talk more concretely, please."

Have you ever been told that,
and found yourself at a loss for words?

On the other hand, in business or coaching settings,

"Let's think with a higher level of abstraction"
"Let's take a broader view and look at the essence"

is also something you might be told.

Although they both use the word "abstract,"
what exactly
is the difference between them?

In this article,
I will answer this question✨️

What is "abstract thinking"?

First, when we say "abstract thinking,"

• The discussion is vague and the main point is unclear

• The definition of words is ambiguous

• No concrete image comes to mind

I think it gives the impression of being
"elusive" like that.

For example—

Person A: "Lately, I've been thinking about my way of being..."

Person B: "Um, what exactly do you mean by 'way of being'?"

In this way, if the words being used
are not clear to the other person,
the conversation will be difficult to align.

In other words, "abstract thinking" can
lead to difficulty in communication or empathy
.

What is "thinking with a high level of abstraction"?

So, what does it mean to have a
"high level of abstraction"?

It is a state of referring to
patterns or structures common to multiple concrete examples.

You could say that.

For example—

• Apple, banana, grape ⇒ "Fruit"

• Greetings, courtesy, punctuality ⇒ "Manners"

• Child-rearing, guidance, education ⇒ "Human resource development"

In this way,
extracting common properties from concrete examples
and summarizing them from a higher perspective is
"thinking with a high level of abstraction."

This is actually
something necessary for organizing thoughts
and grasping the essence.

Two "abstractions" that are similar but different

To summarize—

Abstract thinking
Characteristics: Vague, fuzzy
Impression: Hard to understand, fuzzy
Result: Doesn't get across, leaves you feeling confused

Thinking with a high level of abstraction
Characteristics: Extracts patterns and commonalities
Impression: Panoramic, captures the essence
Result: Structured, applicable to other cases

"Abstract" is a state where ambiguity remains

"High level of abstraction" is a state organized as a clear concept

You could also put it that way.

Examples of application in real life

For example, in a coaching session—

when a client says,
"I'm having trouble with my relationships,"
at that moment

If you take the words "having trouble with relationships" at face value,
you cannot see a concrete picture of what the problem is.

However, if you add
a higher-level perspective such as "how to maintain distance when a relationship breaks down" or
"ensuring psychological safety,"
the essence of the issue begins to appear in three dimensions.

An "effective" and "usable" level of abstraction

The important thing is
that the higher the level of abstraction in thinking, the more it possesses the
flexibility to move back and forth with the concrete
.

✔ Grasp the essence from a high-level perspective
✔ Break it down into concrete terms as needed to communicate

People who can make this round trip
have very clear thinking and dialogue.

Conclusion: Which "abstraction" is your thinking?

If you often feel that
"my talk tends to become abstract,"

it may be that there is room to
refine the precision or structure of your thinking a little more.

Conversely, if you can only talk about concrete things,
it might be good to practice
consciously grasping higher levels of abstraction
such as "common structures" or "common patterns."

"Is it abstract thinking, or thinking with a high level of abstraction?"

Just by noticing this difference,

your ability to communicate, your ability to think,
and the depth of your dialogue
should improve significantly.