Sternberg-Wagner Thinking Styles Inventory

(Thinking Styles Inventory Project Page)
(Take the Thinking Styles Inventory)

Variations of Thinking Style (excerpts from Sternberg, 1997.)

The following are brief excerpts from the book "Thinking Styles" by Robert J. Sternberg. Readers are encouraged to read the book for detailed coverage of thinking styles, and of the "Theory of Mental Self-Government."

Principles of Thinking Styles

1. Styles are preferences in the use of abilities, not abilities themselves.
2. A match between styles and abilities creates synergy that is more than the sum of its parts.
3. Life choices need to fit styles as well as abilities.
4. People have profiles (or patterns) of styles, not just a single style.
5. Styles are variable across tasks and situations.
6. People differ in the strength of their preferences.
7. People differ in there stylistic flexibility.
8. Styles are socialized.
9. Styles can vary across the life span.
10. Styles are measurable.
11. Styles are teachable.
12. Styles valued at one time may not be valued at another.
13. Styles valued in one place may not be valued in another.
14. Styles, on average, are not good or bad -- it's a question of fit.
15. We confuse stylistic fit with levels of ability.

Functions of Thinking Styles

Legislative Style

Legislative people like to do things their own way. They like creating, formulating, and having things. In general, they tend to be people who like to make their own rules.

Legislative people enjoy doing things the way they do them. They prefer problems that are not prestructured for them, but rather that they can structure for themselves.

Legislative people also prefer creative and constructive planning-based activities, such as writing papers, design projects, and creating new business or educational systems.

Executive Style

People with the executive style are implementers: they like to do, and generally prefer to be giving guidance as to what to do or how to do what needs to be done. Executive people also like to enforce rules and laws (their own or others').

Executive people prefer problems that are given to them or structured for them and like to do and take pride in the doers - in getting things done. Executive people tend to gravitate toward occupations that are quite different from those to which legislative people are attracted.

Executive people will tend to the valued by organizations that want people to do things in a way that appears to a set of rules or guidelines.

Judicial Style

People with a judicial style like to evaluate rules and procedures and to judge things. Judicial people also prefer problems in which they can analyze and evaluate things and ideas. They like to judge both structure and content.

Legislative and judicial people can work well together in a team. For example, selection procedures tend to be largely judicial, and are well suited to people who like to evaluate. The legislative person may well not be ideal to read the applications and judge them, for lack of interest in dealing with the job the way it should the done.

Forms of Thinking Styles

Monarchic Style

People who are predominantly monarchic style tend to be motivated by a single goal or need at a time. Monarchic people also tend to be single-minded and driven by whatever they are single-minded about. They have a tendency to see things in terms of their issues.

Monarchic people often attempt to solve problems, full speed ahead, damn the obstacles. They can be too decisive.

Hierarchic Style

People with a hierarchic style tend to be motivated by a hierarchy of goals, with the recognition that not all of the goals can be fulfilled equally well and that some goals are more important than others. They thus tend to be priority setters who allocate carefully. They tend to be systematic and organized in their solutions to problems and in their decision making.

Oligarchic Style

In oligarchy, several individuals share power. Individuals with the oligarchic style tend to be motivated by several, often competitive goals of equal perceived importance. They have trouble deciding which goals to give priority to. The result is that they may have trouble allocating resources.

Anarchic Style

People with an anarchic style tend to be motivated by a wide assortment of needs and goals that are often difficult for others, as well as for themselves, to sort out. They tend to be not so much asystematic as antisystematic.

Levels, Scope, and Leanings of Thinking Styles

Global Style-Local Style

Global people prefer to deal with relatively larger and often abstract issues. They tend to focus on the forest, sometimes at the expense of the trees. Their constant challenge is to stay grounded and not to get lost on cloud nine.

Local people prefer to deal with details, sometimes minute ones, and often ones surrounding concrete issues. They tend to focus on the trees, sometimes at the expense of the forest. Their constant challenge is to see the whole forest, and not just its individual elements.

Internal Style-External Style

People with an internal style tend to be motivated, task-oriented, sometimes aloof, and socially less sensitive than other people. At times they also lack interpersonal awareness, if only because they do not focus on it.

People with an external style, in contrast, tend to be more extroverted, people-oriented, outgoing, socially more sensitive, and interpersonally more aware.

Liberal Style-Conservative Style

Individuals with a liberal style like to go beyond existing rules and procedures and seek to maximize change. They also seek or are at least comfortable with ambiguous situations, and prefer some degree of unfamiliarity in life and work.

Individuals with a conservative style like to adhere to existing rules and procedures, minimize change, avoid ambiguous situations where possible, and prefer familiarity in life and work.