One term that has been revisited in each and every college course is “critical thinking”. It is of utmost importance, not only in college, but also as we reach forward to realize our professional goals. In the article 6 Critical Thinking Skills You Need to Master Now, the author lists skills that all students should acquire in order to be considered “critical thinkers”. These skills, or elements, include interpretation, analysis, evaluation, explanation, and self –regulation. Interpretation, or the ability to understand the information being presented and communicating the meaning of that information to others is key in learning (Tilus, 2012). Analysis and evaluation enable us to connect pieces of information together while deciding if the facts presented are credible and reliable or biased opinion (Tilus, 2012). Explanation requires us to take the information we have learned, and not only relay that information but also add clarity and perspective. Self- regulation is something we don’t always consider when critical thinking is involved, but it is arguably most important of all; it ensures we reach out for help when we may not know the correct answer or proper protocol. Pretending to know more than we do can have foolish, empty results.
Article 1: We Need to Change the Way We Talk About Mental Health, by Lindsey Holmes
This article is published in The Huffington Post, in the health and wellness section. As someone that has an interest in mental health, I found this article to be intriguing. The author explains how we have come to use terms such as “depressed”, “crazy”, “OCD” , and “suicidal “in our everyday language without much thought to negative implications or intonations. She uses critical thought in approaching the reasons why this is harmful and hurtful to not only those struggling with mental health disorders, but also to the general population. She explains the affects it has on our views of mental disorders, and the stigma attached to it because of the carelessness of popular terms. Her article teaches and encourages readers to not only change the terms that are being used to avoid hurting others, but to hopefully dissolve the stigma attached to the disorders themselves. She displays critical thinking by evaluating the situation, presenting a solution, and explaining to readers the reasoning behind her thoughts.
Article 2: Stop calling Trump ‘crazy.’ It demeans people with mental illness, by Patrick J. Kennedy
While the premise of this article is similar in theory, it does not represent the critical thinking present in the first article. It is published in The Washington Post, and has a decent underlying message. Unfortunately, the author’s biased opinion on Trump comes out, which basically pulls away from the real intent of the article, which is to stop using terms such as “crazy” to describe poor behavior. There is no real explanation present, and the author does not interpret or share reasoning that isn’t tinged with hints of opinionated political views. As a former Democratic member of Congress, it appears his argument is more emotionally fueled than crafted in critical thought. This backs the words of Plencner, that “with a little dose of skepticism one can come to conclusion that what the general user often gains from the Internet, is information, not knowledge, connection, not community, knowing and not understanding”(Plencner, 2014).
References
Holmes, L. (2016). We Need to Change the Way We Talk About Mental Health. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mental-health-terminology_us_57c83627e4b078581f114f11?
Kennedy, P. (2016.). Stop calling Trump ‘crazy.’ It demeans people with mental illness. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/08/08/stop-calling-trump-crazy/?utm_term=.5afac7bc9da0
Plencner, A. (2014). Critical thinking and the challenges of Internet. Communication Today, 5(2), 4- 18. Retrieved from http://www.communicationtoday.sk/critical-thinking-and-the-challenges-of-internet/
Titus, G. (2012, December 11). 6 critical thinking skills you need to master now. Retrieved from http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/main/critical-thinking-skills-you-need-to-master-now/
 

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Prepare: At this point in the course, you should have completed a rough draft of your Final Argumentative Essay. In preparation for this discussion, make a list of what you learned most throughout this process, as well as difficulties you may have encountered along the way.

Reflect: Think about what you have learned in the development of your research findings on the global societal issue you chose in the Week Two Discussion, your proposed solution. and its ethical outcomes, and share with your classmates why this specific issues requires further research.

Write: For this discussion, you will address the following prompts:

Identify the global societal issue you have chosen to research for your Final Argumentative Essay and explain why further research on this topic is important.
Provide a clear and concise thesis statement that includes a solution to the global societal issue.
Explain how this global societal issue impacts a specific population.
Locate a peer-reviewed scholarly source and provide statistical data that you found surprising on the topic.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length, which should include a thorough response to each prompt. You are required to provide in-text citations of applicable required reading materials and/or any other outside sources you use to support your claims. Provide full reference information of all sources cited at the end of your response. Please use correct APA format when writing in-text citations and references.