Develop Reasoning Skills

Before developing our reasoning skills, let's understand on how rationalizing works.

In a Reflective Context: 
Our reflections are based on rationalizing if our thoughts, behavior and actions are influenced by our biases, beliefs, assumptions, personal experiences, needs, interests, and so forth.

For instance, I drink soft drinks and eat chocolates because I am rewarding myself. By rewarding myself, I am able to enhance my focus, work and study better. Here, I am rationalizing my actions (aligning my actions with my interests).

In a Relational Context:
If I say,  “I do not agree to this because I was not taught in school, because my boss said it is not true, hence, I think this is right and this is wrong," or "I agree to this because my friend and my uncle told me so.”  I am rationalising (aligning my communication with some borrowed ideas).

When applying reasoning skills, I would say, "I drink soft drinks and eat chocolates to cope better with my work and studies even when I know it is unhealthy thus I will find healthier ways to enhance my focus next time."

Developing Reasoning Skills help us to:
-Take a nonjudgmental stand.
-Accept our flaws.
-Listen to the point of others without imposing our values, and beliefs.
-Accept the differences of others.
-Be conscious and sensitive about the values, beliefs, experiences and culture of others while conversing.
-Work towards well- justified and morally acceptable results.
-Respect and embrace, that everyone is on their personal journey here and each of us hold different experiences in life.
-Give responses instead of reactions.
-Improve intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence.
- Improve communication skills.

Rationalizing supports us to stick to our positive values, uphold morals and cope with challenges and reasoning skills help us to make better choices and wiser decisions thus it is good to practice both and apply them in the most suitable context.

How to develop reasoning skills: 
Simply be watchful over your own biases, interests, conditioning, values, beliefs, personal strengths, limitations, experiences, assumptions and so forth from clouding your thoughts and feelings, behaviour and actions when reflecting and relating.