Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why it’s important to embrace dialectical thinking

Steve Adelman, MD
Physician
July 22, 2021
117 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

“Embrace dialectical thinking, stupid!”

That’s the mantra I repeat when I catch myself getting worked up about a deep-seated belief, idea, or cause.  Understanding the flip side of the equation helps me to neutralize powerful negative feelings like righteous indignation, bitter disappointment, and utter disgust with the incompetence of fill-in-the-blank.

Dialectical thinking is the ability to view an issue from multiple perspectives.  Embracing it helps us recognize that it’s almost always possible to spin the storyline in the opposite direction.  The creative tension that links any point to its counterpoint – that’s the so-called dialectic.

I discovered dialectical thinking years ago while reading a Buddhist newsletter.  An Auschwitz survivor wrote an article extolling the many “gifts of the Holocaust.”  My amygdala shifted into overdrive: I saw red, became tachycardic, and started to dress her down from my mind’s bully pulpit.  After calming myself, I allowed her thoughtful ideas to marinate.  Her horrific experience in the death camp had rendered every subsequent moment of her life precious and meaningful: the most profound of gifts.

As health professionals and medical leaders, we often find ourselves embedded in a stressful environment that is rife with imperfection, bureaucracy, and unnecessary complexity.  We can better manage our frustration with the shortcomings of the environment, and with the humanness of our co-workers and patients, by thinking dialectically:

  • What a gift it is that my life’s work is relieving the suffering of others.
  • Although it’s sweltering outside, how fortunate I am that I work in this comfortable, air-conditioned building.
  • All that pressure on the health care dollar comes from amazing (but costly) scientific advances that have turned heart disease and cancer into relatively manageable chronic diseases – so much more time to enjoy with our loved ones.
  • We’ve nearly gotten the upper hand on COVID-19, a pandemic that only 5-10 years ago would have done so much more damage to the human race and our economy.

Although thinking dialectically may sound easy, many of us have trouble installing the “dialectical thinking app” into our brains.  A couple of ideas to consider:

  • Dialectical thinkers may not be drawn to pre-med studies and medical school. One wonders if they gravitate to fields less arduous than medicine.
  • Medical training, with its focus on knowledge acquisition, differential diagnosis, and decisive action in the name of saving lives, may, in and of itself, provide negative reinforcement for dialectical thinking.

In “The Joylessness of Harried Medical Leaders,” I discuss our inadequate training in the “soft skills” that help us to manage ourselves and team relationships.  Dialectical thinking and mindful management of self and others are topics to include in the soft skills curriculum (a hypothetical work in progress).

Many psychotherapists and coaches can help their patients and clients learn to think more dialectically, and courses on mindfulness and mindful medical practice may augment your work with an individual practitioner. Alas, so many growth opportunities, so little time.

Steve Adelman is a psychiatrist and can be reached at his self-titled site, AdelMED.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

What this physician learned from medicine in developing countries [PODCAST]

July 21, 2021 Kevin 0
…
Next

Teens need later school start times

July 22, 2021 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
What this physician learned from medicine in developing countries [PODCAST]
Next Post >
Teens need later school start times

More by Steve Adelman, MD

  • Should all health professionals be teetotalers?

    Steve Adelman, MD
  • The horror of darkened hearts

    Steve Adelman, MD
  • I’m covering the practice of a “Dr. Feel Good”

    Steve Adelman, MD

Related Posts

  • Embrace the teamwork involved in becoming a physician

    Nathaniel Fleming
  • Parallel thinking won’t solve problems in health care

    Paul Pender, MD
  • Hospital administrators thinking about no-cost treatment which really helps patients

    John Corsino, DPT
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • When it becomes time to embrace fear and loss and let the chaos lead to growth

    Claire Brown
  • Why physicians should start thinking about climate change

    Janice Boughton, MD

More in Physician

  • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

    Emily Stanford, DO
  • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • The Iranian diaspora’s fight for liberty: Overcoming challenges in the largest women’s rights movement of our century

    Montreh Tavakkoli, MD
  • The harmful effects of shaming patients for self-education

    Maryanna Barrett, MD
  • The power of self-appreciation: Why physicians need to start acknowledging their own contributions

    Wendy Schofer, MD
  • Skydiving and surgery: How one doctor translates high-stress training to saving lives

    Alexandra Kharazi, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

      Emily Stanford, DO | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

      Emily Stanford, DO | Physician
    • 10 commandments of ethical affiliate marketing for physicians

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO | Finance
    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Overcoming Parkinson’s: a journey of laughter and resilience

      Cynthia Poire Mathews, FNP | Conditions
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • 'No Safe Place': Shooting Hits Home for Nashville Doctors
  • FDA OKs First OTC Product for Reversing Opioid Overdoses
  • Asthma, Eczema Tied to Osteoarthritis Risk
  • Four-Year-Old Gets Hospital Bill; Woolly Mammoth Meatball; How AR-15s Damage Humans
  • How This Doctor Found Purpose After a Devastating Injury

Meeting Coverage

  • Phase III Trials 'Hit a Home Run' in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
  • Cannabis Use Common in Post-Surgery Patients on Opioid Tapering
  • Less Abuse With Extended-Release Oxycodone, Poison Center Data Suggest
  • Novel Strategies Show Winning Potential in Ovarian Cancer
  • Children Do Well With Fewer Opiates After Surgery
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

      Emily Stanford, DO | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

      Emily Stanford, DO | Physician
    • 10 commandments of ethical affiliate marketing for physicians

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO | Finance
    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Overcoming Parkinson’s: a journey of laughter and resilience

      Cynthia Poire Mathews, FNP | Conditions
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...