Binary Thinking: The Polarization of Mind and Reality

Exploring the limitations of binary thinking and the benefits of spectrum thinking

7 min readOct 4, 2021

The Importance of Thought

The way people think, and what they think about, influences the beliefs that they hold. These beliefs then influence the way they feel and thus act. This cycle then reinforces itself.

If people think in a binary form, then their beliefs, feelings, and actions will all be based in the binary. Consequently, one’s thoughts dictate one’s reality. This is notable because if thought patterns can change then beliefs, feelings and actions will follow suit. It also means that if one can change their thought process, they can change their reality.

Binary Thinking

Binary thinking “pits two opposites against each other and also includes the implicit hierarchical assumption that one of the two is inherently more valuable than the other.”

Common Types of Binary Thinking :

Right vs. Wrong
Leader vs. Follower
Powerful vs. Powerless
Order vs. Chaos
Success vs. Failure
Hate vs. Love
Man vs. Women
Moral vs. Immoral
All vs. Nothing

Binary Thinking Can Be Limiting:

There is a time and a place when binary thinking is beneficial. For example, binary thinking is very important when setting boundaries because it provides a clear line of what is and what is not, crossing a boundary. It also allows boundaries to be easily communicated. It doesn’t leave room for people to question or misconstrue one’s boundaries.

While binary thinking can be beneficial, it has its limits. Not every situation can be divided by a clear line. People and situations cannot always be, nor should they be, categorized into two polarizing groups.

Normalizes Generalizations and Stereotypes

When people, ideas, and situations can only be categorized into two groups, it inevitably leads to generalizations so that they can be categorized. Information, characteristics, and experiences are lost when forced into categories. These generalizations then lead to the creation of harmful stereotypes.

Binary thinking can reinforce social systems where individuals are stereotyped. This applies but is not limited to race, gender, sex, religion, and ethnicity. Humans are complex creatures and are not one note. It is not fair to define someone’s whole being by one specific identity they hold. Nor is it fair to assume that people who have a shared identity are subsequently the same.

Not Representative of Reality

Many things co-exist at once. For example, just because I get into a fight with family members, and become angry at them, doesn’t mean the love I have for the leaves. The angry and the love can co-exist.

Reality is not cut and dry. Since our reality is based on our perception and thought process, it is extremely biased. Binary thinking enhances these biases. It also unfairly puts our own reality above other people’s. Binary thinking does not allow for other perspectives or opinions to be represented. While this is important at times, at others it can be quite harmful.

Additionally, binary thinking creates a false narrative. False narratives are created by insufficient or inaccurate information or assessments about a situation, experience, or person. If people are only utilizing binary thinking, this leaves room for inaccurate interpretations of situations, experiences, and or of people.

Can Lead to Increased Self-Sabotage

Applying binary thinking to ourselves can lead to negative self-talk, judgment, and a lack of compassion. Coupling binary thinking with confirmation bias can lead to self-sabotage. Confirmation bias is when new information is used to confirm already formed beliefs. If people can either be good or bad, then anytime you or anyone else does something negative, it unfairly categorizes them as bad. This leads to unrealistic expectations. Binary thinking doesn’t consider experiences, systematic issues, or the ability to change.

Can Create Dissatisfaction

In life, if a person can only choose between two options, they will always be choosing between the lesser of two evils rather than demanding more from life. An example of dissatisfaction with binary thinking is when a person is searching for a job. Most people either settle for a job that they are passionate about but doesn’t pay well, or a job that pays well but doesn't fulfill them. Why settle for either of these options?

Furthermore, binary thinking creates dissatisfaction because it doesn't allow people to grow or change. If people can only be one of two things, they don’t have room to explore and understand themselves. Not forcing one another into categories allows for a more authentic way of self-expression.

An Alternative: Spectrum Thinking

While binary thinking puts us at extremes, spectrum thinking “ is the ability to seek patterns and clarity outside, across, beyond, or maybe even without any boxes or categories while resisting false certainty and simplistic binary choices.”

Benefits of Spectrum Thinking:

Overall, spectrum thinking allows for critical and improved reflection, evaluation, and determination. It also allows for increased compassion, acceptance, and nonjudgement towards ourselves and others.

More Compassionate Self

Thinking outside the binary allows for room for mistakes and growth. Before, when I made a mistake, I saw it as a failure because it couldn’t fit into the category of success. Rather than taking the experience as a chance to learn and grow, I was disappointed and judgmental of myself for not being successful. Reframing my thoughts to align with spectrum thinking has allowed me to perceive mistakes outside the failure vs. success binary.

Spectrum thinking also helps build confidence through self-acceptance. I thought that people either did or did not fit in. People were either pretty or ugly. I felt that because I didn’t represent conventional beauty, act as I was expected to, or dress in traditional ways, that I was ugly. This created a very negative self-image. Spectrum thinking has allowed me to explore different avenues of self-expression because I am no longer trying to fit into the societal category of pretty nor resist being categorized as ugly. I have created my own category. This category is specialized for me, by me. There is no judgment or expectation in my category.

Giving Grace to Others

Spectrum thinking also provides others the same grace that it provides oneself. So other people are able to make mistakes and learn without the fear or need to be categorized as bad or unsuccessful.

Not forcing other people into categories also helps to judge others less. Giving people the space to be themselves, helps to respect their individuality. Rather than categorizing people, spectrum thinking perceives each individual as they are and gives them validity without categorization.

More Productive Communications

Binary thinking does a disservice to communication. So often when people have disagreements, there is an expectation that one person is right and one person is wrong. This binary creates a hostile environment for both people. Rather than focusing on mitigating an issue, being right is seen as more important because of the fear of being perceived as wrong. Spectrum thinking allows for both sides’ feelings to be validated. Being right or winning the argument becomes obsolete.

Additionally, Spectrum thinking also allows for flexibility in how people communicate. Rather than aggression and passiveness being pitted against one another, there's room to be somewhere in between. Also, not everyone perceives communication the same; being able to communicate differently according to the situation creates an overall more productive conversation.

Greater Exploration

When people are not forced into categories, they are better able to explore and express themselves. This allows for more control and autonomy over one’s life because they are making decisions that they can better agree with. Spectrum thinking allows for the critical consideration of multiple responses before making a decision. The choice is in the hands of the considerer rather than pre-imposed societal categories or expectations. If the responses don’t align with their opinions, spectrum thinking also allows the ability to create new responses. Exploration doesn’t just have to be introspective; it could apply to business, leadership decisions, and traveling.

How to Increase Spectrum Thinking:

Grow empathy for yourself and others. Living with empathy creates a compassionate life. This allows for less judgment and more acceptance of things that fit out of binary thought.
Listen with an open mind and an open heart. Not every person is going to agree with you, and that’s okay-It’s even great! Listening with an open mind helps step away from winner vs. loser, right vs. wrong, and moral vs. immoral binaries.
Challenge your binary thoughts. If you feel yourself slipping into binary thoughts, take a step back and evaluate the situation. Is there an option you aren’t considering? Are you forcing something into a category that generalizes it?
Stay curious and continuously learn. Staying in one frame of thought and not growing can reinforce binary thinking. Continuously, learning allows for new perspectives and a better ability to think outside the binary.
Meet new people with different perspectives. It can be hard to step outside our own perspective when there is no perspective to challenge or oppose it. Meeting new people introduces more perspectives and chances to challenge traditional binary categories.
Get out of your comfort zone. It can be scary to step out of your comfort zone and do things that are outside binary categories. With time it can become easier. Stepping outside these categories allows for more authentic self-expression and self-acceptance.

Thank you for reading. I hope you come by again! Stay well and live authentically.

With love,

Emma ❤