Problem Solving

Sometimes our goal are obvious, our situation is clear and the way to get from where we are to where we want is also obvious. for example, we finish work at the end of the day and we want to go home. A problem is a situation in which there is a discrepancy between ones current state and one one’s desired or goal state with no clear way of getting from one to the other. For instance, your car wont start and you have to be home in 45 minutes. Thus a problem situation from the above recognition and all sorts of problems has this three (3) major components.

a) An initial state – the situation as it exist or as it is perceived to exist at the moment.

b) A goal state – the situation as the problem solver would like to be, or to the end product.

c) Possible routes or strategies for getting from the initial state to the goal state.

However, not all problems are the same. Researchers often distinguish between well-defined and ill-defined problems:

i) Well defined, the initial state and the goal state are clearly defined (e.g. How many words can be formed from the letter teralbay? Suduku? How do I get home if my car won’t start?) this is because the problem is crystal clear.

ii) Ill defined, "what will I do when I graduate? how do I make myself more attractive? Why aren’t I happy? This are sorts of problem that is more personal to us. Its because you actually know where your current state is right now but you don’t know where and what you are going to do next!

These are the questions people ask in therapeutic counselling situation. The main goal behind this is to turn around from the ill defined problems to well defined problems.