Thinking Styles show you how you consciously direct your mental processes to find a thoughtful solution to a problem. Your thinking style is your preferred way of thinking. Two or more people at the same level of ability may have very different styles of thinking and use different styles in different situations. There are five thinking styles pragmatist, idealist, realist, synthesist, and analyst (Sternberg, R. L., 1992). A person utilizes all five of the thinking styles spontaneously but when problem solving one style usually dominates over another. The Thinking Style Assessment evaluates which style is dominant.