126 PSYCHOLOGY
What kind of heuristic approach is characterized by identifying a goal and then finding a
way in which the goal can be obtained?Answer: A means-end analysis.If possible, it is desirable to be systematic when there is a problem to be
solved. This is particularly true if the problem involves a project that will require
a span of time involving days or even weeks. When an orderly approach to solv-
ing a problem is taken, psychologists have identified five important steps. These
are (1) definition of the problem, (2) preparation, (3) incubation, (4) illumina-
tion, (5) and verification. This general approach can be applied to many prob-
lems. Usually a problem can be stated in question form. Examples include:
“How do I get a weed-free lawn?” “How do you raise a child to have high self-
esteem?” “How do you study effectively for examinations?” and “How do you
lose weight?”
Assume that Laura, a thirty-three-year-old engineer, wife, and mother of two
children, wants to lose some weight. It’s a problem because she’s been trying to
lose weight off and on for a couple of years without much success. She decides to
use her training as an engineer to solve her problem. So she takes a systematic
approach. First, she defines the problemin a precise way. She decides that she
will stop vaguely saying, “I want to lose some weight.” Instead she asks the ques-
tion, “How can I lose ten pounds in the next five weeks?”What is the first step in systematic problem solving?
Answer: Defining the problem.Second, she preparesto lose weight by gathering information. She obtains
two books on nutrition, a third book on the psychology of weight control, and a
fourth book on breaking habits. She takes notes on key points in the books.
Third, she lets the information incubate before she takes action. She
reflects on what she has learned. She feels a little bit overwhelmed and confused
by contradictory information in the books she has read. She thinks, “I’ll just
sleep on all of this stuff for a while and let my subconscious mind bring things
together.”
Fourth, illuminationarrives in about a week. She feels she has new insights
about weight control. She sees that she needs to stay away from fad diets. She
decides that she has been eating too many refined carbohydrates and excessive
amounts of saturated fat. She writes an eating plan for herself, one that she
believes she can follow.
Fifth, Laura begins to eat in accordance with her plan. She verifiesthat the
plan is working—or not working—by weighing herself in the morning every
other day.