Find and Fix Errors

Not all mind maps are created equal. That is, not all of them follow the pattern that people think is the standard, where ideas are written down on a piece of paper in a sort of radiating pattern around one central word or concept. People would be correct, of course, in thinking that this method of construction is a mind map. It just isn’t the only kind. That radiating sort of pattern is called a spider map, and it is just one type of visual map among many.

Some mind maps are rather more linear, in fact. It’s not that they return the user to a linear mode of thinking; instead they take all the ideas that the person comes up with in their brainstorming and represents them in a way that shows how the ideas flow into or perhaps cause each other. For example, a fishbone map is a central line leading to a final conclusion, with other lines angle into it on either side, in a fishbone pattern. These mind map examples perhaps would illustrate all the factors that caused a final event.

Other mind map examples might be those viewed as chains or circles. A chain might be just a series of loops, one after the other, showing events or causes that are connected to each other. Or it might involve loops descending from each other in ever widening branches, like the roots of a tree, as a single event creates a cascade of repercussions. Another type of map displays itself as an actual circle, and would illustrate certain things that go in repeating cycles. These mind maps, especially the chains, can probably fall into the flow chart category as well.

Visual and concept maps are powerful tools for allowing people to gather ideas and pieces of information into one place and discern the relationships between them. These maps can make it clear how certain factors play into events, or how certain causes create effects, and they can help people find solutions to complex problems. It’s not surprising, then, that having so many varied potential uses, mind maps come in many different forms. After all, when using right-brain thinking and not being tied to the more rigid formats of the left brain, the results are bound to be creative and prolific.

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