There are numerous definitions of critical thinking depending on what book, article, or paper is being read. Critical thinking is asking thoughtful questions and giving answers using reasoning skills. Decision making comes when you believe the results of your excellent analysis and act accordingly. This paper will answer the following questions: What is critical thinking and what is decision making?; my opinions about what they are, as well as how they relate to each other; how critical thinking is beneficial; and how the processes are applied in my present work environment. To reach a carefully planned conclusion to this paper, I will begin with defining critical thinking.
             Critical thinking is the ability and willingness to monitor thinking while assessing facts and claims, to search for a scope of contradicting as well as corroborating information, and then making objective judgments for well-supported reasons. "Critical thinking involves the application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information so it can be used to construct personal meaning" (Cleaver, 1987, para. 1). This in-depth thinking facilitates a person's ability to question, understand, evaluate, or resolve different situations. The course material defines critical thinking as, "Listening and reading critically – that is, reacting with a systematic evaluation to what you have heard and read – requiring a set of skills and attitudes. These skills and attitudes are built around a series of critical questions (UOP, 2001, page 3). Some components to guide the critical thinker are interpreting experiences and beliefs; analyzing assumptions; evaluating the credibility of the information; forming reasonable conclusions; justifying the criteria, and then monitoring the outcomes. Critical thinking lends itself to decision making, along with defining critical thinking understanding decision making is essential.
             People make decisions every day, such as; what to w...