ABSTRACT
Conceptual flexibility suggests that the analysis of problems is much like predicting the path of a tornado. Environmental conditions play a great part in structure and process of problem analysis. Meteorology, earth science, astronomy, human behavior, pure chance, and even chaos all seem to have an influence in predicting a tornado’s path. Commercial fishermen know that if they steer right or left away from a storm, the water spouts might cover them no matter which way they move, but that if they keep steady on course heading in the direction of the spouts, the spouts generally change direction and leave the boat alone. Storms in any form, including difficult problems, sometimes take on lives of their own and seem to have personalities that parallel human behavioral characteristics.
