Imagination in human life

15.04.2015

Snezhana Ivanova

Imagination is a mental cognitive process aimed at modeling a new image or idea.

Imagination is a mental cognitive process aimed at modeling a new image or idea. Imagination is strongly connected with other processes: memory, thinking, speech and attention. After all, in order to clearly imagine something, you need to have complete information about the subject of interest, be able to analyze and compare.

In everyday life, we often resort to the need to imagine something in our head. Say, abstract concepts or artistic images, one way or another, need to imagine them, so they are easier to remember. Imagination helps to make the inner world of a person brighter and richer. This process allows the individual to predict some situation in time, build the available prospects and internally prepare for the consequences of his choice. Sometimes people with an extremely developed imagination suffer from the fact that they begin to create images that have nothing to do with reality, thereby misleading themselves and others. The imagination of a person helps creative people to create unique author's works. The essence of it as a process is to construct new images from the existing ones - unique and inimitable.

Types of imagination

In modern psychological science, it is customary to distinguish between voluntary (deliberate) imagination and involuntary. In the second case, the process itself manifests itself in the dreams that a person sees. That is, the events and experiences experienced during the day are transformed into individual images that the person continues to “scroll” in a dream.

Deliberate imagination is activated only with the participation of the human will and includes several subspecies: recreative, creative, dream. Recreating imagination works on the basis of existing ideas about a particular subject. So, when reading fiction, we unconsciously build abstract pictures in our heads, supplement them with our own ideas, meanings and meanings. It often turns out that the same work gives rise to different (and even opposite) images in people.

creative imagination is formed by transforming existing ideas about the world into unique structures. The creative process gives birth to a new product, which necessarily reflects the individual vision of the world of its creator. A special kind of imagination is dream. This type of imagination is different in that it always creates an image of what is desired, there is no particular focus on the result in order to get it here and now. The aspiration to the future and the ephemeral nature of the emerging image sometimes leads to a departure from reality, to a stay in the world of dreams and fantasies. If a person makes active plans for the realization of his plans, then the dream turns into a goal, which is much easier to translate into reality.

Imagination functions

Imagination as a mental cognitive process performs the main task of reflecting objective reality. The human brain is able to fully perceive information only when it is truly interesting to it. Among the main functions, it is customary to single out the following:

• Goal setting and planning. Before taking on any business, a person needs to imagine its final result. In some cases, the success of an enterprise depends on the ability to predict and build a sequence of steps. Imagination here acts as a link between the desired goal and the final product of the activity. In this case, it is specific, has nothing to do with fantasies. A dream can lead a person to new achievements, but only if he is ready to act, to take practical steps in the desired direction.
• cognitive function. No activity is possible without constant work on oneself. Whatever a person is busy with, for successful development, he always needs productive activity. The need to learn new things, improve their skills and abilities leads to the process of activation of cognitive activity.
• adaptive function. This function consists in the need to explain incomprehensible phenomena to oneself. So in ancient times, people created legends and fairy tales, using their imagination to minimize their own fear of the unknown.
• psychotherapeutic function. Imagination can be successfully used by a person as a psychological defense when he "invents" non-existent realities in such a way that they correspond to his inner readiness to perceive the world around him. The therapeutic orientation finds expression in sublimated images, designation and recognition of one's own feelings.

Forms of imagination

• Agglutination. It is a kind of fusion of images of various properties of objects. All mythical creatures are based on this technique: centaur, mermaid, etc. Agglutination appears as a result of a combination of individual characteristics and the formation of a mixed image.
• Accent. It manifests itself in deliberate exaggeration, focusing on any particular feature of a literary or mythical character. For example, a boy with a finger was so tiny that the growth could be compared with the little finger.
• Hyperbole. Enlargement or reduction of an object to the maximum size by the imagination, thereby achieving the effect of absurdity. Hyperbolization often emphasizes the nature of a character, forcing the reader to build their own assumptions about why this happened.
• Typing. Even the most creative image is created according to a certain type. Schematization facilitates the process of creating a picture of an object with the imagination and simplifies its perception. Essential features are taken as a basis, and a holistic image is built on their essence.
• Schematization. It helps to build a new image based on the existing ideas of a particular subject. The general scheme is built by highlighting similar features and transferring them to other objects.
• Aggravation. It consists in deliberately emphasizing individual features of objects.
• Transfer of signs. It can manifest itself in the creation of non-existent objects, mythical and fantastic creatures, inanimate objects and endowing them with signs of the living.
• Imagination tricks influence the modeling of individual reality, the creation of high-quality images that did not previously exist. The whole effect is achieved with the help of imagination.

Features of the imagination

Through this mental process, each individual has a unique opportunity to create and model their own reality. Particularly significant needs, such as self-realization and personal growth, are directly reflected through the imagination. So, for example, the artist is able to display in the work those issues that most concern him, thereby reducing the number of his own experiences about this. Imagination is a great aid to the process of sublimation. The role of imagination in any kind of activity is extremely high.

Development of the imagination

Imagination as a process that helps to cognize the world around us can and should be improved. To solve this problem, special exercises and classes aimed at its development are the best suited. It must be said that imagination cannot be developed separately from attention, memory and thinking. That is why the tasks presented below contribute to a noticeable progress of all cognitive processes, the leading of which is imagination.

• Forecasting the future situation. The development of imagination begins with the formation of the skill to clearly imagine an object or phenomenon. Before embarking on any business, try to think in advance what will come of it. Answer yourself the question of what you want to get as a result, what you see as the ultimate goal. It has been proven that the ability to imagine, think constructively in the direction of a given goal forms self-confidence, gives additional strength, adds determination, and reduces doubts.
• Creation of an artistic image. Suitable for writing a fairy tale, a story, creating a portrait or landscape. This can include embroidery, the main thing is that you like the process itself. First, build an image in your head that you want to depict. Try to make it bright, eye-catching, helping to reveal your aspirations and talents. It is not necessary to create "War and Peace", you can limit yourself to a small poem or sketch, the main condition is that creativity should inspire new ideas. It is good if fresh images and ideas begin to appear in the process of imagination. The exercise is aimed at developing the ability to develop the image, to allow it to reveal itself in its entirety and diversity.
• Figure drawing. The exercise consists in the formation of the skill to create a picture in the imagination from nothing, perfectly trains attention to detail, teaches you to understand that a new image can be modeled from the most insignificant details. In the center on a sheet of paper, as a rule, a fragment of the figure that needs to be completed is shown. If you distribute such sheets to members of a small group and ask them to complete the task, each will end up with their own unique drawing. The process of imagination for each person works purely individually.
• "I am a successful person." If you have been dreaming of self-realization for a long time, then doing this exercise will bring you great joy and a tremendous boost of energy. Imagine what you need in order to consider yourself an accomplished person. The main task is to realize as concretely as possible and keep in mind the activity that brings maximum satisfaction, helps to develop your personality. When this image is found, continue to imagine a picture of ideal success in your imagination, note what events should happen in the future. The exercise is unique in that it allows not only to train the imagination, but also aims a person at a positive result, helps to develop faith in one's own strengths and capabilities.

These imagination exercises contribute to the formation of an individual vision of life, building prospects for personal and professional advancement. Tasks can be completed every day, they are suitable for representatives of any profession and rank. Of course, it will be much easier to perform them for creative people related to painting, literature, music, design, etc.

Thus, the role of imagination in human life is extremely significant and deep. After all, each of us in any activity needs to possess abstract thinking, to be able to imagine the desired effect. Try to read more books, participate in the cultural and social life of the city, constantly improve your potential. A developed imagination is an integral part of a successful personality.

General characteristics of the imagination and its role in mental activity. Imagination as a process of transformation of representations. Mechanisms of the process of imagination. Physiological bases of imagination. Types of imagination. Classification of imagination according to the degree of premeditation. Recreating imagination. Creative imagination. Dream. Spatial imagination. Active and passive imagination. The main stages of the formation of imaginary images. Analysis, abstraction, synthesis. Agglutination as a mechanism for the formation of images of the imagination. Schematization and emphasis. Characteristics of the degree of development of imagination. Stages of development of imagination.

Imagination - this is a cognitive mental process based on a transformative reflection of reality, expressed in the creation of sensory images that are never generally perceived by a person, based on the material of perception obtained in previous experience.

Imagination is unique to man. It is generated by labor activity and develops on its basis. The specificity of imagination is the processing of past experience. In this respect, it is inextricably linked with the process of memory. It transforms what is in memory. Imagination is closely interconnected with the process of perception. It is included in the perception, affects the creation of images of perceived objects. It enriches new images, makes them more productive. The closest links exist between imagination and thinking. This is especially true in problem situations. The most important significance of the imagination is that it allows you to present the result of labor before it begins, thereby orienting a person in the process of activity.

Imagination works at that stage of cognition, when the uncertainty of the situation is very high. The more familiar, precise and definite the situation is, the less room for imagination. The value of imagination as a mental process is that it allows you to make decisions in the absence of the necessary information.

- the imagination uses memory representations as a building material;

- imagination has a sensual nature;

- imagination provides prognostic and regulatory functions in activity and behavior;

– imagination is connected with personal substructures: emotions and will;

– imagination affects the regulation of organic processes;

- Imagination affects the motor functions of a person and can control them.

Thus, imagination plays an important role in the regulation of human activity and behavior, as well as the processes occurring in his body.

Imagination as a process of transformation of representations.

Performance - it is a reflection of objects or phenomena that are not currently perceived, but are recreated on the basis of our previous experience.

Imagination - it is the process of transforming representations that reflect reality and creating new representations on this basis.

Representations of the imagination - these are images of non-existent or never fully perceived objects and phenomena created on the basis of past experience.

The process of imagination always proceeds in close connection with two other mental processes - memory and thinking. If a person is faced with the task of reproducing representations of things and events, we are talking about memory processes. But if representations are reproduced in order to create a new combination of these representations or to create new representations from them, we speak of the activity of the imagination.

Mechanisms of the imagination process: hyperbolization- an increase or decrease in an object, a change in the qualities of its parts; sharpening- underlining any signs; schematization- smoothing differences and diminishing the similarities between them; typing- selection of the essential, recurring in homogeneous phenomena and its embodiment in a specific image; agglutination- a combination of qualities, properties, parts of objects that are not connected in reality. The processes underlying agglutination are very diverse. As a rule, they can be divided into two main groups: processes associated with lack of criticality, or lack of analytical perception, and arbitrary processes, that is, controlled by consciousness, associated with mental generalizations; inclusion of already known images in a new context- giving new meaning to familiar objects and phenomena.

Physiological basis of imagination: Imagination, like thinking, is a function of the brain. Difficulties in describing the physiological foundations of imagination are due to the fact that it uses the content of higher forms of mental processes (perception, memory, attention, thinking), and affects organic processes. Therefore, for the functioning of the imagination, both the parts of the cerebral cortex responsible for cognitive processes and the subcortical layers of the brain associated with the regulation of movements, organic processes, and also realizing unconscious forms of behavior and activity are necessary.

The physiological process of imagination is the actualization of neural connections, their disintegration, regrouping and integration into new systems. Thus, new images arise, different from the images that are in the human memory.

Types of imagination: active, passive, productive and reproductive, creative.

By degree of activity imagination is divided into passive and active.

Active imagination is characterized by the fact that, using it, a person, at his own request, by an effort of will, causes in himself the corresponding images. images passive Imaginations arise spontaneously, in addition to the will and desire of a person. Active imagination includes all forms of arbitrary imagination. To the passive - dreams (images not related to the vital needs of a person), sleep and a drowsy state.

Productive imagination differs in that in it reality is consciously constructed by a person, and not just mechanically copied or recreated. AT reproductive imagination is tasked with reproducing reality as it is.

Classification of imagination according to the degree of intentionality: arbitrary and involuntary.

involuntary imagination manifests itself in dreams, in which images are born unintentionally and in the most unexpected and bizarre combinations.

Arbitrary imagination is of much greater importance for a person. This type of imagination manifests itself when a person is faced with the task of creating certain images, outlined by him or given to him from outside.

Among the types of arbitrary imagination, there are recreative imagination, creative imagination and dream.

Recreating imagination. Recreating imagination manifests itself when a person needs to recreate ideas about an object as fully as possible according to its description or scheme (drawing). This type of imagination works when we read literary works, try to recreate certain historical events, imagine this or that area according to the description, etc. The recreating imagination forms not only visual images, but also auditory, gustatory, tactile, etc. e. Actively participates in the reconstruction of images based on a diagram or drawing spatial imagination- the ability to recreate images in three-dimensional space.

Creative imagination. characterized by the fact that a person creates new images not according to the existing model, but independently, on the basis of his past experience. There is no rigid boundary between recreative and creative imagination; these forms of imagination can pass into each other and complement each other.

Dream as a form of arbitrary imagination, it also involves the creation of new images, but has a number of differences from creative imagination.

1. In a dream, a person always creates an image of what he wants, while in creative images the desires of their creator are not always embodied. 2) A dream is a process of imagination that is not included in real activity and does not involve the receipt of one or another material product; creative imagination is an obligatory component of creative activity (scientific, visual, etc.), the result of which are certain scientific or cultural values. 3) For some people, a dream replaces an active activity (for example, Manilov). Sometimes a dream acts as a psychological defense mechanism that protects the human body from the influence of a serious mental trauma, or it turns on when a person’s active activity is limited or impossible (disabled people).

The main feature of a dream is that it is aimed at future activities.

Definition

Imagination is a special form of the human psyche, which stands apart from other mental processes and at the same time occupies an intermediate position between perception, thinking and memory.

Imagination - (fantasy), mental activity, consisting in the creation of ideas and mental situations that have never been generally perceived by a person in reality. Distinguish between recreative imagination and creative imagination.

Representation - an image of a previously perceived object or phenomenon (memory representation, recollection), as well as an image created by a productive imagination.

Process essence

Until now, scientists are almost unknown about the mechanism of imagination. This form is characteristic only of man and is strangely connected with the activity of the organism. Thanks to the imagination, a person creates and intelligently plans and manages his activities. Imagination is the basis of visual-figurative thinking, which allows a person to navigate the situation and solve problems without the direct intervention of practical actions.

Imagination differs from perception in that its images do not always correspond to reality, they contain elements of fantasy, fiction.

Mental life is a non-stop movement of ideas.

At different intervals of time, the same representation can reside in different areas of consciousness.

Classification

Defined by four types:

The performance is shared by:

visual,

motor,

Olfactory,

taste,

tactile,

intraceptive,

Technical,

topographic,

Musical,

Process Development

The primary basis for imagination is always reality - life.

Imagining a person creates - the artist - paintings, the designer - structures. By increasing his potential base, a person brings his imaginary "projects" to life. Imagination is closely connected with such processes as memory, thinking, without a relationship with them, the process of implementing one's idea is impossible.

For the successful development of completeness, correctness, clarity of presentation, an interest in a particular type of activity is necessary. The idea of ​​an object is the stronger and brighter, the more often this object is the object of attention and actions of a person. Passive repetition of the perception of an object does not form an idea about it. The means of forming visual, motor, and also schematic representations of students are educational films, filmstrips, video films.

Item 2 or-not

K 155 LE 1

4 U un =5.25 V

Test questions:

1. Definition of the designation "case.

2. Give the input circuit of TTL - logic and show the input currents of the logical one and zero.

3. Connect any load to the output of the K155LE1 IC and show the currents on the output circuit, the load.

4.Develop a truth table for any complex logic circuit.

Plan:

1. Features of higher cognitive processes

2. Representation as a mental process

3. Imagination as a mental process

The concept of higher cognitive processes

Higher cognitive processes include: representation, imagination, thinking and speech. Why are they called "high"? First, because they are based on simpler cognitive processes - sensation and perception, which more directly reflect reality. Any image that appears before our inner eye comes from direct contact with reality, even if our imagination changes it in some bizarre way. But we cannot conceive of something in relation to which we do not have at least some, even the smallest experience. For example, the expression "dress as blue as the sky" will evoke an image in everyone, because everyone has seen the sky. But the phrase “marengo-colored dress” will evoke an image only for someone who was once shown this color. It is impossible to “invent”, “imagine” it - the word itself does not contain a hint of color. So, higher cognitive processes are based on sensation and perception, which convey to us information from the outside world, carefully stored in memory. And what is the task of higher cognitive processes?

Thanks to them, our psyche is able to create an ordered picture of the world, a systematic reflection of the accumulated experience - objects, events, processes, experiences, relationships, knowledge. This system in everyday speech is called the "inner world" of a person. In other words, it is a unique way and result of reflecting the external, objective world.

Moreover, higher cognitive processes allow the person himself to rule the formation of their inner world, to control its state. Animals are not capable of this, they are, as it were, “hostages” of the processes taking place with them. Their behavior is always reactive character, that is, it is a response to a need that has arisen. The animal cannot "force" itself, "calm" itself, "change its attitude" to something. We can do this thanks to signs .

A sign is a symbol, a label, a substitute for a real object (or process). A sign can be not only a word or an image, but any object that evokes associations with what it stands for. For example, the word "tea" is just a combination of sounds, but for a Russian-speaking person it is a sign of an everyday drink and causes appropriate reactions. The sharp turn sign forces the driver to slow down as if he has already seen a sharp turn ahead. The fragrance of the perfume that the wife constantly wears will be a sign to the husband that she is somewhere here or has just been here; etc. Signs encourage us to respond to them as to a real object. Imagine a lemon: bright yellow, almost round, what an uneven dense skin it has ... Imagine in detail how you bite off a large piece of it, so that the juice flows down your chin - and your body will trigger a saliva reflex. But there is no lemon, there is only performance about him, which became active when you read the corresponding words.

Representation as a mental process, its properties and functions

Representations are images of those objects or phenomena that we perceived before, and now we reproduce mentally. These are the reflections of objects that we have ever encountered that are stored in our memory. Representations come to our aid when we need to interact with an object, and the object is outside of perception.

For example, a person who is visiting you for the first time asks how he can get to the subway. You can take him out of the house and walk with him to the bus stop, or you can use your and his ability representation. Then you will say something like: “You leave the entrance, turn left, reach the end of the house, cross the playground” and so on. To say this, you call to mind the memory of a path you know and describe it. Your acquaintance, in turn, with the help of the words (that is, signs) he hears, forms a certain model of the area in his head, which will help him orient himself in reality. Of course, these "pictures" will be different - yours will be more complete, and his - more schematic, but the main thing is that it helps him find his way.

In other words, a representation is an image of an object that reflects the properties of the object that are important to us. The better we know an object, the more important it is to us, the more we interact with it, the more complete our representation will be. The task of representation is to orient us, to help us interact with the object. From this follow view properties:

1) visibility . Representation is sensually visual images of reality. Even abstract concepts - such as "love" or "geometry" - are still accompanied in our minds by certain images.

2) fragmentation . We have a good idea of ​​those properties of the object that are important to us, with which we constantly interact. Those properties that are not important to us are blurry or absent in our inner world. For example, we do not pay attention to the color of the eyes of a casual acquaintance; if we do not understand cars, we can remember the color of the car that is in our yard, but we are unlikely to pay attention to the brand.

3) instability and impermanence. Representations disappear from the field of consciousness and they have to be called up again by an effort of the will. One or the other details of the presented image come to the fore. Getting better acquainted with the object, we can “finish” our ideas, develop them. This is the essence of the learning process. If a person is not able (for various reasons - for example, dementia or injury) to develop and deepen his ideas - this means that he is not capable of learning.

The main functions of the view:

1) regulatory . The side of the view that is needed to complete the actual task is activated. For example, if a person has a hand in a cast, then his ideas about everyday activities and objects (to wash or remove the pan from the stove) will change.

2)signal. The representation reflects not only the image of the object, but also all the available information about it. So, a person who thinks at a party whether to drink or not to drink, imagines not only the taste of the drink, but also the consequences: he will have to leave the car, there may be a fight, how he will feel tomorrow, etc.

3) tuning. Representations orient human activity depending on the nature of environmental influences.

View types

The representations are varied, as can be seen from the following table:

Table 1. Classification of the main types of representations

1. By type of analyzer. We can imagine, recall not only a visual image, but also sound, smell, taste, tactile sensations (for example, imagine how you run your finger over ice). The diversity of experience gives rise to a wealth of ideas, thanks to which the stories of other people and the books read seem to “come to life”, filled with our experiences. And vice versa, the poorer the world of human ideas, the more difficult it is for him to get carried away by something, the less interest the world around him causes. The experienced experience and the ideas stored in the memory are the bridge between the inner world of a person and the outer world.

2. According to the degree of generalization. Singular representations are representations of unique phenomena and events (for example, the image of a mother or the memory of the first kiss). General representations are an image-scheme of some class of objects, a system of their most significant properties. As a result, this image loses its unique character and becomes a landmark, a symbol of a whole category of objects or events (for example, an airplane, a flower, a parade). in some languages ​​this distinction is emphasized by articles. For example, in English, a general concept is described using the article "a", and a singular one - using the article "the" ( a flower- flower in general the flower- this particular flower).

3. According to the degree of willpower. involuntary representations, that is, arising against our will, are caused associations, needs, emotions. For example, if a child does not show up at the home at the appointed time, some parents come up with horrific images of possible misfortune, especially if they often watch relevant films and programs. Recall that ideas do not arise from nowhere, their nutrient medium is impressions from the outside world. Against, arbitrary representations are formed according to our active desire, with an effort of will. For example: what will my room look like with different wallpapers? Should I get a different haircut?

Images of representation can be reflections of real objects - then they are called memory representations. But they can also be new combinations of known details and properties of objects - these are representations of the imagination.

Imagination as a mental process

Imagination has been called "the most psychic of mental processes." If by the term “mental” we mean reflection, modeling of reality, then the fruits of the imagination really depend to a lesser extent on the surrounding world than the images of perception or the results of thinking. Imagination is an exclusively human ability to build new holistic images of reality by processing the content of sensory, intellectual and emotional-semantic experience. We can say that imagination is a constructor, the ability to create something coherent from disparate parts. Consider fantastic characters and objects: a centaur is the head and torso of a man on the body of a horse; an elf is a beautiful, slender, thin-boned person with long hair, ears of an unusual shape, able to live much longer than a person; a flying carpet is an object that has the appearance and size of a carpet that is able to fly like a leaf or a bird and obey orders like a dog; etc. With the help of imagination, we create images of objects that do not exist in the real world, but are combinations of the properties of real objects. Moreover, people are able to translate their imagination into reality in the form of objects, structures, works of art. Almost all human culture is the product of the imagination. And it is precisely the lack of culture among animals that allows us to say that people are the only creatures endowed with imagination. How do we use it, what are its functions?

Imagination functions

With the help of imagination, we can:

1) represent reality in images and be able to manipulate them by solving logical problems. Here, for example, is an old riddle: a woman was going to Moscow and met three men. Each of them carried a sack, and each sack contained a cat. How many beings went to Moscow?

2) arbitrarily regulate cognitive processes. For example, the famous detective characters Miss Marple and Father Brown said that their imagination helped them “figure out” the criminal: they imagined why a person could commit such a crime and what state he was in.

3) plan and program activities, evaluate the correctness of the program and the ways of its implementation. Among the techniques of NLP there is this: imagine that you have achieved what you wanted, your dream has come true. How do you feel in these conditions? Are you happy? If the answer is no, then the desire was momentary or untrue. It is good that with the help of imagination it can be figured out before getting what you want.

4) to form an internal plan of action, performing them in the mind, manipulating images. We do this regularly - for example, calculating travel time or thinking through the sequence of doing household chores.

5) regulate emotional states by satisfying the needs of the imagination. Who is not familiar with the pictures of misfortunes that involuntarily arise before the inner eye and fall on the head of our offender or competitor! Phenomena of the same order are obsessive thoughts about food among the starving; dreams in which our cherished desires come true; lovers' dreams. The forms of imagination are manifold.

Types, forms and techniques of imagination

Just like memory representations, imagination representations can be active or passive. Active (arbitrary) imagination is a conscious mental activity subordinated to some goal. So the artist thinks over the composition of the picture, the designer - the interior of the room, the student tries to present the figure in a section. Passive (involuntary) imagination serves the unconscious - desires, fears, beliefs. In this case, the images appear as if by themselves and are a reflection of unconscious thoughts and needs. For example, the need to cross a ravine on an unstable bridge causes a person to imagine how he breaks down and falls. Representations of the imagination induce action, which is why it is so important to be able to control the imagination.

Types of imagination also differ in the degree of independence.

Recreating called the kind of imagination that turns on when we read a book or listen to a story. Before our inner eye appear illustrations to heard (read). The richer the personal experience of a person and the greater the skill of the narrator, the more impressions and emotions a person receives. The recreating imagination is trained precisely in the course of receiving verbal (that is, verbal) information. Therefore, reading books and communication is more conducive to the development of the imagination than watching movies and computer games, where images have already been created, it is enough to perceive them passively.

Unlike recreative, creative imagination is the independent creation of new images in the process of creative activity. The image of Sherlock Holmes or Godzilla, the Gioconda and Masyanya, the computer and the thimble - all objects created by man (works of art, technical structures, household items) arose as a material embodiment of an imaginary image.

Imagination exists in the following forms:

Fantasy (dream) – image of an object or event that satisfies an urgent need, not connected with reality . Fantasies are more likely to calm a person than to encourage activity. So, a girl from a poor family, where swearing and reproaches are constantly heard, dreams of a rich and affectionate husband. Physically weak and indecisive, the boy presents himself as a powerful wizard or all-powerful warrior.

A dream is an image of a desired future. It is connected not only with the needs of a person, but also with his real possibilities, and therefore encourages action. Arising involuntarily, developing and capturing the attention of a person, a dream reflects his needs and inclinations. This is the first step in planning your actions, building your own life. Therefore, in adolescence, when a person already knows enough about life to imagine options for his life path, when a person has a lot of energy, desires and time to dream, it is simply necessary. If a person does not have a dream, his life will be subject to external conditions, he will embody the scenarios that the environment offers him. In this case, all the important choices of his life will be explained something like this: “it is customary for us”, “what else is there to do here?”, “this is what my parents did”, etc.

Dreams are a passive form of imagination, reflecting unconscious desires, fears, ideas of a person. The so-called "pregnancy nightmares" are known, when a woman dreams of something terrible happening to her child or husband. Nightmares show how important these people are for a woman and how terrible it would be to lose them. Since it is unpleasant to think about, such fears can be forced into the subconscious.

External influences on the sleeper can also be reflected in a dream. A heavy blanket causes a dream about how a person is suffocating in a cave or an avalanche, the smell of food forms pictures of a feast, etc. in this case, the imagination seems to be trying to explain the sensations, to create a coherent picture of what is happening. The book of the psychoanalyst and philosopher E. Fromm "The Forgotten Language" is devoted to the analysis of dreams.

Hallucinations are products of uncontrolled imagination. They are a sign of a mental disorder caused by overwork, mental illness, mental trauma or poisoning. In such a situation, a person considers the products of his imagination to be real objects and acts accordingly in relation to them (talks to imaginary voices, escapes from imaginary monsters, etc.). Such actions can be dangerous for the person or people around him.

Even the most bizarre images of the imagination are created from the properties of real objects stored in memory. Their fantasticness is achieved with the help of the following tricks of the imagination :

1) Agglutination is a combination of properties of different objects in one. For example: mermaid, sphinx, minotaur, x-men.

2) Accent- emphasizing the features of the displayed phenomenon, changing the proportions. For example: a boy with a finger, a giant shark from the movie "Jaws".

3) Typing- generalization of properties that characterize a whole class of objects, as a result of which the property of this class of objects is concentrated and expressed in a single image “in its pure form”. This is how the images “beautiful princess”, “crazy professor”, “ideal soldier”, etc. arise.

The effect of imagination on the body

Imagination indirectly controls our behavior. How does this happen? Let us recall the mechanism of objectification of needs. Until the need was satisfied by some object, it was perceived only as a vague tension. Since the need once met with its “object”, all its experience has taken on concrete outlines - memory helpfully offers an image of the desired object, and imagination constructs a situation in which satisfaction of the need is possible. So, the smoker immediately "decodes" the signal of the body, starting to look for cigarettes, although most likely it will be difficult to explain how exactly he feels like smoking. If a non-smoker were secretly addicted to nicotine (for example, by injection), the perceived discomfort would not cause him to want to buy cigarettes - the need would not be “objectified”. So, images of the imagination determine the vector of our activity.

Further, the very essence of higher cognitive processes consists in the formation of a system of signs that symbolize real objects and processes. For example, a person imagines himself walking on a tightrope at a great height, and his heartbeat quickens; someone clenched their fists at the thought of a possible insult; a familiar song evokes memories and a corresponding mood. Imaginary images can affect the body in the same way as real situations. :

ü The phenomenon of "stigma" is known - bleeding in impressionable and fanatical Christians from the hands and feet - that is, where the nails pierced the body of Christ on the cross.

ü The “placebo” phenomenon is that a person’s disease disappears after taking a “new, incredibly effective drug”, which turns out to be a saline solution or chalk powder.

ü The phenomenon of “false pregnancy” is known, when a woman passionately dreaming of motherhood has all the changes in the body that are characteristic of a pregnant woman - except for the presence of a fetus.

ü The phenomenon of the ideomotor act is that if a person concentrates on how he makes certain movements, micro-movements of the corresponding muscles really occur and motor skills are consolidated. This phenomenon is used by athletes and musicians when there is no opportunity for exercise.

So, imagination is a powerful tool for influencing the body. The images that appear before our inner eye change the mental and physical state of a person (more on the relationship between the emotional state and physiology is written in the following chapters). What do you think, worry about, dream about? What is the psychological background of the average person, what emotions and moods prevail in him? Each emotion causes corresponding changes in the work of the organism. This is muscle tension or relaxation, free or difficult breathing, slowing or speeding up metabolism, etc. These processes largely determine the health and well-being of a person. Consequently, imagination must be controlled, otherwise it will control us- to form desires, suggest ways to achieve them, constructing frightening or attractive images. Those who have struggled with addiction know how difficult it is to resist the constantly emerging images of the desired object, how strong, almost uncontrollable, the desire to take appropriate actions becomes. Our ancestors believed that these were the machinations of the devil; and now many believe in damage, radiation, spells. But scientific theories and the practical systems based on them show that it is in the power of each person to control their desires and form the desired states of mind and body. About this, for example, the books of Russian scientists L.P. Grimak "Reserves of the human psyche" and Yu.M. Orlov "Ascent to individuality".

Test questions:

NOU "MURMANSK HUMANITARIAN INSTITUTE"

PSYCHOLOGY FACULTY

EXTRAMURAL

TEST

IN GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

TOPIC: PRESENTATION. IMAGINATION.

Completed by: STUDENT

2 COURSE, F-TA PSYCHOLOGY

CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT

BORODKINA I.N.

Checked by: TEACHER

Semenova M.A.

Murmansk 2009

Introduction

The concept of representation, mechanisms for the emergence of representations

Key Features of Views

View Functions

Classification and types of representations

View operations

The concept of imagination, the mechanisms of the process of imagination

Physiological basis of imagination

The role of imagination in human life

Types of imagination

Imagination operations

Imagination and creativity

Conclusion

Literature

Introduction

We receive primary information about the world around us through sensation and perception. The excitation that arises in our sense organs does not disappear without a trace at the very moment when the action of stimuli on them ceases. After that, so-called successive images arise and persist for some time. However, the role of these images for the mental life of a person is relatively small. Much more important is the fact that even long after we have perceived an object, the image of this object can be again - accidentally or intentionally - caused by us. This phenomenon is called "representation".

The concept of representation, mechanisms for the emergence of representations

Representation is a mental process of reflecting objects or phenomena that are not currently perceived, but are recreated on the basis of our previous experience.

The representation is based on the perception of objects that took place in the past. Several types of representations can be distinguished. Firstly, these are representations of memory, i.e., representations that have arisen on the basis of our direct perception in the past of an object or phenomenon. Second, they are representations of the imagination. At first glance, this type of representation does not correspond to the definition of the concept of "representation", because in the imagination we display something that we have never seen, but this is only at first glance. Imagination representations are formed on the basis of the information received in past perceptions and its more or less creative processing. The richer the past experience, the brighter and fuller the corresponding representation can be.

Representations arise not by themselves, but as a result of our practical activity. At the same time, representations are of great importance not only for the processes of memory or imagination, they are extremely important for all mental processes that ensure human cognitive activity. The processes of perception, thinking, writing are always associated with representations, as well as memory, which stores information and through which representations are formed.

Key Features of Views

Views have their own characteristics. First of all, presentations are characterized by visibility. . Representations are sensually visual images of reality, and this is their proximity to the images of perception. But perceptual images are a reflection of those objects of the material world that are perceived at the moment, while representations are reproduced and processed images of objects that were perceived in the past.

The next characteristic of views is fragmentation. Representations are full of gaps, certain parts and features are presented brightly, others are very vague, and still others are absent altogether. For example, when we imagine someone's face, we clearly and distinctly reproduce only individual features, those on which, as a rule, we fixed our attention.

An equally significant characteristic of representations is their instability and inconstancy. Thus, any evoked image, whether it be any object or someone else's image, will disappear from the field of your consciousness, no matter how hard you try to keep it. And you will have to make another effort to call it again. In addition, representations are very fluid and changeable. One or the other details of the reproduced image come to the fore in turn.

It should be noted that representations are not just visual images of reality, but are always generalized images to a certain extent. This is their closeness to concepts. There is generalization not only in those representations that refer to a whole group of similar objects (the representation of a chair in general, the representation of a cat in general, etc.), but also in the representations of specific objects. We see each object familiar to us more than once, and each time we form some new image of this object, but when we evoke an idea about this object in our minds, the resulting image is always generalized.

Our ideas are always the result of a generalization of individual images of perception. The degree of generalization contained in a representation can vary. Representations characterized by a high degree of generalization are called general representations.

View Functions

Representation, like any other cognitive process, performs a number of functions in the mental regulation of human behavior. Most researchers distinguish three main functions: signaling, regulating and tuning.

The essence of the signal function of representations is to reflect in each specific case not only the image of an object that previously influenced our senses, but also diverse information about this object, which, under the influence of specific influences, is transformed into a system of signals that control behavior.

The regulatory function of representations is closely related to their signaling function and consists in the selection of the necessary information about an object or phenomenon that previously affected our senses. Moreover, this choice is made not abstractly, but taking into account the real conditions of the forthcoming activity.

The next feature of views is customization. It manifests itself in the orientation of human activity depending on the nature of environmental influences. So, studying the physiological mechanisms of voluntary movements, I. P. Pavlov showed that the emerging motor image provides the setting of the motor apparatus for the performance of the corresponding movements. The tuning function of representations provides a certain training effect of motor representations, which contributes to the formation of the algorithm of our activity. Thus, representations play a very significant role in the mental regulation of human activity.

Classification and types of representations

Since ideas are based on past perceptual experience, the main classification of ideas is based on the classification of types of sensation and perception. Therefore, it is customary to distinguish the following types of representations: visual, auditory, motor (kinesthetic), tactile, olfactory, gustatory, temperature and organic.

The classification of representations can be carried out according to the following criteria: 1) according to their content; from this point of view, one can speak of mathematical, geographical, technical, musical, etc. representations; 2) according to the degree of generalization; from this point of view, one can speak of particular and general representations. In addition, the classification of ideas can be carried out according to the degree of manifestation of volitional efforts.

Most of the ideas we have are connected with visual perception. A characteristic feature of visual representations is that in some cases they are extremely specific and convey all the visible qualities of objects: color, shape, volume.

In the field of auditory representations, speech and musical representations are of paramount importance. In turn, speech representations can also be divided into several subtypes: phonetic representations and timbre-intonation speech representations. The essence of musical representations mainly lies in the idea of ​​the ratio of sounds in height and duration, since a musical melody is determined precisely by pitch and rhythmic ratios.

Another class of representations is motor representations. By the nature of their occurrence, they differ from visual and auditory ones, since they are never a simple reproduction of past sensations, but are always associated with actual sensations. Every time we imagine the movement of any part of our body, there is a slight contraction of the corresponding muscles. It has been experimentally proven that every time we motorize the pronunciation of a word, the devices note a contraction in the muscles of the tongue, lips, larynx, etc. Therefore, without motor representations, we could hardly use speech and communicate with each other would be impossible.

It is necessary to dwell on one more, very important, type of representations - spatial representations. The term "spatial representations" is applied to those cases where the spatial form and placement of objects are clearly represented, but the objects themselves can be represented very indefinitely. As a rule, these representations are so schematic and colorless that at first glance the term "visual image" is inapplicable to them. However, they still remain images - images of space, since they convey one side of reality - the spatial arrangement of things - with complete clarity. Spatial representations are mainly visual-motor representations, and sometimes the visual, sometimes the motor component comes to the fore.

In addition, all representations differ in the degree of generalization. Representations are usually divided into single and general. It should be noted that one of the main differences between representations and images of perception is that images of perception are always only single, that is, they contain information only about a specific subject, and representations are very often of a generalized nature. Singular representations are representations based on the observation of one subject. General representations are representations that generally reflect the properties of a number of similar objects.

It should also be noted that all representations differ in the degree of manifestation of volitional efforts. At the same time, it is customary to distinguish between arbitrary and involuntary representations. Involuntary ideas are ideas that arise spontaneously, without activating the will and memory of a person. Arbitrary ideas are ideas that arise in a person as a result of an effort of will, in the interests of the goal.