Functions of reconstructive and creative imagination. Imagination in psychology

Imagination- this is the property of the psyche to create images in consciousness. All processes that occur in images are called imagination. Imagination as a mental process constitutes visual-figurative thinking, thanks to which a person can navigate and search for solutions to problems without the direct intervention of practical actions. This process is very important, especially in cases where it is impossible or difficult to carry out the required practical action, or it is simply impractical.

This process reflects the human world around us at higher mental levels. The most popular definition of imagination is a mental process, the essence of which is the creation of new unique images through the processing of the perceived material of ideas that came with previous experience. It is also considered as a phenomenon, as an ability and as a specific activity of the subject. This process has a complex functional structure, so Vygotsky defined it as a psychological system.

The function of imagination is unique to humans and has a certain significance in a person’s specific professional activity. Before embarking on a certain activity, he imagines what the object will look like and mentally creates an algorithm of actions. Thus, a person constructs in advance an image of a future object or the final result of an activity. Developed creative imagination plays a great role in creative professions. Thanks to their developed creative abilities, people earn a lot of money.

There are several types of imagination: active (voluntary), passive (involuntary), recreative, creative.

Imagination in psychology

Imagination is the process of understanding the world around us. The outside world seems to be imprinted in a person’s subconscious. Thanks to this, a person is able to remember ancient and recent events, program, and imagine the future. This process is often called the ability to imagine absent objects in one’s mind, hold their image, and manipulate it in consciousness. Sometimes it is confused with, but really these are two different mental processes.

Imagination has the ability to create images based on memory, and not on information from the outside world. It is less real because it has a component of fantasy and dreams. Even the most pragmatic, skeptical, boring people have imagination. It is impossible to assign a person who has completely lost such a function. The behavior of these people is governed by their principles, logic, facts, they always do everything according to the rules. But to say that they have no creative thinking at all or that they never dream is very wrong. It’s just that this is the type of people in whom these processes are not sufficiently developed or they do not use them, or do not know how to use them. Often such people have a monotonous typical life, which is repeated the same way every day, and they act according to a certain algorithm, believing that they do not have time for more. In fact, it is a pity for such people, because their life is boring, they do not use the abilities that are given to them by nature. Creative imagination makes people individual, unique individuals.

Imagination as a mental process has certain functions that help a person become special.

Cognitive function is contained in expanding a person’s horizons, gaining knowledge, constructing human behavior in an uncertain situation, guided by guesses and considerations.

Prediction function suggests that the properties of imagination help a person imagine the final result of an unfinished action. It is this function that contributes to the formation of dreams and daydreams in people.

Understanding function reflected in a person’s ability to guess what a person is currently experiencing, what emotions are overwhelming him, what feelings he is experiencing. Similar to this function is the state of empathy, when a person is able to penetrate into the world of another and understand what worries him.

The protection function assumes that by predicting future events, thinking about the course of actions and the consequences of these actions, a person can prevent troubles and protect himself from possible problems.

Self-development function reflected in a person’s ability to fantasize, invent and create.

Memory function is expressed in a person’s ability to remember past events, to recreate images of the past in his head. It is stored in the form of images and ideas.

The above functions are not always fully expressed in all people. Each personality is dominated by a certain function, which often determines the character and behavior of a person. To understand how images and ideas are created, it is necessary to trace the main ways of their creation. Each path is a complex multi-level mental process.

Agglutination is the creation of unreal, completely new, fabulous objects or phenomena that appear under the influence of the properties and appearance of some existing object, evaluating and analyzing the properties of which a person creates an object similar to it. That is, there is an initial object on the basis of which a prototype is formed. This technique is very popular in creating fairy tales or myths.

Emphasis is the process of fixing on one dominant characteristic highlighted in some object (person, object, activity, phenomenon) and exaggerating it. Artists often use accentuation in their works to create cartoons and caricatures.

Typification is the process of identifying the main characteristics in several objects, and creating from them an image that is completely new, but contains a piece of each of them. Using this technique, literary heroes and characters are created.

All of the above imagination techniques are actively used in psychology, creativity, and even scientific activity. For example, in medicine, new drugs are created based on existing ones. Also, modern technology, electronics, gadgets, inventions were developed on the basis of previously existing knowledge, schemes, theories and skills. By collecting the most important information from them and processing it, scientists get a completely new product. If people lacked imagination, humanity would not be able to progress in all areas and activities.

Imagination as a mental process involves the creation of new images based on existing existing experience. The ideas manifested in images in a person’s head have not yet begun to be realized, do not exist, but there is a possibility that in the future they can be brought to life. This process is based on the reformulation of the subject’s information and impressions. The more the situation seems incomprehensible and complex, the more the imagination process is involved. This process is of considerable importance in human professional activity. It also greatly influences feelings and emotions, and plays a big role in personality development.

In the creative and work process, imagination allows the individual to regulate and manage its activities, as well as control its speech, emotions, attention and memory. Helps create and use images of reality. It improves a person’s psychological state, prevents stress and depression. With the help of imagination, he is able to plan his future activities in his mind, manipulating images. Imagination and individuality are criteria for assessing a person’s talent and abilities, which is important in work life.

A person reflects the surrounding reality mainly in a figurative way. An image is a non-static phenomenon; it tends to constantly change. This process has a dynamic connection with the objects of the surrounding reality. Consequently, imagination is not some kind of abstraction, but a concrete process associated with the real mental activity of the subject. This activity is also dynamic in nature.

Imagination is the process of self-knowledge of a person, the disclosure of his abilities, other people and the world around him, and the events taking place. This is a special form of the human psyche, occupying a place between perception, memory and thinking processes. Visual-figurative thinking and imagination complement each other; imagination is its basis and makes it possible to show resourcefulness in an unfamiliar situation, to find a solution to a problem without using any action.

Types of imagination

This process, as a complex mental process, also comes in several types. Regarding the features of the process, they distinguish: involuntary, voluntary, recreating, creative, and daydreaming.

Involuntary imagination also called passive. This is the simplest type and it consists in creating and combining ideas, their components into a new image, when a person does not have a direct intention to do this, when consciousness is weak, and control over the flow of ideas is small.

Passive imagination occurs in young children. It manifests itself most often when a person is in a drowsy, half-asleep state, then images appear on their own (therefore arbitrary), some change to others, they combine, take on the most unreal forms and types.

Such imagination operates not only in a sleepy state, it also manifests itself in a waking state. New ideas do not always appear when a person purposefully directs his consciousness to creation. A feature of the created images is their variability as a result of the instability of trace excitations of the brain and the ease of their interconnection with excitation processes in adjacent brain centers. Because the trajectory of arousal is not fixed, this makes imagination so easy. It is especially easy in children, who also lack critical thinking, which acts as a filtering mechanism in adults, so the child sometimes produces the most unrealistic, fantasized images. Only by acquiring life experience and forming a critical attitude, such unintentional imagination is gradually put in order and guides the consciousness, therefore a deliberate active idea is formed.

Free imagination, also called active, is the deliberate construction of ideas according to the task at hand in a certain activity. Active imagination develops when children begin to play roles (doctor, salesperson, teacher). When they try to portray their role, they have to use their brains as accurately as possible, thus using their imagination. Further development of this process occurs when a person begins to act independently, shows initiative and creative efforts in the process of work, requiring clear and accurate representations of the subject that will be created from operations and which must be performed.

Active imagination most manifested in human creative activity. In this process, a person sets himself a task, which is the starting point for the development of the imagination process. Since the product of this activity is objects of art, the imagination is governed by the requirements that follow from the specific characteristics of art.

The re-creating aspect of this process is that a person must create an image of an object that he has never seen, based on certain descriptions.

Recreating Imagination according to its psychological structure, it is the translation of a second-signal stimulus into a re-signal image.

Recreative imagination encompasses the creation of something that already exists and how it exists. It is not separate from reality, and if you move away from it a little, then the imagination will not correspond to the goals of cognition - to expand the field of human knowledge, reducing descriptions to visual images.

Recreating imagination helps a person to be transported to other countries, into space, to see historical events and objects that he has never seen before in his life, but can imagine after recreating. This process allows people who read works of fiction to recreate pictures, events and characters in their heads.

Creative imagination also classified as active imagination, it is involved in the formation of new images in creative activity, art, science, and technical activity. Composers, writers, and artists use this process to depict life in images in their art. They create artistic images through which they reflect life as truthfully as possible, rather than photographically copying life events. These images also reflect the individuality of the creative person, his approach to life, and artistic style.

Creative imagination is also used in scientific activity, which cannot be interpreted as ordinary mechanical knowledge of phenomena. Building hypotheses is a creative process, which is then confirmed by practice.

There is another unique type of this process - this is a dream, as a representation of what is desired in the future. It is created in a meaningful way, as opposed to unintentional daydreaming. A person consciously directs his thoughts to the formation of desired goals, planning strategies to achieve these goals and translating them into real life.

Daydreaming can be useful, but it can also be harmful. When a dream is transcendental, unrealistic, and unrelated to life, it weakens a person’s will, reduces his activity and slows down psychological development. Such dreams are empty, meaningless, they are called dreams. When a dream is connected with reality, and potentially real, it helps a person to mobilize, unite efforts and resources to achieve a goal. Such a dream is an incentive to active action and the rapid development of the best qualities of an individual.

Imagination and creativity

Creativity is the process of creating fundamentally new or improved methods for solving tasks and problems. It becomes obvious that imagination and the creative process are very interconnected.

Imagination here is defined as the transformation of ideas about reality and the creation of new images on this basis. It works every time a person thinks about some object or phenomenon, without even coming into direct contact with it. Thanks to creative imagination, this representation is transformed.

Creative thinking and imagination have their own specific characteristics. Through this process, it is possible to create completely new, unique representations based on the subject's own ideas and thoughts, which express the individuality of the creator. It can be voluntary or involuntary. To a large extent, creative imagination or inclination towards it is determined from birth, but it can also be developed.

The development of creative imagination occurs in three stages. At first, a creative idea arises. In the mind of the creator, a fuzzy image first appears, an initial idea that can be created arbitrarily, without purposeful comprehension of the idea. The second stage involves hatching a plan. A person thinks about strategies for translating an idea into reality and mentally improves it. The third stage completes the incubation of the idea and brings it to life.

The development of creative imagination is carried out in the process of transition from involuntary to voluntary, from recreating to creative. During childhood and adolescence, creative imagination has characteristic features; it is special for its magic, fantastic judgments about the world and the absence of a critical component of thinking and rationality. During adolescence, complex changes occur in the body, and therefore in consciousness as well. Objectivity is developed, perception becomes more critical. Rationality of perception appears a little later, when a person becomes an adult. The adult mind begins to control the imagination, often too much criticality and practicality weakens the processes of fantasy, overfilling them with meaning, loading them with some kind of information that is actually unnecessary.

There are certain methods for developing creative thinking. The most practical method is to read literature and watch scientific films, expand the range of your knowledge, draw knowledge from different areas of life, memorize and analyze information. In this case, a large amount of materials for creative processes appears.

Imagine imaginary objects, try to carry out various manipulations with them. For example, imagine the sea, hear the sound of breaking waves, feel the breath of sea freshness, imagine entering the water, feel its temperature, and so on. Or another example, imagine a pear. Imagine its shape, size, color. Use tactile perception, imagine it when it is in your hand, feel its surface, aroma. You can mentally take a bite of it and imagine the taste.

In order for the imagination to be voluntary, it is necessary to work on it through regular training. To make the effect even greater, you need to look for sources of inspiration, ask friends for help, and ask about their ideas. Try group work to create ideas, sometimes the results are very unique, and a person becomes more active if the process of imagination occurs in a circle of other creative individuals.

Development of imagination

The development of thinking is a purposeful process, the main task of which is the development of colorfulness and effectiveness, originality and depth, and also the productivity of imaginary images. In its development, imagination as a mental process is subject to the same laws as other ontogenetic transformations of mental processes.

The imagination of a preschooler develops very quickly; it is presented in two forms: the generation of an idea and the strategy for its implementation. Also, the imagination of a preschooler, in addition to the cognitive-intellectual function, also performs an affective-protective one, which is expressed in protecting the child’s weak personality from too severe emotional experiences. The cognitive function helps to better recognize the world, interact with it, and solve assigned problems.

Development of imagination in children has a dependence on the process of objectification of the image by action. During this process, the child tries to control the images he has created, change them, improve them, that is, take control. But he is not yet able to plan his imagination; such an ability is developed by the age of four or five.

Affective development of imagination in children occurs between the ages of 2.5 and 4 or 5 years. The negative experiences of children are symbolically reflected in the characters, as a result of which the child begins to imagine situations in which the threat is removed. After which the ability to relieve emotional stress appears, using the mechanism of projection, when the negative qualities that the child actually has begin to be attributed to other objects.

The development of imagination in children six or seven years old reaches a level at which many children have already learned to imagine themselves and imagine life in their own world.

The development of imagination occurs in the process of human ontogenesis, under the influence of life experience, which stores an accumulated stock of ideas as material for creating new images. The development of this process is closely related to the individuality of the individual, his upbringing and other mental processes, and the degree of their development (thinking, memory, will). It is very difficult to determine the age limits that characterize the dynamics of imagination development. History has known cases of early development of imagination. Mozart composed his first music when he was four years old. But there is a downside to this development. Even if the development of imagination is delayed, this will not mean that in adulthood it will be insufficiently developed. A well-known example of such development is the example of Einstein, who in childhood did not have a highly developed imagination, but over time he developed it and became a genius recognized throughout the world.

There are certain patterns in the formation of imagination, although it is difficult to determine the stages of its development themselves. Because it can happen to each person individually. The first manifestations of the imagination process are very connected with the processes of perception. It is good to give examples using children, since in them the development process occurs more actively and brighter. Children who are one and a half years old cannot concentrate their attention on a fairy tale or simple stories, when adults read to them, they are constantly distracted, fall asleep, switch to other activities, but love to hear long stories about themselves. The child loves to listen to stories about himself and his experiences, because he can clearly imagine what the story is about. The relationship between perception and imagination is also observed at the following levels of development. This is noticeable when a child processes his impressions in play, changing in his imagination objects that were previously perceived. For example, a box in a game becomes a house, a table becomes a cave. The first images of a child always have a connection with his activity. The child embodies the created and processed image into an activity, even if this activity is a game.

The development of this process also has a connection with the age of the child at which he masters speech. With the help of new education, the child is able to include in his imagination both concrete images and more abstract ideas. Speech enables the child to switch from imagining images to activity and expressing these images through speech.

When a child masters speech, his practical experience expands, his attention develops more, this in turn gives the child the opportunity to, with less diligence, single out individual elements of objects that the child perceives as independent and operates with them most often in his imagination. Synthesis occurs with significant distortions of reality. Without the necessary experience and a sufficiently developed level of critical thinking, the child is still not able to create an image that would be close enough to reality. An involuntary emergence of images and ideas appears in the child. Such images are often formed according to the situation in which he finds himself.

At the next stage, the imagination is supplemented with active forms and becomes arbitrary. Such active forms of this process arose in connection with the active initiative of all adults involved in the development of the child. For example, if adults (parents, educators, teachers) ask a child to do some action, draw something, add something, depict something, they encourage him to take a specific action, thereby activating his imagination. To do what the adult asked, the child first needs to create in his imagination an image of what should come out in the end. This process is already voluntary, because the child is able to control it. A little later, he begins to use his voluntary imagination without the participation of adults. Such a breakthrough in the development of imagination lies in the very nature of the child’s play, which becomes more purposeful and plot-driven. The objects that surround the child no longer become stimuli for objective activity, but become material in the embodiment of images of the imagination.

When a child is closer to five years old, he begins to build, draw, and combine things in accordance with his plans. Another striking shift in the process of imagination formation occurs at school age. This is facilitated by perceived information and the need to assimilate educational material. In order to keep up with classmates, the child has to activate his imagination, this in turn contributes to the progress of the development of abilities in processing perceived images into images of the imagination.

• What is imagination?
• How to develop your imagination
• Visualization
• Count in your head
• Silent movies
• Read books
• Fictional stories
• What if?..
• Find a creative hobby
• Sequel, prequel, fanfic...
• New words

A dreamer is the name given to someone who is cut off from reality, lives in his dreams and is unable to cope with the vicissitudes of fate. It's practically a diagnosis. Saying to a friend, “He’s a dreamer!” - a person will most often wave his hand in doom, as if adding: “He won’t be of any use.”

But let's imagine what our planet would look like if people had no imagination. We are the only species that is characterized by fantasy, the ability to imagine objects and phenomena that do not exist at a given moment in time. (By the way, it is worth understanding that fantasy and imagination are synonyms).

So what would our world be like? People still live in caves, there are no cars on the roads, there are no cities, and you, the reader, do not have a computer from which you are viewing this article. And, of course, there is no article either. If man had no imagination, he would not have become a man, civilization would not have appeared, and the Earth would have remained a wild animal kingdom.

Are we all a product of the imagination? Exactly. Everything that is around us, our self-awareness and even the ability to read and write - all this exists thanks to the imagination. Therefore, before you say that dreamers are not of this world, think about the fact that it was dreamers who created this world. At least the man-made part of it.

But it seems I'm getting ahead of myself. To understand the importance of fantasy, you first need to understand what it is.

What is imagination?

Imagination is the ability of the human psyche to create new images based on those already in memory. Roughly speaking, imagination is the visualization of non-existent events, phenomena, pictures. Not existing does not mean impossible. This means that a person can imagine an acquaintance whom he does not see at the moment, or draw a familiar landscape in his mind. Or he might come up with something new that he hasn’t seen before - for example, a triangular blanket that deprives people of sleep.

This is precisely where we differ from animals - none of them is capable of reproducing or creating images, they can only think about those pictures that are currently in front of their eyes. Imagination is one of the foundations of thinking, memory and analysis - we know how to think, remember, dream, make plans and bring them to life precisely thanks to imagination.

The creation of new images is based on a combination of already known components. That is, everything a person can come up with is a vinaigrette from what he once saw. The mechanisms of imagination have not yet been studied; few people imagine how it works, what it is based on and in which part of the brain to look for it. This is the least studied area of ​​human consciousness.

There are many varieties of imagination.

Active imagination allows you to consciously evoke the necessary images in your head. It is divided into creative and recreative . Creative serves to create new images, which can subsequently be embodied in the results of work - paintings, songs, houses or dresses. Before starting work, any person first imagines its result, then draws a sketch or drawing (if necessary), and only then gets down to business. If there was no imagination, the work would not even begin - what result would a person strive for if he were not able to imagine it?

Therefore it is also called productive imagination, since images are embodied in the results of labor, inventions and cultural objects.

Recreating Imagination is aimed at resurrecting visual images of what you once saw - for example, you can close your eyes and imagine your dog or the situation in your apartment. This type of imagination is an important component of memory and the basis for creative imagination.

Passive imagination produces images that a person does not intend to bring to life in the near future. It can be conscious or unconscious and also has its own subcategories.

Dreams- conscious creation of images of the distant future. Dreams are plans that a person currently does not have the opportunity to implement, but theoretically they are viable. They may not necessarily be the property of only one person - descendants often fulfill the dreams of their ancestors, described in drawings and literary works.

For example, man’s thousand-year-old dreams of eternal life are now being realized thanks to modern medicine, which has made it possible to significantly prolong our age and youth. What if you compare 60-year-old women from the Middle Ages to the 21st century? The first one, most likely, was no longer alive at that age, because at 40-50 she became a very toothless old woman. And today’s granny, if she has money and desire, may well compete with her granddaughter in figure and marry a thirty-year-old youth.

People's dreams of the possibility of quickly transmitting information have come a long way from pigeon mail to the Internet; dreams of capturing pictures of the surrounding world have evolved from cave paintings to digital cameras. The dream of fast travel made us tame the horse, invent the wheel, invent the steam engine, the automobile, the airplane and hundreds of other devices. Wherever you look, all the achievements of civilization are realized dreams, and therefore a product of the imagination.

Dreams- another branch of passive imagination. They differ from dreams in that their realization is impossible. For example, if today my grandmother begins to dream that she will go on a trip to Mars, this can safely be called dreams - for this she has neither the money, nor the opportunity, nor health, nor the necessary connections.

Daydreams and daydreams are conscious manifestations of passive imagination.

Hallucinations - unconscious generation of non-existent images by the brain in cases of disruption of its functioning. This may occur while taking some psychotropic drugs or in case of mental illness. Hallucinations are usually so realistic that the person experiencing them believes they are real.

Dreams are also an unconscious creation of images, but if hallucinations haunt a person in reality, then dreams come during rest. Their mechanism is also practically unstudied, but it can be assumed that dreams have some benefit. They can reveal the true attitude towards an unresolved problem that we are trying not to think about through an effort of will.

Here we talked mostly about visual images, but imagination relates to all human senses - smell, hearing, taste, touch. Imagine biting into a juicy lemon. Sour? Are your teeth cramped? Has there been saliva? This is the work of the reconstructive imagination.

All people's imagination is developed differently - some can easily invent amazing stories and imagine unprecedented pictures, but for others, even a school essay is a real problem.

It's all about how much effort a person and his environment put into developing their imagination. If a child grows up in a family where there is no place for fantasies, then over time he becomes as down-to-earth as his parents.

French psychologist and educator Théodule Ribot in the 19th century described three stages in the development of fantasy. The first begins in childhood, along with the emergence of imagination. This period covers childhood from three years of age, adolescence and adolescence. At this time, a person has the most unbridled imagination, he believes in miracles, is capable of embarking on adventures and committing rash acts. The body at such a time is strongly influenced by hormones that rage during puberty.

Unfortunately, this period has its own dark side - most suicides occur at this time precisely because young people succumb to their feelings inspired by imagination. An amazing fact - the more developed a person’s imagination, the stronger his feelings. It is people with wild imagination who are capable of falling in love into old age and truly suffering from unrequited love. And they experience all other emotions more vividly.

The second period does not last long and represents the emergence of a rational mind in a person, which says that emotions and dreams cannot be the fundamental guideline in life. In terms of physiology, we can talk about the end of puberty, the formation of the body and brain. At this time, the sensual and sensible personality are fighting in a person - in most cases, the second one wins and the third period begins.

It is final, reason subjugates fantasy and a person learns to live according to the rules, and not obeying the call of dreams. Creativity disappears, feelings are considered only ghosts of the past, a person becomes practical and measured. His imagination degrades, but never completely disappears - this is impossible. There is always a small spark of fantasy left in the soul that can be fanned into flame again.

This was the case in the time of Théodule Ribot - he calculated that the beginning of the deterioration of imagination occurs at the age of 14 years. But today everything is much sadder - due to the influence of the media, the Internet and too much information, children already by the first grade begin to lose their imagination and think in cliches.

How to develop your imagination

Lack of imagination makes the inner world dull and monotonous, depriving a person of the opportunity to develop and enrich himself through images and ideas that our brain can endlessly generate if it is not disturbed. There are numerous exercises to develop imagination that will help adults learn to fantasize.

Visualization

It is with this exercise that you should start developing your imagination - it helps you develop the ability to reproduce and construct visual images in detail. Visualization improves not only imagination, but also thinking and memory.

Imagine an object. For example, a box of matches. Imagine it in all its details - brown sides, inscription. Now mentally open and take out a match. Set it on fire and watch it burn. It seems simple, but at first the visual images will slip away, and the brain will try to lead you towards its usual state of passive observer.

You can imagine different objects, places and actions, trying to reproduce them in your head down to the smallest detail. Imagine coming home, turning the door handle, taking off your shoes, jacket, putting your keys on the nightstand... The interior may be unfamiliar. In general, practice visualization and over time you will notice that you are better able to manage your own thoughts.

Count in your head

Mental arithmetic helps develop imagination, although it may not seem related to fantasy. If you are far from mathematics, then at least perform the simplest operations - addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. If you can’t count quickly, imagine solving the problem in a column on paper, but don’t even think about using a notepad. Everything should happen only in the head.

If you have the highest score in mathematics, then you can complicate the task set for yourself - solve geometric and algebraic equations, draw drawings in your mind. Silent Film

Silent movies

Turn off the sound while watching a movie and add your own story to what you see. It’s better if there are humorous dialogues between the characters that will lift your spirits. You can invite your friends to visit and do the scoring of the film with them, turning a horror film or melodrama into a real comedy.

Read books

This helps to develop various aspects of personality, including imagination. Try to vividly imagine the descriptions of the interior, landscapes, and people you meet in the book. Over time, their vivid images will begin to appear in your head without any effort.

Fictional stories

Gather a group of friends and tell each other stories. A prerequisite is that fairy tales must be invented independently and preferably impromptu.

What if?..

The first sentence of the hypothesis game begins with this phrase. You can play it in a group or by yourself. Assumptions should be as unrealistic as possible: “What if our house is now flying in space, and there is a vacuum beyond the threshold?” “What if Count Dracula comes to us now and offers to buy a set of knives from him?” And develop your thoughts by constructing stories about what could happen in such an unusual situation.

Find a creative hobby

All people have a creative streak. Many people believe that a hobby that does not bring money or world fame is a waste of time. But this is not true - a hobby develops imagination and makes our lives richer. Remember how you wrote poetry in school or loved to embroider before you got bogged down in a routine. Even if your crafts are far from ideal, but if the process of creating them is enjoyable, then you need to get the forgotten tools out of the dusty box and start creating again. What it will be - knitting needles and threads, fabric and needles, paper and paints - is up to you to decide.

Sequel, prequel, fanfic...

Are you familiar with these words? In simple terms, this is a continuation, backstory, or your own version of the development of events in a film or other work. What happens after your favorite TV series or book ends? You can come up with this yourself. What kind of life did the heroes live while the author did not pay attention to them? How could everything have been if one of the characters had not committed some key action? You are capable of creating your own literary reality. It could exist

A dog with six legs, an ostrich with the head of a crocodile, multi-colored snow that appears flying through a rainbow... What is not in this world, but could be! Imagine non-existent animals, objects and phenomena, discuss them with friends - it will be funny and fun. Imagine if people lived underwater like fish. What if oranges were salted? We would eat them as a snack with fried potatoes! This may seem crazy to some, so choose your friends with whom you can play this game carefully, otherwise some vigilant friend will call the paramedics.

New words

Feel free to play with the language as with a constructor. This is a very flexible material, from the disparate elements of which you can create fundamentally new words. It will seem difficult at first, but over time new words will pop out of your head and perhaps become the basis for a new secret language in your family. So the table easily turns into a “borsched”, a dog into a “bark leg”, and a cat into a “fly eater”.

Knowing how to develop imagination, you can significantly expand the horizons of your consciousness. All of the above exercises are aimed at the comprehensive development of a person - they help him become more liberated, cheerful and extraordinary.

And may you live up to the fame of an eccentric, but this should not embarrass you. Remember that great people did not follow the beaten paths of ordinary people, that all inventors had wild imagination, and the most successful and rich businessmen were able to create their own business by implementing new, previously unknown opportunities. They came up with their own world.

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Human imagination. This phrase in itself is wrong. because only man has imagination and the imagination of animals does not exist. Let's explore this amazing, truly human ability to imagine.

Some people are said to have a good imagination, some people have a rich imagination. They can come up with dozens of entertaining stories, tell things that others have not heard, and even in ways that others cannot reproduce. Does a person without imagination exist?

If we are talking about a healthy person, then in fact, all people have imagination. It belongs to higher cognitive processes in our psyche. Yes, there are tragic cases where people lose many cognitive abilities as a result of injury or illness. But we are talking about healthy people.

Imagination concept

What does "cognitive" mean? In this context, this means that imagination helps a person to understand the world around him and use this knowledge as the person sees fit. Based on the information received, a person can create new images. It is impossible to come up with something new if you don’t know the old.

Therefore, any brilliant discoveries that scientists have made are the result of fruitful work, not talent. Every person is talented. It’s just that his level of experience doesn’t allow him to fully imagine. This is quite difficult for him.

How does imagination arise? It is a consequence of the needs that a person has in life. Everyone wants to change something, but from the very beginning you need to imagine the finished result, and then go towards it. The inventor first imagined any object in his imagination, and then brought it to life. Imagination is an excellent tool for visualize goals.

Imagination was developed in man thanks to work. A famous genius in physics, A. Einstein, said that imagination is better than knowledge, since it can create something that can significantly influence the processes occurring in the world. Many imaginations arise in a person’s head every day. Their number in most cases exceeds a thousand.

Some of them leave no trace. They are not remembered as those that mean little. But the most interesting ones can stay in a person’s head for a long time. They are the ones who form content of imagination. The appearance of the iPhone in Steve Jobs's head was preceded by a series of other imaginations that the genius of the mobile industry did not even remember. But since the idea of ​​the iPhone was beyond praise, it was even brought to life.

So, imagination is a process that consists in creating new images, this occurs due to the processing of material of perception and experience (memory).

The importance of imagination in human life

Imagination is very important in human life. Imagination allows a person to live fully:

• communicate with other people
• visualize goals
• use your natural creativity
• make discoveries
• come up with something new
• find solutions to complex problems
• to know what is still unknown
• imagine and understand something that a person has never seen in reality (for example, how electrons move around an atom)
• calculate your actions several steps ahead (in business, career, relationships)
• predict events and decision options

And much more. In our age, human intellectual activity is quite strongly connected with imagination, especially in those professions in which everything cannot be entrusted to computers: programming, design, research. This is the reason why each of us needs to develop our imagination.

The importance of imagination for child development

When we talk about children, human development and imagination are closely intertwined. In the first years and throughout preschool childhood, the child actively develops this cognitive process. And it turns out that if a child, for some reason, cannot develop his imagination sufficiently, he may not develop many other necessary abilities.

A developed imagination allows in the future to develop creativity, creative thinking, the ability to find original solutions, and find a way out of difficult situations. Agree, all these skills are so necessary in the modern world that it is worthwhile to develop the imagination. In my opinion this is true.

Imagination and human activity

If we look at human activity, we will see that any successful activity, any product, invention, object, work was done by people with good imagination.

• any new invention is first imagined by a person, and only then brought to life
• a quality item (be it a pen, a table, a scarf, a car) first appears in the developers’ minds
• writers, artists, sculptors, screenwriters, musicians, directors first come up with everything in their imagination
• entrepreneurs imagine possible transaction outcomes, risks and benefits
• athletes (both amateurs and professionals) calculate many moves ahead in order to understand how to conduct their race, match, attempt
• each of us always imagines before consciously doing something, without imagination there is no responsibility, there is no understanding of what each of our actions can lead to

As you can see, imagination in human activity is present in most life and professional situations. The better it is developed, the more chances we have to make our actions as high quality and favorable for us as possible.

Functions of the imagination

1.Cognitive. By imagining what is inaccessible to the human eye, we can mentally study the most complex elements of the surrounding world: atoms, distant space objects.

2. Planning function. When we set goals and plans, we imagine the final desired result. Works here too anticipation— anticipation of performance results.

3. Presentation function. We can imagine characters from stories, books, films, friends, acquaintances.

4. Protective/therapeutic. When events do not happen, we can prepare for them and replay good and bad moments with the help of imagination. Or, when an event has already happened, thanks to our imagination, we live it again in a lighter form, thereby calming (or, conversely, strengthening) emotions and sensations.

5. Transformative. Changing reality, creating new objects, processes, relationships.

Forms of imagination

1.Passive. It arises by itself, without our will.

• Dreams- passive involuntary imagination operates.
• Dreams- daytime protective fantasies and passive voluntary imagination operate.
• Hallucinations- act under the influence of illness, or under the influence of any psychotropic substances (narcotics or alcohol).

2. Active. We make an effort to imagine.

• Recreating imagination. This imagination of what a person has encountered or seen in reality may partly contain something new.
• Creative imagination. This is the imagination of a completely new thing that has not previously existed in human experience.

Imagination is one of the fundamental mental processes that generally determine our intellectual development. Therefore, developing your imagination is one of the most important contributions to your intelligence.

The simplest ways to develop imagination are:

• The accumulation of various vivid images from real life: observing nature, animals, viewing works of art (painting, sculpture), listening to the sounds of nature, classical music.
• Try to imagine in vivid colors a person whom you know, but who is currently not near you. Remember and imagine what he is like, how he smiles, the color of his eyes, the structure of his hair, the tilt of his head when talking.

Allowing a person to navigate a situation and solve problems without the direct intervention of practical actions. It helps him a lot in those cases of life when practical actions are either impossible, or difficult, or simply impractical. For example, when modeling abstract processes and objects.

A type of creative imagination is fantasy. Imagination is one of the forms of mental reflection of the world. The most traditional point of view is the definition of imagination as a process (A. V. Petrovsky and M. G. Yaroshevsky, V. G. Kazakov and L. L. Kondratyeva, etc.). According to M.V. Gamezo and I.A. Domashenko: “Imagination is a mental process consisting of the creation of new images (ideas) by processing the material of perceptions and ideas obtained in previous experience.” Domestic authors also consider this phenomenon as an ability (V. T. Kudryavtsev, L. S. Vygotsky) and as a specific activity (L. D. Stolyarenko, B. M. Teplov). Taking into account the complex functional structure, L. S. Vygotsky considered the use of the concept of a psychological system adequate.

According to E.V. Ilyenkov, the traditional understanding of imagination reflects only its derivative function. The main one - allows you to see what is, what lies before the eyes, that is, the main function of the imagination is to transform an optical phenomenon on the surface of the retina into the image of an external thing.

Classification of imagination processes

According to the results:

• Reproductive imagination (recreation of reality as it is)
• Productive (creative) imagination:
  • with the relative novelty of the images;
  • with absolute novelty of images.

By degree of focus:

• active (voluntary) - includes reconstructive and creative imagination;
• passive (involuntary) - includes unintentional and unpredictable imagination.

By type of images:

• specific;
• abstract.

By methods of imagination:

• agglutination - the connection of objects that are not connected in reality;
• hyperbolization - increasing or decreasing an object and its parts;
• schematization - highlighting differences and identifying similarities;
• typification - highlighting the essential, repeating in homogeneous phenomena.

According to the degree of volitional effort:

• deliberate;
• unintentional.

Wallace's four-stage model of the creative process

Main article: Creativity as a process
• Preparation stage, information collection. Ends with a feeling of being unable to solve the problem.
• Incubation stage. Key stage. The person does not consciously deal with the problem.
• Insight (illumination).
• Checking the solution.

Mechanisms of imagination

• agglutination - the creation of a new image from parts of other images;
• hyperbolization - increasing or decreasing an object and its parts;
• schematization - smoothing out differences between objects and identifying their similarities;
• accentuation - emphasizing the features of objects;
• typification - highlighting what is repeated and essential in homogeneous phenomena.

There are conditions that contribute to finding a creative solution: observation, ease of combination, sensitivity to the manifestation of problems.

Guilford used the term “divergent thinking” instead of “imagination.” It means generating new ideas for the purpose of human self-expression. Characteristics of divergent thinking:

• fluency;
• flexibility;
• originality;
• accuracy.

Development of imagination in children

Through creativity, a child develops thinking. This is facilitated by persistence and expressed interests. The starting point for the development of imagination should be directed activity, that is, the inclusion of children’s fantasies in specific practical problems.

The development of imagination is promoted by:

• situations of incompleteness;
• resolving and even encouraging a variety of issues;
• encouraging independence and independent development;
• positive attention to the child from adults.

The development of imagination is hindered by:

• disapproval of imagination;
• rigid gender role stereotypes;
• separation of play and learning;
• willingness to change point of view;
• admiration for authority.

Imagination and reality

The world is perceived as an interpretation of data coming from the senses. Being such, it is perceived as real, unlike most thoughts and images.

Functions of the imagination

• representing reality in images, as well as creating the opportunity to use them when solving problems;
• regulation of emotional states;
• voluntary regulation of cognitive processes and human states, in particular perception, attention, memory, speech, emotions;
• formation of an internal plan of action - the ability to carry them out internally, manipulating images;
• planning and programming activities, drawing up programs, assessing their correctness, and the implementation process.

Imagination and cognitive processes

Imagination is a cognitive process, the specificity of which is the processing of past experience.

The relationship between imagination and organic processes is most clearly manifested in the following phenomena: ideomotor act and psychosomatic disease. Based on the connection between human images and his organic states, the theory and practice of psychotherapeutic influences is built. Imagination is inextricably linked with thinking. According to L. S. Vygotsky, it is permissible to say about the unity of these two processes.

Both thinking and imagination arise in a problem situation and are motivated by the needs of the individual. The basis of both processes is advanced reflection. Depending on the situation, the amount of time, the level of knowledge and its organization, the same problem can be solved both with the help of imagination and with the help of thinking. The difference is that the reflection of reality, carried out in the process of imagination, occurs in the form of vivid ideas, while anticipatory reflection in the processes of thinking occurs by operating with concepts that allow a generalized and indirect knowledge of the environment. The use of a particular process is dictated, first of all, by the situation: creative imagination works mainly at that stage of cognition when the uncertainty of the situation is quite great. Thus, imagination allows you to make decisions even with incomplete knowledge.

In its activity, the imagination uses traces of past perceptions, impressions, ideas, that is, traces of memory (engrams). The genetic relationship between memory and imagination is expressed in the unity of the analytical-synthetic processes that form their basis. The fundamental difference between memory and imagination is revealed in the different direction of the processes of active operation with images. Thus, the main tendency of memory is to restore a system of images that is as close as possible to the situation that took place in experience. Imagination, on the contrary, is characterized by the desire for the maximum possible transformation of the original figurative material.

Imagination is included in perception, influences the creation of images of perceived objects and, at the same time, itself depends on perception. According to Ilyenkov’s ideas, the main function of imagination is the transformation of an optical phenomenon, consisting of irritation of the surface of the retina by light waves, into the image of an external thing.

Imagination is closely related to the emotional sphere. This connection is dual in nature: on the one hand, the image is capable of evoking strong feelings, on the other, an emotion or feeling that once arises can cause active imagination. This system is discussed in detail by L. S. Vygotsky in his work “Psychology of Art”. The main conclusions he comes to can be stated as follows. According to the law of the reality of feelings, “all our fantastic and unreal experiences, in essence, proceed on a completely real emotional basis.” Based on this, Vygotsky concludes that fantasy is the central expression of emotional reaction. According to the law of unipolar energy expenditure, nervous energy tends to be wasted at one pole - either at the center or at the periphery; any increase in energy expenditure at one pole immediately entails its weakening at the other. Thus, with the intensification and complexity of fantasy as the central moment of the emotional reaction, its peripheral side (external manifestation) is delayed in time and weakens in intensity. Thus, imagination allows you to gain a variety of experiences and at the same time remain within the framework of socially acceptable behavior. Everyone gets the opportunity to work through excessive emotional stress, discharging it with the help of fantasies, and thus compensating for unmet needs.

See also

• The power of imagination

Notes

Literature

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
• Imagination // Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. M.: Infra-M, . - 576 p.
• Nikolaenko N. N. Psychology of creativity. SPb.: Speech, . - 288 p. (Series: “Modern textbook”)
• Egan, Kieran. Imagination in Teaching and Learning. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, .
• Gamezo M.V., Domashenko I. A. Atlas of psychology. M.: Pedagogical Society of Russia,
• Vygotsky L. S. Psychology of art. Analysis of aesthetic response. M.: Labyrinth, .
• Vygotsky L. S. Imagination and creativity in childhood. M.: Enlightenment, .
• Petrovsky A.V., Berkinblit M. B. Fantasy and reality. M.: Politizdat, .
• Ilyenkov E. V. About imagination // Public education. . No. 3.



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Synonyms:
• Shub-Niggurath
• Richard Sharp

See what “Imagination” is in other dictionaries:

IMAGINATION- fantasy is the ability of the human consciousness to create images that have no direct analogues in reality. Philosophy studies creative, productive V., which, starting from an existing thing with its random signs and features... Philosophical Encyclopedia

imagination- a mental process, expressed: 1) in the construction of the image, means and final result of the subject’s objective activity; 2) in creating a behavior program when... Great psychological encyclopedia

IMAGINATION- rules the world. Napoleon I The wealth of associations does not always indicate a wealth of imagination. Karol Izhikowski Many people confuse their imagination with their memory. Henry Wheeler Shaw We are all heroes of our own novels. Mary McCarthy (see FICTION AND FANTASY) ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms

Today we will talk to you about creating something new in the form of ideas or ideas - about imagination. It should be noted that everything new, unreal and fantastic, is born in our minds from previously received information.

Imagination is a creative process, so it involves intellect, thinking, memory and attention. A person is necessarily aware of each stage and element of imagination.

Types of imagination

Psychologists distinguish three types of imagination, namely: recreating, creative and dreaming.

Let's start with a dream. A dream is a special form of imagination, and it must certainly be connected with life. Otherwise, a person may become passive. If the imagination does not have character and will, then there will be no logic or purposefulness. Our subconscious will not be able to control it. Such forms of imagination include dreams and reveries, while active dreams imply the participation of human beings, comprehension and formation of an image of the imagination.

With creative imagination in psychology, images are born that do not exist at a given time; this occurs due to the separation of properties and elements, combining them into one complete image. This is how a wide variety of images are born: fairy-tale, fantastic, scientific, religious and mystical. Active volitional efforts are especially necessary in creative imagination. People whose work is creative need it: poets, scientists, engineers, artists. It is thanks to a developed imagination that masterpieces are born.

And finally, the third type of fantasy is the recreating imagination. This is a process during which a holistic image is born, based on the corresponding description. Recreating imagination is associated with a person’s acquired knowledge, skills and experience. Therefore, the richer a person’s knowledge, the easier he will be able to form an exact corresponding construction.

Naturally, different people's ideas will vary in ease, strength and brightness. Absolutely all factors will matter - talent, hidden potential, innate abilities, upbringing, age of each person.

Classification of imagination in psychology

1. Active (intentional) imagination. At will, a person creates new images and ideas. For example, a scientist sets himself a specific goal - to make a discovery in a given industry.
2. Passive (unintentional) imagination. A person does not have the goal of changing reality. The images in his head arise absolutely spontaneously. This type of mental phenomena includes unplanned ideas and dreams.
3. Productive (creative) imagination. In this way, completely new representations are created that have no specific pattern. During this process, reality changes.
4. Reproductive (recreating) imagination. With the help of description, a specific image of objects and phenomena is created. Reality is reproduced by man from memory in its original form.

Speaking about types of imagination, it is also important to note the types of imagination in psychology. We suggest you familiarize yourself with three types, which are most easily defined:

1. Visual, aka visual type. A person has visual images.
2. Auditory or auditory type. For a person with this type of imagination, auditory ideas are most easily evoked. That is, a person imagines the tone of voice, timbre, speech characteristics of the object to which his thoughts are directed.
3. Mobile, aka motor type. The ideas of such people are aimed at active movements. When a person with this type of imagination hears music, he involuntarily begins to beat out the rhythm and imagine the performer. Very often, actors, dancers and representatives of other creative professions have this type of imagination.