General characteristics of the imagination. Imagination functions. Types of imagination. Imagination and creativity.

Imagination- 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.

Thanks to imagination, a person creates, intelligently plans and manages his activities. Almost all human material and spiritual culture is a product of the imagination and creativity of people. Imagination takes a person out of the bounds of his momentary existence, reminds him of the past, reveals the future. Possessing a rich imagination, a person can "live" in different times, which no other living creature in the world can afford. The past is fixed in images of memory, voluntarily resurrected by an effort of will, the future is represented in dreams and fantasies.

Imagination is the basis of visual-figurative thinking, allowing a person to navigate the situation and solve problems without the direct intervention of practical actions. It helps him in many ways in those cases of life when practical actions are either impossible, or difficult, or simply inappropriate (undesirable).

From perception imagination differs in that its images do not always correspond to reality, they have elements of fantasy, fiction. If the imagination draws such pictures to consciousness that nothing or little corresponds in reality, then it is called fantasies... If, in addition, the imagination is aimed at the future, it is called a dream.

Imagination can be of four main types: active, passive, productive and reproductive. Active imagination characterized by the fact that, using it, a person voluntarily, by an effort of will, evokes the corresponding images. Images passive imagination arise spontaneously, in addition to the will and desire of a person. Productive imagination differs in that in it reality is consciously constructed by man, and not simply mechanically copied or recreated. But at the same time in the image she is still creatively transformed. V reproductive imagination the task is to reproduce reality as it is, and although there is also an element of fantasy, such imagination is more like perception or memory than creativity.

The process of artistic creation is primarily associated with the phenomenon of imagination in the practical activities of people. The source of any direction in art can only be life, it also acts as the primary base for fantasy. But no fantasy is capable of inventing something that a person would not know.

Most often, the creative process in art is associated with active imagination: before capturing any image on paper, canvas or sheet music, the artist creates it in his imagination, making conscious volitional efforts. Less often, passive imagination becomes an impulse of the creative process, since "spontaneous" images, independent of the artist's will, are most often the product of the subconscious work of the creator, hidden from himself.

The work of the human imagination is, of course, not limited to literature and art. To the same extent, it manifests itself in scientific, technical, and other types of creativity. In all these cases fantasy as a kind of imagination plays a positive role.

But there are other kinds of imagination as well. This - dreams, hallucinations, daydreams and dreams.

Dreaming can be classified as passive and involuntary forms of imagination. Their true role in human life has not yet been established, although it is known that many vital needs are expressed and satisfied in a person's dreams, which, for a number of reasons, cannot be realized in life.

Hallucinations they call fantastic visions that apparently have almost no connection with the reality surrounding a person. Usually they are the result of certain disorders of the psyche or the work of the body - they accompany many painful conditions.

Daydreaming in contrast to hallucinations, this is a completely normal mental state, which is a fantasy associated with desire, most often a somewhat idealized future.

Dream it differs from a dream in that it is somewhat more realistic and is more connected with reality, that is, in principle, it is realizable. Dreams and dreams of a person take up a fairly large part of the time, especially in adolescence. For most people, dreams are pleasant thoughts about the future. Some people also have disturbing visions that give rise to feelings of anxiety, guilt, and aggressiveness.

Imagination functions... People dream so much because their minds cannot be "unemployed". It continues to function even when new information does not enter the human brain, when it does not solve any problems. It is at this time that the imagination begins to work.

In human life, imagination performs a number of specific functions. The first of them is to represent reality in images and be able to use them, solving problems. This function of imagination is connected with thinking and is organically included in it. Second function imagination is to regulate emotional states. With the help of his imagination, a person is able to at least partially satisfy many needs, relieve the tension generated by them. This vital function is especially emphasized and developed in psychoanalysis. Third function imagination is associated with its participation in the arbitrary regulation of cognitive processes and human states, in particular perception, attention, memory, speech, emotions. With the help of skillfully evoked images, a person can pay attention to the necessary events. Through images, he gets the opportunity to control perception, memories, statements. Fourth function imagination consists in the formation of an internal plan of action - the ability to carry out them in the mind, manipulating images. Finally, fifth function- This is planning and programming activities, drawing up such programs, assessing their correctness, the implementation process.

With the help of imagination, we can control many psychophysiological states of the body, tune it to the upcoming activity.

With the help of special exercises and techniques, you can develop your imagination. In creative types of labor - science, literature, art, engineering, etc. - the development of imagination, naturally, occurs in engaging in these types of activities. In autogenous training, the desired result is achieved through a special system of exercises, which are aimed at learning to relax individual muscle groups, voluntarily increasing or decreasing pressure and body temperature by an effort of will.

A person's imagination acts as a reflection of the properties of his personality, his psychological state at a given moment in time. It is known that the product of creativity, its content and form reflect well the personality of the creator. This fact has found wide application in psychology, especially in the creation of psychodiagnostic personal techniques. Personality tests of the projective type are based on the so-called projection mechanism, according to which a person in his imagination is inclined to ascribe his personal qualities and states to other people. Conducting a meaningful analysis of the products of the subjects' fantasy according to a special system, the psychologist, on its basis, judges the personality of the person to whom these products belong.

NOU "MURMANSK HUMANITARIAN INSTITUTE"

PSYCHOLOGY FACULTY

EXTRAMURAL

TEST

ON GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

TOPIC: PRESENTATION. IMAGINATION.

Completed by: STUDENT

2 COURSES, F-TA PSYCHOLOGY

CORRESPONDENCE OFFICE

I. N. Borodkina

Checked by: TEACHER

M. A. Semenova

Murmansk 2009

Introduction

The concept of representation, mechanisms of the emergence of representations

Main characteristics of views

View functions

Classification and types of representations

View operations

The concept of imagination, mechanisms of the imagination process

Physiological Foundations of Imagination

The role of imagination in human life

Types of imagination

Imagination operations

Imagination and creativity

Conclusion

Literature

Introduction

We obtain primary information about the world around us through sensation and perception. The excitement that occurs in our sense organs does not disappear without a trace at the very moment when the stimuli stop acting on them. After this, the so-called sequential images arise and remain 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 after a long time after we perceived an object, the image of this object can be again - accidentally or intentionally - evoked by us. This phenomenon is called "performance".

The concept of representation, mechanisms of the emergence of representations

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

The concept is based on the perception of objects that took place in the past. There are several types of views. First, these are representations of memory, that is, representations that arose on the basis of our direct perception in the past of an object or phenomenon. Secondly, these 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 our imagination we display something that we have never seen, but this is only at first glance. Imagination representations are formed on the basis of information received in past perceptions and its more or less creative processing. The richer the past experience, the brighter and more complete the corresponding representation can be.

Ideas do not arise by themselves, but as a result of our practical activities. 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 the cognitive activity of a person. The processes of perception, thinking, writing are always associated with representations, as well as memory, which stores information and thanks to which representations are formed.

Main characteristics of views

Views have their own characteristics. First of all, the views are characterized by clarity. . Representations are sensually visual images of reality, and this is their closeness 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, some parts and signs are vividly presented, others are very vague, and still others are completely absent. 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 important characteristic of representations is their instability and inconstancy. So, any evoked image, be it any object or someone'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 up again. Moreover, views are very fluid and volatile. In turn, one or the other details of the reproduced image come to the fore.

It should be noted that representations are not just visual images of reality, but always, to a certain extent, generalized images. This is their closeness to concepts. There is generalization not only in those representations that relate 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 every familiar object more than once, and each time we form some new image of this object, but when we evoke in our minds an idea of this object, 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 the view can vary. Views that are highly generalized are called generic views.

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 signaling function of representations is to reflect in each specific case not only the image of an object that previously influenced our senses, but also a variety of 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 influenced our sense organs. Moreover, this choice is made not abstractly, but taking into account the real conditions of the forthcoming activity.

The next function of the views is tuning. 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 adjustment of the locomotor apparatus for the performance of the corresponding movements. The adjustment function of representations provides a certain training effect of motional 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 representations are based on past perceptual experience, the main classification of representations 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, we can talk about representations of mathematical, geographical, technical, musical, etc .; 2) by the degree of generalization; from this point of view, we can talk about private and general concepts. In addition, the classification of representations can be carried out but the degree of manifestation of volitional efforts.

Most of the concepts we have are associated 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 performances are of paramount importance. In turn, speech representations can also be subdivided into several subtypes: phonetic representations and timbre-intonational speech representations. The essence of musical performances mainly lies in the idea of the ratio of sounds in pitch 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 weak contraction of the corresponding muscles. It has been experimentally proven that every time we motorically imagine pronouncing a word, the instruments note a contraction in the muscles of the tongue, lips, larynx, etc. Therefore, without motor representations we could hardly use speech and communication with each other would be impossible.

It is necessary to dwell on one more, very important, type of representation - spatial representations. The term “spatial representations” is used when the spatial shape and placement of objects is clearly represented, but the objects themselves can be presented very vaguely. 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 one side of reality - the spatial arrangement of things - they convey with full clarity. Spatial representations are mainly visual-motor representations, and sometimes the visual component is brought to the fore, sometimes the motor component.

Along with perception, memory and thinking, imagination plays an important role in human activity. In the process of reflecting the surrounding world, a person, along with the perception of what is acting on him at the moment, or a visual representation of what has influenced him earlier, creates new images.

Imagination is the mental process of creating something new in the form of an image, representation or idea..

A person can mentally imagine something that he did not perceive or did not perform in the past, he may have images of objects and phenomena that he “hadn’t met before. situations.

The process of imagination is peculiar only to a person and is a necessary condition for his labor activity..

Imagination is always directed towards the practical activity of a person. Before doing anything, a person imagines what needs to be done and how he will do it. Thus, he already creates in advance an image of a material thing that will be made in the subsequent practical activity of a person. This human ability to imagine in advance the final result of his labor, as well as the process of creating a material thing, sharply distinguishes human activity from the "activity" of animals, sometimes very skillful.

The physiological basis of imagination is the formation of new combinations from those temporary connections that have already been formed in the past experience. At the same time, a simple actualization of existing temporary connections does not yet lead to the creation of a new one. The creation of a new one presupposes a combination that is formed from temporary connections that have not previously entered into combination with each other. In this case, the second signaling system, the word, is of great importance. The imagination process is the joint work of both signaling systems. All visual images are inextricably linked with him. As a rule, the word serves as a source of the appearance of images of the imagination, controls the way of their formation, is a means of their retention, consolidation, their change.

Imagination is always a certain departure from reality. But in any case, the source of imagination is objective reality.

Imagination is a figurative construction of the content of a concept about an object (or the design of a scheme of actions with it) even before the concept itself is formed (and the scheme will receive a distinct, verifiable and realized expression in a specific material).

It is characteristic of the imagination that knowledge has not yet formed into a logical category, while a kind of correlation of the universal and the individual at the sensory level has already been made. Thanks to this, in the very act of contemplation, a separate fact is revealed in its universal perspective, revealing its holistic meaning in relation to a certain situation. Therefore, in terms of imagination, the integral image of the situation is built before the dismembered and detailed picture of the contemplated.

The leading mechanism of imagination is the transfer of any property of an object. The heuristicity of the transfer is measured by how much it contributes to the disclosure of the specific integral nature of another object in the process of its cognition or creation by man.

In psychology, a distinction is made between voluntary and involuntary imagination. The first manifests itself, for example, in the course of a purposeful solution of scientific, technical and artistic problems in the presence of a conscious and refereed search dominant, the second - in dreams, the so-called unchanging states of consciousness, etc.

Dream forms a special form of imagination. It is addressed to the sphere of a more or less distant future and does not imply the immediate achievement of a real result, as well as its complete coincidence with the image of the desired. At the same time, the dream can become a strong motivating factor in creative search.

Types of imagination

Several types of imagination can be distinguished, among which the main ones are - passive and active... The passive, in turn, is divided into arbitrary(daydreaming, daydreaming) and involuntary(hypnotic state, dreaming fantasy). Active imagination includes artistic, creative, critical, recreational and anticipatory ... Close to these types of imagination is empathy- the ability to understand another person, imbued with his thoughts and feelings, compassion, rejoice, empathize ...

Under conditions of deprivation, different types of imagination are enhanced, therefore, apparently, it is necessary to give their characteristics.

Active imagination always aimed at solving a creative or personal problem. A person operates with fragments, units of specific information in a certain area, their movement in various combinations relative to each other. Stimulation of this process creates objective opportunities for the emergence of original new connections between the conditions fixed in the memory of a person and society. In active imagination, there is little daydreaming and "baseless" fantasy. Active imagination is directed towards the future and operates with time as a well-defined category (i.e., a person does not lose his sense of reality, does not put himself outside of temporary connections and circumstances). Active imagination is directed more outside, a person is mainly busy with the environment, society, activities and less with internal subjective problems. Finally, active imagination is awakened by the task and directed by it; it is determined by volitional efforts and lends itself to volitional control.

Recreational imagination- one of the types of active imagination, in which there is a construction of new images, representations in people in accordance with the stimulation perceived from the outside in the form of verbal messages, schemes, conventional images, signs, etc.

Despite the fact that the products of the recreational imagination are completely new, previously unperceivable images, this type of imagination is based on previous experience. KD Ushinsky considered imagination as a new combination of past impressions and past experience, believing that the re-creating imagination is a product of the impact on the human brain of the material world. Mostly recreational / imagination is a process during which there is a recombination, reconstruction of old perceptions in a new combination of them.

Anticipating imagination underlies a very important and necessary human ability - to anticipate future events, to foresee the results of their actions, etc. Etymologically, the word "foresee" is closely related and comes from the same root with the word "see", which shows the importance of understanding the situation and transferring certain elements of it into the future on the basis of knowledge or prediction of the logic of the development of events.

Thus, thanks to this ability, a person can see with his "mind's eye" what will happen to him, to other people or things around him in the future. F. Lersh called this the Promethean (looking ahead) function of the imagination, which depends on the magnitude of the life perspective: the younger a person, the more and brighter the forward orientation of his imagination is presented. In older and old people, the imagination is more focused on the events of the past.

Creative imagination- this is a kind of imagination, during which a person independently creates new images and ideas that are valuable to other people or society as a whole and which are embodied ("crystallized") into specific original products of activity. Creative imagination is a necessary component and basis of all types of human creative activity ..

Images of the creative imagination are created through various techniques of intellectual operations. In the structure of the creative imagination, two types of such intellectual operations are distinguished. The first is the operations through which ideal images are formed, and the second is the operations on the basis of which the finished product is processed.

One of the first psychologists to study these processes, T. Ribot, identified two main operations: dissociation and association. Dissociation is a negative and preparatory operation, during which the sensually given experience is fragmented. As a result of such preliminary processing of experience, its elements are able to enter into a new combination.

Creative imagination is unthinkable without prior dissociation. Dissociation is the first stage of creative imagination, the stage of preparation of the material. The impossibility of dissociation is a significant obstacle to creative imagination.

Association - the creation of a holistic image from the elements of the isolated units of images. The association gives rise to new combinations, new images. In addition, there are other intellectual operations, for example, the ability to think by analogy with a particular and purely random similarity.

Passive imagination subordinated to internal, subjective factors, it is tendentious.

Passive imagination is subject to desires, which are thought to be fulfilled in the process of fantasizing. In the images of passive imagination, the unsatisfied, mostly unconscious needs of the individual are "satisfied". Images and representations of passive imagination are aimed at strengthening and preserving positively colored emotions and at repressing, reducing negative emotions and affects.

In the course of the processes of passive imagination, an unreal, imaginary satisfaction of any need or desire occurs. In this, passive imagination differs from realistic thinking, which is aimed at real, and not imaginary, satisfaction of needs.

The materials of passive imagination, as well as active, are images, representations, elements of concepts and other information gleaned through experience.

Views are among secondary images that, unlike the primary ones (sensation and perception), arise in consciousness in the absence of direct stimuli, which brings them closer to images of memory, imagination and visual-figurative thinking.

Usually under submission understand the mental process of reflection of objects and phenomena of the surrounding reality in the form of generalized visual images, and by imagination- the mental process, which consists in the creation of new images by processing the material of perceptions and ideas obtained in previous experience.

The product (end result) of the view is image-representation, or a secondary sensory-visual image of objects and phenomena, preserved and reproduced in consciousness without the direct influence of the objects themselves on the sense organs.

It is necessary to distinguish from the image-presentation as a product representation as a process of deliberate and arbitrary creation of an image and mental manipulation (operation) of it when solving various kinds of problems.

Representations are in a complex relationship with other mental processes.

With sensation and perception, representation is related to the figurative, visual form of their existence. But sensation and perception always precede representation, which cannot arise from scratch. Representation is precisely the result of generalization of a number of essential and sometimes insignificant features of an object.

Representations often act as benchmarks. This circumstance brings them closer to identification processes. Recognition presupposes the presence of at least two objects - real, perceived and reference. There is no such dichotomy in representations.

Representations are often called images of memory, since in both cases there is a reproduction of a person's past experience. Both refer to secondary images that arise without relying on direct perception. But in the representation there are no processes of memorization and preservation. In the process of remembering, a person is always aware of the connection with the past, while in the representation, in addition to the past, the present and the future can be reflected.

Images of the imagination are very close to representations. Imagination, like representation, uses material previously received by perception and stored by memory. KD Ushinsky believed that the essence of imagination consists in the combination of images-representations. Still, imagination is a more creative process that develops over time, in which you can often trace the storyline. In representation, the object is more static: it is either motionless, or a limited number of manipulative operations are performed with it. Representation acts as a mechanism for re-creating imagination. But besides it, there are also various forms of creative imagination that are not reducible to representation.

The degree of control on the part of a person over the images of his imagination varies greatly. So discern, imagination arbitrary(active) and involuntary(passive). The degree of arbitrariness of images smoothly changes from one form of imagination to another. So, the least degree of arbitrariness of the imagination is in dreams and hallucinations, and the greatest is in creativity. According to the methods of creating images, they also distinguish re-creating and creative imagination.

Images-representations serve as the basis for visual-figurative thinking. In the processes of thinking, the emphasis is on the search for and discovery of something new, and in the processes of representation, such a task is not posed.

"The interpenetration of the visual and the generalized" in representations (BG Ananiev) is their distinctive feature and allows us to speak of representation as an independent mental process.

Depending on the characteristics of the subject of presentation, there are two main types of representations: visual, behind which there is a specific image, and abstract logical, behind which there are abstract concepts (A. Richardson). Each of these "types can have varying degrees of brightness, clarity and controllability.

The most common is the classification of visual representations on the basis of modal characteristics (B. G. Ananiev). It includes visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory and organic representation. The latter are the essence of the idea of the functional states of the body, individual organs and parts of the body. Here, the type of analyzer is taken as the basis for classification.

In accordance with the two main forms of the existence of matter, there are two types of concepts, such as the concept of space and perceptions of time. Usually, both are polymodal, but it is possible to distinguish the reflection of spatial and temporal characteristics separately at the level of visual and kinesthetic analyzers.

Based on the temporal attribution of representations, a classification of images into reproductive and anti citing(anticipating) (J. Piaget). In turn, each of them can be: a) static(idea of a stationary object); b) kinetic(idea of different types of traffic); v) transformative(reflection of transformations of objects known to man - from reflection of the final result to reflection of all stages of transformation of an object from the initial state to the final state).

IV.1.1. Characteristics of the presentation process. The process of representation is usually understood in two senses: as the creation of images-representations and how to operate with them. In both cases, the representations acquire a dynamic character.

We can talk about changing perceptions in time and in space. Over the course of time, the presentation can become saturated with details, generalized, or, conversely, become more schematic; can become brighter and more distinct, or, conversely, vague, undifferentiated. In space with images-representations, the following basic operations can be performed: mental rotation, large-scale transformations, various kinds of movement of objects, combining the constituent parts of the represented object, changes in spatial orientation, increment, grouping, splitting, etc.

A special group is made up of information recoding operations associated with changing the dimensionality of an object. For example, when reading a geographical map, get an idea of the terrain, and in a drawing lesson, present and depict a volumetric object in the form of projections on a plane.

Understanding representation as a process of operating with images-representations presupposes the presence of separate mental operations in this process. All mental operations can be divided into three groups (I. S. Yakimanskaya): 1) change in the process of representing the position of the object (objects) or its parts (mental rotation, grouping, change in spatial orientation, mental movement of objects, etc.); 2) changes in the process of representing the structure of an object (large-scale transformations, changes in the representation of the dimensions of objects, grouping of objects, etc.); 3) simultaneous changes in position and structure (increment, splitting, combining, etc.).

Operation and synthesis of images in the processes of imagination is carried out thanks to operations agglutination- connection of qualities, properties, parts of objects that are incompatible in reality; hyperbolization- exaggeration or understatement of objects, their parts and qualities; sharpening- underlining any signs; schematization- smoothing out differences and identifying similarities; typification- highlighting the essential in homogeneous phenomena and translating it into a specific image.

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 is a mental process that consists in creating new images (representations) by processing the material of perception and ideas obtained in previous experience.

The specificity of this form of the mental process lies in the fact that imagination is probably characteristic only of a person and is strangely connected with the activity of the organism, being at the same time the most "mental" of all mental processes and states (since nothing other than imagination, the ideal and mysterious nature of the psyche does not appear). It can be assumed that it was the imagination, the desire to understand and explain it, that drew attention to mental phenomena in antiquity, supported and continues to stimulate it in the present days.

The mystery of this phenomenon: until now we know almost nothing about the mechanism of imagination, about its anatomical and physiological basis. Where is the imagination localized in the human brain? With the work of what nervous organic structures known to us is it connected? To these important questions, we can hardly answer anything concrete. In any case, we can say much less about this than, for example, about sensations, perception, attention, memory, etc.

Imagination is of great importance in a person's life, it affects his mental processes and states, and even the body. Thanks to imagination, a person creates, intelligently plans and manages his activities. Almost all human material and spiritual culture is a product of the imagination and creativity of people. Imagination takes a person out of the bounds of his momentary existence, reminds him of the past, reveals the future. Possessing a rich imagination, a person can "live" at different times, which no other living creature in the world can afford. The past is fixed in images of memory, voluntarily resurrected by an effort of will, the future is represented in dreams and fantasies.

Imagination is the basis of visual-figurative thinking, which allows a person to navigate a situation and solve problems without the direct intervention of practical actions. It helps him in many ways in those cases of life when practical actions are either impossible, or difficult, or simply inexpedient.

Imagination differs from perception in that its images do not always correspond to reality, they contain elements of fantasy, fiction. If the imagination paints such pictures to consciousness, to which nothing or little corresponds in reality, then it is called fantasy. If, in addition, the imagination is aimed at the future, it is called a dream.

Types of imagination:

Passive imagination: images arise spontaneously, apart from the will and desire of a person (dreams, dreams).

Active imagination: characterized by the fact that, using it, a person voluntarily, by an effort of will, evokes the corresponding images. Images of passive imagination arise spontaneously, apart from the will and desire of a person.

Productive imagination: differs in that reality in it is consciously constructed by a person, and not just mechanically copied or recreated. But at the same time in the image she is still creatively transformed.

Reproductive imagination: the task is to reproduce reality as it is, and although there is also an element of fantasy, such imagination is more like perception or memory.

Hallucinations are fantastic visions that have almost no connection with the surrounding reality. Usually they - the result of mental disorders or the work of the body - accompany many painful conditions.

Dreaming, in contrast to hallucinations, is a completely normal mental state, which is a fantasy associated with desire, most often somewhat idealized.

A dream differs from a dream in that it is somewhat more realistic and is more connected with reality, i.e. in principle feasible. Dreams and dreams of a person take up a fairly large part of the time, especially in adolescence. For most people, dreams are pleasant thoughts about the future. Some people also have disturbing visions that give rise to feelings of anxiety, guilt, and aggressiveness.

Imagination functions:

Representation of reality in images and the ability to use them, solving problems. This function of imagination is connected with thinking and is organically included in it.

Regulation of emotional states. With the help of his imagination, a person is able to at least partially satisfy many needs, relieve the tension generated by them.

Participation in the arbitrary 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 out them in the mind, manipulating images.

Planning and programming of activities - drawing up programs, assessing their correctness, the implementation process.

The process of artistic creation is primarily associated with the phenomenon of imagination in the practical activities of people. So, with the reproductive imagination can be correlated with the direction in art, called naturalism, as well as partly realism. It is well known that botanists can study the flora of the Russian forest from the paintings of I. I. Shishkin, since all the plants on his canvases are painted with "documentary" accuracy. Works by Democratic artists of the second half of the 19th century. I. Kramskoy, I. Repin, V. Petrov, with all their social acuteness, are also searches for a form that is as close as possible to copying reality.

Thus, we meet with productive imagination in art in cases where the artist is not satisfied with the reconstruction of reality by a realistic method. His world is a phantasmagoria, an irrational imagery, behind which are quite obvious realities. The fruit of such imagination is M. Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita. The appeal to such unusual, bizarre images makes it possible to enhance the intellectual, emotional and moral impact of art on a person. Most often, the creative process in art is associated with active imagination: before capturing any image on paper, canvas or sheet music, the artist creates it in his imagination, making conscious volitional efforts. Less often, passive imagination becomes an impulse of the creative process, since "spontaneous" images, independent of the artist's will, are most often the products of the subconscious work of the creator, hidden from himself.

The work of the human imagination is, of course, not limited to literature and art. To the same extent, it manifests itself in scientific, technical, and other types of creativity. In all these cases, fantasy as a kind of imagination plays a positive role.

There are individual, typological features of the imagination associated with the specifics of memory, perception and thinking of a person. In some people, a concrete, figurative perception of the world may prevail, which internally appears in the richness and variety of their fantasies. Such individuals are said to have an artistic type of thinking. It is hypothesized that it is physiologically associated with the dominance of the right hemisphere of the brain. Others have a great tendency to operate with abstract symbols, concepts (people with a dominant left hemisphere of the brain).

A person's imagination acts as a reflection of the properties of his personality, his psychological state at a given moment in time. The product of creativity, its content and form reflect well the personality of the creator. This fact has found wide application in psychology, especially in the creation of psychodiagnostic personal techniques. Personal tests of the projective type (Thematic Apperception Test - TAT, Rorschach test, etc.) are based on the projection mechanism, according to which a person in his imagination is inclined to ascribe his personal qualities and states to other people. Conducting a meaningful analysis of the products of the subjects' fantasy according to a special system, the psychologist, on its basis, judges the personality of a person.