Imagination (fantasy)* is a mental process that consists of creating new images based on data from past experience. Like thinking, imagination belongs to the higher cognitive processes and arose in the process labor activity and is typical only for humans.
* In the psychological literature, the concepts of “imagination” and “fantasy” are considered synonymous.
In human life, imagination performs a number of specific functions. Thanks to imagination, his cognitive capabilities expand significantly. Imagination is a necessary condition for search creative activity. This promotes mental focus and increases the intensity of attention. Therefore, they talk about the cognitive function of imagination. Imagination also performs an anticipatory function in cognition and activity. This is manifested in anticipation of the result of any action. Almost all human material and spiritual culture is a product of the imagination. It takes a person beyond the limits of his momentary existence, reminds him of the past, and opens up the future.
The regulatory function of the imagination lies in the fact that it creates a certain mood of the individual about what should happen and orients a person in the process of activity - creates a mental model of the final or intermediate product of labor, which contributes to at least partial satisfaction of many needs and the removal of the tension generated by them .
Imagination is most closely connected with cognitive mental processes and the personality as a whole. Its specificity lies in the processing of past experience, preserved in the form of ideas and concepts. And in this regard, it is inextricably linked with memory processes and transforms what is in memory.
Imagination is closely interconnected with the process of perception. It is included in perception, influences the creation of images of perceived objects and at the same time itself depends on it. By being included in perception, it enriches new images and makes them more productive. Thus, the perception of works of art becomes more meaningful and emotional when imagination is involved in it.
Imagination plays a significant role in drawing up a plan and program for upcoming actions. The planning and programming function allows a person to create, intelligently direct and manage activities. Imagination acts as a necessary element of human creative activity, expressed in the construction of images of the products of labor in cases where the situation is characterized by uncertainty.
Imagination also plays a huge role in transforming the reality around us, performing the most important control and corrective function. Based on the activity of the imagination, a person can foresee the course of certain events, changes in phenomena, the course of a process, he can expect the result of his actions, deeds, and in verbal communication- what impact his statement will have on the interlocutor, and what the interlocutor will say and do. If necessary, the activity of the imagination can be aimed at the ability to notice errors and correct them.
And finally, one cannot fail to note the emotional function of the imagination. It enhances the emotional tone of the individual, improves mood, and causes uplift. With the help of imagination, a person can at least partially satisfy many needs and relieve tension. This is especially evident in the work of people in creative professions - artists, painters. For successful pedagogical activity this function of imagination is of paramount importance.
Imagination is closely related to thinking. Like thinking, it allows you to foresee the future. Imagination is the basis of visual-figurative thinking, which allows a person to navigate a situation and solve problems without direct intervention practical actions. Both thinking and imagination arise in a problem situation, are motivated by the needs of the individual, and are based on anticipatory reflection. But advanced reflection of reality carried out in process of imagination, occurs in the form of vivid ideas, while advanced reflection in thinking processes occurs by operating with concepts that allow a generalized and indirect understanding of the environment. The foregoing indicates that the activity of imagination is very close to thinking. These processes are closely interconnected. But these are different mental processes. The task of the imagination is to transform the past into the new. The task of thinking is generalized and indirect cognition, based on establishing connections between objects and phenomena. The activity of the imagination depends on the general orientation of the individual. Of particular importance in the creation of his images is the worldview, the general orientation of the individual towards their objective embodiment. Through imagination, a person gains the opportunity to control perception, memory, and utterance. Thus, it acquires an incentive value, contributing to the intensification of activity.
Imagination is the mental process of creating new images based on previously perceived ones. Imagination is a reflection of reality in new unusual combinations and connections. It occupies an intermediate position between perception and thinking, thinking and memory. This is one of the most mysterious psychic phenomena. We know almost nothing about the mechanism of imagination, its anatomical and physiological basis. Imagination is unique to humans. It allows him to go beyond the real world in time and space, giving him the opportunity to imagine the finished result of his work even before starting work. Almost all human material and spiritual culture is a product of people's imagination and creativity.
Imagination can function at different levels. Their difference is determined primarily by human activity.
According to the severity of activity distinguish between active and passive imagination.
Active imagination characterized by the fact that, using it, a person at will by an effort of will he evokes appropriate images in himself. An active imagination can be creative and reconstructive.
Creative active imagination arising in work, involves the independent creation of images realized in original and valuable products of activity, and is an integral part of technical, artistic and other creativity.
Recreating active imagination is based on the creation of certain images that correspond to the description. We use this type of imagination when reading literature, studying geographical maps and drawings.
Images passive imagination arise spontaneously, regardless of the will and desire of a person. Passive imagination is characterized by the creation of images that are not realized. Passive imagination can be intentional or unintentional. Intentional Passive Imagination creates images that are not associated with the will that would contribute to their implementation. So, having created the image of Manilov, N.V. Gogol generally depicted people who, in fruitless daydreaming, see a convenient opportunity to escape reality. The hero's fantasy creates projects that are not realized and often cannot be realized.
Unintentional passive imagination observed when weakening activity of consciousness, with his disorders, in a half-asleep state, in a dream.
Imagination can manifest itself in different ways forms.
A form of manifestation of active imagination and a necessary condition for the implementation of creative human strength Dreams aimed at transforming reality are dreams. Dreams - desires pushed back in time. Dreams differ from dreams in that they are connected with reality, i.e. in principle feasible. In fact, any object made by human hands, in its historical essence, is a dream come true. The eternal dream of mankind about speed of movement has been embodied in a whole series of inventions from the wheel to the rocket.
However, imagination can also act as a substitute for activity, its surrogate. Then a person withdraws from reality into the realm of fantasy in order to hide from tasks that seem insoluble to him, from the need to act, from the hardships of life. Such fantasies are called dreams. Dreams reflect the connection between fantasy and our needs. Dreams are fundamentally unrealizable. Let us recall the painful attempt of Gogol’s heroine from “Marriage” to choose a groom from four contenders: “If only I could put Nikanor Ivanovich’s lips on Ivan Kuzmich’s nose, and take some of the swagger that Baltazar Baltazarych has, and, perhaps, add to this Ivan’s corpulence Pavlovich - then I would have made up my mind right away.” Dreams perform a compensatory function: a person in an illusory fictional life receives what he lacks in reality. However, if fruitless daydreaming occupies a significant place in a person’s life, then this indicates a defect in personality development.
Hallucinationsare a fantastic vision that has almost no connection with reality. If dreams can be considered a completely normal mental state, then hallucinations are usually the result of certain disorders of the psyche or the functioning of the body and accompany many painful conditions. Hallucinations are the most indicative manifestations of passive unintentional imagination, in which a person perceives a non-existent object. These images are so vivid that a person is absolutely convinced of their reality.
The category of passive unintentional forms of imagination includes dreams. Their true role in human life has not yet been established, although it is known that in dreams many vital human needs find expression and satisfaction, which, for a number of reasons, cannot be realized in life.
Imagination and problem situation.
Imagination, or fantasy, like thinking, belongs to the number of higher cognitive processes in which the specifically human nature of activity is clearly revealed. Without imagining the finished result of your work, you cannot get to work. In representing the expected result with the help of imagination - the fundamental difference between human labor and the instinctive behavior of animals. Any labor process necessarily includes imagination. It acts as a necessary side of artistic, design, scientific, literary, musical, and in general any creative activity. Strictly speaking, in order to make a simple table using a homemade method, imagination is no less necessary than for writing an opera aria or story: you need to imagine in advance what shape, height, length and width the table will be; how the legs will be fastened, how well it will correspond to its purpose as a dining table, laboratory table or desk - in a word, before starting work you need to see this table as if it is ready.
Imagination- it is a necessary element of creativityhuman activity, expressed in the construction of an image ofproducts of labor, as well as ensuring the creation of a programbehavior in cases where the problem situation is of the natureriddled with uncertainty. At the same time, imagination can act as a means of creating images that do not program active activity, but replace it.
The first and most important purpose of imagination as a mental process is that it allows present the result of work before it begins, represent not only the final product of labor (for example, a table in its completed form as a finished product), but also its intermediate products(in this case, those parts that need to be made sequentially to assemble the table). Consequently, imagination orients a person in the process of activity - it creates a mental model of the final or intermediate products of labor, which contributes to their objective embodiment.
Imagination is closely related to thinking. Like thinking, it allows you to foresee the future.
What do thinking and fantasy have in common and what are the differences between them? Just like thinking, imagination arises in a problem situation, i.e. in cases where it is necessary to find new solutions; just like thinking, it is motivated by the needs of the individual. The real process of satisfying needs may be preceded by an illusory, imaginary satisfaction of needs, that is, a living, vivid representation of the situation in which these needs can be satisfied. But the anticipatory reflection of reality, carried out in fantasy processes, occurs in concrete form, in the form of bright ideas, while advanced reflection in thinking processes occurs by operating concepts, allowing a generalized and indirect understanding of the world.
Thus, in the problem situation in which the activity begins, there are two systems of advance consciousnessresults of this activity: an organized system of images(representations) and organized system of concepts. The possibility of choosing an image is the basis of imagination, the possibility of a new combination of concepts is the basis of thinking. Often such work takes place on “two floors” at once, since systems of images and concepts are closely connected - the choice, for example, of a method of action, is carried out through logical reasoning, with which vivid ideas of how the action will be carried out are organically fused.
Considering the similarities and differences between thinking and imagination, it is necessary to note that a problem situation can be characterized by more or less uncertainty. If the initial data of a problem, for example a scientific problem, are known, then the course of its solution is subject primarily to the laws of thinking. A different picture is observed when the problem situation is characterized by significant uncertainty, the initial data is difficult to accurately analyze. In this case, the mechanisms of imagination come into action. For example, some uncertainty in the source data affects the writer’s work. It is not without reason that the role of fantasy is so great in literary creativity, when a writer in his imagination traces the fate of his heroes. He has to deal with a much greater degree of uncertainty than a designer or engineer, since the laws of the human psyche and behavior are in many ways more complex and less known than the laws of physics.
Depending on the various circumstances that characterize a problem situation, the same problem can be solved both with the help of imagination and with the help of thinking. There is reason to conclude that imaginationworks at that stage of cognition when uncertainty sitsation is very great. The more familiar, precise and definite a situation is, the less scope it gives for imagination. It is quite obvious that for that area of phenomena where the basic laws have been clarified, there is no need to use the imagination. However, if you have very approximate information about the situation, on the contrary, it is difficult to get an answer with the help of thinking; this is where fantasy comes into play.
The value of imagination is that it allows you to make decisions and find a way out of a problem situation, even in the absence of the necessary completeness of knowledge that is necessary for thinking. Fantasy allows you to “jump” over certain stages of thinking and still imagine the end result. But this is also the weakness of this solution to the problem. The solutions outlined by imagination are often insufficiently precise and lax. However the need to exist and actLiving in an environment with incomplete information led to the emergence of the human imagination. Since there will always be unexplored areas in the world around us, this apparatus of imagination will always be useful.
Types of imagination.
Imagination is characterized by activity and effectiveness. At the same time, the apparatus of imagination can be and is used not only as a condition for the creative activity of the individual, aimed at transforming the environment. Imagination in some circumstances can act as replacement activity her surrogate. In this case, a person temporarily retreats into the realm of fantastic ideas, far from reality, in order to hide there from problems that seem insoluble to him, from the need to act, from difficult living conditions, from the consequences of his mistakes, etc. Having created the image of Manilov, N.V. Gogol generally depicted people who, in fruitless daydreaming, see a convenient opportunity to escape from activity. Here fantasy creates images that are not realized, outlines programs of behavior that are not implemented and often cannot be implemented. This form of imagination is called passive imagination.
A person can cause passive imagination deliberately: this kind images of fantasy, deliberately evoked, but not associated with the will aimed at bringing them into reality, are called dreams. All people tend to dream about something joyful, pleasant, and tempting. In dreams, the connection between fantasy products and needs is easily revealed. But if dreams predominate in a person’s imaginative processes, then this is a defect in the development of personality, it indicates its passivity. If a person is passive, if he does not fight for a better future, but real life If his life is difficult and joyless, he often creates for himself an illusory, fictitious life, where his needs are fully satisfied, where he succeeds in everything, where he occupies a position that he cannot hope for at the present time and in real life.
Passive imagination can also occur unintentionally. This occurs mainly when the activity of consciousness, the second signaling system, is weakened, during temporary inactivity of a person, in a half-asleep state, in a state of passion, in sleep (dreams), in pathological disorders of consciousness (hallucinations), etc.
If passive imagination can be divided into deliberate And unintentional, That active imagination May be creative And recreating.
Imagination, which is based on the creation of images,corresponding to the description is called recreating. When reading both educational and fiction literature, when studying geographical maps and historical descriptions, it constantly turns out to be necessary to recreate with the help of imagination what is depicted in these books, maps and stories.
Many schoolchildren tend to skip or skim through descriptions of nature, characteristics of an interior or cityscape, or a verbal portrait of a character in books. As a result, they do not provide food for the reconstructive imagination and extremely impoverish the artistic perception and emotional development of their personality - their imagination does not have time to unfold bright and colorful pictures in front of them. The study of geographical maps serves as a unique school of reconstructive imagination. The habit of wandering around the map and imagining different places in your imagination helps you see them correctly in reality. Spatial imagination, necessary when studying stereometry, develops by carefully examining drawings and natural volumetric bodies from different angles.
creative imagination, unlike the re-creator, beforebelieves in the independent creation of new images thatare realized in original and valuable products of activity. Originated in labor creative imagination remains an integral part of technical, artistic and any other creativity, taking the form of active and purposeful operation of visual representations in search of ways to satisfy needs.
The value of the human personality largely depends on what types of imagination predominate in its structure. If in a teenager and young man the creative imagination, realized in specific activities, prevails over passive, empty daydreaming, then this indicates a high level of personality development.
Imagination is the mental process of creating an image of an object or situation by restructuring existing ideas. Images of the imagination do not always correspond to reality; they contain elements of fantasy and fiction. If the imagination draws pictures to the consciousness that nothing or little corresponds in reality, then it is called fantasy. If the imagination is directed to the future, it is called a dream. The process of imagination always occurs in inextricable connection with two other mental processes - memory and thinking.
Types of imagination
- Active imagination - using it, a person, by force of will, at his own request evokes appropriate images in himself.
- Passive imagination - its images arise spontaneously, regardless of the will and desire of a person.
- Productive imagination - in it, reality is consciously constructed by a person, and not simply mechanically copied or recreated. But at the same time, she is still creatively transformed in the image.
- Reproductive imagination - the task is to reproduce reality as it is, and although there is also an element of fantasy here, such imagination is more reminiscent of perception or memory than creativity.
Functions of imagination:
- Figurative representation of reality;
- Regulation of emotional states;
- Voluntary regulation of cognitive processes and human states;
- Formation internal plan actions.
Ways to create imagination images:
- Agglutination is the creation of images by combining any qualities, properties, parts.
- Emphasis - highlighting any part, detail of the whole.
- Typing is the most difficult technique. The artist depicts a specific episode that absorbs a lot of similar ones and thus is, as it were, their representative. A literary image is also formed, in which the typical features of many people of a given circle, a certain era are concentrated.
Imagination processes, like memory processes, can vary in the degree of voluntariness or intentionality. An extreme case of involuntary imagination is dreams, in which images are born unintentionally and in the most unexpected and bizarre combinations. The activity of the imagination, which unfolds in a half-asleep, drowsy state, for example, before falling asleep, is also involuntary at its core.
Among various types and forms of arbitrary imagination, we can distinguish recreating imagination, creative imagination and dream.
Recreating imagination manifests itself when a person needs to recreate a representation of an object that matches its description as fully as possible.
Creative imagination characterized by the fact that a person transforms ideas and creates new ones not according to an existing model, but by independently outlining the contours of the created image and choosing the necessary materials for it.
A special form of imagination is a dream - the independent creation of new images. The main feature of a dream is that it is aimed at future activities, i.e. A dream is an imagination aimed at a desired future.
If the voluntary or active imagination is intentional, i.e. is associated with volitional manifestations of a person, then passive imagination can be intentional and unintentional. Intentional passive imagination creates images that are not associated with the will. These images are called dreams. In dreams, the connection between imagination and the needs of the individual is most clearly revealed. The predominance of dreams in a person’s mental life can lead him to a separation from reality, a withdrawal into a fictional world, which, in turn, begins to inhibit the mental and social development of this person.
Unintentional passive imagination is observed when the activity of consciousness is weakened, its disorders are in a half-asleep state, in sleep, etc. The most significant manifestation of passive imagination is hallucinations, in which a person perceives non-existent objects. When classifying types of imagination, we proceed from two main characteristics. This is the degree of manifestation of volitional efforts and the degree of activity, or awareness.
Imagination (fantasy)* is a mental process that consists of creating new images based on data from past experience. Like thinking, imagination belongs to higher cognitive processes; it arose in the process of work and is characteristic only of humans.
* In the psychological literature, the concepts of “imagination” and “fantasy” are considered synonymous.
In human life, imagination performs a number of specific functions. Thanks to imagination, his cognitive capabilities expand significantly. Imagination is a necessary condition for search creative activity. This promotes mental focus and increases the intensity of attention. Therefore, they talk about the cognitive function of imagination. Imagination also performs an anticipatory function in cognition and activity. This is manifested in anticipation of the result of any action. Almost all human material and spiritual culture is a product of the imagination. It takes a person beyond the limits of his momentary existence, reminds him of the past, and opens up the future.
The regulatory function of the imagination lies in the fact that it creates a certain mood of the individual about what should happen and orients a person in the process of activity - creates a mental model of the final or intermediate product of labor, which contributes to at least partial satisfaction of many needs and the removal of the tension generated by them .
Imagination is most closely connected with cognitive mental processes and the personality as a whole. Its specificity lies in the processing of past experience, preserved in the form of ideas and concepts. And in this regard, it is inextricably linked with memory processes and transforms what is in memory.
Imagination is closely interconnected with the process of perception. It is included in perception, influences the creation of images of perceived objects and at the same time itself depends on it. By being included in perception, it enriches new images and makes them more productive. Thus, the perception of works of art becomes more meaningful and emotional when imagination is involved in it.
Imagination plays a significant role in drawing up a plan and program for upcoming actions. The planning and programming function allows a person to create, intelligently direct and manage activities. Imagination acts as a necessary element of human creative activity, expressed in the construction of images of the products of labor in cases where the situation is characterized by uncertainty.
Imagination also plays a huge role in transforming the reality around us, performing the most important control and corrective function. Based on the activity of the imagination, a person can foresee the course of certain events, changes in phenomena, the course of a process, he can expect the result of his actions, deeds, and in verbal communication - what impact his statement will have on his interlocutor, and what he will say and do companion. If necessary, the activity of the imagination can be aimed at the ability to notice errors and correct them.
And finally, one cannot fail to note the emotional function of the imagination. It enhances the emotional tone of the individual, improves mood, and causes uplift. With the help of imagination, a person can at least partially satisfy many needs and relieve tension. This is especially evident in the work of people in creative professions - artists, painters. For successful pedagogical activity, this function of imagination is of paramount importance.
Imagination is closely related to thinking. Like thinking, it allows you to foresee the future. 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. Both thinking and imagination arise in a problem situation, are motivated by the needs of the individual, and are based on anticipatory reflection. But the anticipatory reflection of reality, carried out in the process of imagination, occurs in the form of vivid ideas, while the anticipatory reflection in the processes of thinking occurs by operating with concepts that allow a generalized and indirect knowledge of the environment. The above indicates that the activity of imagination is very close to thinking. These processes are closely interconnected. But these are different mental processes. The task of the imagination is to transform the past into the new. The task of thinking is generalized and indirect cognition, based on establishing connections between objects and phenomena. The activity of the imagination depends on the general orientation of the individual. Of particular importance in the creation of his images is the worldview, the general orientation of the individual towards their objective embodiment. Through imagination, a person gains the opportunity to control perception, memory, and utterance. Thus, it acquires an incentive value, contributing to the intensification of activity.