THE ROLE OF IMAGINATION IN HUMAN MENTAL ACTIVITY

Imagination is the ability 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.

History of discovery and study

In Russian psychology, interest in the phenomenon arose along with the study of other functions of the psyche. The main contribution to the study process was made by L. Vygotsky. He dedicated a book and dozens of articles to the imagination - a fundamental presentation of findings and theories regarding the development of the ability to imagine in ontogenesis.

Vygotsky paid great attention to the development of cognitive processes in preschool age. The scientist believed that this period was critical

He considered the ability to imagine in preschool age as the ability to create a whole from elements.

Vygotsky noted the complexity of mental activity and gradual development. According to his theory, creative activity depends on acquired experience. The child expresses accumulated knowledge through creativity. The accumulation process is influenced by various factors: interests, needs, desires. The ability to express oneself in childhood and adulthood depends on the speed of their satisfaction. Negative experiences acquired in childhood affect the adult individual.

From the weakest to the top of the hierarchy

It was not without reason that our distant ancestor had the imagination many thousands of years ago. Without it, he could not survive in the primitive savannah.

Primitive people, having neither fangs nor claws, not possessing the speed of a cheetah or the strength of a lion, found it very difficult to compete with animals for a place in the sun: to get their own food and not become it themselves.

75,000 years ago, our ancestor was the weakest on the savannah, on the verge of extinction from starvation. The human population was about 2000 individuals, the descendants of which are modern humanity. In science, this period is usually called the “bottleneck effect.”

Besides us, Homo Sapiens, there were seven other currently known species of humans. After a short time by historical standards, our species destroyed all other species of people, exterminated most animal species on the planet and took first place in the food hierarchy. How did we manage to do this?

Functions

1. Prompting activity with the help of a bright, attractive image of its result, means and methods of implementation, generalized ideas and specific plans.
2. Regulation of behavior in an uncertain, problematic situation with the help of images of alternative actions and their consequences.
3. Emotional self-regulation, autopsychotherapy, illusory satisfaction of needs. This function comes with the risk of escaping reality. Replacing reality with gaming images is one of the consequences of gambling addiction.
4. Organization of cognition - reconstruction of an object according to description, completion of missing elements, modeling.

How images arise

There are various ways to create them.

Emphasis is the highlighting of any parts, features or properties. The following techniques are used here:

Typification is a generalization of an image and its emotional saturation. Many literary heroes are shining examples of typification. For example, Gogol’s landowners from “Dead Souls”: Manilov is a barren dreamer, Korobochka is a greedy hoarder, Nozdryov is a dashing reveler.

Combination is the creation of a new one by combining parts of an existing one.

Exaggeration is the deliberate strengthening of any characteristic feature or phenomenon. For example, the expression: “This morning I drank ten liters of coffee” would be an exaggeration.

Exaggeration and understatement. Gulliver can be considered a striking example of both.

Combination is a combination of elements that already exist in new combinations.

From bills to hi-tech

The industrial revolution of the 19th century and the information revolutions of the 20th century succeed each other. Everything goes towards increasing, complicating and accelerating. The importance of developed imagination also increases.

Half a century ago, children at school were taught to count on an abacus. Modern life cannot be imagined without computers and high-speed Internet - an additional reality that creates an absolute connection between people.

Humanity is on the verge of a new technological breakthrough - robots and artificial intelligence. Before we even had time to think about what this threatens us with, some even got scared, when a new scourge - the coronavirus. Nature forces humanity to unite, otherwise the epidemic cannot be dealt with. Only united humanity will be able to move into a new phase of development - the urethral one.

As strange as it may sound, a developed imagination can help us survive the pandemic.

Types of imagination

Active imagination is the process of solving a problem (creative or personal). A person operates with specific information, creating new connections between images.

Passive – meets internal needs. Images help to displace negative emotions or reduce their intensity, while positive ones, on the contrary, strengthen them.

Involuntary (unintentional) – causes the appearance of images in a state of reduced control by consciousness. These can be dreams, a state of drowsiness, half-asleep-half-awake, hallucinations and daydreams (creating an ideal world where a person is comfortable).

The power of involuntary imagination is proven by a world-famous example when D.I. Mendeleev dreamed of his periodic system of chemical elements, which he worked hard on, but could not complete.

Anticipatory imagination is the ability of people to foresee the results of the activities they perform.

Recreating – creating images based on description. It helps when reading books, it is useful wherever it is necessary to create reality using diagrams and drawings (architects, engineers, designers, etc.).

Creative imagination is the creation of new ideas and images that are valuable to others. They are built by analyzing and synthesizing existing ones, or creating ideal, previously non-existent figures.

A dream is the process of creating images of the future. May be sterile and effective

Efficiency is an important quality for realizing creative ideas

Imagination in psychology

Imagination uses the memory of a person who has certain experiences, knowledge and memories. Creative thinking is also used, which may involve a person's ability to think of something they have never seen or heard. In psychology, the following functions of imagination are distinguished:

1. Cognitive – imagination helps to systematize information, understand it better and highlight something new for yourself.
2. Forecasting - a person is able to imagine in his head how events will unfold, what the final result will be.
3. Understandings - by imagining, a person can guess what another individual is thinking and feeling.
4. Self-development – ​​a person fantasizes and makes predictions, which makes him stronger and more self-confident.
5. Protection - if a person can predict events, then he can prepare for them.
6. Memories are the ability to reproduce what a person has already experienced.

Imagination comes in various forms. The most famous are:

• Agglutination is the creation of new forms, objects, phenomena based on really existing ones, which a person transforms in his consciousness.
• Emphasis – fixation of attention on a separate characteristic of an object.
• Typification is the identification of certain features in several objects.

Development of imagination

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

Forecasting the future situation. The development of imagination begins with the formation of the skill to clearly imagine an object or phenomenon. Before you start any business, try to think in advance what will come of it. Answer yourself the question of what you want to get as a result, what you see as the final goal. It has been proven that the ability to imagine and think constructively in the direction of a given goal builds self-confidence, gives additional strength, adds determination, and reduces doubts.

Creating an artistic image. Suitable for writing a fairy tale, story, creating a portrait or landscape. You can also include embroidery here, the main thing is that you like the process itself. First, build in your head the image you want to portray.

Try to make it bright, eye-catching, helping to reveal your aspirations and talents. It is not necessary to create “War and Peace”, you can limit yourself to a small poem or sketch, the main condition is that creativity should inspire new ideas

It’s good if, in the process of imagination, fresh images and ideas begin to arise. The exercise is aimed at developing the ability to develop an image, allowing it to reveal itself in all its fullness and diversity.

Finishing the figure. The exercise is about developing the skill of creating a picture in your imagination out of nothing, it perfectly trains attention to detail, and teaches you to understand that a new image can be modeled from the most insignificant details. In the center of the sheet of paper, as a rule, there is a fragment of the figure that needs to be completed. If you distribute such sheets to participants in a small group and ask them to complete the task, each person will end up with their own unique drawing. The process of imagination for each person works purely individually.

"I am a successful person." If you have long dreamed of self-realization, then performing this exercise will bring you great joy and a colossal increase in energy. Imagine what you need in order to consider yourself an accomplished person. The main task is to realize as specifically as possible and keep in mind the activity that brings maximum satisfaction and helps to develop your personality. When this image is found, continue to draw a picture of ideal success in your imagination, noting what events should happen in the future. The exercise is unique in that it allows not only to train the imagination, but also aims a person at a positive result, helps to develop faith in one’s own strengths and capabilities.

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

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

A scandal in a noble family, or Is creativity possible without imagination?

So, the scientist and inventor need imagination. Does an artist need it? At first glance, the answer is obvious. But, apparently, not everyone. At least in art schools they work on technique, and not on developing the imagination of students. What is the result?

In the early 2000s, a wave of fakes swept the art market. Counterfeits even end up at auctions at Christie's and Sotheby's, since their quality is so high that even experts find it difficult to clearly judge the authorship of the works presented to them. A huge scandal erupted in May 2000, when the auction houses Sotheby's and Christie's published their catalogs. Both houses offered buyers the same painting - “Vase of Flowers” ​​by Paul Gauguin. Each house was confident that it was displaying an original.

Of course, copy artists make money this way. But a legitimate question arises: why don’t the owners of such magnificent equipment create their own paintings, because no money can replace implementation. The answer is simple: they lack imagination for their own creativity. Compare their fate with the fate of, for example, Salvador Dali, who spoke in his characteristic shocking manner about imagination like this: “If a person cannot imagine a galloping horse on a tomato, he is an idiot!”

Without imagination there can be no creativity, and therefore no culture, because the main instrument of culture - art - is impossible without creative imagination. Freud defined culture as “a mode of existence which humanity has chosen for the purpose of its own preservation.” Culture consolidates society and limits our ever-increasing hostility. Without culture, society is not viable.

In the past, imaginative people promoted science and culture. What has changed in our technological age?

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, the transformation of this idea is carried out.

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 personality 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.

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General characteristics of imagination and its functions Human consciousness is capable of not only storing information about objects, but also performing various operations with it. Man emerged from the animal kingdom because he learned to create complex tools. But in order to create a stone axe, you first had to create it in your imagination. Man differs from animals in that he is able to create in his mind an image of an object or phenomenon that does not yet exist, and then brings it to life. After all, in order to transform the world in practice, you first need to be able to transform it mentally. This ability to construct new images in one’s thoughts is called imagination. The process of imagination is manifested in a person’s creation of something new - new images and thoughts, on the basis of which new actions and objects arise. Imagination is part of the individual’s consciousness, one of the cognitive processes. It reflects the outside world in a unique and unique way; it allows you to program not only future behavior, but also work with images of the past. Imagination is a process of creative transformation of ideas that reflect reality, and the creation on this basis of new ideas that were not previously available. In addition to this, there are other definitions of imagination. For example, it can be defined as the ability to imagine an absent (at the moment or generally in reality) object, hold it in consciousness and mentally manipulate it. Sometimes the term “fantasy” is used as a synonym, which denotes both the process of creating something new and the final product of this process. Therefore, in psychology the term “imagination” has been adopted, denoting only the procedural side of this phenomenon. Imagination differs from perception in two ways: - the source of emerging images is not the external world, but memory; - it corresponds less to reality, since it always contains an element of fantasy. Functions of imagination: 1 Representation of reality in images, which makes it possible to use them when performing operations with imaginary objects. 2 Formation of an internal action plan (creating an image of a goal and finding ways to achieve it) in conditions of uncertainty. 3 Participation in the voluntary regulation of cognitive processes (memory management). 4 Regulation of emotional states (in auto-training, visualization, neuro-linguistic programming, etc.). 5 The basis for creativity - both artistic (literature, painting, sculpture) and technical (invention) 6 Creation of images that correspond to the description of an object (when a person tries to imagine something he has heard or read about). 7 Producing images that do not program, but replace activity (pleasant dreams replacing boring reality). Types of imagination: Depending on the principle underlying the classification, different types of imagination can be distinguished (Fig. 10.1):

Classification of imagination Characteristics of individual types of imagination Active imagination (intentional) - the creation by a person of his own free will of new images or ideas, accompanied by certain efforts (a poet is looking for a new artistic image to describe nature, an inventor sets a goal to create a new technical device, etc.). Passive imagination (unintentional) - in this case, a person does not set himself the goal of transforming reality, and images spontaneously arise on their own (this type of mental phenomena includes a wide range of phenomena, ranging from dreams to an idea that suddenly and unplannedly arose in the mind of the inventor). Productive (creative) imagination is the creation of fundamentally new ideas that do not have a direct model, when reality is creatively transformed in a new way, and not simply mechanically copied or recreated. Reproductive (recreating) imagination is the creation of an image of objects or phenomena according to their description, when reality is reproduced from memory as it is. Characteristics of certain types of imagination: Dreams can be classified as passive and involuntary forms of imagination. According to the degree of transformation of reality, they can be either reproductive or productive. Ivan Mikhailovich Sechenov called dreams “an unprecedented combination of experienced impressions,” and modern science believes that they reflect the process of transferring information from operative to long-term memory. Another point of view is that in a person’s dreams many vital needs are expressed and satisfied, which, for a number of reasons, cannot be realized in real life.

Hallucinations are passive and involuntary forms of imagination. According to the degree of transformation of reality, they are most often productive. Hallucinations are fantastic visions that have no obvious connection with the reality around a person. Hallucinations are usually the result of some kind of mental disorder or the effect of drugs or drugs on the brain.

Dreams , unlike hallucinations, are a completely normal mental state, which is a fantasy associated with a desire, most often a somewhat idealized future. This is a passive and productive type of imagination.

A dream differs from a dream in that it is more realistic and more feasible. Dreams are a type of active forms of imagination. According to the degree of transformation of reality, dreams are most often productive. Features of a dream: - When dreaming, a person always creates an image of what he wants. “It is not directly included in human activity and does not immediately produce practical results. — A dream is aimed at the future, while some other forms of imagination work with the past. — The images that a person creates in his dreams are distinguished by their emotional richness, bright character, and at the same time, by a lack of understanding of specific ways to realize the dream. Dreams and daydreams occupy a fairly large part of a person's time, especially in youth. For most people, dreams are pleasant thoughts about the future. Some also experience disturbing visions that give rise to feelings of anxiety, guilt, and aggressiveness. Mechanisms for processing ideas into imaginary images. The creation of imaginary images is carried out using several methods: Agglutination - “folding”, “gluing” of various parts that are incompatible in everyday life. An example is the classic character of fairy tales - the centaur, the Serpent-Gorynych, etc.

Hyperbolization is a significant increase or decrease in an object or its individual parts, which leads to qualitatively new properties. An example is the following fairy-tale and literary characters: the giant Homeric Cyclops, Gulliver, Little Thumb. Accentuation - highlighting a characteristic detail in the created image (friendly cartoon, caricature).

Main types

There are many examples in history when fantasies were later reflected in reality. Science fiction writers and inventors actively studied the world around us and were able to predict the development of humanity.

For example, computers, video calls, and space flights are found in the works of writers of the 20th century. In the 21st century, all this has become everyday things.

Children's imagination manifests itself most clearly during games.

Therefore, fantasy has its own functions; it cannot be considered a useless process. Psychologists don't know exactly why some people exhibit this ability more than others. There are several types of imagination.

Active

It was with his help that the entire culture was created. Active fantasy serves as motivation for a person, since he clearly imagines the result of his productive activity. With the help of certain actions, the image of the future is brought closer.

For example, a sculpture conceived a statue. He takes an ordinary piece of stone and begins to chip away at it little by little. The result is a specific figure.

In this type of imagination, a person is guided by his idea of ​​an object that does not exist in nature. Therefore, such fantasies made it possible to create all objects of art.

Passive

This species is characterized by dreams and fantasies. A person only invents different images, but is in no hurry to translate them into reality. This process is not dangerous, but some people devote all their time to it and give up on real work.

Dreams themselves help to distract from problems

A person himself evokes images, indulges in daydreams and imagines what and how he will change. A simple example of passive imagination is Oblomov from Goncharov’s novel. He lay on the sofa, dreaming about how he would get married and improve the estate. But even for the sake of the woman he loved, he did not dare to change anything, and remained with his dreams.

Alternative

There is another classification of fantasies. She distinguishes between voluntary and involuntary imagination. What characterizes voluntary imagination is its appearance when solving specific problems. For example, when doing math tasks, you need to visualize the solution

This is especially important for doing geometry exercises.

In dreams and random visions, this is where voluntary imagination is usually found. This happens especially often during meditation or other trance practices.

There is another classification that distinguishes reproductive and productive imagination. The first is characterized by the creation of images that are as close as possible to real objects. For the second, the material is processed as much as possible in the author’s thoughts, and then implemented in life. Different classifications allow you to look at the same term differently.

The evolution of one dream of humanity

Imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited, but imagination embraces everything in the world, stimulates progress and is the source of its evolution.

Albert Einstein

The idea of ​​flying in the air originated among people many thousands of years ago. Even the ancient Egyptians found drawings and sculptures of people with wings. The same images would later appear among the Greeks and Romans. Tales of the peoples of the world reflect this same desire. For example, the flying carpet is present in Russian and Middle Eastern fairy tales.

This dream remained a utopia until Leonardo Da Vinci, who stood out even among the geniuses of the Renaissance. There is no such person who has not heard of the Mona Lisa. We perceive Leonardo first and foremost as the greatest artist. But the “universal man” himself considered himself primarily a scientist and engineer.

He was interested in mechanics, mathematics, architecture, and the environment. In the 15th century, Leonardo Da Vinci described the valve of the right ventricle of the heart, discovered that the age of a tree is determined by the annual rings, created a camera obscura, and constructed canals and dams. His inventions are considered to be: a prototype of a tank, a diving suit or spacesuit, a self-propelled cart (a prototype of a car). Many other engineering ideas are captured in the master’s drawings, drawings and sketches. His aircraft are of greatest interest.

Leonardo, inspired by the flight of birds, dreamed of aeronautics. His drawings and sketches show for the first time how a flying machine can be built. Leonardo Da Vinci worked on different types of aircraft. He created the first ornithopter, propeller, and parachute. The brilliant inventor, who with the power of imagination looked many centuries into the future, did not realize his ideas due to the weak technologies of that time. Leonardo Da Vinci's dream of aeronautics was realized five centuries later by Igor Sikorsky.

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 connected with imagination quite strongly, 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.

Read more about child development in the article the most effective method of child development

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.

Mister Helicopter

An important role in the life of the future aircraft designer was played by his mother, who devoted her life to raising five children. She was most interested in the art and inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci. The mother's hobbies fell on fertile soil. The sound child loved to listen to his mother's stories about the infinity of the Universe and mysterious stars. But most of all, his childhood imagination was struck by stories about Leonardo Da Vinci and his idea to create an “iron bird” - a flying machine that rose into the air with the help of a powerful propeller.

His mother instilled in the future great aircraft designer a love of music and literature. Little Igor's reference book was Jules Verne's novel “Robourg the Conqueror,” which describes an aircraft that vaguely resembles a helicopter. One day, after reading this novel, the boy dreamed that he was on board a flying ship, from the windows of which one could see the sea and an island with palm trees. This dream will come true 30 years later - he will see all this on board the amphibious aircraft he designed.

After graduating from high school, Igor’s parents assigned Igor to the Naval Cadet Corps in St. Petersburg, where their eldest son was already studying. It was a privileged educational institution, but Igor was not attracted to a military career, even one related to the sea. He kept track of all the technical innovations and designed something in educational workshops during his off-hours. The desire to build airplanes and fly them finally matured after newspaper reports appeared about the first flights of the Americans - the Wright brothers.

Igor Sikorsky leaves school and devotes his future life to realizing his dream (you can read more here).

Sikorsky created about 15 types of aircraft. After his inventions, multi-engine aviation began to develop. Since 1939, he switched to designing helicopters. In 1967, Sikorsky helicopters made the world's first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, and in 1970, across the Pacific Ocean, albeit with in-flight refueling. His inventions marked the beginning of a new era, and the designer was given the nickname “Mr. Helicopter.”

Essence and mechanism of action

Imagination is closely related to memory, attention, and thinking. Formed as a result of the emergence of social consciousness, to which a person turns in a problematic situation

Ability refers to cognitive processes that reflect objective reality. The basis of reflection is images of perception, memory, and representation.

If thinking explores the world in a general way, imagination allows you to create specific forms. The performance creates full-fledged pictures, based on reality or generated by fantasy. An individual invents without having any initial data, imagines phenomena that he has never seen. Intelligence is associated with imagination. The higher the level of intelligence, the more active the work of mental processes.

The essence of imagination is to create new images based on existing ones. The intensity and completeness of the result depends on experience and knowledge. Imagination arises in the process of work when the need to predict actions arises. By imagining images, an individual goes beyond reality, anticipates the result of work, and revives memories.

Examples from life.

People often imagine. Waking up early in the morning, a person mentally chooses clothes, combining his things in his head.

After leaving home, we think about the shortest route to work or school, taking into account weather changes or other conditions.

After a hard day's work, we figure out what to cook from the available ingredients.

But it’s not only in everyday life that we use our imagination. For example, during a renovation, we mentally arrange the furniture around the room and imagine what the room will look like after the renovation.

When a person is alone with his thoughts, a great imagination is activated. Being alone, you can penetrate to a deep level of imagination and find answers to all the answers that interest you.

Varieties

Imagination is divided into two groups, each of which has its own subgroups:

1. Active is a purposeful, volitional act. This type of imagination is used, for example, by writers. To create a story (what is that?) or a note, they have to use their imagination on purpose. Active imagination, in turn, is divided into: recreating - mental appeal to existing images (remember what your mug looks like);
2. creative - with its help we come up with something new (imagine yourself on a desert island, sitting on the top of a palm tree in flippers and with an iron in your hand).

How to develop your imagination

There are many ways to develop your imagination. They are created for both the smallest and adult people.

First, let's look at the functions of the cerebral hemispheres.

The left is responsible for logical thinking, education and analysis. It helps us understand the literal meaning of words and delve into the essence.

The right is responsible for intuition and imaginative thinking. And unlike the left, it can simultaneously consider the problem in different contexts. Helps to see and understand the problem as a whole.

Thanks to it, we can understand not only the literal meaning of what we hear or read. And if someone says: “It’s pouring like buckets,” the right hemisphere will tell you what they meant.

Development of imagination in schoolchildren

To develop the imagination of school-age children, you can watch an unfamiliar TV program. Watch the beginning with sound, then turn off the sound and try to understand the meaning.

Children's images are very different from those of an adult. A child’s fantasies are filled with special emotionality, and therefore are capable of influencing the child’s psyche. It is worth understanding this in order to prevent the development of psychological disorders against the background of excessive imagination

It will be difficult at first, but then you will get used to it and realize that it can be fun. You will begin to guess the plot of the film without sound and will develop your imagination well.

Development of imagination in preschool children

If you are the parent of a preschool-age child, then you are most likely interested in reading about how to develop their imagination. Invite your child to play a game: put several objects in front of him, ask him to remember them and close his eyes.

Next, remove one item. After the child opens his eyes, ask: “What’s missing?” and ask to describe this item. This will not only develop imagination, but also improve memory.

Imagination in adults

It is quite difficult to develop imagination in an adult. Most of these types of skills are developed in childhood. But if you try really hard, you will have a chance to improve your imagination.

Imagine something that has never existed on earth. For example, a bird the size of an airplane, a time portal, or magical armor. Think about what material this thing would be made of, what sounds it would make, its color, its smell.

Basically, the methods of developing imagination are universal for all ages.

Forms of imagination

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

Features of creative imagination

Creative imagination is a type of thinking in which a person creates new objects or images that have value for humanity. They appear as a result of memory processing by consciousness and with the help of other psychological mechanisms.

Creative development is a necessary part of personality development. This is not just a labor-intensive process that represents a certain value. There are many types of creative activities that require imagination.

Imagination and the desire to achieve

The first three years of life, a child is under the influence of direct impressions from objects accessible to perception. Then imagination is formed - the ability to mentally see missing objects and situations of manipulating them, transform them, desire or be afraid.

From this point on, two trends emerge. One is to persistently master the objects presented in the imagination - get a coveted toy, a trip to the zoo, a favorite pastime. Another is to give up achievement and make do with imagination. Their balance depends on the family environment and the already established personality traits of the child.

Functions and role

Tasks:

1. Conveying reality through fantasy. Representation helps to reproduce seen phenomena and objects, remember them, and use them to transform reality.
2. Regulation of behavior. When faced with a problematic situation, an individual can predict a program of action. Having selected a scenario, it adjusts the behavior according to the desired outcome.
3. Managing emotions. In an excited emotional state, a person can use his imagination to relieve tension by imagining calming images.

The inability to plan causes frustration: the individual cannot start work, postponing until later. People with undeveloped imagination cannot concentrate even on urgent matters. They themselves don’t understand what’s stopping them.

Briefly about the properties

Imagination is significant not only for scientists and artists, but also in the life of absolutely every person, as it has the following properties :

1. Relieves nervous tension in the process of mentally satisfying human needs, smoothes out the consequences of conflict situations that arise during social interactions.
2. Provides assistance in solving various practical problems while mentally elaborating various options for action.
3. Anticipates the future , allowing you to plan steps to achieve certain goals.
4. Regulates the psychophysiological activity of the body, adjusts it to perform certain tasks, increases concentration when performing various types of activities.

Development methods

In the modern world, creative people are in great demand. That's why there are trainings and seminars on developing imagination.

Such exercises are designed not only for children, but also for adults.

Brief recommendations for the formation of imagination allow parents to help children improve their skills. To begin with, adults must create a sensory environment, i.e. introduce the child to different objects and phenomena. The baby should actively play and talk with peers. It is oral speech that contributes to the emergence of abstract thinking.

Important! We need to support any creative endeavors: drawing, playing music, sculpting, etc. Adults can develop their imagination too

To do this, they should constantly train. For example, come up with new properties for an existing item or try to come up with something from scratch

Adults can develop their imagination too. To do this, they should constantly train. For example, come up with new properties for an existing item or try to come up with something from scratch.

Knowing the exact characteristics of imagination and the characteristics of its manifestation, any person can develop this type of mental activity. Additionally, you can count in your head, read books, watch movies and learn to analyze your environment.

The more sensory experience a person has, the higher the likelihood of fantasies. Meditation and other trance techniques can help. It is useful to recreate the past day every day before going to bed. With regular practice you will be able to achieve good results.