According to the materialistic point of view, the psyche is one of the properties of the brain. In other words, the brain is considered an organ of mental activity.
The idealistic interpretation, opposite to materialist theory, indicates the presence of a certain "soul." She (the soul), according to idealistic philosophers, exists independently and does not depend on the environment or the human body, while controlling human feelings, thoughts, and will.
Material philosophers consider the idealistic understanding of the essence of the psyche to be fundamentally wrong, since the latter goes against the accumulated knowledge and experience of man.
For the most correct understanding of the essence of mental activity disorders , one should know in general terms what the basic mental processes are.
There is a conditional classification. It is conditional because the groups (only three) into which the mental processes are divided are interconnected and are different sides of the same mental activity.
Thus, allocate:
- Intelligent processes. They contribute to the development of cognitive human activity.
- Emotional mental processes. They are a reflection of a person’s relationship to himself and to the environment.
- Volitional processes. They determine the general human activity.
The beginning of cognitive activity coincides with the appearance of sensation. Thanks to him, certain properties of surrounding objects and phenomena are reflected in the human brain. Thus, people with the help of the senses (vision, hearing, smell) are able to distinguish smells, colors, sounds, and more.
After the sensation appears, perception arises. This stage of cognitive activity reflects a complex of various characteristics of phenomena and objects. Thus, their holistic image is formed. Images perceived by man are fixed, preserved in the brain. Thus, human notions are formed.
Unconscious mental processes relate to the reverse side of human consciousness. Specialists subdivide this entire category into three groups. The first includes unconscious mechanisms for conscious action. To the second - the impulses of the same actions. The third group consists of supraconscious mental processes.
The first group is divided into three subgroups. So, the mechanisms include:
- Unconscious automatisms. These are acts or actions that occur without the participation of consciousness. Automata can be primary (blinking, sucking movements, grabbing items, etc.) and secondary (skills that have passed through consciousness and ceased to be recognized).
- Unconscious installation. This is the willingness to perform a specific action or react in a certain way.
- Unconscious escorts. These movements play an accompanying role. To accompany include, for example, facial expressions.
The study of the second group - the unconscious drivers of conscious action - began by Sigmund Freud. Having determined the direction in the 20th century of all psychological science in the world, he gave psychology central importance in the development of human culture. Thus, the theory of psychoanalysis was created.
W. James first described supraconscious mental processes. In his opinion, they are the formation of an integral product as a result of a lot of work without the participation of consciousness (unconscious). This product subsequently invades human life, usually changing it radically. Such processes include creative thinking, personality crises, experiences of difficult events, and others. Consciousness in this case is determined by the fact that the time scale and content of these phenomena is more than what human consciousness can contain.