The concept of "imagination" is familiar to many. Everyone is well aware that a person lives, and not just contemplates this world. In addition to the fact that people learn about the surrounding space, they are also engaged in its change.
What is imagination?
Absolutely every person, without suspecting it, is engaged in the transformation of nature, involuntarily creates objects and improves life. All this could not be achieved if people could not evaluate and present the results of their activities. In order to engage in the transformation of your life and the world as a whole, in practice, you must first mentally imagine this. Hence, such a concept as imagination originates. Psychological processes in this direction play a very important role. Man creates new images through the processing of materials and previously accumulated information. Only people can represent the expected result. Animals are not inherent in this, so they follow inert behavior.
The influence of the power of imagination
Imagination of a person has a close relationship with all parties in life. It is closely connected with memory, as it relies on the memory at the time of the processed information and on the basis of this translates thoughts into an imaginary picture. There is also a close connection between imagination and thinking. This is very clearly manifested at the time of a problem situation, when a person is faced with uncertainty or if he does not have the conditions for solving a particular problem. When problem situations occur, human thinking is responsible for the imagination, and it thus motivates the individual for consumer needs.
In psychology, imagination is the process of creating new thought forms or images based on those that previously existed.
The images
The mental activity of man is aimed at creating various images of the imagination, the main of which are described below.
- An image that reflects objective reality. The essence is that there is a material realization of the object, in fact, this is an objective representation of the world. Absolutely everyone can freely imagine various views and landscapes that cannot be found in big cities. But mentally, a person can move into this alternative reality in order to relax for a while and satisfy his imagination.
- Symbolic imagination. Its essence lies in a symbolic representation, which has no specifics and material evidence. Using symbols is a great way to understand the very complex reality of a person in his imagination. This kind of thinking is creative, so a person represents things that are not quite real or have never been used before, but now the imagination has every chance to supplement reality with new elements.
Imagination functions
Planning. It is the future result that enables the human brain to initially create a certain subject of imagination.
- Cognition. When something new begins to appear in the imagination that is still outside the existing.
- Adaptation or adaptive function. If you plunge into the psychology of a child, you can notice a very conflict situation associated with an excess of external information and a lack of funds that will allow this to be explained and combined with the environment. At such a moment, the children's brain begins to oppose the flow of information from the outside with the help of imagination. This condition is of great interest. You can trace it on the example of a child's awareness of fairy tales. Listening to the story, he learned something new and unusual for himself. After a while in the same story, he will be able to find for himself new moments for perception. Some functions of the imagination are well traced in childhood.
- Children often tell terrible stories. This is primarily due to the fact that children's fear manifests its essence at a certain stage in the child's life. For example, images from the past are supplemented with new information, and the imagination begins its work.
Human awareness is inherently very active, so at the time of creating new images, the imagination really begins to engage in the involuntary production of science fiction. Often this happens at a time when a person is in a sleepy or drowsy state.
Types of imagination
Arbitrary imagination, in turn, is a deliberate process of building an image, and this is due to the goal in a certain activity. In order to carry out this type of activity, it is necessary to consciously create an image and only by its motives will the result be visible. Arbitrary imagination arises at an early age and develops very well during children's games.
The concept of imagination also varies in degree of uniqueness. According to this, it can be reproductive and creative. The peculiarity of the first type is that it is specially created for a person new images for him, but those that already exist or existed previously in different cultures. The essence of the reconstruction of the image can be hidden and take its roots in the verbal description. Thanks to this, the image is perceived, and the person presents a certain scheme or picture. Creative imagination plays an important role in human life. This way of thinking allows the individual to exchange experiences that have been achieved by completely different people.
Creative imagination
Particular attention is paid to the development of creative imagination. It is the most unique. This is an independent creation of new images, they are not peeped anywhere and have not been previously heard. All this is created in the head and, therefore, the product of life is obtained original. Such a process of thinking with the original image has no reliance on the finished work or previously described. This type of imagination is probably the most important of all types. This is a kind of engine of creative activity.
What is a dream?
A dream is a special form of imagination in a person. It is always clearly directed towards the future. It is a dream that provides a person with the opportunity to plan, set goals and achieve them. Those images that are created by the individual in dreams are very vivid, specific and vibrant. Dreams are emotionally fulfilled and become attractive to the subject. But, in turn, they are not always useful. Only those associated with the present can be considered useful and achievable. If these are fantasies that cannot be realized in life, then this can lead to serious mental anxiety and even insanity. Very often questions arise that are related to the process of stimulation and the creation of new ways of imagination. In order for an idea to appear in a person’s head, an imaginary activity needs an impulse. What should happen in a person’s life, after which new ideas and original images will appear? Psychologists work tirelessly in order to find the answer to this question and thus make the process of imagination more predictable. They are trying to find ways to solve the problems associated with the implementation of the imagination. All those methods that were previously considered in psychology, were covered by Freud in psychoanalysis. But this was not enough for modern man.
Associative imagination
Psychologists began to pay special attention to the free-associative imagination. This technique allows you to fully use the imagination, allowing it to stimulate the creative process itself and thus create a mechanism that affects the focus of fantasy. Psychologists immediately developed several mechanisms that allow this to be implemented. In psychology, imagination is a reflection of reality, which appears in new, unusual forms.
Mechanisms of imagination
- Concentration. The mechanism, which is associated with special attention to what is happening in the image, allows a more in-depth understanding of the problem, since it considers its full content.
- Moving. Psychologists have repeatedly proved the fact that during sleep a person sees a distorted image. All people or objects that exist in the real world in a dream look very different, and the attitude towards them develops differently. Thus, incredible superheroes appear in dreams.
- Abstract imagination. This is a very unusual obstructive content of a particular image. This method of exposure is very often created as a result of using various kinds of metal. When a person uses his imagination, he first of all begins to use his hidden creative potential. In order to characterize a person’s attitude to the world, it is very important to get acquainted with his fanatics. Such people are very attentive to surrounding objects in order to create an unusual picture in their head afterwards and move into an alternative reality. But in our time, a lot of people are faced with real situations where their fantasies and imaginations go over the edge, and these will not be very pleasant situations. The role of imagination in human life is very significant. That it can play a cruel joke with the individual and make him manifest his essence at the moment when there was a meeting with fear. People with a strong imagination are very suspicious and susceptible. Creative people very often get lost in their thoughts and do not pay attention to the world around them. They concentrate on their fantasies and thoughts and therefore do not notice others.
Imagination Games
The concept of "imagination" is often referred to in child psychology. Indeed, in children it manifests itself most vividly and openly. The main task of parents is to direct the imagination of the child in a creative direction. There are many imagination games for children. For example, you can write interesting positive stories together. There is another technique - to tell any tale on the contrary, or even come up with a new one.