Each person is unique. Everyone has a different character, temperament and even type of perception. One may be a kinesthetic, the other an audio, the third a visual. Nevertheless, it is difficult to imagine the life activity of any person without adequate orientation in the surrounding reality. The possibility of such an orientation provides a tactile perception, which will be discussed in today's article.
Ways of perceiving information
Perception is a mental process that reflects what is happening in reality. This process helps a person navigate in space, make decisions regarding his subsequent actions and not repeat mistakes.
We suggest you familiarize yourself with the types and basic properties of perception:
- Auditory. This type implies the ability to determine various phenomena of the world around us with the help of sounds.
- Tactile perception includes tactile, skin contact and a touch system. In this case, the main organ is the hands of a person - it is thanks to them that he receives the necessary information. With the help of tactile perception, a person communicates with people and with the world through touch.
- Visual. It consists in combining the processes of creating and constructing visual images of the world around people.
- Flavoring. When eating food, a signal arrives in our brain from the receptors, with the help of which we can distinguish an acid product from a sweet one, bitter from salty.
- Olfactory. It consists in knowing the world with the help of various smells.
What is tactile perception?
Touch is one of the types of perception of objects and phenomena, which is based on multimodal and tactile information.
Thus, tactile perception is sensation through touch, pressure, temperature or pain, due to which a person perceives the surrounding reality. With the help of this perception, a person develops first impressions of an object or phenomenon. When the external integuments of the body come into contact with something, we have the opportunity to know the shape, elasticity, size, roughness or density, cold or heat that are characteristic of the subject.
Thus, tactile perception is information obtained through skin receptors. We feel when we touch an animate or inanimate object, and also notice when we touch. However, sensitivity is not limited to these sensations. When touching an object, it is common for a person to feel not only the basic signs, but also its properties, such as smoothness, hardness, humidity, ductility, as well as itching, tickling and vibration.
Thanks to the tactile way of perceiving information, our skin is able to respond to the physical properties of the objects around us, and therefore it is through it that we receive certain information.
Major perceptual impairment
To identify impaired perception, it is necessary to clearly know the manifestations of diseases. A separate branch of clinical medicine, psychiatry, can help. With the help of clinical tests, medical history, laboratory tests, a specialist in this field will be able to make an adequate diagnosis.
In psychiatry, there are several main categories of tactile impairment:
- illusions;
- autotognosy;
- tactile agnosia;
- hallucinations.
The above diseases can cause a violation of various senses. In the framework of this article, we consider similar disorders that are directly related to tactile sensations and tactile perception.
World of illusion
Tactile illusions are associated with tactile sensations. Perception is imperfect, and sometimes a person can hear a sound, see an image or feel an inexplicable touch on himself. In psychology, it is considered quite normal when, against the background of distorted perception, the human brain builds images that do not correspond to reality. Sometimes people tend not to notice obvious things or, on the contrary, to create the appearance of what is not really there. Therefore, sometimes you can see the distortion of an object in the air, a mirage and much more.
With this violation, the patient seems to have tactile contact with unrealistic objects and fictional objects. In addition, a person may have a sensation of a foreign object within himself.
Get rid of illusions
The first step towards healing will be to identify the underlying disease, as illusions can be a side sign of a more serious illness. To do this, first of all, you need to contact a therapist. With the help of medical tests and examinations, the doctor will be able to make a diagnosis and, if necessary, redirect to a specialist. For example, if the symptoms of syphilis became the cause of the illusions, then the patient will be referred to a venereologist. In this case, it is worth paying attention to the underlying disease and starting treatment with it. After she retreats, tactile illusions will pass.
But it happens that this disorder has a mental character. In this case, you should contact a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. They will help to make or refute the diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder. If a specialist reveals a certain diagnosis, with the help of medical treatment and certain therapy, he will be able to help. In this area, the approach to each patient is purely individual, therefore it is strictly forbidden to engage in self-medication. Medicines and prescriptions, read in various forums on the Internet or offered by friends, can only aggravate the situation.
In case of illusions in children, before or after bed, it is worthwhile to see a specialist and, if necessary, undergo treatment. Having worked with a child and his parents, a psychiatrist or psychotherapist will be able to identify the root cause of this disorder, after which several psychotherapy sessions will follow, which should subsequently help the baby cope with a false perception of the real world.
Hallucination
This disorder can cause visual, auditory, and tactile impairment. As for tactile hallucinations (they are also called tactile), they can manifest themselves in the form of squeezing, a feeling of touch and injections. Sometimes this can be expressed in unpleasant sensations under the skin, as if insects or other tiny creatures dig in the muscle tissue.
Hallucinations can affect both the human body and the outside world that surrounds it. If visions occur quite often and are accompanied by delirium, then in this case we are talking about hallucinosis. This disorder tends to go into a chronic state in which the patient can remain operational, critical of his feelings and orderly behavior.
Hallucinations that accompany drug and alcohol intoxication are treated by specialists in psychiatric clinics or drug dispensaries. But this treatment is carried out only in the absence of dependence on alcohol and drugs. In this case, specialists will be able to help get rid of scary sensations and visions.
Causes of Hallucinations
Scientists still have not identified specific factors that can affect the occurrence of hallucinations. The reasons so far remain completely unexplored, but nevertheless there are assumptions:
- alcohol and drug intoxication can cause significant damage not only to physical but also to mental health;
- impaired brain function;
- tactile hallucinations can be caused by schizophrenia or encephalitis;
- side effect of drug treatment;
- violation of the senses;
- experts have identified yet another factor called “mass psychosis” - this happens when an absolutely healthy person lends itself to mass suggestion.
Tactile agnosia
This violation is associated with damage to the parietal parts of the hemisphere of the human brain, which inhibits the tactile perception of information. Tactile agnosia includes the impossibility of identifying various objects as a whole while maintaining the perception of its individual characteristics. For example, when feeling any object placed in the patient’s left or right hand, obvious difficulties can be noticed.
With tactile agnosia, it can be difficult to feel an object to determine its weight, size, shape and material from which it is made. Today, dermoalexia is a common variant of tactile agnosia. It is associated with a lesion of the left parietal region, which is characterized by the impossibility of perceiving various symbols (these can be letters, numbers or signs), which are “drawn” by a specialist on the patient’s hand.
The essence of tactile agnosia is a violation of the recognition of various objects and touching them. There are several varieties of this disorder:
- finger - with this violation, the patient does not feel his fingers;
- somatoagnosia - violation of recognition of body parts and their location;
- subject - with this kind of tactile agnosia, a person is unable to touch to determine the properties of an object, such as its shape, size, material, despite the fact that a visually ill patient can describe this object.
Autotagnosia
The following violation is due to the inability to perceive the location of various parts of the body, their location and relationship. Simply put, it’s hard for a person with this disorder to understand where his ears or eyes and other parts of the body are.
As a rule, this disorder extends to the trunk, face and upper limbs. There are two types of autotagnosy:
- It is common for the patient to ignore one half of the body - during movement, the person simply does not notice and does not use that half of the body. There are also cases when a person has the sensation that she is simply missing a part of the body.
- The second type is an incorrect assessment of the location of various parts of the body. For example, when a patient is asked to show where his nose is, he may point to a completely different part of the body or mention his absence. People with this disorder cannot find their body parts or believe that they are completely absent.
Diagnostics
With the development of the above deviations, it is necessary to consult a doctor, who, in turn, will try to identify the full picture of the disease and study the anamnesis. For example, if a patient has recently suffered a brain tumor, stroke, or other various injuries, this can become an essential basis for the formation of these disorders. Therefore, the attending physician must take into account all the nuances in the process of diagnosing disorders, and then refer them to specialists with a narrow profile to check the state of vision, hearing. Also, in the process of checking a violation of tactile-motor perception, various laboratory tests are performed.
Prevention
The above violations of tactile perception do not have specific methods of prevention, but you can protect yourself from this with the help of a correct lifestyle.
In order to avoid such violations that adversely affect tactile-motor perception, experts advise the following:
- First of all, give up bad and bad habits;
- observe the daily routine;
- Find a hobby and do your favorite things as often as possible;
- get enough sleep;
- communicate more with relatives and friends;
- dream and make plans.
Such simple, at first glance, tips will help you live a full life, where there is no room for a world of illusions.
Treatment
Once the reason for the violation of tactile perception is determined and all efforts are directed towards the treatment and elimination of the main pathology, psychotherapeutic therapy and consultations with a speech therapist and neuropsychologist should be carried out in parallel. Treatment can last for many years or give a good result in the first two weeks, this is a purely individual aspect. As a rule, treatment of these disorders begins after adequate measures have been taken to eliminate the underlying disease of the patient. There are cases when, after a complete cure from the underlying disease, impaired functions were restored without the use of additional correction measures.
Forecast
When identifying the above violations, correction of tactile perception is necessary. Neglecting treatment in this case is not advisable. Various kinds of hallucinations, agnosia, autotagnosia are progressive diseases that will only worsen a person’s condition. In this case, the prognosis will be disappointing, since the patient is unable to distinguish between the real and the imaginary.
In the absence of appropriate treatment, these disorders will only progress, and the person himself will become even more distant from reality, plunging into his own world. In such situations, you should not self-medicate and look for answers to your questions yourself.
How to develop tactile perception in children
We know the world around us and ourselves through various types of perception, such as smell, touch, taste, hearing and eyesight. You do not need to be a psychologist or physiologist in order not to notice what a huge impact on the child has a tactile perception of objects. Touching the mother, studying toys and any other details with pens, lips and even legs. It is with the help of fingers and palms that a small child learns the big world, which positively affects mental activity. And to help the baby in the study of the environment, it is worth contributing to the development of tactile perception.
The ability to recognize objects is important not only for children, but also for adults. This is especially important when there is a visual impairment and a person has no options how to learn to study the world with the help of touch organs.
We suggest considering exercises that contribute to the development of tactile perception:
- Collect as many different objects as possible to the touch: sandpaper, velvet, fur, ribbons, erasers, paper, fragments of stones, shells, pieces of metal, etc. Touching on these objects, discuss with each child what each of them on touch and that of our life he reminds us.
- Put different things in the bag or bag and ask the child to pull something fluffy, smooth or rough out of it. Or, instead of the qualities of this little thing, you can guess the name of the subject itself. For example, put keys, a toy car, a notebook, a walnut, or a pencil in a bag. Then invite the baby to get a certain item.
- Lay various objects on the floor and try to touch them with your bare feet. It can be anything: fur, newspaper, rug, cardboard, velvet, sandpaper, beans, rice, buckwheat, cotton fabric and much more. If possible, go outside and walk barefoot. Feel your feet in contact with sand, leaves, grass, wood, bricks, asphalt, gravel and earth. Compare and discuss your feelings.
- The following exercise is performed in the presence of two children. The bottom line is this: invite the children to talk to each other without words, using only touches and gestures.
Bags of grain
This exercise is suitable for children older than 6 months. Pre-sew small-sized bags of linen, half-fill them with various grains and sew on all sides. Usually they make four pairs of identical bags: two each with buckwheat, rice, wheat or beans, etc. You can sew bags of different colors. The task of the child is to be able to pick up bags with the same grain to the touch.
Tactile track
This exercise is for children older than one year. The meaning of the exercise is as follows:
- Any item must be placed on the floor. It can be pebbles or pebbles, straw, lumps of paper, clean sand, pieces of cloth, wooden planks.
- After the children washed and wiped their feet dry, they are invited to walk along a rough path. The main thing is to do it slowly and try not to step aside.
This exercise will not only be a pleasant entertainment for kids, but also a training in coordinating movement and concentration. Of course, this track can be built in the yard and on the street. Actually, even doing it on purpose is not necessary.Instead, just let the child run barefoot on sand, grass, pebbles, and wet clay as often as possible. According to studies, the centers of tactile perception in the brain are not far from the centers of speech development. In this regard, the training of the feet contributes to the speedy development of speech no worse than the training of the fingers. That is, tactile perception contributes to the development of speech.
It is worth noting that touch is the first feeling that begins to develop in the embryo. The development of a person’s perception of feelings and their relation to the development of other feelings, such as hearing or vision, has become the subject of a large number of studies. According to scientists, newborns had big problems with survival if they lacked the development of a sense of touch, even if they had the opportunity to see and hear.
Do not underestimate tactile perception, because touch plays a huge role in the life of not only children, but also adults. They can cause the production of hormones of happiness in the body and contribute to well-being. Tactile perception simultaneously affects the mind and physical component.