Imagination is the eye of the soul. These are the words of a French writer, and writers can be trusted in questions about mental work. All the information that our perceptual organs are capable of capturing is transformed by the brain into some more or less realistic images. This is imagination - the displayed reality inside us. The concept unites very different forms, and in this article we will consider the possible types and functions of the imagination.
Classification of types of imagination
In psychology, two types of imagination are distinguished: active and passive.
- Passive, or involuntary imagination. Unprecedented events, travel, landscapes, communication - real and imaginary images can visit a person in addition to his will. In childhood, only this happens - until the child learns to control the flow of his thoughts. But even with an adult this happens - a man stops, peering into nowhere, experiencing some internal events.
Passive imagination, in turn, can be:
- intentional;
- unintentional.
The deliberate passive imagination of man is a dream and a fantasy that arises out of the will of man. That is, a person does not concentrate his efforts on causing these images in his consciousness, they arise by themselves. But they carry an imprint of the person's personality - for example, correspond to his preferences or anxieties.
The best example of an unintended passive imagination is a dream. It is in a dream images and events can violate all the laws of logic and physics, and their change does not depend on the desire of man. The same kind is observed and as a result of the disease, when the brain work is disrupted, or as a result of exposure to certain substances. An example is a hallucination.
Active imagination begins to form in childhood, when the child has the first conscious activity. Modern pedagogy places great emphasis on the development in infancy and younger preschool age of the ability to distinguish and compare images, and also to manipulate objects. Small and large motor skills develop interdependently with the ability to operate with mental forms.
This type of imagination includes:
- dreaming;
- recreating the imagination;
- creative imagination.
Dream, as a special kind of imagination. Unlike involuntary dreams, the dream is a conscious mental work. Man creates in the mind images of desired goals, and then seeks to implement them.
The active kind refers to the recreating imagination. It implies the ability
Creative imagination also refers to an active mind. Types and techniques of creative imagination can be observed in scientific work, in art, in creative activity. With his help, the designer presents the image of the future costume, and the designer in his mind represents the cutting of the fabric, which will create this suit. It helps designers create new technical solutions. And even scientists first creatively generate hypotheses, and then they are already engaged in their proof.
It is the imagination, its forms, properties and functions that made it possible to create the social, technical and cultural environment around us.