Imagination as a mental process

I. Imagination - This is the mental process of creating new images based on previously perceived. Imagination is a reflection of reality in new unusual combinations and connections. It occupies an intermediate position between perception and thinking, thinking and memory. This is one of the most mysterious psychic phenomena. We know almost nothing about the mechanism of imagination, its anatomical and physiological basis. Imagination is peculiar to man. It allows him to go beyond the real world in time and space, provides an opportunity even before the start of work to imagine the finished result of labor. Almost all human material and spiritual culture is a product of people's imagination and creativity.

Imagination is the only weapon in the battle against reality. Jules de Gauthier

General characteristics of the imagination and its role in mental activity. Imagination as a process of transforming views. Mechanisms of the process of imagination. The role of imagination in human life. The physiological basis of imagination. The connection of imagination with the regulation of organic processes and movements.

Types of imagination. Classification of imagination according to the degree of premeditation: voluntary and involuntary imagination. Recreating imagination. Creative imagination. Dream. Spatial imagination. Active and passive imagination.

Mechanisms for processing ideas into imaginary images. The main stages of the formation of imaginary images. Analysis, abstraction, synthesis. Agglutination as a mechanism for the formation of images of the imagination. Schematization and emphasis.

Individual features of the imagination and its development. Differences between people according to the degree of development of the imagination and the type of presentation with which they operate most often. Characteristic degree of development of the imagination. The main types of imagination. Stages of development of the imagination. The individual nature of the development of the imagination.

Imagination and creativity. General idea of ​​creativity. The value of imagination for creativity. The concept of T. Ribot. Stages of creativity by G. Wallace. The levels of creative tasks by G. S. Altshuller.

Functions of the imagination:

1. Figurative representation of reality;

2. Regulation of emotional states;

3. Arbitrary regulation of cognitive processes and human states;

4. Formation of an internal action plan.

Ways to create images of the imagination:

• Agglutination is the creation of images by combining any qualities, properties, parts.

• Emphasis - the allocation of any part, the details of the whole.

• Typification is the most difficult technique. The artist depicts a specific episode, which absorbs a lot of similar ones and thus is like their representative. A literary image is also formed, in which the typical features of many people of a given circle of a certain epoch are concentrated.

Imagination is a change and transformation by a person of his ideas based on:

1. isolating from the holistic image of the object of any of its elements or properties. Such, for example, is the presentation of one form of stone tool as suitable for cutting, the other as stabbing; the idea of ​​the size of a stick as a means to lengthen a hand;

2. changes in the size, size of objects in the direction of exaggeration (hyperbole) or minimizing it in comparison with the real ones and creating in this way all sorts of fantastic images (giants, dwarves, etc.);

3. uniting in their imagination parts of their parts or elements isolated from different objects and thus creating a mental image, representing a new object that did not exist previously in nature (the Sphinx among the ancient Egyptians, the bull man among the Assyrians, the centaur among the ancient Greeks);

4. constructing an object in connection with its purpose, such as a spear; mentally endowing this weapon with the properties of hitting the target from afar (throwing) or close (striking a powerful injection) and therefore giving a special shape to each of these guns (light dart and heavy spear);

5. mental enhancement of any property or quality, giving this property disproportionately greater or particular importance in the characteristics of the object (fox's cunning, hare’s cowardice);

6. transfer to other objects (the leader of the tribe is as cunning as a fox; enemies are cowardly, like hares);

7. mental weakening of any property or quality of the object, which leads to a stronger degree to the construction of a contrast image endowed with properties directly opposite to the original one (many characters of the national epic, fairy tales);

8. creating a new image as a result of the generalization of features observed in a number of similar objects (typing an image in fiction; for example, literary heroes Onegin, Pechorin, Oblomov, Samgin, Korchagin and others are endowed with features typical of that era, the class expressing which they are ).

Physiological mechanisms of imagination.

The physiological basis of imagination is constituted by residual trace processes of excitation and inhibition, irradiation and concentration, positive and negative induction, analysis and synthesis in the cortical parts of various analyzers. As a result of this complex nervous activity, new ones appear that did not have a place in the real process of perception, a combination of temporary connections formed in the past, which form the basis of images of the imagination .

Types of imagination .

Imagination can function at different levels. Their difference is determined primarily by human activity.

1. According to the severity of activity distinguish between active and passive imagination.

1) Active imagination is characterized by the fact that, using it, a person of his own will, with the help of his will, evokes appropriate images in himself. Active imagination can be creative and recreating.

2) Creative active imagination that arises in work involves the independent creation of images that are realized in the original and valuable products of activity, and is an integral part of technical, artistic and other creativity.

3) Recreating active imagination is based on the creation of certain images corresponding to the description. We use this kind of imagination when reading literature, studying geographical maps and drawings.

Images of passive imagination arise spontaneously, apart from the will and desire of man. Passive imagination is characterized by the creation of images that are not embodied in life. Passive imagination can be intentional and unintentional.

4) Intentional passive imagination creates images, not connected with the will, which would contribute to their realization. So, creating the image of Manilov, N.V. Gogol summarized people who, in barren reverie, see a convenient opportunity to escape from reality. Fantasy hero creates projects that are not implemented and often can not be implemented.

5) Unintentional passive imagination is observed with a weakening of the activity of consciousness, with its disorders, in a semi-drowsy state, in a dream. The category of passive, unintended forms of imagination include dreams. Their true role in human life has not yet been established, although it is known that many vital human needs, which for a number of reasons cannot be realized in life, find expression and satisfaction in dreams.

Recreating imagination manifests itself when it is necessary for a person to recreate the representation of an object that corresponds as fully as possible to its description.

Creative imagination is characterized by the fact that a person transforms ideas and creates new ones not according to the existing pattern, but independently outlining the contours of the image being created and choosing the necessary materials for it.

Iii . Forms of imagination .

The form of manifestation of active imagination and a necessary condition for the implementation in life of the creative forces of man aimed at transforming reality are dreams.

1. Dreams - delayed desire in time. Dreams differ from dreams in that they are connected with reality, i.e. in principle, feasible. In fact, any object made by human hands, in its historical essence, is a dream come true. The eternal dream of mankind about the speed of movement embodied in a series of inventions from wheel to rocket.

2. Fantasies . However, imagination can act as a substitute activity, its surrogate. Then a person moves away from reality into the realm of fantasy in order to hide from the seemingly intractable tasks, from the need to act, from the burden of life. Such fantasies are called dreams. Dreaming reflects the connection of fantasy with our needs. Dreams are fundamentally impracticable. Let us recall the painful attempt of Gogol's heroine from the “Marriage” to choose a groom from four applicants: “If Nikanor Ivanovich’s lips were to attach Ivan Kuzmich to the nose, and to take some sort of swagger, which Baltazar Baltazarych had, yes, perhaps, add Ivan to this dignity Pavlovich - then I would immediately decide. " Dreams perform a compensatory function: a person in an illusory fictional life gets what he lacks in reality. However, if barren dreaminess occupies a significant place in a person's life, then this indicates a defect in the development of personality.

3. Hallucinations are a fantastic vision that has almost no connection with reality. If dreams can be considered quite normal mental state, then hallucinations are usually the result of certain mental disorders or body work, and accompany many painful conditions. Hallucinations are the most representative manifestations of passive unintended imagination, in which a non-existent object is perceived by a person. These images are so bright that a person is absolutely convinced of their reality.

11.1. General characteristics of the imagination and its role in mental activity

A person constantly comes into contact with his environment. Every second, tens and hundreds of various stimuli affect our senses, many of which remain permanently in a person’s memory. Moreover, one of the most curious phenomena of the human psyche is that the impressions obtained in previous practice from objects and phenomena of the real world are not only remembered for a long time, but also undergo certain processing. The existence of this phenomenon determined the ability of a person to influence the environment and purposefully change it.

It should be noted that the impact of an animal on the external environment and a change in the external environment by humans have fundamental differences. Unlike an animal, a person influences the environment in a planned manner, directing his efforts towards a predetermined goal. Such a nature of changes in reality in the labor process involves a preliminary presentation in the consciousness of what a person wants to receive as a result of his activities. For example, a spider performs certain operations resembling weaver operations, and the bees, by building their wax cells, resemble construction workers. However, any of the worst specialists differs from the best bee or the most skillful spider in that it acts according to a predetermined plan. Any work involves the development of such a plan, and only then - its implementation in practice.

Thus, considering the process of creating something new by a person, we are faced with another phenomenon of the human psyche. Its essence lies in the fact that a person creates an image in his mind, which while in reality does not yet exist, and the basis for creating such an image is our past experience, which we obtained by interacting with objective reality. This process - the process of creating new mental images - is called imagination.

So, the imagination is a process of transformation of the representations reflecting the real reality, and creation on this basis of new representations. It is believed that the imagination originated in the process of labor - specifically human activity, because of the existence of the need to transform the objects of the real world. For example, having a tool in front of your eyes, which in its characteristics and properties was not completely perfect, a person could imagine another tool that corresponds to his idea of ​​what is necessary to perform a particular labor operation. But then, in the course of the historical development of man, the activity of the imagination began to manifest itself not only in work, but also in the fantasies and dreams of man, that is, in images that could not be created at all at the moment. Extremely complex forms of imagination appeared, which are necessary in scientific, technical and artistic creativity. However, even in these cases, the imagination acts as a result of the transformation of our ideas derived from reality.

The process of imagination always takes place in inseparable connection with two other mental processes - memory and thinking. Speaking of imagination, we only emphasize the prevailing direction of mental activity. If a person is faced with the task of reproducing the representations of things and events that were previously in his experience, we are talking about the processes of memory. But if the same ideas are reproduced in order to create a new combination of these ideas or to create new ones from them, we are talking about the activity of the imagination.

It should be noted that the images of imagination are created only by processing the individual aspects of the images of reality that exist in a person. For example, reading fiction novels, you probably noticed that fictional characters (aliens, monsters, non-existent animals, etc.) are still completely or partially similar in appearance to objects known to us, that is, they were transformed by the writer's imagination from reality

Speaking of imagination, one should not underestimate its role in human mental activity, because a certain processing of images of reality takes place even in the simplest version of reproduction. So, imagining any object or event, we very often are not able to reproduce the relevant facts in all details and with all the details. However, things and events are not reproduced as incoherent fragments or scattered frames, but in their integrity and continuity. Consequently, there is a kind of processing of the material, which is expressed in replenishing the representations with necessary details, t. in the process of reproduction, the activity of our imagination begins to manifest.

To a much greater extent, the activity of the imagination is present in the formation of the images of objects or phenomena that we have never perceived. This is how ideas about natural areas where we have never been, or ideas about the image of a literary hero, arise.

The activity of the imagination is closely connected with the emotional experiences of a person. Representing the desired can cause a person to have positive feelings, and in certain situations the dream of a happy future can take a person out of extremely negative states, allows him to distract from the situation of the present moment, analyze what is happening and rethink the significance of the situation for the future. Consequently, the imagination plays a very significant role in the regulation of our behavior.

Imagination is associated with the implementation of our volitional actions. So, the imagination is present in any form of our work, because before you create something, you must have an idea of ​​what we create. Moreover, the further we move away from mechanical work and get closer to creative activity, the more the importance of our imagination rises.

It is considered that the physiological basis of imagination is the actualization of neural connections, their disintegration, regrouping and unification into new systems. In this way, images appear that do not coincide with previous experience, but are not divorced from it. The complexity, unpredictability of the imagination, its connection with emotions suggest that its physiological mechanisms are connected not only with the cortex, but also with the more deep-seated brain structures. In particular, the hypothalamic-limbic system plays an important role here.

It should be noted that the imagination due to the peculiarities of the physiological systems responsible for it is to a certain extent related to the regulation of organic processes and movement. Воображение оказывает влияние на многие органические процессы: функционирование желез, деятельность внутренних органов, обмен веществ в организме и др. Например, хорошо известно, что представление о вкусном обеде вызывает у нас обильное слюноотделение, а внушая человеку представление об ожоге, можно вызвать реальные признаки «ожога» на коже. Подобная закономерность известна уже давно и широко используется при лечении так называемых психосоматических больных в ходе сеансов суггестивной терапии. С другой стороны, воображение оказывает влияние и па двигательные функции человека. Например, стоит нам вообразить, что мы бежим но дорожке стадиона во время соревнований, как приборы будут регистрировать едва заметные сокращения соответствующих мышечных групп.

Другим примером влияния воображения на органические процессы может быть изменение газообмена в то время, когда мы представляем себе выполнение какой-либо физической работы. Например, мы представляем, что поднимаем тяжелую штангу на соревновании. В этом случае приборы будут регистрировать увеличение интенсивности газообмена. Это же явление будет обнаружено и в тех случаях, когда мы будем видеть лицо человека, поднимающего штангу.

Таким образом, можно сделать вывод о том, что воображение играет существенную роль как в регуляции процессов организма человека, так и в регуляции его мотивированного поведения.

11.2. Виды воображения

Процессы воображения, как и процессы памяти, могут различаться по степени произвольности, или преднамеренности. Крайним случаем непроизвольной работы воображения являются сновидения, в которых образы рождаются непреднамеренно и в самых неожиданных и причудливых сочетаниях. Непроизвольной в своей основе также является деятельность воображения, развертывающаяся в полусонном, дремотном состоянии, например перед засыпанием.

Произвольное воображение имеет для человека гораздо большее значение. Этот вид воображения проявляется тогда, когда перед человеком стоит задача создания определенных образов, намеченных им самим или заданных ему со стороны. В этих случаях процесс воображения контролируется и направляется самим человеком. В основе такой работы воображения лежит умение произвольно вызывать и изменять нужные представления.

Среди различных видов и форм произвольного воображения можно выделить воссоздающее воображение, творческое воображение и мечту.

Recreating imagination manifests itself when it is necessary for a person to recreate the representation of an object that corresponds as fully as possible to its description. We encounter this kind of imagination when we read the description of geographical places or historical events, as well as when we get acquainted with literary heroes. It should be noted that recreating imagination forms not only visual representations, but also tactile, auditory, etc. So, reading the description of the Battle of Poltava in Pushkin’s poem “Poltava”, we clearly imagine the rumble of gunfire, the cries of soldiers, drum beat, the smell of gunpowder.

Чаще всего мы сталкиваемся с воссоздающим воображением, когда необходимо воссоздать какое-либо представление по словесному описанию. Однако бывают случаи, когда мы воссоздаем представление о каком-либо предмете не пользуясь словами, а па основе схем и чертежей. В этом случае успешность воссоздания образа во многом определяется способностями человека к пространственному воображению, т. е. способностью воссоздать образ в трехмерном пространстве. Следовательно, процесс воссоздающего воображения тесно связан с мышлением человека и его памятью.

Следующий вид произвольного воображения — творческое воображение. Оно характеризуется тем, что человек преобразует представления и создает новые не по имеющемуся образцу, а самостоятельно намечая контуры создаваемого образа и выбирая для него необходимые материалы. Творческое воображение, как и воссоздающее, тесно связано с памятью, поскольку во всех случаях его проявления человек использует свой предшествующий опыт. Поэтому между воссоздающим и творческим воображением нет жесткой границы. При воссоздающем воображении зритель, читатель, или слушатель должен в большей или меньшей степени восполнять заданный образ деятельностью своего творческого воображения.

Особой формой воображения является мечта. Суть данного типа воображения заключается в самостоятельном создании новых образов. При этом мечта имеет ряд существенных отличий от творческого воображения. Во-первых, в мечте че-

ловек всегда создает образ желаемого, тогда как в образах творческих вовсе не всегда воплощаются желания их создателя. В мечтах находит свое образное выражение то, что влечет к себе человека, к чему он стремится. Во-вторых, мечта — это процесс воображения, не включенный в творческую деятельность, т. е. не дающий немедленно и непосредственно объективного продукта в виде художественного произведения, научного открытия, технического изобретения и т. д.

Главной особенностью мечты является то, что она направлена на будущую деятельность, т. е. мечта — это воображение, направленное на желаемое будущее. Причем следует различать несколько подтипов данного вида воображения. Чаще всего человек строит планы в отношении будущего и в своей мечте определяет пути достижения задуманного. В этом случае мечта является активным, произвольным, сознательным процессом.

Но существуют люди, для которых мечта выступает в качестве замещения деятельности. Их мечты остаются только мечтами. Одна из причин этого явления, как правило, заключается в тех жизненных неудачах, которые они постоянно терпят. В результате ряда неудач человек отказывается от исполнения своих планов

and practice and immersed in the dream. In this case, the dream acts as a conscious, arbitrary process that has no practical end. It should be noted that this type of dream can not be considered only as a negative phenomenon. The positive meaning of this type of dream is to ensure the preservation of the mechanisms of regulation of body systems. For example, failures in practice in most cases contribute to the formation of a negative mental state, which can be expressed in an increased level of anxiety, discomfort or even depressive reactions. In turn, the negative mental state acts as one of the factors causing difficulties in the socio-psychological adaptation of a person, the formation of maladaptive disorders and premorbid characteristics of any disease. In this situation, the dream can act as a form of psychological protection, providing temporary escape from the problems that have arisen, which contributes to a certain neutralization of the negative mental state and the preservation of the regulation mechanisms while reducing the overall human activity.

It should be noted that these types of dreams are active, voluntary and conscious mental processes. However, imagination can exist in another - a passive form, which is characterized by involuntary play of imagination. An example of such involuntary imagination, as we have said, is a dream.

If arbitrary, or active, imagination is intentional, that is, it is associated with a man’s volitional manifestations, then passive imagination can be intentional and unintentional. Deliberate passive imagination creates images not connected with the will. These images are called dreams. In dreams, the connection of imagination with the needs of the individual is most clearly revealed. It is easy to predict what a person will dream of, anxiously awaiting a significant event for him. People tend to dream about pleasant, tempting. But if dreams begin to substitute for activity and to prevail in the mental life of a person, then this already indicates certain impairments of mental development. The predominance of dreams in the mental life of a person can lead him to separation from reality, to the care of a fictional world, which, in turn, begins to inhibit the mental and social development of this person. So, a schoolchild, not preparing for classes and receiving unsatisfactory marks, can create an illusory, made-up life for himself, where he succeeds, where he is

Fig. 11.1. Kinds of imagination

envy where he occupies a position that he cannot hope for now and in real life.

Unintentional passive imagination is observed with a weakening of the activity of consciousness, its disorders, in a semi-drowsy state, in a dream, etc. The most significant manifestation of passive imagination is hallucinations, in which a person perceives non-existent objects. As a rule, hallucinations are observed in some mental disorders.

Thus, when classifying the types of imagination come from two main characteristics. This is the degree of manifestation of volitional efforts and the degree of activity, or awareness (Fig. 11.1).

11.3. Mechanisms for processing ideas into imaginary images

Images recreated in the process of imagination, can not arise from nothing. They are formed on the basis of our previous experience, on the basis of ideas about objects and phenomena of objective reality. The process of creating images of imagination from the impressions received by man from reality can take many forms.

Creating images of imagination goes through two main stages. At the first stage, a kind of separation of impressions, or existing ideas, into its component parts takes place. In other words, the first stage of the formation of images of imagination is characterized by the analysis of impressions received from reality or the representations formed as a result of previous experience. In the course of such analysis, the object is abstracted , that is, it appears to us to be isolated from other objects, and the parts of the object are also abstracted.

With these images further transformations of two basic types can be carried out. First, these images can be put in new combinations and connections. Secondly, these images can be given a completely new meaning. In any case, with abstract images, operations are performed that can be characterized as synthesis. These operations, which constitute the essence of the synthesizing activity of the imagination, are the second stage in the formation of images of the imagination. Moreover, the forms in which the synthesizing activity of the imagination is carried out are extremely diverse. We will consider only some of them.

The simplest form of synthesis in the process of imagination is agglutination, that is, the creation of a new image by attaching parts or properties of one object to another in imagination. Examples of agglutination can be: the image of a centaur, the image of a winged man in the drawings of North American Indians, the image of an ancient Egyptian deity (a man with a tail and animal head), etc. (Fig. 11.2).

Agglutination is widely used in art and technical creativity. For example, everyone knows the advice that Leonardo da Vinci gave to young

Fig. 11.2. Image of a centaur as a result of imagination

to the artists: “If you want to make a fictional animal seem natural, let it be, say, a snake, then take the head of a shepherd dog or a dog for her head, attaching to her cat eyes, owl ears, nose greyhound, eyebrows of a lion, whiskey of an old cock and neck of the terrapin. " In the technique, as a result of the use of agglutination, created, for example, amphibious vehicle and hovercraft.

The processes underlying agglutination are very diverse. As a rule, they can be divided into two main groups: processes associated with a lack of criticality, or a lack of analyticity of perception, and arbitrary processes, that is, controlled by consciousness, associated with mental generalizations. The image of a centaur, apparently, appeared when, in conditions of insufficient visibility, a person riding a horse was perceived as some kind of unseen animal. At the same time, the image of a winged person, most likely, arose consciously, since it symbolizes the idea of ​​quick and easy movement through the air and is concretized in a sensual image.

One of the most common ways of processing images of perception into images of imagination is to increase or decrease an object or its parts. Using this method, various literary characters were created.

Agglutination can also be carried out by incorporating already known images into a new context. In this case, new connections are established between the representations, thanks to which the entire set of images gets a new meaning. As a rule, when ideas are included in a new context, this process is preceded by a certain idea or goal. This process is fully controlled, unless it is a dream, when the control of consciousness is impossible. With the inclusion of already known images in a new context, a person achieves a correspondence between separate representations and a holistic context. Therefore, the whole process from the very beginning is subject to certain meaningful connections.

The most significant ways of processing ideas into images of imagination, following the path of generalization of essential features, are schematization and emphasis.

Schematization can occur under various conditions. First, schematization can occur as a result of incomplete, superficial perception of an object. In this case, the representations are schematized randomly, and in them are sometimes highlighted the minor details, randomly discovered during the perception of the subject. As a result, distortions arise that lead to the creation of images of the imagination that distort reality. A similar phenomenon is common in children.

Secondly, the reason for schematization in the case of a sufficiently complete perception of the object can be forgetting of any non-essential details or parts. In this case, essential details and features appear in the foreground view. At the same time, the representation loses a certain individuality and becomes more generalized.

And finally, thirdly, the reason for schematization can be a conscious distraction from non-essential, or secondary, sides of an object. Man consciously directs his attention to the essential, in his opinion, features and properties of the object and as a result reduces the presentation to a certain pattern.

Emphasis is to emphasize the most significant, typical signs of the image. Typically, this method is used to create artistic images. The main feature of such processing of images of perception into images of imagination is that, reflecting the reality and typing it, the artistic image always gives a broad generalization, but this generalization is always reflected in a particular image. Moreover, the processing of ideas in creating a typical image is not accomplished by mechanically folding or subtracting any features. The process of creating a typical image is a complex creative process and reflects certain individual characteristics of the person creating this image.

11.4. Individual features of the imagination and its development

The imagination of people is developed in different ways, and it manifests itself in different ways in their activities and social life. Individual features of the imagination are expressed in the fact that people differ in the degree of development of the imagination and in the type of images with which they operate most often.

The degree of development of the imagination is characterized by the brightness of images and the depth with which the data of past experience are processed, as well as the novelty and meaningfulness of the results of this processing. The power and liveliness of the imagination is easily appreciated when the product of the imagination are implausible and bizarre images, for example, from the authors of fairy tales. The weak development of the imagination is expressed in a low level of processing ideas. Weak imagination entails difficulties in solving mental tasks that require the ability to visualize a specific situation. With an insufficient level of development of imagination, a rich and emotionally diverse life is impossible .

Most clearly people differ in the degree of brightness of images of the imagination. If we assume that there is a corresponding scale, then at one extreme there will be people with extremely high indicators of brightness of images of the imagination, which they experience as a vision, and at the other pole there will be people with extremely pale ideas. As a rule, we meet a high level of development of imagination among people engaged in creative work - writers, artists, musicians, scientists.

Significant differences between people are revealed in relation to the nature of the dominant type of imagination. Most often there are people with a predominance of visual, auditory or motor images of the imagination. But there are people who have a high development of all or most types of imagination. These people can be referred to the so-called mixed type. Belonging to one or another type of imagination is very significantly reflected in the individual psychological characteristics of a person. For example, people of the auditory or motor type very often dramatize a situation in their reflections, imagining a nonexistent opponent.

It should be noted that a person is not born with a developed imagination. The development of imagination is carried out in the course of human ontogenesis and requires the accumulation of a known stock of ideas that can later serve as material for creating images of imagination. Imagination develops in close connection with the development of the whole personality, in the process of learning and upbringing, as well as in unity with thinking, memory, will and feelings.

It is very difficult to determine any specific age limits characterizing the dynamics of the development of the imagination. There are examples of extremely early development of the imagination. For example, Mozart began composing music at the age of four; Repin and Serov were already good at drawing at six. On the other hand, the late development of imagination does not mean that this process will be at a low level in more mature years. Stories are known cases when great people, such as Einstein, in childhood did not have a developed imagination, but over time they began to speak of them as geniuses.

Despite the difficulty of determining the stages of development of the imagination of a person, it is possible to identify certain patterns in its formation. So, the first manifestations of imagination are closely related to the process of perception. For example, children as young as one and a half cannot yet listen to even the simplest stories or tales, they are constantly distracted or fall asleep, but they listen with pleasure to stories about what they themselves have experienced. In this phenomenon, the link between imagination and perception is clearly visible. A child listens to a story about his experiences because he clearly represents what is being said. The connection between perception and imagination is preserved at the next stage of development, when the child in his games begins to process the received impressions, modifying previously perceived objects in his imagination. The chair turns into a cave or plane, a box into a car. However, it should be noted that the first images of the child’s imagination are always associated with activity. The child does not dream, but embodies the reworked image into his activity, even despite the fact that this activity is a game.

An important stage in the development of imagination is associated with the age when a child masters speech. Speech allows the child to include in the imagination not only specific images, but also more abstract ideas and concepts. Moreover,

speech allows the child to move from the expression of images of the imagination in the activity to their direct expression in speech.

The stage of mastering speech is accompanied by an increase in practical experience and the development of attention, which allows the child to more easily identify individual parts of the subject, which he perceives as independent and with which he increasingly operates in his imagination. However, the synthesis occurs with significant distortions of reality. Due to the lack of sufficient experience and insufficient critical thinking, the child cannot create an image close to reality. The main feature of this stage is the involuntary nature of the emergence of images of imagination. Most often, images of imagination are formed in a child of a given age involuntarily, in accordance with the situation in which he is.

The next stage in the development of imagination is associated with the appearance of its active forms. At this stage, the process of imagination becomes arbitrary. The emergence of active forms of imagination is initially associated with an encouraging initiative on the part of an adult. For example, when an adult asks a child to do something (draw a tree, put a house out of cubes, etc.), he activates the process of imagination. In order to fulfill the request of an adult, the child must first create, or recreate, a certain image in his imagination. Moreover, this process of imagination is already arbitrary in nature, since the child is trying to control it. Later, the child begins to use arbitrary imagination without the participation of an adult. This leap in the development of imagination finds its reflection primarily in the nature of the child’s games. They become focused and plot. Things that surround the child become not just stimuli for the development of objective activity, but act as material for the realization of the images of his imagination. A child at the age of four or five begins to draw, build, sculpt, rearrange things and combine them in accordance with his design.

Another major shift in imagination occurs at school age. The need for an understanding of educational material leads to the intensification of the process of recreating imagination. Для того чтобы усвоить знания, которые даются в школе, ребенок активно использует свое воображение, что вызывает прогрессирующее развитие способностей переработки образов восприятия в образы воображения.

Другой причиной бурного развития воображения в школьные годы является то, что в процессе обучения ребенок активно получает новые и разносторонние представления об объектах и явлениях реального мира. Эти представления служат необходимой основой для воображения и стимулируют творческую деятельность школьника.

11.5. Воображение и творчество

Роль воображения в творческом процессе трудно переоценить. Творчество тесно связано со всеми психическими процессами, в том числе и с воображением. Степень развития воображения и его особенности имеют для творчества не меньшее значение, чем, скажем, степень развития мышления.

Психология творчества проявляется во всех его конкретных видах: изобретательском, научном, литературном, художественном и т. д. Какие факторы определяют возможность творчества конкретного человека? Возможность творчества в значительной степени обеспечивается имеющимися у человека знаниями, которые подкреплены соответствующими способностями, и стимулируется целеустремленностью человека. Важнейшим условиям творчества является наличие определенных переживаний, которые создают эмоциональный тон творческой деятельности.

Проблема творчества всегда была интересна не только для психологов. Вопрос о том, что позволяет одному человеку творить, а другого лишает этой возможности, волновал умы известных ученых. Долгое время господствовал взгляд о невозможности алгоритмизации и обучения творческому процессу, что было обосновано известным французским психологом Т. Рибо. Он писал: «Что касается до "методов изобретения", по поводу которых было написано много ученых рассуждений, то их на самом деле не существует, так как в противном случае можно было бы фабриковать изобретателей подобно тому, как фабрикуют теперь механиков и часовых дел мастеров». Однако постепенно эта точка зрения стала подвергаться сомнению. На первое место вышла гипотеза о том, что способность к творчеству можно развивать.

Так, английский ученый Г. Уоллес предпринял попытку исследовать творческий процесс. В результате ему удалось выделить четыре стадии процесса творчества:

1. Подготовка (зарождение идеи).

2. Созревание (концентрация, «стягивание» знаний,