To pass the test, you need to look at the picture of people on the tree and choose the one that most resembles you. Remember the chosen little man or circle him.

And now the most interesting thing is that having made your choice, you have already shown what your psychological state is now.

Each little man symbolizes certain attitudes in communication that are relevant at the moment. The tree symbolizes the space in which each individual person occupies a certain place. The higher he stands, the higher you feel in the hierarchy.

If you chose figure number 20 (it stands above all), then we can assume that you have a leadership attitude and high self-esteem.

The setting for friendly sociability is manifested when choosing figures 2, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18. These little men create the feeling that they are comfortable in communication. If you have chosen one of them, then you are not averse to chatting with your friends.

If you choose a man with the number 1, 3, 6 or 7, then this shows that you are internally ready to overcome obstacles of a different nature. If a person makes such a choice before or responsible events, it shows the right attitude. If the set to overcome obstacles arises before friendly communication, think about how you compete with your friends?

The most difficult thing for a person who has chosen a figure at number 5, since it expresses a breakdown, severe fatigue and shyness. If you have made such a choice, then you do not want to be active yet and you urgently need to restore your strength.

The desire to relax and have fun will be shown by the choice of figure No. 9. With such an attitude, it is better to postpone serious work for a more favorable time.

The choice of little men No. 13, 21 or 8 will indicate the presence of anxiety states, the desire to withdraw into oneself.

The choice of figures 10, 15 or 4 will indicate a stable position. And position number 15 is the most favorable. This man is upstairs, he is comfortable. No. 4 is also quite stable, but it clearly lacks achievements.

The choice of figurine No. 14 will tell about a clearly crisis state. Help is probably needed here.

Figurine number 19 symbolizes contact with feelings of impossibility to help or loss.

So, by your choice and a little bit of interpretation, you have just determined your current psychological state. This state characterizes you at the moment and may change after a while.

A state of equanimity. In Greek ethics, he denoted peace of mind, which for a wise person should be the ideal of life aspirations and which is achieved by refusing to reflect on metaphysical issues (about God, death, society) and express any judgments about them. Rapidly and violently flowing, the most powerful emotion of an explosive nature, uncontrolled by consciousness and capable of taking the form of a pathological affect. Also, in general psychology, affect is understood as a whole emotional and sensory sphere of a person. Mental states characterized by a noticeable emotional coloring: emotional states, a state of affect, mood, etc. A mental state characterized by overexcitation that interferes with healthy sleep. Mental state, the highest degree of concentration of attention, a sharp increase in performance in actions. Normal mental state of a person, characterized by adequate work of consciousness as a mental integrator; the ability to adequately perceive the words and actions of others. A special mental state, intermediate between sleep and wakefulness, usually accompanied by increased suggestibility. Mental state of "awake sleep", developed fantasizing. The mental state of a person, which determines the direction, selectivity of thinking, depending on the task. A state of gloomy, grouchy, irritable, angry mood, accompanied by increased anxiety in response to any external stimulus. Dysphorias can last for hours or days and are distinguished by an angry-dreary coloring of the mood. A state of neuropsychic tension, characterized by a variety of disorders in the field of vegetative, psychomotor, speech activity, emotional, volitional, thought processes and a number of specific changes in self-awareness that occurs in a person who constantly experiences difficulties in certain situations of interpersonal informal communication, and is his personal property . A mental disorder in which motives that seem to be unknown to the patient cause a narrowing of the field of consciousness or impairment of motor or sensory function. The patient can attach psychological and symbolic value to these disorders. There may be conversion or dissociative manifestations. The first more or less systematic study of PS begins in India 2-3 millennium BC, the subject of which was the state of nirvana. Philosophers of ancient Greece also touched upon the problem of PS. Attunement to perform repetitive, ritual actions, failure to perform which leads to anxiety, frustration. Unstable mental and physiological state of a person. The functional state of a person that occurs as a result of monotonous work: a decrease in tone and susceptibility, a weakening of conscious control, a deterioration in attention and memory, stereotyping of actions, the appearance of feelings of boredom and loss of interest in work. The state of "waking dreams" that occurs during periods of dreamy absent-mindedness. The direction of thinking is determined by affectively colored memories and desires. Characterized by leaps of thought. It proceeds in the form of assumptions and objections, questions and answers. There are inclusions close to hallucinatory, such as illusions and hallucinations of the imagination. These kinds of states of involuntary thinking proceed with a constantly changing level of consciousness. A mental condition in which a person has intrusive, disturbing, or frightening thoughts (obsessions). A special mental state of a person, characterized by a high intensity of physiological and mental processes as a result of stress. Relatively long, stable mental states of moderate or low intensity, manifesting themselves as a positive or negative emotional background in the mental life of an individual. A condition characterized by emotional instability, anxiety, low self-esteem, autonomic disorders. A mental state characterized by longing for something or someone, dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. A mental state characterized by self-confidence, in the future, the desire to feel the fullness of being. A persistent condition in which morbid anxiety strikes one person or group of people to whom the panic condition is transmitted. A group of not pronounced disorders bordering on a state of health and separating it from the actual pathological mental manifestations. A mental state characterized by mild depressive manifestations: decreased mood, low physical activity, low sense of purpose, and depressed will. The state of readiness of an athlete to participate in a sports competition. A mental state that occurs when a person performs a complex task and negatively affects activity (destructive activity). Mental tension has a lowering effect on the stability of mental and motor functions, up to the disintegration of activity. Mental state caused by monotonous, meaningless activities. Signs: loss of interest in work and an unconscious desire to vary the ways of performing. An independent manifestation of the human psyche, always accompanied by external signs of a transient, dynamic nature, which are not mental processes or personality traits, expressed most often in emotions, coloring the entire mental activity of a person and associated with cognitive activity, with the volitional sphere and personality as a whole. A holistic characteristic of a personality that ensures its resistance to the frustrating and stressful effects of difficult situations. The state of strong and prolonged muscle contraction, due to a change in the tone of the nerve centers that innervate these muscles. A temporary mental state characterized by a rather sharp decrease in the integrative function of attention. Mental state: uncertainty, often anxiety and frustration, disorientation, revision of the value-semantic sphere, strategic and tactical principles of activity. A condition that develops mainly in asthenics and emotively labile people, in connection with a serious diagnosis carelessly reported to them or because of their own assumptions. Psychopathological states caused by a rather local effect of mental trauma in time. Types: reactive depression and affective-shock reactions. A state of rest, relaxation that occurs in the subject as a result of stress relief after strong experiences or physical efforts. The state of a person's high mood, combined with a high tone, readiness to perform spontaneous (arbitrary, volitional) actions. (from lat. regulare - to put in order, to establish) - the expedient functioning of living systems of different levels of organization and complexity. Mental self-regulation is one of the levels of regulation of the activity of these systems, expressing the specifics of the mental means of reflecting and modeling reality that implement it, including the reflection of the subject. Short-term fainting, loss of consciousness caused by a violation of cerebral blood flow. Confusion arises in situations where the recognition of the fact of an act is accompanied by internal hesitation, uncertainty about the correctness of the choice made, the return of the rejected and the reaffirmation of one's rightness. This is the state of a person for whom any choice turns out to be insufficiently internally motivated, any refusal is unjustified. The state of high mood, the absence of internal conflicts. The state of a rather sharp increase in the integrative function of attention. A state of temporary increase in critical attitude to reality. Qualitatively different states of consciousness: normal state, sleep, trance, meditation and others. Mental state, characterized by normal tone, balance, sufficient criticality. A positive emotional state associated with an increase in the level of vital activity and is characterized by the appearance of a feeling of excitement, joyful excitement, uplift, cheerfulness. A term used to refer to a wide range of human conditions that occur in response to a variety of extreme exposures. Cheerfulness, the ability to do more actions per unit of time, activity. One of the main parameters of a person's mental state: a transitional state, experiencing new sensations, new meanings; more or less significant change in the inner world. An emotional state that occurs in situations of uncertain danger and manifests itself in anticipation of an unfavorable development of events. Unlike fear as a reaction to a specific threat, anxiety is a generalized, diffuse or pointless fear. Anxiety is usually associated with the expectation of failure in social interaction and is often due to the unconsciousness of the source of danger. Functionally, anxiety not only warns the subject of a possible danger, but also prompts him to search for and specify this danger, to actively study the surrounding reality with the installation to identify a threatening object.

Mental states are an integral characteristic of mental activity over a certain period of time, determined by:

1. previous, present and expected situations;
2. a set of updated personality traits
3. previous psychosomatic state;
4. needs, aspirations and desires;
5. opportunities (manifested abilities and latent potential);
6. objective impact and subjective perception of the situation.

The problem of mental states was first posed in Russian psychology by N.D. Levitov (On the mental states of a person. M., 1964.)

Examples of mental states: aggressiveness, apathy, excitement, excitement, cheerfulness, fatigue, interest, patience, drowsiness, laziness, satisfaction, suffering, responsibility (duty), trust, conscientiousness, sympathy (compassion), openness, revelation.

Characteristics of mental states:

1. Emotional (modal);
2. Activation (reflect the intensity of mental processes);
3. Tonic (resource of strength);
4. Tension (degree of stress);
5. Temporary (duration, stability: from a second to several years);
6. Polarity (favorable - unfavorable; positive - negative).

Classification of mental states:
1) Neutral (calmness, indifference, confidence);
2) Activation (excitement - apathy);
3) Tonic: (a) emotional (affect, panic, mood, stress, depression, happiness, etc.), (b) functional (optimal and unfavorable), (c) psychophysiological (sleep, wakefulness, pain, hypnosis);

Pain- a mental state that occurs as a result of super-strong or destructive effects on the body with a threat to its existence or integrity. Wakefulness is a behavioral manifestation of the activity of the nervous system or the functional state of a person in the conditions of the implementation of a particular activity. Sleep is a periodic functional state with inhibition of conscious mental activity. Hypnosis is a special psycho-physiological state that occurs under the influence of directed psychological influence (hypnotic suggestion). A significant increase in susceptibility to suggestion is combined in hypnosis with a sharp decrease in sensitivity to the action of other factors.

4) tension (tension, relaxation - tightness). Occur at increased load, when leaving the comfort zone; with an obstacle to the satisfaction of needs, with physical and mental trauma, anxiety, deprivation of conditions.

Functions of mental states:

1. Integrative (integrate processes and personality traits to ensure the flow of activities);
2. Adaptive (establishing a correspondence between the actualized needs of a person and his capabilities and resources, taking into account the specific conditions of existence, characteristics of activity and behavior .;
3. Informational;
4. Energy;
5. Estimated;
6. Anticipating;
7. Tuning;
8. motivating;
9. Balancing.

Continuity of states- the absence of pronounced transitions from one state to another.

Functional states determine the effectiveness of human activity.

Optimal functional states: optimal performance, readiness for action, operational tension. High and stable productivity, work is done easily and quickly without tension, attention is focused, mental and motor functions are activated; interest in business and purposefulness.

Adverse functional states: deteriorating performance or dangerous human overstrain. Kinds:
Fatigue natural exhaustion of forces as a result of intensive long-term work, a signal of the need for rest. Physical, mental, sensory, motor, postural, etc. Physiological discomfort, irritability, lethargy, impaired attention, desire to rest. Cycles: compensated - uncompensated - breakdown state; acute - chronic overwork.

monotony- because of monotonous work, stereotyped actions, substantive poverty of tasks. Contribute: lack of diversity in the environment, monotonous noise, subdued lighting. Decreased tone and activation - drowsiness, apathy, boredom. There are automatisms. Bottom line: injuries, accidents, accidents. Or a state of satiety arises - an active emotional rejection of boring work, which is discharged in an affective form.

Stress- the work of the body in the mode of excess costs. Physiological stress is caused by physical influences: loud noise, high air temperature, bright flashes of light, vibration, etc.

Among the factors that determine the development and occurrence of states, there are five groups of phenomena that determine their occurrence and development:

• Motivation is what drives an activity. The more intense and significant the motives, the higher the level of the functional state. The qualitative originality of the functional state on which a particular activity will be implemented depends on the direction and intensity of motives;
• the content of the work, the nature of the task, the degree of complexity impose requirements on the formation of a certain functional state, determine the level of activation;
• sensory load. Sensory load includes not only factors directly related to the activity, but also the environment. It can range from sensory satiety to sensory deprivation;
• initial background level, i.e. trace from previous activity;
• individual characteristics of the subject, such as strength, balance, lability of nervous processes.

Determine the specifics and development of functional states. In particular, monotonous work has a different effect on people with different strengths of the nervous system.

Regulation and self-regulation of mental and functional states. Diagnosis of mental and functional states. Ensuring optimal performance.

The basis of the program we developed (see Zotkin N.V. Ensuring optimal performance as a way to improve the mental well-being of the individual // Health Psychology: psychological well-being of the individual: Materials of the interuniversity scientific and practical conference. M .: Publishing House of the URAO, 2005. P. 81-84.) formed the selected S.A. Shapkin and L.G. Wild phenomena of activity, functional state and personality of the subject, which can act as structural components of adaptation and mental well-being of the individual. The first, activation component, is associated with organic and functional costs; the basis of the second, cognitive component, is restructuring in the cognitive systems of activity; the third, emotional component, is determined by the dynamics of emotional experiences; the fourth is the motivational-volitional processes that ensure the coordination of all other components.

The selection of methods was based on the conclusion that optimal performance depends on high motivation, adaptability and the ability to withstand emotional (psychological) and physical stress. Methods were selected from a large number described in the literature according to the criteria of efficiency, ease of implementation and minimum execution time. The assessment of compliance with the criteria was also based on data from the literature (mainly on the authors' statement about experimental or empirical confirmation of their effectiveness).

The optimal performance program includes the following techniques.

To activate the intellectual (cognitive) sphere, the technique of "Intellectual self-regulation" by S.E. Zlochevsky. Before going to bed, the results of the day's intellectual and practical work are summed up and planning of the content, volume and order of the work for the next day is carried out (completion time 1-2 minutes).

For activation at the physical and physiological level, the methods of "Restoring the working muscle tone" by F. Perls and breathing exercises are used (execution time from 1 to 5 minutes).

The instruction is given in accordance with the original text of F. Perls: “Yawning and stretching restore the working muscle tone. To see yawning and stretching in its most beneficial form, watch your cat when she wakes up after the midday heat. She stretches her back, stretches her legs as far as possible, frees her lower jaw, and at the same time fills herself with air all the time. Having filled up to the maximum volume, she allows herself to "deflate" like a balloon - and is ready for new things. Develop the habit of yawning and stretching at every opportunity. Take the cat as a model. Start yawning, let the lower jaw drop down, as if it is completely falling. Take a breath, as if you need to fill not only the lungs, but the whole body. Let your arms loose, open your elbows, and push your shoulders back as far as possible. At the pinnacle of tension and inhalation, release yourself and let all the tensions you have created relax."

Breathing "invigorating" exercise - every hour repeat a slow breath and a sharp exhalation several times - and a "recovery" exercise: at the expense of six - inhale, at six - hold the breath, at six - exhale (counting time gradually lengthens with subsequent executions).

To activate the emotional sphere and the general physical tone, breaks are arranged in work using peppy, active music with your favorite melody played by audio equipment or mentally, with obligatory distraction from work (execution time from 2 to 5 minutes).

An addition to this technique was a preliminary (3-5 minute) relaxation with the instruction: “Look just above the horizon, immerse yourself and relax; relax the muscles and give freedom to thoughts.

To activate the emotional-motivational sphere, exercises from the happiness training by R. Davidson and R. Holden were used. The first is to smile at yourself in the mirror for 1-2 minutes before work (with cheerfulness) and after work (with satisfaction); the smile should be genuine, when the eyes light up and there is (preferably) a surge of happiness. The second is to share good news with colleagues and others every day - at least 10 minutes a day in total. The third is to plan and arrange for yourself a small holiday or pleasure every day, regardless of whether it is deserved or not. A list of pleasures is preliminarily written, consisting of 25 items, which becomes the basis for actions in the third exercise.

The program is used in combination with all the above methods and takes about 30-40 minutes a day spent on yourself.

To prevent the emergence of motivation for reluctance to complete the program (due to limited time or because of the desire not to fulfill requirements that are of little importance to them), the participants were asked not to do exercises, but to develop habits. In this case, the emphasis shifted from mandatory conscious efforts to complete tasks to ordinary automatic (poorly conscious) actions. This allows participants to bypass their own resistance associated with a negative attitude towards obligation. The program is designed for self-learning and implementation with daily control (self-control) for two to three weeks. A necessary means of control and self-control is the (reflexive) subjective report of the subjects on the results of mastering the program. Such a report at the same time has the effect of self-hypnosis for the participants, reinforcing a positive attitude towards the mastered tasks of the program.

14. Mental states

4.1 The concept of mental states

mental states - one of the possible modes of human life activity, which at the physiological level is distinguished by certain energy characteristics, and at the psychological level - by a system of psychological filters that provide a specific perception of the world around

Along with mental processes and personality traits, states are the main classes of mental phenomena that are studied by the science of psychology. Mental states affect the course of mental processes, and, repeating often, having acquired stability, they can be included in the personality structure as its specific property. Since there are psychological, physiological and behavioral components in every psychological state, in the descriptions of the nature of states one can meet the concepts of different sciences (general psychology, physiology, medicine, labor psychology, etc.), which creates additional difficulties for researchers working on this issue. Currently, there is no single point of view on the problem of states, since the states of the individual can be considered in two aspects. They are both slices of personality dynamics and integral reactions of the personality, conditioned by its relationships, needs, goals of activity and adaptability in the environment and situation.

The structure of mental states includes many components at a very different system level: from physiological to cognitive (Table 14.1):

14.2 Classification of mental states

The difficulty in classifying mental states is that they often intersect or even coincide with each other so closely that it is quite difficult to “separate” them - for example, a state of some tension often appears against the background of states of fatigue, monotony, aggression and a number of other states. However, there are many variants of their classifications. Most often they are divided into emotional, cognitive, motivational, volitional. Summarizing the current characteristics of the functioning of the main integrators of the psyche (personality, intellect, consciousness), the terms state of personality, state of intellect, state of consciousness are used. Other classes of states have been described and continue to be studied: functional, psychophysiological, asthenic, borderline, crisis, hypnotic and other states. Based on the approaches to the variety of mental states proposed by N.D. Levitov, we offer our own classification of mental states, consisting of seven permanent and one situational component (Fig. 14.1). The principle of dividing states into certain categories is explained below in Table. 14.2.

Based on this classification, it is possible to derive a mental state formula consisting of eight components. Such a formula will have two versions - in a general form and for each specific state of a given type. For example, the general state formula fear will be as follows:

0.1/ 1.2 / 2.3 / 3.2 / 4.2 / 5.1 / 6.? / 7.2

This means that fear, as a rule, is caused by a specific situation (0.1), deeply affects the human psyche (1.2), is a negative emotion (2.3) of medium duration (3.2) by sign, and is fully realized by a person (4.2). In this state, emotions prevail over reason (5.1), but the degree of activation of the body can be different: fear can have an activating value or deprive a person of strength (6.?). Thus, when describing a specific human condition, options 6.1 or 6.2 are possible. The last component of the formula - 7.2 means that this state is equally realized both at the psychological and at the physiological level.

Within the framework of this concept, the formulas of some other mental states can be described as follows:

Fatigue: 0.1/ 1.? / 2.3 / 3.2 / 4.2 / 5.- / 6.1 / 7.2

Admiration: 0.1/ 1.2 / 2.1 / 3.2 / 4.2 / 5.2 / 6.2 / 7.3

The question mark (?) means that the state can take on both attributes, depending on the situation. A dash (-) means that this state does not contain any of the listed signs (for example, fatigue does not refer to either reason or emotions).

14.3 Characteristics of the main mental states of a person according to the level of activation of the organism

Waking state at rest occurs during (passive rest, reading a book, watching a neutral TV show). At the same time, there is a lack of pronounced emotions, moderate activity of the reticular formation and the sympathetic nervous system, and in the brain there is an alternation of the beta rhythm (when a person thinks about something) and alpha rhythm (when the brain is resting).

State of relaxation - it is a state of calm, relaxation and rejuvenation. It occurs during autogenic training, trance, prayer. The reason for involuntary relaxation is the cessation of strenuous activity. The reason for voluntary relaxation is autogenic training, meditation, prayer, etc. The predominant sensations in this state are relaxation of the whole body, a feeling of peace, pleasant warmth, heaviness. There is an increased activity of the parasympathetic nervous system and the predominance of the alpha rhythm in the electroencephalogram.

sleep state - a special state of the human psyche, which is characterized by an almost complete disconnection of consciousness from the external environment. During sleep, a two-phase mode of brain operation is noted - the alternation of slow and fast sleep (which, by and large, are independent mental states). Sleep is associated with the need to streamline information flows and restore the body's resources. Mental reactions of a person during sleep are involuntary, and from time to time there are emotionally colored dreams. At the physiological level, alternate activation of the first parasympathetic and then the sympathetic nervous system is noted. Slow-wave sleep is characterized by theta and delta waves of brain biopotentials.

Optimal working condition - a state that provides the greatest efficiency of activity at an average pace and intensity of labor (the state of a turner turning a part, a teacher in a regular lesson). It is characterized by the presence of a conscious goal of activity, high concentration of attention, sharpening of memory, activation of thinking and increased activity of the reticular formation. Rhythms of the brain - mostly lie in the beta range.

A state of intense activity - this is a condition that occurs in the process of labor in extreme conditions (the condition of an athlete at a competition, a test pilot during a test of a new car, a circus performer when performing a complex exercise, etc.). Mental stress is due to the presence of a super-significant goal or increased requirements for the employee. It can also be determined by a high motivation to achieve a result or a high cost of a mistake. It is characterized by a very high activity of the sympathetic nervous system and high-frequency brain rhythms.

monotony - a condition that develops during prolonged, repetitive loads of medium and low intensity (for example, the condition of a truck driver at the end of a long trip). It is caused by monotonous, repetitive information. The prevailing emotions are boredom, indifference, decreased attention. Part of the incoming information is blocked at the level of the thalamus

Fatigue - temporary decrease in working capacity under the influence of a long and high load. It is caused by the depletion of the body's resources during prolonged or excessive activity. It is characterized by a decrease in motivation to work, a violation of attention and memory. At the physiological level, the appearance of transcendental inhibition of the central nervous system is noted.

If you have an important and responsible business (exam, public speaking, date, etc.), and you are afraid that you will worry and will not be able to show your best side, then the NLP technique "anchoring" will definitely help you. You can see the description of this technique -

If, on the contrary, you need to relax and not be nervous in vain, then you can use autogenic training techniques.

Decreasing anxiety during sudden stress and restoring mental balance with deep breathing -

mental states- a psychological category that characterizes the mental activity of an individual for a certain period of time. This is the background against which the mental activity of a person proceeds. It reflects the originality of mental processes and the subjective attitude of the individual to the reflected phenomena of reality. Mental states have a beginning and an end, change over time, but they are integral, relatively constant and stable. K.K. Platonov defines mental states as occupying an intermediate position between mental processes and personality traits.

Mental states include joy, sadness, concentration, boredom, fatigue, tension, apathy, etc. It is often impossible to give an exact definition of the experienced state, since, firstly, mental states are multidimensional and characterize reality from different angles, and secondly, they are continuous, that is, the boundaries of the transition of one state to another are not clearly marked, they are smooth. "Pure" states practically do not exist.

Two groups influence what kind of mental state an individual will have at a given time. factors: environmental factors and individual characteristics of the subject. The first include the characteristics of reflected objects and phenomena of the surrounding world. To the second - the previous states and properties of the individual (features of cognitive activity, needs, desires, aspirations, opportunities, attitudes, self-esteem, values). Mental states are determined by the ratio of these factors.

States arise in the process of activity, depend on it and determine the specifics of experiences. Each mental state is experienced by the individual as a whole, as a unity of spiritual, mental and physical (bodily) structures. The change in mental state affects all these levels.

Mental states are characterized by certain characteristics . States are classified depending on which of these characteristics come to the fore at a given time. emotional characteristics reflect the dominance of one or another emotion in a given state, their intensity, polarity (the predominance of positive or negative emotions: joy and sadness). The sign of some states is not obvious. For example, it cannot be unambiguously defined as positive or negative surprise or concentration. Emotional state is euphoria, joy, satisfaction, sadness, anxiety, fear, panic Activation States show the inclusion of the individual in the situation or alienation from it. Increased activation is manifested in clarity of consciousness, energetic behavior, the desire to solve the task, to overcome difficulties. On the other side of the pole - a decrease in the intensity and pace of movements, a decline in activity. Activation states include excitement, inspiration, elation, concentration, absent-mindedness, boredom, apathy. Tonic states reflect the tone, energy resources of the body. The tone is felt as the presence or absence of energy, a large or small resource of strength, internal composure or lack of composure, inertia, lethargy. Tonic states - wakefulness, monotony and mental satiety, fatigue and overwork, drowsiness and sleep. Tension(from English. tensionЇ voltage) states show to what extent a person needs to make volitional efforts to choose one or another behavior. The more attractive various objects are for the individual, the more forces he needs to restrain non-priority stimuli, the higher the tension. At low tension, a person is liberated, uninhibited, feels inner comfort, at high tension, he is clamped, he feels inner lack of freedom, the compulsion of his behavior. Tension states include states of tension, emotional resolution, frustration, sensory hunger, and stress states.

For each state, emotional, activation, tonic and tension characteristics can be recorded. All characteristics are interconnected and in most cases change in concert. For example, in mental states for which positive emotions are typical (a state of joy), there is an increase in activation and tone, a decrease in tension.

Also, mental states can be divided into classes according to which particular area of ​​the psyche they characterize the most. In this case, cognitive, emotional, motivational and volitional mental states will be distinguished. Sometimes only one kind of mental states is considered - emotional states, and the latter are considered a kind of emotions. This is not entirely true, since emotional states differ from emotions and emotional reactions in that the former are more stable and less objective (everything pleases, saddens). Emotional states, as well as mental states in general, characterize activity to a greater extent and influence it.

Due to the fact that mental states, like other mental phenomena, can be measured by various parameters, many of them cannot be unambiguously attributed to one class or another.

2.6.1 EMOTIONAL MENTAL STATES

Depending on the content and dynamics of experiences, emotions are divided into moods, feelings and affects.

Moods. The main features of moods are:

1. Weak intensity. If a person experiences a mood of pleasure, then it never reaches any strong manifestation; if this is a sad mood, then it is not pronounced and is not based on intense nervous excitations.

2. Significant duration. Moods are always more or less continuous states. Their very name indicates that the corresponding emotions are slowly developed and experienced over a long period. Short-term emotional states no one will call moods.

3. Obscurity, "unaccountability". Experiencing this or that mood, we, as a rule, are weakly aware of the reasons that caused it. Often we are in one mood or another, without being aware of the sources of this state, without associating it with certain objects, phenomena or events. “A person feels sad when the body is unwell, although he still does not know at all why this is happening” (R. Descartes). On the contrary, when a person is explained the reason for his mood, this mood often quickly disappears from him.

4. A kind of diffuse character. Moods leave their imprint on all thoughts, attitudes, actions of a person at the moment. In one mood, the work performed seems easy, pleasant, a person reacts good-naturedly to the actions of those around him; in a different mood, the same work becomes hard, unpleasant, and the same actions of other people are perceived as rude and unbearable.

The senses. The hallmarks of feelings are:

1. Distinct intensity. Feelings are stronger emotional experiences than moods. When we say that a person experiences a feeling, and not a mood, by this we indicate, first of all, an intense, clearly expressed, quite definite emotional experience: a person does not just experience pleasure, but experiences joy; he is not just in a mood that expresses some kind of vague anxiety - he is afraid.

2. Limited duration. Feelings don't last as long as moods. Their duration is limited by the time of the direct action of the causes that cause them, or the memories of the circumstances that caused this feeling. For example, spectators in a stadium experience strong feelings while watching a football match they are interested in, but these feelings fade after the match is over. We can again experience this or that feeling if the thought of the object that caused this feeling in its time arises in our memory.

3. Conscious character. A characteristic feature of feelings is that the reasons that caused them are always clear to the person who experiences these feelings. This may be a letter we received, the achievement of a sports record, the successful completion of work, etc. Feelings are based on complex nervous processes in the higher parts of the cerebral cortex: according to I.P. Pavlova, feelings "are connected with the uppermost department and all of them are tied to the second signaling system." "Unaccountable feeling" is a term that does not correspond to the psychological characteristics of feelings, which always act as conscious experiences. This term can rightly be applied to moods, not feelings.

4. Strictly differentiated connection of emotional experience with specific objects, actions, circumstances, his callers. Feelings do not have a diffuse character characteristic of moods. We experience a sense of pleasure when reading this particular book, and not another; doing our favorite sport, we experience satisfaction that does not apply to its other types, etc. Feelings are most closely related to activity, for example, a feeling of fear causes a desire to run, and a feeling of anger causes a desire to fight. This "objective" nature of feelings is of great importance in their education: feelings develop, become deeper and more perfect as a result of close acquaintance with the objects that cause them, systematic exercise in this type of activity, etc.

Feelings are distinguished by the complexity and variety of emotional experiences. Depending on their content and the causes that cause them, they are divided into lower and higher.

lower feelings associated mainly with biological processes in the body, with the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of natural human needs. An example of the lower feelings would be the pleasure or pain experienced in thirst, hunger, satiety, satiety, and also in various types of muscular activity, depending on the degree of muscle tension or muscle fatigue.

higher feelings divided into three groups: moral, intellectual and aesthetic.

moral called such higher feelings that are experienced by a person in connection with the realization of the conformity or inconsistency of his behavior with the requirements of public morality.

intellectual Feelings associated with human cognitive activity are called, they arise in the process of educational and scientific work, as well as creative activity in various types of art, science and technology.

aesthetic called such higher feelings that are caused in us by the beauty or ugliness of perceived objects, whether they are natural phenomena, works of art or people, as well as their actions and actions.

Affects. The salient features of effects are:

1. Very large, sometimes excessive intensity and violent outward expression emotional experience. Affects are characterized by excessive strength of excitatory and inhibitory processes in the cerebral cortex and, at the same time, increased activity of the subcortical centers, the manifestation of deep, instinctive emotional experiences. Rapidly developing excitation in the centers of the cortex associated with these emotional experiences is accompanied by strong inductive inhibition of other parts of the cortex, as a result of which, during an affect, a person may not notice the environment, be unaware of ongoing events and his own actions, and is transmitted to the subcortical centers which, being released at the moment from the restraining and controlling influence of the entire cortex, cause a vivid external manifestation of the experienced emotional state.

For example, that a person has an anxious mood if he is seized by some, as yet unclear and indefinite fears. We can say that a person is seized with a feeling of fear if his condition is already more definite and the cause of which is well known to him. And, finally, we can say that a person is experiencing an affect of horror if his emotional state, which, compared with the two previous ones, is unusually strong and is violently expressed in external movements and internal physiological processes: a person can run away from horror without looking back or, conversely, stay in place without being able to move.

2. The short duration of the emotional experience. Being an excessively intense process, the affect cannot last long and ceases very quickly. At the same time, three stages can be noted in its course, characterized by different features.

The initial stage of affect. In some cases, the affect comes on suddenly, in the form of some kind of flash or explosion, and quickly reaches its maximum intensity (Fig. 31 a). In other cases, a gradual increase in the intensity of emotional experience is observed: attention is drawn to the objects or circumstances that caused the emotion and gradually focuses more and more on them, excitation increases in some and, accordingly, inhibition in other centers of the cortex, the subcortical centers become more and more activated and themselves begin to have a strong influence on cortical processes, as a result of which a person loses self-control and, finally, completely surrenders to the strong experience that has gripped him (Fig. 31 b).

central stage when the affect develops to its climax. This stage is characterized by abrupt changes and even disturbances in the normal functioning of the whole organism. The processes of excitation, especially in the subcortical centers, reach their highest strength, deep inhibition covers the most important centers of the cortex, the functions of which are inhibited, in connection with which the higher nervous processes associated with the social and moral attitudes of the individual acquired during life experience and upbringing break down, the mechanisms the second signal system and, accordingly, the activity of thinking and speech is upset. The ability of voluntary attention is reduced, a person is largely