Psychic reflection- This is the most complex type of reflection, it is characteristic only of humans and animals.

MENTAL REFLECTION - during the transition from the biological form of reflection to the mental, the following stages are distinguished:

1) sensory - characterized by the reflection of individual stimuli: response only to biologically significant stimuli;

2) perceptual - the transition to it is expressed in the ability to reflect a complex of stimuli as a whole; orientation in the totality of signs begins, and reaction to neutral biological stimuli, which are only signals of vital stimuli;

3) intellectual - manifests itself in the fact that in addition to the reflection of individual objects, a reflection of their functional relationships and connections arises.

Mental reflection is characterized by a number of features:

· it makes it possible to correctly reflect the surrounding reality, and the correctness of the reflection is confirmed by practice;

· the mental image itself is formed in the process of active human activity;

· mental reflection deepens and improves;

· ensures the appropriateness of behavior and activity;

· refracted through a person’s individuality;

· is anticipatory in nature.

The criterion of mental reflection is the body’s ability to respond not to a directly vitally significant stimulus, but to another, which in itself is neutral, but carries information about the presence of a vitally significant influence.

For example, in one of the experiments to study the behavior of the simplest animals - single-celled ciliates living in water, they were placed in an extended aquarium, one part of which was heated to the optimal temperature for these creatures and at the same time illuminated by an external light source. Temperature is a vital influence for ciliates, so they moved to the heated zone. Light is not a vital influence for them.

Several such series of experiments were carried out, and then in a control experiment, other ciliates were added to the aquarium with participants in previous experiments, after which they began to illuminate part of the aquarium without heating it. It turned out that the ciliates behaved differently: those that had participated in previous experiments began to move towards the light source, while the new ciliates continued to move chaotically, without any system. In this experiment, these simplest creatures demonstrate the ability for psychic reflection, which significantly expanded the capabilities of living beings in their interaction with the external environment.

Mental reflection is not a mirror, mechanically passive copying of the outside world (like a mirror, camera or scanner), it is associated with search, selection, in mental reflection incoming information is subjected to specific processing. In other words, mental reflection is a subjective reflection of the objective world; it does not exist outside the subject and depends on its subjective characteristics.

A.N. Leontyev identifies in the evolutionary development of the psyche three stages :

The first stage of the psyche is called sensory (sensual). For example, a spider reflects the connection between the vibration of the web and the food (fly) caught in the web. In the process of evolution of parts of the brain, the reflective functions of the psyche become more diverse. Mental activity moves to the second stage of development, which is called perceptual. All mammals are at this stage; here the reflection of various properties of one object occurs. For example, a dog recognizes its owner by voice, clothing, and smell.

Some of the properties of an object are more important for a dog (as a signal), others are less important. Therefore, with some signs animals react correctly, with others they make mistakes.

Higher mammals (monkeys) have thinking (stage 3), their brain is well developed, its structure is close to that of a human, and mental activity is richer and more complex than that of other animals. This stage of the psyche is called intelligence. Monkeys reflect not only individual properties or objects as a whole, but also connections between objects. This is facilitated by a highly developed orientation-exploratory reflex. Pavlov noted that monkeys are able to think without having speech, and therefore they cannot put what they know into concepts, be distracted from reality, or think abstractly. The monkey is able to use the water from the barrel to light the fire in front of the bait, but if you move the barrel to the side, the monkey will head towards the barrel rather than using the water that is nearby. She has no concept of water at all.

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Consciousness and self-awareness

Consciousness- this is the highest level of mental reflection of objective reality, as well as the highest level of self-regulation inherent only to man as a social being.

What is consciousness characterized by? Consciousness is always actively and secondly, intentionally. The activity of consciousness is manifested in the fact that the mental reflection of the objective world by a person is not of a passive nature, as a result of which all objects reflected by the psyche have the same significance, but, on the contrary, differentiation occurs according to the degree of significance for the subject of mental images. As a result, human consciousness is always directed towards some object, object or image, that is, it has the property of intention (direction).

The presence of these properties determines the presence of a number of other characteristics of consciousness (the ability for introspection (reflection), the motivational-value nature of consciousness). The ability to reflect determines a person’s ability to critically observe himself, his feelings, his condition.

These properties of consciousness determine the possibility of forming an individual “I-concept”, which is the totality of a person’s ideas about himself and the surrounding reality. A person evaluates all information about the world around him on the basis of a system of ideas about himself and forms behavior based on the system of his values, ideals and motivational attitudes. Therefore, “I-concentration” is called self-awareness.

A person’s self-awareness as a system of his views is strictly individual. People evaluate current events and their actions differently, and evaluate the same objects of the real world differently. In addition, not all information received about the surrounding reality and one’s own state is realized by a person. A significant part of the information is outside our consciousness. This occurs due to its low significance for a person or the “automatic” reaction of the body in response to a habitual stimulus.

Emergence of consciousness: There is a certain sequence of phenomena that determined the possibility of the emergence of consciousness in humans: work led to a change in the principles of building relationships between people. This change was expressed in the transition from natural selection to the principles of organizing social life, and also contributed to the development of speech as a means of communication. The emergence of human communities with their moral standards, reflecting the laws of social coexistence, was the basis for the manifestation of critical human thinking. This is how the concepts of “good” and “bad” appeared, the content of which was determined by the level of development of human communities. At the same time, speech development occurred. It acquired new functions. It has acquired properties that make it possible to consider it as a means of regulating human behavior. All these phenomena and patterns determined the possibility of the manifestation and development of consciousness in humans.

Conscious activity and conscious behavior of a person are determined by the anterior frontal and parietal fields of the cerebral cortex.

Self-awareness

Self-awareness- the subject’s consciousness of himself in contrast to others - other subjects and the world in general; This is a person’s awareness of his social status and his vital needs, thoughts, feelings, motives, instincts, experiences, actions.

Self-awareness is not an initial given inherent in man, but a product of development. However, the beginnings of consciousness of identity appear already in an infant, when he begins to distinguish between sensations caused by external objects and sensations caused by his own body, the consciousness of “I” - from about three years old, when the child begins to correctly use personal pronouns. Awareness of one's mental qualities and self-esteem acquire the greatest importance in adolescence and young adulthood. But since all these components are interconnected, the enrichment of one of them inevitably modifies the entire system.

Stages(or stages) of development of self-awareness:

§ The discovery of the “I” occurs at the age of 1 year.

§ By the 2nd 3rd years a person begins to separate the result of his actions from the actions of others and clearly recognizes himself as an actor.

§ By the age of 7, the ability to evaluate oneself (self-esteem) is formed.

§ Adolescence and adolescence is a stage of active self-knowledge, search for oneself, one’s own style. The period of formation of social and moral assessments is coming to an end.

The formation of self-awareness is influenced by:

§ Evaluations of others and status in the peer group.

§ Correlation between “I-real” and “I-ideal”.

§ Assessing the results of your activities.

Components of Self-Awareness

Components of self-awareness according to V. S. Merlin:

§ consciousness of one’s identity;

§ consciousness of one’s own “I” as an active, active principle;

§ awareness of one’s mental properties and qualities;

§ a certain system of social and moral self-esteem.

All these elements are related to each other functionally and genetically, but they are not formed at the same time.

Functions of self-awareness

§ Self-knowledge - obtaining information about yourself.

§ Emotional and value-based attitude towards oneself.

§ Self-regulation of behavior.

The meaning of self-awareness

§ Self-awareness contributes to the achievement of internal consistency of the personality, identity with oneself in the past, present and future.

§ Determines the nature and features of the interpretation of the acquired experience.

§ Serves as a source of expectations about oneself and one’s behavior.

Psychic reflection not mirror, not passive, it is associated with search, choice, and is a necessary side of human activity.

Mental reflection is characterized by a number of features:

• it makes it possible to correctly reflect the surrounding reality;
• occurs in the process of active activity;
• deepens and improves;
• refracted through individuality;
• is anticipatory.

Mental reflection ensures the appropriateness of behavior and activity. At the same time, the mental image itself is formed in the process of objective activity. Mental activity is carried out through many special physiological mechanisms. Some of them ensure the perception of influences, others - their transformation into signals, others - planning and regulation of behavior, etc. All this complex work ensures the active orientation of the organism in the environment.

The most important organ of mental activity is the cerebral cortex, which ensures complex human mental activity.

In human mental life, a special role belongs to the frontal lobes. Numerous clinical data show that damage to the frontal lobes of the brain, along with a decrease in mental abilities, entails a number of disorders in the personal sphere of a person.

Basic functions of the psyche– ensuring adaptation

1. reflection of the surrounding reality

2. ensuring the integrity of the body

3. regulation of behavior (2)

Mental processes:

The basic concepts of general psychology are mental processes(cognitive, volitional, emotional), mental properties (temperament, character, abilities, orientation) and mental states (2).

"mental process"– emphasizes the procedural nature of the mental phenomenon being studied.

"mental state"– characterizes a static moment, the relative constancy of a mental phenomenon.

"mental property"– reflects the stability of the phenomenon under study, its recurrence and consolidation in the structure of the personality.

Mental criteria:

Severtsov: the psyche is a factor of evolution. What environment does the organism live in, what are its vital tasks, and is the psyche needed to solve them?

Hypothesis about the origin of sensitivity:

2 types of environment

The first form of the psyche is sensitivity, the ability to feel. This is a special case of irritability.

Irritability– the ability to reflect something vital.

Sensitivity– the ability to reflect biologically neutral (abiotic) properties of the environment, which are objectively related to biotic properties and seem to indicate them.

Psyche performs signaling function.

3 parts of action (Halperin):

1. Approximate – here you already need the psyche to prepare the movement

2. Executive

3. Test

The prognostic function of the psyche is necessary for managing one’s behavior.

A higher type of sensitivity is differentiated sensations.

The transition from irritability to feelings is a complication and narrowing of the functions of organs, their specialization as sensory organs.

2. Reflection characteristics

3. Levels of psychic reflection

1. The concept of mental reflection . Categoryreflections is a fundamental philosophical concept, it is understood as a universal property of matter, which consists in reproducing the signs, properties and relationships of the reflected object. This is a form of interaction between phenomena in which one of them isreflected , - while maintaining its qualitative certainty, creates in the second -reflective specific product:reflected
The ability to reflect, as well as the nature of its manifestation, depend on the level of organization of matter. Reflection appears in qualitatively different forms in inanimate nature, in the world of plants, animals and, finally, in humans.(According to the book by LEONTIEV “ Activity. Consciousness. Personality" )

In inanimate nature, the interaction of various material systems results inmutual reflection , which appears in the form of simple mechanical deformation.

An essential property of a living organismis irritability - reflection of the influences of the external and internal environment in the form of excitation and selective response. Being a prepsychic form of reflection, it acts as a regulator of adaptive behavior.

The further stage in the development of reflection is associated with the emergence of a new property in higher species of living organisms -sensitivity, that is, the ability to have sensations, which are the initial form of the psyche.

The formation of sense organs and the mutual coordination of their actions led to the formation of the ability to reflect things in a certain set of their properties - the ability to perceive the surrounding reality in a certain integrity, in the formsubjective image this reality.

The formation of man and human society in the process of work and communication through speech led to the emergence of a specifically human, social in its essence form of reflection in the formconsciousness Andself-awareness. What is characteristic of reflection, which is characteristic of man, is that it is a creative process that is social in nature. It presupposes not only an influence on the subject from the outside, but also the active action of the subject himself, his creative activity, which manifests itself in the selectivity and purposefulness of perception.

2. Reflection characteristics . Features of the process Mental reflection is accompanied by a number of characteristic conditions, which are its specific manifestations:– Activity. Mental reflection is not mirror-like, not passive, it is associated with the search and choice of methods of action adequate to the conditions, it isactive process.

- Subjectivity. Another feature of mental reflection is itssubjectivity: it is mediated by a person's past experiences and personality. This is expressed primarily in the fact that we see one world, but it appears differently for each of us.

- Objectivity . At the same time, mental reflection makes it possible to build an “internal picture of the world” that is adequate to objective reality, and here it is necessary to note one more property of the mental - itsobjectivity. Only through correct reflection is it possible for a person to understand the world around him. The criterion of correctness is practical activity in which mental reflection is constantly deepening, improving and developing.

- Dynamism. The process called mental reflection tends to undergo significant changes over time. The conditions in which an individual operates change, and the approaches to transformation themselves change. Uniqueness We should not forget that each person has distinct individual characteristics, his own desires, needs and desire for development.

- Anticipatory character . Another important feature of mental reflection is itsanticipatory character it makes possible anticipation in human activity and behavior, which allows decisions to be made with a certain time-spatial advance regarding the future.

The most important function of the psyche isregulation of behavior and activity, thanks to which a person not only adequately reflects the surrounding objective world, but has the ability to transform it in the process of purposeful activity. The adequacy of human movements and actions to the conditions, tools and subject of activity is possible only if they are correctly reflected by the subject.

3. Levels of mental reflection. Mental reflection serves to create a structured and integral image from dismembered objects of reality. B.F. Lomov identified the levels of mental reflection:

1. Sensory-perceptual is the basic level of constructing mental images, which arises first in the process of development, but does not lose relevance in subsequent activities. The subject, based on the information received through stimulation of the senses by real objects, builds his own behavioral tactics. Simply put, a stimulus causes a reaction: an event occurring in real time influences the subsequent action of the subject and determines it.

2. Level of representations. An image can arise without the direct influence of the object on the subject’s senses, that is, it is imagination, memory, imaginative thinking. Due to the repeated appearance of an object in the subject’s zone of perception, some of the most important features of the first are remembered and eliminated from the secondary ones, which is why an image appears that is independent of the direct presence of the stimulus. The main function of this level of mental reflection: planning, control and correction of actions in the internal plan, drawing up standards.

3. Verbal logical thinking or speech-thinking level. Operations at this level are even less related to the event series of current time. The individual operates with logical concepts and techniques that have developed in the course of the cultural and historical development of mankind. Abstracting from his own direct experience, from the imagination and memory of the events that took place in his life, he orients himself and builds his activities based on the experience of humanity as a whole. Those concepts, definitions and conclusions that were not produced by him. This provides the opportunity to plan and regulate events of various directions and temporal distances, up to planning the life path of an individual. Despite the significant difference between the third and the first, initial level: the processes of sensory and rational regulation of activity constantly flow from one to another, forming a mental reflection in the diversity of its levels and images.

Psychology should have a special place in the system of sciences. Firstly, this is the science of the most complex things known to man. After all, the psyche is what, as they said before, was “a moment before the experience.” Psyche is a property of highly organized matter (brain). Thus, the great philosopher of Ancient Greece Aristotle points out that, among other knowledge, research about the soul should be given one of the first places, since “it is knowledge about the most sublime and amazing.”

Psychic reflection appears at a certain stage in the evolution of living matter. A.N. Leontyev pointed out that for this level of reflection to arise, a number of objective conditions are necessary.

First of all, living things must exist in an unstable environment. In this regard, land appears to be a more dangerous environment and requires a quick response. Changes in weather conditions on land can be catastrophic for living organisms if they cannot navigate them and respond appropriately.

The psyche ensures the reflection and preservation of life experience, as well as its reproduction and transmission to other generations. The psyche is an image of the past with a sign indicating the possibility of its use in the future. Thus, one of the main functions of the psyche is orientation in the present and future.

If we talk about the human psyche, it ensures the unity and integrity of the individual. Consequently, the psyche is heterogeneous and has qualitative differences in people and animals, since personality is a very complex phenomenon that does not appear in a child right away. Moreover, the human psyche differs from the psyche of other living beings inhabiting the Earth. What does the concept of psyche include?

There is the simplest definition of the psyche: “The psyche is a property of highly organized matter - the brain, which consists in reflecting the world. The psyche is a subjective image of the objective world.” Thus, the psyche is not something material. It is a property of the material object of the brain, it is the ability to reflect the material world in an ideal way in terms of image and thereby act with those objects or explore those phenomena that are currently absent. Mental reflection allows one to comprehend the essence of processes and phenomena, abstracting from their external form, from non-main, but bright, “strong” signs, to accumulate and preserve this knowledge and ways of understanding the world and pass it on to next generations. In this case, we are talking, first of all, about the human psyche, about that part of it that is called consciousness.

How did humanity manage to make its mental life the subject of special study? When did psychology, as the science of mental reflection, become a science?

Just two centuries ago, psychology was denied the right to be called an independent science, citing the fact that mathematics was supposedly not applicable to it. The psyche is what it was a moment before the experience.

In the second half of the 19th century. Physicist professor G. Fechner was able to apply mathematical methods to psychology. But even now, no, no, yes, you will come across similar statements.

Science must be able to define its subject, the area of ​​reality that it deals with and claims to elucidate the laws of which with its specific methods, techniques and means.

Today it can hardly be denied that, along with the laws of the material world, there also exists the so-called subtle plane. The mental level is closely related to the energy structure of a person, which is why we have individual feelings, thoughts, desires, and moods. The entire emotional sphere of a person is subject to the laws of the psyche and completely depends on its coordinated work.

A person with a healthy mental organization feels happy and quickly restores internal balance. He strives for self-realization, he has enough strength for new achievements and ideas. Anyone who lacks energy for activities that would bring him pleasure sometimes has a weak psyche, and he is often visited by a feeling of vulnerability, exposure to life, which every now and then throws new challenges at him. Self-confidence largely depends on mental processes and the emotional sphere.

The psyche is an amazing and mysterious system that allows him to interact with the surrounding reality. The inner world of a person is an extremely subtle immaterial substance that cannot be measured by the laws of the material world. Each person is unique, each person thinks and feels individually. This article examines the processes of mental reflection and their connection with the inner world of the individual. The material will be useful to all readers for the formation of general ideas about the human psyche.

Definition

Mental reflection is a special form of active interaction between an individual and the world, as a result of which new needs, views, ideas are formed, as well as choices are made. Each person is capable of modeling his own reality and reflecting it in artistic or other images.

Process Features

Mental reflection is accompanied by a number of characteristic conditions, which are its specific manifestations.

Activity

The individual perceives the surrounding space not passively, but trying to influence it in a certain way. That is, each of us has our own ideas about how this world should be structured. As a result of mental reflection, a change in the individual’s consciousness occurs, reaching a new level of understanding of reality. We are all constantly changing, improving, and not standing still.

Focus

Each person acts in accordance with the task at hand. No one will spend time doing something for nothing if it does not bring material or moral satisfaction. Mental reflection is characterized by awareness and a deliberate desire to transform existing reality.

Dynamism

The process called mental reflection tends to undergo significant changes over time. The conditions in which an individual operates change, and the approaches to transformation themselves change.

Uniqueness

We should not forget that each person has distinct individual characteristics, his own desires, needs and desire for development. In accordance with this circumstance, each person reflects mental reality in accordance with his individual character qualities. The inner world of a person is so diverse that it is impossible to approach everyone with the same standard.

Anticipatory character

By reflecting objects and phenomena of the surrounding world, an individual creates a kind of foundation for the future: he acts to attract better and more meaningful conditions into his life. That is, each of us always strives for useful and necessary progression.

Objectivity

Mental reflection, although characterized by subjectivity and individuality, still contains a set of certain parameters so that any such process is correct, complete and useful.

Features of mental reflection contribute to the formation of an adequate human perception of these processes.

Forms of mental reflection

It is traditional to distinguish several areas:

1. Sensory form. At this stage, the reflection of individual stimuli associated with the senses occurs.

2. Perceptual form. It is reflected in the unconscious desire of the individual to fully reflect the system of stimuli as a whole.

3. Intelligent form. It is expressed in the appearance of a reflection of connections between objects.

Levels of psychic reflection

In modern psychological science, several significant stages of this process are distinguished. All of them are necessary, none can be rejected or discarded.

Sensory-perceptual level

The first level is closely related to a person’s feelings; it is the basic one, on which others later begin to be built. This stage is characterized by constancy and transformation, that is, it gradually undergoes changes.

Presentation layer

The second level is closely related to the imagination and creative abilities of the individual. Ideas arise in a person’s head when, based on existing images, as a result of certain mental actions, new models of the surrounding world and judgments are formed.

Such a phenomenon as creative activity, of course, in most cases depends on how developed the emotional-imaginative sphere is in a person. If an individual has strong artistic abilities, then he will develop his own ideas in accordance with how often and quickly new images will interact with existing ones.

Verbal-logical level

This level is characterized by the presence of a speech-thought process. It is known that a person’s ability to speak is closely related to thinking, as well as other cognitive processes. It must be recognized that reflection at the conceptual level contributes to the development of rational cognition. Here, not just ideas about some phenomena or objects are formed, but entire systems arise that make it possible to build substantive connections and relationships. In the process of conceptual thinking, language is the main sign system, which is actively used to establish and maintain contact between people.

The highest form of mental reflection is, of course, human consciousness. It is the degree of its development, as well as motivation, that determines whether a person can independently move through life, take active steps to achieve his desires, and act purposefully.