The concept of method in psychology. Classification of psychology methods and their characteristics

Methods of practical psychology

Methods of practical psychology include methods from the areas that form general psychological science: psychotherapy, counseling and pedagogy. The main practical methods are suggestion and reinforcement, as well as methods of advisory and psychotherapeutic work. Suggestion is the process of inserting certain formulas, attitudes, positions or views into the person being studied outside of his conscious control.

There are several types of suggestions:

• Direct – influence through words (orders, commands, instructions);
• Indirect – hidden (intermediate actions, stimuli);
• Intentional;
• Unintentional;
• Positive;
• Negative.

There are different methods of suggestion:

• Techniques of direct suggestion - advice, command, instruction, order;
• Techniques of indirect suggestion - condemnation, approval, hint;
• Techniques of hidden suggestion - providing all options, illusion of choice, truism.

Initially, suggestion was used unconsciously by people whose communication skills had developed to a high level. Today, suggestion plays a huge role in psycho- and hypnotherapy. Very often this method is used in hypnosis or in other cases when a person is in a state of trance. Suggestions have been a part of human life since childhood, because... used in the process of education, advertising, politics, relationships, etc.

Reinforcement is the immediate reaction (positive or negative) of the researcher (or the environment) to the actions of the subject. The reaction must actually be instantaneous, so that the subject immediately has the opportunity to associate it with his action. If the reaction is positive, then this is a sign that you should continue to do or act in a similar way. If the reaction is negative, then vice versa.

Reinforcement can be of the following types:

• Positive – correct behavior/action is reinforced;
• Negative – wrong behavior/action is prevented;
• Conscious;
• Unconscious;
• Natural – happens by accident (burn, electric shock, etc.);
• Intentional – conscious action (education, training);
• One-time;
• Systematic;
• Direct;
• Indirect;
• Basic;
• Secondary;
• Full;
• Partial.

Reinforcement is a huge part of human life. It, like suggestion, has been present in her since childhood in the process of upbringing and gaining life experience.

7. The connection between psychology and other sciences.

Philosophy.

The greatest philosopher of antiquity, Aristotle, is considered the founder of psychology. Philosophy is a system of views on the world and man, and psychology is the study of man. Therefore, until recently, psychology was studied in the philosophy faculties of universities,

Now these are two independent sciences that can mutually enrich and complement each other. Natural science is closely related to psychology. The development of theoretical and practical psychology in recent years would have been impossible without advances in biology, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and medicine. Thanks to these sciences, psychologists better understand the structure and functioning of the human brain, which is the material basis of the psyche. “Psychophysiology” is located at the intersection of physiology and psychology.

Sociology, as an independent science, is closely related to social psychology, which is the bridge that connects the thoughts, feelings and attitudes of individuals with the phenomena of mass consciousness. In addition, sociology provides psychology with facts about the social activities of people, which are then used by psychology. The connection between psychology and sociology is provided by “Social Psychology”.

Technical sciences are also related to psychology, since they often have the problem of “docking” complex technical systems and humans. These issues are dealt with by “Engineering Psychology” and “Occupational Psychology”.

Story. Modern man is a product of historical development, during which the interaction of biological and mental factors took place - from the biological process of natural selection to the mental processes of speech, thinking and work. Historical psychology studies changes in the psyche of people in the process of historical development and the role of the psychological qualities of historical figures on the course of history.

Medicine helps psychology better understand the possible mechanisms of mental disorders in people and find ways to treat it (psychocorrection and psychotherapy). At the intersection of medicine and psychology there are such branches of psychology as “Medical Psychology” and “Psychotherapy”.

Pedagogy provides psychology with information about the main directions and patterns of training and education of people, which makes it possible to develop recommendations for the psychological support of these processes. The connection between these related sciences is provided by “Educational Psychology” and “Developmental Psychology”.

8. Structure of the psyche. Psychological processes.

Structure of the psyche

Psyche is a function of the brain that consists in reflecting objective reality in ideal images, on the basis of which the vital activity of the body is regulated. Psychology studies that property of the brain, which consists in the mental reflection of material reality, as a result of which ideal images of reality are formed, necessary for regulating the interaction of the body with the environment. The content of the psyche is ideal images of objectively existing phenomena. But these images arise in different people in their own way. They depend on past experience, knowledge, needs, interests, mental state, etc. In other words, the psyche is a subjective reflection of the objective world. However, the subjective nature of a reflection does not mean that the reflection is incorrect; verification by socio-historical and personal practice provides an objective reflection of the surrounding world.

The psyche is a subjective reflection of objective reality in ideal images, on the basis of which human interaction with the external environment is regulated. The psyche is inherent in humans and animals. However, the human psyche, as the highest form of psyche, is also designated by the concept of “consciousness”. But the concept of the psyche is broader than the concept of consciousness, since the psyche includes the sphere of the subconscious and superconscious (“Super Ego”). The structure of the psyche includes: mental properties, mental processes, mental qualities and mental states.

Mental properties are stable manifestations that have a genetic basis, are inherited and practically do not change during life. These include the properties of the nervous system: strength n.s. - resistance of nerve cells to prolonged irritation or excitation, mobility of nervous processes - the speed of transition of excitation to inhibition, balance of nervous processes - the relative level of balance of the processes of excitation and inhibition, lability - flexibility of change under the influence of various stimuli, resistance - resistance to the effects of unfavorable stimuli. Mental processes are relatively stable formations that have a latent sensitive period of development; they develop and are formed under the influence of external conditions of life. These include: sensation, perception, memory, thinking, imagination, representation, attention, will, emotions. Mental qualities are relatively stable formations that arise and are formed under the influence of the educational process and life activity. The qualities of the psyche are most clearly represented in character.

Mental states represent a relatively stable dynamic background of activity and activity of the psyche.

9. Mental properties and mental states.

Mental properties are stable manifestations that have a genetic basis, are inherited and practically do not change during life. These include the properties of the nervous system: strength n.s. - resistance of nerve cells to prolonged irritation or excitation, mobility of nervous processes - the speed of transition of excitation to inhibition, balance of nervous processes - the relative level of balance of the processes of excitation and inhibition, lability - flexibility of change under the influence of various stimuli, resistance - resistance to the effects of unfavorable stimuli.

Mental states represent a relatively stable dynamic background of activity and activity of the psyche.

Mental processes are relatively stable formations that have a latent sensitive period of development; they develop and are formed under the influence of external conditions of life. These include: sensation, perception, memory, thinking, imagination, representation, attention, will, emotions.

There is a close relationship between mental processes, states and properties. For example, the properties of temperament or character largely predetermine a particular mental state in a particular situation. And in general, this relationship is much more complex than we imagine it at this stage of human development. Very important, one might say fantastic, phenomena and patterns are still waiting to be discovered here. In the meantime, we can only say that the psyche is the result of the “tireless labor” of the cosmos, which is still mysterious to humanity. It is included in a single chain of processes of the macrocosm, the solar system and planet Earth. The psyche is influenced, for example, by the solar system with the insidiousness of its “flares”, accompanied by increased excitability of people.

All this suggests that the study of the psyche cannot be separated from the knowledge of processes in near (immediate) and distant (world) space. The relevance of this position increases due to the fact that man increasingly fences himself off from this space by creating a “second” nature, leaving the “first”, natural one, only for the purposes of recreation.

10. Consciousness and unconsciousness. Consciousness and unconsciousness are part of our psyche. The problem is that consciousness cannot control the unconscious, which is the most important part of the human soul. Let's look at this in more detail. Consciousness and the unconscious according to Freud. Sigmund Freud was the first scientist to state that there are invisible processes at work in the human soul. According to him, every person has an internal duality that he is not aware of. The unconscious can contain only what was once conscious, for example, a fleeting thought or strong experiences that have been forgotten. Those thoughts that are in conflict with our consciousness go there. They are unsuitable for society, do not have a proper way out, that is, in essence, the situation turns out to be unresolved. The fact is that unconscious experiences continue to influence consciousness. A large amount of suppressed energy can have a negative impact on the psyche. The unconscious includes strong experiences that were once endured, but they do not cause as much torment as thoughts that deprive a person of peace of mind. Morality is developed in a child from birth. What is beneficial to society is good. What is not profitable for them is bad. We have been instilled with a conscience that “punishes” us for “unkind” deeds, and when a person discovers “bad” in himself, he tries with all his might to hide it, even from himself. Thus, the unconscious manifests itself against the background of internal conflict. With proper education, this conflict can be reduced. Fortunately, our society is beginning to slowly but surely improve educational processes. — Consciousness and unconsciousness according to Jung. Carl Jung was a student of S. Freud. At first he shared the views of his teacher, but after a certain time, a misunderstanding occurred between them. Jung believed that not only experienced thoughts can enter the unconscious, but also those that are inherited from all humanity. He found a lot of evidence of how people of different cultures and nationalities showed the same mental reactions. Thus, he created a new statement - the collective unconscious. — Despite the change of time and cultures, the problems of relations with the outside world remain the same. Without the unconscious, consciousness simply could not exist. It does not harm consciousness, but tries to bring it into balance. It turns out that the collective unconscious contains certain models of behavior into which a person invests his experience. It poses problems that man must solve for survival and evolution. By playing with our personality, the unconscious pushes it towards mental development, because each of us by nature has a need to develop a higher level of energy vibrations, so it is important not just to exist, but to carry out a program of mental development. — The relationship between consciousness and the unconscious. The psychology of consciousness and the unconscious differs significantly. But in general, the psyche, consciousness and unconsciousness ensure the adaptability and adaptation of the individual to the world around him. The problem is that people try to suppress thoughts that are unpleasant to them, instead of calmly sorting it out. This is where excitement, anxiety, and panic begin, which leads to mental disorders. The unconscious can “break” a person’s narrow consciousness. He doesn’t care about his personal problems, emotions and goals. A million thoughts and different questions constantly come to our minds. You shouldn't chase them away. Try to listen to the demands of your unconscious, and it will help you make great discoveries for yourself.

11. Feeling.

Sensation , sensory experience is the simplest mental process, which is a mental reflection of individual properties and states of the external environment, arising from direct influence of the senses, differentiated perception by the subject of internal [1] or external stimuli and irritants with the participation of the nervous system. In psychology, sensations are considered the first stage (in fact, they are not included there) of a series of biochemical and neurological processes, which begins with the influence of the external (environmental) environment on the receptors of the sensory organ (that is, the sensory organ) and then leads to perception, or perception (recognition).

In the Soviet-Russian psychological school it is customary to consider sensation and feeling as synonyms, but this is not always true for other psychological schools. Other equivalents to the term "sensations" are sensory processes and sensitivity.

Sensation and perception

Sensation (in psychology) is the process of reflecting individual properties of objects in the surrounding world[2].

It differs from the concept of perception (as a holistic impression, for example, the perception of a cup of coffee as a holistic image) quantitatively (the sensation of coffee aroma, color, temperature, etc.).

Perception consists of one or more sensations that create the most complete picture of an object. I.e. the perception will be, even if the person does not touch the cup, with his eyes closed he will inhale the aroma of coffee (one sensation). Classification of sensations

Sensations are divided according to the criterion of belonging to specialized analyzers responsible for their processing. Sensations are distinguished: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, olfactory, proprioceptive, motor. Based on the location of the receptors, all sensations are divided into three groups.

The first group includes sensations that are associated with receptors located on the surface of the body: visual, auditory, olfactory, taste and skin sensations. These are exteroceptive sensations.

The second group includes interoreceptive sensations associated with receptors located in the internal organs.

The third group includes kinesthetic (motor) and static sensations, the receptors of which are located in muscles, ligaments and tendons - proprioceptive sensations (from the Latin “own”).

Depending on the modality of the analyzer, the following types of sensations are distinguished: visual, auditory, skin, olfactory, gustatory, kinesthetic, static, vibration, organic and pain. Contact and distant sensations also differ.


Psychological consultation

This is, as a rule, a one-time conversation between a psychologist and a client who finds himself in a difficult life situation. The specialist’s work begins immediately, because no special preparation is required; you can quickly understand the current situation and outline steps to achieve the desired result.

Psychological consultation has several stages:

• Contact;
• Request;
• Plan;
• Setting up for work;
• Implementation;
• Hometasks;
• Completion.

The problems for which people seek advice from a psychologist are mainly the following:

• Relationships – jealousy, difficulty communicating, raising children;
• Individual problems – self-organization, health;
• Work - dismissal, low wages, intolerance to criticism.

The help of a psychologist in such life situations can be a solution to many problems; you just need to seek help from a specialist in time.