Basic qualities of a creative personality. Creative personality, personality traits

From the history of the issue

In Russian psychology, in the early period of creativity research, the only source of judgment about the qualities of a creative personality were biographies, autobiographies, memoirs and other literary works containing “self-reflections” of outstanding people - artists, scientists, inventors.

By analyzing and summarizing such material, the most striking signs of genius were identified, expressed in the characteristics of perception, intelligence, character, and motivation of activity.

The perceptual characteristics of individuals with enormous creative potential most often included: extraordinary intensity of attention, enormous impressionability, and receptivity. Intellectual ones include intuition, powerful imagination, invention, the gift of foresight, and vastness of knowledge. Among the characterological features, the following were emphasized: deviation from the template, originality, initiative, perseverance, high self-organization, colossal efficiency. The peculiarities of motivation for activity were seen in the fact that a genius person finds satisfaction not so much in achieving the goal of creativity, but in its very process; a specific trait of the creator was characterized as an almost irresistible desire for creative activity.

Some unique criteria have also been proposed objective assessment creative potential: according to P.K. Engelmeyer, technical genius is manifested in the ability to intuitively grasp the idea of ​​an invention; there is enough talent to develop it; for constructive implementation - diligence.

Later, tests were used to study the qualities of a creative personality. The results of the examination of famous chess players were somewhat unexpected; Apart from clearly visible professional characteristics, no special deviations from the norm were found either in attention, memory, or “combinatorial ability; highly developed

1 Of course, during all periods of the study, such materials were significantly supplemented by the personal opinion of the study authors.

The famous chess players only had the ability to establish logical connections. Thus, this test survey did not reveal any clearly expressed qualities of a creative personality.

The study of inventors showed something similar. Their data was not overwhelming compared to the norm. However, within the inventors it was possible to detect distinct differences that were strictly consistent with their productivity. The most productive inventors differed from the least productive ones both in the level of intelligence development and in the level of attention development. At the same time, according to the author of the study P. A. Nechaev, these differences are not the most significant. Major inventors and scientists differ from less significant ones not so much in the development of formal intellectual skills as in their personality structure. The watershed here runs along the line of perseverance in carrying out planned plans, activity, aggressiveness in protecting one’s personality, organizational abilities, etc.

A number of other questions were also raised related to the characteristics of a creative personality and, mainly, the personality of a scientist. Among them, it is worth noting the issues of personality typology of scientists, classification of scientists, issues of age-related dynamics of creativity, the nature and development of creative abilities, education creativity.

So, for example, regarding the typology of scientists, F. Yu. Levinson-Lessing distinguished between creatively unproductive erudite scientists, calling them “walking libraries,” and creatively preproductive scientists, not burdened by an overabundance of operational knowledge, possessing a powerfully developed imagination and brilliantly responsive to all kinds of hints.

The age dynamics of creativity were considered by M. A. Bloch, who built his conclusions in this area, mainly relying on the analysis foreign literature. He attributed the most favorable age for the manifestation of genius to 25 years.

An analysis of the works of foreign authors regarding the nature and factors of development of abilities led M. A. Bloch to the conclusion that there are no convincing constants depending on genius innate qualities. No such constants were found regarding the role of environmental influence, including schooling. M. A. Bloch, along with most representatives of the early period of research, was deeply convinced that the conscious activity of people could in no way influence the formation of brilliant scientists, inventors, poets and artists.

Based on own research P. A. Nechaev, touching on the issue of nurturing technical invention, believed that inventors are mainly people with favorable natural organization. Many who did not receive an education achieved very little. But education sometimes acts as a brake. There are known cases of great success of uneducated talents. Therefore, at school, not only the teaching material is important, but also the form in which it is given.

In "more late period There was no significant progress in the field of psychology of the personality traits of the creators of science. Selected works, touching on such issues, essentially relied on materials from the past.

It is no coincidence that at the Symposium on Problems of Scientific and Technical Creativity (Moscow, 1967) all the reports presented at the meeting of the psychology section were grouped in line with the problem of psychology creative thinking. Questions of the psychology of a creative personality were not touched upon at all (to a certain extent, questions of this kind were touched upon in reports in other sections, but not in a specifically psychological sense). Perhaps this circumstance did not arise by chance, because at present, for productive, strictly scientific analysis psychology has not yet developed sufficiently reliable means to identify the qualities of a creative personality.

In the last two decades, research on the qualities of a creative personality and creative abilities has become widespread abroad, especially in the USA. However, the general description of foreign, especially American, research in the field of psychology of scientific creativity, which we gave in the introductory section, fully applies to works in this profile. All of them are of a narrowly practical, applied, specific nature, bypassing the stage of fundamental research.

Apparently, for precisely these reasons, these studies did not cross the qualitative threshold that was achieved by work carried out, say, before the 30s. Therefore, characterizing modern foreign research, we can only talk about their quantitative growth. All of them retain, in principle, the old problematics and, with few exceptions, come to fundamentally the same conclusions. If we compare the statements of Potebnists about creative qualities If we compare individuals with the conclusions reached in their works by, for example, Ghiselin (1963), Taylor (1964), Barron (1958) and many other modern researchers in the USA, we will not find a fundamental difference. There is only a change of emphasis and some redistribution of issues that attract the most attention.

In terms of the structural division of the problems, there have also been no changes. This is clearly shown, for example, very characteristic of American Studies non-speech “specific abilities and mental properties necessary for work in the field of science and technology,” given by G. Ya. Rosen in the newsletter “Research on the Psychology of Scientific Creativity in the USA” (1966). The author gives this list as it appears in Taylor's work and other sources (Anderson, 1959): “Extraordinary energy. Resourcefulness, ingenuity. Cognitive abilities. Honesty, directness, spontaneity. The desire to possess facts. The desire to possess principles (regularities). The desire for discovery. Information skills. Dexterity, experimental skill. Flexibility, the ability to easily adapt to new facts and circumstances. Perseverance, perseverance. Independence. The ability to determine the value of phenomena and conclusions. Ability to cooperate. Intuition. Creativity. Commitment to development spiritual growth. The ability to be surprised and bewildered when confronted with something new or unusual. The ability to fully navigate the problem, to give oneself a clear account of its condition. Spontaneity, spontaneity. Spontaneous flexibility. Adaptive flexibility. Originality. Divergent thinking. Ability to quickly acquire new knowledge. Receptivity (“openness”) to new experiences. The ability to easily overcome mental boundaries and barriers. The ability to give in, to give up one’s theories. The ability to be “born again every day.” The ability to discard the unimportant and secondary. Ability to work hard and persistently. The ability to compose complex structures from elements, to synthesize. The ability to decompose, to analyze. Ability to combine. The ability to differentiate phenomena. Enthusiasm. The ability to express yourself. (Inner maturity. Skepticism. Courage. Courage. Taste for temporary disorder, chaos. The desire to remain alone for a long time. Emphasis on one’s “I”. Confidence in conditions of uncertainty. Tolerance of ambiguity, ambiguity, uncertainty" (Rosen, 1966).

Similar diversity, lack of differentiation, and global character are characteristic of most of these studies and more narrowly aimed at studying “local” problems, for example, for studies of intelligence (Guilford and others), typology of scientists (Gow, Woodworth, etc.), age dynamics of creativity ( Le Mans, etc.), etc.

It cannot be said that psychologically these works are devoid of content. On the contrary, many of them are very informative, valuable, interesting, and sometimes wise. However, all of them are the fruits of common sense - raw materials that should eventually become the subject of fundamental research, pass through the prism of an abstract analytical approach.

The main modern task of this approach is to divide the problem of personality into its sociological and psychological aspects. In this case, the specific content of the psychological aspect turns out to be the peculiarities of the subject’s assimilation of the social conditions of his environment and the psychological mechanisms for creating these conditions. To some extent this side The problem is similar to the problem of the relationship between thinking and cognition.

Our psychological analysis creative abilities represents an attempt to implement the abstract-analytical approach we have adopted in relation to this very amorphous problem. The main positive task is to identify the subject’s abilities that are conducive to finding intuitive solutions, their verbalization and formalization.

Critical examination of key issues current state problems (innate and acquired in creative abilities, general and special talent, specific abilities, development of abilities throughout the life of a scientist, testological study of creative abilities, their education, etc.) reveals, as in previous cases, their structural indivisibility. The application of an abstract-analytical approach creates the basis for the dissection of the original concreteness and the study of the psychological level of its organization.

As a fundamental example of such research, we present an experimental analysis of one of the most important abilities - the ability to act “in the mind” - the internal plan of action (IAP).

Internal Action Plan Research

We gave a general description of the stages of development of the internal action plan in the fifth chapter when describing the central link psychological mechanism creativity in the light of an abstract-analytical approach. Identification of the stages of development of VPD served as the basis for further research 2 .

In this direction, first of all, the general picture of development was studied: VPD.

By examination diagnostic technique(in principle close to the one we described when characterizing the stages of development of ©PD) of a large number of test subjects - older preschoolers, junior schoolchildren(the majority), students in grades V-XI and adults - it was possible to outline the outlines of the general picture of the development of high-level education.

The main characteristics of this picture were: distribution formulas (DF) and average indicators (AP).

Each RF, when analyzing the overall picture of the development of HPA, was derived as a result of a diagnostic examination of a group of participants.

Experimental material for studying the internal plan of action is described in detail by the author in the book “Knowledge, Thinking and Mental Development” (Moscow, 1967)

including full composition children of several classes of the same year of study in Moscow and rural schools.

The DF indicated the number (expressed as a percentage) of children in the group who were at stages I, II, III, IV and V of HPA development during the survey period. The first term on the right side of this formula corresponded to stage I, the second to stage II, etc.

For example, the expression DF = (a, b, c, d, e) may mean that of the examined number of students in this group, a% of children were at stage I of development of HPA, b% at stage II, c% at stage III, d % - at IV and e% - at stage V.

SP represents the total result of experiments with a particular group of students. It is obtained by processing the data of the corresponding distribution formula and calculates! according to the formula

a+2b + 3c + 4d+5e

where a, b, c, d, e are the percentages of children in the group who are respectively at stages I, II, III, IV and V of the development of the internal action plan; 2, 3, 4, 5 - constant coefficients corresponding to the score with which each of the achieved stages is assessed.

The average indicator (with a five-point system) can be expressed in values ​​​​from 1 (the lowest indicator; possible if all the examined children in the group are at the first stage of development of HPA) to 5 ( highest score; possible if all children in the examined group are at the V stage of development of HPA).

The results of the experiments characterizing the general picture of the development of HPA in primary schoolchildren are presented in Table. 1.

Table 1

Table 2

The accuracy of the overall picture of the distribution of students according to the stages of development of the internal action plan is directly dependent on the number of children examined. (In our work, only the first sketch of such a “picture” was made. Therefore, we do not believe that those given here quantitative characteristics are final. As new survey materials are acquired, these characteristics may change to some extent. However, the fundamental strokes of the picture are correct.

In order to analyze the features further growth The SP conducted additional examinations of students in grades V-XI. The results of these surveys are given in table. 2.

Consideration of the change in SP from the moment children enter school until the end of their studies in the 11th grade reveals that the rate of growth of SP (with small approximations) is proportional to its degree of incompleteness (the degree of incompleteness is understood as the difference between the maximum value of SP and the achieved value).

These changes can be expressed by the equation

y"=(a-y) lnb. One of the particular solutions to this equation

y = a -b l~ x,

Where at- level of development of the joint venture; X- number of years of schooling; A- the limit of development of the SP, probably related to the type of training and individual characteristics of students; b- coefficient, possibly expressing the measure of academic load. In Fig. Figure 47 shows a graph of the calculated curve with the values: a = 3.73 and & = 2; dots indicate empirical data 3 .

* We did not strive for great accuracy in the quantitative processing of experimental materials, considering the need for accuracy to be premature. A detailed, strict mathematical analysis obtained dependencies. In any case, the results of such an analysis should be treated with great caution, since a qualitative analysis of the facts is still at an early stage.

The described data on the characteristics of the general picture of the development of VPD are not yet entirely sufficient for strictly substantiated conclusions. However, these data already suggest a number of hypotheses.

First of all, based on the pattern of changes in SP, it is possible to obtain a certain idea of ​​​​the general picture of the development of VPD 4 as a whole, not limited only to the period of primary school age. To this end, it is first necessary to analyze the equation y = 3.73- 2 1- x In Fig. 48 shows the corresponding curve.

The distribution formulas we obtained for primary grades show that the coefficient is 3.73, which determines

4 -

Rice. 47 Fig. 48

the limit of development of VPD, demonstrates only intermediate level of this development (individual differences are leveled out here) and does not at all characterize all its possible options. Therefore, the exponential shown in Fig. 48 should be considered only as a curve depicting general type development (in in this case closest to the average empirical data).

Therefore, a = 3.73 in Eq. y = a-b 1's cannot be considered as an absolute limit for all possible developmental characteristics. For example, the development of children reaching the highest level of the fifth stage should have a slightly different curve.

If we really accept the original curve (y = 3.73- -2 1's) as a known type of development, then, while maintaining the second coefficient (b - measure of study load) equation y=a-b 1-x unchanged, by analogy with this curve it is possible to construct a curve characterizing the absolutely limiting possibility of development (a = 6) proceeding according to this type (i.e., a curve with the equation y = 6-2 1-x). In the same way, it is easy to draw a curve illustrating the development with the lowest (in accordance with the data we obtained) relative limit development (a = 2).

Let us consider the curve where a = 6, i.e., the ideal case of the development of high pressure pressure under the assumptions we have made. This curve shows that the development of the ability under study begins at approximately five and a half years of age. (y = 0 at x=-1,44).

However, this is not absolutely zero point. This starting point is determined by the features of the measurement scale we have adopted, dedicated to the analysis of the development of HPA in primary schoolchildren (all children who are unable to reproduce their actions internally are classified by us as the I - background - stage of HPA development). There is no doubt that the development of VPD occurs in more early period(and the background stage itself is objectively

Rice. 49

Rice. 50

is a deeply differentiated stage). But we have not studied this period, we do not have our own experimental data about it, there are no criteria for the development of this period and a corresponding measurement scale.

One can, of course, assume that the resulting curve represents the upper part of a typical growth curve (having a 5-shape), and build from a chosen starting point (y=0; d:=-1.14) a curve symmetrical to it (Fig. 49). The curve obtained by this method, despite its complete hypothetical nature, is of some interest. It reaches a point corresponding to the time of fetal formation when at begins to quite clearly tend to its lower limit - absolute zero. None of the other possible curves (for 6>a>2) has such reversibility, although all of them, as the A strive for this ideal case (Fig. 50). This kind of accident cannot be ignored. In addition, the curve (at a = 6) does not in any way contradict those ideas about the pace and qualitative characteristics of the mental development of children aged from birth to 6 years that have developed in modern child science.

All this gives us grounds to accept the curve (at c = 6) as an ideal case of development. (At the same time, this ideal case should be considered as a classical norm, since all deviations from this norm (which at the same time represent the ultimate possibility) are caused by unsuccessful development conditions.

Thus, the hypothetical curve of the ideal case of the development of high-pressure diseases that we have adopted is, on the one hand, an asymptote with respect to absolute zero and, on the other hand, an asymptote with respect to the absolute limit of the development of high-pressure diseases. It is symmetrical around the inflection point, which occurs at approximately 5.5 years, where positive acceleration gives way to negative

We constructed the lower part of the curve up to the bend point arbitrarily. We have factual data relating only to its upper part. Therefore, we consider only this part, keeping in force the scale we previously adopted with a relative zero reference point.

The curve shows that, ideally, by the end of the fifth and beginning of the sixth year of life, the child reaches stage II of the development of HPA. This is confirmed to a certain extent by data from reconnaissance experiments with preschoolers. In these experiments, among children 6-7 years old, we often found those who showed stage III development of VPD. Some of the children of this age were approaching stage IV in terms of their developmental level. At the same time, we were unable to find children aged the first half of the fifth year who could master the conditions of our experimental task. Likewise, we were unable to find five-year-olds who showed a sufficiently pronounced ability corresponding to the second stage of development of HPA.

Further, the curve for the ideal case of SP growth shows that by the time they enter school, i.e., at the age of seven, children can reach stage IV of the development of VPD. Of the 192 first-graders examined at the beginning of the school year (see Table 1 - RF and SP in younger schoolchildren), 9 people actually ended up at stage IV 5.

By the end of the first year of education, i.e., by about 8 years, children are able to reach the V stage of development of HPA. Of the 219 first-graders examined at the end of the school year, 11 people actually ended up at stage V.

By the end of grade V, i.e., by about 12 years, the SP curve asymptotically approaches the limit: approximately 9 / 10 its growth turn out to be passed - the ability, development of which

6 In the same table, one first-grader, examined at the beginning of the school year, is assigned to the V stage of development of HPA. It should be assumed that this is an experimenter’s error (overestimation of the development of the child’s internal action plan during the experiment)

the swarm is well-known reflected in the growth of the joint venture, can be considered practically formed (although the growth of the joint venture continues to a significant extent in grades V-VIII).

It should be assumed that in the further mental development of a person, other patterns occupy a leading place. This development occurs primarily along the line of increasing knowledge, through broad mastery of culture and professional specialization.

These kinds of features of mental development, of course, leave a certain imprint on the characteristics of HPA. However, we did not study this side of the issue. Our task was limited to recording the level of development of HPA by analyzing the features of thinking in the most simplified conditions specific task(practical, cognitive). The tasks presented in our methodology, of course, cannot be considered as simple as possible in this sense; Therefore, we emphasize only our desire to use the most simple (in practical or cognitive sense) tasks. In fact, the complexity of these tasks in the indicated sense is determined by the subject side of the experimental material into which we were able to implement the general plan.

Thus, we did not specifically study the development of the ability of conscious self-programming of actions. It was important for us to acknowledge the very fact of the emergence of such an ability. It is this feature of the development of the HPP that is reflected by the upper part of the SP curve (at o = 6). The absolute upper limit of SP growth corresponds to the moment of the appearance of such an ability (with the degree of accuracy determined by the specific material that embodies the design of the experiment). The further development of VPD is characterized by its other aspects and patterns that we have not studied.

It is important for us to emphasize in this regard only one fact that we have noticed: in principle, a child whose internal plan of action has reached the V stage of development is potentially capable of mastering knowledge of any degree of complexity, of course, if the logical genesis of knowledge is correctly presented to him. At the same time, he is also capable adequately operate with any knowledge he has acquired. Of course, when speaking about potential ability, we mean only the success of learning from the development of the student’s VAP and do not touch here on other important aspects of learning. The growth curve of the SP does not reflect the individual characteristics of the development of VPA, so it is strictly speaking. it is impossible to predict the development of HPA of a particular child on its basis 6 However, it is sufficient.

6 We do not have facts confirming or completely refuting the possibility of developing VPD in adults. Clarification of this issue -■ the task of a special study clearly reflects the general picture of this development - its most typical forms.

According to the data presented in table. 6, SP now reaches the absolute maximum level only in a group constituting 5-8% of all those examined. The development curves of the joint venture show: than later child passes the inflection point, the lower the level the SP rises by the time its growth fades. Therefore, not even the entire group, constituting 18% of the subjects located, according to the table. 1, by the time they complete their studies in primary school at stage V, they reach the absolute limit of OP growth. More than half of the group (the subgroup that reaches stage V later than completing grade I) may have a SP below the absolute limit.

These numbers show great opportunity further development of intelligence in a very large number of students. However, this possibility can only be realized if the mechanisms of development of HPA are revealed and the factors determining it are identified.

To identify the leading factors in the development of HPA in our study, the study of the influence of various types of schooling on this development and the analysis of the reasons for the delays in the formation of the ability to act “in the mind” in individual schoolchildren became crucial, which opened up the possibility of targeted organization of the desired shifts.

On close connection The development of HPA with the peculiarities of training and education was already indicated by the general picture of the development under consideration: first-graders were distributed across all its stages, therefore, age (maturation) was not of decisive importance during this period. The data of the differential picture also spoke about the same thing: in some children there were rapid jerks forward, significantly ahead of the course of the average development curve; in others, on the contrary, attenuation of the growth of the indicator at the beginning of the relatively highly developed VPD was detected.

The presence of such jerks undoubtedly indicated known possibility deliberate stimulation of the desired changes, on the possibility of rational management of the mental development of schoolchildren. The discovery of such possibilities was facilitated by the analysis of cases of delays in the development of HPA and their elimination

Our surveys have shown that by the end of the first year of study, the largest number of children in Moscow schools reach the third stage of development of HPA. Therefore, the development of HPA in children who are at this point in stages II and especially in stage I represents cases of delay. Special analysis Such cases are interesting for revealing the conditions and identifying the reasons that determine the shift in development. Comparison of the characteristics of the activities of children with delays

development of HPA, with similar activities of their more developed peers, and analysis of the results of such a comparison led us to identify a number of reasons for the delay.

The most common group of such reasons is ordinary underdevelopment of the upper respiratory tract, associated with the characteristics of the tasks of children’s activities in preschool age. Most often it occurs in rural schools.

The first of the reasons for this group is found in children who did not find themselves in situations where they would have to not only achieve any practical result, but also to explain how, in what way this result was achieved, i.e., to solve theoretical problems. At preschool age, they followed only direct verbal instructions from adults, or imitated them, but did not solve creative problems. theoretical problems under the guidance of adults, in the process of verbal communication with them.

A characteristic symptom in such cases is the peculiarities of children’s speech. They use speech only in situations practical problems and are unable to talk about how they themselves performed this or that action. Or - even more clearly - such a child is unable to teach another child (except for direct imitation, “direct demonstration) the action that he himself has just performed and, in a number of cases, quite successfully. If he is given a ready-made verbal formulation of what he has done, he cannot do it repeat immediately and with sufficient accuracy. He needs several repetitions and a fairly significant period of time to mechanically memorize the formulation. The subject is aware only of the result of his action and does not consciously control its process.

In general, the speech of such schoolchildren is very poor and, in comparison with their peers who have reached higher stages of development of HPA, is clearly underdeveloped. The vocabulary is not rich. The construction of phrases is often incorrect.

The second reason is the lack of cognitive motives necessary for the student. Children come to school willingly and are in no hurry to go home. But in class they are passive, very rarely raise their hands, and are indifferent to both relatively successful answers and failures. Schoolchildren in this category have almost no experience of specific mental work. Trying to act “in the mind,” trying to think is unusual and undesirable work for them. Children try to avoid solving problems in their heads. They are not captivated by entertaining tasks that require thinking. In most cases, such students either do not accept educational tasks, which are put in front of them, or are guided by them for a very short period of time, and then “lose the task.”

Closely related to the second and third reason is the lack of necessary arbitrariness. Sitting in the classroom, the children do not make noise, but at the same time they are not focused on the lesson: they constantly fidget, look into their neighbors’ notebooks, under their desks, play with notebooks, pencils, etc. The teacher’s questions take them by surprise. In most cases, almost every student in this category can detect the entire range of listed reasons, although sometimes a particular deficiency is exaggerated.

In general, the overall development of these children is low. But at the same time, their so-called practical intelligence is well developed. In terms of practical actions, they are very smart and are not inferior to peers who have reached higher stages of development of HPA, and sometimes even surpass them.

The reasons listed above for delayed development of the internal plan are relatively easy to eliminate. There are no special obstacles to the development of HPA in such children in a school setting. You just need to pay special attention speech development, use didactic games that stimulate intellectual work as widely as possible. It is also important to understand that in phylogenesis, all specific human characteristics developed in the mutual communication of people, and in ontogenesis, especially in the relationship between a child and an adult, including in a school environment, such communication is not always interactive. However, the development of VPD presupposes precisely such interaction. The teacher must be able to create situations in which not only he teaches the child, but also the child “teaches” him and, in the course of such “teaching,” solves (under the indirect guidance of the teacher and with the help of the teacher) creative problems. The teacher’s ability to find the necessary forms of the simplest theoretical problems, the solution of which is necessary to “draw out” the child’s inner plan, is also of decisive importance. Unfortunately, this is still happening completely spontaneously and belongs to the field of “pedagogical art.”

The author of this work, through appropriate guidance of the teacher’s activities, in a relatively short period of time, was able to cause a sharp shift in the development of HPA in the children of an experimental class in one of the rural schools.

At the beginning of October, the indicators of the first classes of this school were as follows:

experimental: FR = 87, 10, 3, 0, 0; SP=1.16;

control: FR = 95, 0, 0, 5, 0; OP = 1.15.

In February of the same year (during the next examination), the following indicators were obtained:

experimental: FR=14, 76, 10, 0, 0; SP=1.96;

control: FR = 85, 5, 5, 5, 0; SP=1.30.

Thus, out of 25 children experimental class, who at the beginning of the school year were at the first stage of development of HPA, by the middle of the school year 21 people reached stage II (in the control class - only two students).

However, 4 people in the experimental class, who were in equal conditions with their comrades, remained at stage I. Consequently, those general means that cause changes, which were just mentioned, turned out to be insufficient and ineffective for these children. There were similar cases of delayed development of |BPD in the Moscow school.

A group of children with a sharp delay in such development was subjected to a special experimental study, as a result of which another group of reasons was established.

A -/ b

Rice. 51. Method of counting squares

A- starting point of the first move. 1, 2 - cells that should be bypassed; 3 - the final point of the subject’s first move and the starting point of the next one; b - the actual counting order of the subjects G lack of a number of important skills of orientation in time and space

This group is characterized by the absence in children of a number of important skills of orientation in time and space. These children, like the previous group, are also characterized by the absence of the development of cognitive motives necessary for a schoolchild, and sufficient arbitrariness. However, the speech underdevelopment typical of children of the previous group is not Here specific feature. On the contrary, outwardly speech can be very developed. “Practical intelligence” turns out to be underdeveloped.

Children in this category, although they know direct counting, do not know reverse counting and cannot choose the one from the cubes placed in front of them in one row. serial number which is indicated by the experimenter. They are unable to count a group of cubes placed randomly. Many people don’t know where the right side is, where the left side is, etc.

When trying to teach these children a simplified form of the knight move, the following is discovered. The subject is given a method for counting squares (Fig. 51, a): from the original square (where the knight stands) count two (in in the order specified) and get to the third. When counting, subjects, as a rule, do not follow the instructions given to them. The counting order (without special training) remains completely random, for example, as shown in Fig. 51.6.

When teaching such subjects notation, the following phenomena occur. The experimenter asks the subject to remember

name of cells. He points to cell al and calls it: al, then he points to and calls cell a2, then a3. After three or four repetitions, the child is able to name these three cells when the experimenter again points to them with a pointer, without naming them himself. But this is only possible under one condition: if the original order is strictly preserved, that is, if cell al is again indicated, then a2 and a3. If this order changes and the experimenter indicates, for example, first cell a3, then a2 and al, then (without special education) the child cannot name these cells correctly.

It seems that the subject is forming relatively independent verbal and visual-motor chains, which are connected only at the initial point of the display. The three actions of the subject are not connected into a single system and do not form the desired structure. The child does not discover the principle of his actions. “Each of the actions is associated with the other “mechanically”, at the level of elementary interaction. Therefore, the possibility of reversibility is excluded. This picture never occurs in children with a higher level of HPA.

Compared to the first group of reasons (simple lack of formation of an internal plan of action), the second group has a more complex nature.

If in children of the previous category “practical intelligence” is completely developed and the system of basic skills of spatial-temporal orientation necessary for at this moment development, not only formed, but also to some extent generalized, verbalized (children perform tasks related to elementary spatio-temporal orientation according to verbal instructions from adults), then children of this category have “blank spots” in the system of necessary skills of spatio-temporal orientation ", due to which this entire system as a whole turns out to be unformed.

IN ordinary situations it doesn't show up. For example, in “macro movements”, when walking, running, and simple outdoor games, the child, like all normal children, behaves adequately to the situation; he orients his body completely correctly relative to surrounding objects. However, in “micromovements,” where it is necessary to somehow orient not only oneself in relation to objects, but also these objects themselves, and relative not only to oneself, but also to some other coordinates, such children turn out to be helpless. Consequently, many important skills of this kind of spatial orientation remain not only not verbalized, and, therefore, not generalized, but, probably, they are not formed. Therefore, the child cannot, for example, arrange the arrangement of a number of objects on the experimental table in order to then count them, etc.

At the same time, as already mentioned, the speech of the children described can be relatively rich and relatively correct. Based on a conversation with a child, one may get the impression that his development is quite sufficient. However, this impression is clearly superficial. Speech, symbolic, structures in a child in many cases are not correlated with the corresponding direct sensory projections, and therefore are not properly connected with reality.

Eliminating delays in the development of VPD associated with causes of the second type is more difficult than in the first case. The fact is that those skills that constitute gaps in the child’s immediate experience and that are necessary for building a system of his internal plan are usually not specifically taught. They are acquired spontaneously. Therefore, we do not have more or less sufficient knowledge of what the system of direct spatial-temporal orientation skills should be. In addition, the “blank spots” that arise in children are covered by speech layers.

Decisive changes here can be obtained by filling the indicated gaps. But first of all, they need to be opened, which requires a special laboratory test.

Absence scientific knowledge about the sufficient composition of spatial-temporal orientation skills and their system is the main obstacle to eliminating the developmental delay considered here on a broad front. For now, research into such gaps can only be done empirically.

We do not yet have sufficient experience (observations on children in this category were carried out for only two years) to make any reasonable predictions about the further development of HPA in cases of initial inferiority of children’s sensory experience. It is possible that in the course of subsequent training these problems will gradually be filled in and the conditions for moving through the stages of HPA development will emerge as if by themselves. However, the information that we have now (the results of separate surveys of lagging students in grades III and IV) more likely speaks of something else: although these gaps are indeed gradually filled with age, the child’s lag behind more developed peers, initially caused by these gaps, is increasing . Already in the first grade, children with gaps in their direct experience find themselves, as it were, unsettled. They assimilate school knowledge differently - most often mechanically, they act differently, they approach mastery differently academic subjects and do not actually master them. The rupture of the links in the system of sensory experience leads to subsequent disorganization of the entire structure of the intellect; children are not left behind. The more advanced such intellectual deficiencies are, the more difficult it is to correct them.

Therefore, the issue of eliminating these gaps already during the first year of study is very significant, despite the fact that today we know only private ways of such elimination, i.e., paths limited to the areas of individual specific tasks,

As an example of attempts to achieve shifts in the stages of development of HPA in children of this category, we will describe the work carried out with four Moscow first-graders (the work was carried out in April and May, i.e., during the completion of the first year of study).

Without knowledge of the optimal system of spatial-temporal orientation skills, we were naturally forced to move empirically. The basis of the design of each of the experiments was the result of a comparison of the characteristics of the activities of children characterized by delayed development of HPA with the characteristics of similar activities of more developed subjects. The most significant difference was found in the state (or formation) of the structures of the external action plan.

As one of aids To diagnose the stages of development of VPD, we used the time of the hidden period of actions, as a result of which the subject showed on a nine-cell board two points on which a knight could be placed from the initial point indicated by the experimenter.

In intellectually developed adults, this action (looking at the board) is carried out almost instantly. Moreover, as self-observation data show, the necessary cells (in the conditions of “looking at the board”) seem to rise in the perceptual field (take the place of the “figure”, others are perceived as the “background”). There is no need to count fields. The process of action is not conscious. The action is automated and minimized. Even in complicated conditions (without looking at the board), actions are carried out in an average of 2-4 seconds.

It is clear that this circumstance is very favorable for solving the problem: the elements of its solution are turned into automated operations that do not require preliminary conscious organization. The individual actions that make up the decision, although stimulated verbally, are organized at the basal level of interaction between the subject and the object, and this is possible, of course, only due to the fact that in the past appropriate structures were developed in the external plan of action.

For students completing the first grade and being at the V stage of development of HPA, the time of the described reaction approaches the reaction time of intellectually developed adults (without looking at the board - 5-7 seconds). For children who have reached stage IV, this time increases, but very slightly (without looking at the board - 6-10 seconds). The subjects of the third stage show a less stable time (without looking at the board - 10-36 seconds).

Since in all cases the reaction time was determined without preliminary training (the main experiments were preceded by only 2-3 training exercises), we can assume that some existing external structures that ensure these actions are present in all subjects of the mentioned categories, and the higher the level of development of the VPD, the better these structures are organized.

Subjects whose development of IAP does not exceed stage II are able to solve a problem related to determining the reaction time only by looking at the board.

For the four subjects we studied (who were at the first stage of development of HPA), this task, all other conditions being equal, turned out to be extremely difficult. The methods of teaching solving this problem that we used with all other children turned out to be unsuitable here. First-graders who remained at stage I at the end of the school year, without special training, were unable to solve this problem even “looking at the board.” The usual verbal instruction of the experimenter, accompanied by a visual demonstration: “You can jump through two cells to the third” - did not organize the actions of the subjects in the desired way - the children could not follow this instruction. Even looking at the board, they could not mentally count two squares and select the third: the task was lost and the activity fell apart.

Due to the fact that the development of the internal plan is a very slow process, which involves the multifaceted and long-term mental education of the child, obtaining sufficiently noticeable and sustainable changes in the stages of development of the IAP in laboratory conditions is a difficult task. We limited ourselves to trying to achieve only “island” shifts, i.e., shifts within any one situation, namely in the situation of our original experimental task. However, even achieving this very narrow goal required considerable work.

During four lessons (an hour a day), the subjects were assigned (within the limits of this specific task) and practiced actions with objects corresponding to the concepts “to the right”, “to the left”, “right”, “left”, “closer”, “ further”, “even closer”, “even further”, “in a circle”, “in a circle from left to right”, “in a circle from right to left”, “up”, “down”, “in one row”, “in two rows” ”, “in three rows>\” along”, “across”, “sideways”, “from edge to edge”, “forward”, “backwards”, “backwards” and many others.

These actions were practiced on a square board divided into 25 cells. A pointer and chips were used. The experimenter gave instructions and then pointed with a pointer to the nearest cell in the direction in which the subject was supposed to move according to the instructions. The last one bet on specified place chip. The experimenter indicated the next cell, the subject filled it with a chip, etc. After some time, the experimenter gave the pointer to the subject, and he limited himself to only giving verbal instructions. The subject, according to the instructions, pointed with a pointer to the nearest square in a given direction, then placed a chip in this place and proceeded in a similar manner further. All the subject’s mistakes were immediately corrected, and in the second stage of the experiment, the experimenter ensured that the subject explained the mistake he had made (indicating which instructions his action corresponded to, in which case the mistake made would not have been an error, etc.). Upon reaching the intended point, the paths lined with chips (or rows - in ordering tasks) were again examined and discussed. The experimenter sought from the subject an answer to the questions: “What did you do?”, “How did you do it?”, “Where did you turn?”, “Why did you turn?” etc. Upon completion reverse movements(in which the placed chips were removed), the subject was necessarily questioned: “Where were you?”, “How did you come back?” etc.

Starting from the third lesson, part of the experiment was carried out with two subjects at once. Moreover, the subjects took turns performing the function of the experimenter themselves, i.e., one of them (with the help of the experimenter) gave the other a task and controlled its implementation. Under these conditions, a game was staged, which made it possible to introduce very effective stimulating tasks and create the need to act in speech terms.

For example, each of the subjects was given a board (the same one that was usually used in these experiments), lined with 25 squares. According to the conditions of the game, it followed that the squares were different sections of terrain along which one had to walk to the point indicated by the experimenter. Only one of the subjects must get to the indicated point - he “moves through the area”, but does not “survey” it all (the squares on the board of this subject were without any marks) and can “fall into a swamp”. Another subject “stands on a hillock” and sees the entire area (some of the cells on his board were marked with icons symbolizing a swamp). He must direct the movement of his comrade, say (but not show!) which cell to move to which. Anyone going to the intended point is obliged to strictly follow the instructions of a comrade. If he ends up in a swamp marked on the board of the “leader” (arbiter - experimenter), because he is given the wrong instructions, the “leader” loses. If he ends up in a swamp through his own fault, that is, because he incorrectly follows the instructions given to him, the “walker” is considered the loser. If no one makes a mistake, both win. Thus, one of the subjects in this situation had to act on verbal instructions, and the other, which is especially important, had to give these instructions.

In subsequent laboratory classes, a modified “hopscotch game” task was used. The initial action (“jumping through two cells to the third” - similar to a knight’s move) was practiced using the same techniques that were used in the four previous lessons. Moreover, in three subjects it was possible to achieve error-free indications of the final (set by the experimenter) point of the jump without first calculating the fields with a pointer and somewhat stabilize their reaction time. After this, the usual coordinate grid was given and practiced (al, a2, a3, s, b2, b3, cl, c2, c3), which most of the subjects now learned without much difficulty.

The subsequent control experiments revealed a clear shift: 3 out of 4 subjects in the situation of this task shifted from stage I to stage II of development of VPD.

We continued these experiments, strengthening the motivation of the need to act in the mind by introducing “walking” and “leading”. The task used was “a pond with waterfowl” 7 . One of the subjects, the one who, according to the conditions of the game, “knew” how to lay the “board”, led (using a coordinate grid); the other carried out his instructions. The conditions were approximately the same as in the case of “wandering through the swamp.” At first two boards were used. But then the experimenter announced that two boards could not be used: after all, there was only one pond. The “leader” was sent to the next cabin and controlled the actions of the “walker” from there, without looking at the board.

As a result of these experiments, two of the four subjects (S. and Sh.) gave indicators corresponding to the III stage of development of HPA. One subject was at stage II. It was not possible to achieve changes in the fourth subject (3.).

Of course, this is not a genuine step in the development of VPD. This is a local, “island”, insufficiently consolidated development. At the same time, according to the testimony of the laboratory staff who observed the children in the classroom, the performance of those two subjects who were locally shifted by us to stage III improved significantly by the time the experiments were completed (especially in mathematics). Before this, both subjects were sharply behind. However, the increase in academic success in the classroom turned out to be short-lived: in the new academic year These children were again among the laggards.

As already mentioned, in one of the four subjects we studied with a sharp delay in the development of VPD, changes were not achieved. What is the reason? In all likelihood, here we have a case of an organic anomaly, in which the means that usually remove functional causes turn out to be ineffective, and the child’s possibilities for developing HPA are limited 8.

One of the most interesting tasks in the study of the problem of mental development is the development of a specific, analytical-synthetic (primarily psychological-physiological) idea of ​​the internal plan of action. Unfortunately, today's concrete understanding of it is very poor.

Many modern cybernetics clearly consider it possible to develop such a representation today a pipe dream. They put a “black box” in its place. However, cyberneticists are driven to this by the research methods inherent in their science. However, cybernetics methods are not the only possible ones. They do not exclude other methods. The initial task of synthesizing the results of abstract analytical studies of living systems is precisely to open the “black box” of cyberneticists. There are no insurmountable obstacles to this. It is important to keep in mind that, in a fundamental sense, the internal action plan is a subjective model (in in a broad sense) human phylo- and ontogenesis, and more in the narrow sense- a subjective model of specifically human, social in nature interaction of a person with the environment - with other people, products of labor, phenomena public life, objects and phenomena of all nature accessible to a given person as a whole.

However, the absence of insurmountable obstacles does not at all indicate the ease of the path ahead. The distance from the fundamental formulation of a question to its resolution is enormous. Now we can only talk about hypothetical outlines of an analytical-synthetic idea of ​​the VPD. It is possible that many of these primary hypotheses will be very outdated. But they need to be built. The first of them can already become at least indicators of the direction of research.

For the study of the specific structure of the internal plan of action, the hypothesis put forward by I. P. Pavlov about the interaction of the first and second signaling systems is of great importance. Based on this hypothesis, it is already possible to construct the initial

It should be noted that the issue of diagnosing conditions related to obvious defects still remains open. It is quite possible that in addition to the functional reasons we have noted, there are a number of similar reasons that create the impression that the child is defective, but can be relatively easily eliminated by training.

Even in the presence of a fairly pronounced organic anomaly, the question of defectiveness cannot yet be resolved unambiguously: first it is necessary to explore the possibilities of compensating for such an anomaly. A model (albeit a very conditional, imperfect one) of the internal plan of action.

In this sense, the revision of views on the motor area of ​​the cerebral cortex carried out by I.P. Pavlov and his colleagues is very interesting.

By the time of this revision, the only generally accepted fact was that stimulation by electric current of certain cellular structures in the anterior part of the hemispheres leads to corresponding muscle contractions, causing certain movements strictly confined to the mentioned cellular structures. Therefore, this area of ​​the cortex was called the “psychomotor center” (later this name was discarded and the term “motor area” became stronger).

Under the influence of the experiments of N. I. Krasnogorsky, I. P. Pavlov posed the question: is this center only efferent?

N.I. Krasnogorsky proved that the motor area of ​​the cortex consists of two classes of cellular systems: efferent and afferent, that physiological stimulation of afferent systems is in exactly the same way connected with various conditioned reflexes, like all other cellular systems: visual, olfactory, gustatory etc.

From here I.P. Pavlov came to the conclusion that the afferent systems of cells in the motor area of ​​the cortex are in bilateral nervous connections with all other systems of cells in the cortex. Consequently, on the one hand, they can be brought into an excited state by any stimulus acting on both extro- and interoreceptors; on the other hand, thanks to two-way communication, excitation of an efferent motor cell can lead to excitation of any cortical cell that has formed a connection with this afferent cell. In addition, the afferent systems of cells in the motor area of ​​the cortex more often and more quickly enter into communication with all other cellular systems than they do with each other, “because,” said I. P. Pavlov, “in our activity this afferent cell works more than others. He who speaks and walks constantly works with these cells, and other cells work randomly... sometimes we are irritated by some picture, sometimes by hearing, and when I live, I move constantly” 9 .

The ideas put forward by I.P. Pavlov were subsequently confirmed and significantly developed. It is now generally accepted, for example, that the simplified scheme, according to which the activity of the analyzers during perception was considered primarily from the side of the centripetal conduction of excitation, should be replaced by the idea of ​​the perception of a stimulus as a continuous reflex activity of the analyzer, carried out according to the principle feedback. Efferent fibers going from the centers to the receptors are now open in all sense organs. Not only that. It is recognized that the cortical sections of the analyzers themselves are built on the principle of afferent-efferent apparatuses, which not only perceive irritations, but also control underlying formations.

Pavlov expanded and deepened the understanding of the nerve center, showing that the latter is a geographically widespread formation that includes a variety of elements located in various parts of the central nervous system, at its different levels.

All this is fully applicable to the motor analyzer. The afferent-efferent components of the analyzers functionally belong to him. The last consideration is also confirmed by the position proven by numerous studies about the interconnection in the operation of the entire system of analyzers.

The afferent-efferent nature of analyzers indicates that the apparatus of any sensation, any perception is not only its receptor, sensory component specific to a given analyzer, but also a functionally common component for all analyzers, which is included in the motor area. By the way, another idea would be obviously absurd: if the products of mental interaction provide the subject’s orientation in the surrounding world, which, like any other orientation, is ultimately carried out by external movements, then the connection of any sensory element with the motor element must undoubtedly take place, otherwise this sensory element loses its function and becomes meaningless.

Thus, the basis of the apparatus of any, even the simplest, unconscious perception is a two-way nervous connection between nerve formations specific to a given analyzer and the corresponding formations of the motor center.

The motor area of ​​the cortex, especially its afferent part, thus acts as an apparatus that unites and at the same time generalizes the work of the entire system of analyzers as a whole. Its generalizing role is clear from the fact that often stimuli coming from the receptor components of different analyzers, having the same psychological meaning, are associated with each other due to the fact that they turn out to be conditions of the same activity, are included in the same activity. same activity. This forms the basis of the generalization mechanism. Thanks to this mechanism, externally dissimilar conditions can actualize identical modes of action that correspond to the internal essential commonality of these conditions.

It follows that the system, which I.V. Pavlov called the only signaling system of animals and the first of humans, should be understood precisely as an interacting system. One of its components is made up of receptor, sensory formations of analyzers; the other is from formations included in the motor area. To understand each of the components of this system, it must be considered precisely as a component of the system. Therefore, it is impossible to correctly comprehend, for example, the work of the eye, considering it in isolation from the apparatus of the motor area that unites the entire system.

On the same basis, it is obvious that all inter-analyzer relationships, the so-called inter-analyzer connections, also cannot be understood by ignoring the work of the motor center, since real connection in the work of various analyzers, it is installed precisely in it - in the motor center.

What we have described can be attributed to the apparatus simplest form mental interaction. The emergence and development of the highest form of such interaction is associated with the complication of the corresponding apparatus, with the restructuring of the entire specific system. At the same time, to the original motor center that unites and generalizes the work of the entire system of analyzers, a new motor center is added - a new unifying and generalizing apparatus, capable of analyzing and synthesizing not only the primary information that comes from the receptor components of the first signal system, which is carried out by the motor system corresponding to this system. center, but also the very products of the work of this nerve center. These products now themselves act as a source of information.

The new unifying and generalizing apparatus is specifically represented by the so-called kinesthesia of the speech organs, which, according to I. P. Pavlov, constitutes the basal component of the second signaling system. It acts as a component of a new interacting system, the second component of which is the motor center at the level of the first signaling system.

The evolution of the nervous system clearly illustrates the process of formation and development of this new, more complexly organized interacting system. At the animal level, the prerequisites for a new unifying and generalizing apparatus were included in the general interacting system, constituting the apparatus of elementary mental interaction, as an equal, “equal-sized” member. The change in the conditions of mental interaction associated with the formation of the social environment entailed the need to transform the method of interaction, which led to a corresponding differentiation and reintegration of the subject’s internal system. The result of such differentiation and reintegration was the separation of the cinemasthesia of speech organs, which acquired a new, qualitatively unique function.

The relationship between both interacting systems is obvious. They have one component in common (the motor center at the level of the first signaling system): if the primary information entering the analyzers through their receptor components is combined, generalized, transformed and used to orient the subject through the motor center at the level of the first signaling system, then this unifying and generalizing the device, in turn, is an integral part of the second signaling system. The available processed, generalized information available in it, obtained as a result of recoding the entire complex of primary stimuli at the level of the primary motor center, becomes a source of information analyzed and synthesized at the level of the second signaling system through the secondary unifying and generalizing apparatus - kinesthesia of the speech organs.

Let us illustrate this using the example of the relationship between the apparatus of perception, representation and concept.

As already mentioned, the basis of the perception apparatus is the neural connections of the receptor formations of the analyzers with the formations of the primary motor center (the systems created by these connections are the primary subjective models of reality). The two-way connection of these formations already contains the potential possibility of representation: the excitation of the corresponding motor elements of the system of the perceptual apparatus should lead to the reproduction of its sensory trace - the image. However, within the elementary form of interaction for such reproduction of an image stimulated by the central component of the system, there is no special mechanism - representation here is possible only as part of perception, with peripheral stimulation, and therefore, at the animal level, potentially existing representations cannot be fully realized.

With the emergence of the second signaling system, the situation changes. The formations of the motor center, which are part of the perception apparatus, under certain conditions enter into a bilateral nervous connection with the formations of speech kinesthesia, which in turn correspond to a word - a sign model of a particular object. This creates the possibility of the emergence of the simplest forms of superstructural-basal models - the reproduction of traces of former perceptions: the influence of a sign model excites the formations of speech kinesthesia, associated during the previous activity of the subject with the corresponding formations of the motor center; from here, according to the feedback principle, the excitation spreads into sensory components analyzers, which leads to the reproduction of a trace of a previously perceived object, i.e. to a representation.

Thus, if the system of nervous connections between the receptor formations of the analyzers and the formations of the motor center at the level of the first signal system, under the condition of peripheral stimulation, represents the basis of the perception apparatus, then the same system, under the condition of central stimulation, turns out to be the basis of the representation mechanism. The entire originality of representation, in contrast to perception (in the sense in which this originality is determined by the characteristics of the apparatus), depends precisely on the originality of stimulation. System primary connections between the motor centers of the first and second signaling systems forms the basis of the conceptual apparatus.

As has been repeatedly emphasized, the internal plan of action turns out to be inextricably linked with the external one. It arises on the basis of the external plane, functions in inextricable connection with it and is realized through the external plane. As it develops, the internal plan significantly reconstructs the external one, as a result of which the external plan of human activity differs significantly from the similar single plan of animals. In humans, it becomes, to a large extent, a symbolic speech plan.

The VPD mechanism is determined by the patterns of its connections with the external mechanism. The functioning of the VPD mechanism is directly dependent on the organization of the structure of the external plan. At the same time, while functioning, the VPD also rebuilds the structure of the external plan. The structures of the VPD seem to descend into the structures of the external plan, thereby creating more extensive opportunities for joint functioning.

Ecology of life. People: Neuroscience has proven that those with creative minds have brains that work differently than other types of people.

Neuroscience has proven that those with a creative mind have brains that work differently than other types of people.

Science cannot yet explain exactly how all these processes occur, but creativity is believed to involve several cognitive processes. It is difficult to say that certain behavior is associated specifically with creativity.

However, there are some various features, the types of behavior and social influence that creativity influences.

Here are fourteen traits that characterize creative people.

1. They are attentive

Creative people carefully observe everything around them. They also love to watch people. Many creative people often carry a laptop, notepad, or camera with them to capture what they see. In many famous works It's the details that fascinate us the most.

For example, we see many nuances of human behavior in Jane Austen's novels. These small but captivating details breathe life into her works.

2. They're dreamy

When we were kids, most of us were told to stop dreaming. However, psychologists now claim that dreaming and wasting time are not the same thing.

Daydreaming is actually a complex brain process during which connections are made, insights occur, and new ideas are generated. When we dream, we can look at life differently, imagining what it would be like to be someone else or live in a world built differently. It can improve creative thought processes and lead us to new ideas.

3. They challenge the status quo

Creative people often don't want to accept things as they are. They want to change the world and feel important. They ask questions like “What if?” and “Why not?” This helps them reconsider the possibilities.

Take, for example, the First World War poet Wilfred Owen. He decided to challenge the belief that dying for one's country was a great thing and depicted the horrors of war.

4. They get into a creative flow regularly.

Creative people, when they are engaged at work, slip into “the zone.” Also known as "flow", this state is described in the book by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The author explains how a state of flow is achieved when we are working on something we enjoy, as well as in moments when a situation challenges us. In a state of flow, creative work works out much better.

Creativity does not entail multitasking. Often you just need a distraction to get into the flow.

5. They have trouble finishing a project.

One of the downsides of having a creative mind is that finishing things can be a real challenge. The initial stages of a creative project seem exciting and new, but that excitement can fade over time, as with most romance novels!

They can easily give up on projects when they become more difficult and complex. Creative people may also get distracted by another brilliant idea.

6. They see structures and connections.

What sets creative people apart from others is the ability to make connections. Creativity is often about connecting things that others might view as completely unrelated.

By discovering structures and connections that others miss, creative people can create something new from what has been overlooked and underappreciated. They see opportunities where others don't and use it to create something original.

7. They feed their souls

We cannot continually create new things if we do not take the time to nourish our souls. Julia Cameron described it as "good filling". She says, “We must be mindful enough to consciously replenish our creative resources as we use them.”

Each person has different requirements for this filling. Often this concerns time spent alone. No matter how we spend our time or what we do about it, nourishing the soul is important for continued creative expression.

8. They are open

Openness is a key factor in creativity. Creative people are very curious and love new experiences.

Being open to new emotions, creative individuals are fascinated by new information, sensations and feelings. They constantly explore the external world and their internal one and remain open to new opportunities throughout their lives.

9. They are real

In a society that values external signs more success than rich inner life, creative people can fail. However, they are moving on a different course. The creative process is part of what makes them who they are.

As a result, creative individuals remain true to their vision of the world around them and follow their dreams, rather than strive for success and popularity.

10. They create in cycles

Creativity has its own natural rhythms that cannot be changed, just like the seasons. In the life of any creative person, rapid changes occur: periods of productivity are replaced by a desire to remain completely calm - and vice versa.

Creative projects begin with an incubation period, and only after a while are they ready to see the light of day. Creative people give in to these cycles instead of being obsessed with constant productivity.

11. They don't believe in themselves

Creative people suffer from the same doubts and self-confidence issues as everyone else. When an artist is struggling to find his place in life and win the affection of his audience, the lack of self-confidence can be felt more acutely. Even highly successful creatives often find it difficult to recognize the brilliance of their own work.

12. They are cheerful

Fortunately, despite the fact that creative people often doubt themselves, they remain cheerful. They should be like this. IN creative work There are many projects that do not follow the rules and often fail. This is where cheerfulness is needed.

Creative people cannot afford to take failure personally. The best way to reconsider your point of view on this is to recognize that it is not a mistake, but a learning experience.

13. They follow their passions

Creative people are rarely motivated by material rewards. They find motivation in intrinsic rewards such as personal satisfaction, drive, and passion.

Artists create because something inside them demands it, and not out of a thirst for fame or wealth or a desire to please someone. Understanding what it is intrinsic motivation leads to success and can increase overall creativity.

14. They see life as an opportunity to express themselves.

Creativity is part of our self-expression. Everything we do comes from our own need for self-expression. Thus, our whole life can become a creative project.

While some people may be more creative than others, I think that creativity is a quality we all have. If you look at own life, you will see that she is full of creativity. When we cook a meal, redecorate a room, choose equipment, or plant a garden, we are creating. The things we choose say a lot about us and are part of how we build our own lives. published

Based on the above, you can already imagine who a creative person is, what qualities he possesses.

A creative person always strives to create new, unique material or cultural values. Such a person is always talented, and in many areas (for example, Leonardo da Vinci, who succeeded in painting and architecture, mathematics and technology).

Modern psychology divides people with a creative mindset into two types:

• 1. Divergents, that is, people capable of a wide range of creative activities, easily establish distant connections between incompatible and incomparable concepts and phenomena; have a rich imagination; approach the problem in an original way; can speak out against generally accepted judgments that have become a cliché; are distinguished by autonomy, independence from other people’s opinions; boldly and openly meet new ideas and experiments; experience the satisfaction of discovery.
• 2. Convergents, that is, people prone to narrow, focused, deep and specific research; gravitate toward types of intellectual activity where it is necessary to focus on a more in-depth search in one direction; easily adapt their thinking to social stereotypes and operate with generally accepted cliches; for creative activity they need external incentives; slowly and thoroughly step along a pre-selected reliable path; indifferent to cognitive emotions). Each author, based on individual abilities and inclinations, strives to choose the optimal style of working on the material. And the creative processes associated with the preparation of a journalistic work have natural stages, knowledge of which will allow future journalists, both divergent and convergent, to optimize their activities.

A creative person is distinguished from others by originality of thinking and the ability to create, passion, as well as a number of other qualities, such as:

• 1. Perseverance (persistence), confirming the presence of motivation. The ability to concentrate on one activity, perseverance in spite of failures is one of the qualities of a creative person, helping to free oneself from lethargy and indecision. Enables you to bring started projects to completion. Help to develop perseverance: choosing a life guideline, regular classes sports or some kind of creative activity.
• 2. Openness to new experiences, emotional openness, flexibility of thought, eccentric views and beliefs - largely thanks to them, people have original ideas and solutions. All creative people have this openness.
• 3. Curiosity - the desire to improve your knowledge, interest in various areas human life and just environment. This quality gives a person the ability to be active in life, and also stimulates activity for new discoveries and knowledge. It brings joy from learning about the world around us and allows us to expand the boundaries of our capabilities. The development of this quality is facilitated by observation, as well as the desire for knowledge. Without curiosity, a creative person is simply impossible.
• 4. Imagination - the ability of thinking to create new images based on real objects. Thanks to him, the boundaries between the impossible and the possible are erased. This quality gives freedom of imagination in any field: art, cinema, literature, etc. Imagination can be developed. To do this, you need to read books deeply, immersing yourself in the world of characters, take an interest in art, visiting exhibitions, art galleries, and performing psychological exercises aimed at developing imagination. Creative people are often dreamy.
• 5. Self-confidence, independence. Thanks to these qualities, a person is completely free from the opinions of others, in other words, emotionally stable. He is able to accept own solutions and bring them to life. Due to these qualities, a person can find real application for any ideas, even the most reckless ones at first glance. The acquisition of these qualities is facilitated by: the development of critical thinking, self-esteem, and the fight against fear of people. Independence promotes advancement innovative ideas and development of progress.
• 6. Inventiveness is a person’s ability to solve life’s problems in an unconventional way, to create unusual things. Thanks to this quality, masterpieces are created. Advantages: the opportunity to perform extraordinary actions, unlimited imagination, joy from the creation process, freedom from laziness of soul and body. This quality of a creative personality is not innate. It can be acquired through: increasing your own erudition, self-improvement (eradicating any signs of laziness), setting and achieving a specific goal. An inventive person is not afraid to try something new in life.
• 7. Speed ​​of information processing: resourcefulness in answers, quickness of thought, love of complexity - a creative person juggles ideas without any self-censorship. A sudden insight when a solution seems to appear out of nowhere.
• 8. Thinking by analogy and the ability to access the preconscious and unconscious. Analogical thinking operates on the principle of free association of thoughts and images. Pre- and unconscious phenomena include night dreams, day dreams and strong emotions.

Analyzing the listed qualities, it becomes obvious that every person has creativity which he can develop. Currently, there are many different exercises for developing creativity.

For example, the “Free Monologue” exercise.

Task: stop controlling your thoughts, learn to think more freely.

In a quiet and peaceful place, you should close your eyes and allow your body to relax. Focus for a minute on the thoughts and images that arise spontaneously. Then ask yourself six questions:

• 1. What did I see, feel, hear?
• 2. What was my internal monologue about (what was whispered quiet voices inside me)?
• 3. What were my thoughts?
• 4. My feelings?
• 5. My emotions?
• 6. What does this all mean for me? (A long-standing problem, an unfulfilled desire, an inability to loosen control and “let go” of what is happening...).

Exercises that develop creativity:

• 1. “Two accidents.” Take explanatory dictionary and choose two random concepts at random. Just point your finger at any page. Compare them, try to find something in common between them. Come up with crazy story, into which you place the relationship. This exercise is great for training your brain.
• 2. "10+10". Choose any word, it must be a noun. Now write 5 adjectives that you think suit him best. For example, “socks” - black, warm, woolen, winter, clean. Did you do it? Now try writing 5 more adjectives that don't fit at all. This is where everything stalled. It turns out that this is very difficult to do. Delve into various spheres of perception and find the right words.
• 3. "Title". Try to come up with a name for it every time a subject interests you. It can be short and sharp, or long and unfolded. The purpose of the exercise is that you will definitely like the name.

Examples of exercises to develop writing skills:

• 1. Think about one of the objects in the room. Without opening your eyes, list as many characteristics of this item as possible. Write down everything you remember, still without looking at the object.
• 2. Choose a poem that you like. Take its last line - let it be the first line of your new poem.
• 3. What would you say uninvited guest, who came to see you at three o’clock in the morning.
• 4. Write a story that begins with the words: “I once had an opportunity, but I missed it...”.
• 5. Write a letter to your ten-year-old self. A letter to the past.

Modern man needs a creative approach not only for artistic creation or finding scientific hypotheses and design installations, but also for direct survival, self-realization and building one’s own happy life. Therefore, creativity should become the norm of professional activity!

Creation- this is mental and practical activity, the result of which is the creation of original, unique values, the identification of new facts, properties, patterns, as well as methods of research and transformation of the material world or spiritual culture; if it is new only for its author, then the novelty is subjective and has no public importance(for A.N. Luk).

Explaining his position on creativity, the famous psychologist L. Vygotsky noted that “we call creative activity an activity that creates something new, no matter whether it is created by creative activity or any thing outside world or the construction of a mind or feeling that lives and appears only in the person himself. Arguing that creativity is a necessary condition existence and everything that goes beyond the limits of routine and that contains even an iota of newness owes its origin to the creative process of man.".

Psychologist Ya. Ponomarev, who interprets the concept of “creativity” very broadly, defined this concept as a “mechanism of productive development” and did not consider “novelty” to be the decisive criterion for creativity.

Ukrainian psychologist V. Molyako, revealing the essence of creativity from the perspective of psychology, notes that “Creativity is understood as the process of creating something new for a given subject. Therefore, it is clear that creativity in one form or another is not a talent of the “chosen few,” it is accessible to everyone. And a schoolchild who acquires new knowledge solves a new, unfamiliar problem, and worker who does new things terms of reference, and a combine operator who needs to take into account the moisture content of the ears and the direction of the wind during the harvesting process - they are all engaged in creativity, solving creative problems".

V. Romenets, claims "... on the basis of what a person makes of himself, his status in the world, his character, his personality are determined". Creative personalityis a person who is able to penetrate into the essence of ideas and implement them despite all obstacles, right up to obtaining a practical result. This is exactly what T. Edison meant when he said that “invention is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.”

As V. Molyako notes, the main methods for studying creativity are observation, introspection, and the biographical method (the study of biographies outstanding people, creators in certain branches of science, culture, technology, etc.), a method of studying the products of activity (students in particular), testing, questioning, experimental methods, although the use of the latter is associated with significant difficulties, since any creative process is original, one of a kind, such that it is not reproduced exactly in the same form upon repeated observation.

The creative process has its own complex structure: a plan, work aimed at its implementation, the search for optimal methods for implementing the plan, publication of the results of creation, a realistic attitude towards their public assessments, improvement of the work based on critical comments, revision, reworking of the work, etc.

In order to diagnose and systematically form a creative personality in the process of study, you need to know its properties, the creative traits of its character. Researchers identify the following basic properties of a creative personality: courage of thought, propensity to take risks, fantasy, representation and imagination, problematic vision, the ability to overcome the inertia of thinking, the ability to detect contradictions, the ability to transfer knowledge and experience to new situations, independence, alternativeness, flexibility of thinking, ability to self-government.

O. Kulchitskaya also identifies the following properties of a creative personality:

• the emergence of a directed interest in a certain branch of knowledge even in childhood;
• concentration on creative work, focus on the chosen direction of activity;
• greater efficiency;
• subordination of creativity to spiritual motivation;
• perseverance, intransigence in creativity, even stubbornness;
• passion for work.

V. Molyako considers one of the main qualities of a creative personality to be the desire for originality, for the new, the objection to the familiar, as well as high level knowledge, ability to analyze phenomena, compare them, persistent interest in a particular work, relatively quick and easy assimilation of theoretical and practical knowledge in this industry, systematicity and independence in work.

Some experts also highlight such traits of a creative personality as integrity of perception, convergence of concepts, the ability to foresight (logicality, creativity, criticality of imagination), fluidity of language, willingness to take risks, a penchant for play, intuition and subconscious processing of information, wit and etc.

It is a completely reliable assumption that the techniques of wit partially coincide with those methods of searching for solutions to scientific, technical and even life problems, which are called heuristic techniques. They cannot be reduced to logic, just like the entire psychology of thinking. The search for solutions does not take place based on logical laws - with the help of logic they only check the guesses made. These guesses themselves are put forward with the help of other thinking operations.

Creative abilities of the individual- this is a synthesis of its properties and character traits, which characterize the degree of their compliance with the requirements of a certain type of educational and creative activity and which determine the level of effectiveness of this activity.

Abilities are necessarily based on the natural qualities of a person (skills); they are in a constant process of personal improvement. Creativity in itself does not guarantee creative achievement. To achieve them, the necessary “engine” that would launch the thinking mechanism, that is, necessary desires and will, the necessary “motivational basis”.

The following components of a person’s creative abilities are identified::

• Motivational and creative activity and personality orientation.
• Intellectual and logical abilities.
• Intellectual-heuristic, intuitive abilities.
• Worldview properties of personality.
• Moral qualities that contribute to successful educational and creative activities.
• Aesthetic qualities.
• Communicative and creative abilities.
• The ability of an individual to self-manage his educational and creative activities.

Intellectual and logical abilities are manifested:

1. The ability to analyze. The criteria for evaluating the analysis are correctness, completeness, and depth.
2. The ability to highlight essential generalities and be distracted from the unimportant (abstraction). The evaluation criterion is logic, correctness, depth of judgments and conclusions, the ability to describe phenomena, processes, logically connected, fully and correctly express thoughts. The criterion for assessing this skill is completeness, depth, and consistency.
3. In the ability to formulate correct definition object, establish a generic characteristic and specific distinction. The criterion for assessing this ability is the conciseness and correctness of the formulated definition.
4. The ability to explain, which indicates an intellectual and logical ability to logically lay out and reveal the essence of the issue, the problem, and ways to solve it. The evaluation criterion is the completeness and reasoning of the judgments.
5. The ability to prove and explain. The criterion is argumentation and mastery of the evidentiary procedure.

Intellectual and heuristic abilities of a person include:

1. The ability to generate ideas, put forward hypotheses that characterize the intellectual and heuristic properties of a person in conditions of limited information, predict the solution of creative problems, intellectually see and put forward original approaches, strategies, methods for solving them. The evaluation criterion is the number of ideas, hypotheses put forward by a person per unit of time, their originality, novelty, and effectiveness for solving a creative problem.
2. The ability to imagine. This is the most striking revelation creative imagination, the creation of sometimes implausible, paradoxical images and concepts. The evaluation criterion is the brightness and originality of the images, novelty, and the significance of imagination, which turns out to be the case when solving creative problems.
3. Associative memory, the ability to display and establish new connections in the mind between the components of a task, especially known and unknown ones due to similarity, contiguity, and contrast. The evaluation criterion is the number of associations per unit of time, their originality, novelty, and effectiveness in solving the problem.
4. The ability to see contradictions and problems. The evaluation criterion is the number of revealed contradictions, formulated problems per unit of time, their novelty and originality.
5. The ability to transfer knowledge and skills to new situations characterizes the productivity of thinking. The evaluation criterion is the breadth of transfer (intra-subject - close, inter-subject - distant), the degree of effectiveness of transfer of knowledge and skills for solving creative problems.
6. Ability to refuse obsession, overcome the inertia of thinking. The evaluation criterion is the degree of speed of switching thinking to new way solving a creative problem, flexibility of thinking in the search for new approaches to the analysis of contradictions that arise.
7. Independence of thinking characterizes the ability not to mindlessly follow the generally accepted point of view, to be free from the opinions of authorities, and to have one’s own point of view. The evaluation criterion is flexibility and inversion of thinking, degree of independence own opinion from the opinions of others.
8. Critical thinking is the ability to make value judgments, the ability to correctly evaluate the process and result of one’s own creative activity and the activities of others, the ability to find one’s own mistakes, their causes and the causes of failures. The evaluation criterion is the objectivity of the criteria for value judgments, as well as the effectiveness of identifying the causes of one’s mistakes and failures.

Creative people have characteristic psychological traits. The famous psychologist Jean Cotro is sure that everyone can develop them in themselves.

1. Persistence that proves motivation. The ability to concentrate on one activity and perseverance despite failures are the main factors that determine the ability to be creative.

2. Openness to new experiences: curiosity, emotional openness, flexibility of thought, eccentric views and beliefs - largely thanks to them we have original ideas and solutions. All gifted people have this openness.

3. Self-confidence: Self-esteem (and sometimes high self-esteem) contributes to emotional stability. Makes it easier to install and maintain social contacts, which is necessary for a creative person: in this way he becomes known to the public. Besides, high self-esteem allows you to maintain the desire for creativity in case of failure.

4. Thinking that does not coincide with the generally accepted. It has three components: originality (unusual thoughts), changeability (many ideas) and flexibility (new ideas in different areas). A person with this type of thinking never answers a trivial question even in a trivial way.

5. Janus thinking. This ancient Roman god, as you know, had two faces, facing opposite sides. This way of thinking is characterized by the coexistence of opposing tendencies, which easily allows for a radical change of point of view. For example: “Today I will dress in black... no, better all white!”

6. Androgynous thinking: it allows creative person free yourself from stereotypical ideas about masculine and feminine (“Madame Bovary is me!” – that’s what Flaubert is said to have once exclaimed).

7. Quick to process information: resourceful in response, quick to think, love of complexity - the creative spirit juggles ideas without any self-censorship.

8. The ability to imagine alternative worlds - to dream about other perspectives, different logic... Creative people often indulge in such seemingly childish activities.

9. Quick problem solving: sudden insight and a solution seems to appear out of nowhere! Psychologists use to designate this bright flash English word"insight"

10. Analogical thinking and the ability to access the preconscious and unconscious. Analogical thinking operates on the principle of free association of thoughts and images. Pre- and unconscious phenomena include nighttime dreams, daydreams, and strong emotions.