A person constantly encounters abstract objects. Sometimes they are talked about in a negative way. For example, when it comes to far-reaching plans that are not clear how to implement. But abstraction can have a positive connotation.
Abstract drawing
In psychology, this is a neutral category denoting a mental operation or type of thinking. So, what is abstract, what can this concept mean?
Definition from philosophy
In philosophy, there are two categories that indicate the stages of knowledge of reality: abstract and concrete. The differences between them are easiest to understand intuitively using the example of the relationship between the concepts “man” and “Socrates”. The first is the most general category, devoid of details and details. Socrates is a specific person. Thus, abstract is the most generalized object that cannot be touched.
Abstract objects are a very interesting subject of study for many philosophers because they point out problems with some popular theories. They are interested in the question: if an object is abstract and not present in space, then how do people know about it and even influence their emotions?
Abstract picture
Moreover, philosophy is generally a science of abstractions, because it studies the most general features of the universe. What does “abstract” mean in everyday consciousness? An ordinary person defines this term as something unrealistic and vague.
An abstract concept is a term that cannot be expressed visually directly, only through symbols, actions or a situation. For example, the word “distract” can only be depicted through a drawing that shows one person trying to say something to a colleague working at a computer.
Synonyms for this word, depending on the situation, can be “abstract”, “blurred”, “unrealistic”, “ideal” and so on. Each of these concepts corresponds to a specific context in which abstraction appears.
Concept of abstraction
Abstraction is a mental operation as a result of which a specific object becomes generalized. This is a broad definition. For example, as a result of abstraction, the following chain is created: smartphone - telephone - equipment - electronics. As a result, a concept appears that cannot be touched, seen or otherwise experienced. Electronics does not exist in object form. But this does not prevent a person from understanding the meaning of this word. As a result of abstraction, abstract ideas and expressions appear. These are mental constructs that describe real-life phenomena.
Abstraction is a necessary component of learning
In a narrower sense, it consists in highlighting one or more features against the background of all others. To generalize the concept of “smartphone” to “electronics”, it is necessary to highlight an abstract feature - powered by electricity and make an abstract concept based on it.
Abstraction can also be a method of scientific knowledge. It allows you to form a hypothesis and then confirm it. This operation makes it possible to analyze abstract things. This could be crime in society, economic growth, etc.
Developing the ability to think abstractly
The ability for abstract thinking develops naturally in a person from childhood - a period when a child actively fantasizes, invents fairy tales and invents fictional characters.
At an older age, the ability to think abstractly helps a child master technical sciences. Further, she actively helps to master subjects at universities.
In adulthood, the ability to think abstractly helps to decide to brainstorm and find unusual ways out of situations. This ability is also manifested in areas such as philosophy, psychology, journalism or engineering. In addition, it is abstraction that allows a person to dream, to create an image of the future.
Abstract thinking in children
Children are already good at dealing with abstract phenomena from birth, but parents can make this process more fruitful. You can work with your child from birth, while his brain is growing and developing. The main task of adults is to teach the child to move from concrete objects to abstract concepts that can only be imagined. There are even special exercises for this:
- Drawing blots. For the exercise, you need to take a landscape sheet and use paints to make a wet blot. Together with your child, you can turn this blot into something existing - a person, an animal or a household item.
- Inventing non-existent names and titles. You can show your child any picture and ask him to give it a name. Here it is important to name the first thing that comes to mind. You can also give names to animals and people. It is especially interesting to do this exercise with prehistoric animals that no longer exist.
- Theatrical performances. Included in the list of recommendations for the harmonious development of a child, role-playing games and performances also help develop abstract thinking. Finger games or shadow theater are perfect for this.
- In addition, riddles, rebuses, puzzles and association games are a great help in developing abstract thinking in children.
Abstract thinking in adults
In adults, things are worse with the creation of abstract images and phenomena than in children. Largely due to the formed picture of the world, experience and life principles. The thinking of an adult is less flexible, so it is difficult for him to perceive new knowledge. But if desired, anyone can relearn how to think abstractly. To do this, you can use exercises to develop creativity:
- At the end of the day, you need to close your eyes and imagine all the people you met during the day. You need to remember all the details - the person’s clothes, his face, eye color, timbre of voice and mood. It is also worth reproducing the feeling of meeting this person.
- The second exercise is also performed with eyes closed. It consists of reproducing different emotions. That is, you need to create an image of joy, horror, fear, anxiety, mistrust, etc.
- The third exercise should also be performed with your eyes closed. But you need to imagine an image of a concept. The concept of infinity is perfect for this exercise. When creating an image of these phenomena, you need to track your sensations.
In addition to exercises, you can use tools such as puzzles, rebuses, drawing and logic problems. Puzzles are also perfect for building a whole image from individual pictures.
Olga Figura
Types of abstractions
A man says he misses a woman - what does that mean?
The classification of types of abstraction is based on the purposes of this operation :
- Isolating abstraction. A specific phenomenon is isolated from the general background and studied. For example, there is an orange on the table. A person identifies two characteristics from it: orange color and sweet-sour taste. Such an abstract (this is a construct formed in the process of abstraction) allows us to further compare it, for example, with tangerines.
- A generalizing abstraction is necessary to obtain a general image, for example, to create a theoretical or empirical model of research. An example is mathematical equations that are solved as a whole, without breaking them down into components.
- Idealization is needed to create an ideal picture of the phenomenon being studied to achieve certain research or practical goals.
The purpose of abstraction for performing a certain class of mental operations may vary, but it is always associated with a specific task and its inclusion in the broader context of cognitive activity.
"The Chirping Machine", Paul Klee, 1922
0
Source:
The German artist Paul Klee had much in common with his contemporary Wassily Kandinsky. The artists were members of the German expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter, and both were deeply influenced by the connection between music and painting. The Chirping Machine is Klee's most famous painting of "sound". It depicts birds on a wire or branch connected to a handle.
Who is an abstract person
Pyromaniac - what does it mean?
An abstract person is a personality that a person has drawn for himself in his imagination. It may not exist in the real world. For example, when a girl imagines the guy of her dreams, she draws an abstract prince on a white horse. Another option is to idealize someone. If a person falls in love, he experiences these feelings in relation to an abstract image, and not to a real person. That’s why so many people say over time: “He/she has changed so much.” In fact, the person is what he was. It’s just that an abstract character has turned into a concrete one.
Such a person may be the image of an ideal person to be equal to. When people say, “I want to be goal-oriented, rich,” they are painting an abstract image of how they want to see themselves in the future.
"White Center", Mark Rothko, 1950
0
Source:
American artist Mark Rothko was a leading exponent of abstract expressionism, as well as the creator of color field painting. He experimented with many color combinations to convey different human experiences and emotions. "White Center" is one of his early works from the 1950s.
What is abstract personal thinking?
Cancerophobia - what does it mean, symptoms
If abstraction is the process of creating abstract mental constructs, then abstract thinking is the ability to operate with them. This allows us to think about categories that do not exist in nature.
Example . A strict teacher criticizes a young man who “possesses too much water” during an exam: “Let’s get to the heart of the matter.” Why does the student use such clever phrases? Its task is to hide gaps in knowledge or even their complete absence. This is the essence of abstract thinking.
Human knowledge about the real world is not complete, comprehensive, or specific. But a person must somehow navigate the unknown, which is why he thinks abstractly. This is a unique ability of humanity, which allowed it to create all the benefits that people still enjoy today.
Abstract thinking is a form of cognition that can overcome dead ends in reasoning. It allows, at least at a general level, to describe various phenomena. Abstract thinking also allows you to see a problem from different angles. It is this human ability that ensured the creation of various religions. God is the generalized goodness and power in almost every culture.
Essence and benefits
So, the ability to think helps a person build his own views on the world around him, cope with life’s difficulties, and achieve goals. But in most cases we use the exact variety, operating with detailed data.
When we see a guy sitting on a bench and cracking sunflower seeds, it seems to us that he is a slacker. That is, we think based on the specifics that are in front of us. But we can do this more generally, and then we will learn much more.
Stepping away from the facts and assuming context, we understand that perhaps the young man had a fight with his girlfriend, and before that he had given up smoking and therefore replaces the cigarette in a similar way. Or today he has a free day and he decided to relax and get some fresh air. Abstract thinking gives us room for imagination, to look at what is happening from different points of view and to learn a lot of interesting things.
This method is especially useful in specific everyday events when a person finds himself in an intellectual dead end. That is, she finds it difficult to find a solution to a problem or develop an objective view. But abstraction allows you to notice what was not so obvious before.
Forms of abstract thinking
Abstract thinking manifests itself in several forms: concepts, judgments and inferences. All of them are used comprehensively. Abstract concepts reflect an object or a group of them in one or more essential characteristics.
Concepts are the most important component of thinking
In speech, a concept is expressed in one or more words. For example, “horse”, “tractor” or “research institute employee”, “blast wave”. This is an abstract image that cannot be represented directly in visual, auditory or kinesthetic form, but can be understood. Judgments contain an affirmation or denial of some fact. They are divided into simple and complex.
Example . The sentence: "Karate is amazing" is an example of a simple proposition. It consists of one premise. The complex one is: “The train has left, the platform is empty” contains two interrelated facts. Judgment is always made in narrative form.
Inference is a form of thinking that allows one to draw a conclusion in the form of a new judgment from one or more interrelated premises.
"The Heroic and Sublime Husband", Barnett Newman, 1950-1951
0
Source:
American artist Barnett Newman is another of the creators of the color field. His painting “The Heroic and Sublime Man” depicts large fields of bright red, which are broken up by vertical lines or “lightning bolts,” as the artist called such random lines. Measuring 242.3 x 541.7 cm, the painting was Newman's largest work at the time of painting.
Abstract Thinking Tools
Words are the main tool of abstract thinking, so it can only be manifested in speech. In the process of speaking, a person builds concepts into a coherent logical sequence.
Therefore, words simplify thinking. If something is not clear, you can try to tell someone about this problem. During the discussion, the answer will be found. If there are no interested parties, you can talk to yourself. This is even more effective, because reflection does not stop, and you don’t have to be shy.
Example . A man sensibly explains to someone how to solve his problem. But, if he himself finds himself in such a situation, he no longer acts as wisely as he advised. The fact is that he talks through someone else's problem and finds ways to solve it. And when he himself finds himself in difficult life circumstances, his speech flow often takes on a different course: “everything will end badly, I’m screwed,” and so on.
Therefore, instead of solving the problem, a person only makes it worse. In both cases, abstract thinking works. If he tries to talk to himself, he is more likely to come to the right decision.
Thus, abstractness is a concept that expresses the maximum degree of generality.
Abstract-logical type of thinking
In this case, abstractions are used - these are individual units of precise patterns. They are distinguished from the abstract properties of an object, that is, those that cannot be seen with your own eyes, touched or felt.
A fairly clear example is mathematics, where scientists try to explain phenomena that do not occur in nature in material form. There is no such thing as the number 3. You and I understand that these are three absolutely identical units, and the name was developed to simplify it.
As people evolved, they began to use terms that essentially did not exist. For example, language is a set of sounds, letters and words. But you can’t touch them, and the alphabet itself was invented only so that we could formulate our own thoughts, transmit and receive information. This allowed individuals to communicate with each other.
Psychologist Daria Milai
Make an appointment
An abstract-logical thought process is necessary in the presence of some certainty or, as mentioned above, a dead end. When something that exists in reality is revealed, there is a need to give an explanation for it.
