Association - what it is, its types and methods of use in psychology

In the dictionary D.N. Ushakova

ASSOCIATION, associations, women. (from Latin associo - unite). 1. someone or something. The same as a joint union, society, partnership (as applied to some organizations). Russian Association of Scientific Research Institutes. 2. what and what, what with what, between what and what. The connection between individual ideas, by virtue of which one idea causes another (psych.). Association by similarity. Association of word sounds with meanings. Association of word sounds and meanings. Association between sounds and meanings.

Use of association methods in psychodiagnostics

Associative connections can be used in psychodiagnostics to study human mental states. Scientists became interested in this problem at the dawn of psychology as a science. Thus, Sigmund Freud, one of the founders of the science of the unconscious, believed that the subconscious contains repressed desires and instincts of a person that contradict the demands of society. These repressed desires are driven into the “very corner of the brain,” but they do not disappear completely and continue to influence a person’s thinking and behavior. He develops certain phobias, he does strange things, he even develops mental and physical illnesses. Repressed desires, as Freud believed, can be identified using associative diagnostics.

Associative connections arise spontaneously and carry information about existing suppressed instincts and desires. Freud used the method of free association, which is still used today. The identified associative connections allow the specialist to make an accurate diagnosis.

This method is very simple, although it looks strange. The patient should sit comfortably, relax and talk about anything. At the same time, he speaks exclusively about what first comes to his mind.

Currently, some psychologists do not use free associative connections, but rather more organized and controlled ones by a specialist.

To identify associative connections, specialists analyze many aspects of the patient’s life. This is, for example, creativity. When a subject draws a scene, he will certainly use the associative connections that arise.

Of particular interest for study is associative thinking. It is often opposed to logical thinking, and there are certain reasons for this. This kind of thinking allows you to quickly connect information from different areas to solving a problem. This type of thinking acts as if bypassing logic. The solution to the problem in this case can be not only faster, but also deeper, and the approach to this solution can be non-standard.

Associative thinking can be developed, and in the modern world it is advisable to do this. Psychologists have developed many techniques for developing associative thinking skills.

This attention to this type of thinking is explained, in particular, by the fact that logical methods are relatively simple, and at the present stage of human development it is often necessary to solve more complex problems; In addition, logical thinking is increasingly becoming the prerogative of computers, and therefore people are moving on to solving issues where a machine is fundamentally unable to cope. However, researchers nowadays are trying to teach artificial intelligence associative thinking, and there have already been some successes in this direction.

Associative thinking is the area in which human individuality is most clearly manifested. Since most associative connections are of deeply “personal” origin. In our time, one might say, the very understanding of the essence of man is changing. If previously it was customary to hide and suppress personal experience in order to better comply with “social norms,” today it is the personal approach to various things that becomes more profitable. In the future, it is quite possible that a person in his activities will be guided mainly by associative thinking.

In the Encyclopedia Dictionary

in psychology - a connection that arises under certain conditions between two or more mental formations (sensations, motor acts, perceptions, ideas, etc.); the basic concept of associative psychology. Associations are distinguished by contiguity (in space or time), similarity and contrast. The term was introduced by J. Locke (1698).—plant, the main classification unit of plant communities (phytocenoses). Characterized by a certain floristic composition. The association is named according to the dominant species of one or several layers, for example. in the forest there is a spruce-blueberry association - union, association.

Association as a form of association of legal and (or) individuals

A synonym for the word “association” is “union”, i.e. An association can be considered as a kind of organization that unites its members under certain conditions.

Therefore, formally, an association can be called any community of people or organizations that strive to achieve a common goal.

For example, grandmothers who gather every day on a bench at the entrance to chat. Their goal is to get some air and discuss their neighbors and the state of the world. Therefore, the collective of these grandmothers can be considered an association.

But it should be noted that the concept of “association” in Russian is used only as a designation of an alliance based on something more important than communication between grannies.

What is an association in business terms?

An association is a non-profit voluntary association of enterprises and/or individuals to achieve certain goals.

Goals can be very diverse:

1. economic.
   In this case, enterprises unite to effectively coordinate their actions in order to maximize profits, improve production conditions, and protect common interests.

   Within the framework of the assigned tasks, members of the association deepen the specialization of each individual participant, expand cooperation, and lobby their interests in government agencies.

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   Now the same thing in simple words: let’s say there are farmers Ivanov, Petrov and five more of the same workers who operate legally (individual entrepreneurs, LLCs, etc.). They are engaged in growing potatoes. Problems are pouring in from all sides: loans are not given, the village council is trying to cut down land plots, spare parts for equipment are impossible to get.

   And so all these village workers decide to unite their efforts to overcome various obstacles by creating and officially registering their union - association. Each of the farmers delegates their powers to the association and calmly goes about their direct business - growing potatoes.

   The association, on behalf of its members, solves their problems: receives a bank loan, issues spare parts at a discount, hires a lawyer to solve problems with land plots, expands the sales market, etc.

   Real example: “Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs” (RSPP):

2. scientific _ Membership in such associations is based on scientific activity. For example, the association “Man, Culture, Society”, a public organization that unites supporters of the integration of humanities;
3. Humanities . Example - “Russian Library Organization”. This is the unification of libraries into one organization in the interests of the development of librarianship in the Russian Federation;
4. public _ An example is the World Association of Women Entrepreneurs. The members of this international organization are successful women entrepreneurs from more than 60 countries.

The activities of associations in the Russian Federation are regulated at the legislative level:

1. Civil Code (Articles 123.8 – 123.11);
2. Law “On Non-Profit Organizations”;
3. Law “On State Registration of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs”.

The principles underlying the activities of associations:

1. members of associations can be commercial or non-profit organizations, or citizens;
2. the maximum number of members of the association is not limited, the minimum is 2 members;
3. statutory documents – Charter and constituent agreement;
4. the highest governing body – the general meeting of members;
5. daily activities are carried out by a collegial (council, board, presidium, etc.) or sole executive body (president, chairman, etc.) elected by the general meeting;
6. if the members of the association decide that it will conduct commercial activities, then the association will have to change its organizational and legal form to a business company or partnership;
7. the association can be transformed into a public organization or foundation;
8. each member of the association upon joining it retains its financial and legal independence;
9. members of the association have the right to leave its ranks at any time;
10. the association is not responsible for its members;
11. members of the association bear subsidiary liability for the obligations assumed by the association, if this is stated in its Charter. The amount of financial liability is fixed in the organization’s statutory documents;
12. members of the association are required to pay membership fees provided for by the Charter.

In the dictionary Dictionary of foreign words

and, f.

1. Association of persons or institutions of the same type of activity. Sociological a. A. nuclear physicists.||Cf. CONFEDERATION" title='CONFEDERATION, CONFEDERATION is, what is CONFEDERATION, CONFEDERATION interpretation'>CONFEDERATION.

2. psychol. A relationship between separate representations, in which one of the representations causes another. A. by similarity.

3. chem. Combining molecules (or ions) into doubled, tripled, etc. aggregates, as well as such aggregates themselves.||Cf. DISSOCIATION" title='DISOCIATION, DISSOCIATION is, what is DISSOCIATION, DISSOCIATION interpretation'>DISSOCIATION.

4. astr. A cluster of young stars, indicating the ongoing process of star formation in the Galaxy.

5. bot A set of homogeneous plant communities with the same composition of plant species and with similar relationships both between organisms and between them and the environment.

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The meaning of the word "association"