Scientific psychology has achieved considerable results during its development. Patterns formulated mental development person, in different theories the substantiation of the causes of people's behavior, their psychological characteristics and types is given. In addition, a scientific approach has been created to how to obtain all this information. About one of the methods for obtaining data about a person, analyzing the products of his activity, - further.
Analysis of activity products in psychology
Let's define what this concept is. Analysis of the products of activity (APA) is the study of a person by studying the products of his labor or creative activity. Unlike the main psychological methods (observation and experiment), APD is carried out indirectly, that is, without direct communication between the psychologist and his client. The specialist studies the products of graphic, musical, dramatic creativity of a person and, on their basis, draws conclusions about his psychological characteristics.
Analysis of the products of activity in psychology is most often used in working with children. different ages, therefore, acquired such "popularity" in pedagogical practice.
Archival, or praximetric method
There is another name for this psychological method - archival. This term was used in their activities by American psychologists. They meant by the archival method the study of a person's life through his products of labor, creativity, diary entries, archival data about him. Its variation is the biographical method, which allows one to study life path individual or group of people through their creative or labor achievements. So modern humanity receives knowledge about the life, relationships and personal characteristics of famous people from the past.
In domestic psychology, the name "analysis of the products of activity" is more common, or praximetric (from the Greek "praxis" - "action"). In our society, this method is widely used in educational psychology to study the development of children.
Analysis of products of children's activities
APD is very common in working with children from a very young age, because it allows them to express themselves in conditions that are comfortable for the baby (in the game). Young children are not yet able to verbally describe their experiences, they do not yet know the name of what they are currently feeling. But they can do it in a different way - draw on paper, play with friends, write in an essay. All this can become valuable material for a psychologist who works with a child.
Analysis of the products of children's activities involves the study of the following data:
- products of activity created in the game: plasticine figurines, constructions from different materials, items for role-playing games;
- products of labor activity: blanks, crafts at labor lessons;
- productive materials, creative: drawings, poems, notes, songs, essays, applications, etc.;
- products of training sessions: tests, drafts, homework.
Thanks to the study of these materials, it is possible to draw conclusions about the level of knowledge, the formation of skills, the presence of abilities, the orientation of interests, the emotional state of the child, his relationships with other people.
In what cases is the method used?
Method of psychological analysis of products of activity - effective method comprehensive study of the child's psyche. It allows you to identify features such as:
- mental processes (thinking, attention, memory, etc.);
- mental states (mood);
- mental properties (character, abilities - everything that makes a child an individual).
Thus, the method can be used in a variety of situations - to identify the causes of student failure, with difficulties in adapting the child, to study his relationships with adults and peers, to determine the interests and inclinations of the child to a particular type of activity.
This list can be continued, because the number of questions about the successful development of the baby increases with his age. An experienced psychologist will always help worried parents or teachers if his arsenal of working methods includes an analysis of the products of activity.
What conditions must be met?
In order for the method to give the most complete and accurate results, the psychologist observes a number of conditions during the study:
- clearly formulates the goal - what exactly and why is being studied (for example, the manifestation of the relationship of a 6-year-old child with significant adults and peers in the drawings);
- selects children (if it is a group) of the appropriate age (in this case, 6 years old) and with the indicated skills (for example, drawing);
- prepares the same conditions for activities for all children (same materials, venue);
- minimizes its own influence on the process of children's work, makes sure that the kids work independently and are motivated;
- captures the emotional reactions of children that manifest themselves in the process of work;
- if the study involves a further conversation with the child about the product of his work, he prepares questions in advance;
- provides for the criteria by which the final product will be judged (for example, the choice of colors, composition).
How is the analysis carried out?
This method involves the analysis of processes and products of activity. This means that not only the final product of the child's work can carry information about it, but the very process of its creation. For example, when children play staging a fairy tale, one can observe how involved they are in the process, how much they like the role and how they act it out, how much the text of the role corresponds, and also what new things the child brings to the process.
If a more passive activity is analyzed, for example, modeling or drawing, you can record the child's emotional reactions to what is happening, observe how he himself evaluates his work, how much the resulting product corresponds to the original idea.
The final product of the activity is evaluated according to certain criteria. They depend on what the goal was. This may be the degree of development of certain mental functions of the child, his emotional state, the presence of abilities for some kind of activity, and so on.
Stages of the study
Like all psychological research, the analysis of activity products involves the passage of several stages:
- preparatory - collecting primary data about the child, formulating a hypothesis (what is happening and why, what it may be connected with), preparing materials for analysis;
- direct research - psychological analysis of products of activity; if necessary, supplement it with other methods;
- the final stage is the systematization of the data obtained, their comparison with the hypothesis (whether the assumption was confirmed), the preparation of recommendations for working with the child for parents and teachers.
The participation of the child himself is expected only at the second stage. All other steps are performed by the psychologist.
Advantages of the method
The method of analyzing the products of activity has become widespread in Western and Russian psychology due to a number of advantages that it has:
- The ability to collect sufficiently extensive material both from a group and from one child.
- The possibility of tracking the dynamics of the psychological development of the child by comparing the oldest and newest products of creativity. For example, to see how much the minor has improved, how the child's attitude to one or another aspect of his life has changed, etc.
- This is the most natural way for a child to explore his psyche: in the playful form of work, the baby feels comfortable and relaxed.
- The ability to identify a wide variety of psychological characteristics of the child - from the degree of development of attention to character.
Disadvantages of Product Analysis
Any research method has its drawbacks, which can affect the result. Analysis of the study of products of activity can be subject to such difficulties:
- The use of the method is limited age characteristics child. For example, in order to study the drawing of a baby, it is necessary that he already has drawing skills.
- Processing of the results may be subject to subjective assessment by the psychologist (for example, the originality of the drawing). This requires clear evaluation criteria that will exclude the bias of the researcher.
- A comprehensive study of a person's personality with the help of APD requires a lot of time and resources.
Varieties of methods for researching products of activity
Analysis of the products of activity has its own varieties or can be used as part of other methods of psychological research. These include projective methods. Their essence is in the projection (transfer, image) of the internal properties, experiences of a person onto the product of his creativity. By studying it, one can obtain data on the development of this person.
The projective method differs from the classical APD in that it has a standardized material on which the work is carried out, and specific instructions. For example, the subject is given the task to draw a picture on a given topic, complete a story based on the image, etc. These most famous methods include "Rorschach Spots", "Non-Existent Animal", "House, Tree, Man" and others.
Projective methods are effective not only in working with children, but also with adults, as well as people who have mental illness.
Another modern interpretation of the method is professiography. She uses ADF of people who belong to a certain type professional activity. Thanks to the collection of such data, the requirements that are necessary for the successful mastery of a particular profession are derived. These are the psychophysiological, socio-psychological characteristics of a person. For example, in order to be a successful teacher, in addition to theoretical training, a specialist must be tactful, patient, able to control emotions, quite flexible and inventive.
Content analysis as a related method
The most developed and widespread type of archival method is content analysis. It is used not only in psychology, but also in other social sciences, communications. The method involves the study of text units and their classification. These units include:
- individual words;
- phrases (phrases);
- subject;
- message as a whole.
This method is more accurate, since it involves mathematical operations with the received material. All research units are counted in order to determine the frequency of their use and systematization. This allows us to draw conclusions about the psychological characteristics of the author of the message, about his relationship with the addressee of the message, as well as about more global socio-psychological processes in large groups of people.
Potential sources for content analysis are books, personal diaries, newspaper articles, songs, poems, etc.
Analysis of pedagogical documentation
Widespread use in the practice of teaching and educating children has received another type of APD. This is documentation.
A modern or social worker is confronted every day with a large amount of data regarding students. This is the various documentation:
- characteristics;
- medical history;
- autobiographies;
- knowledge assessment journals;
- meeting minutes;
- school diaries of students;
- orders and directives from management.
All this, after studying and systematizing, allows you to create a general picture of the development of the child, identify problematic points and outline ways to solve them.
The method of analyzing the products of activity in psychology is an effective tool in the work of a specialist. There is not enough theoretical background to use it. This is a constant practice, personal interest and desire to develop all the time. But if parents entrust their child to such a specialist, they will be sure that they will receive comprehensive information about him and qualified assistance.
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Psychological analysis
PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS - a kind of scientific analysis, similar to philosophical, mathematical, etc. A characteristic feature of psychological analysis is that the object of its study is mental reality, mental processes, states, properties of a person. As well as various socio-psychological phenomena that arise in groups, collectives: opinions, communication, relationships, conflicts, leadership, etc. The methodological basis of psychological analysis can be philosophical systems, general scientific principles of cognition, as well as general psychological provisions about the subject, the connection between internal and external , the specificity of the psychological patterns to which this or that type of activity is subject. For example, the psychological analysis of self-education involves the study of goals, motives, ways independent work on the acquisition, deepening, expansion and improvement of knowledge, skills, abilities, as well as its features in the conditions of general and special education.
List of random tags:
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Hallucination - Hallucination - the perception of a really absent object or its signs, subjectively recognized as a real perception. It occurs, as a rule, with various mental disorders, in stressful situations, as well as during prolonged sensory isolation.
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Perceptual actions - Perceptual actions are the main structural units of the process of perception, providing the construction of an objective image. Perceptual actions that serve to build a single perceptual image can be implemented using different sets of perceptual operations.
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Qigong - Qigong - a system aimed at preventing diseases and prolonging life. It has been developed in China for thousands of years. The system provides for the use of 2 types of energy: the vital energy transmitted from parents during the conception of the fetus, the force that supports the physiological functions of organs and tissues, and the energy contained in the inhaled air, water and food. Qigong - complex exercise aimed at achieving this energy. The basis of traditional Chinese medicine is the principle of considering the body as a single system and influencing this system as a whole. Using the qigong technique, a person trains the psyche, breathing and body. He can do this on his own and with the help of doctors.
First, let's try to define the very concept of "methodology". In our country, methodology is considered as a section of a specific science that studies its basic principles. In particular, the methodology of psychology studies the basic principles of psychology.
Methodological analysis suggests that it is necessary to abstract, abstract from specific scientific facts and realize the basic principles on which this science is built. Methodological analysis is not aimed at obtaining new data; it makes it possible to comprehend and generalize specific experimental data, to establish a measure of correlation between specific data in different fields of science, in this case, in psychology.
Abroad, methodology is understood not as a set of basic principles of a particular science, but as a set of techniques, methods and techniques in this particular science. Theoretical methodological research is viewed abroad as speculation, as an attempt to acquire scientific authority without bringing any benefit to science. It does not follow from this that foreign scientists are not interested in the basic principles of their science. It’s just that the various theoretical and experimental approaches in psychology that exist abroad differ so much from each other that an attempt to find common principles that unite them leads to very deep generalizations that lie in the field of philosophy, and not psychology, and do not represent a scientific direction for each specific psychological direction. values. It would be strange to speak, for example, of the "methodology of American psychological science," but it is quite appropriate to speak of the methodological principles of psychoanalysis, behaviorism, or another particular psychological trend that exists in America.
The peculiarity of the development of domestic psychology made it possible to formulate the main methodological principles of "Soviet psychological science", since, on the one hand, all Soviet psychology was based on a single philosophical theory - dialectical and historical materialism, and on the other hand, it had a single general psychological theory - the theory of activity . It should be noted that the existence of these principles played the role of a “Procrustean bed” for research psychologists, who were required to adjust all new psychological knowledge to uniform methodological requirements.
The system concept of general psychology requires a revision of the former and the formulation of new basic methodological principles of general psychology that are valid for this concept:
1. The principle of consistency: mental processes are connected with each other by direct and feedback links as elements of an open functional system.
2. The principle of the development of the psyche: the psyche, understood as an open functional system, is always redundant in the self-management of purposeful life activity and therefore itself generates a new content of life activity.
3. The principle of the unity of consciousness and the unconscious: the functioning of any mental processes as elements of a single system, as well as the psyche as a whole, can be controlled both with the help of consciousness - the activity of the psyche, specifically aimed at controlling the functioning of the psyche, and unconsciously, unintentionally, involuntarily, automatically, while the conscious and the unconscious can be understood as two parallel control circuits.
The concept of analysis in psychology
Definition 1
Analysis- translated from Greek analysis”) means division, dismemberment - the study and detailed consideration of something, based on the division of the subject, the division of phenomena into various components.
The term "analysis" was used even by Aristotle, it has a connection with logical knowledge put forward as a teaching with the help of verbal formulation, that is, reflections.
Analysis in psychology, they call the separation in the object under study of its various aspects, constituent elements, properties, relationships and relationships, in other words, this is the fragmentation of the object under study into various components.
Our consciousness has the property of analyzing the situations that are happening in the world around us, combining the received data into its own system. Analysis is of interest in psychology as an important quality inherent in human consciousness.
Psychological analysis is the main method of studying the surrounding world, based on a variety of units that differ in size and quality. For example, an analysis of the course of mental reactions to a specific life situation. For example, the formation of a person's character from infancy until death is taken as a unit of analysis. At the same time, the most important psychological components of the personality and the features of their changes under the influence of internal and external factors are singled out.
The problem of analysis as a way of comprehension has a fundamental meaning. This formed the prerequisites for the emergence in the 20th century of an analytical trend in philosophy called analytical philosophy, and in psychology a direction of analytical psychology appeared. Methods of analysis have become so prevalent in psychology and academia that the term "analysis" has come to be used as a synonym for research in general.
Methods of analysis in psychology
Remark 1
Analysis is the main method not only in the field of scientific research but also in any activity related to the search for solutions to the tasks.
Psychologists consider analysis as a cognitive process implemented at different levels of perception of reality in the brain activity of humans, animals, plants, and the entire living world.
Analysis manifests itself even at the sensory stage of cognition, while it is included in the processes of perception and increased sensitivity: in its simplest forms, it is characteristic of animals. It has been scientifically proven that the analytical activity of higher animals directly reflects their external actions and deeds.
Sensory flow analysis(visual information) is performed by analyzers, nerve endings that transmit impulses to the central nervous system. In humans, to the sensory-visual forms of analysis, the highest form of analysis is added - thinking, logical. This analysis occurs with the help of concepts and considerations expressed by speech.
In psychology, the following methods of analysis are used:
- qualitative
- quantitative
With their help, you can diversify the study of human personality.
Quantitative(variational-statistical) analysis contains methods for calculating necessary coefficients for the assigned tasks, as well as the frequency of repetition of the studied mental phenomena. In this analysis, the method of finding the arithmetic mean of various mental processes or individual psychological characteristics of a person is most often used.
Qualitative the analysis is carried out on the obtained data of quantitative analysis, while taking into account all the values. When using this analysis, the reasons for large or small indicators are found, as well as the dependence on the individual characteristics of a person, his living conditions, relationships in the team and with the outside world, attitude to social activities, etc.
Before proceeding to the article - a few words about a small update. The site has a name. The old "self-knowledge and personal development", although it describes the realities, but it is no longer for living people, but for search engines. New - "Psychology for Advanced", on the one hand, implies that we are talking here in non-kitchen language about matters that now and then go beyond the framework of traditional academic psychology, on the other hand, this clean water bait for pride - everyone likes to feel the involvement of their own person in advanced knowledge.. Another change is the design. The previous space one is fed up, and the new one - both more comfortable and more serious - sets you up for a working mood. There are different symbols on the table. Among other things, he came up with the idea of fitting a double support into the “psi” badge. It turned out something like "2I", familiar to readers from. One can also drag in here some doubly “advanced” psychology on two pillars, the unity of opposites, union, harmony of relations, etc. However, with the same success it is possible to project some kind of antagonistic duality - to whom what is closer.
Advanced Practices
Continuing the theme of advanced knowledge, on the site I talk a lot about, I call it almost the main practice in everyone's life. And there are reasons for this, which I regularly voice. Mindfulness increases mindfulness and sensitivity to what is happening. It is these parameters that allow us to feel our own presence in life, to learn more productively, both from the experience of others and from our own mistakes. Mindfulness is a key practice, if only because it embodies the deepest essence of our soul - the existence of here and now.
But, in addition to this depth of personal presence in the present, we have many other particulars - events, actions, relationships, hobbies, desires - they are all saturated with experiences, in each aspect - their joys and discontents.
All life's problems can be reduced to dissatisfaction with oneself and the outside world. You can even simplify and say that there is only one problem in life - discontent. This is the state when there is confidence that something else is missing for satisfaction.
With physiological needs, everything is simple - food, sleep, air. We cannot live without them, and we, without hesitation, take these rules of life for granted. But with desires everything is more difficult - we do not have the same resigned humility with them - their scope is blurred, and the number cannot be calculated, they replace each other, prompting us to feel eternally problematic dissatisfaction with life again and again.
What do I deserve? What should you strive for? Which path to follow? What signs to trust? With whom and how to build relationships? Whom to rely on? Who to love? Whom to oppress? “Am I a trembling creature, or do I have a right?”
It is no coincidence that I turned my mind to these earthly questions. The point is that as long as attention is consumed by a series of all sorts of disturbances, it remains dispersed and the level of awareness, no matter how you try to control it, inevitably decreases. And in this perspective, sometimes, it is much more productive to focus on those key details that prevent right now to relieve tension and feel satisfaction from the process of one's own life.
That is why there are so many articles on the site devoted to the narrow, mundane topics of our worldly psychology. This does not mean at all that awareness should be shelved until better times. This practice is always relevant. In fact, in the same psychological analysis, without a little bit of awareness, you can’t move anywhere. By the way, "mindfulness" as a professional term also appears in psychology. In Gestalt therapy, this is generally a basic concept.
Mindfulness affects perception spontaneously and systematically. It increases mindfulness to a level where it becomes increasingly difficult to deceive yourself with the usual methods. Analysis also allows you to work with specific troubles. In fact, psychological analysis is a kind of directed awareness that clarifies a specific situation.
In the esoteric environment, awareness and meditation are practiced for the sake of high goals - all kinds of channel clearing, opening of the chakras,. There, an increase in the level of consciousness has its own value. For most people, these transcendental matters are alien and incomprehensible, but the solution of specific psychological problems has obvious applied value, and here, in my subjective opinion, psychological analysis has no analogues.
Of course, dissatisfaction with life can be compensated by the fulfillment of desires. But, whatever one may say, widespread practice shows that such compensation is depleted too quickly, and sometimes it doesn’t work at all - it cannot cover up deep dissatisfaction with life. No matter what you buy, no matter where you go, you can’t run away from yourself, with all your troubles.
It would seem - it's time to think about the true causes of their own condition. But no, most often we believe that the whole point is in poor-quality fulfillment of desires - which means that we need to reach new, higher peaks - to buy even more expensive, to please others more strongly, to bind to ourselves more tightly, to subdue more arbitrarily, to conquer higher - in general, an unquenchable thirst "progress".
And then, after spending about ten years, a person suddenly wonders - why are we so worried? There isn't really any problem. Well, not an oligarch, so what? Not a star, not a guru, not a miss universe, there are people nearby who stubbornly destroy themselves, there are also constructive friends, but somewhere “out there”, in general, wars are going on. Everyone is playing their own game.
Healing understanding
Sometimes a healing understanding comes as if spontaneously. It becomes clear that the problem is not so terrible, or maybe it does not exist at all. After all, we experience something not somewhere in objective reality, but in our head. There, at the mental level, an understanding of the situation arises, on the basis of which, with all its illusory realism, the atmosphere of life emerges.
Psychological analysis is designed to unearth such problematic understandings, subject them to investigation and extinguish them in the bud. And if you limit yourself to awareness alone, you can move mountains while stumbling over small gravel. There is one well-known story (I don’t remember its origins) about an “advanced” yoga who, after spending many years in a cave samadhi, went out into the city and selflessly became angry at some disrespectful trifle addressed to his exalted person. Probably every practice on spiritual path similar situations are familiar firsthand.
It is quite possible to analyze yourself on your own. Within the framework of this article, I am not ready to disclose exactly how such an analysis is carried out. Then, there are many directions in psychology. Each has its own techniques and nuances. To begin with, it is quite enough to think not just mechanically, but consciously, using sober, reasonable logic, from a blurred emotional mess to a capacious understanding.
However, there is one insidious flaw in self-analysis. The fact is that we are not able to notice exactly how we are fooling ourselves. Our blind spots leave unnoticed precisely those mental mechanisms in relation to which the greatest clarity is required. Here it makes sense to turn all the power of your awareness and sanity to those life situations where the very discontent manifests itself - all varieties of off-scale emotions. Each such situation contains the key to the harmonization of life.
It is good if there is a close adequate person nearby with whom you can frankly talk about your life. However, friends, as usual, do not so much help to see everything as it is, as they scatter advice, as if they know the secret of a certain “correct” life. Almost everyone is trying to harness each other with their right values. Meanwhile, everyone is unique, and can be satisfied with life only on their own path, revealing their own potential, which is beyond the opinions of others.
An intelligent psychologist, ideally, is such a “mirror” that does not give advice and does not evaluate, but gives the client his own unclouded reflection, where all covered and blurry features appear with all clarity. Psychological counseling is not an easy, and often very painful procedure, which requires a certain courage and willingness to drop the masks and get to know yourself. I simply inform the client about what I was able to consider, looking at his life. Nothing more is required.
Advice is good in the technical side of life - where specific verified information is needed. But how to live, what to strive for, what beacons to follow - no one can know for you. Following other people's advice and recommendations means throwing off responsibility and drowning out your own potential for the sake of other people's expectations. And then it suddenly turns out that at work there is mortal longing, and in relationships - you don’t understand how you got involved, and life is not life, but some kind of mechanical Procrustean bed correct rules and other people's advice.
I will give such advice - do not give any advice. We do not know what is needed and what is “right” for other adults. Everyone can decide for himself. Everyone truly matures only when they learn to listen and trust their own gut.
Summing up the above, I want to note that it is very difficult to develop awareness out of the blue, simply because this “thing” is by its nature as natural as existence itself. We just are, and to notice this fact, you just need to stop resisting it. And efforts only create new tensions.
Awareness is almost not amenable to volitional concentration coercion. However, it awakens spontaneously when we are interested in what is happening at this very moment of continuous “now”. Practicing mindfulness means discovering and observing how amazing life is, not somewhere in our memories, but in this very moment when we break away from the restless daydreams of the mind and notice reality. Psychological analysis helps to identify and eliminate thoughts and experiences that have hitherto consumed the fuel of awareness - our natural attention.
