Imagination about: 8 Types Of Imagination

Опубликовано: January 12, 2023 в 6:08 pm

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8 Types Of Imagination

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by TeachThought Staff

Imagination is critical to innovation and learning–but what exactly is it?

Dr. Murray Hunter of the University of Malaysia Perlis explains that imagination is, in part, about filling in gaps in our knowledge.

“Imagination is the ability to form mental images, phonological passages, analogies, or narratives of something that is not perceived through our senses. Imagination is a manifestation of our memory and enables us to scrutinize our past and construct hypothetical future scenarios that do not yet but could exist.

Imagination also gives us the ability to see things from other points of view and empathize with others. Imagination extends our experience and thoughts, enabling a personal construction of a worldview that lowers our sense of uncertainty. In this way, our imagination fills in the gaps within our knowledge enabling us to create mental maps that make meaning out of the ambiguities of situations we face where information is lacking, which is an important function of our memory management. This partly explains why people react differently to what they see due to the unique interpretations they make based on different prior knowledge and experience. Imagination enables us to create new meanings from cognitive cues or stimuli within the environment, which on occasions can lead to new insights.”

See also 27 Ideas For Students Who Finish Their Work Early

And, Dr. Hunter explains, it’s not always a conscious process.

“Recent research has shown that the brain periodically shifts phase locking during a person’s consciousness10, where neural networks activate and these brief periods may be enough to allow the dominant left hemisphere give way to the right hemisphere, enabling a person to see the environment, problem or issue from a new perspective.”

Below, Dr. Hunter has offered eight types of imagination we use on a daily basis.

8 Types of Imagination

1. Effectuative Imagination combines information together to synergize new concepts and ideas.

2. Intellectual (or Constructive) Imagination is utilized when considering and developing hypotheses from different pieces of information or pondering over various issues of meaning say in the areas of philosophy, management, or politics, etc.

3. Imaginative Fantasy Imagination creates and develops stories, pictures, poems, stage-plays, and the building of the esoteric, etc.

4. Empathy Imagination helps a person know emotionally what others are experiencing from their frame and reference.

5. Strategic Imagination is concerned about vision of ‘what could be’, the ability to recognize and evaluate opportunities by turning them into mental scenarios…

6. Emotional Imagination is concerned with manifesting emotional dispositions and extending them into emotional scenarios.

7. Dreams are an unconscious form of imagination made up of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur during certain stages of sleep.

8. Memory Reconstruction is the process of retrieving our memory of people, objects, and events.

You can read of Dr. Hunter’s take on different types of imagination here.

Imagination Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster

imag·​i·​na·​tion

i-ˌma-jə-ˈnā-shən 

1

: the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality

2

a

: creative ability

b

: ability to confront and deal with a problem : resourcefulness

use your imagination and get us out of here

c

: the thinking or active mind : interest

stories that fired the imagination

3

a

: a creation of the mind

especially

: an idealized or poetic creation

b

: fanciful or empty assumption

Synonyms

  • contrivance
  • creativity
  • fancy
  • fantasy
  • phantasy
  • ideation
  • imaginativeness
  • invention
  • inventiveness
  • originality

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Example Sentences

You can find a solution if you use a little imagination.

The author does not tell us what happens to the characters. We have to use our imagination.

He’s a competent writer, but he lacks imagination.

Is it just my imagination, or is it getting warm in here?

Recent Examples on the Web

The prospect of that victory has consumed the national imagination.

—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2022

Morroco, which captured the world’s imagination as the first African side to ever make the World Cup semifinals, will play for third place Saturday against 2018 runner-up Croatia.

—David K. Li, NBC News, 14 Dec. 2022

Staging the show was also an audacious, geopolitical project by Qatar—an attempt to sew the small, amazingly rich, vulnerable Gulf state into the global imagination.

—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2022

This world unto its own offers an accessible playground for strays with boisterous imagination but provides no economic stability, even when critical success is achieved.

—Charles Mcnultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2022

Visions of a picnic basket on the backseat and a pleasant companion riding shotgun swim into the imagination.

—Brendan Mcaleer, Car and Driver, 12 Dec. 2022

Newitz’s formidable imagination can’t change the fact that people are people.

—Amy Brady, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2022

As with many of the changes announced but not yet implemented at Twitter since Musk took over the company on Oct. 28, those tweets leave a great deal to the reader’s imagination.

PCMAG, 9 Dec. 2022

Same with the image-generating app Lensa, which creates painterly selfies that have captured the public’s imagination.

—Wired Staff, WIRED, 8 Dec. 2022

See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘imagination. ‘ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ymaginacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French ymaginacion, borrowed from Latin imāginātiōn-, imāginātiō, from imāginārī “to imagine” + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of imagination was
in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Dictionary Entries Near

imagination

imaginary unit

imagination

imaginational

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

Style

MLAChicagoAPAMerriam-Webster

“Imagination.Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imagination. Accessed 25 Dec. 2022.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

imagination

noun

imag·​i·​na·​tion

im-ˌaj-ə-ˈnā-shən 

1

: the act or power of forming a mental picture of something not present and especially of something one has not known or experienced

2

: creative ability

3

: a creation of the mind

Medical Definition

imagination

noun

imag·​i·​na·​tion

im-ˌaj-ə-ˈnā-shən 

: an act or process of forming a conscious idea or mental image of something never before wholly perceived in reality by the one forming the images (as through a synthesis of remembered elements of previous sensory experiences or ideas as modified by unconscious defense mechanisms)

also

: the ability or gift of forming such conscious ideas or mental images especially for the purposes of artistic or intellectual creation

More from Merriam-Webster on

imagination

Nglish: Translation of imagination for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of imagination for Arabic Speakers

Britannica. com: Encyclopedia article about imagination

Last Updated:

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Merriam-Webster unabridged

nativity

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How to develop the imagination of a schoolchild

Imagination is the ability of consciousness to create and transform images and manipulate them. One of the highest mental functions along with memory, attention, thinking, perception and speech.

People say that without imagination there is no thought. This saying contains the meaning of the function of imagination: it is necessary not only for creativity, but also for understanding abstractions, developing logical thinking, memory, attention, fantasy, designing and finding solutions to situations. Physicist Albert Einstein said that one cannot make a discovery without imagination, and the scientist in the field of astronautics Konstantin Tsiolkovsky believed that imagination precedes mathematical calculation. nine0007

The origin and development of the imagination occurs in preschool childhood:

  • about one and a half to two years old the child begins to recognize familiar objects;
  • at three or four years old the baby actively imitates adults and turns on the “I myself” mode;
  • for about five years he actively diversifies the game, thinks out characters, plot, imagines himself in a few years;
  • six or seven years is the peak of the activity of the imagination; nine0014
  • with transition to school imagination also moves to a new stage – maintaining the optimal level with small jumps in active growth.

Several signs of a rich and meager imagination can be identified.

Signs of poor imagination

  • gets lost when looking for a way out of a situation;
  • strictly follows the instructions, does not retreat a single step;
  • is initiativeless and closed;
  • does not understand how to present an object or phenomenon;
  • answers questions briefly;
  • does everything according to schemes, plans and algorithms.
  • Signs of rich imagination :

    • easily and with details retells fairy tales, poems, life situations;
    • often communicates with peers, knows how to ask questions and answer;
    • suggests new game rules or heroes;
    • comes up with alternative names or endings for the story. nine0014

    It is important to remember that the exact diagnosis and construction of the trajectory of the development of the imagination should be entrusted to speech pathologists and neuropsychologists, or at least consult with a school teacher and a psychologist.

    It is not worth specially organizing the child’s activities according to the principle “now we sit down and develop the imagination”. All tasks can be included in the game or other activities.

    <>

    For younger children

    Creative activities

    Drawing, modeling, appliqué, music, rhythm, construction. It is necessary to include work with non-standard materials, for example, crafts made from fur and nut shells.

    Fairy tales

    You can read a part of a fairy tale and offer to think of an ending or include a new character.

    Associations

    Suggest an association. For example, in the form of an animal to yourself. And explain why the child made such a choice.

    Observation

    Behind phenomena, people, events. This will help the child acquire new knowledge and experience, which he will include in fantasy games.

    Games

    For example, “Non-existent animals”, “Finish the missing part”, “What does it look like?”, “A story of mismatched nouns”, “New life for old objects”.

    Constructor

    You can use different – floor, Lego, soft, block. Allows you to learn how to imagine the end result when there are only details. nine0007

    Theatricalization

    Performances can be staged even at home. For this, it is absolutely not necessary to collect all relatives. You can use dolls, for example.

    For older children

    Books

    Those that are old and with a touch of fantasy. For example, Jules Verne, Arthur Conan Doyle, the Strugatsky brothers.

    Board games

    For example, “Imaginarium”, where each con one of the players chooses a card and makes an association with it. Other players select from their pictures suitable for this image. The cards are shuffled, opened and voted on which was the original. nine0007

    Conversations

    Ask more questions that will help you imagine something that isn’t there right now. For example, “What will you do if you grow wings?” or “How would you try to survive on a desert island?”

    Essays

    Not like at school, but on interesting topics. For example, offer to write your own fairy tale or write a story on behalf of some subject. And you can also play with the properties – reduce the chair or increase the girl.

    Illustration:Manu / Dribbble

    Imagination – arguments for essay 9.3 at the OGE in the Russian language

    Theses

    • Imagination is a manifestation of a person’s fantasy;
    • Imagination is the degree of development of the inner world of the individual;
    • Imagination is a creative gift that determines the possibilities for creation;
    • Imagination is the ability to create your own version of the surrounding world;
    • Imagination is the capacity for creative perception of reality;
    • Imagination is the capacity for individual transformation of reality; nine0014
    • Imagination is the ability to see how the life of the inner world of the individual proceeds;
    • “Imagination is the most important thing, it is a reflection of what we attract into our lives” A. Einstein;
    • “Logic will take you from point A to point B. Imagination will take you anywhere.” A. Einstein;
    • “Everything you can imagine is real” P. Picasso.

    Arguments

    From the literature

    “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”, N.V. Gogol . Imagination is the most powerful engine of the creative process. The collection “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” is a collection of fascinating, interesting and original stories. Here is a story about a scroll in the Sorochinskaya Fair, and flying dumplings in The Night Before Christmas. For example, in The Night Before Christmas, real characters (Vakula, Oksana) are combined with fabulous ones (Solokha, Damn, Chub). And Vakula, in an attempt to win Oksana, flies on the line, and ends up with the empress. The imagination of the storytellers immerses the listeners in a magical world, with real characters facing magical circumstances, which makes what is happening even more interesting. nine0007

    Scarlet Sails, A. Green. Assol, the heroine of A. Grin’s story “Scarlet Sails”, had a vivid imagination. The girl was disliked by her peers and refused to play with her. At first, Assol was upset, but then she met with the storyteller Egle, who promised the child that the handsome prince would take her on a ship with scarlet sails. The girl believed in it, the thought of a wonderful future supported her. And despite its fantasticness, the dream came true. The captain of the ship Gray fell in love with Assol, found out about her dream and took her away on a ship with scarlet sails. This example teaches us that a person’s rich imagination makes his life more colorful and interesting. nine0007

    “The fate of man”, M.A. Sholokhov . Imagination is what supported Andrei Sokolov, the hero of M. A. Sholokhov’s story “The Fate of Man” in an extreme situation. He was captured, in a concentration camp, escaped several times, he could die at any second. But all this time he remembered his family – his wife, children. He talked to them and didn’t give up. Thanks to this, he was able to escape from captivity and continue the fight. It turned out that relatives died, but the very thought of relatives helped Andrei survive, not go crazy and remain a man in inhuman conditions. nine0007

    Queen of Spades, A.S. Pushkin. Imagination sometimes interferes with normal life, turns into a destructive passion. Hermann, the hero of A. S. Pushkin’s story “The Queen of Spades”, believed in the story of a colleague that his grandmother, the old countess, knows the secret of betting on cards, which always allows you to win. The hero thinks about it, gradually it becomes his passion, turns into an obsession. As a result, he enters the countess’s house and so frightens her with threats to give him a secret that she is dying. Imagination draws to him that the old woman nevertheless gave him her secret of three winning cards. Indeed, two out of three cards bring him a big win. However, the third one turns out to be the queen of spades, Hermann thinks that this is the old woman herself, who winks at him. So the inflamed imagination of the hero leads him to madness. nine0007

    Portrait, N.V. Gogol . The imagination of the artist Chartkov brought him misfortune. With the last money, he bought a damned portrait, which contained the soul of a villainous usurer. He dreamed of a picture of a pawnbroker opening a cache containing a sack of gold. And indeed, Chartkov finds this gold. But instead of using it to develop talent – to lock himself in the studio, to paint serious pictures, not caring about momentary earnings – the hero could not resist and began a secular life. And he became a secular painter, and not a true creator, he could not develop his talent. Fantasy, like any positive property, can be directed by a person to his own evil. nine0007

    “Eugene Onegin”, A.S. Pushkin . The vivid imagination of Tatyana Larina, the heroine of A. S. Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin”, made her an interesting, whole nature, despite the fact that the girl grew up in the wilderness, had not been in the world, and did not receive a metropolitan education. “She liked novels early on, they replaced everything for her,” the author says about the heroine. However, this “romantic” attitude led the girl to think that Eugene Onegin is the very person who is worthy of her love. However, he turned out to be weaker than the girl, he was afraid of her honesty and purity. A developed imagination makes a person spiritually rich, but less protected from the harsh reality. nine0007

    Oblomov, I.A. Goncharov . The imagination of Ilya Oblomov, the hero of the novel of the same name by I. A. Goncharov, constantly painted beautiful pictures of Oblomovka dear to his heart, where you can do nothing and exist in peace. He spent hours and days dreaming that he could someday live like this. Oblomov’s daydreaming, combined with his inaction, led to the fact that he missed Olga Ilyinskaya, was deceived and ended up in an apartment on the Vyborg side, far from the “big life”. However, there he nevertheless found “his Oblomovka” and happiness with his mistress Agafya Pshenitsyna. Therefore, we can say that fantasy helps a person find his ideal, since people with a developed imagination know exactly what they want from life. nine0007

    “War and Peace”, L.N. Tolstoy . Imagination, sincere faith, kindness helped Marya Bolkonskaya overcome difficulties and find personal happiness. She was unattractive on the outside, but beautiful on the inside, she gave all her spiritual strength to loved ones. She dreamed that she could find personal happiness. Poor Marya was constantly faced with how her ugliness was pointed out, she imagined (but was even afraid to imagine) that the situation would change and she would be loved. But Bolkonskaya married Nikolai Rostov, became friends with Natasha, she had children. Dreams come true. It was imagination that helped Mary not to despair in difficult times and wait for her prince on a white horse. nine0007

    The Master and Margarita, M.A. Bulgakov . The imagination of the Master, the hero of M. A. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita”, allowed him to create a brilliant novel, immortalized his name. The master, living in an atheistic state, created a work with a biblical story that raised eternal themes and problems. The novel tells about the last days of Yeshua, about his interrogation by Pontius Pilate, who understands that the accused is not guilty. The masters were not understood, they were persecuted, sent to the dungeons, and then to a madhouse. But his talent made the work eternal, the Master and his beloved Margarita were helped by all the supernatural forces and allowed them to find eternal peace. Imagination helps a person to realize his talent and create something new – something that was not in the world before him. nine0007

    Three Sisters, A.P. Chekhov. The heroes of the drama “Three Sisters” by A. P. Chekhov dreamed of a better life at the beginning of the story. Irina’s imagination rushed to noble work, Olga – to move to Moscow, Masha – to sublime love, Andrey – to a new position. They dream about how their life will change, but the heroes are faced with a harsh reality. In the finale, they realize that they are forever stuck in this city, their existence will be gray and colorless. Imagination helps to set a goal, and action is needed to realize it. nine0007

    From life

    From personal life. Imagination reveals the wealth of a person’s inner world. I was convinced of this by listening to my friend, an artist and sculptor. Usually he is silent and modest, but as soon as it comes to paintings, he immediately comes to life and begins to tell such stories that any connoisseur will be heard. He talks about what could be drawn and how, reflects on new forms and genres, his imagination rushes to new achievements. It is the embodiment of his inner life, full of wonders and discoveries. nine0007

    Personal life . Imagination helps a person to survive difficult moments in life. For example, fantasy has rendered an invaluable service to my friend, becoming her friend and support in difficult times. One day she ended up in the infectious ward. She could not contact anyone, and she was very bored. In these bleak days, her imagination helped her. She dreamed about how she would leave the hospital, what she would do, who she would meet. And these dreams supported her greatly. Therefore, each person should strive to develop the ability to imagine what he wants. nine0007

    Personal life . Imagination is the basis of progress. You can’t think of anything without imagining it in your head. Looking at my aunt, an interior designer, I understand that her work is not at all possible without imagination. She first draws images inside herself, and only then transfers them to the program. If she did not do this, she would not find fresh ideas and solutions. To create something fundamentally new, you need to develop the ability to “think boldly.”

    Movie . In La La Land (2016), directed by Damien Chazelle, the viewer sees the path to a dream that the characters travel through their bold imagination. Mia at the beginning of the film works as a waitress and has no prospects. But she is not satisfied with her position, but bravely rushes into battle and presents herself in the spotlight, and not near a table in a cafe. Thanks to this skill, the heroine achieves heights and embodies her dream. Thought is material, and it is fantasy that gives birth to it.

    Movie . In Jobs: Empire of Seduction (2013) by Joshua Michael Stern, we see the rise of the world-famous entrepreneur Steve Jobs. The hero was a poor student, but his imagination painted pictures of conquering the world. Fantasy suggested to him the ideas of new discoveries that would become indispensable for people. Few believed in the success of this man, but he was confident in himself and never gave up. It was his imagination that motivated him to go ahead and develop innovative technologies.

    From the movie . In The Founder (2016) by John Lee Hancock, we see a story that is impossible without imagination. The protagonist saw perspectives where others could not see them, because his fantasy was developed and sensitive to changes in the world. Ray Kroc by the time of his triumph was already a mature man, and nothing foreshadowed great prospects in his fate. However, he managed to prove to the whole world that you can get rich and succeed even when everyone else has given up on you. Ray’s fertile imagination told him that food stalls on the road were the restaurant format of the future. And it wasn’t wrong! No wonder they say that it is the ideas of great minds that shape our future already in the present. nine0007

    From history. Talking about the imagination, I would like to recall the example of Salvador Dali, a famous surrealist artist. When he first started working in the field of painting, no one understood his canvases. Even his parents turned their backs on him. However, Salvador did not succumb to public opinion and continued to paint as he saw. His world was different – not the way all people saw it. Imagination helped him become a unique artist, known throughout the world for his indomitable imagination. nine0007

    From the history of . Imagination becomes for many people the key to success and self-realization. For example, the author of the famous Harry Potter series of books, JK Rowling was able to realize her talent in writing books thanks to her rich imagination. She invented all her characters and their magical world, and this fiction became part of our world, because we all grew up on her books. Her gift is to create something that did not exist and could not exist without her. This is a rare quality, the basis of which is imagination.

    From history. Studying the biography of Albert Einstein, I came across his quotes and realized that the great physicist was no less a great dreamer. He argues that without imagination there would be no progress, because it is fantasy that gives a person the opportunity to reject the prejudices of the past and look into the future. Without this quality, not a single scientist can take place, because it is impossible to make a discovery without presenting something that does not yet exist.