The importance of imagination: Opinion | Imagination Is More Important Than You Think

Opinion | Imagination Is More Important Than You Think

Opinion|The Awesome Importance of Imagination

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/opinion/imagination-empathy.html

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Opinion

David Brooks

Nov. 11, 2021

Credit…Lilly McElroy, courtesy Rick Wester Fine Art, NYC

Plato and Aristotle disagreed about the imagination. As the philosopher Stephen Asma and the actor Paul Giamatti pointed out in an essay in March, Plato gave the impression that imagination is a somewhat airy-fairy luxury good. It deals with illusions and make-believe and distracts us from reality and our capacity to coolly reason about it. Aristotle countered that imagination is one of the foundations of all knowledge.

One tragedy of our day is that our culture hasn’t fully realized how much Aristotle was correct. Our society isn’t good at cultivating the faculty that we may need the most.

What is imagination? Well, one way of looking at it is that every waking second your brain is bombarded with a buzzing, blooming confusion of colors, shapes and movements. Imagination is the capacity to make associations among all these bits of information and to synthesize them into patterns and concepts. When you walk, say, into a coffee shop you don’t see an array of surfaces, lights and angles. Your imagination instantly coalesces all that into an image: “coffee shop.”

Neuroscientists have come to appreciate how fantastically complicated and subjective this process of creating mental images really is. You may think perception is a simple “objective” process of taking in the world and cognition is a complicated process of thinking about it. But that’s wrong.

Perception — the fast process of selecting, putting together, interpreting and experiencing facts, thoughts and emotions — is the essential poetic act that makes you you.

For example, you don’t see the naked concept “coffee shop.” The image you create is coated with personal feelings, memories and evaluations. You see: “slightly upscale suburban coffee shop trying and failing to send off a hipster vibe. ” The imagination, Charles Darwin wrote, “unites former images and ideas, independently of the will, and thus creates brilliant and novel results.”

Furthermore, imagination can get richer over time. When you go to Thanksgiving dinner, your image of Uncle Frank contains the memories of past Thanksgivings, the arguments and the jokes, and the whole sum of your common experiences. The guy you once saw as an insufferable blowhard you now see — as your range of associations has widened and deepened — as a decent soul struggling with his wounds. “A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees,” William Blake observed.

Can you improve your imagination? Yes. By creating complex and varied lenses through which to see the world. The novelist Zadie Smith once wrote that when she was a girl she was constantly imagining what it would be like to grow up in the homes of her friends.

“I rarely entered a friend’s home without wondering what it might be like to never leave,” she wrote in The New York Review of Books. “That is, what it would be like to be Polish or Ghanaian or Irish or Bengali, to be richer or poorer, to say these prayers or hold those politics. I was an equal-opportunity voyeur. I wanted to know what it was like to be everybody. Above all, I wondered what it would be like to believe the sorts of things I didn’t believe.”

What an awesome way to prepare the imagination for the kind of society we all now live in.

Zora Neale Hurston grew up by a main road in Eatonville, Fla. As a young girl she’d walk up to carriages passing by and call out, “Don’t you want me to go a piece of the way with you?” She’d get invited into the carriage, have a conversation with strangers for a while and then walk back home.

These kinds of daring social adventures were balanced, in Hurston’s case, and in the case of many people with cultivated imaginations, with long periods of reading and solitude and inner adventures in storytelling. “I lived an exciting life unseen,” Hurston later recalled.

A person who feeds his or her imagination with a fuller repertoire of thoughts and experiences has the ability not only to see reality more richly but also — even more rare — to imagine the world through the imaginations of others. This is the skill we see in Shakespeare to such a miraculous degree — his ability to disappear into his characters and inhabit their points of view without ever pretending to explain them.

Different people have different kinds of imagination. Some people mainly focus on the parts of the world that can be quantified. This prosaic form of pattern recognition can be very practical. But it often doesn’t see the subjective way people coat the world with values and emotions and aspirations, which is exactly what we want to see if we want to glimpse how they experience their experience.

Blake and others aspired to the most enchanted form of imagination, which as Mark Vernon writes in Aeon, “bridges the subjective and objective, and perceives the interior vitality of the world as well as its interconnecting exteriors. ” This is van Gogh painting starry nights and Einstein imagining himself riding alongside a light beam.

Imagination helps you perceive reality, try on other realities, predict possible futures, experience other viewpoints. And yet how much do schools prioritize the cultivation of this essential ability?

What happens to a society that lets so much of its imaginative capacity lie fallow? Perhaps you wind up in a society in which people are strangers to one another and themselves.

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David Brooks has been a columnist with The Times since 2003. He is the author of “The Road to Character” and, most recently, “The Second Mountain. ” @nytdavidbrooks

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 22 of the New York edition with the headline: The Awesome Importance of Imagination. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

The Importance of Imagination in Creating Change – Leading Differently

Image by Alexandr Ivanov from Pixabay

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”

Albert Einstein

Humans will never fly. Television is just a fad. Who would ever need a computer in their home, much less carry one around wherever they go? Some people have trouble picturing a different future. Imagination allows you to see changes that others cannot. It can also help to forge a path to those changes.

So many of the topics that I have written about here illustrate the importance of imagination. Having an imagination is essential. Imagination helps turn ideas into actions. It is a key to problem solving. You have to be able to imagine a solution to a problem you are trying to solve.

The ability for any group of people in search of a better quality of life, to create a shared vision of what changes they will have to work toward, requires imagination. Maintaining the hope, or the expectation that your shared vision is possible requires that you be able to imagine a better world. When you ask someone to keep their “eyes on the prize,” you are reminding them to imagine that improved life.

One way to discover creative strategies and solutions is to seek out creative people. Who is creating art in your community? Who is managing to do great work with seemingly very few assets? The most imaginative people may not be in your usual circle of acquaintances. You may have to look at the margins. Find the people who are otherwise invisible. Find these imaginative people and listen to what they have to offer. As George Bernard Shaw put it, “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. ” (For more on creativity and leadership see, “Traditional Versus Creative Leadership.”)

If imagination is so important, why is it then that so many people say that they don’t really have much imagination? This isn’t a problem with children. Kids will frequently remind you of their capacity to imagine. They also often turn that imagination into creative works. Many adults, however, apparently lose their imagination mojo.

In the 1940s an advertising executive named Alex Osborn (He’s the guy who coined the term, ‘brainstorming’), recognized that this lack of adult imagination was a problem, so he came up with something he called, “creative problem solving.” The idea is that imagination can be cultivated and nurtured. You can read more about it here.

I have written previously that the world is not simply made up of two groups: your allies, and those opposed to your ideas. A great number of people are simply unaware that your issue is even a problem. The need to attract attention to the change that you are trying to create requires imagination. With all the ideas competing for our attention, imaginative, fresh messages stand a better chance of being heard.

More Resources

The Importance Of Imagination – Tao de Haas
6 Proven Benefits of Being More Imaginative – Mental Floss
This is how to harness the power of human imagination for social change – World Economic Forum

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Author johnhamerlinckPosted on November 11, 2021November 12, 2021Categories Creativity, InnovationTags creativity, imagination, vision

25. The role of imagination in human life:

Imagination
—
it is a process of creative transformation
representations reflecting the real
reality, and creation on this
based on new ideas missing
previously.

Types
imagination:

Active
imagination
– using it, a person by an effort of will,
voluntarily summons
corresponding images.

Passive
imagination
– his images arise spontaneously, in addition to
the will and desire of man.

Productive
imagination
– it contains reality consciously
designed by man, not just
mechanically copied or recreated.
But at the same time, in the image she is still creative
is converted.

Reproductive
imagination
– the task is to reproduce
reality as it is,
and although there is also an element
fantasy, such imagination is more
resembles perception or memory than
creation.

B
human life imagination performs
a number of specific functions:

1. Consists of
   to represent
   reality
   in images and be able to use
   them by solving problems. This function of the imagination
   associated with thinking and organically in
   it is enabled.

2. C stop
   in regulation
   emotional states .
   With the help of his imagination, a person
   can at least partly satisfy
   many needs, shoot generated
   them tension. This vital
   important function is emphasized
   and developed in psychoanalysis.

3. Tied
   with his participation
   in arbitrary regulation of cognitive
   human processes and states ,
   in particular perception, attention,
   memory, speech, emotions. With skillfully
   evoked images a person can
   pay attention to relevant events.
   Through images he gets
   ability to control perception
   memories, statements.

4. Consists of
   in
   formation of an internal action plan
   – the ability to perform them in the mind,
   manipulating images.

5. Consists of
   in
   planning and programming
   activities ,
   drawing up such programs, evaluating them
   correctness, implementation process.

C
with the help of imagination we can manage
many psychophysiological states
body, tune it to the upcoming
activity.

Thanks
imagination man creates, intelligently
plans its activities and manages
her. Imagination takes a person
the limits of his momentary existence,
reminds him of the past, opens
future. With a rich imagination
a person can – “live” in different times,
that no one can afford
another living being in the world. Past
fixed in memory images,
arbitrarily resurrected by an effort of will,
the future is represented in dreams and fantasies.

Imagination
is the basis of visual-figurative
thinking that allows a person
navigate the situation and decide
tasks without direct intervention
practical actions. It is in many ways
helps him in those cases of life when
practical actions or impossible,
or difficult, or simply impractical.

Imagination
–
it is a process of creative transformation
representations reflecting the real
reality, and creation on this
based on new ideas missing
previously.

Functions
imagination:

1.
Representation
reality in images ,
which makes it possible to use
performing imaginary operations
items.

2.
Formation
internal action plan
(creating an image of the goal and finding
ways to achieve it) under conditions
uncertainty.

3 .
Participation in voluntary regulation
cognitive processes (control
memories).

4.
Regulation
emotional states
(in auto-training, visualization,
neuro-linguistic programming
and etc.).

5.
Base
for creativity a
– as artistic (literature,
painting, sculpture), and technical
(invention)

6.
Creation
images ,
corresponding to the description of the object (
when a person tries to imagine
something he has heard or read about).

7.
Production
images ,
who do not program, but replace
activity (pleasant daydreams that replace
boring reality).

Imagination
can be of four main types:

Active
imagination
– characterized
the fact that, using it, a person
by will, by will
evokes appropriate images.
An active imagination is a sign
creative personality type
constantly testing his inner
opportunities and spiritual values. Her
mental activity is supraconscious,
intuitive.

Passive
imagination
is that his images
arise spontaneously, against the will and
man’s desires. passive imagination
may be unintentional and
deliberate. unintentional
passive imagination occurs when
weakening of consciousness, psychosis,
disorganization of mental activity,
in a semidrowsy and sleepy state. At
deliberate passive imagination
man arbitrarily forms images
escape from reality-dreams.
Personally created surreal
peace is an attempt to replace the unfulfilled
hope to make up for the heavy loss,
relieve mental trauma. This kind
imagination testifies to the deep
intrapersonal conflict.

Productive
imagination
– differs in that it contains reality
deliberately designed by man
and not just mechanically copied or
is being recreated. At the same time, in the image of this
reality is creatively transformed.
This kind of imagination underlies
artistic, literary, musical,
design and scientific activities.

Reproductive
imagination
– when using it, the task is set
reproduce reality as
what it is, and although here also
There is an element of fantasy
imagination is more like perception
or memory than creativity. For example,
when reading literature, when studying
maps of the area or historical
descriptions, the imagination recreates what
what is displayed in these books, maps,
stories.

Others
types of imagination:

Dreams
can be classified as passive
involuntary forms of imagination.
Their true role in human life
still not installed though
it is known that in human dreams
find expression and satisfaction
many vital needs
who, for a number of reasons, cannot
get realization in life. Hallucinations
called fantastic visions, not
having, apparently, almost no
connection with the human environment
reality. They are usually the result
any mental disorder or
body work – accompany many
painful conditions.

Dreams
unlike hallucinations, this is quite
normal mental state
which is a fantasy
with desire, often several
idealized future.

Dream
from daydreaming
differs in that it is somewhat
more realistic and more
connected with reality, i.e. V
principle feasible.

Imagination and its role in human life

Such mental process as imagination plays a special role in human life. It contributes not only to creative activity, as many might think, but is also involved in solving more mundane and everyday issues, although the subject himself may not be aware of this. As the outstanding theorist of psychology L.M. Wecker, imagination is a cross-cutting process that is closely related to all other mental functions, such as memory, thinking and will. This point of view makes us understand that a developed imagination in general is a good helper in any life situation.

The world of imagination: imagination in psychology

Imagination in psychology is understood as a complex mental process that creates new images of objects, situations and phenomena based on past perceptions. Simply put, imagination is the creation of something new from something old. The idea of ​​what a long-destroyed ancient temple looks like based on its description, or inventing a non-existent animal with horns and wings, uses already known elements in order for us to understand what something that currently does not really exist looks like.

Thinking and imagination

The specificity of the concept of imagination lies in the fact that it is difficult to separate it from the same visual-figurative thinking (operating with images, and not with verbal units – words, syllables, turns, calls, etc. – to solve a problem, without using objects from this problem in real life). For a long time there was an idea that the imagination is able to create thoughts, which in their essence are mentally formed connections between images and/or knowledge. But such an approach could not exist for a long time, because then thinking, as a mental process, would have no meaning. Scientists came to the conclusion that the main distinguishing feature of the imagination will be the creation of new, previously unperceived images. A.V. Brushlinsky, a Soviet and Russian psychologist, emphasizes the close relationship between thinking and imagination on the basis that the imagination operates with the products of thinking (communication, inference, analysis, synthesis and abstraction), and thinking itself is based on those sensory images that the imagination creates.

Types of imagination

Today, the following types of imagination are distinguished in psychology:

• reproductive creates an image, the elements of which are already known to man. For example, when describing a middle-aged literary hero who has blue eyes and a mustache, we use several elements we already know (in this case, the face of a middle-aged man, blue eyes and a mustache). This also includes the reproduction of how the house will look, based on its drawing.
• productive imagination, also called creative , involves the creation of images unlike anything the subject has ever perceived. Already known elements are also used here, but, unlike the reproductive type, creative imagination creates something that, in fact, does not exist in reality. For example, we have two elements – lilac and wild fox. Combining them, we create something that, in our opinion, does not exist in reality, namely, a lilac fox.
• passive imagination is that imagination that operates without our volitional efforts. An example here is a dream or hallucinations.
• active imagination, respectively, is necessarily accompanied by our intention to imagine or invent something.
• concrete imagination is based on visual presentation of objects.
• abstract the imagination operates with generalized images, namely, symbols (verbal and non-verbal), schemes and ideas.
• plastic imagination, which L. S. Vygotsky, known for his cultural-historical concept, describes as something that borrows its elements from outside (can be called objective).
• vague – one that operates with more emotional images (can be called subjective).

There is also a categorization of the imagination based on its scope. For example, the French psychologist and teacher of the late 19th century, Théodule Ribot, gives the following views:

• mystical, which uses symbols,
• scientific, which is more rational,
• practical and mechanical, the images of which can turn into speech (verbal) form,
• in the field of trade, often based on intuition,
• in the field of y topia, where it is a mirror for social and ethical relations.

Mechanisms of imagination

At the moment, the following mechanisms of imagination are known in psychology, allowing it to perform its functions:

1. Hyperbolization – exaggeration of the qualitative or quantitative properties of an object (a huge problem, a billion mosquitoes, etc.).
2. Litota is an understatement, the reverse hyperbolization mechanism.
3. Sharpening or accentuation – emphasizing certain features (caricatures where a talker has a long tongue, and a liar has a nose can serve as an example).
4. Agglutination ( combination ) – combination of two elements (green cloud, elephant-sized dog, book with wings, etc.)
5. Schematization – ordering, generalization of elements into a clear structure (ornaments, paintings).
6. Typification – highlighting something in common for several images and assigning them to a separate group (doctors, representatives of the cat family, art books, etc.).

The meaning of imagination

The meaning of imagination is reflected in any life situation, and some of its functions are inherent only to people, which makes our stage of development of imagination in phylogenesis one of the distinguishing features of man as a species. Imagination has become an important property of the human psyche due to the following functions:

1. Regulation of emotional states of an individual. For example, imagination can play a compensatory role, helping a person avoid frustration – a state caused by a discrepancy between the desired and the possibilities to achieve it. A classic example of the study of this particular function of the imagination are the theories of psychoanalysis.
2. Regulation of physiological states of a person. Studies have shown that the process of imagination can cause activity in quite a few areas of the brain, including the hypothalamic-limbic system. Therefore, it is quite logical to conclude that this process affects our body. A striking example is that on every anniversary of Bartholomew’s Night, the famous philosopher Voltaire had a fever at the mere thought of the thousands of murdered Huguenots in 1572.
3. Problem solving based on image manipulation. When solving problems with a sufficient amount of known data, we use thinking, but when this data is too small, and we need to go beyond the usual problem-solving system, we use imagination. Thus, we can say that thinking creates theories, and imagination creates hypotheses.
4. Anticipation . In order to come up with a plan of action that we want to execute in the future, it is necessary to use imagination. After all, as mentioned earlier, to solve a problem with many unknowns, which is our future, we use not so much thinking as imagination. In order to be sure of your plan, you must first play it out in your head. We can say that our memory is a look into the past, thinking is into the present, and imagination is into the future.
5. Planning and programming activities . Having built and played a plan of action in our head, we also use our imagination to tune in to this activity. This process is a symbiosis of the functions of anticipation (prediction) and regulation. A.R. Luria, one of the founders of neuropsychology, described the situation that happened to Solomon Shershevsky, known for his phenomenal memory, when he was preparing to speak in court. He imagined the trial in his head, imagining that the judge was on the right. But when Shershevsky arrived at the court, the judge was sitting to his left, because of which all his logic disappeared, he was confused, and the case was lost.

In addition to its functions as a mental process, imagination also fulfills its role as the cause of a person’s individual characteristics. How and how much a person used his imagination affects the manifestation of creative activity, will, inclination and desire for a particular type of activity. As part of his socio-historical concept, Vygotsky devotes an entire book to the problem of the role of imagination in the formation of an individual’s personal characteristics – “Imagination and Creativity in Childhood”.

Fantasy and imagination

Some authors consider fantasy and imagination as synonymous concepts, but they should be separated. At its core, fantasy is a product of the imagination, the hallmark of which can be called its unfulfillment. It is designed to perform a compensatory function for the regulation of emotional states; can be active or passive, mostly seen as a reproductive process. While fantasizing, we are not directed to the realization of the content of our fantasies, which are intimate for us, but their source is in our unconscious. However, fantasies can push us into actions for which an already productive imagination will be used. Such a chain is the basis for many works of art and scientific discoveries.

Development of the imagination

As has already been shown, imagination is an important component of mental activity. Its development contributes to personal growth. Therefore, it is not surprising that many want to improve its performance. The eminent director Konstantin Stanislavsky, developing his acting system, paid attention to the ways of developing the imagination.

1. Expanding horizons and knowledge base . As follows from the definition of imagination, for its greater diversity, it is necessary to replenish your library of images and knowledge in order to be able to create more original and complex images of the imagination.
2. Ability to clearly represent an object . The more clearly we present the subject, the more detailed we can use its characteristics.
3. Purposeful imagination . Knowing how to control the flow of images created by the imagination, we thereby subordinate it to ourselves. So in a problem situation, we can use our imagination faster and easier.
4. Constant use of the imagination . Do not be lazy and do on the machine where you can use your creativity. The more often we use some mental function, the more attention we pay to it, the more developed and flexible it becomes.

Developing our imagination does not just make it easier for us to solve creative problems. Our imagination, closely interconnected with all mental processes, is an important component that helps to find a way out of any difficult situation.