The generally accepted typology of thinking represents such as the abstract. The fundamental difference from other types is characteristic only of the human species: in animals that are inherent in others, this type is not expressed. In this article, we will learn what abstract thinking is and what features it gives a person, and we will also present a series of exercises to develop it.

Forms of abstract thinking

A distinctive feature of this type of thinking is its three components - concept, judgment, conclusion. In order to understand what this species is, its forms should be explained in detail.

concept

It is a form that reflects an object as one or a group of features. Moreover, each sign must be significant and justified. The concept is expressed by a phrase or a word: “dog”, “snow”, “blue-eyed woman”, “applicant of a polytechnic university”, etc.

Judgment

This is the form that denies or confirms the object, the world, the situation with some phrase. In this case, the judgment has 2 types - simple and complex. The first, for example, sounds like this: "a dog gnaws a bone." The second is in a slightly different form: "the girl got up, the bench was empty." Note that the second type has a narrative sentence form.

inference

It consists in a form that, from one proposition or group, summarizes, presenting a new proposition. It is this form that is the foundation of abstract-logical thinking.

Signs of abstract-logical thinking

There are main features of this form of thinking that most fully reflect its essence:

• the ability to operate with concepts, groups and criteria that do not exist in the real world;
• generalization and analysis;
• systematization of the received information;
• optional direct interaction with the outside world to identify its patterns;
• building cause-and-effect relationships, creating abstract models of any processes.

The concept of "abstract thinking" is rooted in logic, which, in turn, comes from China, India and Greece. According to historical facts, it can be assumed that the foundation of logic was laid around the 4th century BC. BC. It happened almost simultaneously at different points. the globe, which only emphasizes the importance of abstractions and logical reasoning for the study of any subject, situation or world.

Logic is a branch of philosophy, which is the science of reasoning, laws, rules for drawing correct conclusions about the object that is subject to study.

Thus, abstract thinking is the main tool of logic, since allows you to abstract from the material, and build a chain of conclusions. Note that, unlike other sciences, logic has been developing and developing throughout the history of our world, since the appearance of man.

Presentation: "Defining the type of thinking"

Applying abstractions

Abstract thinking begins to develop in childhood from 5 to 7 years. Before this age, children use other forms of thinking:

1. from birth - visual and effective;
2. from a year and a half - concrete-subject.

It should be noted that the above forms of the concept of "abstract thinking" remain with a person for life, because. help to establish a connection with the surrounding reality, regardless of age. But only an abstract form of thinking is the foundation of the learning process, the ability to know the world as a whole, as well as for any conscious activity. The most striking example of such activity is science. The basis of any science is the collection and systematization of the acquired knowledge.

Despite the fact that in many situations such processes are based on the function of observing material objects and phenomena, the foundation of scientific tools is analysis, synthesis, generalization, development of a conceptual apparatus, etc. - is abstract thinking.

However, abstract-logical thinking plays an important role in everyday life. Due to it, a person is able not only to establish connections between events, to generalize and distribute experience, but also to build a general picture of the world.

Diagnosis and development of the ability to think abstractly

To determine the severity of abstract thinking, it is enough to pass a special test, which are quite diverse:

• Test for . A positive result is the predominance of abstract-logical thinking. Such tests are created in the form of questionnaires in which you need to choose the statement that is closest to you, or be based on pictures, i.e. working with images.
• Tests to identify cause-and-effect relationships. The essence of the tasks of such tests is as follows: the initial conditions are given, from which it is necessary to draw a logically correct conclusion. Often, such tests are used as terminology of non-existent words in order to reveal the level of detachment of a person and his ability to abstract from specific details.
• Tests based on the analysis of the proposed combinations of words. In this case, it is necessary to identify the pattern due to which various words are combined, and extend it to other phrases.

Training of logic and the ability to think abstractly

Due to the fact that abstract thinking is an acquired quality, it should be developed. The most optimal time to start such training is an early age. This is due to the fact that children have an increased level of susceptibility to new information and a more mind is more flexible. With age, these properties are somewhat lost, because. a person has already adopted certain patterns of behavior and worldview. However, even an adult, with sufficient perseverance, can develop his abstract-logical skills and use them effectively in everyday and working life.

By choosing several tests to pass, you can easily determine which types of exercises will be most effective: if the training is difficult, then you should start with similar ones.

Choosing light types of exercises does not make sense, because. thinking will stay the same.

The best option for starting classes for both children and adults are tasks for quick wit and ingenuity. Usually they are presented in the form of obvious facts, but with the wrong solution. The subject, solving the problem, must identify implicit relationships between the initial data and formulate the correct answer.

In addition, questions and tasks from any test can be used as exercises.

The ability to generalize and systematize knowledge gives us a powerful tool for understanding the world. Unlike animals and primitive people, we have a unique resource that we can use for a broader and deeper understanding of reality: the laws of the Universe, social ties and, ultimately, ourselves.

The abstract thinking of a person may seem to someone not such an important mental process. For example, why would anyone need to think about what the Universe is, try to solve in advance unsolvable problems of being, or look for the meaning of life?

However, experts will not agree with this, because abstract thinking makes it possible to abstract from trifles and try to look at the situation as a whole. For example, we can consider abstract and concrete thinking: looking out the window you can see Lada Kalina, Toyota Karina, etc. at the entrance, but if you evaluate it concretely, and if abstractly, then there are cars near the house ... And this is the ability of a person to look at the world from different angles.

Abstractness in thinking does not allow a person to stagnate, obsessing over trifles, it allows you to go only forward, crossing the existing limits and norms. This is how innovative discoveries appear in the world and the most difficult vital tasks are solved.

Even as a child, a person must acquire the ability to think abstractly and intensively develop this ability. In the future, this will help to assess the overall picture of ongoing events, draw your own conclusions, and not only look for a rational solution, but also find a way out of any, even deadlock situations.

What are the abstract types of thinking

There are three forms of abstract thinking, without knowing which there will be no realization of what it means to think abstractly:

Intermediate judgments leading to a single conclusion are called "premises", and the final conclusion is a "conclusion".

Abstract - this means unencumbered, free thinking, the ability to operate with judgments, independently draw conclusions. Without these mental processes, everyday life would be meaningless.

Characteristic signs of abstract thinking

This type of thinking is necessary for the full life of people and there are features of abstract thinking that you should be aware of:

There is a conditional division of the thinking process into 2 stages:

• thinking that does not use language;
• self-communication, which is called "internal dialogue".

You should not even question the fact that people get most of their information from print media, television programs, and the Internet. And everything happens with the application spoken language.

That is, when receiving information from a source, a person processes it, creates a new one, which is fixed in memory. This confirms that language is, in addition to a means of expression, also a method of fixing information.

To summarize, abstract mental processes give a person the opportunity to:

• the ability to use concepts, groups and criteria that do not exist in the real world;
• summarize and analyze the information received;
• systematize knowledge;
• identify patterns without the need to interact with objects and phenomena of the surrounding world;
• build cause-and-effect relationships, create new models of any ongoing processes.

Logic is the basis of abstract thinking

The root of an abstract phenomenon is considered to be logic, which comes from ancient countries – Ancient Greece, India and the Chinese state. That is, this concept arose long before the creation modern world, and historical facts confirm that it existed as early as the 4th century BC.

The experts were able to find out that practical use logic happened at the same time in various points peace. This only confirms that world development is impossible without mental abstractions or logical judgments. They are necessary for the study of individual objects, phenomena or the overall world picture.

Today, logic is a whole scientific field that has a clear definition as a philosophical section, a science that studies reasoning, laws and rules used to obtain correct conclusions about the objects under study.

Thus, we can say that logic uses abstract thinking as the main tool, which makes it possible to abstract from the material and build consistent conclusions.

Abstract-logical thinking has deep roots, because logic arose during the appearance of man, and accompanies him in the process of all stages of development.

Diagnosis of mental abstraction abilities

AT modern psychology the ability for abstract thinking is revealed in childhood.

Various tests have been developed to find out how this type of thinking is developed in a person:

1. Testing that determines the types of thinking. Naturally, in this case a positive result is the predominance of the identified type of thinking. Such tests often take the form of questionnaires based on working with images or choosing expressions that suit you. The main purpose of testing is to identify relationships between phenomena and their results (causal relationships). In this case, a person receives the initial data, and on their basis, it is necessary, by applying logic, to come to correct conclusion. Often, specialists use non-existent terms, this makes it possible to assess how detached a person is and whether he has a stable ability to move away from distracting small details.
2. Tests, during which a person receives some verbal combinations and must try to discover the patterns by which they are combined. Then they spread to other groups of words.

Opportunities for Process Improvement

Having general definition, abstract thinking is individual for each person. Examples of this can always be taken from life - the mother draws beautifully, the daughter has literary abilities, and the son can think abstractly.

However, the formation of abstract thinking in everyone takes place in childhood, and then one should be engaged in the development of this aspect - the child must learn to think independently, one should push him to think and encourage all kinds of fantasies.

Today you can purchase various educational material - collections logical tasks, riddles, rebuses and other puzzles that make the brain work. If the development of abstract thinking in an adult individual is required, then this is quite possible. It is enough to spend 30 minutes-1 hour a day to solve logic tasks in order to get the desired result.

Of course, the children's brain is much more flexible and is able to solve even complex tasks (an example of this is the numerous children's riddles, which often lead adults to a dead end, but do not cause any difficulties for a child), but training the brain activity of an adult will allow you to think abstractly. It is important to choose those types of tasks that are especially difficult.

The child, on the other hand, must be constantly provided with the necessary “food for the mind”, since the ability to think abstractly will not interfere with creative activity, but will help in the future to master numerous scientific disciplines based on similar skills.

Of course, a person must develop comprehensively, taking into account all mental aspects and his own abilities. People with developed abstract thinking are distinguished by high efficiency, devotion to their favorite work and the ability to independently find a way out of any situation. And these qualities are also necessary for a harmoniously developed personality.

- this is one of the types of thinking, thanks to which it is possible to abstract the situation from minor details and look at it as a whole. Abstract thinking allows each person to take a step forward, to cross the border of rules and norms, to make new discoveries. The ability to think abstractly should be developed in a person from a very early age, and the more actively it is developed, the better. After all, by presenting the situation in a different light and looking at it differently, you can provide yourself with invaluable help in finding new solutions and getting out of a difficult situation.

How to convey the necessary information and understand.

Forms of abstract thinking

Abstract thinking is divided into three forms, without understanding which it will be very difficult to understand what abstract thinking is.

1. Concept. It implies a special one, in which an object or a set of objects is displayed as one or more signs. This feature must be significant. Basic concepts can be expressed both as a phrase and in one word, for example “leaves”, “dog”, “school student”, “brown-eyed guy”.
2. Judgment. During the judgment, there is an affirmation or denial of any phrase that describes the surrounding objects or space. Regularity and interrelation is established. But the judgment is divided into complex and simple. For example, simple, can be voiced as, "a boy is walking on the street." A complex proposition is expressed a little differently: "It's raining, it's getting cold" and has the form of a declarative sentence.
3. Inference. One of the forms of thinking, during which one or more interconnected judgments are linked together and one conclusion is made. This conclusion is a new judgment. This is the basis of logical-abstract thinking. The judgments that further lead to the formation of the final option are sometimes called premises, and the final judgment is called the "conclusion". Abstract thinking implies free thinking, operating with judgments, concepts and conclusions, categories without which there would be no meaning, without correlation with our everyday life.

Vadim Lyovkin - What is the price of logical errors

Abstract thinking is very important in human life, therefore it has a number of characteristic features:

1. Capable of reflecting the world without affecting the human senses. In other words, a person does not need direct contact with a phenomenon or object to obtain new information. A person gets the result based on his knowledge. (For example, a student, when solving a new problem, relies on previously acquired knowledge).
2. Phenomena are summarized to identify patterns. Each person seeks to simplify the process of thinking, which increases its efficiency and speed. This is where generalization comes in. Information about a phenomenon or object is reduced, and access to it is accelerated. For example, when thinking, a person is looking for something in common between different objects, thereby putting them on the same line. Now it is unnecessary for him to remember all the data about the subject from one row, only its characteristic feature is needed. For example, it is enough to imagine an animal, a certain object appears in the imagination, which is characterized common features, head, torso, paws, etc. And then specify the type of animal.
3. There is an inseparable connection between thoughts and language expression. We can conditionally divide the process of thinking into two stages: thinking without the help of language and “internal dialogue” that occurs in communication with oneself. We will not deny that the bulk of information comes from books, the Internet, and the media. Everything is done with the help of written (spoken) language. Those. man gets new information from the source, recycles it, creating something new, and reinforces it again. Therefore, language is not only a way of expressing, but also a means of fixing information.

Conscious and subconscious

What needs to be done to develop abstract thinking

Abstract thinking cannot be the same for everyone. Some have the ability to paint, others to poetry, others can think abstractly. But it is necessary to form abstract thinking, and you need to start from a very early age, you need to give the opportunity to think, reflect and fantasize.

Today, on the shelves of stores, on the Internet pages there are many puzzles, logic puzzles that give "food" for the mind. If you have a desire to develop abstract thinking not only in a small child, but also in yourself, take only 40 to 60 minutes twice a week to immerse yourself in solving logical problems. The effect will appear very quickly. In childhood, the child's brain is able to solve complex problems very quickly, but the more active the training and the more difficult the tasks, the better and more amazing the results.

In the absence of abstract thinking, many problems can arise not only with creative activity, but also when studying some disciplines where abstract thinking skills are needed. That is why it is worth involving children in solving puzzles and tasks.

Abstract thinking helps to discover the secrets of nature, to know the truth, to distinguish lies. This method of cognition is significantly different from the others, because it does not require direct contact with the object under study, it makes it possible to remotely draw conclusions and conclusions.

Sofoos contactee. Channeling. Introduction to free thinking. Practical Approaches

Man with abstract thinking

Probably, many people thought about how a person with clearly expressed abstract thinking looks like.. Such a person constantly has reasonings, thoughts, facts, chains, etc. flowing in his head. they speak the language of complex concepts, symbols, and this gives them great pleasure. Most often, men have brightly developed abstract thinking, women are much rarer. Such people go to study at physical-technical, mathematical-mechanical faculties, this is their element. They dress casually, do not think about style, may not notice unbuttoned buttons. Energy is not observed in the physical plane, all its activity is contained in. They are inattentive to other people, in a conversation they build complex chains, sometimes they forget where the conversation started, or what it is about. Home problems are insignificant for them, they do not pay much attention to them. Such people live in their own world, sometimes far from reality.

Main qualities:

• Great working capacity, passion for the profession;
• They can represent the situation from different angles, they think in a complex way;
• They can refuse the physical plane.

Flaws:

• selfish, focused only on themselves;
• inattentive to relatives and friends, scattered;
• too active abstract thinking leads to impractical conclusions;
• zealous in theory, but passive in practice.

Abstract thinking is an integral part of a successful and helping him not only in self-development, but also in building a career and family.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE MIND AND THINKING PATTERNS

There is nothing unambiguous in the world. If you are guided by accurate knowledge, you can miss a lot. The world does not live exactly according to the instructions that are written by man. Much has not yet been explored.

When a person does not know something, he turns on abstract thinking, which helps him make guesses, make judgments, and reason. To understand what it is, you need to familiarize yourself with examples, forms and methods of its development.

What is Abstract Thinking?

What is it and why does the psychotherapeutic help site touch on the topic of abstract thinking? It is the ability to think in general that helps in finding a solution to an impasse, in the emergence of a different view of the world.

There is precise and generalized thinking. Accurate thinking is activated when a person has knowledge, information and a clear understanding of what is happening. Generalized thinking turns on when a person does not know the exact data, does not have specific information. He can guess, assume, draw general conclusions. Generalized thinking is abstract thinking in simple words.

The scientific language of abstract thinking is the view cognitive activity when a person moves away from specific details and begins to reason in general. The picture is considered as a whole, without affecting the details, specifics, accuracy. This contributes to the departure from the rules and dogmas and consideration of the situation from different angles. When an event is considered in general, then there are various ways to solve it.

Usually a person proceeds from specific knowledge. For example, a man lies on the couch and watches TV. The thought arises: "He's a slacker." In this situation, the viewer proceeds from his own ideas about what is happening. What could actually be happening? The man lay down for 5 minutes to rest. He had already done everything around the house, so he allowed himself to watch TV. He got sick, so he lies on the couch. There can be many variations of what is happening here. If you ignore the specifics and look at the situation from different angles, then you can find out a lot of new and interesting things.

In abstract thinking, a person thinks approximately. There are no specifics or details here. Generalized words are used: “life”, “world”, “in general”, “by and large”.

Abstract thinking is useful in situations where a person cannot find a way out (intellectual impasse). Due to the lack of information or knowledge, he is forced to reason, guess. If we abstract from the situation with its specific details, then we can consider in it what was not noticed before.

Abstract logical thinking

In abstract-logical thinking, abstractions are used - units of certain patterns that have been isolated from the "abstract", "imaginary" qualities of an object, phenomenon. In other words, a person operates with phenomena that he cannot “touch with his hands”, “see with his eyes”, “smell”.

A very striking example of such thinking is mathematics, which explains phenomena that are not in physical nature. For example, there is no such thing as the number "2". The person understands that we are talking about two identical units. However, this figure was invented by people in order to simplify some phenomena.

The progress and development of mankind has forced people to use concepts that in fact do not exist. Another striking example would be the language a person uses. There are no letters, words, sentences in nature. Man invented the alphabet, words and expressions to simplify the expression of his thoughts, which he wants to convey to other people. This allowed people to find mutual language, since everyone understands the meaning of the same word, recognize letters, build sentences.

Abstract-logical thinking becomes necessary in a situation where there is some certainty, which is not yet understood and known to man, and the emergence of an intellectual impasse. There is a need to identify what is in reality, to find a definition for it.

Abstraction is divided into types and purposes. Types of abstraction:

• Primitive-sensual - highlighting some properties of an object, ignoring its other qualities. For example, considering the structure, but ignoring the form of the subject.
• Generalizing - selection general characteristics in one phenomenon, ignoring the presence of individual characteristics.
• Idealizing - replacing real properties with an ideal scheme that eliminates existing shortcomings.
• Isolating - highlights the component on which attention is focused.
• Actual infinity – infinite sets are defined as finite.
• Constructivization - "coarseness", giving form to phenomena that have vague boundaries.

According to the goals of abstraction there are:

1. Formal (theoretical thinking), when a person considers objects according to their external manifestations. These qualities themselves do not exist on their own without these objects and phenomena.
2. Content, when a person can single out a property from an object or phenomenon that can exist on its own, be autonomous.

The development of abstract-logical thinking is important, since it was it that made it possible to isolate from the surrounding world that which cannot be recognized by the natural senses. Here, concepts (linguistic expressions) were formed that convey the general pattern of a particular phenomenon. Now each person does not have to identify this or that concept, since he learns about it in the process of learning at school, university, at home, etc. This brings us to the next topic about forms of abstract thinking.

Forms of abstract thinking

Since a person cannot “create a wheel” every time, he must systematize the knowledge gained. Many phenomena are not visible to the human eye, something does not exist at all, but all this is in human life, therefore it must have one form or another. In abstract thinking, there are 3 forms:

1. Concept.

This is a thought that conveys a common property that can be traced in different subjects. They may be different. However, their homogeneity and similarity allows a person to combine them into one group. So, for example, a chair. It can be with round handles or square seats. Different chairs have a different color, shape, composition. However, they common feature is that they have 4 legs and it is customary to sit on them. The same purpose of objects and their design allows a person to be combined into one group.

People teach these concepts to children from childhood. Speaking of "dog", we mean an animal that runs on 4 legs, barks, barks, etc. Dogs themselves come in different breeds. However, they all have the same characteristics, according to which they are combined into one common concept - "dog".

1. Judgment.

People use this form of abstraction when they want to confirm or refute something. Moreover, this verbal form is unambiguous. It comes in two forms: simple and complex. Simple - for example, a cat meows. It is short and clear. The second - "the garbage was thrown out, the bucket was empty." It is often expressed in whole sentences of narrative form.

The judgment may be true or false. A true judgment reflects the real state of affairs and is often based on the fact that a person does not show any relation to him, that is, he judges objectively. A judgment becomes false when a person is interested in it and is based on his own conclusions, and not on the real picture of what is happening.

1. Inference.

This is a thought that is formed on the basis of two or more judgments, from which a new judgment is formed. In every conclusion there are 3 components: premise (premise), conclusion and conclusion. The premise (premise) is the initial judgments. Inference is the process of logical thinking that leads to a conclusion - a new judgment.

Examples of Abstract Thinking

Having considered the theoretical part of abstract thinking, you should familiarize yourself with various examples. The most striking example of what an abstract judgment is is exact sciences. Mathematics, physics, astronomy and other sciences are often based on abstract thinking. We do not see numbers as such, but we can count. We collect objects in a group and call their number.

The man talks about life. But what is it? This is the existence of a body in which a person moves, breathes, functions. It is impossible to give a clear definition of what life is. However, a person can unambiguously determine when someone lives and when they die.

Clearly abstract thinking manifests itself when a person thinks about the future. It is not known what will happen there, but everyone has goals, desires, plans. Without the ability to dream and imagine, a person would not be able to plan for the future. Now he seeks to realize these goals. His movement through life becomes more purposeful. Strategies and tactics are emerging that should lead to the desired future. This reality does not yet exist, but a person strives to form it the way he wants to see it.

Another common form of abstraction is idealization. People like to idealize others and the world in general. Women dream of princes from fairy tales, not noticing what men are in the real world. Men dream of obedient wives, ignoring the fact that only an unthinking being can be subordinate to another.

Many people use judgment. Often they are false. Thus, a woman may conclude that "all men are bad" after being betrayed by a single partner. Since she singles out a man as a single class, which is characterized by the same quality, she ascribes to everyone the quality that manifested itself in one person.

Often, wrong conclusions are made on the basis of false judgments. For example, “the neighbors are unfriendly”, “heating is not supplied”, “the wiring needs to be changed” means “the apartment is dysfunctional”. Based on the emotional discomfort that occurs under the circumstances, unambiguous judgments and conclusions are made that distort reality.

Development of abstract thinking

The most optimal age for the development of abstract thinking is the preschool period. As soon as the child begins to explore the world, he can be helped in the development of all kinds of thinking.

by the most effective way development are toys. Through shapes, volumes, colors, etc., the child first begins to recognize the details, and then combine them into groups. You can give the child several toys of a square or round shape, so that he divides them into two piles according to the same characteristics.

As soon as a child learns to draw, sculpt, make with his own hands, he should be allowed to engage in such hobbies. It develops not only fine motor skills, but also contributes to the manifestation creativity. We can say that abstract thinking is creativity that is not limited by frames, shapes, colors.

When a child learns to read, count, write and perceive words by sound, you can work with him to develop abstract-logical thinking. Riddles that should be solved are well suited here, puzzles where it is necessary to solve some question, exercises for ingenuity, where it is necessary to notice an error, an inaccuracy.

Since abstract thinking is not born with a person, but develops as he grows, various rebuses, crosswords, and puzzles will help here. There is a lot of literature on how to develop different kinds of thinking. It should be understood that some puzzles cannot develop only one type of thinking. All of them are partially or completely involved in the development of various types of cognitive activity.

Particularly effective are various life situations in which the child must find a way out of the situation. A simple task to take out the garbage will force the child to first think about how to dress and what to wear in order to leave the house and carry the garbage bag to the bin. If the garbage can is far from home, then it will be forced to predict its route in advance. Forecasting the future is another way to develop abstract thinking. Children have a good imagination, which should not be oppressed.

Outcome

The result of abstract thinking is that a person is able to find solutions in any situation. He thinks creatively, flexibly, outside the box. Not always accurate knowledge is objective and able to help in any situation. Circumstances happen different, which makes a person think, reason, predict.

Psychologists note Negative consequences if parents do not engage in the development of this thinking in their child. Firstly, the baby will not learn to distinguish the general from the details and, conversely, move from the general to the details. Secondly, he will not be able to show flexibility of thinking in situations in which he does not know a way out. Thirdly, he will be deprived of the ability to predict the future of his actions.

Abstract thinking differs from linear thinking in that a person does not think in terms of cause and effect. He abstracts from the details and begins to reason in general. The most remarkable thing here is that only after a general vision of affairs can a person move on to the details that are important in a situation. And when the details do not help in solving the problem, then there is a need to abstract, to go beyond what is happening.

Abstract thinking allows you to find something new, to create, to create. If a person were deprived of such thinking, then he would not be able to create a wheel, a car, an airplane and other technologies that many people use now. There would be no progress that arises first from the ability of a person to imagine, dream, go beyond the accepted and reasonable. These skills are also useful in everyday life, when a person is faced with different characters and behaviors of people whom he has never met before. The ability to quickly rebuild and adapt to unchanging circumstances is due to abstract thinking.

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Abstract thinking of a person is one of the variants of cognitive activity that allows you to think abstractly, in other words, contributing to abstraction from minor details in order to be able to consider the situation or phenomenon as a whole. This type the mental activity of the subjects contributes to the vision of the completeness of the picture, allowing not to fixate on insignificant details.

The abstract thinking of a person provides an opportunity to step beyond the boundaries of prescribed norms and sets of rules, which leads to the accomplishment of new discoveries.

The development of abstract thinking from an early age should occupy a central place in children's formation, since such an approach makes it easier to find unexpected solutions, clues and find unusual ways out of situations that have arisen.

Abstract thinking, therefore, is a variation of human cognition, which is the allocation of essential qualities and interactions of objects, abstraction from their other qualities and connections, which are considered private and insignificant. Such a theoretical generalization contributes to the reflection of the key patterns of the studied objects or phenomena, as well as the prediction of new, previously unknown patterns. Abstract objects are indivisible formations that make up the content of human mental activity, namely, inferences, mathematical elements, constructions, judgments, laws, concepts, etc.

Abstract logical thinking

Human thinking is a mysterious phenomenon, as a result of which psychologists are constantly striving to systematize, standardize and classify it, while emphasizing the abstract-logical cognitive function. Such attention is provoked by the fact that this type of thinking itself contributes to finding non-standard solution strategies, increasing people's adaptive skills to constantly changing conditions.

Abstraction is called making mental accents, isolating some structures, elements of a certain set and removing them from other details of such a set. Abstraction is one of the fundamental processes of the subject's mental functioning, which makes it possible to transform various qualities of objects into an object of analysis and is based on sign-symbol mediation. This theoretical generalization helps to reflect the main patterns of the studied objects or events, analyze them and predict qualitatively new patterns.

The need for abstract thinking is due to circumstances in which the differences that arise between the direction of an intellectual problem and the existence of a phenomenon in its certainty become obvious.

Abstractions can be primitive-sensual, generalizing, idealizing, isolating, and there are also abstractions of actual infinity and constructivization.

Primitive-sensory abstraction consists in abstracting from some properties of objects and events, highlighting their other features (for example, highlighting the configuration of an object, abstracting from its structure and vice versa). Primitive sensory abstraction is inevitably connected with any process of perception.

Generalizing abstraction is aimed at creating a generalized idea of ​​the phenomenon, abstracted from individual deviations. The consequence of this abstraction is the selection common property researched items. This kind of abstract thinking is considered fundamental in mathematical logic.

Idealizing abstraction or idealization is the replacement of a real empirical object with an idealized scheme, abstracted from real-life shortcomings. As a result, the concepts of ideal objects are formed, for example, “straight line” or “absolutely black body”.

Isolating abstraction is inextricably linked with the function of involuntary attention, since in this case it is possible to single out the essence on which attention is focused.

The abstraction from the impossibility of fixing each element of an infinite set, in other words, infinite sets are presented as finite, is the abstraction of actual infinity.

Constructivization is a distraction from the vagueness of the limits of real objects, that is, their "coarseness".

In addition, abstractions can be divided according to their goals into formal and meaningful ones.

The selection of certain properties of an object that do not exist by themselves (for example, shape or color) is a formal abstraction.

A method of highlighting the properties of objects that are not perceived by the senses by setting a certain relation of the type of equality on the subject area (for example, identity or equivalence).

The development of abstract thinking in people was significantly influenced by the emergence and creation of a language system for communicative interaction. Words began to be assigned to various phenomena, abstractions, which made it possible to reproduce their meaningful meaning, which would not depend on the situations concerning the corresponding objects, as well as their properties. Speech provides an opportunity to arbitrarily and freely evoke ideas in the mind and consolidate reproductive skills. It was thanks to the emergence of language systems that the reproduction of ideas and the functioning of the imagination were facilitated. The concept is the primary and prevailing form of abstract mental representation of objects and events. In the process of an individual's cognitive activity, one of the key functions of a concept is to single out, by means of representing in a generalized configuration, objects of a certain group according to some specific (essential) features.

The concept as a form of thought, or as a mental formation, is the result of a generalization of objects of a certain group and a mental definition of this group according to a specific set of features common to objects of this group and distinctive properties for them.

The same object can be both a variation of a sensory-sensitive judgment and a form of a concept.

Essential and unimportant attributes of objects, necessary, random, quantitative and qualitative, can be directly in the concepts. In addition, the concepts differ in the degree of generality. They can be less general or more general, as well as extremely general. Concepts are also subject to generalization.

Abstract thinking examples of its brightest application can be traced in science, because the basis of any scientific activity is first the collection and then the systematization of information and knowledge in various fields.

Forms of abstract thinking

Abstract mental activity is characterized by several features. In the first turn, the abstract thinking of a person is purposeful and active, through which individuals can ideally transform objects. Mental activity allows you to highlight and fix something common, meaningful and repetitive in objects, that is, reality is reflected through generalized images.

The function of thinking is mediated by sensory information and past experience. In other words, thanks to thinking, an indirect reflection of reality occurs. In addition, the mental function is inseparably linked with language. It is a means of formulating, consolidating and translating thoughts.

The abstract thinking of a person is an active process, which consists in the reflection of objective reality in the form of concepts, judgments, and conclusions.

Concepts are thoughts that reflect common and important features of objects, events and processes of the real world. They are a reflection of a single thought of significant properties of objects. The concept can be applied to several or to one class of homogeneous objects and phenomena characterized by the same features.

Concepts are divided by scope and content. According to the scope, they can be empty or non-empty. Concepts whose volume is zero are called empty. Non-empty concepts are characterized by a volume containing at least one real-life object. In turn, non-empty concepts are classified into general and singular. Concepts related to a set of objects are called singular, if such a set implies a single whole. General concepts contain a class of objects in their own volume, and they are applicable to any element of this class (for example, a star, a state).

The concepts of the general plan are divided into registering and non-registering. Concepts in which the mass of elements contained in them can be accounted for and fixed are called registering. Registering concepts are characterized by a finite volume.

General concepts related to a non-specific number of elements are called non-registrative. Non-registering concepts are characterized by an infinite scope.

According to the content, the concepts are divided into positive and negative, collective orientation and non-collective, irrelevant and correlative, concrete and abstract.

Positive concepts are called, the essence of which is the qualities inherent in the subject, for example, literate, believer. Concepts, the content of which shows the absence of certain features of the object, are called negative, for example, disorder.

Collective refers to concepts that mean the signs of a separate set of elements that represent integrity, for example, a team. The content of the collective concept cannot be attributed to its individual element. Non-collective concepts are those that mean the properties that characterize each of its elements, for example, a region or a star.

A concept that implies an object or a set of objects, as something that exists independently, is called concrete, for example, a book.

An abstract concept is a concept in which a property of an object or a relationship between them is hidden, for example, courage, friendship.

Irrelevant concepts are those that reflect objects that exist separately and outside of their relationship with other objects, for example, student, law.

Correlative concepts are those that store properties in themselves that indicate the connection of one concept with another, their relationship, for example, the plaintiff - the defendant.

A judgment is a construction of mental activity through which the presence or absence of any relationships and connections between objects is revealed. A distinctive feature of judgment is the assertion or rejection of any information about any object. It is true and false. Correspondence to reality determines the truth of a judgment, since it does not depend on the attitude of subjects to it, and therefore is of an objective nature. False judgment is the distortion of the objective features and relationships of the objects of thought.

The construction of mental activity, which allows one or a pair of judgments to derive a qualitatively new judgment, is called a conclusion.

All conclusions contain premises, conclusions and conclusions. The starting judgments from which a new judgment emerges are called premises of the inference. The conclusion is called a new judgment, obtained through the product of logical operations with premises. Conclusion is called a logical process, consisting in the transition from premises directly to the conclusion.

Abstract-logical thinking examples can be traced in almost every thought process - "Judge Ivanov cannot take part in the consideration of the case if he is the victim." From this statement, one can deduce a judgment that is a premise, namely, "Judge Ivanov is the victim." From this follows the conclusion : “consequently, Judge Ivanov cannot take part in the consideration of the case.”

The relationship of the logical sequence seen between the conclusion and the premises suggests the presence of a meaningful relationship between the premises. In other words, if there is no meaningful connection between judgments, then the conclusion of the conclusion will be impossible.

Speaker of the Medical and Psychological Center "PsychoMed"