What is determination in psychology. Principle of determinism
Determination is the causation of something by something. It assumes a causal (causal) relationship between the phenomena and properties of the object under study.
In empirical research, these are relationships between independent and dependent variables. The search for such relationships is the main task of scientific research. Such relationships are considered as the subject of scientific knowledge.
Bodily-constitutional-organismic determination
Academic psychology began with the study of the dependence of the psyche on the constitutional features of the bodily organization of humans and animals. These features were considered in the psychophysiological experiment as independent variables, which, according to the researchers, should have a decisive influence on mental processes, states and properties of mental carriers. The results of such studies indicate some dynamics of mental reflection, recorded in reactions, involuntary movements and other uncontrolled responses of the nervous system to the effects of the organism. The interconnection of mental response with the activity of various body systems led to the conclusion that human psychology is biologically determined. This principle of determination has been developed in psychological science in the form constitutional theories of personality.
However, a person is able to overcome the shortcomings of his bodily organization due to the reserve of mental organization, which contains an inexhaustible potential of the possibilities of intellectual, volitional and emotional mechanisms of psychological adaptation of a person.
Obviously, the constitutional determination does not exhaust the conditionality of the human psyche by the characteristics of his organism. According to many scientists of antiquity and modernity, the functioning of the body is one of the determinants of human psychology. Doctors Hippocrates, K. Galen, Ibn Sina argued that humoral regulation determines the temperament of a person and many manifestations of his psychology. Later, from the Renaissance to modern neuropsychology, the natural and materialistic lines in science began to recognize the features of the functioning of the brain and nervous system as the main determinant of the mental.
At the same time, there are other areas in psychology that consider the processes occurring in the body to cause psychological manifestations. For example, Freud's psychoanalysis, which recognized unconscious drives as leading in human psychology; A. Maslow's theory, in which needs and motivation were assigned the main role in determining behavior. Also cognitive psychology, which recognizes cognitive processes as the starting point in the human psyche. Based on the foregoing, we can say that the search for the determination of mental and psychological activity continues to this day, moving away from vulgar materialism to more complex physiological and physical explanations for the generation of the mental and psychological, and considering physicality and its functioning to be the basis of the mental.
PSYCHOLOGY AND PEDAGOGY
V. V. Kazanevskaya
Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Tomsk
The study of the category "determination" in the general scientific and philosophical aspect (as a causal connection), the concept of Laplace's mechanical determinism in the social aspect (identification of causal goals) pursued the main goal - the selection of causal chains from the apparent chaos of historical events. In modern Western sociology, one of the leading places is occupied by the concepts of "technological determinism", representing the progress of mankind as a result of the rapid development of science and technology.
The insufficiency of such generalized and therefore simplified ideas about determination in the course of scientific research was revealed quite early. The positivist philosopher D. S. Mill (1806-1873) expressed the idea of the multifactorial nature of determination.
Bypassing many mediations in the development of this thought, one can immediately proceed to the assumption that in the process of studying determination, the initial ideas about causation were ideas about linear causation; and only with the development of these studies did the idea arise of the possibility of structured connections, of the structural nature of these connections. Strictly speaking, such a train of thought is inherent in any study, when one moves from the idea of linear connections to the study of more complexly organized connections, that is, to the study of structured connections.
A significant place in the development of ideas about structured relationships is occupied by the so-called systemic ideas. System representations, as a rule, are based on a certain system of concepts, suggesting certain relationships. Systemic representations at the initial stage of development were called the systemic approach, the essence of which is that the object under study is considered as a system. Obviously, it comes down to what is meant by a system, and this is not at all a simple question. The fact is that the systems approach, as it develops in various branches of knowledge, has turned into a vast area with dozens of separate theories, separate fundamental principles manifested in various branches of knowledge, separate very popular concepts that are “entrance” into various branches of knowledge, etc. e. Therefore, at present, a systematic approach can be understood as any of the existing systemic concepts, or principles, or theories, and their choice will have a determining influence on the object under study.
In this article, not a categorical general theory of systems, but a psychological theory, in terms of which the problem of mental determination is discussed, will be used as its systemic basis - this is an integral theoretical psychology of personality.
If we continue the logic of the development of ideas about the structural nature of the connections of the external world, then we come to the assumption that different objects are inherent
and different link structures and different elements that connect those links. Obviously, here the determination of objects begins, that is, the general contours of the determination of an object depend on the choice of a theory to describe it, if there is a theory, or on the development of an appropriate theory, if the theory has not yet been developed. As such a general psychological theory, as mentioned above, this article adopted the integral theoretical psychology of personality.
Thus, the determination of any object can be considered at its various levels and in a more or less generalized form. The determination of an object can mean causality as such, or general methodological principles, or, finally, this or that theory. As you know, the determination of a personality problem in the conditions of an abundance of psychological theories of personality can be based on any of them, and then in each case a different picture will be obtained.
In this article, we are talking about the intrapsychic determination of personality, ideas about which are developed as part of the integral psychology of personality.
According to the provisions of the integral psychology of personality, the human psyche can be represented by two components - objective and subjective. Both components have a determining function, but the processes of determination look different in them. This article discusses the problem of mental determination in its subjective aspect. the concept of determination is of great importance for the psychology of individuality, for differential psychology, for the psychology of the subject. The general statement that we put forward from the very beginning of the discussion is that the difference between people consists, first of all, in their different determination. The theoretical idea of this article is that the principle of determinism should take its place in the study of personality psychology. The article discusses the question of what this role consists of, in what concepts it is expressed, in the solution of which problems it will find its constructive application, etc.
The concept of determination can be found in various fields of knowledge. Without pretending to complete coverage of this issue, let us dwell on the field of sociology, since the closest to the topic of this article are the developments of this concept in the field of sociological sciences. It should be noted that this concept plays a much greater role in sociology than in psychology. Therefore, the experience of developing the concept of determination in the field of sociology may be applicable in the field of psychology.
It cannot be said that the concept of determination is not used in modern psychology. Determination as a principle of causality, determination as statements of a theoretical nature, etc. However, this concept is used in modern psychology in the most general sense.
In itself, the concept of determination has a vast scale and in each specific case, depending on the level of its location, it has its own separate content. We can say that this concept can be used in its various statuses, from more general to strictly specific. Therefore, it is necessary to speak of determination not only in its general sense, but also in its specific sense. In this article, we are not talking about determination in general, as a principle, but about specific determination - determination at the level of the inner psyche, and this determination has a number of specific expressions, specific knowledge. We are talking here about mental determination, about the determination of the psyche. In the monograph, this problem, as part of other theoretical problems of personality psychology, is discussed and substantiated as a whole, on the basis of the principle of nature. This article is devoted specifically to the concept of determination, the content of personal mental determination. The main provisions of personal mental determination are as follows:
The personal level of the psyche has its own intrapsychic functioning; this means that a person not only responds to stimuli and works out
needs, but it also has proper mental functional needs, the realization of which in a functional form constitutes the inner mental life; it is emotional functioning, mental functioning, volitional functioning; in a similar way, that is, functionally, the personal properties of the categorical composition of the personality are manifested, which constitute the most important personal determination;
Structural personal determination is carried out through the mechanisms of the formation of associative formations and is the most important reason for the subjectivity of the personality structure;
Constant determination is quite subjective and individual.
Thus, the concept of determination in integral psychology is the main expression of the individuality of each person, the difference between each specific person and all others. Further, these basic provisions of personal mental determination are considered in somewhat more detail.
It should be noted about the terms "mental" and "psychological" that their difference may play a big role in a certain context, but in this article the term "psychological" will be used only when it is about psychology, and not about psyche. In cases where the psyche is spoken of, the term “psychic” will also be used. Therefore, the determination of the properties, states and functions of the psyche will be called mental determination, the role and significance of these concepts for psychology will be called psychological.
The basis for the interpretation of all concepts and the entire content of the article, as already indicated above, is the integral theoretical psychology of personality. This theory has its own distinctive features, some of which will be mentioned in this article. One of them is the idea of mental functioning, which can be called internal and which belongs to the personal level. This mental functioning constitutes the mental determination of the personality. The determining role of mental functioning, according to the provisions of integral psychology, is that the very fact of functioning and the main composition of mental functioning processes is common, characteristic of a “person in general”, but as for the specific content and constants of these general functionings, they are individual, personal, as a staffer might say; they are personal, subjectively personal, as a categorical psychologist would say, based on the concepts of integral categorical psychology of personality.
It is precisely the properties of personal determination, the individual determination of a separate personality, that make it possible for integral psychology to speak not about the psyche in general and not about a person in general, but about a given, specific person, a given specific personality, allow "calculating" a personality. Let us note that this problem and its formulation constitute not only an unsolved, but also an unformulated task of personality psychology. Let us also note that the term "determination" is absolutely necessary for the formulation of this problem, that it directly answers this problem and makes it possible to discuss and solve it.
Further, the main forms of functioning act as personal determinants - the functioning of will-activity (activity), the functioning of the emotional and the functioning of the intellectual. All types of functional determination are concretized for a particular person. The most important task is the introduction into the functional determination of ideas about the forms of functioning, about the forms of mental movement. The main one is the form of "difference-identity" movement or oscillatory movement.
The most important determinant is also a constant determination. the listed personal determinants underlie a holistic individual determinant
nation of a particular individual, which fully explains the differences between individuals - both objective and inevitable.
But that's not all. Among the mental mechanisms that ensure the individuality of the individual, we see the mechanism of association. It is this mechanism that not only builds associative links, which are the structural links of the psyche, but also builds them absolutely individually. Structural connection is experienced - writes Dilthey. This means that human experiences underlie the structuring of the psyche, the individuality of which is thereby ensured. Thus, mental structure is another individual personality determinant.
As we can see, in the field of terminology of the processes of individual structuring of the psyche, the problem of the correct or incorrect formation of the personal sphere, including the emotional, mental, volitional, and actually personal, can be posed.
Surprisingly, when discussing the phenomenon of associativity, attention is usually drawn to the manifestation of associativity, to the manifestation of previous experience; at the same time, the essence of the formation of an associative connection remains in the shadows. The multidimensionality of the categorical concepts of psychology leads to the fact that from one categorical concept it is possible, and quite reasonably, to move on to a dozen different concepts related to it. Thus, the phenomenon of association supported in Wundt's school the idea of a vicious circle of psychic phenomena. Meanwhile, attention to the logic of association formation can put this phenomenon in its proper place and give it its own psychological role and significance.
Considering the mechanism of formation of associative connections as a way of fixing the connections of the external world, we will inevitably come to the question of how a person distinguishes the connections of the objective world from the connections that express his personal experience, the connections are subjective, objectively subjective. It can be assumed that at first a person perceives all connections as subjective, while the selection of objective connections occurs on the basis of special studies.
the psychological significance of the mechanism of associations lies in the fact that the processes of formation of associative formations, including elements, underlie the formation of personal structures and the basis of complete subjectivity, individuality of these structures; subjectivity, the individuality of the individual, depends on them as a whole.
Subjectivity, individuality of personality structures underlies individual differences, differences between individuals. It is the personal structures that are responsible for the composition of the functional spheres and for the way the individual reacts.
In connection with the question of the mutual influence of intrapsychic and social determination, let us dwell only on what is new in the concept of intrapsychic determination.
An important issue of social determination of personality is the philosophical question of free will. As a social being, a person realizes his activity not in isolation, but in the process of interaction not only with other people, but also with society as a whole. It is society as a whole, its social institutions that have a concretizing influence on the activity and life of a person, on the form of his life, starting from the formation of feelings and ending with family and industrial relations. Society serves as the framework that has a concretizing influence on all manifestations of man. How does intrapsychic determination affect this sphere? First of all - on its goal-setting. As you know, in his cooperation with society, a person consciously sets the goals of his life and activity. But the goals of a person, the way of their realization and aspirations of a person are closely and necessarily consciously connected with his intrapsychic determination. Lack of awareness of intrapsychic determination can be the cause of general personal distress. For example, you-
The choice of a profession that does not correspond in terms of its emotional characteristics to a person’s own emotionality can lead him to a state of constant emotional deficit and to serious consequences. The situation is even more clearly manifested when an intrapsychic determining characteristic forces a person to choose not only a form of behavior or activity, but also goals.
Thus, intrapsychic determination has a mediating but very serious influence on social determination and social behavior. But the main thing is that intrapsychic determination has an extensive influence on all manifestations of the personality, including the social manifestations of the personality and on itself, that is, on its composition, structures, functions, goals, behavior, etc. As well as the concept of intrapsychic determination, these influences have not yet been studied and it can be expected that their study will significantly deepen the understanding of social and socio-psychic mechanisms.
The significance of the concept of determination for practical psychological work should be considered not in itself, but as part of an integral categorical personality psychology, the features of which, as shown above, reveal the individual determinism of the personality and allow working with an individual specific person. At the same time, this theory has the means to study the psychological properties of groups of people. The very construction of an integral categorical psychology of personality is focused on an individual personality, its description and research. This requires a description of the functional spheres of the personality - volitional - activity, emotional and intellectual - according to the composition of the foundations of functioning and according to the parameters of the function itself; that is, the mentioned composition of the three functional areas is, by definition, individual; it must be borne in mind that not only the composition of the foundations of functioning is individual, but the structures that connect this composition are also individual; this applies both to individual structural connections and to large structural formations - concepts of personality. In addition, the properties of the mental system "personality", as well as many other concepts of the integral psychology of personality, are individual.
Literature
1. Kazanevskaya VV Systems and system laws: Categorical theory of systems. - Kemerovo: Kuzbassvuzizdat, 1992. - 272 p.
2. Kazanevskaya VV Integral Theoretical Psychology of Personality. - Tomsk: Publishing House Vol. un-ta, 2000. - 526 p.
L. V. Miroshnichenko
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head. Department of Pedagogy and Psychology Kemerovo State University of Culture and Arts
INTERACTION OF THE STUDENT AND TEACHER IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS: NEW PROBLEMS AND TRENDS
The formation of a high-class professional with a system of qualities required by modern society and specified by the State Educational Standards of Higher Professional Education is possible only if the main subjects of the pedagogical process in the university - the student and the teacher - interact optimally.
Determinism is a concept that proclaims the interconnection of everything with everything. This is a style and philosophy of thinking that states that no events are random, but are determined by a set of specific causal (causal) factors.
Determination is the cause of a certain phenomenon and the key category of this vision of the world. The opposite of determinism is indeterminism, which does not accept a causal relationship between phenomena.
Determinism in philosophy is the assertion of the validity and normality of all events, since, due to previous events, everything happens exactly as it should.
Such a position is close to science, which asserts that if all the factors and causes preceding a certain event are known, then its occurrence can be accurately predicted; and vice versa, when something happens, it is inevitable. Everything is always determined and definite, and it is possible to establish the laws according to which this or that event develops with the help of the methodology of science.
Now about examples of indeterminism. First, the principle of free will, which places responsibility for conscious behavior on the bearer of this behavior. Indeterminism in philosophy is rather a position of responsibility for one's being, which has found expression in religious directions. For example, Christianity preaches the principle of individual responsibility, and all subsequent phenomena (goods or punishments in the next world) stem from a person's choices.
A vast field for the clash of concepts is human behavior and the idea of free will. Preachers of deterministic views, speaking of the predestination of certain behavior: knowing everything about a person, the slightest step becomes predictable. Indeterminists do not recognize such fatalistic views and proclaim the idea of personal freedom and responsibility.
Influence on psychology
As in any field of knowledge, determinism in psychology conditionally divided this science into two camps. For example, behaviorists based their concepts on absolute determinism - pandeterminism.
The principle of free will and choice formed the basis of existential philosophy and psychology. The current state of psychology is such that the recognition of scientifically substantiated laws of mental life does not prevent psychologists - especially practitioners - from abandoning the idea of universal causality.
Mental determinism
Here it is worth mentioning mental determinism, a concept that became central to Freud's psychoanalysis. The latter believed that there are no random, inconsistent events in mental life. This idea formed the basis of the methodology of classical psychoanalysis, proclaiming the significance of any, even the most strange and insignificant events, for creating a complete picture of mental life.
Multideterminism
However, in the future, the idea of a single cause was revised, which marked the beginning of the development of multiple determinism or multideterminism. The key idea of this concept is based on the fact that any mental phenomenon or form of behavior is determined by many factors, and moreover, it serves more than one purpose.
Freud himself revised his ideas of the causality of mental life. Based on rich psychoanalytic experience, he introduces the concept of overdetermination, which contains an indication of the interconnectedness of the causes that lead to a complex of symptoms, are expressed in dreams (or rather, its elements), behavioral reactions, and indeed any other component of mental reality. At the same time, it cannot be said that this idea was new for science as a whole.
Multideterminism is found in the geometry of flat bodies, namely in the intersection of two lines forming a point at the meeting point. Each of the lines is a cause, and the dot is a phenomenon caused by these causes. And through one point passes an infinite number of lines. Thus, the intersection of two lines is the determinant of a point, the intersection of three or more lines is an overdeterminant.
In relation to psychoanalysis, the term of multiple determination has taken root, since one phenomenon (a point) often implies the presence of a minimum circle of causes (two lines), but not always more than necessary.
Based on this principle, all mental life and phenomena are due to many reasons. Psychoanalysis here helps to determine how some thought or dream images appeared in the psyche. For example, they can be both the result of conscious experience and appear at the intersection of many unconscious structures, including repressed desires, various ego defense mechanisms, false transference-defined experiences, and so on.
Multiple conditioning is possible because each phenomenon can carry different meanings, so a symptom can be a craving for attention and secondary gain (hysteria), an attempt to satisfy needs, or a craving for submission and punishment (masochism). Each of the meanings has its own path from the unconscious to consciousness and is valuable in itself, however, the plurality of meanings and ways to achieve the final goal create a single and unique picture of the movement-symptom.
Reciprocal determinism
The next important milestone in the development of the ideas of determinism in psychology was the theory of social cognitivism by Albert Bandura. He uses such a concept as reciprocal determinism, which is understood as the interaction of thinking and cognitive abilities, external events and the very activity of a person, the result of which is the observed behavior of a person. It can be argued that this position is a distant relative of the idea of interaction between genes and the environment. Another name for reciprocal determinism is reciprocal.
Soft determinism occupies a separate niche in psychology. A. Adler adhered to the middle position between rigid causal relationships and complete indeterminism. According to the views of the author - although he did not use this term - behavior is consistent, but can change within the limits of personal creativity.
Other types
Since the idea of conditionality and universal connection penetrated into various areas of knowledge, over time this philosophical concept acquired specific interpretations within the sciences. Let's start with two concepts of psychogenetics and differential psychology.
We are talking about genetic and external environmental determinism. In the first case, the direct responsibility of heredity (genes) for human behavior is proclaimed, and knowledge of the genotype is the ability to accurately predict the behavior of an individual. Speaking of environmental determinism, we are talking about changing behavior only in response to changes in external conditions, regardless of heredity. A similar position is found in the teachings of Pavlov.
Today, both of these positions have shown themselves to be untenable, and the source of differences between people lies in the genotype-environment interaction.
Cultural determinism
Another radical attempt to explain human behavior is cultural determinism. Based on this position, it is logical that our behavior and emotional life are determined by culture. It is also an explanation of why social institutions and structures are formed exactly the way they are here and now.
The two basic constructs for this vision of the world are religion and race, which define the cultural background. In less radical positions, the influence on the formation of culture and various geographical and climatic conditions is recognized.
social determinism
Naturally, from individual and cultural characteristics, the question arises of the laws and reasons for the development of society. This question has interested many philosophers, and here the idea of determinism has played its role.
In particular, the concepts of social determinism emerged. Many outstanding minds tried to explain the vector of social development through its prism. Within the framework of social determinism, several main branches can be distinguished:
In statistics
Finally, the last form of determinism is related to probability theory and statistics, namely, statistical determinism. This concept is purely exploratory in nature, and its idea is to confirm that some form of behavior is achieved under the influence of specific causes with a probability higher than that of a random event. Hypotheses about relationships are tested in statistical studies using correlation, dispersion and other methods of data calculation.
Determinism and its categories
- cause - a phenomenon that leads to certain changes;
- consequence - something new, which is the result of the interaction of phenomena and due to the cause;
- Necessity is a consequence that is sure to manifest itself under specific conditions;
- chance is that consequence which may or may not show up. It is a form of necessity;
- possibility - something that does not yet exist, but may be;
- reality is a realized possibility.
Criticism
The problem of determinism and rigid pandeterminism lies in the denial of free will and the ability to arbitrarily change one's behavior. Man is driven by motives, say the determinists, and this is partly true. However, not so much relying on his own motives, but rather relying on his mind, a person decides what motives are appropriate here and now for the deployment of his activity.
As an example, sacrificial behavior during wars. Man, as a living being, has his own life as the highest value, however, in extreme situations, the ultimate goal (for example, the defense of the Motherland) is able to shift this fundamental motive from the pedestal and a person voluntarily goes to death, showing true free will, which is determined by an abstract goal.
Determinism (lat. determinatio - limitation, definition) is the concept that physical, behavioral and mental events are not random, but rather are due to the action of specific causal (causal) factors.
The opposite of determinism is indeterminism. Determination is the causal definition of a phenomenon. See Causality and Causal Thinking
In philosophy, the concept of determinism carries an element of necessity: all things in this world must happen exactly as if they happen due to causes that precede them. This idea is central to science, which maintains that if we knew all the factors involved in some future event, its occurrence could be accurately predicted; and vice versa, if an event occurs, then it is inevitable. Every thing and every event in the universe is determined - and always will be determined - by the laws of nature, which can be established through scientific methods.
As for the human, here scientists argue. Some scientists view life as a deterministic process and usually believe in the inevitability of a certain course of action: if we knew everything about a particular person, we could predict his every step. Other equally respected scholars, quite at the level of common sense, speak of personal freedom and individual responsibility.
The purest example of indeterminism is the belief in free will, which places the responsibility for all conscious behavior on humans. The laws of most societies and the tenets of many religions, primarily and, are based on the idea of individual responsibility. The consequences of actions in the form of punishment - in this world or in the next - are interpreted from the standpoint of moral principles and the behavior of the individual.
In this world-old dispute between determinists and indeterminists, psychologists took different positions. Consistent behaviorists tend to be unqualified determinists, while adherents of existentialism tend to be indeterminists. However, although this may be contrary to logic, most psychologists combine elements of both approaches in their work: they pay tribute to determinism as a necessary element of the scientific method, which does not prevent them, nevertheless, from operating from positions of indeterminism.
Recognizes a person's freedom of personal choice, but only from a certain level of development. The mass personality does not act freely, only the individual can act freely. A reasonable person thinks and makes decisions for which he is personally responsible.
Determinism is one of the ways of scientific knowledge of the world, used in many sciences. It originates in the philosophical doctrine developed by Democritus, which was further developed by the great Aristotle. The principle of determinism in psychology suggests that the events taking place around us are not random, but are the result of any one cause or their combination.
Definition of the concept and content of the theory
The meaning of the word determinism in Latin determinare is literally “determine”. The theory of determinism says that there is nothing random, everything is predetermined by external or internal logical connections, and therefore cannot be changed by human efforts. The extreme version of determinism is fatalism or blind faith in fate, evil fate, the predestination of fate by higher powers.
In psychology, the concept of determinism speaks of the need to establish a causal relationship between a mental phenomenon and the driving factors that caused it. This theory is equally valid in relation to both people and animals.
Also, a series of experiments was conducted by British scientists on a group of students. The fundamental law of psychology states that people's psyche can change, develop, and behavioral patterns are determined by the influence of biological, social and natural factors.
According to the results of the study, it was concluded that the most "lucky" among the subjects were those experimental subjects who quickly and adequately responded to a changing situation, external circumstances seemed to develop favorably for them.
Evolution of principle
The next stage in the evolution of determinism was due to the development of biology and was expressed in the division of all matter into living and non-living. A revolutionary hypothesis was put forward about the existence of an inseparable connection between the soul and the body, as well as biological and mental elements.
This is how probiological determinism arose, suggesting that the driving factor is not so much external circumstances as orientation towards the ultimate goal. Later, it was he who was used as the basis for the theological concept, but subsequently he was rejected as untenable.
The theory of determinism took on a new form in the era of the development of manufactory production. The so-called mechanical determinism explained all the processes in terms of causal-mechanical relationships. In its development, it went through several stages:
- Descartes considered the human body as a mechanism that operates in accordance with the principles of rationality. Instead of the soul, the scientist suggested the existence of consciousness as an independent entity. So a dualistic, that is, a dual picture arose, dividing a person into two halves.
- Spinoza, on the contrary, developed the doctrine of the unity of substance. He singled out the phenomenon of affect, which could manifest itself in joy or sadness. Spinoza completely denied chance, thus giving reason to consider his approach fatalistic.
- In the 18th century, French and English scientists considered a person as a bodily machine, organized according to the principle of a hierarchical system with the allocation of mental properties according to the degree of complexity.
- In the last century, scientists began to attach great importance to the biological component. Determinism began to be applied in the development of concepts that explain the correlation between occurring phenomena and structural features of a living organism.
The biological principle of determinism was developed in the 19th century, after Bernard's theories of physiology and Darwin's natural selection became widely known. The principle established the relationship between the selection and preservation of life forms most successfully adapted to the external environment, as well as their ability to activate in advance the mechanisms that ensure the stability of biological processes. In other words, determination began to be viewed not as a rigid sequence between a cause and an event, but as a probabilistic quantity.
This concerned acts of a social nature, such as marriage, divorce, and so on. At the same time, the scientist considered a certain average person, from whom the rest of the individuals deviate in one direction or another.
Determinism allowed psychology to rise to a new qualitative level. The assumption of the constancy of the average number, that is, the set of characteristics of the average individual, made it possible to prove the existence of a reality comparable to the physical one. In other words, psychology with the help of mathematical apparatus can:
- Predict the likelihood of a particular phenomenon, such as social unrest, revolutions.
- Analyze the behavior of large groups of people using the methods of variation statistics.
- Predict the probability of the birth of people with abilities.
Application of the principle in psychology
A new round in the development of psychology as a separate branch of knowledge is associated with the allocation of mental determinants. It is believed that the action of determinants is objective, aimed at regulating the relationship between the organism and the environment in which it is placed.
Modern determinism in psychology has led to the emergence of currents that deny the dominant role of consciousness in striving to achieve the goal. For example, psychoanalysis builds the dependence of consciousness on the characteristics of the transformation of the individual's mental energy.
Field theorists claim that there are unbalanced "tension systems" that are driving forces that affect the psyche. The Freudians insist that psychic energy tends to be discharged in one way or another, that is, it cannot be accumulated without limit and must be spent.
A distinctive feature of this approach is that a person can spend his spiritual strength not only on adapting to the environment, but also on confrontation. For example, in the Middle Ages, some scientists were expelled or executed by the Inquisition for refusing to recognize their revolutionary discoveries as heresy.
A special place in psychology is occupied by the study of the influence of the principle of determinism on the micro- and macrosociety. In particular, the study of the history, ethnography, and philology of various peoples allowed psychologists to put forward a hypothesis about the social essence of man.
The macrosociety is capable of subordinating a person to determinants of a higher order, different from primitive physical and nervous stimuli. These determinants are generated not by nature, but by the interacting people themselves and determine the forms of their existence, the level of development of culture and the level of development of society as a whole.
The influence of determinism on the development of psychology is difficult to overestimate. Thanks to the emergence and development of this theory, psychology became a separate science and acquired mathematical tools. The study of society and the individual made it possible to identify the laws of development of society and the individual, to develop concepts that explain the logical relationships between events and the causes that caused them. Author: Ekaterina Volkova
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