We begin this chapter in a somewhat unusual way. Merab Konstantinovich Mamardashvili (1930-1990) infected us with the problem of consciousness. This chapter is dedicated to his memory. Of course, if he read it, it would be better. Let us precede it with words of gratitude to a friend and teacher.
Loss awakens consciousness. Philosophy, - said Merab Konstantinovich, - is consciousness aloud. He always created a tense zone of consciousness around himself, considering consciousness as the main instrument and the beginning of analysis. Consciousness revealed to him, as a philosopher, the possibility of personal realization not just in the form of the achieved amount of knowledge, but in the form of precisely thought and being. Those who were lucky enough to know him, see him, hear him, will forever preserve in their memory the co-existence of his thoughts and the image of his personality. But we will never hear his consciousness, which not only constantly overcame the limits of classical rationality, but blew up the escheat circle of the "correct worldview." The consolation is that his consciousness is expressed in the texts. It exists in culture, and therefore is irreversible. It is all the more offensive that in conversations with him we - psychologists complained about the impoverishment of psychological culture, about the loss of our achievements in the field of cultural-historical analysis of the psyche and consciousness, about the underdevelopment of the science of man, the lack of holistic ideas about him. We did not realize that Merab Konstantinovich personified in himself a new consciousness and new thinking about a person, imbued with passionate concern for his present and future. He was not worried about culture and history in and of themselves, but a person in culture and history, a person who must constantly transcend himself in order to be himself. In this he saw the hidden prerequisites for the development and existence of culture, that is, its hidden spring. That is why he said that "modern" man does not exist. "As" modern "can only be perceived this or that thought about a man. And he himself is always only an attempt to become a man. A possible man. And this is -
the hardest part, just like living in the present. And it is always new, just as thinking is always new - if we think at all. We can only talk about a historical person, that is, a creature whose organ of life is history, a path. And it can be counted from the Greco-Roman world and the Gospel, and already irreversibly - from the Renaissance. We are people of the 20th century, and we cannot escape the global nature of its problems. And this is, first of all, the problem of modern barbarism, savagery. This is the threat of "eternal rest", that is, the possibility of eternal stay in a state of neither good nor evil, nor being. Just nothing. Cultural treasures are not a guarantee here. For culture is not a collection of ready-made values \u200b\u200band products that are just waiting for consumption or awareness. This is a person's ability and effort to be ... ". Of all the global problems of our catastrophic world, Merab Konstantinovich was most frightened by the anthropological catastrophe," i. That is, the rebirth by some sequential series of transformations of human consciousness towards the anti-world of shadows or images, which, in turn, do not cast shadows, rebirth into some kind of looking-glass, composed of imitations of life. And in this self-imitating person, a historical person may, of course, not recognize himself. "He clearly understood what kind of people we need today. These are people" capable of a completely open, and not an underground-cultural existence, openly practicing their way of life and thoughts, thanks to which some new opportunities may be born for the development of man and society in the future. ”It is precisely such a person that we have lost - the only one in our naturalness.
We hope that the above deliberately long extracts will encourage readers to turn to the scientific and spiritual heritage of M.K. Mamardashvili.
Consciousness is not a special additional "mental function", as some psychologists believe, but their generalization, synthesis, integral. Only in this sense is consciousness the highest form of reflection. Consciousness exists only insofar as sensation, perception, attention, thinking and other forms of reflection exist and manifest themselves, but not each separately, but together. The dominant manifestation of this or that form of reflection in their general ensemble may be different. Therefore, the states of consciousness are different when a person listens carefully, or when he writes poetry, or by volitional effort restrains pain. W. James spoke about the "stream of consciousness"; and this stream changes, assuming one form or another dominant in a given period of time, becoming now more concrete, now abstract, now objectively effective, now more passive or extremely active.
The concepts of "consciousness" and "human psyche" are not identical in content. The volume of the first is already the second; consciousness is only a subjective component of the human psyche, which includes the objectification of consciousness - activity. From the moment when the psychic appeared on the basis of physiological reflection, the subjective also arose, but this is subjective in different species of animals. The subjective in the human psyche took, in comparison with the psyche of animals (due to the emergence of a second signaling system of reality and, consequently, concepts, thinking) the form of the ideal. This human subjective is it consciousness.
Consciousness does not exist outside the human psyche. Moreover, it, like everything subjective, is cognized through the psyche, which is objectified in animals in behavior, in humans in activity. Therefore, although logically the prehistory of consciousness should be the history of the subjective in animals of the branch of deuterostomes, in practice, since the subjective not only in animals, but also in other people is directly unknowable (at least for now), the prehistory of consciousness is the history of the development of the psyche in animals. At the same time, one should always remember that consciousness “from the very beginning is a social product and remains so as long as people exist at all. The views of K.K. Platonov are based on the understanding of consciousness presented in the works of S.L. Rubinstein and E.V. Shorokhova.
Consciousness, taken as a whole, has its own structure, elements which are individual acts of consciousness . These are, as it were, separate sections of the stream of consciousness, distinguished by relative independence. Every act of consciousness can be seen as a point in the stream of consciousness.
Consciousness has substructures and general qualities.
One of the substructures of consciousness is the main functions of consciousness - these are forms of mental reflection: emotions, sensations, thinking, perception, feelings, will and memory.
Another substructure of consciousness determines the degree of dynamics or, on the contrary, the constancy of the acts of consciousness. Dynamics of consciousness includes three forms of mental phenomena, namely mental processes, states and properties (processes of consciousness, states of consciousness and personality traits (therefore, a personality is a person as a carrier of consciousness)). But consciousness as a whole cannot be reduced only to these forms of reflection and manifestations of dynamics. It has other qualities, the main ones of which are: activity, constancy, integrity and continuity of consciousness.
Constancy consciousness is determined by mental states and especially personality traits . Dynamism consciousness is conditioned by short-term and rapidly changing mental processes. Continuity consciousness, manifested in the form of a phenomenon "I",is determined by long-term memory and in turn determines its specific significance in the structure of consciousness.
Highlighting "I"of "not me"- this is the first act of the emergence of individual consciousness in anthropogenesis, repeated in ontogenesis. At first, this is the allocation of their body, well observed in children, who first speak of their body as someone else's: "Seryozha's tummy", "Seryozha's hands", and only then "my tummy." This process ends with the emergence and development self-awarenessas an awareness of their role in society.
Speaking about the qualities of consciousness, it is necessary to keep in mind that human consciousness not only reflects the objective world, but also creates it. In this, will manifests itself as a form of reflection, and this determines activity consciousness.
It is necessary to dwell on one more substructure of consciousness, namely on its various levels of clarity . One of its lowest levels - confused consciousness is easy to observe in the so-called "subsonic" state. An even lower level of consciousness is given by "subconscious phenomena", the phenomena of inhibited, reduced consciousness. Below the latter lie only pathological changes in consciousness (delirium, delirium, stupor, etc.) and complete loss of consciousness (fainting, anesthesia). All this is a decrease in the level of clear consciousness usually characteristic of a person. An increase in its level is noted with inspiration, the highest level of which is creative enlightenment.
The emergence of human consciousness on the planet is a key puzzle for many sciences - philosophy, biology, sociology, etc. Psychology is especially interested in this problem, since it is believed that consciousness is the highest level of organization and functioning of human mental life.
Finding out what consciousness is, what its framework is, and what its meaning is in different disciplines: philosophy of consciousness, psychology, neurobiology, etc. Problems of practical consideration include the following questions: how can one determine the presence of consciousness in severely ill patients or people in a coma; whether non-human consciousness can exist and how can it be measured; at what moment the consciousness of people is born; whether computers can reach conscious states, etc. In a general sense, consciousness at times also means a state of wakefulness and a response to the world around us, as opposed to states of sleep or coma.
Consciousness, as a term, is difficult to define, since this word is used in a wide range of directions. Consciousness can include thoughts, perceptions, imagination, self-awareness, etc. At different times, it can act as a type of mental state, as a way of perception, as a way of relationships with others. It can be described both as a point of view and as I. Many philosophers view consciousness as the most important thing in the world. On the other hand, many scientists tend to view this word as too vague in meaning to use it. (one)
In fact, each school of psychology has its own theory and point of view on this phenomenon.
Lektorsky V.A. believes that consciousness is a state of a person's mental life, expressed in the subjective experience of events in the external world and the life of the individual himself, as well as in a report on these events (2)
Shcherbatykh Yu.V. believes that human consciousness is the highest form of mental reflection of reality formed in the process of social life in the form of a generalized and subjective model of the surrounding world in the form of verbal concepts and sensory images.
The inalienable signs of consciousness include speech, thinking and the ability to create a generalized model of the surrounding world in the form of a set of images and concepts. The structure of consciousness includes a number of elements, each of which is responsible for a specific function of consciousness. (3)
In the Oxford English Dictionary, there are seven basic meanings of the word "consciousness".
1. Consciousness as joint knowledge of something.
2. "Inner knowledge", the ability to witness one's own actions, that is, to enter the role of another in relation to oneself and, thus, appear as a self.
3. Consciousness as a "general state", like wakefulness, alertness or mindfulness.
4. Consciousness, as the meaning of awareness, as direct consciousness of something, sensitivity or instantaneous contents of consciousness.
5. "Reflexive consciousness", the ability to be directly aware of your current subjective experience and to recognize it.
6. Consciousness as "the whole set of impressions, thoughts and feelings that make up the conscious being of a person."
7. Consciousness, which is defined as "double consciousness" of multiple personality - the existence of two separate streams of thought or feeling in the same person. (4)
Most often, consciousness is understood as a certain category to denote the mental activity of a person in relation to this very activity.
However, consciousness is different from thinking. Consciousness is the ability of the subject to relate himself to the world, to isolate himself from the world and oppose himself to it. In this case, there is a conversation about the relationship between Subject A and Object, consciousness and the world. In contrast to consciousness, Thinking E is the ability to think, that is, to fix the world in Concepts and draw conclusions based on them in the form of Judgments and Inferences. Consciousness is a necessary prerequisite for thinking, because only thanks to it we generally distinguish ourselves from the world around us, we speak of ourselves as a subject of will, the "I" of thinking and feeling, separated from everything else.
In the aspect of the state - as a normal state in which the individual controls himself, controls himself, adequately realizes his place in the world, is conscious, in contrast to the unconscious state of fainting, seizure, etc. or insanity. The opposite concept to consciousness is the Unconscious, those mental phenomena and processes that are not realized by a person or are not controlled by him. (3)
In recent years, new models of consciousness have begun to appear that are being developed in transpersonal psychology. Of course, these are K. Jung, R. Assagioli and some others.
Especially interesting is the theory of the spectrum of consciousness by K. Wilber, which contains a model of consciousness that integrally combines the achievements of the leading Western psychological schools with the principles of what is called "eternal psychology" (philosophia perennis). In his research, he relies on the work of such famous scientists as Baldwin, Dewey, Tufts, J. Mead, Broughton, Jung, Piaget, Sullivan, Freud, Ferencci, Erickson, Werner, Hartmann, Arieti, Levinger, Kohlberg, Maslow and others.
Starting, as he himself declares, from the common truth that the world in the perception of a person turns out to be a huge collection of opposites, Ken Wilber comes to the conclusion that this situation is due to the fact that life, as we know it, is a process of drawing boundaries. Every decision that we make, every our desire, action, preference, every word we say is based on the conscious or unconscious drawing of boundaries. Organization and management of the economy, education, health care, building a legal system, following moral and ethical principles in personal and social relationships are also examples of building boundaries, but at the level of society. This fundamental principle is also used by a person in self-determination, that is, when looking for an answer to the question "who am I?"
At the heart of any answers to the question "who am I?" lies precisely this fundamental procedure - the procedure for drawing the boundary line between self and non-self. (5).
The Voice Dialogue (VD) method presented by the Californian couple of psychologists Hal and Sidra Stone at the end of the 20th century is of great interest in the field of the model of consciousness. From the point of view of Stamboliev (6), the model of consciousness proposed by the Stones, in which awareness, experience of energy structures and the Ego are presented, differs from the models present in traditional psychological, philosophical and religious trends.
1. Traditional religions and those esoteric schools of the East and West, including the New Age movement, which interpret the concept of "consciousness" exclusively as "awareness", artificially separate a person's mind and body. At the same time, they resort to awareness only in order to escape from unwanted energies: anger, pain, jealousy, expelled into the subconscious, under the influence of the Inner Critic.
2. In humanistic psychology (gestalt, bioenergetics and neo-Reichian practice), great importance is attached to the integration of mind and emotions, in transpersonal psychology - to the level of awareness. But at the same time, sometimes a state of awareness is usually confused with a feeling of peace, calmness and harmony. In H. and S. Stone's model of consciousness, "peace and quiet" is only one of many subpersonalities, so that one can perceive this experience - like any other - being aware of, but not identifying with it (6).
The basic concept of the model of consciousness in their Psychology of subpersonalities, or Psychology of the set of “I” is dynamic. When the Stones speak of “consciousness,” they mean a “process of consciousness”: “... what is being discussed here is not consciousness, but a process of consciousness. We will call it "consciousness", but it is not something immovably frozen, some ultimate goal. We believe that consciousness is not a state, but a process in which we must be, an evolutionary process of constant changes taking place in time. Stone and Winckelmann, 1985 "
Consciousness is an energy flow, a continuous movement of psychic energy in the process of life. H. and S. Stone use the infinity symbol to visualize this flow of energy. Energy flows between the two poles of this symbol, which can be called "minus" and "plus", "yin" and "yang", "vulnerability" and "strength".
Consciousness is not a state, but an evolutionary process of constant changes taking place in time.
Consciousness develops on three levels, largely separate from each other:
- awareness;
- experience of energy structures - subpersonalities, or the set of "I";
1. Awareness is the ability to perceive life in all its diversity, without making judgments and without trying to control the results. It is a passive point that only testifies, simply records the facts. This is often referred to as the "witness state". Most meditation systems aim to develop a level of awareness in consciousness. In traditional psychological systems, awareness is referred to as the concept of pure intuition.
Awareness level is a level of understanding, insight, where people more clearly see the process taking place in them and separate themselves from different “I”. The level of awareness protects nothing; he is neither rational nor emotional; he simply stands apart from all inner selves, it is a non-judgmental point of observation of life.
2. Experience different subpersonalities, different "I". The second part in the definition of consciousness has to do with experience. Awareness is the point of consideration; there is no intellectual or emotional involvement here. A complete definition of consciousness must also include the experiences of various parts of the psyche and their experiences with the world around us.
Everything that exists is a variety of forms of energy. Subpersonalities refer to our inner states - be they physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. Subpersonalities, as an energetic model, can change from a vague feeling or subtle sensation to a fully developed subpersonality. Our perception and experience of the world in which we live exist within this single spectrum of energies. The term "energy structures" H. and S. Stone designate both the components of the inner world of a person, which are determined by the history of his life (subpersonality), and those that are based on genetic predisposition (archetypes). Everything that happens to a person, everything that he experiences, participating in some events, is called "the experience of energy structures", or the experience of subpersonalities. Therefore, awareness and experience are inseparable partners in representing the process of consciousness, each has its own function. However, who or what will be evaluating all this information and experience?
3. The third level of the process of consciousness - "ego" appeared a long time ago. The ego has always been defined as the executive function of the psyche; decision maker. From the point of view of a person who focuses more on his rational part, the idea of \u200b\u200bthe ego as the one who makes choices and implements decisions is very attractive. There must be someone responsible in a person's life. In other words, it is like driving a car with many subpersonalities that are fighting with each other for the right to control its steering wheel.
“We offer the idea of \u200b\u200ban ego that is constantly in the process. It always uses information provided by the level of awareness. It always contacts the experience of various subpersonalities in us, and with how they act and perceive the world around us. We call this the "conscious ego". It is very important to understand that when we use this term, we are always referring to a process, not an entity. There is only an individual ego that tries to constantly evaluate the incoming awareness and experience and thus be in a better position and make more effective choices. In this way, the ego, which becomes more and more aware, helps us stay young and alive, allows us to continue to grow, and makes the roads of life open to us. " (8).
The "aware ego" has another quality that is very important. He has the ability to accept and hold tension between fully polar subpersons. In fact, only the "conscious ego" has this ability. The ego is traditionally considered the executive function of the psyche, or the authority that makes the choice. Based on the concept of consciousness as a process, the ego receives information from the level of awareness and from the experience of different energy models. As awareness develops, the ego becomes more aware, therefore, has more opportunities for correct choices. (6)
But in ordinary life, the role of the ego may be a combination of several welded subpersonalities, for example, a "protector / controller", a penetrating "I", an obsequious "I", "pedant", "internal critic", etc. This a combination of subpersonalities, or energy models, perceives the world around us only from their personal experience, processes information, makes a choice of action, and, ultimately, controls our life.
The Stones called this state the Ruling Ego - it is the ego that is identified with the dominant subpersonalities. In the case when a person believes that he himself decides what to do in each case, and thinks that this is really his own choice, from the point of view of the authors of the method, something else happens. It is not he who thinks, but the Ruling Ego for him. It is not he who does the deed, but the subpersonalities of the Ruling Ego. As a result, most people are governed by the energy patterns with which they have identified themselves.
The great advantage of the VD method is the well-developed methodology of the dialogue of the trained specialist - the facilitator with the subpersonalities (“voices”) of the client. The most difficult thing to do in the process of dialogue with subpersonalities is to separate the competent ego and the "protector / controller", an important subpersonality that "stands on guard", controlling that "everything is in order." It should be borne in mind that no energy model is initially positive or negative - it all depends on our awareness and ability to pass energy through a competent ego so that we can choose what to do.
In order for a person to be able to recognize the energy structures with which his ego has identified, a process of awareness is necessary, the Stones believe. They proposed an innovative concept of the "Conscious Ego". Moving forward in the process of awareness, the Ego is purified, separating from subpersonalities, and becomes more and more aware. The more the ego is aware, the more it is able to make truly real choices. That is why in this model of consciousness, all three levels are described as inextricably linked and interacting with each other. (7, 9, 10)
So, the VD method, despite the apparent simplicity of the proposed model, allows you to solve both theoretical problems related to issues of consciousness, and purely practical, in the form of psychological consultations or clarification of the "alignment of forces" in the client's psyche. Indeed, all definitions of consciousness, its functions and properties, fall well under subpersonalities, both manifested and rejected. And the problems and difficulties of life fit into the denial of some of their subpersonalities and the protrusion of others. Dario Salas Sommer writes: “The higher the level of human consciousness, the more fully he uses his intellectual abilities, the closer he is to reality, the easier it is to overcome his inner conflicts and the easier it is for him to cognize the Truth” (11). The high level of consciousness coincides with the process of individuation according to K. Jung and the Conscious Ego according to H. and S. Stones. And this is clearly a process associated with the dynamics of consciousness.
“Let us go back to the three levels of our definition of consciousness. We have awareness, experiences of different energies or subpersonalities, and an ego that is in a never-ending process of becoming more aware and constantly evaluating the experience to make more effective choices. If we accept this definition, then it has far-reaching consequences. This means, for example, that we are moving absolutely correctly as long as we observe these conditions ”, H. and S. Stone, 1993. (8).
The structure of consciousness is the unity of the elements of the whole and their connections. For the structural analysis of consciousness, therefore, it is necessary to identify all its elements, their interdependence among themselves and their connection with the whole, which is consciousness.
Consciousness (as already mentioned) is the highest form of mental reflection of reality, which develops on the basis of simpler forms and includes them in itself. All forms of mental reflection are parts of the whole, which is part of the structure of human consciousness. This means that three categories of mental phenomena (mental processes, states and personality traits) are also included in the structure of individual consciousness. This fact determines the general qualities of consciousness, which are called its dynamism and constancy, the interaction of which determines the dialectics of the consciousness of the individual.
The constancy of consciousness is its relative invariability, stability and, most importantly, the continuity determined by memory. As a rule, “my consciousness” today is in many ways the same consciousness as yesterday. The constancy of consciousness is determined by mental states and especially by personality traits. The dynamism of consciousness is its changeability, development, conditioned by short-term and rapidly changing mental processes, which can be fixed in states and changes in personality traits.
It should be noted, however, that each act of consciousness as an integral, constant and limited during this long and dynamic stream of consciousness always contains three components: cognition, experience and attitude. Each of these elements can play a specific role in various acts of consciousness. However, the essence of consciousness lies in the fact that all these three moments are always fused in any mental act in their indissoluble unity. Thus, cognition is the process of acquiring true knowledge about the objective world in the course of social and practical activity. Cognition is a reflection of nature by man. The elementary form of cognition is sensation, the highest is creative thinking. The very words "knowledge" and "consciousness" show their connection between themselves and with knowledge.
Knowledge is an integral and systematized set of concepts assimilated by a person. Their physiological mechanisms are the activity of the second signaling system. Psychologically, knowledge is based on thinking and memory. But human knowledge also includes the first-signal sensations inherent in animals. The latter underlie the process of recognition, which is also characteristic of a person, although it acquires a more complex form and a close connection with assimilation.
Note that assimilation is a mental phenomenon, the structure of which includes understanding, memorization and the ability to actively use certain information included in the system of concepts. Experiencing is one of the forms, one of the components of consciousness that does not contain the image of the person being reflected or thoughts about it, but reflects the real world in the form of pleasure or displeasure (compassion), tension or resolution, excitement or tranquility. These three pairs of experiences are usually viewed as the simplest emotions that go into more complex emotions and feelings.
Attitude is the (last) component of the act of consciousness; it manifests the activity of the latter and its feedback with the reflected world. Consciousness is not only a reflection, but also a person's attitude to the environment; and the reflection and attitude are not external. Reflection itself includes the relation to the reflected phenomena *. Relationships are most closely related to emotions and feelings; they are most clearly manifested in volitional acts.
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* Rubinstein S.L. Principles and ways of development of psychology. M., 1959. 158.
It should be noted, however, that relations can still be objectively existing. Reflection of these real objective relationships are the subjective, mental relationships of people studied by psychology. There are no subjective psychic relationships that would not be a reflection of objective relationships. But the personality, due to the selectivity of communication, always, in accordance with its characteristics, somewhat modifies the reflected relations. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between two forms of relations, calling the first objective relations, and the second - mental relations, which are a reflection of the former.
Conscious, personal relationships represent the highest form of mental relationships and begin with the opposition of "I" and not-"I", that is, with the emergence of consciousness and personality. For a person, personal and mental reflections coincide, since the subjective component of the human psyche is consciousness, and personality is a person as a carrier of consciousness. Since consciousness can be of varying degrees of clarity and different levels, personal relationships are diverse according to the same criteria.
Being born as an individual, a person becomes a person, and this process has a historical character. The process of assimilation by a person of social experience is carried out through the inner world of the person, in which a person's attitude to what he does and what happens to him is expressed. The activity of the personality is manifested in its characteristic motives of behavior, attitudes, attitudes, modes of action, that is, in a variety of activities aimed at transforming objective reality. It finds expression in the position in life that a person takes. All external influences on a person, in turn, turn out to be refracted by a socially conditioned system or a set of internal conditions of activity, which as a whole form what we call a personality. Personal relationships are a reflection of those objective relationships in which objects and phenomena of the real world are in a certain connection with a given personality - the subject of knowledge.
We should also say that objective relations and connections inevitably and naturally arise in any real group (relations of dependence, subordination, cooperation, mutual assistance, etc.). A reflection of these objective relationships between members of the group are subjective interpersonal relationships, which appear to be one of the most important objects of study of social psychology, including legal.
The main way of studying interpersonal relations within a group is an in-depth study of various social facts, as well as specific actions and actions of people who make up this group. The task of studying interpersonal relations arises when working with each collective, including the collective of legal workers, where “social facts” (phenomena of mutual assistance, friendship, etc.) are performed on a daily basis. In each group, collective, there are individuals with clearly expressed personal relationships; quite often a number of personalities reveal more or less the same relationship. They also determine the relations of the group as a whole. The correct understanding and use of personal and interpersonal relationships is important for both psychological theory and legal practice.
The level of clarity of consciousness is another side of the structure of consciousness. It plays a very significant role for legal psychology, since legal activity is often carried out in extreme conditions that noticeably affect not only individual mental functions, but also consciousness as a whole.
Confusion is one of the lowest levels of clarity of consciousness. Note that everyone can observe it in himself and other persons in a subsonic state, during the transition from sleep to wakefulness. It is also noted among lawyers in a state of severe fatigue. During fainting, consciousness is completely absent. The highest level of consciousness is self-awareness.
Self-awareness is a person's awareness of his “I”, role in society and their active regulation. The highest form of self-awareness is collectivism as the self-awareness of a person who has realized himself as a member of the collective. Sometimes personality is associated not with consciousness as a whole, but only with self-awareness. This point of view narrows the concept of personality. However, the higher and clearer the self-awareness of the individual, the greater its value to society.
This is the structure of consciousness, which also determines a number of its general qualities: activity, constancy, integrity, continuity and clarity.
Consciousness always manifests itself in activity, and its structure in each certain period of time corresponds to the psychological structure of the activity performed by a person in this period of time. However, these structures only correspond to each other, but they are not identical, as they are united, but consciousness and activity are not equivalent. Understanding the structure of consciousness has not only general, but also specific significance for legal psychology.
- 1. Psychological Institute of the Russian Academy of Education Aleksey Krol, Research Fellow Substantiation of the thesis on "Research of the dynamics of states of consciousness based on activities in special conditions (martial art)." Specialty: General psychology Key words: altered states of consciousness, transcendence of the current state of consciousness, stability and instability of states of consciousness, training or psychotherapy based on changes in the state of consciousness, stressful situations, martial art, non-verbal activity, creativity and improvisation in real time, personality destruction, structure disintegration, dynamic chaos, strange attractor, self-organization, synergetics, catastrophes and bifurcations. There is a crisis of science, which manifests itself in the crisis of the existing scientific paradigm by the mortgage of new data coming from the natural sciences and humanities. Attempts are being made to revise the old paradigm or reconcile it with new data. see in the mechanistic and deterministic nature of the Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm. Accordingly, the opinion is expressed that changes in the metaphysical foundation of science will be, at least, sufficient for further progress in creating an adequate description of the picture of the world. However, they attach less importance to the invariant, socially independent component of the paradigm, namely, its subject-object basis and its outwardly oriented orientation. At the same time, just such a basis and direction of the paradigm create the self-existence of the paradigm and predetermine its deliberate limitations in the field of possible descriptions of the picture of the world. The Newtonian-Cartesian approach determines only the form of the paradigm, but not its genesis. Since the new data clearly show the fundamental limitations of the outwardly oriented SR paradigm, there is a need for a paradigm shift towards inwardly oriented searches, the main goal of which is the transcendence of the SR level of consciousness, rather than creating an asymptotic description of reality. Thus, the transcendence of CO in the BSO was chosen as the object of research in view of its obvious theoretical relevance and on the basis of the corresponding interpretation of the paradigm shift. Preliminary research in the field of consciousness, anthropology, history and parapsychology ensured the correct choice of the object of research. The practical relevance of such a choice of the object of research is due to attempts to create a basis for the synthesis of real methods of transcendence of consciousness to a greater extent than the creation of another theoretical concept. The crisis of the current paradigm and its manifestation. For three centuries, modern science has been dominated by the so-called Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm - a system of thinking based on the works of Sir Isaac Newton and René Descartes. At first, adherence to the mechanistic view gave a significant development of science and technology. However, in the course of further development, conceptual schemes derived from the classical paradigm lost their progressive orientation and became a serious obstacle to the further progress of science [Kuhn, Grof, Harman]. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, having undergone profound and radical changes, physics has overcome the mechanistic point of view of the world and the basic assumptions of the Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm. In this extraordinary transformation, it has become increasingly complex, incomprehensible and esoteric for most scientists working in other fields [F. Capra]. Disciplines such as medicine, psychology and psychiatry have failed to adapt to new changes and take root in their thinking. Worldviews that have long been obsolete for modern physics are still considered scientific in many other areas - to the detriment of future progress. Observations and facts that contradict the mechanistic model of the Universe are most often discarded or hushed up, and research projects that are not related to 1
- 2. the dominant paradigm is deprived of funding [Grof, Karagula]. The brightest examples of this are psychology, alternative approaches in medicine, psychedelic research and the like. In psychology, psychiatry, anthropology, conceptual "puritanism" has reached such a degree that these disciplines are faced with a deep crisis, comparable in scope to the crisis in physics during the Michelssey-Morley experiment. There is an urgent need for a fundamental paradigm shift that would allow us to accommodate and perceive an increasing influx of revolutionary facts from a wide variety of fields, which in no way do not correspond to the old models. Many researchers believe that with the new paradigm it will be possible to fill the gap that separates our traditional psychology and psychiatry from the deep wisdom of ancient and Eastern systems of thought. Revision of the Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm. An attempt to revise the Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm or, in some cases, attempts to reconcile the old paradigm and new views [V. Harman et al.] Does not stop. In many works, some optimism is expressed that soon a new paradigm will be created and everything will be fine. Moreover, as the root of evil and the cause of all troubles, they see the Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm, especially its fundamental a priori positions, the so-called metaphysical foundation [S. Grof]. In a simplified way, the NEW dogma of the faith of scientists can be expressed as follows: We are not able to move on in a more adequate description of the world because the existing paradigmatic basis has exhausted itself. As soon as we replace and expand this basis, a new paradigm will be automatically generated and the process will go further [S. Grof]. The presence of an invariant level in the paradigm. In order to understand the limitations of this approach (revision of the metaphysical foundation), it is necessary to consider the genesis of the modern paradigm [Kuhn, FS]. Any paradigm has two levels - socially conditioned and invariant [FS]. The socially conditioned level depends on the historical development of the paradigm [FS], while the invariant level is initially determined by how a person is able to perceive the world and act in it, being in an ordinary state of consciousness [Kuhn, S. Grof]. Since it is the invariant part that determines the existence of a person in the objective world, the solution of urgent tasks that arise before him, it is precisely the form of perception and self-awareness of a person that determined the form of the future paradigm. In addition, there is an orientation (intention) of the paradigm - respectively, externally-oriented to create an adequate description of the picture of the world, and internally-oriented to search for real methods of transformation of the subject of scientific research (i.e., a person). Subject-object basis of the invariant level of the paradigm. Externally-oriented orientation. Newton and Descartes are not to blame. The most fundamental property that determines the picture of the world is such an attribute of consciousness as the ability to self-identify. This ability determines the existence of the subject-object dichotomy, the separation of oneself from the world and the admissibility of the phenomenon of objectivity in general [General psychology]. The conditioning of the subject-object perception of reality is manifested in five (at least) aspects (conditional): spatial, implying the separation of perception into "here" and "there", temporal, implying the separation of perception into "now" and "then", causal (causal) , implying the separation of perception into "before" and "after" in a rigid SEQUENTIAL link of events, each of which has the status of either "cause" or "effect", "beginning" or "end", "source" or "completion", semantic, implying the analytical nature of the perception and understanding of the MEANING in dividing the meaning into semantic elements and then the artificial assembly of these elements on logically consistent links (synthesis). This aspect is most prominent in teaching, in how most of us LEARN, and in how most of us TEACH others. 2
- 3. intentional, based on the INABILITY of perceiving implicit connections of objects on the one hand and as a result of the causal aspect of perception on the other hand. In other words, we do not see that all structures are only intermediate phases of transformations, in which there may not even be stable phases [Chu]. We see a world of stable objects, both in the field of ideas and in the field of the physical world. We see structures, not flows. Therefore, the inability to see the integrity of all reality is the reason for the presence of the phenomenon of motivation, when any events in the field of ideas or physical reality cease to have an indifferent status and take the status of motives. we begin to strive for “this”, and not for “that” because we do not perceive the implicit unity of “this”, “that” and our own I [Bohm]. To put it simply, we strive for what seems to us meaningful and important only because that is not able to see a deeper level. Thus, the modern paradigm CANNOT be different, and Descartes and Newton have nothing to do with it. The root is in the subject-object level of consciousness, which gave birth to this paradigm and in those conditions that are characteristic of this level [Murrell, Mewes]. Fundamental limitation of the externally oriented subject-object paradigm. Now science has come to the border areas of our knowledge. And when entropy grows in an open system, the system mutates in the direction of a radical change in regimes [Prigogine]. This is the point when the process of extensive growth of diversity has transferred the system from a structured state to a state of dynamic chaos [Prigogine]. Further transformation of the system occurs due to a change in the most fundamental level of organization. In the case of the MODERN crisis of the paradigm, we are talking about a change in the invariant part of the paradigm, the one that REALLY determines all our metaphysical and methodological limitations. I mean a real transformation of the basis of our perception and awareness of ourselves in this world - the subject-object dichotomy. The essence of this transformation is the transcendence of the subject-object consciousness to the non-subject-object level, i.e. the level of perception of the integrity of the world's discontinuity. Thus, there is a REGULAR need to transform the ALREADY non-ideal, virtual area of \u200b\u200bthe paradigm generated by the human mind, but the need to change the person himself, the level of his consciousness. The reason for this is the achievement of the epistemological limit of the outwardly oriented subject-object paradigm, which determines applied research correlated with the current level of human consciousness. The paradigm shift must be carried out primarily by changing the intention of the paradigm from externally oriented to internally oriented. Otherwise, we will never be able to change the basis of the invariant level of the paradigm - the subject-object character of the ordinary state of consciousness. Internally oriented paradigm. At the same time, the search in accordance with the proto-paradigm of the ancients, spiritual and internally oriented, aimed not at describing the world (God is incomprehensible), but at personal transformation takes on the character of a fundamental paradigm and determines the ideology and direction of the development of science. At the same time, there is a change in all methodological techniques of such an internally oriented paradigm. The main means of reaching the truth in this case is insight, and not a logical description of the observed phenomena. The outwardly oriented paradigm is aimed at changing the world outside the subject, which happens accordingly. At the same time, a spiritual, internally-oriented paradigm is aimed at changes within the subject, which also occurs, but has completely different evaluative criteria compared to the external paradigm. In this regard, it is inappropriate to talk about the successes of modern civilization in comparison with the proto-civilizations of the ancients. It is all the same to assert a higher level of development of the carpenter in comparison with the poet on the basis that the carpenter makes tables, and the poet composes verses. 3
- 4. Complementarity of the externally and internally oriented paradigm. As soon as the paradigm begins to claim universality, it becomes ideologized, sooner or later turning into a dogma. Of course, one cannot say that the external paradigm is better or worse than the internal one. Both of them are of a permanently local character, of a relative nature, and therefore cannot act as a source of universal human doctrines with the same meaning of life for all. The formula - one must strive to improve the quality of life on the basis of an adequate description of reality is as illusory and relative as the formula - the meaning of life in striving for God and one's own evolution. The illusoryness and relativity of these formulas occurs because they are expressed and established at our current level of consciousness. This consideration means that the old and new paradigms are incomparable in principle. At any local level, there is always a certain proto-paradigm, which includes two aspects: one part epistemologically is aimed at an attempt to adequately correlate a person and the world around him, in whatever form he is perceived at this level, i.e. an externally oriented paradigm and ultimately having an applied intention, the other part is epistemologically directed towards development - an internally oriented paradigm. We can say that both complement each other and are inseparable in reality. From this point of view, the process of the development of science, and civilization as a whole, can be imagined as consisting of two phases - the phase of antagonism of these paradigms, the antagonism of the material and spiritual, and the phase of overcoming this conflict. Hopefully, we are on the cusp of the second phase. If the methodology of the out-of-scope paradigm is sufficiently developed, then the methodology of the inward-oriented paradigm is always open to study and is an example of timeless relevance. We must be able not only to describe what we are capable of perceiving, but also to REALLY change the state of our consciousness in order to realize in our existence more fundamental plans of reality. That is why the OBJECT of this study is the phenomenon of transcendental change in the state of consciousness from the subject-object (SO) level of being to the subject-object-object level. Justification of the choice of the subject of research. Activity in special conditions, exact military art was chosen as the subject of research. The reason for this is that traditionally in the martial arts the paramount importance is given to the ability to transcend the current state of consciousness [Suzuki]. Moreover, it is directly stated that the true basis of SUCCESSFUL activity in difficult conditions is rooted in the CORRECT altered state of consciousness, and to a lesser extent in technique and speed-strength qualities [Suzuki, Fomin, Linder]. In addition, a clear description of the attributes of the desired state of consciousness is given, the main property of which is non-subject-object-being, in contrast to the subject-object state of consciousness [Suzuki, Lilly]. The second reason for choosing this subject of research is the extreme visibility of any significant results. There is no room for scientific speculation in activities under special conditions. Either the required change in consciousness occurs and the person has a real chance to complete the task, or there is no transcendence and the person cannot complete the task (at best, and at worst loses his life) [Tohei, Oyama, Suzuki, Herrigel]. Justification of the research problem. The problem solved in the work is the study of the dynamics of states of consciousness in the process of preparation for activity in special conditions (for example, Hand-to-Hand Combat). To understand why the problem is posed in this way, it is necessary first of all to determine what the expression "dynamics of the state of consciousness" means in this work. If we are talking about a change in any state of something, then one very important thing is meant, namely the stability of the object and the process of change. It doesn't matter if it's 4
- 5. process or structure, whether it is about the dynamic stability of the process or the structural stability of the system. The main phenomenon expressing the property of stability of a state of consciousness in general, or even of a related group of states, is the phenomenon of PERSONALITY. In other words, the ability to change depends on the resilience of the human personality. On the one hand, stability is the reason for the existence of the personality phenomenon, but on the other hand, it is stability that prevents changes and is the cause of psychophysical conservatism and limitations of a person. Thus, for this work it is important that "dynamics of states of consciousness" refers to processes in the general case of changes in the stability of states of consciousness (personality in a particular sense). Personality as an integral phenomenon that combines all manifestations of human existence from the conscious to the unconscious. The phenomenon that determines the generalized picture of the world, "normal" for humanity. Moreover, the "normality" of which is manifested primarily in the subject-object dichotomy of our being. Studies of the dynamics of transformation of states of consciousness on the example of SPECIFIC activity in special conditions and preparation for it is due to the most Vividly expressed manifestations of extreme states of consciousness. No activity contains such a wide range of changes in the states of consciousness, and in none of the activities can one so clearly trace the DYNAMICS of changes in the states of consciousness. Also, in no other activity is the relationship between the current phase of consciousness (state of consciousness) and practical effectiveness here and now so clearly manifested. The study of the dynamics of consciousness on the example of SUCH activity makes this work to a GREAT degree of PRACTICAL. If we are able to understand the essence of the dynamic change in consciousness that occurs in the process of ACTIVITY in SPECIAL CONDITIONS, then we will be able to synthesize some generalized method of preparation for this activity. This thesis is the main REASON - why the problem of studying the DYNAMIC STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS is posed in the work. The criterion of truth is very simple. If our models are WRONG, although sounding meaningful, then any PRACTICAL recommendations based on such a plausible concept will not give practical results. A result that could be used in responsible activities. The study of ancient systems of martial art suggests at least that they are based on PRACTICAL principles of training, in particular on PRACTICAL working methods of changing consciousness. Changes in the state of consciousness precisely from the CO level to the BSO level. Therefore, the study of the dynamics of consciousness in THIS activity is a study of a really WORKING technique in the hope of understanding the dynamics of consciousness using examples of how this dynamics was provided in hand-to-hand combat systems. Research objectives: 1. Development of the concept and model of the dynamics of states of consciousness. 2. Formulation of the principles of the synthesis of training systems or psychotherapy based on the real change in the state of consciousness. The research is based on the following assumptions: the subject-object state of consciousness is an UNSTRUCTURED state of dynamic chaos, a change in the state of consciousness from CO to BSO is a process of complete destruction of STRUCTURED consciousness (personality), based on the loss of stability under the influence of a destabilizing factor. It is necessary to clarify that from the point of view of "OBJECTIVE" science, these assumptions lie in the realm of metaphysics, i.e. these assumptions will not be PROVED in this work. On the basis of these assumptions, the interpretation of the dynamics of consciousness in terms of stability theory, chaos theory and synergetics is built. This interpretation makes it possible to see certain common approaches in the methods of training soldiers and adherents of other, non-military traditions. In addition, on the basis of these assumptions and analysis in this light of specific methods of changing consciousness, it is proposed to formulate a general model of the dynamics of consciousness. 5
- 6. To achieve the goals, it is planned to perform the following tasks: Theoretical research tasks. 1. Analysis of training in martial art and states of consciousness in real combat situations for the formulation of a particular model of the dynamics of consciousness. 2. Analysis of some religious and mystical traditions and a number of psychological phenomena in terms of a particular model of the dynamics of consciousness. The purpose of this analysis is to test the adequacy of the model when interpreting a wider range of psychological phenomena. (Zen, Chan, Sufism, Taoism, Christianity ...) 3. Formulation of the principles of the synthesis of training systems or psychotherapy based on the model of the dynamics of consciousness. Practical tasks of work. Using the principles of teaching non-verbalized (or poorly verbalized) activities based on changing the state of consciousness. In this case, the emphasis is more on hopefulness, which IN GENERAL lies outside the sphere of VERBALIZED direct (usual situation) or indirect communication [Muskhilishvili]. This is the case when it is impossible or difficult to enter into the NECESSARY other state through verbal, even paradoxical ways [Muskhilishvili]. 4. Illustration of how these principles are practically used to teach martial arts (on the example of the Soft School) [main section]. 5. An illustration of how these principles are practically used for body-oriented psychotherapy and rehabilitation. The relevance of research. Although in many works there is a mention of the desirability and necessity of changing the subject of cognition towards an integral (BSO) perception of reality [Harman 1992], it is still about creating a conceptual basis for such a paradigm. ) is more than changing the person who generates this foundation. In this phenomenon, the paradox of transcendence appears, which is faced by every researcher who is accustomed to using ONLY his mind as a universal tool. The essence of this paradox is as follows: The individual understands ALREADY that his intellect has limitations as an instrument of cognition of the truth associated with the subject-object level of perception. Those. for further advancement in creating a more adequate picture of the world, he must change himself, the state of his consciousness, and not produce new ideas, which is again a change in the sphere of ideas, but an unreal person. But the search for a more adequate description of the world is the creation of new ideas on the one hand, and the main motive to change from the other side. And this SHOULD be abandoned, because if not, then again the transformation of consciousness is replaced by the transformation of ideas. In such a situation, there is no REAL progress, there is only its illusion. The relevance of a specific formulation of the research problem (study of the dynamics of states of consciousness) is that understanding the essence of the dynamics of consciousness will allow the formation of a general conceptual approach in education and preparation for any activity. An approach based not on memorization and understanding, but an approach based on the ability to change the state of consciousness to achieve the most adequate As already mentioned in substantiating the object of research, the work puts forward the thesis that the crisis of the modern paradigm is primarily due to the subject-object nature of the perception of reality. Thus, the universal and scientific relevance of this work is determined by the need to overcome the framework of the subject-object dichotomy in cognition. Also, today there is really no general productive concept of the dynamics of the state of consciousness, which would reflect the general laws of the transformation of consciousness, as one of the processes of the universe, regardless of the fact how this transformation is achieved. 6
- 7. The novelty of the research consists: - in the development of the concept of the STRUCTURE-free basis of the subject-object state, as an expression of dynamic chaos, and therefore the development of a fundamentally different approach to the study of such phenomena, - in the development of the concept and model of transcendence as the process of destruction of the STRUCTURE of consciousness from the SO state to dynamic chaos in the SSR state with non-verbalized activity, - in the analysis of non-verbalized activity from the point of view of the dynamics of consciousness, - in the formulation of the principles of synthesis of training systems with an emphasis on changing the state of consciousness on the basis of the proposed model of the dynamics of consciousness, - in the study of the adequacy of the formulated principles for teaching military art and a number of other activities, - in the use of a system created on the basis of these principles in psychotherapy and rehabilitation. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the interpretation of the dynamics of consciousness in terms of the theory of dynamic chaos. The majority of studies of consciousness deals with manifestations or structural elements of consciousness, arbitrarily allocated on the basis of their manifestations, while in this study an attempt is made to penetrate into the nature of CONSCIOUSNESS. The main research hypotheses may be relevant not only for the transformation of consciousness into complex activities or during preparation for it. , but express the general principle of the genesis of consciousness, as one of the manifestations of reality. the genesis of consciousness is subordinated to the general synergetic laws that all types of matter are. It is also important that the area of \u200b\u200bstate change in non-verbal activity is practically very little covered. The practical significance of the study in the formulation and substantiation of the principles of synthesis of both training systems and psychotherapy systems designed to change consciousness and based on changing consciousness. The applicability of these principles and the adequacy of the model embedded in them for use in various fields of activity are shown. The results of this work can also be used to analyze existing systems and methods of changing consciousness in line with the proposed model. Thus, their comparative effectiveness can be assessed on the basis of clear, understandable criteria. Learn to go beyond yourself when there is no other way. The theoretical basis of the research: psychological interpretations in terms of the theory of stability and the theory of dynamic chaos, [Prigozhin, Thompson, Harman] research in the field of altered states of consciousness, [Tart, Ulber] research in the field of anthropology, history of religion and philosophy, [Castaneda, Suzuki, Abaev ] research in the field of modeling mental processes, research in the field of psychology of attitudes towards the noumenal (N. L. Muskhilishvili). Current state of the problem: There are a lot of studies in psychotherapy, stating a change in the state of consciousness (S. Grof, C. G. Jung, C. Tart) either during illness or during therapy. Such statements also exist in studies of activity in special conditions, To the truth, the negative manifestations of such states are more closely monitored (Y. Zabrodin, L. Dikaya, G. Grimak) Thus, a lot of applied research both in the psychology of stress and psychotherapy are aimed at eliminating altered states of consciousness and directing training towards STABILIZING mental states. This research, in its practical part, is aimed at using the positive manifestations of altered states of consciousness, at achieving MOBILITY of the psyche, and not at its STABILIZATION. In theoretical terms, the most advanced work is the study of N. Muskhilishvili (1994), however, his work mainly focuses on the verbal aspects. In general, the small number of works related to such a formulation of the problem is explained by the fact that quite a few people are simultaneously seriously engaged in hand-to-hand combat (for example) and its scientific research. Existing works again in a larger 7
- 8.degrees are either ascertaining in nature (Murphy, Tart 1982) or descriptive-empirical in nature (Al Huang al Zhu Liang, 1970). The specificity of this direction is that theoretical research, even if it is very interesting and attractive in an intellectual sense, has negligible value in comparison with even the most insignificant practical results (the question of siddhas). 8