Idealization - the process of mental construction of ideas and concepts about objects that do not exist and cannot exist in reality, but retain some features of real objects. In the process of idealization, on the one hand, we abstract from many properties of real objects and retain only those that interest us in this case; on the other hand, we introduce into the content of the concepts being formed such features that, in principle, cannot belong to real objects. As a result of idealization, ideal or idealized objects arise, for example, “material point”, “straight line”, “ideal gas”, “absolutely black body”, “inertia”, etc.

Idealization and abstraction. Idealization is a type of abstraction, serving as a specific form of cognition, which involves the mental reconstruction of an object by abstracting from some of its properties or supplementing them. Being generalized images, abstractions are performed on a system of models. If there are no such systems, the abstractions are semantically empty. Non-empty, meaningful abstractions are divided into two groups. Some are performed on material models, they are called material. Others are implemented on ideal models, they are called ideal. The latter directly record objective features that do not exist in reality, but have certain analogues in it. This stage of abstractions, in fact, forms a set of idealizations; they introduce ideal elements into thought and, through creative definitions, endow them with mental existence.

An example of constructing an idealized object. Consider the following group of objects: a watermelon, a balloon, a soccer ball, a globe, and a ball bearing. On what basis can we combine them into one class of things? They all have different mass, color, chemical composition, and functional purpose. The only thing that can unite them is that they are similar in “shape”. Obviously, they are all “spherical”. We can translate our intuitive conviction of the similarity of these things in form, which we draw from the evidence of our senses, into the language of rational reasoning. We will say: the specified class of things has the shape of a sphere. The study of geometric shapes and their relationships is the subject of the special science of geometry. How does geometry single out the objects of its research and what is the relationship between these theoretical objects and their empirical prototypes? This question has occupied philosophical thought since the times of Plato and Aristotle. How does an object of geometry - a point, straight line, plane, circle, ball, cone, etc. differ from its corresponding empirical correlate?

Firstly, a geometric object, for example, a ball, differs from a ball, globe, etc. in that it does not imply the presence of physical, chemical and other properties, with the exception of geometric ones. In practice, objects with such strange features are not known to occur. Due to this fact, it is customary to say that the object of a mathematical theory is a theoretical object, and not an empirical one, that it is a construct, and not a real thing.

Secondly, a theoretical object differs from its empirical prototype in that even those properties of a thing that we retain in a theoretical object after the process of modifying the image (in this case, geometric properties) cannot be thought of as we encounter them in experience. In fact, having measured the radius and circumference of a watermelon, we notice that the relationship between the obtained values ​​differs to a greater or lesser extent from the relationship that follows from geometric reasoning. We can, however, make a wooden or metal ball whose spatial properties will be much closer to the corresponding properties of an “ideal” ball. Will the progress of technology and measurement procedures lead to the fact that a person will be able to physically reproduce this or that geometric construct? The nature of things is such that such a possibility is in principle unrealizable. It is impossible to grow a watermelon whose shape would be as “correct” as a bearing; the laws of living things prevent this. It is impossible to create a bearing that would correspond absolutely exactly to a geometric ball; this is prevented by the molecular nature of the substance. It follows that although in practice we can create things that, in their geometric properties, come closer and closer to the ideal structures of mathematics, we must still remember that at any stage of such an approximation, infinity lies between the real object and the theoretical construct.

From the above it follows that the accuracy and perfection of mathematical constructions is something empirically unattainable. Therefore, in order to create a construct, we must make another modification to our mental image of the thing. Not only must we transform the object by mentally highlighting some properties and discarding others, we must also subject the selected properties to such a transformation that the theoretical object will acquire properties that are not found in empirical experience. The considered transformation of the image is called idealization. Unlike ordinary abstraction, idealization does not emphasize operations distractions, and on the mechanism replenishment .

Stages of idealization:

1) highlighting in a natural situation a set of parameters that are fundamental from the standpoint of analysis (relations of property, power, etc.) against the background of neglect of other characteristics of objects;

2) the constitution of the selected features as invariant, representative for a certain class of phenomena (i.e. the entire class of objects has these characteristics- relations of property, power, etc. as structure-forming factors connecting society into a single whole);

3) operation of passage to the limit. By discarding the “disturbing influence” of conditions on the selected relations, a transition is made to the limiting case, that is, to the idealized object itself: such an object that we have constructed does not exist in reality.

The Meaning of Idealization . Any science, isolating its aspect for study from the real world, uses idealization and idealized objects. The latter are much simpler than real objects, which makes it possible to give their exact mathematical description and penetrate deeper into the nature of the phenomena being studied. The presence of idealization in cognition serves as an indicator of the development of branches of knowledge and corresponds to the theoretical stage of the functioning of thought.

Conditions for the adequacy of idealizations . The most important condition is adequacy of reality. The answer to the boundaries and limits of idealization is given by experience; Only practical testing of abstract constructions and comparison of them with actual data allows one to judge the legality or illegality of idealization. The demarcation of scientific (meaningful) and non-scientific (empty) abstraction passes along the line of experimental feasibility: in the case of science, it is potential, complex, indirect, but there should be a projection of idealization onto empiricism (ideally); in the case of non-science, the presence of such a projection is not necessary. Let us stipulate that the requirement of empirical justification is very strict, and we must admit: in real knowledge, not all idealizations meet it. The absence of empirical equivalents in itself is not enough to unambiguously reject an idealization; For some period, the entry into the theory of empirically unverifiable idealizations will be tolerated. But this does not cause much satisfaction.

An example of incorrect idealization :ideal design “communist formation”. Problems of its reification:

1. The idea of ​​communism, as such, is qualitative: neither in the period of its promotion, nor even more so in modern times, can it be coordinated with the concept of planetary possibilities, biosphere geoconditions of human habitation. At the moment it is clear: the image of the full flow of wealth consumed by free (associated) producers is fictitious, because it has no explication in terms of global studies. Simple calculations show: if the standard of living of people is raised to a level comparable to the standard of living of citizens of developed countries, it will be necessary to double the processing of all natural resources within 50 years, increasing energy production by 500 times. The latter (from the standpoint of existing ideas) is impossible. Moreover, even maintaining the existing standard of living in developed countries, which implies increasing growth rates, is becoming more and more difficult every year. The growth rate in the current state of civilization (emphasizing this deprives the thesis of universality, but fills it with realism: the statements of science must be consistent with reality) are not unlimited, since planetary reserves are exhaustible. In this regard, colossal problems of redistribution and readiness for life with zero or even negative growth arise, for which humanity does not (yet) know a satisfactory solution.

2. The nature of public property. In theory, it is a big problem to clarify the category of public property as economic, because experience fully reveals its uneconomical nature. In our history, public property was realized in the system powerful , and not actual economic relations: in reality it represented the power of some people over others through things, moving away from free productive activity. Attempts to implement the idea of ​​public ownership under socialism culminated in nationalization, which disintegrated the economic system of productive forces that had been developing over centuries. Nowadays our return to civilization is associated with denationalization, decollectivization. But then what does theory teach? And most importantly: is economically viable public ownership even possible? In what case and under what circumstances is collectivity combined with efficiency? Is socialism possible as a real, and not fiscal, formation on the basis of public property that does not lead to a dead end?

3. The question of mechanisms of stimulation and regulation of social labor. The goal of socialist social production is declared not to make a profit, but to improve the people's well-being and the all-round development of the individual. The mechanism for connecting people in such production cannot be the market. Leaving aside the forceful pressure of administration, the theory relies on the consciousness and enthusiasm of people. Meanwhile, until now, practice has demonstrated the unrealizability of such hopes. To stimulate and regulate joint productive activity through consciousness, internally motivated, and not disciplinary enthusiasm, it is first necessary to observe a great many conventions: abolish political institutions, implement self-government, move to creative work designed for high self-realization, etc. A circle arises: a new type of productive labor, regulated by consciousness, rests on the preliminary materialization of productive labor activity of a new type. The theory does not explain how to break this circle.

4. The task is to combine communist “practical humanism” with collectivism. Communist practical humanism, or the recognition of man as the highest value, a goal, and not a means of social life, an emancipated subject of social action, is in practice supported not by collectivism, but by healthy individualism. The latter is served by the mechanism developed by civilization for the protection of rights and freedoms, the dignity of a self-sufficient citizen in full agreement with the interpretation of freedom as the autonomy of the individual in society. An autonomous free being has corresponding guarantees of self-realization. The dissolution of the individual in the social whole, placing it in the environment of socialist collectivism, turns the pressing question of human freedom from the perspective of “the relationship between personal autonomy and social paternalism” to the perspective of “cognition and adherence to necessity,” which in itself (and even more so against the backdrop of history) is fraught the collapse of the preconditions of both freedom and humanism.

Consequently, the idealizing premises, the idealizations of the “communist formation” are not consistent with the real state of affairs, are not reduced to the objects of others, and are not empirically interpreted. From what has been said, it follows that if not fictitiousness (such a qualification would be excessive against the backdrop of a tolerant attitude towards “quarks”, “tachyons”, etc., which are empirically unadapted but accepted into scientific circulation), then the insufficient validity of the ideal model of communism.

An example of correct idealization: Max Weber's theory of ideal types. An ideal type is any intellectual construct that generalizes social reality; the ideal type can be compared with a “concept”, “representation” (but formalized, constructed). It is much easier to analyze specific social formations by comparing them with ideal types as a kind of standards. Therefore, the ideal type is an important tool of sociological analysis. What is a sociological ideal type? If history, according to Weber, should strive to analyze individual phenomena, that is, phenomena localized in time and space, then the task of sociology is to establish general rules of events regardless of the spatio-temporal definition of these events. In this sense, ideal types as tools of sociological research, apparently, should be more general and, in contrast to genetic ideal types, can be called “pure ideal types.” Thus, the sociologist constructs pure ideal models of domination (charismatic, rational and patriarchal), found in all historical eras anywhere on the globe. “Pure types” are more suitable for research the more “purer” they are, that is, the further they are from actual, empirically existing phenomena.

Ideal types are limiting concepts used in cognition as a scale for correlating and comparing elements of social reality with them.

An example of an ideal type : types of domination. Definition: dominance means the chance to be met with obedience to a specific order. Dominance thus presupposes a mutual expectation: of the one who commands that his order will be obeyed; those who obey - that the order will have the character that they, the obeying, expect, i.e., recognize. In full accordance with his methodology, Weber begins the analysis of legitimate types of domination by considering possible (typical) “motives for obedience.” Weber finds three such motives and, in accordance with them, distinguishes three pure types of domination.

Dominance can be determined by interests, that is, by the purposive rational considerations of the obeyed regarding advantages or disadvantages; it can be determined, further, simply by “mores,” by the habit of certain behavior; finally, it can be based on the simple personal inclination of the subjects, i.e., have an affective base.

First type domination (Weber calls it "legal" ) as a “motive for compliance” has considerations of interest; it is based on purposeful action. Weber refers to this type of modern bourgeois states: England, France, the United States of America, etc. In such a state, Weber emphasizes, it is not individuals who obey, but established laws: not only the governed, but also the managers (officials) are subject to them. The management apparatus consists of specially trained officials; they are required to act “regardless of persons,” that is, according to strictly formal and rational rules. The formal legal principle is the principle underlying “legal domination”; It was precisely this principle that turned out to be, according to Weber, one of the necessary prerequisites for the development of modern capitalism as a system of formal rationality.

Another type of legitimate domination , conditioned by “mores, the habit of certain behavior, Weber calls traditional . Traditional domination is based on faith not only in the legality, but even in the sacredness of ancient orders and authorities; it is therefore based on traditional action. The purest type of such domination is, according to Weber, patriarchal domination. The union of the dominant is a community, the type of boss is “master”, the management headquarters is “servants”, the subordinates are “subjects”, who are obedient to the master due to reverence. Weber emphasizes that the patriarchal type of domination in its structure is in many ways similar to the structure of the family (it is this circumstance that makes the type of legitimacy that is characteristic of this type of domination especially strong and stable).

The management apparatus here consists of household servants, relatives, personal friends or personally loyal vassals who are personally dependent on the master. In all cases, it is not official discipline or business competence, as in the type of domination already discussed, but personal loyalty that serves as the basis for appointment to a position and for promotion up the hierarchical ladder. Since nothing sets a limit to the arbitrariness of the master, hierarchical division is often violated by privileges.

Common types of traditional domination are characterized by the absence of formal law and, accordingly, the requirement to act “regardless of persons”; the nature of relationships in any area is purely personal; however, with some freedom from this purely personal principle in all types of traditional societies, as Weber emphasizes. enjoys the sphere of trade, but this freedom is relative: along with free trade, there is always its traditional form.

Third The pure type of domination is, according to Weber, the so-called charismatic dominance . The concept of charisma plays an important role in Weber's sociology; charisma, at least in accordance with the etymological meaning of this word, is a certain extraordinary ability that distinguishes an individual from others and, most importantly, is not so much acquired by him as given to him by nature. God, fate. Weber includes magical abilities, prophetic gifts, outstanding strength of spirit and words as charismatic qualities; charisma, according to Weber, is possessed by heroes, great generals, magicians, prophets and seers, brilliant artists, outstanding politicians, the founders of world religions - Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, the founders of states - Solon and Lycurgus, the great conquerors - Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon.

The charismatic type of legitimate domination is the direct opposite of the traditional one: if the traditional type of domination is maintained by habit, attachment to the ordinary, established once and for all, then the charismatic type, on the contrary, is based on something extraordinary, never previously recognized; It is no coincidence that the prophet, according to Weber, is characterized by the following phrase: “It is said... and I tell you...” The affective type of social action is the main basis of charismatic domination. Weber views charisma as a “great revolutionary force” that existed in traditional types of society and was capable of bringing changes to the structure of these societies lacking dynamism.

IDEALIZATION AND FORMALIZATION

During a thought experiment, the researcher often operates with idealized situations. Such situations are constructed as a result of a special procedure called idealization. This is a type of abstraction operation, the use of which is typical for theoretical research. The essence of this operation is as follows. In the process of studying an object, one mentally identifies one of the necessary conditions for its existence, then, by changing the selected condition, gradually reduces its effect to a minimum. In this case, it may turn out that the property of the object under study will also change in a certain direction. Then a passage to the limit is carried out, assuming that this property receives maximum development if the condition is excluded altogether. As a result, an object is constructed that cannot exist in reality (since it is formed by excluding the conditions necessary for its existence), but nevertheless has prototypes in the real world.

Any theoretical thinking operates with idealized objects. They are of great heuristic importance, since only with their help is it possible to build theoretical models and formulate theoretical laws that explain certain phenomena. Therefore, idealized objects are necessary elements of developed theoretical knowledge. At the same time, idealization, like any scientific method, despite its great importance in theoretical research, has its limits and in this sense is relative in nature. Its relativity is manifested in the fact that: 1) idealized ideas can be clarified, adjusted, or even replaced with new ones; 2) each idealization is created to solve certain problems, that is, a property from which the researcher abstracts in some conditions may turn out to be important when implementing other conditions, and then it is necessary to create fundamentally new idealized objects; 3) it is not in all cases possible to move from idealized ideas (fixed in mathematical formulas) directly to empirical objects, and for such a transition certain adjustments are necessary.

Studying school documentation(school charter, personal files of students, diaries, medical records, work plans, class journals, reports, analytical reports, etc., as well as financial and economic documentation) allows the study to cover a significant amount of data. This advantage is complemented by the convenience of searching and processing the necessary information, which is presented in documents in an already systematized form and, as a rule, in standard forms. Another advantage of the method of studying school documentation is due to the rather long periods of archival storage of a number of school documents: the ability to turn to past documented experience and search in it for the causes of today's problems and ways to resolve them.

The disadvantages of the method of studying school documentation manifest themselves mainly in two aspects:

Standardization and business style of documents introduce strict restrictions on the nature and quantity of documented facts, as a result of which facts that do not appear in the document remain outside the field of view of the researcher, and they may turn out to be especially important for the knowledge of new properties and phenomena in the object under study;

The document may contain distortions of facts that mislead the person studying the document (the factual reliability of documents may suffer, for example, due to the desire to “appear better than in reality” or due to elementary negligence in record keeping).

2.2.3. Survey methods (questionnaire, interview, conversation)

A survey is a method of collecting primary information based on direct (conversation, interview) or indirect (questionnaire) socio-psychological interaction between the researcher and the respondent. The source of information in this case is a person’s verbal or written judgment.

The widespread use of this method is explained by its versatility, comparative ease of application and data processing. In a short time, the researcher can obtain information about the real activities and actions of the respondent, information about his moods, intentions, and assessments of the surrounding reality.

One of the difficulties faced by a researcher using survey methods is ensuring the validity and reliability of the data obtained. The information that the interviewer receives is subjective in nature, since it depends on the degree of sincerity of the respondent, his ability to adequately assess his actions and personal qualities, as well as other people, ongoing events, etc. Therefore, the data obtained as a result of the survey should be compared with data obtained by other methods (experiment, observation, analysis of documentation, etc.).

The survey can be group or individual; oral and written.

A conversation is one of the survey methods, which is a relatively free dialogue between the researcher and the subject(s) on a specific topic, i.e. a method of obtaining information based on verbal (verbal) communication. In a conversation, you can identify the relationship of the person being examined to people, their own behavior, and events; determine the cultural level, features of moral and legal consciousness, level of intellectual development, etc.

Thus, a free, relaxed conversation, during which the investigator studies the main characteristics of the interlocutor’s personality, develops an individual approach and comes into contact with the interrogated; such a conversation very often precedes the main part of the interrogation and the achievement of the main goal - obtaining objective and complete information about the crime event. During the conversation, you should make a favorable impression on your interlocutor, arouse interest in the issues being discussed, and a desire to answer them. What should you pay attention to when establishing personal contact with your interlocutor?

A favorable climate for conversation is created by:

– clear, concise and meaningful introductory phrases and explanations;

– showing respect for the personality of the interlocutor, attention to his opinion and interests (you need to let him feel it);

– positive comments (every person has positive qualities);

– a skillful manifestation of expression (tone, timbre of voice, intonation, facial expressions, etc.), which is designed to confirm a person’s conviction in what is being discussed, his interest in the issues raised.

A conversation between a police psychologist and a victim of a crime can and should have a psychotherapeutic effect.

What is usually worthy of sympathy and compassion? This is grief and torment, all the troubles that came unexpectedly, the death of close relatives, illness and injury, loss of property, undeserved accusations and punishment.

Understanding the emotional states of another person, expressing sympathy for him, the ability to put oneself in his place (the mechanism of empathy); Demonstration of sympathetic attention to the immediate needs of a person is an important condition for establishing contact with the interlocutor.

The conversation must be well organized, as this ensures the effectiveness of its results, i.e.:

– specific tasks are set;

– a preliminary plan has been drawn up;

– the appropriate time and place are chosen, taking into account their influence on the results;

– methods for recording the information received in the conversation have been chosen;

– an atmosphere of mutual trust has been created.

The conversation helps the psychologist and lawyer demonstrate their positive qualities, the desire to objectively understand certain phenomena, which also helps to establish and maintain contacts with the person being interviewed. In the case when the direction of the conversation and the nature of the questions are strictly posed, when the interviewer only asks questions, and the interviewee only answers them, we are dealing with another type of survey - an interview.

An interview is a method of obtaining the necessary information through direct, targeted conversation in the form of question and answer.

The conversation, as a rule, is not limited in time and sometimes it is difficult to “fit” into the initially given direction. In an interview, the pace and plan of the conversation is “imposed”; the interviewer sticks more firmly within the framework of the issues being discussed. During the interview, feedback is weakened to some extent - the interviewer maintains a neutral position, only records answers, statements, and it is often difficult for the interviewee to understand the attitude of the interviewer to his answers (whether he accepts them, believes them, shares the same views). A significant part of the interrogation during the investigation takes place in the form of an interview.

Through interviews, you can obtain a wide variety of information about the specifics of the activities of law enforcement agencies. Interviewing investigators and operational workers allows you to learn about their professionalism, the difficulties they encounter, their opinion about the causes of crime and ways to reduce its level.

By interviewing judges, you can obtain information about ways to form internal convictions, criteria for evaluating evidence, techniques for establishing psychological contact with defendants, the disadvantages and advantages of the judicial procedure, etc.

Conducting a conversation and interview is a great art that both psychologists and lawyers must master. These survey methods require special flexibility and clarity, the ability to listen and at the same time conduct the survey along a given path, understand the emotional states of the interlocutor, reacting to their changes, and record the external manifestations of these states (facial expressions, pantomime, redness, pallor of the facial skin, tremor or obsessive hand movements).

Questioning is conducting a survey in written form. For this purpose, a set of structurally organized questions (questionnaire) is used. The advantage of this method is the ability to conduct research on a large group of people simultaneously and the relative ease of statistical processing of data.

In the field of legal psychology, the questionnaire method was used to study the origins of criminal intent, professiograms, professional suitability, professional deformation of investigators and other specialists in the law enforcement system.

Compiling a questionnaire is a complex process that requires the researcher to have a certain level of professional skill and a clear understanding of the goals of the upcoming study. According to the form, the survey questions are divided into: open (the answer is formed by the respondent himself in free form) and closed (the wording of the question contains a list of possible answers); direct (formulated in a personal form) and indirect (formulated in an impersonal form).

When drawing up a questionnaire (interview plan), you should adhere to a number of general rules and principles:

– the formulation of questions must be clear and precise, their content understandable to the respondent, corresponding to his knowledge and education;

– complex and ambiguous words should be excluded;

– there should not be too many questions, since interest is lost due to increasing fatigue;

– include questions that test the degree of sincerity.

Methods of collecting information include survey methods. They form a special group, which includes conversation, interviews, questionnaires, and testing. These methods are used in cases where the source of the necessary information is people - direct participants in the phenomena or processes being studied. Using survey methods, you can obtain information both about events and facts, as well as about the opinions, assessments, and preferences of respondents.

What is common to survey methods is that they make it possible to obtain information about the subjective world of people, their inclinations, interests, motives, etc.

Some part of a person’s subjective world is manifested in his deeds, actions, experiences, but not all of it. Only the totality of various manifestations of personality makes it possible to judge the stability of the motives that guide a person. The survey allows you to mentally simulate any situation the experimenter needs in order to identify the stability of the subjective states of individuals or a large group of people. This compares favorably with other methods.

Under proper conditions, it allows one to obtain reliable information, saving the researcher from lengthy observations or preparing and conducting an experiment. You can ask about anything, even about things that you yourself cannot see or read in documents.

The art of applying the method is to know exactly what to ask, how to ask, what questions to ask. Finally, how to make sure that you can trust the answers you receive. The following conditions should also be added: who to ask, where to conduct the survey, how to process the data, is it possible to find out all these things without resorting to a survey?

Disadvantages of survey methods include the following:

· subjectivity of the information received: respondents often tend to overestimate the significance of certain facts and phenomena and their role in them;

· distortion of information, which can occur due to methodological errors in compiling research tools, determining the sample population, and interpreting data;

· Lack of information required by respondents.

Idealization– the process of idealization – the mental construction of concepts about objects that do not exist and cannot be realized in reality, but those for which there are prototypes in the real world. The process of idealization is characterized by abstraction from the properties and relationships necessarily inherent in the objects of reality and the introduction into the content of the concepts being formed of such features that, in principle, cannot belong to their real prototypes.

To understand what idealization is, it is necessary to understand the concept of “ideal object”.

The term “ideal” or “idealized” object was introduced into the domestic methodology of scientific knowledge by I.V. Kuznetsov, the author of works on the methodology of physics. He identified a special element of the structure of the theory, which he called an idealized object, i.e. an abstract model endowed with a small number of very general properties and a simple structure.

An ideal object, according to A.Ya. Danilyuk’s definition, is a specific text compiled on the basis of the artificial language of science, in which the subject of theoretical research is recreated.

Here are some simple and well-known examples of ideal objects:

A chemical formula reproduces the molecular structure of a substance in a sign system, i.e. subject of research - the molecular structure is recreated in a chemical formula;

Mechanics, when studying the movement of bodies, abstracts from the qualitative characteristics of bodies and represents them in the form of material points, although it is impossible to find in the real world an object that is a point, i.e. an object that would have no dimension.

As a result, a theoretical model arises - an isolated system consisting of a limited number of material points, which serves as the basis for further theoretical constructions in physics. Ideal objects do not exist in reality. Scientists give the following examples: an absolutely solid body, an absolutely black body, an electric charge, a line, a point, etc.; they are only mentally constructed.

The concept of “ideal gas” is used quite often, although this does not actually exist. But in many studies, ideal objects are used, and the results obtained when working with them are transferred to real objects, introducing appropriate corrections if necessary.

Idealization includes the moment of abstraction, which allows us to consider idealization as a type of abstracting activity. For example, speaking about an absolutely black body, the researcher abstracts from the fact that all real bodies, to one degree or another, have the ability to reflect the light falling on them.

Ideal objects have a number of advantages and, obtained as a result of complex mental activity, they play a large role in science:

1) they can significantly simplify complex systems:

2) with the help of idealization, properties and relationships of objects that obscure the essence of the process being studied are excluded;

3) a complex process is presented as if in a “pure form”, which greatly facilitates the detection of significant connections and the formulation of laws.

The creation of an idealized object, its character, type, is from the point of view of I.V. Kuznetsov, a most difficult theoretical problem, in solving which the efforts of many scientists often remain fruitless. According to its purpose, an idealized object in a highly organized theoretical system actually plays the role of a fundamental idea on which the entire edifice of the theory rests.

Thus, the ideal object is an idea expressed in the system of signs of an artificial scientific language and underlying the scientific theory (Danilyuk A.Ya.). In an ideal object, the content of the theory is collapsed in abstract simplicity and in order to make it explicit, to present it as an expanded theoretical system, it is necessary to perform certain actions with the ideal object, i.e. carry out a series of thought experiments.

Having formed a concept about a given object using idealization, you can further operate with it in reasoning as with a really existing object. Idealization allows us to strictly formulate laws. Build abstract diagrams of real processes for a deeper understanding; in this sense, the modeling method is inseparable from idealization.

A sign of scientific idealization that distinguishes it from fruitless fantasy is that the idealized objects generated in it, under certain conditions, are interpreted in terms of non-idealized (real) objects. It is practice (including the practice of systematic scientific observations and experiments) that confirms the legitimacy of those abstractions that give rise to concepts of idealized abstract objects and serves as a criterion for the fruitfulness of idealization in knowledge.

(from the Greek idea - image, idea) - a concept meaning the representation of a person. in a more perfect form than it actually is....

(from the Greek idea - image, idea) - a concept meaning the representation of a person. in a more perfect form than it actually is. In the concepts formed as a result of I., idealized objects are thought of, which do not exist in reality and whose prototypes can only be indicated with a certain degree of approximation. I., being the same natural ability of human thinking as the ability to abstraction and generalization, is widely used in various spheres of mental activity. Thus, in everyday consciousness real people, events, and circumstances are often idealized. Poets and artists resort to art, forming life material in their creativity in accordance with the idea, laws of beauty, and other aesthetic standards. I. plays an important role in scientific knowledge - primarily in mathematics and mathematized natural science. Here, I. acts as an acceptable and necessary simplification, which allows us to exclude from consideration those properties and connections of the objects under study, the consideration of which would significantly complicate or make impossible the discernment and formulation of natural laws. Characteristic for I., the assimilation of reality to some ideal model and the corresponding mental transformation of it allows one to go beyond the actual empirical consideration and rise to the level of theoretical description, where natural laws can be expressed in the language of mathematics, as is done, for example, in classical mechanics, thermodynamics and other physical theories. Properly implemented I., which is one of the manifestations of the creative activity of human thinking, contributes to a deeper comprehension of objective reality.

Idealization

Mental construction of images of objects that do not exist and cannot be realized in reality.

Idealization

represents the mental introduction of certain changes to the object being studied in accordance with the objectives of the research....

represents the mental introduction of certain changes to the object being studied in accordance with the goals of the research. As a result of such a change, some properties, aspects or characteristics of the object may be excluded from consideration. A well-known example of idealization is the concept of a material point in mechanics - an object whose dimensions are neglected. In reality, such objects do not exist in nature, but such an abstraction allows us to replace a wide variety of real objects in research: from atoms and molecules to planets and stars.

Idealization

A mental act associated with the formation of certain abstract objects that are fundamentally impossible to realize in experience and...

A mental act associated with the formation of certain abstract objects that are fundamentally impossible to realize in experience and reality. Idealized objects are limiting cases of certain real objects and serve as a means of their scientific analysis, a basis for constructing a theory of these real objects; they, that is, ultimately act as reflections of objective objects, processes and phenomena. Examples of idealized objects are the concepts: “point”, “straight line”, “actual infinity” - in mathematics; “absolutely solid body”, “ideal gas”, “absolutely black body” - in physics; “ideal solution” - in physical chemistry. Along with abstraction, with which it is closely related, information is an important means of understanding the laws of reality.

Idealization

The process of mental construction of ideas and concepts about objects that do not exist and cannot exist...

The process of mental construction of ideas and concepts about objects that do not exist and cannot exist in reality, but retain some features of real objects. In the process of identification, on the one hand, we abstract from many properties of real objects and retain only those that interest us in this case; on the other hand, we introduce into the content of the concepts being formed such features that, in principle, cannot belong to real objects. As a result of I., ideal, or idealized, objects arise, for example, “material point”, “straight line”, “ideal gas”, “absolutely black body”, “inertia”, etc. Any science, isolating from the real the world its own aspect for study, uses information and idealized objects. The latter are much simpler than real objects, which makes it possible to give their exact mathematical description and penetrate deeper into the nature of the phenomena being studied. The fruitfulness of scientific information is tested in experiment and material practice, during which the correlation of theoretical idealized objects with real things and processes is carried out.

We all tend to idealize to one degree or another. In the minds of young children, ideal traits are endowed by their parents, teenagers often see perfection in some famous person, and in adulthood, idealization often accompanies romantic relationships. In general, this is a very broad concept that relates to various areas of knowledge.

Approaches to definition

As we mentioned, idealization is an interdisciplinary term, therefore, when defining it, it is necessary to clarify what science we mean. In the most general sense, idealization is the assignment to an object of perfect qualities that in reality this object does not possess.

In addition, idealization is spoken of as a method of scientific knowledge, in which a scientist mentally makes changes to the object of study, starting from the goals of the study. The determination of these changes must be carried out taking into account two mandatory conditions.

• Within the framework of this study, they do not distort the essence of the object.
• They allow us to highlight the most significant properties of the phenomenon being studied for the researcher.

Typically, the method is used when the real objects of interest to the observer are too complex and therefore inaccessible to the arsenal of cognitive tools available in science. Typical cases of idealization include, for example, an absolutely black body, an absolutely straight surface, and so on.

In psychology there is also more than one definition of this term. Idealization is considered as, firstly, a defense mechanism, and secondly, a way to overcome conflict, and it can be directed both at another person and at the individual himself.

Self-idealization is dangerous because it creates in a person an illusory belief that he has no internal conflicts, gives him a feeling of superiority over others, and clouds the true ideals and needs of the individual. In fact, there is only one need left: to constantly prove to yourself and the world your own perfection.

In psychology

The definition of idealization as a defense mechanism goes back to the works of the Hungarian psychoanalyst Sándor Ferenczi. According to his concept, the newborn feels his own omnipotence: he perceives all events as coming from within.

That is, for example, a child screams from hunger - and his mother feeds him, but for him it looks as if he got the food for himself. This phenomenon is called infantile omnipotence. As the child grows up, it gives way to the omnipotence of those who care for him, that is, idealization.

At first, idealization extends only to parents, because a child isolated from the external environment sees them as beings capable of protecting him from any troubles, real or imagined. Later, when more and more people appear in the child’s environment, perfect traits are gradually transferred to others.

Next to idealization there is always its reverse side - devaluation. As a rule, the more perfect an idealized object seems, the more it depreciates later. The more power the illusion had, the more terrible its collapse; the higher you fly, the more painful it is to fall. At the same time, devaluation of parents is an integral attribute of growing up, an important component of the process of individualization.

The residual tendency to idealize people on whom we feel emotionally dependent persists throughout life - moreover, it is a natural element of love in a mature personality. However, if the infant need remains more or less unchanged, this is fraught with the emergence of psychological problems.

Such people become extremely dependent on those around them; they are unable to confront problems and difficulties on their own and believe that only a connection with an all-powerful object of idealization will help them cope with adversity and protect them from a hostile world. In this vein, religious beliefs are seen as a natural extension of the process of idealization. At the same time, a person’s own shortcomings in comparison with the ideal are seen as exaggerated and make him constantly ashamed of himself.

Romantic relationships almost never exist without idealization, especially when the feeling is just beginning. Moreover, the idealization process includes the actions of both partners.

One endows the other with exaggerated virtues, and the other, in turn, strives to show only those qualities of his that correspond to the ideal image, which facilitates idealization on the part of the first person. The significance of this process is assessed in two ways:

• As a positive thing: it becomes an incentive for self-improvement, because a person strives to become what his loved one sees.
• As a negative: it creates high expectations and then leads to disappointment in the partner and in the relationship as a whole.

There is another definition of idealization. The so-called practical idealization involves working on one’s internal and external transformation and is aimed at emancipation in communication – primarily with the opposite sex. Author: Evgenia Bessonova