The secondary image as a psychocorrective resource: the search for new research opportunities

Golovinov Evgenii Ivanovich Postgraduate student, Department of General Psychology, Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis 111123, Russia, Moscow region, Moscow, 3rd Vladimirskaya str., 8 Golovinov@yandex.ru

Gostev Andrei Andreevich Doctor of Psychology Gostev Andrey Andreevich - Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Department of History of Psychology and Historical Psychology, Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences 129366, Russia, Moscow, Yaroslavskaya str., 13, office 1 aagos06@rambler.ru

Introduction

The problem of consciousness has always been and remains extremely relevant in psychological science to this day. This is due to the paradoxical nature of the subject of study and the inability to fully define the concept itself. Any approaches of researchers to the problem, as V.M. Allakhverdov emphasizes, run into contradictions that are insoluble today, and probably in principle, within the framework of a scientific approach ^[1]. Nevertheless, the study of the place and role of figurative experience in the structure and functioning of consciousness contributes to the study of the problems of consciousness and the unconscious spheres of the psyche. 

The novelty of the approach proposed in the article lies in a more detailed identification of the class of so-called "secondary" images within the framework of a general understanding of the figurative sphere of a person, and in a more expanded consideration of the possibility of their use in the practice of psychological counseling, psychological correction and psychotherapy.

Justification of the approach

Theories of consciousness usually analyze it based on its components. In particular, considering the problems of consciousness, it is impossible to bypass the process of forming mental images by a person. The figurative sphere of his inner world is the most important "supplier" of the content of the stream of consciousness ^[2-4]. It is the ability to form images that mediates the mental processes of self-awareness, speech, memory, imagination, thinking, which are inherent only to a person directly related to awareness ^[5], etc.

We join the position of scientists who do not draw a strict distinction between the "conscious" and the "unconscious", defining the former as something that can be adequately represented by the second human signaling system in the process of reflection. We will associate the so–called primary images with the first signaling system - those that arise in the form of sensations and perceptual images when a stimulus is directly exposed to receptors.

Recall that I.M. Sechenov considers the image as a regulator of executive reflex effects, associating them with activity ^[6]. V.V. Kolesov reveals the concept of the image based on its physiological basis in the form of a set of "neurophysiological traces of perceived", peculiar "mental imprints" (the image is an "imaginary thought") ^[7] In P.Ya. Galperin, mental reflection forms ideas about objects and relations of the objective world ^[8]. It should also be noted that primary images are transformed under the influence of a person's subjective experience. Jung's concept is based on the understanding of images as active, regulatory potential components of the human inner world, i.e., in fact, on the consideration of consciousness as a system of images. It is appropriate to recall B.F. Lomov's consideration of consciousness as the basis of personality, the disclosure of mechanisms for the formation and reproduction of an image in the activity of thinking ^[9]. It is noteworthy that representatives of cognitive psychology – A. Bandura, J. S. Bruner, J. Kelly, L. Kolberg, J. Piaget, etc. - consider the image in the key of thinking activity. L.S. Vygotsky considers the figurative sphere in the context of the relationship between a mental image and a word (speech) ^[10]. The multidimensional nature of the study of images in the context of the problematic of consciousness is emphasized by V.M. Allakhverdov ^[1]. In the works of A.N. Leontiev, the image is described as a complex, multidimensional psychological education ^[11]. In the works of F.E. Vasilyuk, the theory of A.N. Leontiev is developed, and the structure of the mental image is analyzed, including the subject content, personal meaning, meaning and emotional importance, the word (symbol, sign), and the corresponding "sensory tissue" ^[12].

So, there is every reason to consider a mental image as a product of the interaction of cognitive processes, as a result of which so-called "secondary images" are constructed in consciousness. In this regard, let us recall that S.L. Rubinstein defines an image as a "mental picture" of something currently inaccessible to direct perception ^[13].

Thus, secondary images are the result of the transformation of the "primary images" of perception, and are experienced by a person in the absence of a directly influencing stimulus ^[3].

The subject of secondary images is considered in detail in the works of A.A. Gostev, where the ideas of B.G. Ananyev, L.M. Vekker, B.F. Lomov, etc., in the refraction of modern trends in human and social development, are further developed and refined. In the works of A.A. Gostev, special attention is paid to secondary images, as evidenced, including the title of his doctoral dissertation "Psychology of the secondary image: Subject, phenomenology, functions" ^[3]. Considering secondary images, A.A. Gostev pays special attention to the significant functional nuances of actualizing the content of one's own (and others') experience from the point of view of future-oriented purposeful human activity, the possibility of self-knowledge and mental self-regulation at various levels, including the unconscious spheres of the inner world of the personality ^[2]. In this regard, we point out the potential ability of the human psyche to discover their content in a symbolic form, which is considered within the framework of the phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. This ability is realized in the so-called "translational function" of the human figurative sphere. This function connects each person with any aspect of the universe, and provides him with a "multidimensional and multilevel contact of the soul with Reality" ^[4], determined by the ability of the cognizing subject to such contact. The translational function of the figurative sphere acts as a link between external and internal, real and ideal, explicit and hidden dimensions of the inner world of a person, it is a special psychological tool for cognition of the inner world of a person and contact with the realities of being ideally represented in the subjective world of a person, including the experience of images ^[12]. That is, the image is a specific, multidimensional form of reflection of the world, which, based on the action in the inner world of a person, orients, determines, directs his behavior and activity in a specific situation. It forms the foundation for the formation of a picture of the world. The image can be both sensual (perception, representation, consistent, cognitive, etc.) and rational (communication partner, peace, well-being, etc.). Any image is subjective, based on personal experience, the possibilities of cognitive processing and the emotional sphere when creating, changing and retaining an image.In this regard, we note the theoretical and methodological importance of interdisciplinary consideration of the subject of the figurative sphere in combining its study with approaches to the image in philosophy, art, religion ^[14]. The significance of the cultural world for the subjective revision of the image of reality under the influence of elements of the structure of the mental image, the transformation of existing and newly emerging images through their comprehension/reinterpretation is revealed, for example, by F.E. Vasilyuk ^[12]. It should be noted that the "primary image" is not transferred to the secondary image automatically and without changes, but is integrated into the existing human system of images and meanings, constructing and structuring an individual "picture" of objective reality and a subjective holistic picture of the world, demonstrating the specifics of the transition from direct perception to higher mental processes and human functions.

The research model

To reveal the subject matter stated in the article, it is necessary to emphasize: the figurative sphere of a person is not static. In the process of life activity, the images that make up it undergo constant transformation/modification at different levels. In this regard, it is possible to consider the structure of the image in the concept of "image-scheme". Its core consists of fairly stable representations based on the primary image. The periphery of the image consists of more mobile formations that are changeable, correctable, and improved under the influence of external (represented by subject or sign content) and internal (personality-driven) factors ^[15]. Depending on the orientation, emotional and personal significance of the influences, the transformation of the image may affect its periphery or core. In the first case, the nature of the image, its essence remains intact, and the image as a whole is refined and improved. If the core is transformed during the change, the actual content of the image is modified, which entails a change in the secondary image.

We have compiled a Model of the formation and transformation of images in consciousness with the conditional allocation of a secondary image (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. The model of formation and transformation of images in consciousness

The proposed model allows us to identify the special role of secondary images and the possibility of involving them in the psychocorrection process, since they are the natural and most ancient language of the psyche ^[2]. Their natural activity is maximal during the period when the second signaling system has not yet become dominant in human life, namely, before mastering speech.

The placement of secondary images in the general configuration of the mental, encoding subjective experience at the level of representations, determines their main specificity – the unity and interpenetration of the sensual and cognitive in the system of various images. Such a location implies their ability to penetrate into the deep storages of the subject's experience (based on the translational function of the figurative sphere discussed above), which are inaccessible to the methods of induction, deduction and cognitive analysis. The movement of secondary images is able, ultimately, to objectify in the individual consciousness the missing and inaccessible experience (real or virtual) for human interaction with the world or with oneself at a particular moment in time. This is relevant when designing life trajectories, mastering the experience of others, optimizing social interaction, self-knowledge and mental self-regulation ^[3].

Based on the phenomenological-hermeneutic approach and the peculiarities of the translational function of the human figurative sphere ^[3], it can be argued that the use of images of imagination, dreams, images of altered states of consciousness, etc., in psychocorrective work, "allow you to feel, understand and interpret the complex language of metaphors, deep archetypal symbolism and mythology."

Secondary images form their own system that accumulates a person's mental energy on the basis of concrete and imaginary material, forming individual programs to achieve personally significant goals, and being a link between the conscious and the unconscious, transmitting to a person both unconscious mental material and deep spiritual meanings. This feature is used by psychotherapists of different schools and concepts when working with the figurative sphere to "migrate" secondary images in the space-time interval between the conscious and the unconscious (to pass through virtual "windows"). This makes it possible to identify and evaluate images of the deep subconscious, present them at the level of conscious cognitive consciousness, modify and correct them ^[3]. In the psychoanalytic approach, for example, it is used in the method of free associations, the analysis of dreams, hypnotic states.

Conclusion and prospects of the study

So, it can be argued that on the basis of the content of the figurative sphere, in particular, secondary images, a person creates his own subjective reality, which is of high importance to him as a regulator of vital activity. The use of secondary images as a psychocorrective method makes it possible to clarify life goals and ways to achieve them, taking into account the possibility of choosing optimal ones, expand a holistic vision of the world and positivize the worldview, ensure personal growth, improve interpersonal and other relationships, identify the foundations of problems, change behavior, etc.

Images of altered states of consciousness play a special role. Based on the practical experience of a psychologist working with people within the framework of using an altered state of consciousness, it can be said that most of the psychocorrective influences somehow led to positive changes in world perception, to personal growth of a person. And these changes became possible due to the creation of a secondary image that carries the potential for constructive changes.

In theoretical and practical terms, the systematization and expansion of knowledge regarding secondary images is of paramount importance for a more holistic understanding of the human psyche in its epistemological and regulatory potential. The importance of studying the problems of images of altered states of consciousness is particularly increasing, which is largely ignored and, accordingly, insufficiently mastered by psychological science, in particular, such areas as personality psychology, psychology of the spiritual and moral sphere of human existence, psychology of religious experience.

In this regard, we come to the conclusion that it is necessary to analyze the problem of altered states of consciousness through history, psychology and historical psychology. What does humanity know about special states of consciousness and their role in people's lives? For example, in the context of domestic research, it is useful to correlate the subject of the figurative sphere of a person with the Orthodox metaphysics of understanding his inner world ^[4].

Further research in the direction stated in the article may have not only an applied nature in psychocorrective and psychotherapeutic work with individual human problems, but also justify the application of knowledge about the figurative sphere to those threats, risks, and challenges faced by people in the processes of accelerating global transformation. It is clear that the importance of the history of psychology and historical psychology in this regard is obvious.