Imagination is the term used to describe the power of imagination in humans. We understand by it the ability to let pictures arise before our mental eye. In this context, we often speak of spatial imagination, but it also refers to the imagination of entire episodes. Until Plato (427-347 BC) there was no theory about imagination. Plato spoke of human mental faculty.
What is the faculty of imagination?
Imagination is the term used to describe the power of imagination in humans. We understand it to mean the ability to make images appear in our mind’s eye. Until the 18th century, Plato’s reflections on imagination, thought and perception were dominant in the Occident. Plato saw the imagination as the link between external sensory impressions and the mind. Fantasy is a manifestation of imagination and mixes perception and opinion. Thus, Plato already believed that thought, imagination, and opinion can be false or true. Plato’s student Aristotle continued his teacher’s elaborations on imagination and understanding. He differentiated between perceptions that are bound to the body, for example appetite, anger and rage, and thinking without the involvement of the body. In the Middle Ages, a distinction was made between the memory of an early perception and the imagination of imaginary images: “phantasiae” and “phantasma.” Phantasmata arose in the eyes of scholars through fantasized images, allegories and myths, produced by the free activity of the mind. Today this is called the productive imagination. However, at that time negative qualities were attributed to both forms. Everything that could not be associated with divine existence was considered dangerous. Church scholars were convinced that “phantasiae” and “phantasma” were harmful to human knowledge. Phantasiae were considered obstacles to understanding divine truth, phantasmata were simply defined as false ideas. In the 11th century, more profound concepts of imagination emerged. Imagination acquired a positive meaning. Scholars tried to assign a concrete place in the brain to mental abilities of man. In the Renaissance, the opinion held that imagination came from the stars and was a matter of talent. During the Enlightenment, fantasy became more and more important. Neuroscientists of today can explain many mental processes, but no one knows exactly how imagination works.
Function and task
Imagination is the result of many influences and varies in each person. It cannot be separated from culture and is a basic requirement for creative processes. Only through the imagination it is possible for living beings to interpret and understand new things. The figurative imagination is rooted in all areas of life. Imagination is therefore also called imagination, imagination, imagination and originality. Figurative imagination, in turn, is not possible without spatial imagination. Spatial imagination refers to the mental concept of movement or spatial displacement and to the relationship of objects to each other that can be viewed from different perspectives. Furthermore, it refers to orientation, that is, the placement of one’s self in spatial circumstances. Spatial imagination is imperative for sports, especially ball games, and can be improved through cognitive exercises. Even manual work cannot do without spatial imagination. Today, the focus is increasingly on stimulating a child’s imagination to better prepare children for a complex world. By giving children time and space to play, they can better develop their imagination. During play, he experiences fantasy as reality. It integrates different beings into its fantasy world, they become part of its everyday life, help and comfort. The invisible friends from the fantasy land have social and emotional tasks. A child’s fantasy is still unencumbered and free of judgments. That is why we are always amazed at children’s unbroken joy in imaginary play. In the course of the years, the human being is confronted with many restrictions, so that he blocks his imagination more and more. Social norms and judgments also contribute to this.
Diseases and ailments
Imagination has power and can cause physical reactions. If you imagine with all your might a juicy lemon that you are biting into, you will inevitably pucker your mouth and taste the acid. Imagination alone will then have led to physical reactions. What we imagine, we can therefore feel physically and mentally. The brain does not distinguish what is reality and what is imagination. Imagination is influenced by different forces, mainly by sensory perceptions. It can be productive, but also harmful. Cognitive visualization requires the work of many brain areas. However, there are people who completely lack the ability to imagine. They suffer from aphantasia. Affected persons are unable to create images in their inner eye. The imagery that causes us to reminisce is foreign to these people. Researchers suspect a defect in the brain regions concerned. Some mental illnesses, in turn, cause an exaggerated form of imagination. Sufferers, for example, suffer from delusions and have such an active imagination that they believe things to be real that do not exist. Schizophrenia is a disease that presents with hallucinations, formal thought disorders and delusions. Schizophrenia affects about one percent of the world’s population, causing severe psychosocial limitations. Problems with imagination can also occur in the context of depression. If cognitive performance is impaired by depression, thinking disorders often develop. Some sufferers then find it difficult to draw logical conclusions or become fixated on a particular idea. Depending on personal disposition, the clinical pictures can be very different.
