CONTEMPLATION: THE RATIO OF CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS

"In psychological science, the concept of contemplation is not included in the most important categories of psychology, such as activity, consciousness, personality. The dictionary meanings of the term “contemplation” are ambiguous. In psychology, in addition to the categorical analysis of contemplation (S.L. Rubinstein) and its attribution to fundamental concepts (A.V. Brushlinsky), there are also interpretations of contemplation, which are synonymous to intuition (A. Bergson) and meditation (V.F. Petrenko, Han F. De Wit), insight (preconceptual thinking - T.K. Rulina), mystical states (W. James, P.S. Gurevich). Contemplation, unlike intuition, meditation and insight, does not have a previous reportable history. In our studies, contemplation is considered as an unconscious mental phenomenon that exists in the forms of a process, state, and also the properties of an individual (contemplative personality). Not coinciding with the processes of attention, memory, perception, thinking, etc., contemplation, however, is activated on their basis. The difference lies in the uncontrollability of this process, since its contents are not presented to consciousness. Therefore, contemplation is also different from dreams, experiences, intentions and other internally substantive mental phenomena. Despite the fact that consciousness does not have access to the content of contemplation (access-consciousness), the process itself is realized by man. In this we see the difference between contemplation as unconscious activity and Freudian understanding of the unconscious. Other differences are: involuntary entry and random exit from the state of contemplation; emotional equipotentiality of contemplation, i.e. the invariability of the emotional background of contemplation from the beginning to the exit from it. In ontogenesis, contemplation is most clearly represented in infancy, in youth, and in old age, as well as during periods of age and other life crises. Reminiscences of students record the age range from 11 to 17 years as the most saturated with contemplation; least at the age of 6-8 years (L.S. Akopian). Contemplation as an unconscious activity periodically replaces purposeful activity, contributing to the maturation, correction, transformation of the person’s life meanings in their micro-, meso- and macro-macro dimensions. Contemplation also fulfills the function of partially liberating oneself from an excess of affairs, concerns, plans, aspirations, and other forms of conscious activity. The development of practice-oriented forms of actualization of contemplation will expand the range of psychotherapeutic methods."