Among methods of psychological science the introspektion stands alone. The method of profound introspection long time was exposed to criticism for his subjectivity and impossibility of check of results. However the introspektion continues to be applied both in diagnostics of mental states, and in practice of psychotherapy.
General information about an introspektion
In psychological science introspektsiy call a special research method. It consists in study own mental processes by the person, acts of own activity. Any external standards and other methods at the same time are not used. Thoughts, experiences, images, feelings – all that makes the content of consciousness become subject to observation.
For the first time the method of an introspektion proved by Renée Descartes. It indicated in the works on the need to use direct knowledge of sincere human life. John Locke also reflected on an introspektion: he divided internal subjective experience into internal, concerning work of reason, and external which is focused on the world outside the person.
Much later, in the 19th century, the psychologist Wilhelm Wundt united an introspektion method with hardware and laboratory researches. After that the introspektion turned into one of the main ways of studying content of human consciousness. However subsequently the concept of an object of psychology significantly extended. There were absolutely new methods. At some point the introspektion was even declared by method especially idealistic and far from original science.
However the introspektion remained in psychology as a way of introspection, having given rise to the reflexive analysis and some other receptions of a research of features of spiritual human life.
Types of a method of an introspektion
Over time psychologists began to allocate several types of an introspektion, having carried to them:
- analytical introspektion;
- systematic introspektion;
- retrospective introspektion;
- phenomenological introspection.
As a first approximation the analytical introspektion was developed at school of sciences which was founded by Edward Titchener. The aspiration to dismember a sensual image on a part is characteristic of this direction.
The bases of a systematic introspektion were actively developed at Würzburg school of psychology. Adherents of this kind of a method tried to trace separate stages of cogitative activity on the basis of retrospective reports of examinees.
The phenomenological introspektion arose in the depths of a geshtaltpsikhologiya. Those who developed this direction described the mental phenomena in their integrity. Subsequently such method with success was applied in descriptive and humanistic psychology.
Experts carry the fact that nobody knows internal experiences of the examinee as he to pluses of all described techniques. Any other known receptions it is still impossible "to get into soul" to the person. But here also the lack of an introspektion disappears: the subjectivity and lack of objective criteria for evaluation of internal life of the examinee are peculiar to this method in any its manifestations.
It is difficult to overestimate importance of conscious introspection. By means of correctly carried out introspektion it is possible to learn to perceive reality deeply. Having seized such method, the person is capable to completely disclose the consciousness and to include an intuition. In an introspektion there should not be a place to self-condemnation or a remorse whatever fancy were results of deepening in the inner world.
There is one more negative point concerning an introspektion. Scientists noticed that excessively strong "heart-searching" can quite promote formation at the person of suspiciousness, mistrust to the inner world and surrounding reality.
Introspektion as method
Introspektion as the method applied in psychology differs in practicality. He does not demand any additional tools. At the same time restrictions are inherent in this method. In the course of self-deepening the emergence of the negative phenomena, including formation of an unstable self-assessment is quite possible. Introspektion also demands a certain preparation: the person is required to be trained in the main methods of introspection. The method has also age restrictions. The fact is that the mentality of the child is not adapted at all for a research by him the inner world in the similar way.
Researches showed that by means of an introspektion it is very difficult to disclose all variety of relationships of cause and effect which the conscious sphere of mentality is full. At the time of a reflection these consciousnesses quite often are exposed to distortion or even just disappear.
In the most general case the introspektion means a purposeful research of mental processes and states by means of individual observation of work of own mentality. Feature of a method that only one person and only concerning himself can carry out an introspektion. For development of such method it is necessary to be trained previously properly.
To learn that other person can feel, the examinee needs to put mentally himself on his place and to observe own reactions.
Features of a method of an introspektion
Experts in the field of an introspektion at the beginning of psychology made heavier the experiments additional requirements. They, in particular, tried to allocate the simplest, elementary details of consciousness – feeling and feeling. Examinees had to avoid special terms which were capable to help with the description of external objects. To fulfill such requirements extremely difficult: happened that at the same scientist-experimenter during the work with different examinees contradictory results turned out.
The strengthened work on improvement of a method of an introspektion led to interesting conclusions: it was necessary to call into question basic provisions of science about the mental phenomena. At systematic use of profound introspection the reasons of the separate phenomena which unambiguously lay outside a consciousness stream – in the "dark", unconscious sphere began to be established.
Introspektion became one of the reasons of the accruing crisis in psychological science. Scientists paid attention that they are forced to observe not so much direct course of introspection, how many traces of the fading process of thinking. That traces of memoirs were full, it was necessary to split up observed acts for perhaps smaller parts. As a result the introspektion turned into similarity of the "fractional" retrospective analysis.
Interpretation of a method in Vundta option looked most solidly and scientifically: its introspektion had the form of a laboratory experiment which the scientist could control to some extent. And still even in such statement of question the method suffered from extreme subjectivity. Vundt's followers tried to remove this shortcoming: did not demand the analysis of individual content of consciousness from the observer. He needed or just to answer the asked question or to press the button corresponding to the answer.
The fact that the introspektion as a method of psychological science was rejected by behaviourists – together with consciousness, fancies and some other "unscientific" phenomena is interesting. The objectivisms and cognitive psychology which developed after behaviorism did not favor an introspektion too. The reason – notorious subjectivity of a method.
No doubt, it is possible to criticize scientific character of introspective introspection, to consider this method insufficient for a full research of mentality in all its variety. However it would be completely wrong to ignore an introspektion. Without knowledge by the person of own feelings, images, thoughts, feelings it would be difficult to outline psychology borders as science.
Psychologists recognize that the introspektion, like any other method, has the scope, the borders.
It is possible to carry to the main restrictions of an introspektion:
- dependence of results on the identity of the researcher;
- irreproducibility of results;
- impossibility to control conditions of carrying out an experiment.
Opponents of this method put a lot of effort that completely to discredit it. However would be senseless to oppose each other an introspektion and so-called "objective" methods of a research of mentality: they just have to supplement each other. Perhaps, the introspektion yields smaller results, than those which scientists have the right to expect from it. However a problem here not so much in the method, how many in lack of adequate ways of its direct application.