A person's abilities may be. The concept of abilities. Types and levels of abilities. Levels of ability development and individual differences
These individual psychological characteristics are called personality abilities, and only those abilities are distinguished that, firstly, have a psychological nature, Secondly, vary individually. All people are capable of walking upright and mastering speech, but they do not belong to the actual abilities: the first - because of non-psychology, the second - because of generality.
Capabilities- these are individual psychological characteristics related to the success of performing any activity, not reducible to the knowledge, skills and abilities of an individual, but explaining the speed and ease of their acquisition.
However, the development of ability must have some kind of “beginning”, a starting point. Makings of- this is a natural prerequisite for ability, anatomical and physiological characteristics that underlie the development of abilities. There are no abilities, both outside of activity and outside of inclinations. Inclinations are innate and static, in contrast to dynamic abilities. The deposit itself is not defined, is not aimed at anything, and is ambiguous. It receives its certainty only by being included in the structure of activity, in dynamics of ability.
Perhaps, from some natural inclination, a person will develop, for example, mathematical abilities, and perhaps others. The problem is that, contrary to popular and simplified everyday ideas, there is no unambiguous and clear localization of higher mental functions in the human brain. From the same physiological “material” different psychological abilities can develop. This is definitely the orientation of the individual and the effectiveness of the activity.
A person has many different abilities: elementary and complex, general and special, theoretical and practical, communicative and subject-related.
A person’s abilities not only jointly determine the success of activity and communication, but also interact with each other, exerting a certain influence on each other. Depending on the presence and degree of development of individual abilities, they acquire a specific character.
Ability and activity
In psychology, there are two main approaches to understanding abilities, their origin and place in the system of activity, psyche and personality.
Activity approach
The first approach can be called active, and behind it are the works of many domestic researchers, starting with B. M. Teplov. The second approach is no less developed, combined with the first, but is referred to as knowledge-based. Problems of abilities were also studied by A. R. Luria (1902-1977), P. K. Anokhin (1898-1974), V. D. Nebylitsin (1930-1972), etc.
Let's start from the position of B. M. Teplov, whose work on the psychology of musical abilities, carried out in the 1940s, has not lost its scientific significance even today.
Emphasizing the connection between abilities and successful activity, one should limit the range of individually varying characteristics only to those that provide an effective result of the activity. Capable people are distinguished from incapable people by more quickly mastering activities and achieving greater efficiency in them. Although outwardly abilities are manifested in activity: in the skills, abilities and knowledge of the individual, at the same time abilities and activities are not identical to each other. So, a person can be well technically trained and educated, but have little ability for any activity. For example, during the exam at the Academy of Arts, V.I. Surikov was denied training, since, according to the examiners, he completely lacked the ability to perform visual activities. The inspector of the Academy, having looked at the drawings presented to him, said: “For such drawings you should be prohibited from even walking past the Academy.” The mistake of the Academy teachers was that in the exam they did not evaluate abilities at all, but only the presence of certain skills and drawing abilities. Subsequently, Surikov refuted this mistake with action, having mastered the necessary skills and abilities within 3 months, as a result of which the same teachers considered him worthy of enrollment in the Academy this time. Thus, we can say that abilities are manifested not in the knowledge, skills and abilities themselves, but in the dynamics of their acquisition, in how quickly and easily a person masters a specific activity. The quality of the activity, its success and level of achievement, as well as how this activity is performed, depend on abilities.
As A.V. Petrovsky notes, in relation to a person’s skills, abilities and knowledge, abilities act as a certain opportunity. Here we can draw an analogy with a grain thrown into the ground, the transformation of which into an ear is possible only under many conditions favorable to its development. Abilities are only the possibility of certain mastery knowledge, skills and abilities, but whether it becomes reality depends on various conditions. For example, a child’s demonstrated mathematical abilities are in no way a guarantee that the child will become a great mathematician. Without appropriate conditions (special training, creatively working teachers, family opportunities, etc.), abilities will stall without developing. It is unknown how many geniuses were never recognized by society. The life story of Albert Einstein, who was a very mediocre student in high school, may be indicative.
However, knowledge, skills and abilities remain external to abilities only until they are mastered. Revealed in activity as the individual masters it, abilities develop further, forming their own structure and originality in the activity. A person’s mathematical abilities will not be revealed in any way if he has never studied mathematics: they can only be established in the process of mastering numbers, rules for operating with them, solving problems, etc. For example, phenomenal calculators are known - individuals who perform complex calculations in their heads with extreme speed, while possessing very average mathematical abilities.
Knowledge approach
Let us turn to the second psychological approach, to understanding the connections between ability and activity. Its main difference from the previous concept is the actual equation of abilities to the current level of knowledge, skills and abilities. This position was held by the Soviet psychologist V. A. Krutetsky (1917-1989). The knowledge approach focuses on the operational aspect of abilities, while the activity approach emphasizes the dynamic aspect. But the speed and ease of developing abilities is ensured only by appropriate operations and knowledge. Since formation does not begin “from scratch,” it is not predetermined by innate inclinations. The corresponding knowledge, skills and abilities of an individual are in fact inseparable from the understanding, functioning and development of abilities. Therefore, numerous works of the “knowledge” approach, devoted to mathematical, mental, and pedagogical abilities, are, as a rule, widely known and promising.
Hierarchy of abilities
Abilities exist and develop or die in exactly the same way as psychologically “initial” needs and motives for activity. A personality has its own dynamic hierarchy of abilities. This structure also distinguishes special personal formations called giftedness.
Giftedness- a qualitatively unique, personal combination of abilities.
According to the position of B. M. Teplov, giftedness, like ability, is not innate, but exists in development. It is very important that this concept, first of all, quality. In this regard, the author decisively contrasted his interpretation of giftedness with the concept of “intelligence quotient”, widespread in Western psychology, as a universal quantitative measure of giftedness.
Any giftedness is complex, i.e. includes some general and special points. Under general talent refers to the development of relatively broad and universally involved psychological components, such as memory and intelligence. However, ability and talent can only exist in relation to a specific activity. Therefore, general talent must be attributed to a certain universal activity. This is the entire human psyche, or life itself.
Special talent has a narrower conceptual content, since it relates to some special, i.e. regarding a specific activity. But such a gradation of activity is conditional. Thus, the structure of artistic activity includes perception, drawing, composition, imagination, and much more, which requires the corresponding development of special abilities. Therefore, general and special abilities actually exist in a personal, active unity.
A high degree of giftedness is called talent, and many expressive epithets are used to describe the qualities of it. These are, for example, outstanding excellence, significance, passion, high performance, originality, variety. B. M. Teplov wrote that talent as such is multifaceted. According to the laws of probability theory, not everyone can be “outstanding,” so in reality there are few talented people.
Genius- this is the qualitatively highest degree of development and manifestation of giftedness and talent.
A genius is characterized by uniqueness, the highest creativity, the discovery of something previously unknown to humanity. A genius is unique, unlike other people, and sometimes so much so that it seems incomprehensible, even superfluous. It is extremely difficult to unambiguously determine whether to recognize someone as a genius. That is why there are many more “unrecognized geniuses” than they really are. However, geniuses have always been, are and will manifest themselves because they are necessary for society. Geniuses are as diverse as the abilities, talents, circumstances, and activities that form them. That's why they are geniuses.
Problems of diagnosing abilities
The problems of diagnosing abilities have never lost their relevance. They are especially acute in today’s Russia in the context of modernization of education. Let us outline only some controversial, unresolved issues, for example, the problem of creating elite schools and other educational institutions for gifted children. The talent of young generations is the key to a worthy future for any country. But the main question is whether reliable objective criteria for giftedness exist in science. It should be said that for large-scale measurements there are no such valid criteria in modern scientific psychology. But then their place will be taken by semi-professional, status, financial and other criteria of children's giftedness. Perhaps it would be more expedient and more humane to invest appropriate efforts and resources in working with “ordinary” children?
Abilities and inclinations are identified as one of the parameters of the holistic mental appearance of a person. They give a psychological description of a person from some specific aspect that is vitally significant. The words “capable” or “incapable” are widely used in everyday life, especially in teaching practice. The concept of ability is debatable and contains difficult universal, psychological, including ethical, moral issues. This concept intersects with many other psychological categories and phenomena. Let us consider the actual psychological interpretation of abilities, which often differs from their everyday understanding.
In the modern Russian school, the trend of earlier diagnosis of “special” abilities and inclinations of students is becoming more widespread and imposed. Almost from the first year of study, it is determined what the student is capable of: the humanities or the natural sciences. Not only does such a diagnosis lack the proper scientific validity, it is simply unethical and causes direct harm to the entire education, the entire mental and personal development of the child.
However, one of the pressing problems of the ongoing modernization of education in Russia is the profiling of school education. Someone has already allegedly proven that the earlier a student chooses an educational profile, the better for him and for society. Some people believe that a teenager is already capable of making an unmistakable choice of a future profession and, in most cases, seems to do so.
Any person has no more direct and reliable path to the development of his abilities and personality as a whole than public, competently organized, but not facilitated and simplified, but optimally intense, developmental and creative training.
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Human abilities- individual psychological characteristics, which are subjective conditions for the successful implementation of a certain type of activity. Abilities are not limited to the knowledge, skills and abilities an individual has. They are revealed in the speed, depth and strength of mastering methods and techniques of activity. ability making psychological social
When people in the same circumstances achieve different successes in mastering and performing any activity, they say that some people have the appropriate abilities and others do not. The success of mastering an activity and its implementation also depends on motives, knowledge, skills and abilities. But abilities cannot be reduced to motives, knowledge, abilities, or skills. At the same time, they all act as conditions for the realization of abilities.
Human abilities, like any other personal formations, have a dual psychological nature. On the one hand, any ability has individual components that constitute its biological foundations or prerequisites. They are called makings. Inclinations represent morphological and functional features of the structure of the brain, sensory organs and movement. Most of them are genetically determined. In addition to congenital ones, a person also has acquired inclinations, which are formed in the process of maturation and development of the child in the first years of life. Such inclinations are called social. By themselves, natural inclinations do not yet determine the successful activity of a person, that is, they are not abilities. These are only natural conditions or factors on the basis of which the development of abilities occurs.
Another important condition for their formation is the social environment, whose representatives, represented by parents and teachers, include the child in various types of activities and communication, equip them with the necessary ways to carry them out, and organize a system of exercises and training. Moreover, the possibilities for developing abilities are largely determined by the potential that is inherent in the inclinations. This potential can be realized in appropriate conditions, but most often it remains unfulfilled due to the unfavorable development conditions of most people. There are different opinions about the extent to which abilities are determined by heredity, and to what extent by the influence of the surrounding social environment. Numerous facts indicate the dominance of both heredity and social conditions. Confirmation that heredity has a great influence on the formation of abilities is the facts of the early emergence of abilities in many gifted people.
Soviet psychologist A.V. Petrovsky figuratively compared abilities with grain that has yet to develop: just as an abandoned grain is only an opportunity to turn into an ear under certain conditions (such as the structure and moisture of the soil, weather, etc.), so are human abilities only an opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills under favorable conditions. These opportunities turn into reality through hard work.
Abilities can be classified into:
- natural(or natural) abilities, basically biologically determined, associated with innate inclinations, formed on their basis, in the presence of elementary life experience through learning mechanisms such as conditioned reflex connections);
- specific human abilities that have a socio-historical origin and ensure life and development in the social environment.
Specific human abilities are in turn divided into:
General, which determine a person’s success in a wide variety of activities and communication (mental abilities, developed memory and speech, accuracy and subtlety of hand movements, etc.), and special, which determine a person’s success in certain types of activity and communication, where special types of inclinations and their development (mathematical, technical, literary and linguistic, artistic and creative abilities, sports, etc.);
Theoretical, which determine a person’s inclination to abstract logical thinking, and practical, which underlie the inclination to concrete practical actions. The combination of these abilities is characteristic only of multi-talented people;
Educational, which influence the success of pedagogical influence, a person’s assimilation of knowledge, skills, abilities, the formation of personal qualities, and creative, associated with success in creating works of material and spiritual culture, new ideas, discoveries, inventions. The highest degree of creative manifestations of a personality is called genius, and the highest degree of a person’s abilities in a certain activity (communication) is called talent;
Abilities for communication, interaction with people and subject-related abilities related to the interaction of people with nature, technology, sign information, artistic images, etc.
The following are distinguished: ability levels: reproductive, which ensures a high ability to assimilate ready-made knowledge, master existing patterns of activity and communication, and creative, ensuring the creation of new, original ones. But it should be borne in mind that the reproductive level includes elements of the creative, and vice versa.
A person has many different abilities, which are divided into the following main groups: naturally conditioned (sometimes they are not entirely correctly called innate) and socially conditioned abilities (sometimes they are also quite rightly called acquired), general and special abilities, subject and communicative abilities. Let's consider each of these groups of abilities separately.
Naturally caused- such abilities for which, firstly, good innate inclinations are necessary, and secondly, abilities that are mainly formed and developed on the basis of such inclinations. Training and upbringing, of course, have a positive impact on the formation of these abilities, but the final result that can be achieved in their development significantly depends on the inclinations a person has. For example, if a person is tall from birth and has good inclinations to develop precise, coordinated movements, then, other things being equal, he will be able to achieve greater success in developing his athletic abilities, associated, for example, with playing basketball, than the person who has no such inclinations.
Socially conditioned or acquired are abilities, the formation and development of which in a person depends much more on his training and upbringing than on his innate inclinations. Such, for example, are organizational skills, communication skills, abilities related to correct behavior in society among people, and many others. The highest human abilities associated with performing various types of professional activities are also acquired, or socially conditioned. However, the question of the dependence of their development on the organism or environment still remains open. It has been noted that, other things being equal, such abilities develop faster and better in some people than in others, which apparently indicates the existence of innate inclinations for the development of these abilities. However, these inclinations have not yet been studied.
General are usually called abilities that can be developed and are present in almost all people, being developed to varying degrees in them. In addition, general abilities include those with which a person can successfully cope with many different types of activities. General in this sense of the word are, for example, the mental and motor abilities of a person.
Special they call abilities that, firstly, are not found in everyone, but only in some people, and secondly, with such abilities, a person can successfully cope only with special types of activities and not cope with other types of activities. People have quite a lot of special abilities, and they make up the majority of human abilities. These are, for example, artistic and creative, mathematical, linguistic, engineering, musical and many other abilities.
Subject call abilities that are manifested in various types of activities associated with inanimate objects. This can be human activity with real material objects (their production, repair), work with sign systems and various symbols (language, scientific symbols, drawing, etc.), manipulation of ideal objects (ideas, images, etc.) .
Communication- these are abilities that manifest themselves in the skills of communicating with different people in different life situations. These include, for example, oratorical and organizational skills, as well as the ability to persuade, inspire, and lead.
Concepts of human abilities:
In psychology, there are three concepts of abilities:
A) the theory of heredity of abilities,
B) theory of acquired abilities,
C) acquired and natural in abilities.
1. The theory of heredity of abilities dates back to Plato, who argued that abilities have a biological origin, i.e. their manifestation depends entirely on who the child’s parent was, on what traits are inherited. Training and education can only change the speed of their appearance, but they will always manifest themselves in one way or another. She argues that abilities are biologically determined personality properties, their manifestation and development depend entirely on the inherited fund. Such views are held not only by some professional bourgeois psychologists, but also by representatives of various fields of science and art (mathematicians, writers, artists). The first try to substantiate their views with data from specific studies. For example, Galton V XIX century tried to substantiate the heredity of talent by analyzing the biographical data of outstanding figures. Continuing Galton's line in XX century, Coats determined the degree of giftedness by the amount of space allocated to famous people in encyclopedic dictionaries. Galton and Cotes came to the conclusion that talent is inherited, that only representatives of the privileged classes have rich heredity. It should be said that the research methodology they used was not
withstands scientific criticism, and the conclusions are class biased. In my time V.G. Belinsky rightly wrote that nature acts blindly and does not distinguish between classes. If history has preserved fewer outstanding names from the people, it is only because true talent and even genius died of hunger, weakened by a desperate struggle with living conditions, unrecognized and
scolded In modern times, adherents of the concept of hereditary predetermination of abilities seek to support their views by studying identical twins. Life refutes the views about the hereditary predetermination of abilities. In addition, an objective analysis of the biographies of outstanding people tells a different story: in the overwhelming majority of cases, outstanding people came from families that did not show special talents; on the other hand, the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of famous people did not show outstanding talents. The exception is a few families of musicians and scientists. The approach to the hereditary nature of abilities is reflected in views linking a person’s abilities with the size of his brain. But these studies were not confirmed.
2. In contrast to the first concept of abilities, the second finds that abilities are entirely determined by environment and upbringing. So, in XVIII century Helvetius proclaimed that genius can be formed through education. In modern times, a prominent American scientist W. Ashby argues that abilities and even genius are determined by acquired properties and, in particular, by what program of intellectual activity was formed in a person spontaneously and consciously during the learning process in childhood and in later life. For one, the program allows you to solve creative problems, while for the other - only reproductive ones. The second ability factor Ashby considers performance. Capable is the one who, after a thousand unsuccessful attempts, makes the first thousand and comes to a discovery; incapable is the one who, after the second attempt, leaves the problem unsolved. Bourgeois ideologists also draw reactionary conclusions from this concept. They reason like this: Since abilities depend on the environment, then the children of workers, developing in a difficult social environment with a low cultural and intellectual level of the people around them, cannot develop and demonstrate their abilities. At first glance, it seems that the second concept does not set a boundary for the development of the human personality and expresses faith in human capabilities. However, it has met and continues to meet scientific objections. Life observations and special studies indicate that the natural prerequisites for abilities cannot be denied. In a number of special activities they are of particular importance. That is why, in an unfavorable environment, one person can show greater abilities than another in a favorable environment. And, conversely, under equal social conditions, such as, for example, brothers and sisters, sometimes sharp differences in abilities and in the pace of their development are revealed. Scientists note individual characteristics in the anatomical organization of the brain, which cannot but affect its functions. And finally, physiologists have discovered innate typological features of nervous activity, which also affect the development of abilities.
3. Acquired and natural in abilities. This concept, which combines the above theories, is confirmed by practice and special research.
The ability develops on the basis of various psychophysical functions and mental processes. It is a complex synthetic formation, including a number of qualities, without which a person would not be capable of any specific activity, and properties that are developed only in the process of a certain way of organized activity. A more correct position is taken by representatives of the third concept of abilities, which is shared by the majority of Soviet psychologists. K. Marx pointed out that “man is directly a natural being. As a natural being, moreover, a living natural being, he, on the one hand, is endowed with natural forces, vital forces, being an active natural being; these forces exist in him in the form of inclinations and abilities, in the form in treatment". The concept of abilities of Soviet scientists establishes that a person has by nature the capabilities of human development inherent in all people. At the same time, Soviet psychologists recognize the presence of individual natural inclinations that are conducive to the formation and development of certain abilities. Abilities are formed in activities under favorable social living conditions. This concept is confirmed by practice and special research.
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Types of abilities are classified according to various criteria: sources of their origin, focus on activity, level of development, availability of conditions for development, level of development.
By origin criterion distinguish between natural and social abilities.
Natural abilities are biologically determined, formed on the basis of the innate special properties of the mental cognitive processes of perception, memory, thinking, etc. Thus, an individual with high taste sensitivity can perfectly perform the duties of a taster.
Social abilities are largely determined by the system of training and education and are manifested in specific types of activities. It is believed, for example, that abilities develop more intensively if the educational process is directed towards an independent search for the necessary information, towards humanization, “humanizing” the school process through increasing the proportion of artistic subjects, strengthening collective forms of communication, and the formation of value orientations. And vice versa, the imperative, “violent” teaching system, the desire to “saturate” students with knowledge by any means by increasing the volume of educational information “masks” abilities. The English historian of the 17th century warned against such chronic ills of education. G. Boyle, saying that true knowledge does not consist in acquaintance with facts, which make a person only a pedant, but in their use, which makes him a philosopher. It is useful to recall in this regard the classic of Belarusian literature Y. Kolas, who pointed out that only knowledge becomes our mature property when we come to it and obtain it on our own.
By focus on activity distinguish between general and special, theoretical, practical, educational, creative and communicative abilities.
Are common abilities serve the most important requirements of many activities and successful communication with people (for example, precision of movements, quality of speech, high intelligence are necessary in many activities).
Special abilities provide the requirements of certain types of activities due to special personality qualities related, for example, to music, mathematics, sports. Thus, a “pure” tenor provides its owner with the opportunity to work as a soloist in a choir and hold the main melody in polyphony. Similar examples can be given for the areas of pedagogical and organizational activities.
However, there are objections to dividing abilities by type of activity into general and special. The fact is that the same abilities can serve different types of activities. If, for example, an individual from birth has good memory and observation, then he may be able to engage in those types of activities that require the prompt storage of large volumes of initial information (economic and political analysts, mathematicians, professional intelligence officers).
In this regard, opponents (for example, B. M. Teplov) propose to take into account general and special aspects of abilities. The “general” is always built on the “special” (special) and cannot exist without it. Otherwise, the general turns into an amorphous and abstract “nothing” devoid of content. If we exclude the “general” from the “special”, then the content of the “special” is narrowed, so that it makes no sense to talk about abilities (“he washes the plates well after dinner” - it is unlikely that anyone will link this quality with ability).
The same considerations are expressed by opponents regarding other types of activity-oriented abilities.
Theoretical and practical abilities ensure the success of an individual’s activities either in the field of abstract logical thinking or in the field of concrete practical activities. In the first case, the individual manifests himself, for example, as a specialist in the field of theoretical physics, in the second - as an experimental physicist.
Educational and creative abilities indicate that an individual has qualities that provide him with either a high ability to assimilate existing knowledge in the world, or the creation of new original knowledge.
Communication abilities ensure successful interaction of a person with people through communication processes. High communication skills open the way for an individual, for example, in the field of diplomacy, personnel management, where the success of activities is largely determined by the strategy of interaction with interlocutors.
According to the availability of conditions for development The following types of abilities are distinguished:
- potential - abilities “delayed” in time, the manifestation of which requires appropriate conditions (for example, in the world there are many “Lomonosovs” and “Tsiolkovskys” who remained unknown to them due to various kinds of circumstances that did not allow them to fully demonstrate their gift);
- relevant, the need for which is manifested “now and here”, in a specific environment and activity.
Types of abilities by level of development are divided into giftedness, talent and genius.
Giftedness- this is a set of various abilities of an individual that provide the potential opportunity to work successfully in a certain field, subject to good knowledge, skills and abilities. Even the presence of practical thinking, communication skills, and orientation towards success does not guarantee a person to become a high-ranking leader with insufficient professional training in the chosen field and insignificant social experience. Speaking about a gifted person, they usually attribute to her such characteristics as innovation, curiosity, imagination, relaxed thinking, intuition, and self-confidence.
The concept of “gifted” is most often applied to children, adolescents, and young men. The “gift” part in this concept implies the hereditary nature of giftedness, but this point can only claim the status of a hypothesis. Otherwise, all children of gifted people would be gifted, which has not yet been recorded in history. For example, none of the descendants of Nobel laureates repeated the scientific achievements of their famous relatives.
Talent- a person’s talent, realized in the form of high or original achievements in a certain field of activity through a set of special abilities. This is the ability to do something that no one has ever taught a person. In contrast to giftedness, the concept of talent refers to established professionals who have gained fame for their specific activities (in the field of mathematics, music, military affairs, technology, etc.). Ivan Pavlov said that while studying at the theological seminary, talent was sought not among straight-A students,” but among those who stood out sharply in terms of academic performance in one or two subjects, which indicated a creative personality and great interest in this field.
Genius(Latin genius - spirit) - the highest level of ability, when talent is expressed in results that have epochal, historical significance. These results are achieved through general and specialist abilities in a range of areas. For example, M. Lomonosov showed extraordinary abilities in the natural sciences, art and literature.
It is difficult to draw a clear line between talent and genius. But it is believed that genius requires extremely developed personality qualities, such as a penchant for self-improvement, determination, patience and even self-sacrifice. After all, a genius is focused on the future, on the future, he “shoots at a target that no one can yet see.” In momentary life, as A. Schopenhauer put it, it is of no more use than a telescope in the theater.
Comparing the concepts of talent and genius, we can say that talent is destined to work, and genius is destined to create. A person has talent, and genius owns a person.
The concept of ability is used in everyday life to explain cases when different people under the same conditions achieve different successes (especially if these successes differ very much from each other). In this regard, we can immediately point out the phenomenon that people generally very often tend to pass off their “I don’t want” as “I can’t.” This “I don’t want” may hide lack of will, laziness, low motivation and other personal characteristics. And behind this “I can’t” (low abilities) in many cases there is a psychological defense hidden. The blurriness of everyday understanding of the phenomenon of abilities also influenced theoretical psychology.The word "ability" has a very wide application in a wide variety of areas of practice. Typically, abilities are closely tied to one or another type of activity performed: high abilities - high-quality and effective activity, low abilities - low-quality and ineffective activity.
The phenomenon of ability is usually explained on the basis of one of three concepts:
1) abilities are reduced to all kinds of mental processes and states, resulting from their characteristic features in a given person,
2) abilities are reduced to a high level of development of general and special knowledge, skills and abilities (KUN), ensuring the successful performance of various types of activities by a person,
3) abilities are not knowledge, but what ensures their rapid acquisition, consolidation and effective use in practice.
On the last point, a little clarification needs to be made. Indeed, one can often observe how two specialists with the same level of training, under other equal (similar) circumstances, achieve different successes. Of course, chance plays a big role in life. However, in order to implement their ZUNs in practice, there are also conditions: a person must have an active life position, be strong-willed, purposeful, rational, etc.
B. M. Teplov identified three main features of the concept “ability”:
Individual psychological characteristics that distinguish one person from another (if some quality is not unique, like everyone else, it is not an ability),
Individual psychological characteristics that are related to the success of performing any activity or series of activities,
Abilities can exist without ZUNs.
A classic example: the famous artist V.I. Surikov was unable to enter the Academy of Arts. Although Surikov’s outstanding abilities appeared early, he had not yet developed the necessary skills in drawing. Academic teachers refused to allow Surikov to enter the academy. The inspector of the academy, having looked at the drawings presented by Surikov, said: “For such drawings you should be banned from even walking past the academy!”
Teachers often make mistakes and cannot distinguish the lack of knowledge from the lack of abilities. The opposite mistake is no less common: developed knowledge skills are perceived as developed abilities (although a young person may simply be “trained” by his parents and previous teachers).
However, in modern psychology and pedagogy there is an idea that learning skills and abilities are closely related. Namely: in mastering ZUNs, abilities are not only revealed, but also developed.
As B. M. Teplov believed, abilities can only exist in a constant process of development. Abilities that are not developed are lost over time. Examples of areas of human activity in which abilities are developed:
Technical creativity,
Artistic creativity,
Literature,
Mathematics,
Thesis about the need to develop abilities Maybe also have biological implications. Research shows that genes in humans and animals can be activated or not activated. Environmental conditions and lifestyle influence whether genes will be activated or not. This is another adaptation mechanism invented by nature for living beings.
The success of an activity usually depends not on any one ability, but on a combination of different abilities. Typically, different combinations of abilities can give similar results. In the absence of the necessary inclinations, their deficit can be compensated for by the higher development of other inclinations and abilities.B. M. Teplov argued that “One of the most important features of the human psyche is the possibility of extremely broad compensation of some properties by others, as a result of which the relative weakness of any one ability does not at all exclude the possibility of successfully performing even such activities that are most closely related to this ability "The missing ability can be compensated within very wide limits by others that are highly developed in a given person."
The proximity of abilities to each other, the ability to replace them, allows us to classify abilities. However, the heterogeneity of the problem of abilities has led to the fact that the classifications differ significantly from each other.
First basis of classification
One of the basis for classification is the degree of naturalness of abilities:Natural (natural) abilities (that is, biologically determined),
Specific human abilities (having socio-historical origin.
Natural elementary abilities are:
Perception,
Basics of communication.
The makings of a person and the makings of an animal are not the same thing. A person's abilities are formed on the basis of his inclinations. The formation of ability occurs in the presence of elementary life experience, through learning mechanisms, etc.
Specifically human abilities:
Special abilities,
Higher intellectual abilities.
General abilities are characteristic of most people and determine a person’s success in various activities:
thinking abilities,
Subtlety and precision of manual movements,
Speech, etc.
Special abilities determine a person’s success in specific types of activities, the implementation of which requires inclinations of a special kind and their development:
musical abilities,
Mathematical abilities
Linguistic abilities
Technical abilities
Literary abilities
Artistic and creative abilities,
Sports ability, etc.
Intellectual abilities can be divided into:
Theoretical abilities,
Practical abilities
learning abilities,
Creative skills,
Subject abilities,
Interpersonal abilities.
These types of abilities are closely related to each other and intertwined. The presence of, say, general abilities in a person does not exclude the development of special abilities, and vice versa. General, special and higher intellectual abilities do not conflict, but coexist, complement and enrich each other. In some cases, a high level of development of general abilities can act as special abilities in relation to certain types of activities.
Practical orientation
Another basis for classifying abilities is the degree of their practical orientation:Theoretical abilities,
Practical abilities.
Theoretical abilities ensure the quality and effectiveness of abstract theoretical reflections, practical abilities ensure specific substantive actions. The development of one or another type of ability here is closely related to a person’s inclinations: what he likes, to theorize or act. Therefore, it can often be observed that some people have well-developed only theoretical abilities (various), while others have only practical ones.
In life, when a person’s activities are assessed, they talk about his abilities and inabilities. Sometimes people living in almost the same conditions, but not everyone achieves success in life. The same can be said about the situation when for some, acquiring knowledge and skills is not difficult, but for others it is very difficult. Psychology explains this by the presence of human abilities.
What do we call abilities?
This concept is not as clear as it seems, and therefore is explained by scientists in different ways.
Most precisely, this concept was formulated by B. M. Teplov, who proceeds from three ideas:
Abilities are individual properties of a person and, from the point of view of psychology, are inherent in every person
But these are not all properties, but only those with the help of which success in life is achieved
- abilities do not include knowledge and skills that have already been accumulated by a person.
Abilities are manifested and preserved only in constant development, because, say, a musician ceases to practically maintain his form, his abilities are lost over time. A person develops and improves his abilities when he puts them into practice. It has been noted that to successfully complete a task, it is not enough to have any one ability; a combination of them is necessary, but it may happen that a less developed ability is compensated by another, more developed one.
What abilities are there?
It is customary to consider abilities obtained from nature, based on biological data and specific, arising under the influence of socio-historical conditions. Natural ones include memory, perception, thinking - inherent in all people and some animals. These abilities are laid down from birth and are biologically determined. They are based on innate inclinations and are formed with the acquisition of life experience. But man is a social being and therefore he has specific abilities. People possess them, because no one except them has speech and logical thinking. Some abilities are classified as general, and others as special. Possession of speech and precise movements of the arms and legs, for example, is common to all people. Specific abilities are those that are manifested in certain types of activities: mathematics, music, painting, sports, etc.
If a person has developed abstract thinking, then we have the right to talk about his abilities for theoretical activity. Anyone who likes to perform specific actions, to do something with their own hands, has practical abilities. A person is easily given knowledge, he quickly learns new material, in this case we are talking about his ability to study, and the one who likes to create objects of spiritual culture, strives to discover or invent something - he is characterized by creative abilities. There is a category of people who are able to quickly establish relationships with people, even influence them. Such abilities are manifested through the possession of speech, and this has largely helped man become a social being. Almost from birth, a person develops a need for emotional communication. This makes it possible to build behavior depending on the situation, to guess the intentions of other people. Mastering social norms helps you quickly establish relationships with other people. There are people who know how to convince others. But it often happens that a person has several abilities, and this combination is called giftedness. Possessing one ability does not guarantee complete success in life. The interaction of abilities, their mutual complementation of each other, give a high result.
What are the makings of a person?
A person is characterized by the possession of certain inclinations: a distinction is made between congenital and acquired. The development of a person’s abilities takes place in several stages, but only certain abilities reach a high level. To achieve it, you must have a certain initial level. The deposit becomes the basis from which further steps are taken. It also determines individual characteristics during the formation of special abilities. Individual abilities develop through the interaction of hereditary characteristics and the environment, and this manifests itself already at birth. From childhood, a person is ingrained with such properties that with age can help or hinder the formation of specific abilities. At the same time, based on the research conducted, it has been proven that the human nervous system does not predetermine forms of behavior, and inclinations are not formed in it. A person’s nervous system determines his temperament; the choice of activity by each person depends on it.
The conducted research allows us to assert that inclinations are determined by the social environment. Training and upbringing fundamentally influence behavior and psychological state. Studies have been conducted to identify differences in abilities between men and women. In childhood, there was no significant difference in abilities. But with age, when life experience accumulates, when professional activity leaves its mark, the differences become more pronounced. Men who engage in physical labor have more developed coordination of movements, they do not experience difficulties with orientation in space, etc. Women have better developed speech, faster speed of information perception, counting, etc. Thus, the social environment has a direct impact on the formation of abilities , complementing and developing biological ones.
The Birth of Abilities
Biological abilities inherent from birth are supplemented by social ones, characteristic only of humans, namely: painting pictures, composing poetry, speaking several languages, etc. It is argued that these abilities do not have a biological origin and depend on:
The social and cultural environment in which a person exists;
What a person does and the activities in which a person takes part;
The presence of people around a person who have knowledge and are able to convey it;
The presence of restrictions in which a person can or is forced to be.
These conditions contribute to the transformation of man into a social being. It is the social and cultural environment that contributes to the development of abilities. Parents include their children in the process of developing their abilities, but already, as adults, they independently acquire and develop other abilities, feeling the need for them. Parents or other adults provide targeted acquisition of abilities with the help of educational tools and provide educational influence. His existing inclinations and social environment ensure his achievement of success in life.
Is it possible to develop abilities?
As stated above, inclinations, before becoming the basis of abilities, must also go through a certain path of development. Initially, this is the physical formation of the body, when at a young age the coordination connections located in the cerebral cortex with the organs of movement are improved, which becomes the basis for the formation of abilities. In fact, specific abilities begin to develop during the period of assimilation of knowledge, especially in younger and middle ages. The formation is influenced by the acquired knowledge and work practice, games that encourage the development of creative, design, visual and organizational abilities. At school, a comprehensive approach to the simultaneous comprehension of several abilities is important. Children gain knowledge in lessons, improve their speech, and develop interpersonal relationships. Complexity is one of the most important conditions for the fact that not only the emergence of abilities occurs, but also their formation and development. But at the same time, certain conditions must be met: the activity must be based on learning something new, the level of difficulty should not exceed the possibility, there must be a desire to accomplish something, which must be accompanied by a positive attitude during the activity and after its completion.
When an activity contains elements of creativity, it becomes attractive. If at the same time something new is created, and the child discovers new possibilities in himself, then these stimulate him to further actions and teach him to overcome difficulties. Of course, this generates self-confidence and a sense of satisfaction. When performing too simple actions, the already acquired abilities are realized; when performing complex ones, when the result is not achieved, motivation disappears, and new skills are not formed. It is important to maintain interest and stimulate progress during the activity. Developing abilities is learning something. The emotional mood brings great benefits. In the process of activity, failures are possible, but they must be followed by successes, and the more, the better.
Was last modified: April 20th, 2019 by Elena Pogodaeva