Depending on the depth, intensity, duration and degree of differentiation, the following types of emotional states can be distinguished: sensory tone, emotions proper, affect, passion, mood.

Sensual or emotional tone- This is the simplest form of emotions, an elementary manifestation of organic sensitivity, accompanying individual vital influences and prompting the subject to eliminate or preserve them. It can be compared with primitive mental tropisms (approaching a pleasant stimulus of low intensity and moving away from a stimulus of greater intensity). Often, such experiences, due to their weak differentiation, cannot be expressed verbally (for example, “here you feel somehow wrong”). They are perceived as an emotional coloring, a kind of qualitative shade of the mental process, as a property of a perceived object, phenomenon, action, etc. (for example, "pleasant conversationalist", "boring book").

Actually emotions- psychic reflection in the form of a direct biased experience of the vital meaning of phenomena and situations, conditioned by the relation of their objective properties to the needs of the subject. These are subject specific mental processes and states that arise in a specific setting and have a narrowly focused character.

Emotions arise with excessive motivation in relation to the real adaptive capabilities of the individual. Depending on which of the two factors in the balance of motivation and the subject's capabilities, the disparity occurs faster, two categories of reasons can be distinguished that cause the emergence of emotions: lack of adaptive capabilities, excessive motivation. In the first case, emotion arises due to the fact that the subject cannot or does not know how to give an adequate response to stimulation (situations characterized by novelty, unusualness or suddenness). In the second case, there is excessive motivation that does not find application (before the action, after the action), and excessive motivation in social behavior (socially significant, socially undesirable, socially incomprehensible behavior).

It is considered traditional to divide emotions into positive and negative... Although this very general classification of emotions is generally correct and useful, the concepts of positivity and negativity as applied to emotions require some clarification. For example, emotions such as anger, fear, shame cannot be categorized unconditionally as negative, negative. Anger is sometimes directly correlated with adaptive behavior, and even more often with defense and assertion of personal integrity. Fear is also associated with survival and, along with shame, contributes to the regulation of permissive aggressiveness and the establishment of a social order. Instead of talking about negative and positive emotions, it would be more accurate to think that there are emotions that promote psychological entropy and those that facilitate constructive behavior. In this sense, whether a given emotion is positive or negative depends on the intraindividual processes of interaction between the subject and his environment, as well as on more general ethological and environmental factors.

No less popular is the classification of emotions in relation to activity and, accordingly, their division into sthenic(stimulating action, causing tension) and asthenic(inhibiting action, depressing).

There are also known classifications of emotions: by origin from groups of needs- biological, social and ideal emotions, by the nature of actions, on which the likelihood of satisfying a need depends - contact and distant.

Affect- a rapidly and violently proceeding emotional process of an explosive nature, which can give release in action not subject to conscious volitional control. The main thing in affect is an unexpectedly onset, sharply experienced by a person shock, characterized by a change in consciousness, a violation of volitional control over actions. In affect, the parameters of attention change dramatically: its switchability decreases, concentration, memory are impaired, up to partial or complete amnesia. Affect has a disorganizing effect on activity, consistency and quality of performance, with maximum disintegration - stupor or chaotic non-targeted motor reactions. Distinguish between normal and pathological affects. The main signs of pathological affect: alteration of consciousness (disorientation in time and space); inadequacy of the intensity of the response to the intensity of the stimulus that caused the reaction; the presence of post-affective amnesia.

Passion- an intense, generalized and prolonged experience that dominates other motivations of a person and leads to focus on the subject of passion. The reasons for passion can be different - from bodily impulses to conscious ideological beliefs. It can be accepted, sanctioned by a person, or it can be experienced as something undesirable, obsessive. The characteristic features of passion are the power of feeling, expressed in the appropriate orientation of all the thoughts of the personality, stability, the unity of emotional and volitional moments, a peculiar combination of activity and passivity.

Mood- a relatively long-term, stable mental state of moderate or low intensity. The reasons calling out the mood are numerous - from organic well-being (tone of vital activity) to the nuances of relationships with others. The mood has a subjective orientation, in comparison with the sensory tone, it is perceived not as a property of the object, but as a property of the subject (for example, with regard to a musical work, emotional accompaniment in the form of a sensory background will sound like "beautiful music", but in the form of mood - "I great mood. ”(from music). A certain role is played by individual personality traits (for example, personal accentuations, hyperthymia - a tendency to high mood, dysthymia - a tendency to low mood and depressive response, emotive - high emotional sensitivity and depth of emotional reactions, etc. ).

Emotions

The heterogeneity of mental processes that provide various forms of orientation of the subject in the world of objects and in himself, lead to the need to streamline from possible classifications. The main groups of mental processes are: 1. Cognitive (sensation and perception, memory, imagination and thinking), 2. Emotional (feelings, emotions), 3. Volitional (motives, aspirations, desires, decision-making). I want to focus on the second group - emotional processes. And to analyze emotions in more detail.

Emotions are a special class of mental processes and states (humans and animals) associated with instincts, needs, motives and reflecting in the form of direct experience (satisfaction, joy, fear, etc.) the significance of phenomena and situations acting on an individual for the implementation of his life .etc.

Emotions appeared in humans in the process of evolution. It can be assumed that the origins of some human emotions should be sought in the simplest physiological drives, such as hunger, and in primary adaptive mechanisms, such as the approach-withdrawal response. Each emotion performed one or another adaptive function in the process of human evolution. Darwin's thesis that the ways of expressing basic emotions are innate and universal has been repeatedly confirmed by cross-cultural research and research in the field of developmental psychology.

A comprehensive definition of the phenomenon of emotion should include physiological, expressive and empirical components. Emotion arises as a result of neurophysiological processes, which in turn can be caused by both internal and external factors. When emotion arises in response to a mental image, symbol, representation, then we can talk about the formed connection between thought and feeling, or about the affective-cognitive structure. Affective-cognitive structures can be a combination of drive and cognitive processes, or a combination of drive, emotion and cognitive processes.

For convenience's sake, we classify emotions as positive and negative based on their sensory or empirical characteristics. However, it must be remembered that any emotion (for example, joy, fear) can be both positive and negative, depending on how much it helps or hinders the adaptation of the individual in a particular situation.

Experiencing an emotion changes the level of electrical activity in the brain, dictates which muscles of the face and body should be tense or relaxed, and controls the endocrine, circulatory and respiratory systems of the body. Emotions can darken the perception of the surrounding world or color it with bright colors, turn the train of thought towards creativity or melancholy, make movements light and smooth, or, conversely, clumsy.

Human behavior is based on emotions, they activate and organize the perception, thinking and aspirations of a person. Emotions have a direct impact on perceptual processes, filter the information that a person receives with the help of the senses, actively intervene in the process of its subsequent processing.

Emotion of interest

The emotion of interest is considered by us as one of the innate basic emotions and as the dominant motivational state in the daily activities of a full-fledged, healthy person. We believe that in the ordinary state of consciousness a person constantly experiences some kind of emotion and that most often his perceptual-cognitive activity and behavior are directed by the emotion of interest. The exception is those cases when an unmet need or negative emotion dominates in consciousness.

The emotion of interest is characterized by well-defined behavioral manifestations. The interested person looks enthusiastic, his attention, gaze and hearing are directed to the object of interest. He experiences a feeling of being captured, fascinated, absorbed. The phenomenology of interest is also characterized by a relatively high degree of pleasure and self-confidence, and a moderate degree of impulsivity and tension.

Astonishment

Surprise is generated by a sudden change in stimulation. The external reason for surprise is a sudden, unexpected event. This event could be a thunderclap, a flash of fireworks, or the unexpected appearance of a friend.

The feeling of surprise is familiar to everyone, but difficult to describe. This is partly due to the fact that surprise is short-lived, but an even more important role is played by the fact that in a moment of surprise our mind seems to become empty, all thought processes seem to be suspended. That is why the reaction of surprise does not get enough comprehension. The experience of surprise is a bit like the sensation of a light electric shock: your muscles instantly contract, and you feel a slight tingling sensation from the shock passing through your nerves, which makes you flinch. When we are surprised, we do not know how to respond to a stimulus; its suddenness gives us a sense of uncertainty.

Sadness

The experience of sadness is commonly described as discouragement, sadness, feelings of loneliness and isolation. Although the emotion of sadness can be very detrimental to a person, it is less stressed than other negative emotions. Experimental studies have found that fear is the second most important emotion in a sad situation in healthy people, which is consistent with those provisions of the theory of differential emotions that consider the dynamics of sadness in depression and grief.

The emotion of sadness has a number of psychological functions. The experience of grief brings people together, strengthens friendships and family ties; sadness inhibits the mental and physical activity of a person, and thereby gives him the opportunity to think about a difficult situation; it informs the person and the people around him about the trouble, and finally, sadness encourages a person to restore and strengthen ties with people.

There are three ways to regulate sadness: activating another emotion to eliminate or reduce the intensity of the sadness experienced, cognitive regulation (switching attention and thinking), and motor regulation (through voluntary muscle tension and physical activity).

Anger

Anger, disgust, and contempt are discrete emotions in their own right, but they often interact with each other. Situations that activate anger often activate the emotions of disgust and contempt to some extent. In any combination, these three emotions can become the main affective component of hostility.

The mimic response of anger involves frowning and bared teeth, or tightening the lips. Experiencing anger is characterized by high levels of tension and impulsivity. A person feels much more confident in anger than in any other negative emotion.

The emotion of anger does not necessarily lead to aggression, although it is one of the components of aggressive motivation. Aggressive behavior is usually caused by a variety of factors - cultural, family, individual. Aggression can be observed even in young children. Research results show that aggressive children (that is, children who do not have the skills of social behavior), as adults, as a rule, also exhibit aggressive or criminal behavior. These data suggest that the level of aggressiveness is an innate characteristic of an individual and, as he grows up, acquires the character of a stable personality trait.

Disgust

The emotion of contempt is associated with a sense of superiority. It is difficult to talk about the merits or the positive meaning of a given emotion. Perhaps contempt is an adequate feeling when it is directed against such ugly social phenomena as the devastation of natural resources, environmental pollution, oppression, discrimination, crime.

The negative aspects of the emotion of contempt are fairly obvious. All prejudices and so-called<хладнокровные>the murders are caused by contempt.

Situations that activate anger often simultaneously activate the emotions of disgust and contempt. The combination of these three emotions can be seen as a triad of hostility. However, hostility must be distinguished from aggressive behavior. Feelings of hostility increase the likelihood of aggression, but not necessarily lead to it. A person with hostile feelings may not be aggressive. Conversely, you can behave aggressively without feeling hostile.

Fear

Despite the fact that fear, especially in its extreme manifestations, is rarely experienced by us, most people are afraid of this emotion. Experiencing fear is felt and perceived by people as a threat to personal safety. Fear encourages people to make efforts to avoid the threat, to eliminate the danger. Fear can be caused by both physical and psychological threats.

There are a number of stimuli and situations to which we are biologically predisposed to respond with fear. To such<естественным сигналам>hazards include pain, loneliness, and sudden changes in stimulation. But as he gains experience, a person learns to be afraid of a variety of situations, phenomena and objects. Most of the conditioned fear activators are somehow associated with natural danger signals. If parents constantly respond to certain stimuli with fear, then it is highly likely that these stimuli will cause fear in their child.

The experience of fear is accompanied by a feeling of insecurity, insecurity, inability to control the situation. The primary function of fear is to motivate specific cognitive and behavioral acts that contribute to increased security and a sense of confidence. Fear causes an effect<туннельного восприятия>and significantly narrows the choice of behavior strategies. However, fear also carries an adaptive function, for it forces a person to look for ways to protect themselves from possible harm. The premonition of fear can be an impulse to strengthen<Я>, can encourage an individual to improve himself in order to reduce his own vulnerability.

Embarrassment

In recent years, the emotion of embarrassment has attracted the attention of many researchers. Evidence from various studies suggests that the emotion of embarrassment occurs early in a person's life. Some of its external manifestations can be observed already in 3-4-month-old babies; but the most compelling empirical evidence is that explicit embarrassment is found in children in their second year.

The experience of embarrassment is accompanied by a keen sense of inadequacy and, possibly, a sense of inadequacy. There is evidence that the emotion of embarrassment is often accompanied by the experience of a variety of both positive and negative emotions. Of the six negative emotions, only the situation of embarrassment is characterized by a pronounced indicator of the emotion of joy.

However, it is clear that extreme manifestations of embarrassment have maladaptive meaning. Shyness significantly limits the circle of friendships and thereby deprives a person of social support. In addition, embarrassment limits curiosity and discourages exploratory behavior, especially in social situations. While the positive components of embarrassment can perform adaptive functions, the negative components show a close relationship with depression and anxiety.

Shame

The experience of shame is accompanied by an unexpected and heightened self-awareness. The strength of this self-awareness is such that it takes away all resources, deprives a person of the ability to cognitive activity, interferes with understanding the situation and increases the likelihood of inappropriate reactions to it. As a rule, the manifestation of shame occurs when a person is surrounded by other people, and the presence of people usually provokes the experience of shame, however, situations are possible when a person experiences shame in complete solitude. Heightened self-awareness, anxiety of the ashamed person about what impression he will make on others, his concern for social assessment almost always accompany the experience of shame. Shame makes a person feel insignificant, helpless and untenable, a completely lost loser. Sometimes, paradoxically, even sincere praise can make a person feel ashamed.

The emotion of shame has a dual function that has determined its role in human evolution. The ability to shame means that an individual is inclined to take into account the opinions and feelings of those around him, thus, shame promotes greater mutual understanding between a person and those around him and more responsibility to society. In addition, shame encourages the individual to acquire skills, including social interaction skills.

To confront shame, people use the defense mechanisms of denial, suppression, and self-affirmation. A person who is unable to resist the experience of shame is almost certainly doomed to sadness and even depression.

Sexual relationships that are extremely intimate and emotional in nature create fertile ground for shame. There is nothing more frank than sexual intercourse, and misunderstood frankness, as we know, is the prototypical prerequisite for shame.

Children become aware of the connection between shame and sexuality in situations where, for example, they are caught off guard while exploring their genitals. A favorable period for strengthening this connection is adolescence, the time of development of the genitals and secondary sexual characteristics.

The infant very early begins to realize the relationship between shame and closeness, between direct eye contact and personal interest, or all the same closeness. The roots of this understanding seem to lie in the experience of his relationship with his mother. It is this early-understood relationship between direct eye contact, intimacy, and sensory pleasure that can be assumed to underlie the widespread taboo on prolonged eye contact between unfamiliar people.

Guilt

Guilt, according to the theory of differential emotions, plays a key role in the development of personal and social responsibility, in the process of the formation of conscience. The existence of some fundamental, inherent in every person, sources of guilt is undeniable, but conscience as a mental phenomenon is rather a complex of affective-cognitive structures that are formed under the influence of parental requirements and prescriptions of various social institutions.

Most psychologists agree that shame presupposes the possibility of real or imagined punishment coming from the people around them, while the experience of guilt is the result of self-punishment, which, however, does not exclude the participation of external influences.

The emotional expression that accompanies the experience of guilt is not as expressive as the expression inherent in other emotions. Feeling guilty, a person bows his head low or hides his eyes.

The experience of guilt is accompanied by a gnawing feeling of one's own wrongness in relation to another person or to oneself. In the emotional profile for situations of guilt, relatively high scores for the emotions of sadness and fear are found. The emotion of fear is very often experienced simultaneously with the emotion of guilt, which probably explains the fact that many theorists refuse to draw a clear line between the emotions of fear and guilt. The experience of guilt is characterized by a high degree of tension, moderate impulsivity, and a decrease in self-confidence.

An excessive tendency to self-accusations or, conversely, deficiencies in the development of conscience can lead to maladjustment or even to psychopathology. A number of authors argue that excessive self-blame can lead to obsessive-compulsive disorders and even paranoid schizophrenia.

Love

Love is a fundamental feeling in human nature, but it cannot be classified as discrete emotions such as joy or sadness. The emotional connection between children and parents, between brothers and sisters, between spouses is an integral part of our evolutionary heritage. Love encompasses social relationships, strong attachments, emotional connections. Love is characterized by interest and joy, and a loving relationship can awaken a full range of emotions.

There are different types of love, and in each of them love manifests itself in its own way. There is motherly love, brotherly sisterly love and friendship, romantic love. Love is often accompanied by jealousy. Thus, romantic love implies sexual attraction, but sibling love does not. But all types of love share some characteristics in common, such as affection, loyalty, devotion, a desire to protect and care for a loved one.

Characteristics of emotional states arising in the process of activity

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………. Chapter 1. Theoretical aspects of the study of emotional states in educational activity ………………………………………………………. 1.2. Analysis of the problem of mental states in the scientific literature ... .... 1.2. The manifestation of emotional states in educational activities ... ...... 1.3. Typical mental states of students ………………………… .. Conclusions ……………………………………………………………………… Chapter 2. Empirical research the relationship of emotional states with successful educational activity ............................................................. 2.1. Studying the level of anxiety among students ……………………………. 2.2. Studying the level of personal neurotization …………………………… 2.3. Studying the level of progress of students ............................................. 2.4. Statistical data processing and analysis of results …………… .. Conclusions………………………………………………………………………… Conclusion……………………………………………………………………. Literature……………………………………………………………………..

Introduction

The relevance of research. Emotions are a mental process of impulsive regulation of behavior, based on the sensory reflection of the significance of external influences, a general, generalized reaction of the body to such influences (from the Latin "emoveo" - I am worried). Emotions regulate mental activity not specifically, but through the corresponding general mental states, influencing the course of all mental processes.
Even the so-called lower emotions (emotions of hunger, thirst, fear, etc.) are the product of social and historical development in humans, the result of the transformation of their instinctive, biological forms, on the one hand, and the formation of new types of emotions, on the other; this also applies to emotional-expressive, mimic, and pantomimic movements, which, being included in the process of communication between people, acquire a largely conditioned, signal and at the same time social character, which explains the noted cultural differences in facial expressions and emotional gestures.

Thus, emotions and emotional expressive movements of a person are not rudimentary phenomena of his psyche, but a product of positive development and play a necessary and important role in regulating his activities, including cognitive ones.
At present, it is customary to refer to the emotional, in a broad sense, the processes, in fact, emotions and feelings.
In recent years, psychology has paid much attention to the study of some pronounced mental states: stress, anxiety or anxiety, rigidity and, finally, frustration. True, foreign researchers in relation to these phenomena often avoid the terms "states", but in fact they are talking about conditions that, under certain conditions, for some time leave an imprint on the entire mental life or, in the language of biology, are integral reactions of the organism in his active adaptation to the environment.

Object of study: second-year students of the Faculty of Psychology, BSPU.

Subject of study: emotional states and the success of educational activities among students.

Research hypothesis: emotional states are associated with the success of educational activities.

Purpose of the study: to reveal the connection between emotional states and successful educational activity.

Research objectives:

1. to analyze the psychological and pedagogical literature on the problem of mental states.

2. to consider the features of the manifestation of emotional states in students.

3. to determine the severity of emotional states in second-year students.

CHAPTER 1. THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF RESEARCHING EMOTIONAL STATES IN EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY.

1.1. Analysis of the problem of mental states in the scientific literature.

The first systematic study of mental states begins in India in the 2-3 millennium BC, the subject of which was the state of nirvana. The philosophers of ancient Greece also touched upon the problem of mental states. The development of the philosophical category "state" took place in the works of Kant and Hegel. The systematic study of mental states in psychology, perhaps, began with W. James, who interpreted psychology as a science dealing with the description and interpretation of states of consciousness. The states of consciousness here mean such phenomena as sensation, desires, emotions, cognitive processes, judgments, decisions, desires, etc. Further development of the category of mental states is mainly associated with the development of Russian psychology. The first domestic work related to mental states is the article by O.A. Chernikova (1937), performed in the framework of sports psychology and dedicated to the pre-start state of an athlete. In addition to her, within the framework of sports psychology, mental states were further investigated by A.Ts. Puni, A.S. Egorov, V.V. Vasiliev, Y.B. Lekhtman, K.M. Smirnov, V.F. Spiridonov, A.Krestovnikov. N. and others. According to V.A. Hansen, only after the publication in 1964 of the book by N.D. Levitov "On mental states of man" the term "mental state" has become widespread. N. D. Levitov also owns the first monograph on mental states. After his work, psychology began to be defined as the science of mental processes, properties and states of a person. N. D. Levitov defined mental states as "an integral characteristic of mental activity and human behavior for a certain period of time, showing the originality of mental processes depending on the reflected objects and phenomena of reality, previous states and personality traits."

Later, the question of mental states was addressed by B.G. Ananiev, V.N. Myasishchev, A.G. Kovalev, K.K. Platonov, V.S. Merlin, Yu.E. Sosnovikova and others. In other words, as noted by A.O. Prokhorov, B.G. Ananiev F.E. Vasilyuk and others, various forms of human behavior and activity occur against the background of a certain set of mental states that can have both positive and negative effects on the adequacy and success of behavior and activities in general. As the key links in the emergence of any mental state, A.O. Prokhorov singled out three. Firstly, this is a situation that expresses the degree of balance (equilibrium) of the mental properties of the individual and the external environment conditions of their manifestation in the life of the individual. A change in the environment, a change in the situation, leads to a change in the mental state, its disappearance, transformation into a new state. An example is a problematic situation in mental activity, which causes an increase in mental tension and can lead to the appearance of such a state as cognitive frustration. Secondly, it is the subject himself, which expresses the personality traits of the individual, as a set of internal conditions (past experience, skills, knowledge, etc.) that mediate the perception of the impact of external conditions. Any change in "internal conditions" entails a change in the mental state. According to I.I. Chesnokov, the psychological state acts as a manifestation of personality traits, its psychological being, unfolded in time.

In parallel with psychology, mental states were also affected by related disciplines. On this occasion I.P. Pavlov wrote: “these states are the primary reality for us,
they direct our daily life, they determine the progress of human community. "Further development of mental states within the framework of physiology is associated with the name of PS Kupalov, who showed that temporary states are formed by external influences according to the mechanism of a conditioned reflex. Myasishchev considered mental states as one of the elements personality structures, along with processes, properties and relationships. BF Lomov wrote: "Mental processes, states and properties do not exist outside the living human body, not as extracerebral functions. They are a function of the brain, formed and developed in the process of biological evolution and historical development of man. Therefore, the identification of the laws of the psyche requires the study of the work of the brain and the nervous system, moreover, of the entire human body as a whole. "In accordance with the principle of the unity of the mental and biological, as well as the requirements of an objective assessment of mental states, further research of mental states was carried out in two directions: the study of the functional state and emotional state, i.e. studies of those states in which the intensity indicator is clearly expressed and amenable to objective diagnosis (primarily the diagnosis of physiological parameters). theoretical foundations, and in applied, practical terms.

The classification of types of mental states for various reasons of their characteristics includes states of mind (intellectual), emotional, volitional activity and passivity, work and study, states of stress, recovery, confusion, mobilization readiness, satiety, expectation, public loneliness, etc.

A.O. Prokhorov, by analogy with the time axis, grades mental states on the energy scale... At the basis of such a gradation, Prokhorov put the continuum of activation by D. Lindsley and the scale of levels of mental activity by V.A. Hansen, V.N. Yurchenko. This approach made it possible to distinguish three levels of mental activity, with the corresponding states of mental activity:

1) a state of increased mental activity (happiness, delight, ecstasy, anxiety, fear, etc.);

2) states of average (optimal) mental activity (calmness, sympathy, readiness, interest, etc.);

3) states of decreased mental activity (dreams, sadness, fatigue, absent-mindedness, crisis state, etc.). Prokhorov proposes to understand the first and third levels as non-equilibrium, and the middle one as conditionally equilibrium, while an important feature of nonequilibrium states is that they are a link preceding the emergence of neoplasms in the structure of the personality, causing the emergence of the latter. Subsequently, neoplasms are fixed in the form of properties, traits, etc.

States have characteristics varying degrees of generalization: general, specific, individual. Among the characteristics of the state is the degree of awareness of a particular state by the subject. Subjective and objective characteristics of a person's mental states are characteristics of one and the same object, a sufficiently complete study of which, based on the unity of the internal and external, is impossible without the involvement of both. The central, system-forming characteristic of the entire component composition of the mental state (in the terminology of P.K. Anokhin) is the attitude of a person. In the structure of the state, it represents the level of consciousness and self-awareness of a person. Attitude as a characteristic of consciousness is a relation to the surrounding reality; as a characteristic of self-awareness, it is self-regulation, self-control, self-esteem, i.e. establishing a balance between external influences, internal state and forms of human behavior. With regard to the characteristics of a state, Brushlinsky notes that states have characteristics inherent in the entire psyche. This emphasizes the quality of the continuity of states, which, in turn, is associated with such aspects of states as intensity and stability. The states, in addition to characteristics, have temporary, emotional, activation, tonic, tension (willpower) parameters.

Along with characteristics and parameters allocate and function states. Chief among them are:

a) regulation function (in adaptation processes);

b) the function of integration of individual mental states and the formation of functional units (process-state-property). Thanks to these functions, individual acts of mental activity in the current time are provided, the organization of the psychological structure of the personality, which is necessary for its effective functioning in various spheres of life.

An interesting concept is offered by V.I. Chirkov. For diagnostic purposes, he distinguishes five factors in psychological states: mood, assessment of the probability of success, motivation (its level), level of wakefulness (tonic component) and attitude to work (activity). He combines these five factors into three groups: motivational-incentive (mood and motivation), emotional-evaluative (assessment of the likelihood of success and attitude to work) and activation-energy (level of wakefulness). The classifications of states based on a systematic approach stand apart, dividing mental states according to one or another criterion. Some psychologists divide mental states into volitional (permission - tension), which in turn are divided into practical and motivational, into affective (pleasure - displeasure), which are divided into humanitarian and emotional states of consciousness (sleep - activation). In addition, it is proposed to divide states into states of an individual, states of a subject of activity, states of a personality and states of individuality. In our opinion, classifications make it possible to understand well a specific mental state, describe mental states, but in relation to the prognostic function of the classification they carry a weak load. However, one cannot but agree with the requirements of a systematic approach, consider psychological states at different levels, different aspects.

By its dynamic nature, mental states occupy an intermediate position between processes and properties. It is known that mental processes (for example, attention, emotions, etc.) under certain conditions can be considered as states, and often repeated states contribute to the development of the corresponding personality traits. The relationship between mental states and properties, not least due to the fact that properties are much more amenable to direct recognition than processes, but mainly due to the fact that, in our opinion, a person's non-innate properties are a statistical measure of manifestation certain parameters of mental states, or their aggregates (constructs).

The need to involve the category of mental states for understanding the properties is pointed out by A.O. Prokhorov, Levitov N.D. : "To understand a character trait, you must first describe it accurately, analyze and explain it as a temporary state. Only after such research can the question of the conditions for the consolidation of this state, its stability in the structure of character be raised", and also Puni A.Ts. : "state: can be presented as a balanced, relatively stable system of personal characteristics of athletes, against which the dynamics of mental processes unfolds." An indication that mental properties are only a statistical measure of the manifestation of mental states is also found in A.G. Kovaleva: "Mental states often become typical for a given person, characteristic for a given person. In states typical for a given person, the mental properties of a person find their expression." The influence, again, of typical states on personality traits can be found in A.O. Prokhorov. A.K. Perov believes that if the mental process and state are essential for a person, then they ultimately turn into his stable signs. The fact that phase states can mask and unmask the type of the nervous system was written by P.P. Raspopov. ... The influence of negative emotional states on the formation of negative character traits on the example of neuroses was reported by V.N. Myasishchev. There is also experimental data on the relationship between mental states and properties.

Thus, a change in the environment, a change in the situation, leads to a change in the mental state, its disappearance, transformation into a new state. Any change in "internal conditions" entails a change in the mental state.

1.2. The manifestation of emotional states in educational activities. The mental state of a person should be considered from the point of view of the leading activity, which is characteristic of various periods of his mental development. It is this aspect that makes it possible to better understand the specific structure of each mental state, to highlight the factor that creates this structure, to understand the reason for the dominance of the relative tension of some and the inhibition of other mental manifestations in this case. The problem of optimization of educational activity and mental states of students in complicated conditions, for example, during the examination session, is the subject of attention of many psychologists, and its complexity predetermines a wide field of research. This happens due to the variety of tasks faced by researchers: these are the tasks of diagnosing changes in human activity and state, the tasks of developing methods for analyzing activities that are adequate to the complexity and consistency of the subject of research and teaching methods of students, the tasks of determining psychological and personal determinants that form favorable activity functional states of a person. Around the problem activity - personality - state, researchers have united, possessing different knowledge, methods and ideas on these problems and proposing different ways to solve them. The peculiarities of the emotional states of senior schoolchildren and students, influencing cognitive activity in the process of educational activity, were considered in the work of A. Ya. Chebykin. A.V. Plekhanova described a number of methodological techniques with the help of which positive mental states can be evoked and actualized. In the study of A.N. Lutoshkin, collective emotional states were identified and their functions were studied. At the same time, it should be noted that in the listed works, attention was mainly paid to only the most general manifestations and features of mental states in the educational process. The examination session is one of the structural elements of learning - the leading activity of students. The tense nature of the examination session is its specific feature. Along with the influence of social factors, the informational parameters of the activity - the content, the volume of exam tickets, the rate of presentation of questions - also have a significant impact on the student's working capacity, activity and his mental state. Other characteristics - the characteristics of passing the exam, associated with the transformation - the recollection of working (memorized) information, are the main reason for the development of a state of mental stress and tension. Numerous studies have shown that the emergence of tension (activity and emotional) is facilitated by excessive subjective complexity of the task, high responsibility for the result of the activity, the impact of various kinds of interference, as well as a lack of information or time, redundancy of information and other factors. Mental tension has an ambiguous effect on activity, however, its pronounced forms and, especially in emotionally insufficiently stable individuals, are clearly destructive in nature, causing a violation of a number of mental functions and, ultimately, a decrease in the efficiency and reliability of activity. In this regard, it becomes necessary to assess and predict emotional stability before the onset of the examination session. But, the exam is not just a test of knowledge, but a test of knowledge under stress. There is a point of view among physicians that up to 90% of all diseases can be associated with stress. From this we can conclude that health examinations do not add to students, but vice versa. Indeed, numerous studies show that during the preparation and passing of exams there are intense mental activity, extreme limitation of physical activity, disturbance of rest and sleep (superficial, restless sleep), emotional experiences. All this leads to overstrain of the nervous system, negatively affects the general condition and resistance of the body. The workload of students, which normally exceeds 12 hours a day, increases to 15-16 hours during the examination session. In addition, the situation of the exam in students invariably causes stressful manifestations. Almost a quarter of students do not sleep even during the semester, not to mention the periods of the session. Before the beginning of the study, any student has a mental state of readiness for this work. In addition to this general and lasting readiness, there is readiness as a temporary state, which can also be called a prior state. The usual state is most often not noticed by the student himself. He goes to an educational institution without experiencing any rise or any decline. Such a normal or neutral mental state occurs most often when the student is accustomed to performing his academic duties and at this time there are no increased requirements for him. If a student succeeds in all academic disciplines, the learning process does not cause any difficulties and negative reactions, then he starts his activities in a "normal" state. There is no reason to change it. Of course, this ordinary state is not absolutely identical from day to day - there are some fluctuations in it, but they are small and cannot affect the learning process. Often, students begin the learning process with increased readiness for it. The state of high readiness can have various reasons, the main ones of which are the following: 1. Special incentives for this type of activity. 2. The novelty of the order or type of activity being performed. 3. The creative nature of the work. 4. Particularly good physical health. 5. Antecedent conditions. Usually, a person is more inclined to pay attention to negative pre-examination conditions, because they serve as signals of some kind of “disturbances” in mental activity that require elimination, which interfere with the proper commencement of activity. These states of reduced readiness for the activity being performed should be considered as an expression of a violation of the balance of the processes of excitation and inhibition. In their educational work, students often face difficulties that they must overcome. In the best cases, when faced with difficulties, the student is in a mental state, which can be called a state of readiness to overcome difficulties. This state is characterized by confidence, firm determination to cope with difficulties, mobilization of all one's strength for this. There are students who prefer difficult material that helps to focus all the efforts of a person. Such a state often indicates the student's persistence and thoughtfulness, and sometimes it is explained by the objective attractiveness of a difficult task. Some students do not cope well with difficulties in their academic work. They show cowardice, lack of perseverance and endurance. Sometimes students are presented with excessive demands, which are super strong stimuli for them. Unbearable demands can cause exacerbation of not only excitement, but also inhibition in students. The difficulty of a problem or requirement is not always correctly assessed by students. There is often a lot of subjectiveness in this assessment. Exams should be referred to as difficult and crucial moments. There is no such student who would not experience a special mental state during the period of examination preparation, and especially during the examination itself. In these situations, students invariably have elements of a stressful nature. In addition to strong intellectual tension, the exams are associated with the identification of a number of negative emotions: fear, anxiety, anxiety, the cause of which is the uncertainty of the outcome of the examination situation, its subjective, personal assessment as "dangerous", critical. On the days of exams, memory deteriorates, reaction time slows down, and the greatest release of adrenaline and norepinephrine into the blood is observed. The vegetative indicators change: there is an increase in heart rate by 10-15 beats per minute, an increase in hand tremor, a decrease in the temperature of the fingers. All this testifies to the accompanying excitation of the sympathoadrenoline system. Many studies confirm the adverse effects of examinations on the cardiovascular system of students. In addition, in the situation of examinations, a decrease in the level of thinking, attention, memory and all indicators of the scale of self-esteem, well-being, mood, performance, night sleep, appetite was noted. Fear and self-doubt appear, which, being associated with low self-esteem, in turn lead to new affective experiences.

For the successful passing of the exam, it is important in what mental state the student is. The most favorable mental state of students for successful passing of exams is characterized by attentiveness, seriousness, confidence, and relative calmness. All students are worried during the exam, and therefore the desired calmness when passing it must be called relative. The entire period of passing the exams is characterized by a state of mental tension. This tension sometimes accompanies mental activity at the level of direct or sensory cognition of reality, especially when precise formulations are required. During the exam, any recollection of the answer to a question can be a stressful state that is painfully experienced, especially in those cases when something well-known is forgotten, and it is impossible to postpone reproduction. If the student does not understand the meaning of the proposed task and makes great efforts to realize what the problem is. It depends both on the objective difficulty of the problem and on the clarity and distinctness of its formulation. Moreover, the mental state can be stressful at various stages of solving the problem. The state is also restless when choosing the means of solving the problem. Something is happening that formally resembles a "struggle of motives" in a complex volitional action.

In any case, the mental state of examination tension is usually followed by relaxation. This release is experienced in different ways. In some cases, it is a protective inhibition; in others - a statement that the difficult is over, and a recollection of past difficulties; thirdly, by switching to another activity.

The mental experiences of students are extremely complex and varied. Emotional experiences during the exam are especially acute. The final success largely depends on the intensity of the pre-examination reactions. It is believed that the optimal degree of arousal leads to good results. We will call these pre-examination states. The degree of pre-examination excitement is influenced by many factors, but the main ones are: the nature of the exam, the behavior and mood of the teacher, preparedness for the exam, self-confidence, individual typological characteristics of the student, etc. The situation of the exam requires the student to be willing, collected, disciplined. Nevertheless, if a student possesses these properties, but has a high level of anxiety, then this situation can form various kinds of problems, for the solution of which it will already be necessary to take special measures. Generally anxiety - This is a polysemantic psychological term that describes both a certain state of an individual at a limited time, and a stable property of any person. An analysis of the scientific and psychological literature of recent years allows us to consider anxiety from different points of view, allowing the statement that increased anxiety arises and is realized as a result of a complex interaction of cognitive, affective and behavioral reactions provoked when a person is exposed to various stresses. Anxiety is understood as an individual's tendency to experience anxiety, characterized by a low threshold for the onset of an anxiety reaction: one of the main parameters of individual differences. A certain level of anxiety is a natural and obligatory feature of an individual's vigorous activity. Each person has their own optimal or desired level of anxiety - this is the so-called useful anxiety. A person's assessment of his condition in this regard is an essential component of self-control and self-education for him. However, an increased level of anxiety is a subjective manifestation of an individual's dysfunction. The manifestations of anxiety in different situations are not the same. In some cases, people tend to behave anxiously always and everywhere, in others they reveal their anxiety only from time to time, depending on the prevailing circumstances. Situationally stable manifestations of anxiety are usually called personal and associated with the presence of a person's corresponding personality trait (the so-called "personal anxiety"). This is a stable individual characteristic reflecting the subject's predisposition to anxiety and suggesting that he has a tendency to perceive a fairly wide "fan" of situations as threatening, responding to each of them with a certain reaction. As a predisposition, personal anxiety is activated when certain stimuli are perceived by a person as dangerous, associated with specific situations of threats to his prestige, self-esteem, and self-esteem. Situationally changeable manifestations of anxiety are called situational, and a personality trait exhibiting this kind of anxiety is referred to as "situational anxiety." This state is characterized by subjectively experienced emotions: tension, anxiety, concern, nervousness. This state arises as an emotional reaction to a stressful situation and can be different in intensity and dynamic over time. The behavior of highly anxious people in activities aimed at achieving success has the following features: 1. Highly anxious individuals are emotionally more acute than low-anxious individuals react to messages about failure. 2. Highly anxious people work worse than low-anxious people in stressful situations or in conditions of a lack of time allotted for solving a problem. 3. Fear of failure is a characteristic feature of highly anxious people. This fear dominates their desire to achieve success. 4. Motivation to achieve success prevails among low-anxious people. It usually outweighs the fear of possible failure. 5. For highly anxious people, the message of success is more stimulating than the message of failure. 6. Low-anxious people are more stimulated by the message of failure. 7. Personal anxiety predisposes the individual to the perception and assessment of many, objectively safe situations as those that pose a threat. Cognitive assessment of the situation simultaneously and automatically triggers the body's response to threatening stimuli, which leads to the emergence of countermeasures and corresponding responses aimed at reducing the emerging situational anxiety. The result of all this directly affects the activities performed. This activity is directly dependent on the state of anxiety, which could not be overcome with the help of the responses and countermeasures taken, as well as an adequate cognitive assessment of the situation. Anxiety, in terms of intensity and duration, is inadequate to the situation, prevents the formation of adaptive behavior, leads to a violation of behavioral integration and general disorganization of the human psyche. Thus, anxiety underlies any changes in mental state and behavior caused by mental stress and uncertainty of the situation. Anxiety, despite the abundance of different semantic formulations, is a single phenomenon and serves as an obligatory mechanism of emotional stress, arising in case of any violation. Balance in the "person-environment" system, it activates the adaptive mechanisms and, at the same time, with significant intensity, underlies the development of adaptive disorders. An increase in the level of anxiety causes the activation or strengthening of the action of adaptation mechanisms. These mechanisms can contribute to effective mental adaptation, ensuring the reduction of anxiety, and in the case of their inadequacy, they are reflected in the type of adaptation disorders, which correspond to the nature of the borderline psychopathological phenomena formed in this case. Difficulties and possible failures in life under certain conditions can lead to the emergence of a person not only mental states of stress and anxiety, but also a state of frustration. Literally this term means the experience of frustration (plans), destruction (plans), collapse (hopes), vain expectations, the experience of failure, failure. However, frustration must be viewed in the context of endurance in relation to life's difficulties and reactions to these difficulties. Frustration - the mental state of experiencing failure, which arises when there are real or imaginary insurmountable obstacles on the way to a certain goal. Can be seen as a form of psychological stress. With regard to a person, frustration in its most general form can be defined as a complex emotional-motivational state, expressed in disorganization of consciousness, activity and communication and arising as a result of prolonged blocking of purposeful behavior by objectively insurmountable or subjectively perceived difficulties. Frustration manifests itself when a personally significant motive remains dissatisfied or its satisfaction is inhibited, and the resulting feeling of dissatisfaction reaches a degree of severity that exceeds the "threshold of tolerance" of a particular person, and tends to stabilize. The conditions for the emergence of a state of frustration include: 1) the presence of a need as a source of activity, a motive as a specific manifestation of a need, a goal and an initial plan of action; 2) the presence of resistance (obstacle frustrator). In turn, obstacles can be of the following types: A) passive external resistance (the presence of an elementary physical obstacle, a barrier on the way to the goal; remoteness of the object of need in time and space); B) active external resistance (prohibitions and threats of punishment from the environment if the subject does or continues to do what he is prohibited from doing); C) passive internal resistance (conscious or unconscious inferiority complexes; inability to implement the intended, sharp discrepancy between the high level of aspirations and the possibilities of fulfillment); D) active internal resistance (remorse: is the chosen means justified in achieving the goal, is the goal itself moral). The emergence of frustration, its severity is determined not only by objective circumstances, but also depend on the characteristics of the individual, on her "ability" to endure. When life stereotypes change for any reason, most often there is a violation of the satisfaction of the usual set of needs. As a result, a set of frustrations can arise. Adaptation to frustrating conditions is the more successful, the faster the familiar complex of needs is reorganized, the easier it is for a person to give up something. Sometimes these are equally desirable needs, and you don't want to lose each of them, but the conditions force you to sacrifice something. It happens that the satisfaction of a certain need entails unacceptable consequences or, conversely, is associated with the previous overcoming of undesirable circumstances, etc. e. The problem of studying the psychology of states, according to the psychologists themselves, remains extremely unsatisfactory. The task of constructing an integral, multilevel psychological theory of states has not yet been solved. One of the first difficulties in describing states is that states manifest themselves simultaneously both in internal experiences and in behavior, both of which are also associated with physiological activation. Internal experiences are subjective, and the only way to become familiar with them is to ask the subject what he is experiencing. However, it is difficult to convey in words what you really feel. At first glance, behavior could be perceived as an objective fact. But this indicator is not particularly reliable either. When a person has tears in his eyes, it can be difficult for us to understand if we do not know their cause - from joy, from grief or outrage. In addition, the expression of a certain kind of state is often associated with the culture to which a person belongs. As for physiological activation, it is only thanks to it and the dramatic changes that it causes in the nervous processes and throughout the body that a person is able to experience a certain state. The nature of the states and their intensity are determined by the decoding of signals coming from the external environment and the level of activation of the organism. Decoding signals depends on the mental development of a person and on his ability to integrate various elements of the incoming information. A number of sciences study this psychological phenomenon: psychology, physiology, sociology, philosophy, ethics, medicine, biochemistry, linguistics, literary criticism. Obviously, the variety of positions and approaches also explains the abundance and disorder of terminology in works on the problem of mental states. We are closest to the theoretical concept of mental states of Doctor of Psychology, Professor A.O. Prokhorov. The systematization of states implies the assignment of a certain state to a particular class. In most cases, this cannot be done confidently enough, without reservations and comments. Difficult to classify and condition under normal and extreme conditions. Human activity generates and controls mental states. Mental states, arising in it (activity), in turn, affect it and change. Mental states are dynamic, have a temporal and spatial organization. The uncertainty of the outcome of certain situations, for example, an exam, gives particular specificity in the study of mental states. The situation of control, testing gives a more dynamic characteristic of mental states, more saturated in the quality of manifestation and having its own individual differences in the sexual aspect and in relation to personal properties. The age aspect of the study of mental states will undoubtedly reveal more deeply the regularity of the formation of functional structures, the peculiarities of their mechanisms in different periods of age development. Thus, the problem of studying mental states is quite relevant both in a general psychological meaning and in a particular aspect. The psychological content of students' states is determined mainly by the leading educational activity. Without taking them into account, diagnosing and understanding them, the effectiveness of managing the latter is significantly reduced, and the productivity of teacher's work decreases. For the study of students' mental states, the methods used both individually and in combination provide a high reliability of the experiment. 1.3. Typical psychological states of students Awareness of the social significance of a person's personality traits, new scientific information about these features are important for reflecting and understanding the manifestation of mental states in a person. The largest number of works describing and experimental characteristics of mental states relates to the study of the typological properties of the nervous system and their manifestation in various types of activity. Many states arise under the influence of social influences (for example, public praise or censure, setting a specific task for an individual, etc.). This situation is unacceptable in educational activities, because low self-esteem will be associated not only with an increased level of anxiety, but also with a lack of assimilation of educational material, unwillingness to learn, aggressiveness or isolation, etc. A considerable mental stress load also falls on the student, whose task is to process and assimilate a colossal amount of information. Therefore, one of the most important aspects of the scientific organization of the educational process is to determine the functional state of students during the period of mental and emotional stress. Under these conditions, the main personal characteristic of a person is his ability to withstand intense mental stress. The degree of working capacity at any given moment is determined by the influence and interaction of a number of factors of a different nature: physiological, physical and psychological (which includes such as well-being and mood). The concept of anxiety occupies an important place in psychological theories and research. Anxiety is a complex combination of affects and affective-cognitive structures, very often described along with fear. This is due to the fact that real and imagined situations that cause anxiety are associated with fear as the dominant emotion. Thus, anxiety is understood as a state of expedient preparatory increase in sensory attention and motor tension in a situation of possible danger, providing an appropriate response to fear. The tendency of an individual to experience anxiety, characterized by a low threshold for anxiety, is one of the main parameters of individual differences. In general, anxiety is a subjective manifestation of a person's unwell. The forms of manifestation of anxiety can be called self-doubt, suspiciousness, anxiety about possible troubles, difficulty in making a final decision on any issue, a tendency to borderline states, etc. It has now been firmly established that in uncertain and extreme conditions, a person experiences more or less strong emotional stress, which quite often manifests itself as a feeling of pronounced anxiety, that is, the expectation of possible trouble, fear that it may happen. For example, while waiting for an exam, some students develop a state of anxiety - anxiety about its possible outcome, and in some individuals this state is so clearly expressed that it can be qualified as fear. The degree of this fear is different: in some it dominates so much that it takes the form of panic, in others it is only a relatively calm fear. But in both cases, the state of rest is disturbed and a state of excitement, confusion sets in. The most interesting thing is that there may not be any real reasons for this: all the material has been mastered, the student studied in good faith and, it would seem, there is no reason to worry. Nevertheless, in some individuals a state of anxiety - anxiety arises. We repeat once again that this is inevitable, since the situation of the exam is always a situation of uncertainty, uncertainty, the impossibility of predicting the outcome of the situation to absolute certainty. And the more pronounced it is, the greater the likelihood of inappropriate behavior on the exam and a decrease in the score, which can differ significantly from the student's real knowledge. It is known that the level of anxiety is closely related to self-confidence, in their knowledge. And yet, an excessively high level of anxiety most often reduces performance, and a low level of anxiety usually manifests itself in an increase in performance. In critical situations (emotional stress), a certain level of anxiety manifests itself as a personal property: a pronounced tendency to emotional stress appears not only in extreme situations, but also in any difficult situation. The hardest to endure the high mental stress accompanying the exam, students with a high level of anxiety - anxiety. Such students develop anxiety long before the exam. The educational material is poorly retained in memory, its failures are not uncommon at the slightest excitement. There is practically no contact with the teacher, because when answering the student it is difficult to "tear away" from the abstract, and each additional question is regarded by him as "deadly". As a result, his knowledge is usually assessed inadequately. The subsequent state is characterized by depression, oppression, disbelief in their strength. Anxiety and fear about the next exam are growing, the possibility of an unsuccessful answer is exaggerated, even if all the educational material is mastered well. Anxious expectation of failure, self-doubt, inability to predict probabilistic results is aggravated from exam to exam, from session to session. All this not only affects academic performance, but can lead to a loss of interest in learning, a decrease in the level of aspirations, a change in the self-esteem of personal qualities, and further, in the form of an "upward influence", to change both activities and behavior, and relationships with fellow students, members family, friends. Thus, anxiety - anxiety is a whole syndrome of various manifestations: external (in the form of impaired activity) and internal (changes in vegetative functions). This syndrome has been studied well enough, and therefore it is possible to objectify its individual components by asking the subjects about their behavior in a situation of expectation, emotional stress, or the most typical autonomic reactions. conclusions Mental states- the most important area of ​​the inner world of a person, which has a certain external expression. Changing, they accompany a person's life in his relations with people, society, etc. They serve as a means of mobilizing the body to overcome ambiguous and unexpected situations. Mental states are the most important part of mental regulation, play an essential role in any kind of activity and behavior. The huge volume of this class of mental phenomena requires many planes of analysis and description. At the same time, the theory of mental states is far from complete; many aspects of mental states have not been studied with the necessary completeness. The social and socio-psychological reasons for favorable and unfavorable conditions, as well as the potentials of the individual, which allow regulating the state, remain little studied. Mental states are multidimensional, they act as a system for organizing mental processes, and as a subjective attitude to the reflected phenomenon, and as a mechanism for assessing the reflected reality. A change in the mental state directly in the process of activity manifests itself in the form of a change in the subjective attitude to the reflected situation or a change in motives in relation to the problem being solved. In mental states, just as in other mental phenomena, the interaction of a person with the living environment is reflected. Any significant changes in the external environment, changes in the inner world of the personality, in the body cause a certain response in the personality as a whole, entail a transition to a new mental state, change the level of activity of the subject, the nature of experiences and much more. The study of mental states is essential to increase the effectiveness of educational activity, especially in its tense moments (seminar, test, exam) associated with the uncertainty of the outcome of the situation. In educational activities, stressful situations can be created by the dynamism of events, the need for quick decision-making, a mismatch between individual characteristics, rhythm and the nature of the activity. Factors contributing to the emergence of emotional stress, excitement and tension in these situations may be insufficient information, its inconsistency, excessive variety or monotony, an assessment of the work as exceeding the individual's capabilities in terms of volume or degree of complexity, conflicting or vague requirements, critical circumstances or risk in accepting solutions.

CHAPTER 2. EMPIRICAL STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF EMOTIONAL STATES WITH SUCCESSFUL LEARNING ACTIVITIES

This empirical study was conducted at the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University; 27 second-year students aged 18 to 22 took part in it.

The experimental study used the following methods:

1. Research method of Spielberger's situational and personal anxiety.

2. The method of researching the level of personal neurotization by VV Boyko

3. Average scores of students for exams.

In humans, emotions give rise to experiences of pleasure, displeasure, fear, timidity, etc., which play the role of orienting subjective signals. The simplest emotional processes are expressed in organic, motor and secretory changes and belong to the number of innate reactions. However, in the course of development, emotions lose their direct instinctive basis, acquire a complexly conditioned character, form various types of so-called higher emotional processes (feelings); social, intellectual and aesthetic, which are the main content of a person's emotional life.
Motions and emotional expressive movements of a person are not rudimentary phenomena of his psyche, but a product of positive development and play a necessary and important role in regulating his activities, including cognitive ones.

2.1. Studying the level of anxiety among students using the Spielberger method

Anxiety is understood as a special emotional state that often arises in a person and is expressed in increased tension, accompanied by fears, anxiety, fears that interfere with normal activities or communication with people. Anxiety is an important personal quality of a person, quite stable. The existence of two qualitatively different types of anxiety has been proven: personal and situational.

Personal anxiety is understood as an individual trait of a person's personality, reflecting his predisposition to emotionally negative reactions to various life situations that pose a threat to his I (self-esteem, level of claims, attitude towards oneself, etc.). Personal anxiety is a person's stable tendency to respond to such social situations with increased anxiety and anxiety.

Situational anxiety is defined as a temporary, stable state of anxiety only in certain life situations, generated by such situations and, as a rule, does not arise in other situations. This condition arises as a habitual emotional and behavioral reaction to this kind of situation. They, for example, can be negotiations with officials, phone calls, exam tests, communication with strangers or of the opposite sex or age other than the given person.

For each specific person, personal and situational anxiety is developed to varying degrees, so that each, meaning his anxiety, can be characterized by two indicators: personal and situational anxiety.

The methodology presented below, developed by Spielberger, is intended for the simultaneous assessment of the two named types of anxiety. It includes two scales, each of which separately assesses personal or situational anxiety.

The study can be carried out both individually and in a group. The experimenter invites the subjects to answer the questions of the scales according to the instructions on the form of the questionnaire, and reminds the subjects that the subjects should work independently. The methodology for studying the manifestation of Spielberger's personal and situational anxiety includes instructions and 40 questions-judgments to measure the level of manifestation of personal anxiety. Data processing is carried out in accordance with a special key.

When interpreting the data, it should be borne in mind that the indicator on the scale can range from 0 to 4 points. You can use the following indicative levels of anxiety:

0 - 1.6 points - low level of anxiety;

1.61 - 2.79 points - the average level of anxiety;

2.8 - 4 points - a high level of anxiety.

Determine the level of situational and personal anxiety of students

Table 2.1. 1 .

The level of situational anxiety of students

Thus, based on the results, we can say that 96% of the subjects (26 people) had an average level of situational anxiety, 4% of students (1 person) had a low level of situational anxiety. Most students have an average level of anxiety.

Table 2.1.2.

The level of students' personal anxiety

Thus, based on the results, we can say that 33% of the subjects (9 people) had a high level of personal anxiety, 67% of students (18 people) had an average level of personal anxiety. Most students have an average level of anxiety.

2.2. The level of personality neurotization

Table 2.2.3.

Personal level neurotization students

Thus, based on the results, we can say that 15% (4 people) had a high level of neurotization, 78% (21 people) had an average level of neurotization, and 7% (2 people) had a low level of neurotization. the average level of neurotization.

2.3. Student performance level

Table 2.2.4.

Academic level

Thus, based on the results, we can say that 33% (9 people) had a high level of academic performance, 63% (17 people) had an average level of academic performance, and 4% (1 person) had a low academic performance. Most of the students have an intermediate grade level.

2.4 Statistical processing of data and analysis of results

The data obtained were subjected to mathematical processing using the Spearman linear correlation method. The results were processed using the STATISTIKA 6.0 software. Table 2.4 presents the data of the correlation analysis.

Table 2.4.5.

Statistical analysis of the relationship between emotional states and successful learning activities

		Spearman
NewVar1 & NewVar1
NewVar1 & NewVar2
NewVar1 & NewVar3
NewVar1 & NewVar4
NewVar1 & Var1

Var1 – Spielberger situational anxiety

Var 2 – Spielberger's personal anxiety

Var 3 – average exam scores

Var 4 - the level of personal neurotization according to V.V. Boyko

As a result of the correlation analysis, a statistically significant relationship was obtained between the variables Var1 (situational anxiety) and Var4 (average scores for examinations), which equals Rspirm = 0.399037, with p = 0.039219. This confirms that between the level of anxiety obtained by the Spielberger method and the level of neurotization obtained by the Boyko method, they correlate with each other. The results of the statistical analysis showed that there is no statistically significant link between the success of educational activity and anxiety. Thus, the hypothesis that emotional states are associated with the success of educational activity was not confirmed. Conclusions: 1. 96% of the subjects (26 people) had an average level of situational anxiety. 2. 67% of students (18 people) had an average level of personal anxiety. 3. 78% (21 people) have an average level of neurotization. 4. 63% (17 people) have an average academic performance. 5. As a result of the correlation analysis, a statistically significant relationship was obtained between the variables Var1 (situational anxiety) and Var4 (average scores for examinations), which equals Rspirm = 0.399037, with p = 0.039219.6. There is no statistical connection between the manifestations of emotional states and the success of educational activities. CONCLUSION

Emotions regulate mental activity not specifically, but through the corresponding general mental states, influencing the course of all mental processes. A change in the environment, a change in the situation, leads to a change in the mental state, its disappearance, transformation into a new state. Any change in "internal conditions" entails a change in the mental state.

The problem of the study of mental states is quite relevant both in a general psychological sense and in a particular aspect. The psychological content of students' states is determined mainly by the leading educational activity. Without taking them into account, diagnosing and understanding them, the effectiveness of managing the latter is significantly reduced, and the productivity of teacher's work decreases. For the study of students' mental states, the methods used both individually and in combination provide a high reliability of the experiment. Anxiety is understood as a state of purposeful preparatory increase in sensory attention and motor tension in a situation of possible danger, providing an appropriate response to fear. The tendency of an individual to experience anxiety, characterized by a low threshold for anxiety, is one of the main parameters of individual differences. In general, anxiety is a subjective manifestation of a person's unwell. The forms of manifestation of anxiety can be called self-doubt, suspiciousness, anxiety about possible troubles, difficulty in making a final decision on any issue, a tendency to borderline states, etc. It is now firmly established that in uncertain and extreme conditions a person experiences more or less strong emotional stress, quite often manifested as a feeling of pronounced anxiety, that is, expectation of a possible trouble, fear that it might happen. For example, while waiting for an exam, some students develop a state of anxiety - anxiety about its possible outcome, and in some individuals this state is so clearly expressed that it can be classified as fear. Results: 1. 96% of the subjects (26 people) had an average level of situational anxiety. 2. 67% of students (18 people) had an average level of personal anxiety. 3. 78% (21 people) have an average level of neurotization. 4. 63% (17 people) have an average academic performance. 5. As a result of the correlation analysis, a statistically significant relationship was obtained between the variables Var1 (situational anxiety) and Var4 (average scores for examinations), which equals Rspirm = 0.399037, with p = 0.039219.6. There is no statistical connection between the manifestations of emotional states and the success of educational activities. Literature 1. Stolyarenko L.D. Fundamentals of Psychology, 19982. Levitov ND About mental states of a person. - M., 19643. Pavlov I.P. Full composition of writings. Second edition, volume 3, book. 1, M., L., 1951-1952

4. Lomov B.F. Methodological and theoretical problems of psychology. - M., 1984

5. Prokhorov A.O. Functional structures of mental states // Psychological journal, 1996, volume 17, issue. 3, pp. 9-17

6. Chirkov V.I. Study of the factor structure of the subjective component of functional states // Problems of engineering psychology: Abstracts of the 6th All-Union conference on engineering psychology. Issue 2 / Ed. Lomova B.F., - L., 1984, p. 236-237

7. Puni A.Ts. Essays. Sports psychology. - M., 1959

8. Kovalev A.G. Psychology of Personality. - M., 1965

9. Raspopov P.P. On the phase states of excitability of the cerebral cortex // Questions of psychology, 1958, No. 2, pp. 23-37

10. Beling W. Self-help for insomnia, stress and neurosis / Beling

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Any person gets to know and comprehends the surrounding reality thanks to the means of cognition: attention, sensations, perception, thinking, imagination and memory. Each subject reacts in some way to the events taking place, feels some emotions, experiences feelings towards certain objects, people, phenomena. The subjective attitude to situations, facts, objects, persons is reflected in the consciousness of the individual in the form of experiences. Such relationships, experienced in the inner world, are called "emotional state". This is a psychophysiological process that motivates a person to perform some actions, regulates his behavior, and influences thinking.

In the scientific community, there is no single universal definition that accurately explains what an emotional phenomenon is. Emotional state is a generalizing concept for all relationships experienced by a person that have arisen in the course of his life. Satisfaction of the requirements and needs of a person, as well as the dissatisfaction of the needs of the individual, generates a variety of emotional states.

What is cognitive therapy and how does it work?

Experiments on hypnosis: hypnotic phenomena in deep hypnosis (somnambulism). Hypnosis training

Types and characteristics of emotional states

In domestic science, emotional processes are classified into separate types, each of which is endowed with its own characteristics and characteristics.

The emotional world of a person is represented by five components:

• emotions;
• affects;
• feelings;
• moods;
• stress.

All of the above components of the emotional sphere of a person are one of the main regulators of the subject's behavior, act as a source of knowledge of reality, express and determine the variety of options for interaction between people. It should be noted that the same emotional process can last from a few seconds to several hours. Moreover, each type of experience can be expressed with minimal force or be very intense.

Let's consider all the elements of the sphere of emotions and feelings in more detail.

Emotions

Emotion is the experience of a subject at a specific moment in his life, conveying a personal assessment of an ongoing event, informing about his attitude to the real situation, to the phenomena of the inner world and events of the external environment. Emotions of a person arise instantly and can change very quickly. The most significant characteristic of emotions is their subjectivity.

Like all other mental processes, all types of emotional states are the result of active work of the brain. The trigger for the generation of emotions is the changes that are currently taking place in the surrounding reality. The more important and significant the ongoing changes are for the subject, the more acute and vivid the emotion he is experiencing.

When an emotion occurs, a temporary focus of excitation is formed in the cerebral cortex and further in the subcortical centers - clusters of nerve cells located under the cerebral cortex. It is in these segments of the brain that the main divisions of the regulation of the physiological activity of the body are located. That is why the emergence of such a focus of excitation leads to an increase in the activity of internal organs and systems. Which, in turn, finds a noticeable external reflection.

Let us illustrate with examples. We blush with shame. We turn pale with fear, and our heart sinks. Heart aches from longing. From excitement we gasp for breath, often and irregularly inhale and exhale.

Emotions are also characterized by valence (directionality). They can be positive or negative. It should be noted that in almost all people in a normal state, the number of emotions of a negative tone significantly exceeds the number of experiences of a positive color. In the course of research, it was found that the left hemisphere is more a source of positive emotions, and the right hemisphere is more supportive of negative experiences.

In all types of emotional states, their polarity is traced, that is, the presence of emotions with a plus sign and with a minus value. For example: pride is annoyance; joy is sorrow. There are also neutral emotions, for example: astonishment. This does not mean at all that the two polar emotions are mutually exclusive. In complex human feelings, a combination of conflicting emotions is often found.

Also, emotions differ in intensity - their strength. For example: anger, anger and rage are essentially identical experiences, but they manifest with different strengths.

Emotions are also classified into two types: sthenic (active) and asthenic (passive). Active experiences motivate and induce a person to perform actions, passive emotions relax and drain energy. For example: from joy we are ready to turn mountains, and from fear our legs give way.

Another feature of emotions is the fact that although they are perceived by a person as experiences, it is impossible to influence their occurrence in the waking state. All emotional states arise in the deep stores of the psyche - the subconscious. Access to the resources of the subconscious sphere is possible with a temporary change in consciousness, achieved through hypnosis.

Affects

The second type of emotional states is affects. This is a short-term state, which is characterized by a special intensity and expressiveness of experiences. Affect is a psychophysiological process that rapidly takes over the subject and proceeds very expressively. It is characterized by significant changes in consciousness and a violation of personality control over their behavior, loss of self-control.

Affect is accompanied by pronounced external manifestations and active functional restructuring of the work of internal systems. A feature of this type of emotional states is the attachment to the situation of the present. Affect always arises in response to an already existing state of affairs, that is, it cannot be focused on the future and reflect the experiences of the past.

Affect can develop for various reasons. A violent emotional process can be caused by a single traumatic factor, a prolonged stressful situation, or a serious illness of a person. Examples of affective states include the following states. The delight of winning your favorite team from a passionate fan. Anger arising from the discovery of the betrayal of a loved one. Panic that gripped a person during a fire. The euphoria that a scientist had during the discovery after many years of hard work.

In its development, affect goes through several stages in succession, which are characterized by their own characteristics and experiences. In the initial phase, a person thinks exclusively about the subject of his experiences, involuntarily distracted from other more important phenomena. The usual picture of the start of an affective state is represented by energetic and expressive movements. Tears, heart-rending sobs, loud laughter, absurd cries are characteristic features of the experience of affect.

From strong nervous tension, the pulse and respiratory function change, the motor skills of movements are impaired. The intense action of stimuli that excite the cortical structures above their inherent performance limit leads to the development of transcendental (protective) inhibition.This phenomenon causes disorganization of a person's thinking: the subject experiences a persistent need to succumb to the experienced emotion.

At this moment of an affective state, any individual can take measures so as not to lose control over himself and slow down the development of a cascade of destructive reactions. It is this phenomenon that hypnosis influences: in a state of hypnotic trance, attitudes are implanted into the subconscious of a person, allowing on an instinctive level to prevent the growth of affect in a crisis moment. That is, as a result of suggestion during hypnosis, a person, without knowing it on a conscious level, acquires the required skills to inhibit the development of a negative emotional state.

If, nevertheless, the subsequent stage of affect has come, then the subject completely loses self-control and the ability to control behavior. He commits reckless acts, performs useless actions, speaks ridiculous phrases. It should be noted that the person later recalls such manifestations of an affective outburst with difficulty. This situation arises due to the fact that after excessive excitation of the cortical structures, inhibition occurs, which interrupts the existing systems of temporary connections.

However, information about the behavior during an affective outburst is firmly deposited in the subconscious sphere, reminding oneself by fuzzy and vague feelings of shame for the accomplished acts. Over time, such completely unrecognizable feelings become the culprits of depressive states, because a person intuitively feels his guilt, without realizing what he was guilty of. To recognize the factors transferred to the subconscious during an affective outburst, it is necessary to purposefully temporarily turn off consciousness by means of.

Summing up the information, it is necessary to point out: the affect itself is neither bad nor good. Its tonality and consequences depend on what kind of experiences a person experiences - positive or negative, and how much he controls himself in this emotional state.

The difference between hypnosis and other "states"

Feelings

The third type of emotional state is feelings. These are more stable psycho-emotional states in comparison with emotions and affect. Feelings are manifestations of a person's subjective attitude to real facts or abstract objects, certain things or generalized concepts. Moreover, such an assessment is almost always unconscious. The origin and affirmation of feelings is a process of forming a stable attitude of a person to some object or phenomenon, which is based on the individual's experience of interacting with such an object.

The peculiarity of feelings - unlike emotions, they are more or less permanent, this is an ingrained personality trait. Emotion, at the same time, is a fleeting experience of a given situation. Let's give an example. Feeling is a person's love for music. Being at a good concert with an excellent performance of music, he experiences active positive emotions - interest and joy. However, when the same person is faced with a disgusting performance of the work, he feels passive negative emotions - upset and disgust.

Feelings are directly related to personality traits, they reflect a person's attitude to life, his worldview, beliefs, views. Feeling is a complex type of emotional states in its structure. Let's give an example. The feeling of envy is essentially a person's feelings about the success of another person. Envy is a combination of several emotions connected together: anger, resentment, contempt.

In addition to valence (color), there is another feature of this species - the intensity of feelings. The stronger and deeper the feeling of a person, the more pronounced his external (physiological) manifestations, the more significant his influence on the behavior of the subject.

All negative feelings perform extremely destructive functions, forming painful thinking and leading to non-functional behavior. Such negative emotional states, rooted in the subconscious of a person, not only interfere with the normal interaction of a person in society, but also become the cause of psychopathological disorders.

Consider the example of envy. Envy turns someone else's luck into an inferiority complex, the happiness of another person into a feeling of their own worthlessness and uselessness. Envy is an energy vampire that forces a person to spend their time, strength, energy on endlessly tracking the success and achievements of another person. This feeling makes a person start performing active actions, forcing him to gossip, slander, intrigue, weave intrigues, and often use physical force. As a result, the subject finds himself at a broken trough when he does not have the strength to act, and there are no friends who can support him. The onset of depression in such a situation is a logical step taken by a "wise" subconscious mind, indicating that the subject needs to stop, reconsider his worldview and choose a different style of behavior.

In addition to sthenic feelings that motivate the subject to action, there are also asthenic experiences. This is the emotional state that paralyzes the will of a person and deprives him of his strength. An example of a passive feeling is despair, which underlies depressive states.

Feelings can be called an intermediate link between an intense emotion experienced in relation to an object or situation, and a neurotic or psychotic disorder. And in order to solve the human problem, it is necessary to break this vicious chain. This requires gaining access to the repositories of the subconscious, which requires the temporary elimination of conscious censorship through hypnosis. Only by establishing the initial factor that served to form a negative feeling, it is possible to eliminate the obvious problem of a person.

Moods

Mood is a fairly long-term emotional state that colors all a person's experiences and influences his behavior. Features of mood - lack of accountability, insignificance of severity, relative stability. If the mood acquires significant intensity, then it has a significant impact on the mental activity of a person, the productivity of his work. For example, if a person is in a melancholy mood, then it is very difficult for her to focus on the task being performed and it is problematic to bring the work started to the end.

Frequent changes in emotional states, called mood lability, suggest that the subject has affective disorders. A rapid change in episode of blues and mania can be a sign of bipolar depression.

Another feature of this emotional state is the lack of attachment to any particular object. Mood expresses the general attitude of the individual to the current state of affairs in general.

How is a person's mood formed? This type of emotional state can have very different sources: both recent events and very distant situations. The main factor influencing a person's mood is his satisfaction or dissatisfaction with life in general, or with some individual phenomena. Despite the fact that the mood of a person always depends on certain reasons, the sources of the present emotional state are not always clear and understandable to a person. For example, a person indicates that she is in a bad mood, that something oppresses and worries her. However, she cannot independently establish the relationship between a bad mood and a promise she did not fulfill a month ago.

To prevent mental abnormalities, everyone should understand the reasons for their mood changes. In order to avoid depression and other problems, it is necessary to find out and eliminate objectively existing factors that affect the emotional state of a person. This step is convenient and expedient to perform by using hypnosis techniques. The peculiarity of hypnosis is its painlessness and comfort: the establishment and correction of any psychological defects occurs in a "harmless" mode, when the subject's psyche does not receive unnecessary trauma inherent in psychotherapeutic influence.

Stress

The term "stress" is customary to denote special feelings of feelings that are similar in their characteristics to affect and similar in their duration to moods. The causes of stress are varied. A single intense extreme exposure to external factors can cause a stressful state. Long-term monotonous situations in which the individual feels threatened or resentful can also lead to stress. For example, a woman, due to circumstances, is forced to share a house with an alcoholic spouse, with whom she is linked by both common children and jointly "earned" debts. It is impossible to radically change the situation at one moment, and the lady does not have the necessary internal forces for this. So she pulls her miserable burden, daily experiencing a lot of negative emotions. The lack of prospects for improving the situation, the impossibility of restoring the previous family relations are grounds for stress.

Psychology of the emotional state

Introduction

1. Psychology of human emotional states

1.1. Types and role of emotions in human life

1.2. Psychological theories of emotion

1.3 Emotional states

Conclusion

Depending on the duration, intensity, objectivity or uncertainty, as well as the quality of emotions, all emotions can be divided into emotional reactions, emotional states and emotional relationships (V.N. Myasishchev).

Emotional reactions are characterized by a high rate of occurrence and transience. They last minutes, are characterized by a rather pronounced quality (modality) and sign (positive or negative emotion), intensity and objectivity. The objectivity of an emotional reaction is understood as its more or less unambiguous connection with the event or object that caused it. Emotional reaction normally always arises about events produced in a particular situation by something or someone. It can be fright from a sudden noise or scream, joy from hearing words or perceived facial expressions, anger in connection with an obstacle or someone's action, etc. It should be remembered that these events are only a triggering stimulus for the emergence of emotion, but the reason is either the biological significance or the subjective significance of this event for the subject. The intensity of emotional reactions can be different - from barely noticeable, even for the subject himself, to excessive - affect.

Emotional reactions are often reactions of frustration of some expressed needs. Frustration (from Latin frustatio - deception, destruction of plans) in psychology is a mental state that arises in response to the appearance of an objectively or subjectively insurmountable obstacle to the satisfaction of a need, achievement of a goal or solution of a problem. The type of frustration reaction depends on many circumstances, but very often it is a characteristic of the personality of a given person. It can be anger, frustration, despair, guilt.

Emotional states are characterized by: longer duration, which can be measured in hours and days, normally - less intensity, since emotions are associated with significant energy expenditures due to the accompanying physiological reactions, in some cases non-objectivity, which is expressed in the fact that the subject can be the reason and the cause that caused them are hidden, as well as some uncertainty of the modality of the emotional state. By their modality, emotional states can be presented in the form of irritability, anxiety, complacency, various shades of mood - from depressive states to a state of euphoria. However, most often they are mixed conditions. Since emotional states are also emotions, they also reflect the relationship between the needs of the subject and the objective or subjective possibilities of their satisfaction, rooted in the situation.

In the absence of organic disorders of the central nervous system, the state of irritation is, in fact, a high readiness for reactions of anger in a long-term current situation of frustration. A person has outbursts of anger for the slightest and various reasons, but they are based on dissatisfaction with some personally significant need, which the subject himself may not know about.

Anxiety means the presence of some uncertainty about the outcome of future events associated with the satisfaction of some need. Often, anxiety is associated with a sense of self-esteem (self-esteem), which can be affected by an unfavorable outcome of events in the expected future. The frequent occurrence of anxiety in everyday affairs may indicate the presence of self-doubt as a personality quality, i.e. about the unstable or low self-esteem inherent in this person in general.

A person's mood often reflects the experience of already achieved success or failure, or a high or low likelihood of success or failure in the near future. A good or bad mood reflects the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of some need in the past, success or failure in achieving a goal or solving a problem. It is no coincidence that a person in a bad mood is asked if something has happened. A long-term low or high mood (over two weeks), which is not typical for a given person, is a pathological sign in which an unmet need is either really absent or deeply hidden from the subject's consciousness, and its detection requires a special psychological analysis. The person most often experiences mixed conditions, such as low mood with a touch of anxiety or joy with a touch of anxiety or anger.

A person can experience more complex states, an example of which is the so-called dysphoria - a pathological condition lasting two to three days, in which irritation, anxiety and bad mood are simultaneously present. A lesser degree of dysphoria may occur in some people and is normal.

Emotional relationships are also called feelings. Feelings are stable emotional experiences associated with a certain object or category of objects that have a special meaning for a person. Feelings in a broad sense can be associated with various objects or actions, for example, you may not like a given cat or cats in general, you may or may not like doing morning exercises, etc. Some authors suggest that only stable emotional relationships with people be called feelings. Feelings differ from emotional reactions and emotional states in duration - they can last for years, and sometimes for a lifetime, for example, feelings of love or hate. Unlike states, feelings are objective - they are always associated with an object or an action with it.

Emotionality. Emotionality is understood as the stable individual characteristics of the emotional sphere of a given person. V.D. Nebylitsyn suggested taking into account three components when describing emotionality: emotional impressionability, emotional lability, and impulsivity.

Emotional impressionability is a person's sensitivity to emotional situations, i.e. situations that can evoke emotions. Since different people are dominated by different needs, each person has their own situations that can evoke emotions. At the same time, there are certain characteristics of the situation that make them emotional for all people. These are: unusualness, novelty and suddenness (P. Fress). Unusualness differs from novelty in that there are types of stimuli that will always be new for the subject, because there are no "good answers" for them, these are loud noise, loss of support, darkness, loneliness, images of the imagination, as well as connections between the familiar and the unfamiliar ... There are individual differences in the degree of sensitivity to emotiogenic situations common to all, as well as in the number of individual emotiogenic situations.

Emotional lability is characterized by the speed of transition from one emotional state to another. People differ from each other in how often and how quickly their state changes - in some people, for example, the mood is usually stable and little dependent on small current events, in others, with high emotional lability, it changes for the slightest reasons several times in day.

Impulsiveness is determined by the speed with which emotion becomes the motivating force of actions and actions without first thinking about them. This personality quality is also called self-control. There are two different self-control mechanisms - external control and internal. With external control, not the emotions themselves are controlled, but only their external expression, emotions are present, but they are restrained, a person "pretends" that he does not feel emotions. Internal control is associated with such a hierarchical distribution of needs in which the lower needs are subordinated to the higher ones, therefore, being in such a subordinate position, in appropriate situations they simply cannot cause uncontrollable emotions. An example of internal control can be a person's passion for work, when he does not notice hunger for a long time (“forgets” to eat) and therefore remains indifferent to the type of food.

In the psychological literature, it is also common to divide the emotional states that a person experiences into actual emotions, feelings and affects.

Emotions and feelings are personal formations that characterize a person socially and psychologically; associated with short-term and operational memory.

Affect is a short-term, rapidly flowing state of strong emotional excitement, resulting from frustration or any other reason that strongly affects the psyche, usually associated with the dissatisfaction of very important needs for a person. Affect does not precede behavior, but forms at one of its final stages. Unlike emotions and feelings, affects proceed violently, quickly, accompanied by pronounced organic changes and motor reactions. Affects are capable of leaving strong and lasting traces in long-term memory. Emotional tension accumulated as a result of the occurrence of afetogenic situations can be summed up and sooner or later, if it is not given a way out in time, lead to a strong and violent emotional discharge, which, by relieving tension, often entails a feeling of fatigue, depression, depression.

One of the most common types of affect today is stress - a state of mental (emotional) and behavioral disorder associated with a person's inability to act expediently and reasonably in a given situation. Stress is a state of excessively strong and prolonged psychological stress that occurs in a person when his nervous system gets emotional overload. Stresses are the main "risk factors" for the manifestation and exacerbation of cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases.

Thus, each of the described types of emotions within itself has subspecies, which, in turn, can be assessed according to different parameters - intensity, duration, depth, awareness, origin, conditions of occurrence and disappearance, impact on the body, dynamics of development, orientation (towards oneself , on others, on the world, on the past, present or future), according to the way they are expressed in external behavior (expression) and on the neurophysiological basis.

The role of emotions in human life

For a person, the main meaning of emotions is that, thanks to emotions, we better understand those around us, we can, without using speech, judge each other's state and better tune in to joint activities and communication.

Life without emotions is as impossible as without sensations. Emotions, according to Charles Darwin, arose in the process of evolution as a means by which living beings establish the significance of certain conditions for satisfying their actual needs. Emotional and expressive movements of a person - facial expressions, gestures, pantomime - perform the function of communication, i.e. communicating information to a person about the state of the speaker and his attitude to what is happening at the moment, as well as the function of influence - to exert a certain influence on the one who is the subject of perception of emotional and expressive movements.

Remarkable, for example, is the fact that people belonging to different cultures are able to accurately perceive and evaluate the expression of a human face, to determine by it such emotional states, such as, for example, joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise. This fact not only convincingly proves the innate nature of basic emotions, but also “the presence of a genetically determined ability to understand them in living beings”. This refers to the communication of living beings not only of one species with each other, but also of different species among themselves. It is well known that higher animals and humans are capable of perceiving and evaluating each other's emotional states by facial expressions.

Not all emotionally expressive expressions are innate. Some of them have been found to be acquired in life as a result of training and education.

Life without emotions is as impossible as without sensations. Emotions, according to Charles Darwin, arose in the process of evolution as a means by which living beings establish the significance of certain conditions for satisfying their actual needs.

In higher animals, and especially in humans, expressive movements have become a subtly differentiated language, with the help of which living beings exchange information about their states and about what is happening around. These are the expressive and communicative functions of emotions. They are also the most important factor in the regulation of cognitive processes.

Emotions act as an internal language, as a system of signals through which the subject learns about the need value of what is happening. “The peculiarity of emotions is that they directly deny the relationship between motivation and implementation, which responds to these motives of activity. Emotions in human activity perform the function of assessing its progress and results. They organize the activity, stimulating and directing it ”.

In critical conditions, with the inability of the subject to find a quick and reasonable way out of a dangerous situation, a special type of emotional processes arises - affect. One of the essential manifestations of affect is that, as V.K. Vilyunas, "imposing stereotypical actions on the subject, represents a certain way of" emergency "resolution of situations fixed in evolution: flight, torpor, aggression, etc." ...

The prominent Russian psychologist P.K. Anokhin. He wrote: “By making an almost instantaneous integration (unification into a single whole) of all functions of the body, emotions in themselves and in the first place can be an absolute signal of a beneficial or harmful effect on the body, often even earlier than the localization of impacts and a specific mechanism of response are determined. organism ".

Due to the timely emergence of emotion, the body has the ability to extremely advantageously adapt to the surrounding conditions. He is able to quickly, with great speed react to external influences, not yet defining its type, shape, and other particular specific parameters.

Emotional sensations biologically, in the process of evolution, have become entrenched as a peculiar way of maintaining the life process in its optimal boundaries and warn of the destructive nature of a lack or excess of any factors.

The more complex a living being is organized, the higher step on the evolutionary ladder it occupies, the richer the range of emotional states that an individual is able to experience. The quantity and quality of a person's needs corresponds to the number and variety of emotional experiences and feelings characteristic of him, moreover, “the higher the need in terms of its social and moral significance, the more sublime the feeling associated with it”.

The most ancient in origin, the simplest and most common form of emotional experiences among living beings is the pleasure obtained from satisfying organic needs, and the displeasure associated with the inability to do this when the corresponding need is aggravated.

Almost all elementary organic sensations have their own emotional tone. The close connection that exists between emotions and the activity of the body is evidenced by the fact that any emotional state is accompanied by many physiological changes in the body. (In this paper, we partially try to trace this dependence.)

The closer to the central nervous system the source of organic changes associated with emotions is located, and the fewer sensory nerve endings in it, the weaker the resulting subjective emotional experience. In addition, an artificial decrease in organic sensitivity leads to a weakening of the strength of emotional experiences.

The main emotional states that a person experiences are divided into actual emotions, feelings and affects. Emotions and feelings anticipate the process aimed at satisfying the need, are, as it were, at the beginning of it. Emotions and feelings express the meaning of the situation for a person from the point of view of the current need at the moment, the meaning for its satisfaction of the forthcoming action or activity. “Emotions,” A.O. Prokhorov, - can be caused by both real and imaginary situations. They, like feelings, are perceived by a person as his own inner experiences, transmitted to other people, empathized ”.

Emotions are relatively weakly manifested in external behavior, sometimes from the outside they are generally invisible to an outsider, if a person knows how to hide his feelings well. They, accompanying this or that behavioral act, are not even always realized, although all behavior is associated with emotions, since it is aimed at satisfying a need. A person's emotional experience is usually much broader than the experience of his individual experiences. Human feelings, on the other hand, are outwardly very noticeable.

Feelings, on the other hand, are objective in nature, are associated with a representation or idea of ​​some object. Another feature of feelings is that they improve and, developing, form a number of levels, ranging from direct feelings and ending with your feelings related to spiritual values ​​and ideals. Feelings perform a motivating role in the life and activities of a person, in his communication with people around him. In relation to the world around him, a person seeks to act in such a way as to strengthen and strengthen his positive feelings. They are always associated with the work of consciousness, they can be arbitrarily regulated.

Any emotional state is accompanied by numerous physiological changes in the body. Throughout the history of the development of this area of ​​psychological knowledge, attempts have been made more than once to associate physiological changes in the body with certain emotions and to show that the complexes of organic signs accompanying various emotional processes are indeed different.

The desire to find the root cause of emotional states has led to the emergence of various points of view, which are reflected in the relevant theories.

In 1872, Charles Darwin published the book "Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals", which was a turning point in understanding the relationship between biological and psychological phenomena, in particular, the body and emotions. It was proved that the evolutionary principle is applicable not only to biophysical, but also to the psychological and behavioral development of living things, that there is no impassable abyss between the behavior of an animal and a person. Darwin showed that in the external expression of various emotional states, in expressive bodily movements, anthropoids and children born blind have much in common. These observations formed the basis of the theory of emotions, which is called evolutionary. According to this theory, emotions appeared in the process of evolution of living beings as vital adaptive mechanisms that contribute to the adaptation of the organism to the conditions and situations of its life. The bodily changes accompanying various emotional states, in particular those associated with the corresponding emotions of movement, according to Darwin, are nothing more than rudiments of real adaptive reactions of the organism.

The modern history of emotions begins with the James-Lange theory, according to which organic (physical, bodily) changes are the root causes of emotions.

The obligatory involvement of bodily reactions in emotional experiences served as the basis for the formulation of the theory of emotions by W. James, an outstanding American psychologist, according to which subjectively experienced emotions are nothing more than the experience of bodily changes occurring in the body in response to the perception of a fact. ...

Reflecting in the human psyche through a system of feedbacks, they generate an emotional experience of the corresponding modality.According to this point of view, first, under the influence of external stimuli, changes in the body characteristic of emotions occur, and only then, as a consequence, the emotion itself arises. Thus, peripheral organic changes, which before the advent of the James-Lange theory, were considered as consequences of emotions, became their root cause.

As proof, James invites us to imagine some kind of emotion and mentally subtract all sensations of bodily organs from the entire complex of experiences. As a result, we will see that nothing will remain of the emotion. Figuratively, this dependence, according to James, can be expressed by the formula: "We cry not because we are sad, but we are sad because we cry."

An alternative point of view on the relationship between organic and emotional processes was proposed by W. Cannon. He was one of the first to note the fact that the bodily changes observed during the emergence of different emotional states are very similar to each other and in terms of diversity are insufficient to fully explain the qualitative differences in the highest emotional experiences of a person. Internal organs, with changes in the states of which James and Lange associated the emergence of emotional states, in addition, are rather insensitive structures that very slowly come to a state of excitement. Emotions, on the other hand, usually arise and develop rather quickly.

Kennon's strongest counter-argument to the James – Lange theory was the following: artificially induced cessation of the flow of organic signals to the brain does not prevent the emergence of emotions. Cannon's positions were developed by P. Bard, who showed that in fact both bodily changes and emotional experiences associated with them occur almost simultaneously.

In later studies, it was found that of all the structures of the brain, emotion itself is most functionally connected not even with the thalamus itself, but with the hypothalamus and the central parts of the limbic system. In experiments carried out on animals, it was found that electrical influences on these structures can be used to control emotional states, such as anger, fear (J. Delgado).

The psychoorganic theory of emotions (this is how we can conditionally call the concepts of James-Lange and Kennon-Bard) was further developed under the influence of electrophysiological studies of the brain. On its basis, the Lindsay – Hebb activation theory arose. According to this theory, emotional states are determined by the influence of the reticular formation of the lower part of the brain stem. Emotions arise as a result of disturbance and restoration of balance in the corresponding structures of the central nervous system. The activation theory is based on the following basic principles:

The electroencephalographic picture of the brain, arising from emotions, is an expression of the so-called "activation complex" associated with the activity of the reticular formation.

The work of the reticular formation determines many dynamic parameters of emotional states: their strength, duration, variability, and a number of others.

Following the theories explaining the relationship between emotional and organic processes, there were theories describing the influence of emotions on the psyche and human behavior. Emotions, as it turned out, regulate activity, revealing a quite definite influence on it, depending on the nature and intensity of emotional experience. BEFORE. Hebb was able to experimentally obtain a curve expressing the relationship between the level of emotional arousal of a person and the success of his practical activity.

To achieve the highest result in activity, both too weak and very strong emotional excitement are undesirable. For each person (and for all people in general) there is an optimum of emotional excitability, which ensures maximum efficiency in work. The optimal level of emotional arousal, in turn, depends on many factors: on the characteristics of my activity, on the conditions in which it takes place, on the individuality of the person included in it, and on many other things. Too weak emotional excitement does not provide the proper motivation for the activity, and too strong it destroys it, disorganizes and makes it practically uncontrollable.

In a person, in the dynamics of emotional processes and states, cognitive-psychological factors play no less role than organic and physical influences (cognitive means related to knowledge). In this regard, new concepts have been proposed that explain human emotions by the dynamic features of cognitive processes.

One of the first such theories was L. Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance. According to her, a positive emotional experience arises in a person when his expectations are confirmed, and cognitive ideas are embodied in life, i.e. when the actual results of activities correspond to the intended ones, are consistent with them, or, which is the same, are in consonance. Negative emotions arise and intensify when there is a discrepancy, inconsistency or dissonance between the expected and actual results of the activity.

Subjectively, the state of cognitive dissonance is usually experienced by a person as discomfort, and he seeks to get rid of it as soon as possible. The way out of the state of cognitive dissonance can be twofold: either change cognitive expectations and plans in such a way that they correspond to the actually obtained result, or try to get a new result that would be consistent with previous expectations. In modern psychology, the theory of cognitive dissonance is often used to explain the actions of a person, his actions in various social situations. Emotions are considered as the main motive of the corresponding actions and deeds. The underlying cognitive factors are given a much greater role in the determination of human behavior than organic changes.

The dominant cognitive orientation of modern psychological research has led to the fact that conscious assessments that a person gives to situations have also come to be considered as zmocyogenic factors. It is believed that such assessments directly affect the nature of the emotional experience.

S. Schechter contributed to what was said about the conditions and factors of the emergence of emotions and their dynamics by W. James, K. Lange, W. Kennon, P. Bard, D. Hebb and L. Festinger. He showed that a person's memory and motivation make a significant contribution to emotional processes. The concept of emotions, proposed by S. Shekhter, was called cognitive-physiological.

According to this theory, in addition to the perceived stimuli and the bodily changes generated by them, a person's past experience and his assessment of the current situation from the point of view of interests and needs that are relevant to him, affect the emerging emotional state. An indirect confirmation of the validity of the cognitive theory of emotions is the influence on a person's experience of verbal instructions, as well as that additional emotiogenic information that is intended to change a person's assessment of the situation that has arisen.

In one experiment aimed at proving the stated provisions of the cognitive theory of emotions, people were given a physiologically neutral solution as a "medicine", accompanied by various instructions. In one case, they were told that this "medicine" should cause them a state of euphoria, in the other - a state of anger. After taking the appropriate "medicine", the subjects after a while, when it was supposed to start acting according to the instructions, were asked what they felt. It turned out that the emotional experiences they talked about corresponded to those expected according to the instructions given to them.

It was also shown that the nature and intensity of a person's emotional experiences in a given situation depend on how others, nearby people, experience them. This means that emotional states can be transmitted from person to person, and in humans, unlike animals, the quality of communicated emotional experiences depends on his personal attitude towards the one with whom he empathizes.

Domestic physiologist P.V. Simonov tried in a brief symbolic form to present his totality of factors influencing the emergence and nature of emotion. He proposed the following formula for this:

E = F (P, (In-Is, ...)),

where E - emotion, its strength and quality; / 7 - the size and specificity of the actual need; (In - Is) - an assessment of the likelihood (possibility) of satisfying a given need on the basis of innate and lifetime acquired experience; Information about the means that are predictively necessary to meet the existing need; Is - information about the means that a person has at a given moment in time. According to the formula proposed by P.V. Simonov (his concept can also be classified as cognitive and has a special name - informational), the strength and quality of a person's emotion are ultimately determined by the strength of a need and an assessment of the ability to satisfy it in the current situation.

The leading role in the regulation of emotional states is played by the cerebral cortex. I.P. Pavlov showed that it is the cortex that regulates the flow and expression of emotions, keeps under its control all the phenomena occurring in the body, has an inhibitory effect on the subcortical centers, and controls them. The second signaling system plays an essential role in a person's emotional experiences, since experiences arise not only under direct influences of the external environment, but can also be caused by words and thoughts.

The author of the course work shares the concept of the dual nature of emotions. Physiological changes are one of two components of emotions, and the component is very nonspecific. A number of physiological reactions are manifested both with positive and negative emotions, for example, the heart can beat not only from fear, but also from joy, the same is true with respect to the frequency of breathing and many other reactions. The specificity of emotions is given by the subjective coloring of experiences, thanks to which we never confuse fear with joy, despite the similarity of some of the accompanying physiological reactions. Subjective experience of emotion, i.e. its qualitative feature is called the modality of emotion. The modality of emotions is the subjectively experienced fear, joy, surprise, annoyance, anger, despair, delight, love, hate, etc.

Thus, according to the authors of the textbook, each emotion consists of two components - impressive, characterized by the experience of the subjective uniqueness of this emotion, and expressive - involuntary reactions of the body, which include the reactions of internal organs and systems, undifferentiated muscle reactions (tremors, increased tone ), as well as the so-called expressive movements, which, among other things, have a communicative, signaling character (shouting, facial expressions, posture, voice intonation).

1.3 Emotional states

As mentioned above, the main emotional states that a person experiences are divided into: actually emotions, feelings and affects.

Emotions and feelings anticipate a process aimed at satisfying a need, have an ideational character and are, as it were, at the beginning of it. Emotions usually follow the actualization of the motive and before the rational assessment of the adequacy of the subject's activity to it. They are a direct reflection, an experience of the existing relations, and not their reflection. Emotions are capable of anticipating situations and events that have not really occurred yet, and arise in connection with the idea of ​​previously experienced or imagined situations.

Feelings, on the other hand, are objective in nature, are associated with a representation or idea of ​​some object. Another feature of feelings is that they improve and, developing, form a number of levels, ranging from direct feelings and ending with higher feelings related to spiritual values ​​and ideals. Feelings are historical. In the individual development of a person, feelings play an important role. They act as a significant factor in the formation of the personality, especially its motivational sphere. On the basis of positive emotional experiences such as feelings, the needs and interests of a person appear and are consolidated. Feelings perform a motivating role in the life and activities of a person, in his communication with people around him.

Affects are especially pronounced emotional states, accompanied by visible changes in the behavior of the person who is experiencing them. Affect does not precede behavior, but is, as it were, shifted to its end. This is a reaction that arises as a result of an already committed action or deed and expresses a subjective emotional coloring from the point of view of the extent to which, as a result of the commission of this act, it was possible to achieve the set goal, to satisfy the need that stimulated it. Affects contribute to the formation of so-called affective complexes in perception, which express the integrity of the perception of certain situations. The development of affect obeys the following law: the stronger is the initial motivational stimulus of behavior, and the more efforts had to be spent on it, the less the result obtained as a result of all this, the stronger the affect arising. Unlike emotions and feelings, affects proceed violently, quickly, accompanied by pronounced organic changes and motor reactions. Affects are capable of leaving strong and lasting traces in long-term memory.

Emotional tension accumulated as a result of the occurrence of affectogenic situations can add up and sooner or later, if it is not given a way out in time, lead to a strong and violent emotional discharge, which, by relieving tension, often entails a feeling of fatigue, depression, depression.

Stress is a state of excessively strong and prolonged psychological stress that occurs in a person when his nervous system gets emotional overload. Stress disorganizes human activity, disrupts the normal course of his behavior. Stresses, especially if they are frequent and prolonged, have a negative effect not only on the psychological state, but also on the physical health of a person. They represent the main “risk factors” for the onset and exacerbation of diseases such as cardiovascular and gastrointestinal tract diseases.

Passion is another type of complex, qualitatively unique emotional states that are found only in humans. Passion is a fusion of emotions, motives and feelings centered around a particular activity or object. Passion is a great power, which is why it is so important where it is directed. Passion infatuation can come from unconscious bodily impulses, and it can be imbued with the greatest consciousness and ideology. Passion means, in essence, an impulse, enthusiasm, orientation of all aspirations and forces of the individual in a single direction, their concentration on a single goal. Precisely because passion collects, absorbs and throws all forces on one thing, it can be harmful and even fatal, but this is precisely why it can be great. Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without great passion.

Speaking about different types of emotional formations and states, you need to highlight the mood. Mood is understood as the general emotional state of a person, which is expressed in the “structure” of all its manifestations. Two main features characterize mood in contrast to other emotional formations. Emotions, feelings are associated with some object and are directed at it: we are happy about something, we are upset about something, we are worried about something; but when a person is in a joyful mood, he is not just happy about something, but he is joyful - sometimes, especially in his youth, so that everything in the world seems to be joyful and beautiful. The mood is not objective, but personal - it is, firstly, and, secondly, it is not a special experience, timed to some particular event, but a diffuse general state.

Mood is closely related to how vitally important relationships develop for a person with others and with the course of his own activity. Manifesting in the "structure" of this activity, woven into effective relationships with others, the mood is also formed in it. At the same time, the essential for the mood, of course, is not in itself the objective course of events, regardless of the attitude of the person towards it, but also how a person evaluates what is happening and relates to it. Therefore, a person's mood significantly depends on his individual characterological characteristics, in particular on how he relates to difficulties - whether he is inclined to overestimate and lose heart, easily demobilizing, or in the face of difficulties, without indulging in carelessness, he knows how to maintain confidence in that will cope with them.

Emotions affect the body and mind of a person, they affect almost all aspects of his existence. In a person experiencing an emotion, a change in the electrical activity of the facial muscles can be recorded. Some changes are also observed in the electrical activity of the brain, in the functioning of the circulatory respiratory systems. The pulse of an angry or frightened person can be 40-60 beats per minute higher than normal. Such drastic changes in somatic parameters when a person experiences a strong emotion indicate that almost all neurophysiological and somatic systems of the body are involved in this process. These changes inevitably affect the perception, thinking and behavior of the individual, and in extreme cases can lead to somatic mental disorders. Emotion activates the autonomic nervous system, which in turn affects the endocrine and neuro-humoral systems. Mind and body require action. If, for one reason or another, adequate behavior of emotions is impossible for an individual, he is threatened with psychosomatic disorders. But it is not at all necessary to go through a psychosomatic crisis in order to feel how powerful emotions have an effect on almost all somatic and physiological functions of the body. Whatever the emotion experienced by a person - powerful or barely expressed - it always causes physiological changes in his body, and these changes are sometimes so serious that they cannot be ignored. Of course, with smoothed, indistinct emotions, somatic changes are not so pronounced - without reaching the threshold of awareness, they often go unnoticed. But one should not underestimate the importance of such unaccountable, subthreshold processes for the body. Somatic reactions to a mild emotion are not as intense as a violent reaction to a vivid emotional experience, but the duration of exposure to a subthreshold emotion can be very long. What we call "mood" is usually shaped by these very emotions. Prolonged negative emotion, even of moderate intensity, can be extremely dangerous and, in the end, even fraught with physical or mental distress. Research in neurophysiology suggests that emotions and mood affect the immune system and reduce resistance to disease. If you experience anger, anxiety or depression for a long time - even if these emotions are mild - then you are more likely to get sick with acute respiratory infections, flu, or catch an intestinal infection. The influence of emotions on a person is generalized, but each emotion affects him in its own way. Experiencing an emotion changes the level of electrical activity in the brain, dictates which muscles of the face and body should be tense or relaxed, and controls the endocrine, circulatory and respiratory systems of the body.

Elimination of unwanted emotional states

K. Izard notes three ways to eliminate an undesirable emotional state:

1) through another emotion;

2) cognitive regulation;

3) motor regulation.

The first method of regulation involves a conscious effort aimed at activating another emotion, the opposite of the one that the person is experiencing and wants to eliminate. The second way involves using attention and thinking to suppress or control unwanted emotions. This is the switching of consciousness to events and activities that arouse interest in a person, positive emotional experiences. The third method involves the use of physical activity as a channel of discharge of the arisen emotional stress.

Private ways of regulating the emotional state (for example, the use of breathing exercises, mental regulation, the use of "defense mechanisms", changing the direction of consciousness) basically fit into the three global ways noted by Izard.

Currently, many different methods of self-regulation have been developed: relaxation training, autogenous training, desensitization, reactive relaxation, meditation, etc.

Mental regulation is associated either with external influence (another person, music, color, natural landscape), or with self-regulation.

In both cases, the most common is the method developed in 1932 by the German psychiatrist I. Schultz (1966) and called "autogenous training". Currently, many of its modifications have appeared (Alekseev, 1978; Vyatkin, 1981; Gorbunov, 1976; Marishchuk, Khvoinov, 1969; Chernikova, Dashkevich, 1968, 1971, etc.).

Along with autogenous training, another system of self-regulation is known - “progressive relaxation” (muscle relaxation). When developing this method, E. Jacobson proceeded from the fact that skeletal muscle tension is observed with many emotions. Hence, in accordance with the theory of James-Lange, to relieve emotional tension (anxiety, fear), he suggests relaxing the muscles. Recommendations to depict a smile on the face in case of negative experiences and to activate a sense of humor correspond to this method. Overestimation of the significance of the event, relaxation of muscles after a person has laughed, and normalization of the heart - these are the components of the positive impact of laughter on the emotional state of a person.

A.V. Alekseev (1978) created a new technique called "psycho-regulatory training", which differs from autogenous in that it does not use the suggestion of "feeling of heaviness" in various parts of the body, and also in that it contains not only calming, but also exciting part. It includes some elements from the techniques of E. Jacobson and L. Percival. The psychological basis of this method is the dispassionate concentration of attention on the images and sensations associated with the relaxation of skeletal muscles.

Change in the direction of consciousness. The options for this method of self-regulation are varied.

Disconnection (distraction) consists in the ability to think about anything other than emotional circumstances. Disconnection requires volitional efforts, with the help of which a person tries to focus on the representation of extraneous objects and situations. Distraction was also used in Russian medical conspiracies as a way to eliminate negative emotions (Sventsitskaya, 1999).

Switching is associated with the focus of consciousness on some interesting business (reading a fascinating book, watching a movie, etc.) or on the business side of the upcoming activity. As A. Ts.Puni and F.A. Grebaus write, switching attention from painful thoughts to the business side of even upcoming activities, comprehending difficulties through their analysis, clarifying instructions and tasks, mentally repeating upcoming actions, focusing on the technical details of the task, tactical receptions, and not on the significance of the result, gives a better effect than distraction from the upcoming activity.

Reducing the significance of the upcoming activity or the result obtained is carried out by giving the event a lesser value or generally reassessing the significance of the situation according to the type of "I didn't really want to", "the main thing in life is not this, you should not treat what happened as a catastrophe", "failures already were, and now I treat them differently, ”and so on. This is how L.N. Tolstoy describes in Anna Karenina the use of Levin's last trick: “Even at first, upon returning from Moscow, when Levin shuddered and blushed every time, remembering the shame of refusal, he said to himself: 'I blushed and shuddered just as I considered everything dead, when I received a first in physics and stayed in my second year; I also considered myself lost after ruining my sister’s work entrusted to me. And what? Now that the years have passed, I remember and wonder how it could upset me. So it will be and with this grief. Time will pass, and I will be indifferent to this. "

The following methods help to relieve emotional stress.

Obtaining additional information that removes the uncertainty of the situation.

Development of a fallback strategy for achieving a goal in case of failure (for example, if I do not go to this institute, then I will go to another).

Postponement for the time of achieving the goal in the event of realizing the impossibility of doing this with the available knowledge, means, etc.

Physical relaxation (as IP Pavlov said, you need to "drive passion into the muscles"); since with a strong emotional experience the body gives a mobilization reaction for intensive muscular work, it is necessary to give it this work. To do this, you can take a long walk, do some useful physical work, etc. Sometimes such a release occurs in a person as if by itself: with extreme excitement, he rushes around the room, sorting through things, tearing something, etc. Tic (involuntary contraction of the facial muscles), which occurs in many at the time of excitement, is also a reflex form of motor discharge of emotional stress.

Listening to music.

Writing a letter, writing in a diary describing the situation and the reasons that caused the emotional stress. It is recommended to divide a sheet of paper into two columns.

Use of protective mechanisms. Unwanted emotions can be overcome or reduced through strategies called defense mechanisms. 3. Freud identified several such defenses.

Leaving is the physical or mental escape from an overly difficult situation. In young children, this is the most common defense mechanism.

Identification is the process of appropriating the attitudes and views of other people. A person adopts the attitudes of people who are powerful in his eyes and, becoming like them, less feels his helplessness, which leads to a decrease in anxiety.

Projection is attributing your own antisocial thoughts and actions to someone else: "He did it, not me." In essence, this is a shift of responsibility onto another.

Displacement is the substitution of someone or something for the real source of anger or fear. A typical example of such protection is indirect physical aggression (removal of evil, annoyance at an object that has nothing to do with the situation that caused these emotions).

Denial is a refusal to admit that a situation or event is taking place. The mother refuses to believe that her son was killed in the war, the child, at the death of his beloved pet, pretends that he still lives and sleeps with them at night. This type of protection is more common in young children.

Repression is an extreme form of denial, an unconscious act of erasing in memory a frightening or unpleasant event that causes anxiety, negative experiences.

Regression is a return to more ontogenetically earlier, primitive forms of response to an emotiogenic situation.

Reactive education - behavior that is opposite to the existing thoughts and desires, causing anxiety, in order to disguise them. Typical for more mature children, as well as adults. For example, wanting to hide his love, a person will show unfriendliness towards the object of adoration, and adolescents - and aggressiveness.

Persistent attempts to influence a very agitated person to calm him down with the help of persuasion, persuasion, suggestion, as a rule, are not successful due to the fact that from all the information that is communicated to the agitated person, he chooses, perceives and takes into account only what corresponds to him emotional state. Moreover, an emotionally agitated person may be offended, believing that he is not understood. It is better to let such a person speak out and even cry. “A tear always washes away something and brings consolation,” wrote V. Hugo.

The use of breathing exercises, according to V.L. Marishchuk (1967), R. Demeter (1969), O. A. Chernikova (1980) and other psychologists and physiologists, is the most accessible way of regulating emotional arousal. Various methods are applied. R. Demeter used pause breathing:

1) without a pause: normal breathing - inhale, exhale;

2) pause after inhalation: inhale, pause (two seconds), exhale;

3) pause after exhalation: inhale, exhale, pause;

4) pause after inhalation and exhalation: inhale, pause, exhale, pause;

5) half-inhale, pause, half-inhale and exhale;

6) inhale, half exhale, pause, half exhale;

7) half inhale, pause, half inhale, half exhale, pause, half exhale.

Inhale through the nose - exhale through the nose;

Inhale through the nose - exhale through the mouth;

Inhale through the mouth - exhale through the mouth;

Inhale through the mouth - exhale through the nose.

The effect may be small at first. As you repeat the exercises, the benefits increase, but they should not be overused.

Canadian scientist L. Percival proposed the use of breathing exercises in combination with muscle tension and relaxation. Holding your breath against the background of muscle tension, and then breathing out calmly, accompanied by muscle relaxation, can relieve excessive excitement.

Conclusion

During the preparation of the course work, the following tasks were solved:

1. The concept of emotions, their types and role in human life is revealed.

2. A review of psychological theories on the problem of emotions is carried out.

3. The characteristics of the main emotional states are described.

4. The ways of eliminating negative emotional states are given.

Emotions are elementary experiences that arise in a person under the influence of the general state of the body and the course of the process of satisfying urgent needs.

Depending on the duration, intensity, objectivity or uncertainty, as well as the quality of emotions, all emotions are divided into emotional reactions, emotional states and emotional relationships.

Emotional states are characterized by a longer duration, which can be measured in hours and days. By their modality, emotional states can be presented in the form of irritability, anxiety, complacency, various shades of mood - from depressive states to a state of euphoria. In the psychological literature, it is also common to divide the emotional states that a person experiences into actual emotions, feelings and affects.

The desire to find the root cause of emotional states has led to the emergence of various points of view, which are reflected in the corresponding psychological theories.

Ways to eliminate unwanted emotional state:

1. Mental regulation

2. Change in the direction of consciousness (Disconnection, switching, decreasing the significance of the forthcoming activity or the result obtained).

5. Use of protective mechanisms (care, identification, projection, displacement);

6. Breathing exercises.

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