Image (psychology)

In psychology, the term image denotes the inner image or mental image . It consists of a combination of new and already stored sensory impressions to form a holistic idea . This is not only visual , but also contains auditory , tactile , kinesthetic and mostly emotional parts.

Advertising

In advertising , one speaks of a positive image when the majority of the respondents have a positive image of a certain product or company.

Visual perception

The visual perception consists of an integration of new sensory impressions into existing concepts .

Dream images and imaginations

Dream images are visual inner images that run through unconscious control during sleep and, like hallucinations, have a reality character.

Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) describes the fantasy pictures as similar pictures . ^(a) The concept of phantasy he understood poetically is similar to that of phantasm in French literature. In contrast to dream images, these images never have a real character and, as such phantasy images, are always differentiated from sensual perceptions as “inner images”. If there is a match or similarity with unconscious mythological motifs of the collective psyche , Jung speaks of primeval images. ^(b) Archetypes are a special case of such primeval images. - Nevertheless, the conscious sensory perceptions also have psychological significance as the starting point for “inner reality”. This differentiates itself to the extent that a certain " sense " is assigned to the merely sensory perceptions . This differentiates these perceptions from overly concrete impressions or sensations . ^(c) Primordial images are thus an expression of the current psychological overall situation and not just - or predominantly - the unconscious content per se. ^(d) They represent the connection to consciousness . There is a reciprocal relationship between unconscious and conscious materials. Original images are the preliminary stage of ideas . ^(e) If the originally pictorial idea gains too strong a mental form and is thus largely shaped by thinking, the counter-function, the feeling, is affected and activated. However, if this feeling is undifferentiated, the primitive image turns into a symbol . ^(f) Jung mentions the soul images , ^(g) and the imagines ^(h) as further largely psychologically effective images .

Eye movements (Hunziker, 2006, after R. Johansson)

When asked to imagine something specific, inner images can be generated that are accompanied by eye movements similar to those used in visual perception . Corresponding eye movements ( Rapid Eye Movements ) have also been determined during sleep using electroencephalography . They have relationships with the dream phase of sleep.

example

The adjacent picture sequence shows the eye movements on a blank canvas that took place when the test person was asked to imagine something according to the respective text.

literature

Hans-Werner Hunziker : In the eye of the reader. Foveal and peripheral perception: from spelling to reading pleasure . Transmedia, Stäubli Verlag, Zurich 2006, ISBN 3-7266-0068-X ( limited preview in Google book search).
Kenneth Holmqvist, Jana Holsanova, Roger Johansson: What Do Eye Movements Reveal about Mental Imagery? What Do Eye Movements Reveal about Mental Imagery? Evidence from Visual and Verbal Elicitations. In: Proceedings of the Cognitive Science Society. Volume 27, No. 27, 2005, ISSN 1047-1316 , pp. 1054-1059, here: p. 1057, Fig. 3 ( PDF; 348 kB ).

Individual evidence

↑ Sigmund Freud : The Interpretation of Dreams [1900]. In: Collected Works. Volume II / III. S. Fischer, Frankfurt / M. 1999, ISBN 3-596-50300-0 , pp. 35, 51 f., 329, 684.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Carl Gustav Jung : Psychological Types (= Collected Works. Volume 6). Walter, Solothurn / Düsseldorf 1995, ISBN 3-530-40081-5 :
(a) p. 444 § 688 on tax “fantasy picture”;
(b) p. 445 f. §§ 688, 691 f. to Stw. "primitive picture";
(c) p. 447, § 694 to Stw. “Binding to a specific meaning”;
(d) p. 445 § 690 on tax “overall psychological situation”;
(e) p. 448 § 695 on tax “idea”;
(f) p. 448 § 696 on tax “symbol”;
(g) p. 502 ff. §§ 810–813 on tax “soul image”;
(h) p. 29 f., 191, 507 §§ 46, 305, 817 on tax "Imago".
^ Walter Christian: Clinical electroencephalography. Textbook and atlas. Georg Thieme, Stuttgart ² 1977, ISBN 3-13-440202-5 , pp. 34, 39 on the "REM" (with illus.).
↑ Hans-Werner Hunziker: In the eye of the reader. Foveal and peripheral perception: from spelling to reading pleasure . Transmedia, Stäubli Verlag, Zurich 2006, ISBN 3-7266-0068-X .

Remarks

↑ For the reconstruction, documents from Roger Johansson et al. a. (2005, 2006) and a video personally provided by Johansson. The numbered points of the eye movements are not individual points of view here, but rather groups of points of view .

[TRADG-1] Sigmund Freud : The Interpretation of Dreams [1900]. In: Collected Works. Volume II / III. S. Fischer, Frankfurt / M. 1999, ISBN 3-596-50300-0 , pp. 35, 51 f., 329, 684.

[JGW6-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Carl Gustav Jung : Psychological Types (= Collected Works. Volume 6). Walter, Solothurn / Düsseldorf 1995, ISBN 3-530-40081-5 :
(a) p. 444 § 688 on tax “fantasy picture”;
(b) p. 445 f. §§ 688, 691 f. to Stw. "primitive picture";
(c) p. 447, § 694 to Stw. “Binding to a specific meaning”;
(d) p. 445 § 690 on tax “overall psychological situation”;
(e) p. 448 § 695 on tax “idea”;
(f) p. 448 § 696 on tax “symbol”;
(g) p. 502 ff. §§ 810–813 on tax “soul image”;
(h) p. 29 f., 191, 507 §§ 46, 305, 817 on tax "Imago".

[KEE-3] Walter Christian: Clinical electroencephalography. Textbook and atlas. Georg Thieme, Stuttgart ² 1977, ISBN 3-13-440202-5 , pp. 34, 39 on the "REM" (with illus.).

[5] Hans-Werner Hunziker: In the eye of the reader. Foveal and peripheral perception: from spelling to reading pleasure . Transmedia, Stäubli Verlag, Zurich 2006, ISBN 3-7266-0068-X .

[4] For the reconstruction, documents from Roger Johansson et al. a. (2005, 2006) and a video personally provided by Johansson. The numbered points of the eye movements are not individual points of view here, but rather groups of points of view .