Dominant (psychology)

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The term "dominant" ( Latin dominant - dominant) is understood in psychology as a temporarily dominant reflex system that determines the functioning of nerve centers at a given point in time and thus determines a corresponding behavior .

description

The theory of the dominant was published in 1923 by the Russian-Soviet physiologist Alexei Alexejewitsch Uchtomski ( Russian Алексей Алексеевич Ухтомский) (1875–1942) in the article "The dominant as the working principle of the nerve centers". In his view, the nervous system is a dynamic hierarchical functional system. It is under the influence of a constantly changing environment and reacts to change with a functional restructuring. A need is given absolute priority and all available resources are geared towards its satisfaction. In order to perform the corresponding function , the nervous system forms a dominant - a stable focus of excitation (focus of excitation ), to which all other centers are subordinated. According to Uchtomsky, the dominant is a more or less temporarily stable focus of increased excitation of nerve centers. It directs all new excitations that reach the centers on itself and is thereby maintained or intensified, while the rest of the nervous system is inhibited. (The term nerve center was understood to mean a group of nerve cells in the nervous system that controls the fulfillment of a certain function of the organism, e.g. sensory centers, movement centers, etc.) New external conditions cause the change of dominants.

Characteristics of a dominant are: increased excitability, persistence, phenomena such as facilitating , summing and promoting reflexes and ultimately weakening.

Example and reasons

An example of the leading role of the dominant: If you are deeply absorbed in a creative process (musician, scientist, etc.), the stomach sends hunger signals to the brain in vain. These signals do not interrupt the creative process , they even intensify it to the point of oblivion.

The reasons for a dominant can be different, both internal and external: ideas, natural disasters, melodies, fear, sorrow, joy, hate, love, hunger and other natural needs of the body - everything that makes up the spiritual, emotional and physical life of the People.

meaning

Uchtomsky said that the dominants are formed by all nerve centers. The peculiarity of the dominants in the evolutionarily younger parts of the brain is that they are the physiological basis of attention and objective thinking . They determine the direction of activity and thereby also the behavior and psychological processes of the organism.

The dominant theory integrated ideas and observations from other scientists, including Vladimir Bechterew , Ivan Setschenow and Ivan Pavlov, and played an essential role in the further development of the human sciences . It “... gives the ... activity of the nervous system as a whole unity and structure - this is what the new physiology has most valuable for psychology,” wrote Lev Vygotsky , one of the founders of the cultural-historical school and the theory of activity , currents in the human sciences . His term "the psychic system" or the term "the functional system" from the co-founder of the above mentioned currents Alexander Lurija is based on the "theory of the dominant".

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wolfgang Jantzen: Cultural historical psychology today. Methodological research on LS Vygotsky . Lehmanns Media, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-86541-680-3 , pp. 220-239 .
  2. ↑ a b c d Uchtomskij, Alexej A .: The dominant as the working principle of the nerve centers. In: Communications from the Luria Society No. 11 (1 & 2), 2004, pp. 25–38.
  3. ↑ https://www.spektrum.de/lexikon/psychologie/nervenzentren/10432
  4. ^ A b Galina Schatalova: Philosophy of Health : Goldmann Verlag, Munich, 2009, ISBN 978-3-442-21860-8 , pp. 60-69.
  5. ^ Vygotskij, LS: The problem of dominant reactions . In: Communications from the Luria Society . tape 11 , no. 1 & 2 , 2004, pp. 41-42 .
  6. ↑ Blinzler, Michael: Zones of transition: About connections of dialogical philosophy and cultural-historical theory (Vygotskij) . 1st edition. Lehmanns, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-86541-171-1 , p. 73 .

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