The question of the presence of emotional memory has been discussed for a long time. Started his discussion T. Ribot, who showed two ways of reproducing emotions: an affective state is evoked either through intellectual states (remembering a situation, an object with which an emotion was associated in the past), or with the direct impact of a stimulus, after which the situations associated with the emotion are actualized in memory. Theoretically, it could be. However, as V. K. Vilyunas (1990) notes, it is difficult to determine which of these options occurs in each specific case, and apparently impossible in a real stream of consciousness.

In addition, Ribot singled out “false” affective memory, when the subject purely intellectually recalls that in a given situation he experienced some kind of emotion, but does not experience this emotion itself. This is observed, for example, when remembering long past hobbies.

After the appearance of Ribot's work, numerous controversies arose, to the point that the existence of emotional memory was generally questioned. Those who denied it pointed out that when we remember a pleasant, interesting, terrible, etc. event, then the memory is an image or thought, and not a feeling (emotion), i.e., an intellectual process. And it is precisely this intellectual recollection of the past that evokes in us this or that emotion, which, therefore, is not a reproduction of the former emotion, but an entirely new emotion. The old emotion is not reproduced. At the same time, supporters of the latter point of view narrowed the problem down to the arbitrary reproduction of emotional experiences, although it is obvious that not only involuntary memorization of emotions is possible, but also their involuntary reproduction (Blonsky, 1935; Gromova, 1980). P. P. Blonsky, for example, writes that in his life he twice experienced what he had already seen (this effect was called “déjà vu”). At the same time, the second experience was not for him an intellectual knowledge that he had already seen this situation. For him, it was a deep, sad and pleasant feeling of a long and well-known something that he could not remember, but that felt familiar.

As noted Blonsky, the difference between an emotion experienced for the first time and a reproduced one is not only in the intensity of the experience (the emotion represented is weaker), but also in its quality. In a number of cases, a less differentiated, more primitive emotional experience is aroused. The author does not indicate specifically what kind of experience this is, however, it can be assumed that it is the emotional tone of sensations, since the persons interviewed by Blonsky noted the occurrence of a pleasant or unpleasant experience during playback and nothing more.

At the same time, Blonsky comes to the conclusion that the arbitrary reproduction of feelings (emotions) is almost impossible, at least for many. And whether their involuntary reproduction is possible is not solved by experiments. It remains only to rely on introspection and the stories of other people.

It is impossible not to note the effect of a trace from a strongly experienced emotion that Blonsky singled out: it can subsequently be excited by weaker stimuli of the same kind, that is, it becomes a latent dominant focus for a person, a “sick corn”, accidentally touching which you can cause a new strong emotional reaction.

According to Blonsky, of the three emotions that are well remembered (suffering, fear and surprise), not all are remembered in the same way. It’s better not to talk about remembering surprise as a feeling, he writes: the surprising impression is remembered, and the feeling of surprise is not of such a nature as to be excited with a homogeneous stimulus, since surprise is an emotional reaction precisely to a new one. Pain and suffering are often reproduced in the form of fear, which is not surprising, since there is a genetic link between fear and pain.

The presence of emotional memory has already been questioned by P. V. Simonov (1981). The basis for this was his research on the arbitrary reproduction of various emotions by actors. Here is what he writes Simonov on this subject: “We often read about the so-called “emotional memory”. According to these ideas, an emotionally colored event not only leaves an indelible mark on a person’s memory, but, having become a memory, invariably causes a strong emotional reaction every time any association reminds of a previous shock. The subjects were asked to recall the events of their lives associated with the strongest emotional experiences. What was the surprise when such intentional memories were accompanied only in a very limited percentage of cases by pronounced shifts in skin potentials, heart rate, respiration, frequency-amplitude characteristics of the electroencephalogram. At the same time, memories of faces, meetings, life episodes that were by no means connected in the anamnesis with any out of the ordinary experiences, sometimes caused exceptionally strong and persistent, objectively recorded shifts that could not be extinguished when they were repeated. A more thorough analysis of this second category of cases showed that the emotional coloring of memories does not depend on the strength of the emotions experienced at the moment of the event itself, but on the relevance of these memories for the subject in this moment. It became clear that the matter was not in “emotional memory” and not in emotions in themselves, but in something else, hiding behind the facade of emotional experiences.

It seems that Simonov's conclusion is too categorical. Firstly, he himself notes that in a certain number of cases, the vegetative expression of emotions during their recollection was nevertheless noted (this, by the way, was also confirmed in the studies of E. A. Gromova et al., 1980). Secondly, the fact that the physiological reflection of emotions was observed mainly in cases of recall significant events does not deny the existence of "emotional memory" soldered with event memory. Failure to reproduce emotional reactions could be associated with different emotionality of the subjects.

It is no coincidence that in a later work (Simonov, 1987) he no longer speaks so categorically about emotional memory. So, he writes: “We, apparently, have the right to speak about emotional memory in a “pure form” only in those special cases when neither the external stimulus that provoked the memory, nor the engram extracted from the memory, are reflected in consciousness and the resulting emotional reaction seems unreasonable to the subject.

It is believed that the arbitrary reproduction of emotional experiences is given to a person with difficulty. However, P. P. Blonsky, for example, came to the conclusion that the voluntary reproduction of emotions is almost impossible for many people, but the fact that emotional memory can be reproduced involuntarily cannot be refuted. Probably, it is the involuntary reproduction of emotions that takes place in the cases that W. James speaks of. W. James, on the contrary, noted one salient feature emotional memory: “A person may even become more enraged thinking about the insult inflicted on him than directly experiencing it on himself, and after the death of his mother he may have more tenderness for her than during her life.”

E. A. Gromova 6 p.70 notes that one of the properties of emotional memory is its gradual evolution over time. Initially, the reproduction of the experienced emotional state is strong and vivid. However, as time goes by, this experience becomes weaker and weaker. An emotionally colored event is easily remembered, but without the experience of emotion, although with some affective imprint: an undifferentiated experience of pleasant or unpleasant. From my point of view, this means that emotion is reduced to the emotional tone of impressions.

At the same time, some generalization of the process is observed. If the initial emotion was caused by some specific stimulus, then over time the memory of it spreads to other similar stimuli. P. P. Blonsky concludes that with such a generalization of emotional experience, there is a decrease in the ability to differentiate the stimuli that give rise to it. For example, if a certain dog scared a child in childhood, then as an adult, a person is afraid of dogs in general.

The memory of the experienced pain is preserved for a very long time (except for labor pains). This fear makes people prefer to extract a tooth than to treat it with a drill, which was introduced in early childhood.

P. P. Blonsky gives examples of the influence of emotional memory on the formation of character. A terrible punishment in childhood can make a person fearful, a constant memory of an experienced misfortune - melancholic, etc.

Interesting data testifying to emotional memory are given by Yu. L. Khanin (1978) on the memorization of sportswomen and athletes of their anxiety before and during competitions. In one case, the gymnasts were asked to assess their condition an hour before the start of the competition and before each of the four apparatuses of the gymnastic all-around. Then, after 18 days, each gymnast, according to her memoirs, retrospectively assessed “how she felt an hour before the start of the competition and before each apparatus.” It turned out that retrospective and real assessments of situational anxiety were quite close to each other. The correlation coefficients were especially high in relation to experiences in front of those implements that the gymnasts were most afraid of.

Based on the results obtained by Khanin, it can be assumed that women have a better emotional memory than men. The following facts lead to this conclusion.

A group of female divers was asked 20 days before important competitions to evaluate retrospectively, based on their past experience, using the scale of situational anxiety “their condition before important competitions”. Then, immediately before the competition (two hours before the start of the performance), the situational anxiety scale was used to measure the actual observed level of anxiety. It turned out that there is a close correlation between these two indicators. In men, as a result of the same study, no significant correlation was found.

True, the revealed differences between men and women in remembering their experiences can be explained by worse reflection in men than women and less expressiveness and anxiety in men than women, but all this also needs to be proven.

It should be noted that the term "emotional memory" is not always used adequately. For example, B. B. Kossov (1973) talks about the emotional memory of chess players, but in fact he studied the influence of emotion on memorization (how emotional excitement affects the memorization of positions in a game).

At first, Alice could not understand what it was, but after a minute she realized that a lonely smile hovered in the air.

Lewis Carroll "Alice in Wonderland"

If we blush or turn pale, if we are overwhelmed by a feeling of sadness or joy when we remember some long-gone events, then we have a developed emotional memory. It has its own characteristics, since it does not recognize causal relationships.

In other words, it can be denoted as soul memory. It contains information about meetings, partings, gifts, everything related to communication. And communication is primarily emotions, of which there are a great many. As early as the 4th century BC. e. Aristotle listed the main emotions inherent in man. Here they are:
Fear;
Sympathy;
Generosity;
Aggressiveness;
Sexual attraction;
Destruction instinct;
Disgust;
Patience; The desire to imitate;
Independence;
Reverence and respect;
Devotion;
Worship;
Curiosity;
Addiction;
Strive for creation;
Striving for success;
Feeling of affection;
Pride;
Thirst for power;
Thirst for adventure;
Thrift;
Greed;
Envy.
This classification, of course, is incomplete and conditional.

Some emotions are pronounced positive character. For example, sympathy, pleasure, joy. A number of other emotions carry negative traits. This includes grief, longing, fear, horror, envy, resentment. However, there are emotions that cannot be classified as positive or negative. It has to do with the diversity of life. There are many cases where the same event can cause different people and different feelings.

For example, it is difficult to classify the feeling of curiosity. In some cases, it can be considered as positive factor which contributes to the acquisition of some knowledge. And in relation to other cases, there is a saying: "Curious Varvara's nose was torn off." That is, being curious is not always good: this trait can also cause condemnation from others.

It should be noted that every person has an emotional memory. It is directly related to verbal-logical and figurative memory. Another thing is that different people develop it differently. This can be verified by considering a specific example.

The tide caught the two young men on the rock. They did not know how to swim, and the water came up very quickly. It is only natural that young people experienced horror and despair. However, they were rescued, and this is what one of the victims said:

“It was very beautiful on the rock. I was overcome by a feeling of delight and dominance over the whole world. But suddenly there was a surge, a tide began. And then the delight was replaced by despair. There was a feeling that someone wants to limit my freedom. I looked hopefully into the sky. The sun was shining in the same way, and it seemed that everything remained the same. However, it was not so, and I was seized with a desire to grab for air.

The second young man recalled the experience in a completely different way. He remembered only his actions. Where did he go, where did he go down, how did he jump. He also remembered scolding himself last words for not asking in advance when the tide should begin. All his thoughts were directed to finding options for salvation.

Several years passed, and the young man, who had an excellent emotional memory, remembered terrible events as if they had happened yesterday. The second young man completely forgot the details and could only remember the general course of those tragic events.

The role of emotions in our life is huge. It is they who generate the thoughts that motivate us to action. The internal energy of the body also largely depends on them. If a person is overcome by a feeling of joy, then he feels a powerful surge of energy and is able to move mountains. In a state of melancholy and depression, energy disappears somewhere. Fatigue falls on the body, apathy sets in.

Do you personally have an emotional memory and how is it developed? To find out, you need to pass a very small test. Take a sheet of paper and divide it into 2 parts. Write down on the left side the words that you think have a certain emotional connotation. In the right column, include those words that do not have any emotional connotation. The required set of words is given below.

Night, music, stylish, sadness, horror, creativity, anxiety, rhythm, rage, game, delight, cry, pain, style, wool, envy, pale, button, spot, hairstyle, scarf, plane, sand, glass, poplar, shore, jacket, door lock, ancient castle, starling.

The more words you have in the left column, the more emotionally receptive you are. If you write down the bulk of the words in the right column, then, therefore, you are a sober realist. Neither one nor the other is neither a plus nor a minus, but only characterizes the features of your mind and psyche.

Memory, from the point of view of psychology, is a series of processes occurring in the human brain, as a result of which information is replenished, stored and reproduced.

Emotional memory is the storage and reproduction of a certain experience that is directly related to a specific event and has an emotional connotation.

Emotional memory is acquired through positive and negative events that take place in a person's life. It evokes feelings and is a kind of imposition of previously received sensations and feelings on the events taking place at the moment.

Features of emotional memory

Emotional is a kind of indicator of the internal state of a person. Our emotions characterize how successful our relationships are in personal life and society.

According to the outstanding scientist P. P. Blonsky, the emotions experienced by a person during a specific event are brighter than those that he experiences, retrieving from memory over time. Gradually they weaken, mixing with other emotions and reasoning. But as soon as a person gets into a similar situation, a pronounced emotion is instantly retrieved from memory and can push us to commit certain actions or, conversely, keep us from them. A feature of emotional memory is that a person especially vividly and clearly remembers three feelings: fear, suffering and surprise. At the same time, there is a certain difference in the perception of these feelings. Thus, surprise is remembered as a factor that surprised, and the feeling itself is not re-experienced during recall. Suffering and fear are remembered as feelings.

What emotions are remembered better, positive or negative? Practice shows that negative emotions are better remembered, because even animals have negative emotions in their minds. long years which, by the way, allows them to maintain their population. In addition, a person has the ability to “transfer” received emotions from one stimulus to similar ones. If, for example, a person in childhood was severely poisoned by mushrooms, then, having matured, he will probably subconsciously be afraid to eat them. Another example: if a child repeatedly experienced strong fear in childhood, then in the future this can lead to distrust and timidity. The same is observed in animals. So, for example, if a dog that was hit by a car survived, then for the rest of its life it will most likely be afraid of cars.

Development of emotional memory in a child

Emotional memory should be developed with early childhood. IN childhood it is possible to form a positive attitude towards others, a certain intellectual potential and self-confidence based on many positive memories. Here are a few simple exercises, which will help develop emotional memory in a child:

1. For a walk, choose a place where the child has not yet been. During the walk, draw his attention to the space around you (sounds, birds, insects, trees), while commenting on what is happening in a positive context and accompanying your story with affection, hugs, and all kinds of pleasant surprises. These memories will help the child to endure unpleasant events in life more easily in the future.

2. Exercise "Magic bag". Its essence lies in the fact that the child is offered to remember the events that caused him discomfort, fear, pain. Then these emotions are mentally transformed into some object or objects, put in a bag and tightly tied. At the same time, the child figuratively gets rid of the negativity that was taken from him and put in a bag.

3. Exercise "I am happy." This is a group exercise that is performed as follows: a ball is thrown to a child. Having caught him, the child must tell about the event in which he was happy. After that, the child throws the ball to another participant in the game, who must also tell about his happy event.

Development of emotional memory in adults

It also makes sense for adults to develop the emotional component of their personality. This will definitely be useful both for professional activities and in personal life. Here are some proven ways to develop emotional memory in adults:

1. Get in the habit of keeping a diary. This is very good way develop emotional memory. Drive it regularly. Write down your feelings, emotions, thoughts in a diary. Rereading it after a certain time, you can feel your feelings again, analyze them and your actions.

2. Practice meditation. To perform the technique, you need to mentally transport yourself to a certain moment in the past when you experienced strong emotions and try to feel them again. For example, think back to your first date.

3. Immerse yourself in the sensations you experienced earlier. To do this, sit back in a chair or sofa, close your eyes, and imagine a process that makes you feel good. For example, imagine how you enjoy your favorite dish, while trying to feel its taste and aroma.

4. Analyze the feelings that arise in your subconscious. Concentrate on various, even minor events, and try to understand how you feel when they happen and why. In the process of analysis, try to separate feelings and emotions.

5. Bibliotherapy. This is the most popular technique for creating a positive emotional state by reading the right book. While reading artwork You immerse yourself in the events described and experience the feelings and emotions of the characters.

I wish you success in self-knowledge and self-development. We strive to contribute to the development of your memory.

Emotional memory is the memory of feelings. Emotions always signal how our needs are being met. Emotional memory is very important for human life. Feelings experienced and stored in memory manifest themselves in the form of signals that either encourage action or hold back from action that caused a negative experience in the past. Empathy - the ability to sympathize, empathize with another person, the hero of the book is based on emotional memory.

figurative memory

Figurative memory - memory for ideas, pictures of nature and life, as well as for sounds, smells, tastes. It can be visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory. If visual and auditory memory, as a rule, are well developed, and play a leading role in the life orientation of all normal people, then tactile, olfactory and gustatory memory can in a certain sense be called professional species. Like the corresponding sensations, these types of memory develop especially intensively in connection with the specific conditions of activity, reaching an amazingly high level under conditions of compensation or replacement. missing species memory, for example, in the blind, deaf, etc.

Verbal-logical memory

The content of verbal-logical memory is our thoughts. Thoughts do not exist without language, therefore memory for them is called not just logical, but verbal-logical. Since thoughts can be embodied in various linguistic forms, their reproduction can be oriented towards the transmission of either only the main meaning of the material, or its literal verbal formulation. If in the latter case the material is not subjected to semantic processing at all, then its literal memorization turns out to be no longer logical, but mechanical memorization.

Arbitrary and involuntary memory

There is, however, such a division of memory into types, which is directly related to the features of the most currently performed activity. So, depending on the goals of the activity, memory is divided into involuntary and arbitrary. Memorization and reproduction, in which there is no special purpose to remember or recall something, is called involuntary memory, in cases where this is a purposeful process, they speak of arbitrary memory. In the latter case, the processes of memorization and reproduction act as special mnemonic actions.

At the same time, involuntary and voluntary memory represent two successive stages in the development of memory. Everyone knows from experience what a huge place in our life is occupied by involuntary memory, on the basis of which, without special mnemonic intentions and efforts, the main part of our experience, both in volume and in vital significance, is formed. However, in human activity, it often becomes necessary to manage one's memory. Under these conditions, an important role is played by arbitrary memory, which makes it possible to intentionally memorize or recall what is necessary.

self-perception is the process of orienting a person in his own inner world as a result of self-knowledge and comparison of oneself with other people, this is a reflection in the mind of a person of himself (reflection), his behavior, thoughts, feelings. That is, self-perception is associated with thinking, memory, attention, motivation and has a certain emotional and affective coloring.

Consumers typically choose those goods and services that fit their self-image and reject those that don't. Marketers need to develop a brand image that matches the self-image of the target audience.

The real self-perception of a person (his view of himself) does not always coincide with the ideal idea of ​​himself (how he would like to see himself) and with the idea of ​​​​others about him (what, from his point of view, others think about him). In this case, two concepts of consumer psychology are important.

The first is about perception. real me, which is determined by the worldview of a person, his self-esteem and image of himself.

The second one is about perfect performance a person about himself, i.e. the image that a person would like to match.

Social self-perception of a person - the image that he wants to have in the eyes of the people around him.

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Coursework in psychology

emotionalmemory

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Chapter 1. Memory
• 1.1 Theories of memory
• 1.2 Mechanisms of memory
• Conclusion
• Bibliography

Introduction

The ancestor of the scientific psychological analysis memory problems is considered G. Ebbinghaus. He was the first to set the task of an experimental study of memory, developed methods for measuring mnemonic processes, and in the course of his experimental work established the patterns that govern the processes of memorization, preservation, reproduction and forgetting.

Research into the nature of memory continues today. The fact of the existence of several theories explaining the emergence and mechanisms of the flow of mnemonic processes allows us to assert that researchers still have many unexplored areas of this multifaceted and complex form of mental reflection of reality. The problem of memory is currently considered in the framework of various psychological theories and approaches.

In modern psychological research, memory is considered as a complex mental activity, as one of the cognitive processes, which consists in fixing, preserving and subsequent reproduction by a person of his experience. In the structure of memory, the following main processes are distinguished: memorization, preservation, forgetting, restoration (recognition, reproduction). The classification of memory is based on the following criteria - the object of memorization, the degree of volitional regulation of memory and the duration of information storage in memory.

As for such a type of memory as emotional, which will be discussed in this work, this type of memory has not been studied in depth enough. Therefore, the problem of its study is relevant at the moment. Let's start with the fact that from the very beginning of the appearance of the term "emotional memory" there were disputes about the validity of the existence of such. Now that this term has already been recognized, and there is real confirmation of this fact in the form of the results of medical experiments and psychological studies, the next problem arises - a more detailed study of the phenomenon of emotional memory. In modern literature, there are already materials on how memory can be developed, for which it is necessary, but there is no information that would fully reveal the features of the development of emotional memory and its applied significance in human life. This circumstance is one of the arguments, the relevance of the topic of the course work.

Emotional memory is a system in which the mental processes of memory, emotions, feelings and behavioral components interact. This type of memory lies immediately in four dimensions of human existence: physical, social, psychological and spiritual. Those. affects all spheres of life. Knowledge in the field of the nature of emotional memory can bring a lot of useful information regarding the use of the nature of emotions and feelings of a person, as well as see new possible ways of personality development. This fact is also a serious argument in favor of the relevance of the problem under study.

The purpose of the study is to determine the role of emotional memory in human life.

Research objectives:

1. To study the content of the concepts of memory and emotional memory, and their significance in human life;

2. Reveal the mechanisms of the emergence and development of human emotional memory;

3. Reveal the structural components of emotional memory and the nature of their interaction;

4. Establish the nature of the influence of emotional memory on the formation of a person's life experience.

The object of research is memory as a separate mental process.

The subject of research is the emotional memory of a person.

The methodological foundations of the work are the theoretical provisions of general psychology.

The following methods were used in the work - analysis of literary sources on the research problem, generalization of the acquired knowledge.

emotional memory cognitive process

Chapter 1. Memory

Memory is a form of mental reflection of reality, which consists in fixing (imprinting), saving and subsequent reproduction by a person of his experience. Memory provides the accumulation of impressions about the surrounding world, serves as the basis for acquiring knowledge, skills and abilities and their subsequent use. The preservation of experience creates an opportunity for learning a person and developing his psyche. Memory serves as a necessary condition for the unity of a person's mental life, the unity of his personality.

Memory has always been of great interest to humans, both from a theoretical point of view and from the position practical application in life. Therefore, the phenomenon of memory began to be studied and investigated for a long time. In this regard, at the moment there are several theories of memory that reveal the mechanisms of the flow of mnemonic processes, as well as an extensive classification of types of memory. I must say that research in the field of memory continues at the present time. The nature of memory, as well as its reserves and possibilities, are not completely studied phenomena of the human psyche.

Consider the currently existing classification of types of memory.

It is based on various criteria. The species classification is based on three main criteria:

the object of memory, that is, what is remembered; in another way, this criterion can be characterized as the degree of mental activity of the individual; from the standpoint of this criterion, memory is classified into figurative, verbal-logical, motor, emotional.

the degree of volitional regulation of memory or the nature of the goals of memorization (voluntary and involuntary memory);

the duration of information storage in memory (short-term, long-term and random access memory).

Figurative memory is a memory for representations, pictures of nature and life, as well as for smells, sounds and tastes. Such memory is divided into visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory. At ordinary people visual and auditory memory are quite well developed, they play a leading role in human life. Other types of memory (tactile, olfactory and gustatory) can be called professional. These types of memory develop in professional activities (for example, tasters, perfumers, etc.). Also, these types of memory develop well as compensatory ones (for example, in blind or deaf people).

Verbal-logical memory (or semantic) is a type of memory that relies on the establishment and memorization of semantic connections and relationships in the material that needs to be remembered. In verbal-logical memory, the main role belongs to the second signal system. This type of memory is a specific human memory, in contrast, for example, to motor, emotional and figurative memory, which in the simplest forms are also characteristic of animals. Verbal-logical memory is based on the development of other types of memory, becomes leading in relation to them, and the development of all other types of memory depends on its development.

Motor memory is the memorization, preservation and reproduction of various movements and their systems. The significance of this type of memory lies in the fact that it serves as the basis for the formation of various practical and labor skills, including the skills of walking, writing, etc. If there was no memory for movements, then a person would have to learn to do the simplest movements anew each time.

Emotional memory is the memory of feelings. Feelings experienced by a person, both positive and negative, do not disappear without a trace, but are remembered through emotional memory. This type of memory is of great importance in the formation of a person's personality. Feelings experienced and stored in memory act as signals, either inciting to action, or holding back from actions that caused negative experiences in the past. Emotional memory is the most important condition for the spiritual development of a person.

According to the criterion of the duration of information storage, memory is usually divided into sensory, short-term, long-term and operational.

Sensory memory is such a subsystem that provides retention for a very short time (usually less than one second) of the products of sensory processing of information that enters the brain through the senses.

Short-term memory is such a memory subsystem that provides operational retention and transformation of data coming from the senses and from long-term memory. Short-term memory is an indispensable stage for its other types as more or less direct imprinting and very short-term storage (usually measured in seconds), and is an indispensable component of long-term and working memory.

Long-term memory is such a subsystem that provides long-term (hours, years, decades) retention of knowledge, skills and abilities and is characterized by a huge amount of stored information. The main mechanism for entering data into long-term memory and fixing it is usually considered repetition, which is carried out at the level of short-term memory. However, studies show that purely mechanical (monotonous) repetition does not lead to stable and long-term memorization. Repetition serves as a necessary condition for fixing data into long-term memory only in the case of verbal or easily verbalized information. Crucial has a meaningful interpretation of the new material, the establishment of links between it and what is already well understood by the subject. In long-term memory, several forms of knowledge organization function simultaneously. One of them is the organization of semantic information in hierarchical structures on the principle of highlighting more abstract, generic and more specific, specific concepts. Another form of organization characteristic of everyday categories is the grouping of individual concepts around one or more representatives of the category - prototypes. Semantic information in long-term memory includes both conceptual and emotional-evaluative moments that reflect various personal attitudes of the subject to certain information.

Working memory is a mnemonic process that serves actual actions and operations directly carried out by a person. RAM is responsible for storing any information and data for the time required to perform a specific operation, a separate act of activity. So, for example, in the process of solving a problem or a mathematical action, it is necessary to keep in memory the initial data or intermediate operations, which can be forgotten in the future, until the final result is obtained. Already used information can be forgotten, because RAM in the future must be filled with other data, new information.

There are basic memory processes: memorization, preservation, restoration (recognition, reproduction).

Memorization is the process of fixing in the mind those images that arise under the influence of objects and phenomena of reality in the process of sensation and perception. Memorization is, as a rule, establishing a connection with what is already in the mind of a person. The connection between individual events, facts, objects or phenomena reflected in the human mind and fixed in memory is called associations in psychology.

Retention and forgetting are two interrelated processes. Preservation is the retention of what has been memorized in memory, forgetting is the disappearance, falling out of memory, i.e. a kind of process of fading and inhibition of ties. Forgetting is a natural process, but it is still necessary to fight it. Forgetting can be complete or partial, long-term or temporary. The process of forgetting is influenced by several factors, such as time, activity preceding memorization, and the degree of activity of the information available.

Reproduction is a process of memory, which consists in the appearance in the mind of memory representations, previously perceived thoughts, the implementation of learned movements. Reproduction is based on the revival of traces in the brain, the appearance of excitation in them.

Recognition is the process of the appearance of a feeling of familiarity upon repeated perception of an object or phenomenon. The two processes - reproduction and recognition - are similar, but still different. Reproduction, in contrast to recognition, is characterized by the fact that images fixed in memory are actualized (revived) without relying on the secondary perception of certain objects. Therefore, recognition cannot be an indicator of the strength of memorization, and when evaluating its effectiveness, it is necessary to focus only on reproduction.

1.1 Theories of memory

Modern research in the field of memory analyzes it from different points of view and on the basis of different approaches. The most widely used associative theories of memory. According to these theories, objects and phenomena are imprinted and reproduced not in isolation from each other, but in connection with each other, according to the famous scientist I.M. Sechenov "in groups or rows". The reproduction of some of them entails the reproduction of others, which is determined by the real objective connections of objects and phenomena. Under their influence, temporary connections arise in the cerebral cortex, which serve as the physiological basis for memorization and reproduction. In psychological science, such connections were considered as associations. Some of the associations are a reflection of the spatio-temporal reflections of objects and phenomena (the so-called associations by contiguity), others reflect their similarity (associations by similarity), others reflect the opposite (associations by contrast), the fourth - causal relationships (associations by causality). A truly scientific substantiation of the principle of associations was given by I.M. Sechenov and I.P. Pavlov. According to I.P. Pavlov, associations are nothing more than a temporary connection that occurs as a result of the simultaneous or sequential action of two or more stimuli.

Studies of memory within the framework of neural and biochemical theories. The most common hypothesis about the physiological processes underlying memory was the hypothesis of D.O. Hebb (1949). His hypothesis was based on two memory processes - short-term and long-term. It was assumed that the mechanism of the short-term memory process is the reverberation (circulation) of electrical impulse activity in closed circuits of neurons. Long-term storage is based on stable morphofunctional changes in synoptic conductivity. Therefore, memory passes from a short-term form to a long-term one through the process of consolidation, which develops with the repeated passage of nerve impulses through the same synapses. Thus, a short-term process that lasts at least several tens of seconds of reverberation is assumed to be necessary for long-term storage.

In 1964, G. Hiden put forward a hypothesis about the role of RNA in memory processes. Because DNA contains the genetic memory for everyone individual organism, then it was logical to assume that she or RNA could also transmit the acquired experience. The instructions for protein synthesis carried by the RNA molecule are contained in a specific sequence of organic bases attached to the backbone of the molecule, it is these bases that serve as templates for protein synthesis. A different sequence leads to the synthesis of different proteins. It can be assumed that this sequence also changes as a result of the experience gained during training. It has now been proven that learning does have an effect on RNA.

Another group of memory studies are socio-genetic. Thus, P. Janet in his work "The Evolution of Memory and the Concept of Time" (1928) examines the psychological mechanisms of memory and identifies a number of genetic forms, the manifestation of which was socially conditioned by the situation of cooperation. Janet allocates such forms of memory as waiting, searching ( initial forms), preservation, assignment (delayed actions), telling by heart, description and narration, retelling to oneself (the highest levels of human memory) Each of the forms of memory noted by P. Janet arises from the needs of communication and cooperation of people, it is to this circumstance that he attaches a central role in the emergence and development of human memory, which, in his opinion, is necessary only for a social person. .

social theory memory was adopted by Soviet psychologists. The idea of ​​the social nature of memory was further developed in the works of L.S. Vygotsky and A.R. Luria. In 1930, these scientists published the work "Etudes on the History of Behavior", in which the authors analyzed the evolution of archaic memory and compared data on the phylo- and ontogenesis of memory. Vygotsky and A.R. Luria point to such features of the memory of primitive man: its extraordinary literalness, photographicity, complex nature, etc. However, the authors made general conclusions that archaic man uses memory, but does not dominate it, primitive memory is spontaneous and uncontrollable. Scientists have also identified crucial moment, which determined a fundamental change in its functioning. The basis of this change is the transition from the use and use of objects as a means of memory to the creation and use of artificial knowledge as tools for memorization.

1.2 Mechanisms of memory

Mechanisms of memory are directly related to the theories of memory that represent them. Therefore, the question of the mechanisms of memory is complex and is studied by a number of sciences: physiology, biochemistry and psychology.

Physiologists say that the process of storing information is associated with the formation of neural connections (associations);

Biochemists - with a change in the composition of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and other biochemical structures;

Psychologists emphasize the dependence of memory on the nature of human activity and the orientation of the personality;

When we talk about the mechanisms of memory, we are talking about some processes that any person goes through in order to remember the necessary information, and subsequently reproduce it. The main processes of memory are memorization, preservation, reproduction and forgetting. Memorization is the main process of memory. The completeness, accuracy, strength and duration of storage of the material, etc. depend on it. Memorization and reproduction usually occurs in the form of both arbitrary and involuntary processes. A person remembers a lot and reproduces without much effort.

1.3 Individual memory differences

Memory also cannot be considered in isolation from the characteristics and properties of the individual. It is important to understand that different people have different memory functions developed differently.

The difference can be quantitative, for example: different memorization speed; in the strength of conservation; in ease of reproduction, accuracy and storage capacity. For example: some people remember material wonderfully, but then cannot reproduce it. Others, on the contrary, have difficulty remembering, but keep the accumulated information in memory for a long time.

The difference can also be qualitative, or differ in its modality, i.e. depending on which type of memory dominates. Depending on this, visual, auditory, motor or emotional memory may manifest itself more in a person. One needs to read the material to remember, the other has more developed auditory perception, the third needs visual images. It is known that "pure" types of memory are rare, in life most often different types memories are mixed: visual-motor, visual-auditory and motor-auditory memory are the most typical. For most people, visual memory is the leading memory.

There is even such a phenomenal individual property as eidetic vision, i.e. what is called "photographic memory". An example is a person who, after a single perception of the material and very little mental processing, still continues to "see" the material, and perfectly restores it even after a long time. In fact, this type of memory is not so rare to some extent, it is present in many children, but subsequently disappears in adults due to insufficient exercise of this type of memory. This type of memory can be developed by some people (for example, artists, musicians, where accurate reproduction of what they see is required). Each person develops most of all those types of memory that they use most often.

Thus, the following conclusions can be drawn:

Memory in psychology is considered one of the main cognitive processes. In addition, it is a kind of basis for all knowledge.

There are the following types of memory:

according to the degree of mental activity of the individual - figurative, verbal-logical, motor, emotional;

by the nature of the goals of memorization - arbitrary and involuntary memory;

according to the duration of information storage in memory - short-term, long-term and operative memory.

The main processes of memory are: memorization, preservation, restoration (recognition, reproduction).

The way in which memory processes are carried out is considered by memory theories. The mechanisms of memory processes are directly related to the memory theories that represent them. There are many scientific theories trying to explain the nature of memory. They can be conditionally classified in three directions: physiological, biochemical and psychological.

Physiological consider the phenomenon of memory from the point of view of human physiology - these include associative theories of memory. These theories are based on the opinion of scientists that objects and phenomena are imprinted and reproduced not in isolation from each other, but in connection with each other. Under their influence, temporary connections arise in the cerebral cortex, which serve as the physiological basis for memorization and reproduction. These links are considered as associations;

Biochemical theories of memory are based on studies proving that the flow of mnemic processes is accompanied by changes in the composition of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and other biochemical structures;

Psychological theories of memory put forward the idea that memory is a mental process inherent in man as a social being. According to these theories, memory arises from the needs of communication and cooperation of people, and depends on the nature of a person's activity and the direction of his personality. Memory is characteristic of a person, who, in turn, is an individual with a certain set of personal qualities and traits inherent in him. Therefore, it is quite understandable that different people develop different memory functions differently. There are individual differences in the flow of mnemonic processes, as well as in which type of memory develops better. Usually those types of memory that a person uses more often in his life receive favorable development.

The emotional memory of a person is one of the types of memory and is a memory for feelings and emotions. Thanks to memory processes, such as memorization, preservation, restoration (recognition, reproduction) of information (with regard to this type of memory - information of an emotional and sensual nature), emotional memory helps a person to make a choice in how to act or react in one or another life situation. The fact is that the feelings and emotions experienced and stored in the memory act as signals that either induce a person to action or deter him from action. Emotional memory is the most important condition for the spiritual development of a person. It can be concluded that this type of memory is of great importance in the formation of a person's personality.

Chapter 2 Emotional Memory

From the previous chapter of this work, it is known that emotional memory is one of the types of human memory. It can be assumed, therefore, that everything that concerns memory in general (memory processes, mechanisms of memory) will rightfully be considered related to emotional memory in particular.

Emotional memory is the memory of feelings. Emotions always signal how our needs and interests are satisfied, how our relations with the outside world are carried out. Emotional memory is, therefore, very important in the life and work of every person. Feelings experienced and stored in memory act as signals, either inciting to action, or holding back from actions that caused negative experiences in the past. The ability to sympathize with another person, empathize with the hero of a book, film, play is based on emotional memory.

Thus, the definition of emotional memory combines the concepts of feelings, emotions and memory, as well as information that causes these processes in the body. Let's call all these components - the structural components of emotional memory.

2.1 Research in emotional memory

The question of the presence of emotional memory has been discussed for a long time. The discussion was started by T. Ribot, who showed two ways of reproducing emotions: an affective state is evoked either through intellectual states (remembering a situation, an object with which an emotion was associated in the past), or under the direct influence of a stimulus, after which it is updated in memory emotional situations. Theoretically, it could be. However, as V.K. Vilyunas (1990), which of these options occurs in each particular case, is difficult to determine, and apparently impossible in a real stream of consciousness.

In addition, T. Ribot singled out “false” affective memory, when the subject purely intellectually recalls that in a given situation he experienced some kind of emotion, but does not experience this emotion itself. This is observed, for example, when remembering past hobbies.

After the appearance of the work of T. Ribot, numerous disputes arose, to the point that the existence of emotional memory was generally questioned. Those who denied it pointed out that when we remember pleasant, interesting, terrible, etc. event, then the memory is an image or thought, and not a feeling (emotion), i.e. intellectual process. And it is precisely this intellectual recollection of the past that evokes in us this or that emotion, which, therefore, is not a reproduction of the former emotion, but an entirely new emotion. The old emotion is not reproduced.

As P.P. Blonsky , the difference between an emotion experienced for the first time and a reproduced one is not only in the intensity of the experience (the emotion represented is weaker), but also in its quality. In a number of cases, a less differentiated, more primitive emotional experience is aroused.

It should also be noted that P.P. Blonsky the effect of a trace from a strongly experienced emotion: it can subsequently be excited by weaker stimuli of the same kind, i.e. becomes a latent dominant focus for a person, a “sick callus”, accidentally touching which can cause a new strong emotional reaction.

The presence of emotional memory has already been questioned by P.V. Simonov (1981). The basis for this was his research on the arbitrary reproduction of various emotions by actors. Here is what P.V. Simonov on this occasion: "We have read more than once about the so-called "emotional memory". According to these ideas, an emotionally colored event not only leaves an indelible mark on a person’s memory, but, having become a memory, invariably causes a strong emotional reaction every time any association reminds of a previous shock. The subjects were asked to recall the events of their lives associated with the strongest emotional experiences. What was the surprise when such intentional memories were accompanied only in a very limited percentage of cases by pronounced shifts in skin potentials, heart rate, respiration, frequency-amplitude characteristics of the electroencephalogram. At the same time, memories of faces, meetings, life episodes that were by no means connected in anamnesis with any out of the ordinary experiences, sometimes caused exceptionally strong and persistent, objectively recorded shifts that did not fade when they were repeated. A more thorough analysis of this second category of cases showed that the emotional coloring of memories does not depend on the strength of the emotions experienced at the moment of the event itself, but on the relevance of these memories for the subject at the moment. It became clear that it was not about “emotional memory” and not about emotions in themselves, but about something else, hiding behind the facade of emotional experiences.”

It seems that this conclusion of P.V. Simonov is overly categorical. Firstly, he himself notes that in a certain number of cases, the vegetative expression of emotions during their recollection was nevertheless noted (this, by the way, was also confirmed in the studies of E.A. Gromova et al., 1980). Secondly, the fact that the physiological reflection of emotions was observed mainly in cases of recalling significant events does not negate the presence of "emotional memory" soldered to event memory. Failure to reproduce emotional reactions could be associated with different emotionality of the subjects.

It is no coincidence that in a later work (P.V. Simonov, 1987) he no longer speaks so categorically about emotional memory. So, he writes: “We, apparently, have the right to speak about emotional memory in a “pure form” only in those special cases when neither the external stimulus that provoked the memory, nor the engram extracted from the memory, are reflected in consciousness and the resulting emotional reaction seems unreasonable to the subject.

It is believed that the arbitrary reproduction of emotional experiences is given to a person with difficulty. However, P.P. Blonsky, for example, came to the conclusion that the voluntary reproduction of emotions is almost impossible for many people, but it is impossible to disprove the fact that emotional memory can be reproduced involuntarily. Probably, it is the involuntary reproduction of emotions that takes place in the cases that W. James speaks of. W. James, on the contrary, noted one characteristic feature of emotional memory: “A person can even become more furious thinking about the insult inflicted on him than directly experiencing it on himself, and after the death of his mother he can have more tenderness for her than during her lifetime. ".

E.A. Gromova notes that one of the properties of emotional memory is its gradual evolution over time. Initially, the reproduction of the experienced emotional state is strong and vivid. However, as time goes by, this experience becomes weaker and weaker. An emotionally colored event is easily remembered, but without the experience of emotion, although with some affective imprint: an undifferentiated experience of pleasant or unpleasant. From my point of view, this means that emotion is reduced to the emotional tone of impressions.

At the same time, some generalization of the process is observed. If the initial emotion was caused by some specific stimulus, then over time the memory of it spreads to other similar stimuli.P. P. Blonsky concludes that with such a generalization of emotional experience, there is a decrease in the ability to differentiate the stimuli that give rise to it. For example, if a certain dog scared a child in childhood, then as an adult, a person is afraid of dogs in general.

The memory of the experienced pain is preserved for a very long time (except for labor pains). This fear makes people prefer to extract a tooth than to treat it with a drill, which was introduced in early childhood.

P.P. Blonsky gives examples of the influence of emotional memory on the formation of character. A terrible punishment in childhood can make a person fearful, a constant memory of an experienced misfortune - melancholic, etc.

Interesting data testifying to emotional memory are given by Yu.L. Khanin (1978) about the memorization of sportswomen and athletes of their anxiety before and during competitions. In one case, the gymnasts were asked to assess their condition an hour before the start of the competition and before each of the four apparatuses of the gymnastic all-around. Then, after 18 days, each gymnast retrospectively assessed, according to her memoirs, “how she felt an hour before the start of the competition and before each apparatus.” It turned out that retrospective and real assessments of situational anxiety were quite close to each other. experiences in front of those implements that the gymnasts were most afraid of.Based on the results obtained by Yu.L.Khanin, it can be assumed that women have better emotional memory than men.The following facts lead to this conclusion.

A group of female divers were asked 20 days before important competitions to assess retrospectively, based on their past experience, using the scale of situational anxiety, "their condition before important competitions." Then immediately before the competition (two hours before the start of the performance) using the scale of situational anxiety Anxiety was measured by the actual observed level of anxiety, and it turned out that there is a strong correlation between the two indicators, but in men, as a result of the same study, no significant correlation was found as a result of the same study.

True, the revealed differences between men and women in remembering their experiences can be explained by worse reflection in men than women and less expressiveness and anxiety in men than women, but all this also needs to be proven.

It should be noted that the term "emotional memory" is not always used adequately. For example, B.B. Kossov (1973) speaks of the emotional memory of chess players, but in fact he studied the effect of emotion on memorization (how emotional excitement affects the memorization of positions in a game ).

Thus, emotional memory has been of interest to scientists since ancient times. There were different opinions about its presence in general, about the mechanisms of its occurrence and development. We studied the influence of gender differences on the manifestation of emotional memory, its relationship with emotions, human anxiety, as well as thinking and volitional efforts when recalling emotionally colored experiences. Even today, researchers do not have a clear and unanimous opinion about the mechanisms and features of the manifestation and development of human emotional memory. Nevertheless, it must be said that the disputes that still existed among scientists and researchers about whether there is still an emotional memory or not, today come down to an affirmative point of view on this issue. Now in any psychology dictionary you can read the definition of emotional memory and learn about some of its features. At the moment, psychologists and their colleagues involved in the study of memory are interested in a more detailed study of this phenomenon, its features and relationships with other mental phenomena.

2.2 Structural components of emotional memory

It was previously established that emotional memory is directly related to the feelings experienced by a person, emotions and information coming from the environment and causing certain feelings and emotions. Let us consider in more detail these structural components of emotional memory.

Love, self-respect, pride, honor, courage, sympathy, affection, conscience - all these human values ​​are based on emotions. If we treated them with indifference, they would not be values, because in order to appreciate something, you need to treat it emotionally - love, rejoice, be interested or proud. Each of us comes into this world already knowing how to feel, although for the time being he cannot speak, cannot walk. Our vitality directly depends on the ability to feel, feel and express our feelings with the utmost clarity and perseverance.

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

Concept " human emotion” is so complex that a concise definition cannot fully reveal its essence. An emotion is something that is experienced as a feeling that motivates, organizes, and directs perception, thinking, and action. Another definition: emotion is a special form of mental reflection, which in the form of direct experience reflects not objective phenomena, but a subjective attitude towards them.

Accompanying almost any manifestation of the subject's activity, emotions serve as one of the mechanisms of internal regulation of mental activity and behavior aimed at meeting urgent needs.

Emotions arose in evolution as a means by which living beings determine the biological significance of the states of the organism and external influences. In the course of evolutionary development, emotions are differentiated and form different kinds, different psychological features leaks. simplest form emotions - the emotional tone of sensations - innate hedonic experiences (pleasure) that accompany individual vital influences.

In extreme situations, when a person cannot cope with the situation that has arisen, so-called affects come to his aid - special kind emotions that are distinguished by great strength, the ability to slow down other mental processes and impose a certain way of “emergency” resolution of the situation that has been fixed in evolution (for example, flight, aggression

Actually emotions, unlike affects, can be weakly manifested outwardly. They have a clearly expressed situational character, i.e. express the evaluative attitude of the subject to emerging or possible, to their activities and their manifestations in these situations. Feelings - a person's stable emotional relationship to the phenomena of reality, reflecting the significance of these phenomena in connection with his needs and motives; the highest product of the development of emotional processes in social conditions

In contrast to the actual emotions and affects associated with specific situations, feelings are distinguished in the perceived and represented reality by phenomena that have a stable need-motivational significance for a person. Feelings are clearly expressed, i.e. certainly associated with some specific object (object, person, life event, etc.) One and the same feeling can be realized in different emotions. This is due to the complexity of phenomena, the versatility and multiplicity of their relationships with each other. For example, the feeling of love gives rise to a range of emotions: joy, anger, sadness, etc. In the same feeling, emotions of different signs (positive and negative) often merge, pass into each other. This explains such a property of feelings as duality (ambivalence). Feelings are a complex integration of emotions and thinking, biological and social in a person. They determine in many ways the behavior of a person, his aspirations and actions. Memory for feelings (emotional memory), in this case, plays an important role in building a person's own line of behavior. A person is a social person, formed among people, in society. And at the same time, a person is an individuality, a biological being with its own set of psycho-physiological characteristics, which has no "analogues" in the world. A person is a system of interaction between the physical, psychological, social and spiritual, where all components fall under the influence of society, and at the same time have individual characteristics. Given this aspect of the versatility of the human essence, we can say that each person (among the many individual differences) has one more - this is a memory for feelings. And this kind of memory helps him survive and adapt in society.

Feelings and emotions do not exist outside of human cognition and activity. They arise in the process of activity and influence its course. In this regard, there are 2 functions of emotions:

1. The signal function is expressed in the fact that experiences arise and change in connection with ongoing changes in environment or in the human body.

2. The regulatory function lies in the fact that persistent experiences direct our behavior, support it, force us to overcome obstacles encountered on the way or interfere with the flow of activity, block it.

Emotions affect us through various channels. They can cause a number of changes in the human body: in the organs of respiration, digestion, and cardiovascular activity. In emotional states, the pulse, blood pressure changes, the pupils dilate, sweating, etc. is observed. and, it must be said, in the same way, information received through the senses and processed with the help of emotional memory can influence the emergence of certain emotions and feelings in a person. So, for example, smells can be stored in a person's emotional memory for a long time and activate emotional memory. Therefore, odors are often used as stimuli in the study of human long-term memory. The relationship of smell with a certain context is remembered. Smells have the ability to excite memory and imagination. The smells of a person often evoked associations with a mother, a loved one, parents, friends. The same stimuli for activating emotional memory, by analogy with smells, can be colors, sounds, taste, which at one time made a strong impression on a person and evoked an emotional response in him. This response is further firmly established in the memory, and will now be one of the links in the chain of events: stimulus - emotional memory - reaction.

The formation of a person's emotions is the most important condition for the development of him as a person. Only when they become the subject of stable emotional relationships do ideals, duties, norms of behavior turn into real motives for activity. The extraordinary variety of human emotions is explained by the complexity of the relationship between the objects of his needs, the specific conditions of occurrence and the activities aimed at achieving them. The highest product of the development of human emotions is feelings that arise in the ontogenesis of situationally manifested emotions (for example, pride in a loved one can be caused by a feeling of love). The manifestation of a strong, dominant feeling is called passion. Events signaling possible changes in a person's life, along with specific emotions, can cause long-term changes in the general emotional background - mood. The degree of awareness of emotions can be different. The conflict between conscious and unconscious emotions most often underlies neuroses. Emotions play an important role in the etiology of mental and somatic diseases. Manifested in response to the impact of vital influences, emotions contribute either to the mobilization or inhibition of mental activity and behavior; including they affect the content and dynamics of mental cognitive processes: attention, perception, thinking, imagination, speech, memory (for example, fear of a teacher does not contribute to student achievement). The physiological processes (vegetative, biochemical, electromyographic, electroencephalographic) that arise during the experience of emotion act (along with mimic, pantomimic and speech indicators) in psychological experiments as objective indicators of emotional states.

Emotions are closely related to the information we receive from the world around us. Usually, emotion arises due to the unexpectedness of an event for which we did not have time to prepare - we could not collect all the information necessary for an adequate reaction. A pedestrian who suddenly jumped out right in front of our car, an unexpected sharp sound, an unexpected meeting with a person close to my heart. All these are cases that can cause the body to activate and mobilize all the abilities to quickly receive further signals, which will allow you to respond in the best way.

So, emotion does not arise if we meet a given situation with a sufficient supply of the necessary information. When a sharp sound already familiar to us is repeated, when we notice a pedestrian in advance, or when a meeting with a loved one has become business as usual, the body no longer needs to come into a state of activation. The dependence of the occurrence or non-occurrence of emotion on the amount of information that the subject has, could be expressed as follows: emotion = necessary information - available information. This formula makes it possible to understand that negative emotions arise when the subject has insufficient information, and positive emotions arise when information is in excess.

This becomes especially evident in the case of emotions associated with the satisfaction of a need. If hunger pushes a person to the sideboard, where he can find a piece of the pie, which he himself put there, then it is clear that no emotions arise from this “find”. Everything will be completely different if, contrary to expectations, it turns out that the pie has disappeared, or, on the contrary, a whole pie is found in the sideboard, someone put it there instead of one piece. Similarly, one can explain the disgust for some dish, the taste of which turned out to be worse than expected. Such a process can be observed in the case of the anger of a child who was not given the required candy. The probability of such an emotion is all the greater, the less convincing the explanation of the reason why the candy was not given. In the same way, a harmless snake, crawling across the road, causes fear in a naive passer-by, and in a zoologist studying reptiles, it will cause joy. Or, for example, increased anxiety due to the predominance of negative emotions is experienced by a student taking the exam for the first time. Since he does not have enough information about what exactly is this test and how the interview process will take place.

Thus, negative emotions arise most often due to unpleasant information and, especially, with insufficient information. As for positive emotions, they arise when sufficient information is received, especially when it turned out to be better than expected.

We have considered options for the emotional coloring of the experience when a person first encounters a life event or does not have a negative (positive) experience of emotional memory of what is happening to him. When the subject does not have sufficient information to objectively understand the event, he is more likely to negative emotion. Sometimes the information received itself carries an emotional charge, as it causes a painful or dramatic memory of the past experience. This can further heighten the emotion that arises from the new situation the person is facing.

The reaction of a child going to Kindergarten, to the dentist's office or to the general practitioner's office: his behavior - whether he will scream, be only a little afraid, or endure everything calmly - very often depends on the amount and nature of the information that he received before.

But, on the other hand, it is for these reasons that it is so important to place a particularly strong emphasis on the dramatic circumstances in which the inhabitants of some areas of the globe find themselves during a humanitarian aid campaign: this must be contrasted with the “dullness of the senses” due to the overload of “objective” messages. in regular broadcasts. It is also known that the emotions that arise during these campaigns do not last very long, and if the viewer does not provide financial assistance immediately, then the hope for this act of mercy will decrease, as the emotion fades over time.

Due to the constant discrepancy between reality and current needs, living beings prefer those situations in which, judging by the available information, satisfaction of the need is most likely. In addition, it should be noted that positive emotion often arises from the belief that the need can be satisfied than from its very satisfaction. Indeed, one has only to satisfy the need, as the emotion is quickly forgotten.

Thus, it can be safely concluded that emotions and feelings play an important role in human behavior and life. They are important not only in themselves, as a reflection of a person's attitude to what is happening and around him, but also as an expression of his life experience. As you know, affects (the so-called biological emotions) and emotions proper are distinguished. Affects are perceived by a person as states of my "I", and emotions proper, as states occurring "in me". Feelings are clearly expressed, i.e. necessarily associated with some specific object (object, person, life event, etc.)

One and the same feeling can be realized in different emotions. In any case, both one and the second type of emotions, as well as feelings, which are a stable type of emotional relationships, help a person to orient himself in the environment and take the right steps towards resolving a life situation. And in order to do this effectively, a person uses his memory. It is she who stores information about the emotional experience of a person, whether it is the "experience of ancestors" or actually personal experience. This fact suggests that emotional memory is a kind of lifesaver for an individual in difficult questions of choice, how to act in a given situation. What a person’s choice will be depends largely on the memory of emotions that have already accompanied a similar life event, or on the basis of the baggage of knowledge (including emotional nature) that a person has on this issue in his memory.

Conclusion

The emotional memory of a person is one of the types of memory and is a memory for feelings and emotions. It helps a person to make a choice in how to act or react in a given life situation. Feelings and emotions experienced and stored in the memory act as signals that either prompt a person to action or deter him from action. Emotional memory is the most important condition for the spiritual development of a person. It can be concluded that this type of memory is of great importance in the formation of a person's personality.

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