Human existence oscillates perennially on two different levels, that of reality (which is manifested through direct participation in physically tangible events) and that of subjectivity (which results from the way in which each individual lives his or her internal world). That is, between perception and imagination.
Although there is a clear border between the two, we cannot deny that there are certain points of contact: what we imagine tends to come from events experienced in the past, while countless realities were first conceived in a restless mind.
The ability to create mental scenarios is a characteristic of our species, and it allows us to transcend the limitations imposed by nature to discover strategies from which to benefit, despite the fact that sometimes this has meant harm to the planet.
In this article We will delve in detail into what the phenomenon of imagination is and its functions. Likewise, we will delve into those everyday areas in which it plays a key role, with the aim of exemplifying its reach in our lives.
Imagination is the ability to create, at a cognitive level, images (or scenes) that are not present in the perceptual field of the person who articulates them, and can be seasoned by the inclusion of elements evoked in any sensory modality. In this way it is possible to reproduce situations from the past that not only involve visual content, but also the sensations that accompanied them (positive and negative). It also allows you to explore intangible ideas or concepts, and even combine them to generate innovative products that never existed or that were not directly experimented with.
In this sense, two subtypes of imagination are distinguished, the reproductive (simple evocation of the past, deformed by the passage of time and by the limitations of storage in memory) and the productive (mental construction of new contents from the amalgam of life experiences). This phenomenon also includes the well-known counterfactual thoughts, that is, the formulation at a hypothetical level of alternative scenarios through which to illustrate what life could have been like if a certain peak moment of life had been different (a different decision, e.g. ).
And it is that imagining is a habitual activity in human beings. Thanks to it, we consider possibilities and conditions (which often begin with “what if”) that are the essence of creative or divergent thinking; from which the advancement of technology, science and art is possible.
From the very writing of a research hypothesis to the creation of a plastic or literary work, all of them have an imaginative element of enormous magnitude that shapes the artistic and scientific legacy of humanity. Even the stories, tales and mythologies of each culture, which have a moralizing objective and serve to provide an identity substrate to the community, were born and nourished by this symbolic capacity.
Parts of the brain involved
Imagination is a very demanding function at the level of cognitive resources, and for this reason it has only been described in a very limited number of mammals (among which the human animal stands out exceptionally). When a person’s brain is observed during a task in which they must imagine, an intense activation of their occipital cortex (related to the visual processing of information), the parietal cortex (which integrates sensory perception), the frontal (the seat of the ability to reflect on objective/abstract things) and the precuneus or precuneus (also known as the “mind’s eye” and in charge of dimensions linked to self-awareness).
The faculty of imagining is so powerful for the human being that it motivates a response within the brain very similar to what would be seen if the event were really happening in front of him. When it is distorted in a pathological way (generalized anxiety disorder, for example), it becomes threatening to our very ancient limbic structures, on which emotional regulation in the face of danger depends. It is because of that An imagination of an adverse nature relentlessly bombards the physiological resources for managing stress and emotions which is particularly harmful if metacognition (ability to differentiate what is true from what are mental products) is diluted, as happens in psychotic disorders.
Processes in which the use of imagination is involved
Below we show the seven most important processes in which we resort to the use of imagination. Dreams will be excluded from this list, as they are considered an involuntary expression of it, to focus only on the cases in which it is used deliberately (through the activity of the prefrontal cortex). As will be appreciated, it is an elementary and omnipresent cognitive phenomenon in human activity.
1. Remembrance
The simple evocation of a memory involves the use of the imagination, since a scene that is not present in the immediate moment is transferred to consciousness. Such a process has a very important reconstructive component, since the information originally attended to loses its details over time, preserving only the general outline of the stimulus. The elements that cannot be accessed (due to the effects of conventional forgetting or because they were not filtered into consciousness) are complemented by the subjective contribution of the individual; which usually gives rise to deformations, mistakes, errors and inaccuracies.
Through imagination it is plausible to elicit scenes and/or situations that never really happened, and that these intrude among real memories, becoming confused in them. This is an extreme example of the way in which the content we create with our own mind can interfere with internal experience, even to the point of being experienced as a piece of an artificial past.
2. Prediction of future events
The imagination It is not only directed towards events that occurred in the past, but also towards those that are about to happen. In this case, imagination aims to create a range of potentialities based on previous experiences.
Expectations and desires, which have unavoidable emotional nuances, play a role when designing a prediction; but probabilistic and logical foundations also come into play that combine the available information and knowledge about the variables involved in the estimation (experience of cause/effect of what has already been experienced).
3. Predicting your own reactions and planning what to do
Imagination participates in processes such as problem solving, planning and/or prospective memory; all of them associated with the activity of the prefrontal cortex. It implies a step further than that previously mentioned and includes the performance itself within a planned scenario. Its purpose is to facilitate adequate adaptation to the environment; including the anticipation of contingencies, the sequence of coping strategies to deal with them and the development of a method by which to respond to a threat.
4. Creativity
Creativity implies an unconventional style of reflection and thinking, which has also been coined as divergent. As its name indicates, it involves the creation of new ideas using as raw material concepts or procedures that already existed previously, but that were used in a linear manner by the majority of individuals. As a result, new knowledge is obtained that transcends the previous one, and that is more useful or efficient in its application to real life. This form or style of information processing has its fundamental ally in the imagination, since without it it is unviable.
Creativity has been related to thought patterns that require a particular interhemispheric connection. The degree or level of complexity that has been observed in human beings is not reproduced in any other animal species, and may be one of the elements that have contributed to our position on this planet being (for better or worse) which is
5. Emotional changes
Imagination can be used, in the field of psychotherapy, as a tool with which to induce positive emotional states or soften the negative ones that grip the subject. There are endless procedures that make use of it, and that are included under the general label of “visualization.”.
For its application, the therapist must use evocative words, and that these translate into the mental creation of multisensory contents by his patient (visual, auditory, gustatory, etc.), which merit modifications in the internal experience.
In general, the “instructions” offered seek to generate relaxing scenes that relieve emotional tension, facilitate experiences that contribute to overcoming a fear (exposure to fear in imagination), increase confidence regarding a task (creative visualization of oneself practicing an action, especially in the sporting field) or coordinating diaphragmatic respiratory activity using a means of support (a boat that rocks gently on the horizon and that helps regulate the rate of inspiration/expiration). If the person has difficulty imagining, prior training may be needed.
6. Evasion or enjoyment
Imagination can also be used to recreate a memory that has already passed, or with the aim of constructing a desired scene that (for whatever reason) is not accessible at the level of individual reality. It would be translated by the colloquial expression of “daydreaming” and would be fertile ground for those who long for a “change” in the dynamics of their daily lives. Other people resort to imagination only because through it they access moments of enormous emotional significance that were part of their lives (due to the presence of a loved one and due to nostalgia for a time that will not return).
In certain cases, imagination can be used in moments of existential difficulty, as the mechanism through which evasion of reality is possible. What is intended in such a case is to generate a positive and reinforcing experience when one’s own life becomes hostile or unbearable. In such a way, the imagined thoughts are resorted to for recreational or compensatory purposes, enriching the memories that are treasured when present circumstances do not allow full satisfaction. Finally, boys and girls also use their imagination “playfully” when interacting with peers, and more particularly in what we know as symbolic play.
7. Creation of a self-image
People use their imagination to forge concrete meaning for themselves in relation to their social ties and the goals they seek to achieve. In this sense, perhaps it is the “ideal self” that harbors the most notable connections with the imagination, understood as the model or guide of behavior to which we aspire. People nourish the ideal self with numerous and disparate attributes, which would be followed by behavior aimed at reducing the distances between this self and the “real self” (resulting in better or worse self-esteem). It is for this reason that the imagination indirectly influences how we live and how we value ourselves mediating its effects through the fulfillment of expectations.
