Idealization is an overvalued idea, attitudes and ideas, endowed with an excessive potential, involving a person in the struggle with himself and others around him. The idealization of relationships, children, talents causes suffering.
What does idealization mean?
Idealization is a concept that includes inferences, man's ideas about how to be in reality, while existing objects, people are endowed with properties, qualities, features more perfect than they are. In science, the method of idealization denotes a kind of theoretical cognition with elements of abstraction, for the study of regularities. Idealization in philosophy was considered by thinkers as a natural process for human thought, where an active role belongs to an ideal beginning endowed with creative spark.
Idealization in psychology
Idealization and depreciation are phenomena that go hand in hand in psychology. Psychoanalysis regards idealization as a protective mechanism, in which others are presented as more ideal and perfect. The mechanism starts as a child, when children perceive their parents as giants, superhumans. In adulthood, a person who idealizes people falls into dependence on relationships, other people's opinions. Idealization can arise in any of the spheres of life, from this no one is immune.
Idealization in Sociology
The idealization of its definition in sociology is based on the fact that human thinking tends to conscious, meaningful activity and this distinguishes it from the animal. The ability to imagine how an object or object will look ideally is indicated by sociologists as idealism. Any practical activity is preceded by an idea of what one wants to get the result. Thanks to great thinkers, pioneers, scientists, society evolves and develops - this would not happen if people did not strive for an ideal.
Idealization in art
Different kinds of idealization in art perform a very important function: they help to lift a person above the ordinary life. The artistic image, whether in literature or the fine arts, reflects an ideal that is characteristic of a particular era and is based on the following categories:
- the sublime is the base;
- beautiful - ugly;
- nobility - dishonor and meanness;
- aesthetics - vulgarity.
In literature and art, idealization helps fantasy break into reality and be a part of this reality. Idealistic art has a sensuality, it is unique, because those images that come from the unconscious and spill out in the form of a picture or literary work enrich this world. But it is necessary to distinguish fake embellished art from the idealistic, the first pushes away on an intuitive level, the second bewitches.
Idealization in science
The representation of something in a perfect form, rather than it is in reality, is characteristic of science. Abstraction and idealization are methods of theoretical cognition in any science. For example, in mathematics, a hypothetical mathematical model is created for research, which is simplified as much as possible: the geometric plane is ideally represented as an even surface without curvature. Physics and other natural sciences also use idealization, which makes it possible to study the patterns characteristic of an object.
Examples of idealization from life
Giving too much importance is characteristic of people in general. Erroneous beliefs about sex, money, relationships, talents and other values lead a person to suffering and a feeling of unsuccessfully developing life, unrealized. Examples of idealization:
- a person should be decent, clean;
- Sex should not be immoral;
- only a slender body is beautiful;
- close friends friends must trust each other;
- "My" religion is the most correct.
Idealization of abilities
The method of idealization involves the mental construction of objects, situations, and they are simpler and easier to fit into our idea of how everything should be arranged. The idealization of abilities manifests itself in the hyper-confidence of a person in achieving success without someone's help, he builds grandiose plans, does not listen to adequate opinions and advice, arrogant about people who have already achieved something in this direction, but still in the process. Life destroys these idealizations: grandiose plans are broken, successes are not recognized.
Supervaluable ideas in the idealization of abilities:
- "I would have been successful long ago if I had not been stuck in the wheels, the whole world seemed to be against me!";
- "All or nothing! For less, I do not agree! ";
- "I was born for great things!";
- "I know better!";
- "No one will do it better than me!".
Idealization of relations
The idealization of human relations plays a bad service, both for women and for men. The image of an ideal, invented from the reading of romantic books does not allow real relationships to happen, or even if this happens, a real person will lose to the ideal man or woman, which eventually leads to loneliness . How does the idealization of relations manifest themselves:
- there are overvalued ideas about how a partner should act in a given situation;
- in marriage there should be no betrayal, deceit;
- a man should guess at the first time, why his woman's mood is bad, what she wants, what she took offense at;
- a woman should meet her husband at full parade every day, be affectionate, even if she has problems;
- in a harmonious family do not shout, do not swear and do not beat the dishes.
Idealization of motherhood
The reasons for the idealization of motherhood may lie in the past of a woman and say that childhood was not cloudless when comparing her mother to other mothers, for example girlfriends, a girl can decide that another mother is more sensitive and benevolent than her own, and the opinion is composed of those superficial moments when the girl is visiting and sees only fragmentary situations, thinking up in her head the image of an ideal mother, to which the image of the real mother does not hold, and then the girl decides to become such a mother for her The future of children.
The idealization of motherhood is multifaceted and can include such an overvalued idea: a woman will not be fully realized without realizing herself in motherhood, the most important thing that should happen to a woman is to become a mother. It's easy to see when a woman tries to get pregnant in every way up to IVF, but she does not get it, as soon as she resigns to the fact that she is not destined to become a mother, pregnancy happens to her. But there is also such that not all women are born to become mothers, rejecting this idealization one can see its value in something else.
Idealizing the past
The idealization of the world and those processes in which it was in the past is more often estimated by the elderly as something better, pure and noble, and modern life as complete intrigue, debauchery and wicked people's hands. The idealization of past times has always existed. Why does this phenomenon arise? People often live with memories, and most of the pleasant memories often fall on already past time. Even if the situations were difficult and difficult, a person after a while is pleased to remember how he got out of this, met with good people, loved ones.
How to get rid of idealization?
To get rid of such important and expensive installations, ideas is very difficult and painful. Life often shows that ideals are unattainable, it is important to understand that real things are much more colorful and interesting than contrived - because life itself does not fit into any framework and standards. Living people with their shortcomings are much more attractive than the ideal image created in the head.
Are there any specific tips how to stop idealizing a person? Such advice is not available, and that works for one, the other causes a protest, and yet there are general recommendations that help get rid of idealizations:
- Diary of self-observation . Start recording all your experiences on important issues. It is possible to divide the pages into two columns, in one to describe the experience, in the second answer as it should be, so that this experience was not. After a while you can analyze the diary and see your favorite super-valuable ideas.
- Positive attitude and sense of humor . "All life is theater, and people in it are actors." A familiar phrase that has not lost its relevance for the centuries-old history of mankind. You can call life a circus court. Someone suffers with great pathos, and he needs spectators, someone in the role of a loser. It is important to try to identify with your role: "Who am I, a clown, a tragedian, a Lovelace?" To see and laugh: "What a beautiful actor I am!". Life is so multifaceted, and by adhering to only some permanent ideas or values one can not count on change and achievement of goals.
- Gratitude . Recognize and give place, thank for invaluable experience and let go of idealization. You can even make a ritual, so that in the subconscious minded, for example, balls in the sky to release, allow the imagination to come up with its own release option, how absurd it would seem.