Abilities: from inclinations to mastery

Abilities are individual psychological characteristics, as a result of which, with the same level of knowledge, skills and abilities, one thing a person does better than another. It’s easier for one guy to count, another to draw, and a third to understand technology. This girl masters sewing easily, this one is the art of presentation, and this one is as if she was born a cook.

«He has an aptitude for music, not mathematics.» «He will not be able to master this element, he does not have the ability to do this.»

Abilities are revealed in the speed, depth and strength of mastering the methods and techniques of some activity. Abilities are the most important tool of personality. The more developed a person’s abilities, the more he can do.

Speaking about the development of abilities, the following levels are distinguished: inclinations, abilities, giftedness, skill, talent, genius … On the other hand — mediocrity, mediocrity …

We talk about inclinations when we see that a person, due to his natural features or experience, could be successful in this or that business. If a person has developed his inclinations, his abilities are noted. The next level is giftedness, these are abilities that are more developed in comparison with other people, which enable a person to perform any type of activity especially successfully.

Distinguish between intellectual and creative talent. First of all, musical talent manifests itself, later — the ability to draw, mathematics. For example, almost all outstanding mathematicians showed their worth before the age of 20.

The next stage is mastery, which implies perfection in a particular activity. Further — talent, that is, a high level of development of abilities, which usually manifests itself in creative activities. The development of talent depends on a person’s own activity and his environment. And finally, genius is the highest degree of creative abilities that have influenced the development of society for many years.

Abilities are classified according to the types of mental functional systems (mental, communicative, sensorimotor, etc.) and according to the main types of activity (mathematical, musical, literary, etc.). In addition, abilities are general and special. Most people of a certain age category have common ones and manifest themselves in many areas of activity. The main general abilities of a person are mental, strong-willed, mental and bodily abilities. The development of special requires training and often special mental abilities. There are many private, special abilities, these are musical, artistic, counting abilities, the ability to master a wide variety of skills.

Each person has certain abilities, just not everyone can identify and develop them. Some abilities can be inherited, for example, mathematical. Abilities are to a certain extent related to the gender of a person: men are more capable in the world of business and objects, women in the world of conversations, feelings and relationships.

Inclination is expressed in activity, and activity develops abilities. On the other hand, both children and adults are more likely to do exactly what they are best at, what they have the makings of. It is difficult to say what comes first: inclinations or abilities.

Do boys play cars, and girls in relationships — because they like it or because it is in this area of ​​​​activity that it is easier for them to prove themselves, are they better at it?

The development of abilities is highly dependent on the environment in which the formation of a person as a person takes place. In children, it is easier to identify them, since they manifest themselves while studying in specialized schools and hobby groups. The easiest and most reliable way to find your abilities is to start trying to do what is interesting or what is in demand in life. At a minimum, this really develops certain abilities at least to some level, and additionally it develops the ability (ability) to teach oneself, the ability to develop oneself.

If someone claims that you don’t have any abilities at all for a particular field of activity, that you can never learn to dance, sing or draw well, learn foreign languages ​​​​or the profession of a designer — do not believe this person. If you know how to study in general, then at least to the average level you can master almost any business. Even a hare can be taught to play the drum, if there is a will and there would be a desire. In this sense, everything is possible for everyone.

However, with regard to outstanding abilities, the situation is different. Often in popular literature you can find the statement that every person is talented in something, you just need to believe in yourself and look for what your hidden talents are. Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence for this optimistic point of view. Theoretically, it can be assumed that everyone is brilliant, just one person needs 30 years to become a genius, while another needs three hundred years. That is — not in this life … The presence or absence of outstanding abilities to an experienced person can be seen almost immediately. Professional coaches can quickly identify your sports talents and confidently say: «You have the data for the sport of high performance, but you, sorry, do not.» This is not about your abilities in general, but about the sport of the highest achievements, this is the lot of the elite.

As for significant abilities in other areas of life (artistic, scientific, crafts, etc.), it is more likely to meet people who will not be talented in anything, and others who can be talented in very different areas of life. A talented musician is not at all an obviously talented athlete, but talented people do achieve high results in a variety of areas more easily than others. This is due to the fact that a talented person is accompanied by a feeling: I know this, I can, and what I can’t do, I quickly learn. Talented people are more often characterized by free consciousness and an effective approach. This is most likely due to the fact that any activity has approximately the same structure. At least — the structure of training. I know how to learn, I’m talented in this — it will be easier for me to do everything. If you want to become talented, learn to learn. Talent is the freedom of the body and mind against the backdrop of openness to everything new.

What does it depend on? The answer is standard — innate inclinations plus general development in childhood, plus the child’s faith in himself. We will not talk about innate inclinations here, but the general development in early childhood is a really important thing. Dear parents, make sure that your child gets a good basic development in childhood: learn to draw, sing, dance, master the basics of crafts, where you need to work well with your hands and feel a lot of material. Activities that develop fine motor skills are always useful. Plus general cultural development: acquaintance with classical music and art history.

Separate conversation about sports. Dear parents, be careful: choosing this or that sport for your children, you not only develop this or that type of physical activity, you choose the character and destiny of your children. Personality is built through body drawing. Skiing for long distances, like a sport, forms the psychology of a loner who knows how to move through tension, on one will, to the goal, which he always looks at a little frowningly. Swimming develops the will less, but gives more attention to the technique of movements and gives the ability to enjoy life. Tennis is a feeling of a couple, the ability to build tactics, not be afraid to lose and be able to deliver accurate strong blows. Football, as a sport, is the feeling of a team, the ability to catch the excitement and kick backhand, throwing all your aggression into the punch!

As for self-confidence, it is really very important for the manifestation and development of our abilities. Amazing experiments Prof. V.L. Raikov showed that practically each of us can do much more than he thinks about himself, and under hypnosis, people with quite average abilities suddenly discovered in themselves, if not talents, then abilities above average. This does not mean that hypnosis is a panacea. Hypnosis can help you discover the best in yourself that you already have, but don’t expect miracles: real skills still come only as a result of training. Remember: talent without diligence is only hope, only an open door to great results, but you need to enter this door: enter with your own labor.