The “explosion” method is a specific method of re-education developed by A.S. Makarenko. It is not the inner world of the individual as a whole that “explodes”, but her damaged relations with society and the team. «Explosion» involves bringing to the limit the conflict of the individual with the team; at the same time, the alternative is clearly posed: to change in order to become a respected member of the collective, or to leave it in order to become the object of contempt of comrades. It is important to saturate the very process of the “explosion” with experiences as much as possible in order to arouse in the pupil a feeling of dissatisfaction with himself, to awaken a passionate desire to become better. The “explosion” method performs only one function of re-education: it destroys the links between negative qualities, loosens the structure of difficult education, but does not eliminate the shortcomings themselves.
Therefore, the method of «explosion» should be followed by persuasion, retraining and education of positive qualities.
The phenomenon of «explosion» is described in detail in fiction, for example, the re-education of Jean Valjean, the hero of the novel «Les Misérables» by V. Hugo:
After leaving prison, Valjean became an outcast because of his passport, which did not give him the opportunity to hide the fact that he was a former criminal, although at that time he himself admitted that years of a company of notorious criminals made him one. The only one who treated him as a respectable person was Bishop Miriel of Din, meeting with whom changes Valjean. The bishop did not betray Valjean when he stole the family silver from his house, and told the police that he himself had given it to him. After that, Valjean accepted repentance, became an honest and worthy man, and took on the role of the father of the young Cosette after her mother, Fantine, died.
Breakdown (from the book «Hug the Immensity»)
Author: Shchetinin MP
I will not hide: I thought for a long time whether to write or not to write about that case. And yet I decided: I must write. To make tomorrow better than yesterday…
— What happened to you? Who hurt you? — I ask Tatyana Vasilyeva, a student of the XNUMXth grade, trembling all over from loud sobs.
But Tanya, covering her face wet with tears with one hand, and the blouse torn on her shoulder with the other, shakes her head negatively …
Are you supposed to be in class right now? Did it happen in class?
Still not saying a word, the girl just lowered her head even lower. In her trembling thin shoulders, in her whole hunched figure, as if crushed by an invisible heavy load, there is screaming despair, resentment and hopelessness …
— Were you beaten? See →
The use of an «explosion» requires the creation of a special environment in which feelings would arise that could amaze a person with their unexpectedness and unusualness. In such an environment, a collision of nervous processes occurs in a person. An unexpected stimulus (spectacle, information, etc.) causes confusion in him. This leads to a radical change in views on events, individuals and even the world as a whole. For example, information about the infidelity of one of the spouses in «prosperous» families can lead the other to the brink of disaster. In families where infidelity is regarded as a prank, this does not happen.
Says the master of vocational school
He had a student in his group who, with his antics, exhausted the soul of the teachers.
Of course, the master was especially hard hit — both from the administration, and from fellow teachers, and from the parents of the affected students.
There was no control over this fool. And then one day, after some especially vile trick of his, the master found him in the boiler room. Blood rushed to his head, his rage was so great that, having lost all self-control, the master grabbed the teenager and dragged him to the firebox, shouting: “That’s it, bastard, say goodbye to life. I have no more strength! I’ll go to court, but I’ll save everyone from such a reptile!!”
The teenager turned white, broke out in a cold sweat and screamed: “Don’t! No need! I won’t do it again! Sorry! A-ah-ah!»
Throwing him to the ground, the master ran out.
Since the teenager was replaced, he no longer did dirty tricks.
«Scene»
In contrast to the spontaneous «explosion» «scene» can be produced intentionally. André Maurois stated: «The best scenes come about deliberately and with great skill.» As an example, let us cite one story from the time of the Napoleonic campaigns. Lyonne, one of the marshals of Napoleon’s army, had a certain «strangeness». Being a very even and self-possessed man, he sometimes lost his temper in front of his subordinates, tore off his cocked hat, threw it on the ground and trampled it in a rage.
These outbursts of anger always happened at moments when it was necessary to move subordinates to a difficult decision.
And only the batman noticed such a pattern — every time the day before, the marshal said to him: «Jacques, bring my old cocked hat.» The marshal was from the common people and could not trample on an expensive headdress. No wonder they say: «The best impromptu is the one that is well prepared.»
These plots demonstrate the effectiveness of persuasive actions that combine the techniques of «suspense» and «explosion».