Hello dear blog readers! Abstraction in psychology is the process of distracting a person from some thoughts and switching attention to others. Have you ever thought about work while on vacation? Or vice versa, sitting in the office, instead of completing the task, dream about the weekend, about where you want to go in the evening? Sometimes it gets in the way, but if you learn how to manage this process, you can achieve more. Since you will see what is important, completing the task, without spraying your attention on trifles, external stimuli.
How to learn?
The process of mastering the ability to abstract requires some effort. That is constant practice.
Methods to help you in this matter:
Background
When trying to concentrate on something, turn on loud music, open the window wide if it’s warm outside and a crowd of kids are playing in the yard. Why should this be done? To train the ability to switch off from external stimuli, transforming them into a background, not a figure. For example, when someone nearby is talking loudly and disturbing you, this means that the source of the noise is the main figure for you at the moment. And if you calmly continue your work, hearing the conversation, but not paying attention to it, this means that the stimulus has gone into the background.
Systematization
Try to systematize your actions. That is, to perform them sequentially, and not immediately take on different cases.
Fly method
In a difficult critical situation, for example, during a conflict, if you resort to the method of abstraction, you can maintain peace of mind. And also avoid consequences that you will regret. For example, if you say nasty things or you will be too violent, emotionally react to the words of the second participant in the conflict. We often hear: «Keep yourself in hand», «Do not pay attention to what they say» and so on. But what if the interlocutor clings to the sick, hurts or angers? It is very difficult to stand and listen quite calmly to accusations or insults.
But there is a method in psychology called «Fly». It consists in the fact that a person tries to imagine himself as a fly on the ceiling, which is watching the process of a quarrel. From the side. Then emotions will be muffled, and mental activity, on the contrary, will be activated. Thanks to this method, the person has a chance to hear the interlocutor, to understand what exactly he is trying to convey. And also to maintain the stability of your nervous system. Or maybe the relationship itself.
Film method
If you do not exclude an affective response, a person eventually understands that it was worth doing otherwise. Say other words or vice versa, listen to the interlocutor. This happens because when feelings cool down, a person gains the opportunity to look at what happened from a slightly different angle.
To recover faster, you can imagine that you are watching a movie. This method is a bit similar to the «Fly». It’s just that this image may not be given to someone due to the unreality of events, but watching a movie is a completely familiar action. And who wouldn’t want to be an actor?
pronunciation
It helps to concentrate on one thing as well as pronouncing the goal at the moment. Close your eyes and repeat your task like a mantra. This will relax you a little, put you in a state similar to meditative. Why and to abstraction, as they say, will remain within easy reach.
Completion
As you may have noticed, abstraction helps to realize something important, make a decision, come up with the best way out of the current situation. Discover something of value and focus on the task at hand.
You will be able to do your job in a short time, which means you can advance not only in your career, but also in self-development. Take care of yourself and loved ones!
Read also an article on how to communicate effectively using the Small talk technique.
The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina Alina