Arbitrary attention

Attention is of several kinds. Each of them has its own causes and forms of manifestation. Separately, we should consider two different types of attention - involuntary and arbitrary. If the latter arises from the person's intention only after he has applied at least a minimal effort of will, involuntary attention appears without the participation of the intention of the individual. By the way that a person turns his attention, one can judge the character and the mental stock.

Arbitrary attention is inherent only in man. This feature makes it possible to distinguish people from animals (since they also have involuntary attention). It arose as a result of activity guided by consciousness. To achieve something, a person must do not only what he likes, but also what is necessary for the cause. In the process of theoretical training and consolidation of knowledge in practice, voluntary attention is formed.

From the physiological point of view, it arises in the cerebral cortex, where the focus of the greatest excitation is maintained by pulses directed from the second signaling system. The influence of the labor process on the formation of this type of attention has developed historically. After all, no activity is possible without conscious control of one's own attention.

Arbitrary attention also differs in some psychological features. It is accompanied by tension, strong-willed effort of varying degrees. The longer the voluntary attention is held, the greater the tension, up to physical fatigue. To prevent this, you must either alternate forced hard activities with easy and interesting, or so interested in a person so that he can maintain concentration for a long time .

At first the person makes strong-willed efforts, delves into the content of what he is studying, and in the future he is able to follow the studied subject without such stress. This is the appearance of post-individual attention, which arises after an arbitrary attention. In some sources it is called secondarily arbitrary. With his appearance, the learning process is much easier, fatigue may not be.

Types of attention are also different, depending on where it is drawn. If the external, material world is external attention, if feelings, thoughts, memories are internally directed. The latter can be involuntary in the event that during the execution of the basic work a person is distracted by thoughts about something extraneous, to memories. Often this is the cause of inattention. Arbitrary attention, on the contrary, from everything that is happening chooses only that which directly concerns the sphere of human interests.

For involuntary attention, participation of will is absolutely not required, because you do not have to focus on one thing for a long time. But for the sake of voluntary attention it is simply necessary. It necessarily connects volitional regulation. As a rule, this kind of attention is connected with the presence of several interests, often competing with each other, with the struggle of several motivations to action. In this case, the person deliberately chooses one goal, one interest for satisfaction and shows will to suppress others.

It is clear that favorable conditions for work help to concentrate and achieve good results. However, here each person must work out an individual mode and rhythm of work, while adhering to the golden mean, since neither excessive noise nor absolute silence contribute to the effective performance of work.

In any activity committed consciously, different types of attention are intertwined.