Professional thinking of psychologists in the studying of the subject of psychology

Actual and important problem of specialists-psychologists training is purposeful and systematic formation of their professional features of mental activity. Today the problem of purposeful formation of professional thinking of psychologists isn't formulated as one of priority in high school preparation. In this article the problem of psychological science in theoretical and practical aspects of formation studentspsychologists' professional thinking which considerably define success of their activity in the future is considered. Actually it is links of one chain, between them there is an internal connection which can't be understood, considering these manifestations separately, alone. Thus, an actual and important problem of training of specialistspsychologists is a purposeful and systematic formation of their professional features of mental activity. 

Reflections about the subject of psychology are important in connection with a question on which decision in many respects depends further progress of psychological science, both in theoretical, and in practical its aspects, this is the question of thinking of the psychologist: what it must be to provide successful knowledge of various psychic reality which makes an essence of his work. Connection of these two questions — theoretical-methodological about the subject of psychology and practice-oriented about specifics of the professional thinking of psychologist is obvious since it is clear that the thinking of the learning subject has to correspond to the reality learned by him [1; 26].

The problem of professional thinking of experts of various profiles started being studied actively from the second half of the XX century. Such scientists as B.F. Teplov, V.A. Chebysheva, A.A. Batalov, Z.A. Reshetova, E.A. Klimov, D.N. Zavalishina, K.M. Romanov, etc. in their works tried to open essence of this phenomenon and to analyse structure and specifics of its functioning. Specifics of professional thinking are in many respects caused by features of professional activity in general, and also those tasks which the expert should solve in the course of its performance. The greatest interest for us represents professional thinking of the psychologist.

The huge attention to a problem of formation of psychological thinking and vocational training of psychologists in the works is given by K.M. Romanov. He considers that in psychology the complete concept of psychological training of students isn't developed yet. The traditional approach to the solution of this problem dominating in the modern education system is focused, mainly, on formation of knowledge, skills which are certainly necessary for future expert, however aren't sufficient for statement and the effective solution of possible psychological tasks. Researches of the author show that the most widespread methodical forms of teaching psychology are the lecture, seminar and laboratory researches which don't allow to form fully psychological thinking and scientific knowledge. Student's knowledge forming in the course of such lessons is not scientific, but everyday, not really acting, but formal, not generalized and abstract, but narrow according to the contents and attached to concrete situations. As a result, students aren't capable to allocate the corresponding mental phenomena in the conditions of real practice [2; 112–134].

The significant contribution to development of this problem was made by such scientist as A.A. Gopkalo who allocated the following characteristics of professional thinking of the psychologist: practical orientation, communication with the emotional sphere, strong-willed and cognitive processes, flexibility, ability to allocate essential, interaction of figurative and conceptual components. A.A. Gopkalo notes that the formation of certain types and forms of thinking are of great importance for professional activity of the psychologist. As the author notes: «… level of their functioning can be the factor which defines degree of readiness, formation of the expert, possibility of forecasting of his professional development».

Considerable scientific interest causes studying not only different types and styles of professional thinking of the psychologist, but also a subject of this thinking. G.S. Abramova, being guided by the cultural and historical theory of L.S. Vygotsky, as such subject allocates the psychological reality recorded in its qualitatively specific characteristics and available to possible influences and self-influences, moreover possible:

«when activity of the person is read as the text — mental manifestation as the text». Reliability of thinking of the psychologist is defined by the contents in it the scientific concepts allowing to enter complete characteristics of the subject, to fix, describe them, and also to influence them, distinguishing new properties.

S.V. Petrova, considering concept as the main unit of the analysis of professional thinking, marked out distinctive feature of psychology and pedagogical concepts: big degree of generality which is shown in tendency of the psychologist to allocation of the generalized characteristics of object. Psychologists apply patrimonial transformation as a way of an operationalization of concepts. In practical activities psychologists apply the attributive generalized transformation of concepts characteristics of the pupil and transformation in terms of the generalized actions — attempts to generalize properties and actions of the defined object. Psychologists are inclined to analyze situations of professional activity by their generalization.

On the basis of the concept of theoretical thinking and substantial generalization by V.P. Andronov approach to formation of students' professional thinking was developed. The author pays much attention to a problem of a goal formation, a problem definition, planning and forecasting in the structure of professional thinking. Educational activity of students on practical lessons is based as construction and the stage-by-stage decision of system of the professional tasks representing situations of professional reality. The solution of these tasks allows future experts to seize the main components of theoretical thinking [3; 159–178].

The base of psychological education is made by general psychology which is studied at first as «Introduction to psychology», then in the form of profound study of its main sections one of which makes the theme «Thinking». The considerable part of materials is studied at seminars. Students seize empirical methods of research of thinking in practical works. Since a third year students specialize in primary branches of psychological science: psychology of work, age, pedagogical, medical, social psychology, psychophysiology. The general psychology also represents special area of specialization of students. Thus, the theme

«Thinking» is considered as it were in four different aspects: 1) as the section «Introduction to Psychology», section of the systematic course «General Psychology», 3) as the section of branch courses (in courses of «Pathopsychology» and «Neuropsychology» the question of thinking pathology is considered, «The age psychology» — a problem of ontogenetic development of thinking), 4) as an area of specialization in the general psychology. In other words, «thinking» as a teaching subject (and scientific researches) is rather differentiated now. This manual is focused first of all on the second of the listed aspects of consideration, but can partially be used and within the fourth aspect.

The thinking arises as the process included in life activity, while developing it turns into rather independent activity having the motives, the purposes, the ways. By means of thinking one of levels of mental reflection including both conscious, and unconscious components is provided, thinking as activity is regulated by these reflections. Activity is always developed in time, it procedural therefore it is impossible to oppose characteristics as mental process and as activity. Products of thinking enter that integrated education which A.N. Leontyev called «image of the world», and at the same time make its qualitatively peculiar component. The thinking is included in communication, it makes a necessary component of impact on other person, acts of communication, is included in processes of interpersonal knowledge. The thinking can take the form of joint activity. At a certain stage of development of people it is capable to mental communication (to «playing» of the interactions with other people in the intellectual plan). The thinking of the person is personally caused the same as it is caused also by his individual features. The thinking is a necessary component of reflection of the personality and itself becomes an object of this reflection. Problems development of psychology of thinking in structure of primary branches of psychological science (differential psychology, psychophysiology, psychology of work, management, social, age, pedagogical, medical psychology) demands the special analysis [4; 480].

We will consider as this theoretical representation is connected with a practical question of formation of students-psychologists’ professional thinking considerably defining success of their activity in the future, and by what features it has to be characterized.

One of the possible answers consists in that the good psychologist has to own the sufficient volume of professional knowledge, skills. However only existence of knowledge doesn't guarantee achievement one of the main goals of professional activity of the psychologist — finding (understanding) of the valid reason of this or that psychological phenomenon, act of the person or his behavior in general.

Other answer consists that for increase of efficiency of psychologists’ professional activity it is necessary to provide with sufficient amount of the perfect psychodiagnostic means, characterized by high resolution ability. However it won't be a cardinal solution as now the psychodiagnostics reached such stage when only the increase in quantity of techniques or their improvement can't already provide significant improvement of psychologists’ professional activity.

B.S. Bratus and A.N. Zhdan note that «... the profession of the psychologist should be seized not as skill, a set of abilities, private views, but as knowledge type» [5; 175]. Professional features of thinking of the psychologist are caused, first of all, by need of understanding of the internal mechanisms and laws of development hidden from direct supervision as persons in general, and separate mental processes and conditions of the person, emotional experiences, the relations, interests, the reasons of emergence of various psychological problems. Watching external data of behavior of the person in various situations, comparing these or those characteristics of the activity which is carried out by it, revealing connections between separate psychological indicators, the psychologist carries out own hardest analytical-synthetical activity directed, eventually, on understanding of an inner world of other person. Without having established such connection, without having understood the true reason of this or that problem of the person, the psychologist won't be able to help him effectively, so, his professional activity will be unsuccessful. Thus, an actual and important problem of training of specialists-psychologists is a purposeful and systematic formation of their professional features of mental activity.

In the professional activity the psychologist directly deals with observed symptoms, external behavioural indicators, on the basis of studying, comparison, interpretation of which he has to take out the judgment about some psychological phenomenon, its reasons which don’t yield to direct perception. Thus, it operates with two components of object psycho-diagnostic testing — external (visible) and internal (invisible) which have to be in the field of his professional consciousness at the same time.

From the methodological point of view, professional activity of the practical psychologist with need is based on the following essentially important provisions stated by L.S. Vygotsky and S.L. Rubenstein: about lack of direct, mirror coincidence of essence of things to its manifestation and about existence at the same time internal and external unities; about impossibility of automatic establishment of the real reason of this or that phenomenon only on the basis of studying of externally observed manifestations; about need of cogitative processing of external, behavioural data taking into account their system communication with the psychological processes proceeding at the level hidden from direct supervision for penetration into internal essence of mental processes [6; 200].

According to these provisions, the practical psychologist, analyzing visible manifestations, builds the mental hypothetical two-level construct including multiple theoretically possible cause and effect relationships between concrete external manifestations and their psychological reasons, recreating, thus, several possible and at the first stage of psychodiagnostic process of still equiprobable options of the developed internal psychological picture. If ratios between external indicators of any mental act and its internal psychological nature would be mirror, then, as noted S.L. Rubenstein, the psychological knowledge would be excessive. In reality there is a polysemy of such ratio therefore, considering probabilistic character of causal relationships between external manifestations and the developed internal conditions. There must be several theoretical reasonable options of an internal picture: the more are they, the higher is the probability of that the reason which really caused it also will get to number of the hypothetical reasons of this concrete psychological phenomenon.

Thus, the main professional objective of the practical psychologist defining requirements to its mental activity consists in ability to construct such hypothetical two-level construct. For this purpose it is necessary, first, from the external level containing various behavioural manifestations flexibly to pass to the internal (causal) level (direct prospect); secondly, to be capable to operate with this construct. For this purpose it is necessary not only to recreate mentally internal structure of the mental phenomenon, but also to be able from internal to pass to external (in the return prospect), thus, expecting those concrete difficulties which can arise at the subject at the behavioural level at insufficient development or incorrectly developed system and structural organization of these or those mental processes.

As condition of success of the practical psychologist’ activity also acts integrity and structure of his professional knowledge: how quickly and adequately to the challenge will be carried out the selection from all set of his professional knowledge of those fragments which then are synthesized in a theoretical basis of the solved problem [7; 30]. In researches of psychologists connection of intelligence of the leader with efficiency of his activity is considered especially often. Researches speak about special efficiency of the manager able to create the atmosphere of motivation, the leader possessing experience who is able to improve the relations with the higher administration and subordinates. Also it is indicated other side of intelligence — practical intelligence, that is the work directed on the solution of practical tasks. The assessment of professional thinking of psychologists as differentially-integrated can be carried out on a number of internal and external indicators. To the number of internal indicators are referred:

1. Representation clearness in consciousness of the psychologist of two hierarchical levels of psychological space — external, containing various behavioural, motive, verbal indicators, and internal (invisible) on which mental processes proceed, lack of functioning of which are the reason, for example, of these or those educational difficulties and features of
2. Ability to make randomly and flexibly transition from one level to another, e. ability to carry out free transition from the analysis of external indicators, characteristics, signs, various manifestations of a mental state to analytical-synthetic consideration of their possible psychological reasons and back.
3. Clearness and sensibleness of implementation of purposeful mental process, beginning with the objectively set starting point formulated in inquiry at clear representation in consciousness of border between two
4. Stability, flexibility and generality of the cogitative operations connected with the analysis and synthesis of psychological knowledge of external manifestations and the internal reasons of this

Systemacity of thinking of psychologists. Other essential characteristic of professional thinking of psychologists is its systemacity. Formation of system thinking the most important problem of modern education. To think systemically means to consider real object as multidimensional whole taking into account a set of the determining factors, being guided thus mainly by probabilistic statistical regularities, to be able to synthesize knowledge from various areas, firmly relying on fundamental knowledge and regularities [8; 85].

Systemacity of professional thinking of psychologists is based on clear understanding of that various externally observed indicators of behavior and activity can be different, externally not connected manifestations of the same features of psychological processes and qualities. As a rule, accident and episode of these manifestations only the seeming. Actually it is links of one chain, between them there is an internal connection which can't be understood, considering these manifestations separately, alone. Otherwise it leads to their various interpretations [9; 200]. Only having united these manifestations in a certain system of the cause and effect relations in which this phenomenon is included and within which it is realized, it is possible to establish by theoretical reflections the internal psychological features which are an immediate cause of these various external manifestations. For the formation of qualities of the psychologist the manager needs to know the psychological features of the person which help to understand people, adequately to estimate their condition, mood, behavior and psychological barriers, obstacles which disturb the correct perception and an assessment of other person. He has to be able to choose in relation to everyone such form of communication which would answer his specific features, follow rules of etiquette, as a sign of respect for himself and to the people surrounding him.

Today the problem of purposeful formation of psychologists’ professional thinking isn't formulated as one of priority in high school preparation. Therefore in the course of teaching students’ professional thinking is formed obviously insufficiently. Only with accumulation of experience of psychological work the thinking of the expert in a varying degree gets the demanded professional qualitative characteristics. The empirical data which were received during the studying process of the decision by practical psychologists formation of diagnostic tasks as one of the type of their professional activity, and also results of supervision over features of course of studentspsychologists’ mental activity in the process of their vocational training testify to it.

For increase of the level of students-psychologists’ professional education the expansion of the arsenal of psychodiagnostic means used by psychologists and the development of the logical party of diagnostic thinking it is necessary to consider as, certainly, necessary, but not the only and obviously not sufficient way of increase of psychologists’ professional skill [10; 104].

Achievement of this purpose seems in two interconnected directions. One of them consists, first, in the development of accurate differentiation of the indicators relating to external, observed, visible, behavioural level, and indicators of internal level where the mental processes hidden from direct supervision are presented, shortcomings of which development are subject to the psychological analysis. Secondly, in training to make intellectual comparisons of indicators of external and internal levels in their various cause and effect relations in direct and return prospects. And, thirdly, to fulfill skills of mental operating by the psychological constructs created in imagination: to transform their structure and the contents, to change the location of the set indicator related to external or internal levels at first chosen independently, and then objectively set by inquiry.

Other direction is connected with the formation and development of the ordered, structured, internally disjointed system of professional knowledge in students. In this regard the process of the organization of knowledge assimilation in which the central place belongs to the training program is of great importance. The program not only fixes that is subject to assimilation, i.e. objectify the content of knowledge, but its logician, its structural orderliness define, set activities for their assimilation. The logic of the program turns into logic of thinking, is transformed to structure of mental activity of trainees (P.Ya. Galperin). In this regard it is necessary to emphasize the importance of accurate substantial and structural orderliness of the training program of each separate course given to students in the process of their vocational training [11; 340].

Formation of professional thinking demands from students not only specification and emphasis of subject and methodological bases of each training course, but also structuring curricula and accurate sequence of introduction of new psychological disciplines. Thus it is necessary that each discipline was acquired in connection with other given training courses, and the sequence of introduction of knowledge has to consider the objective law of mental development of the person and his knowledge — the law of system differentiation. It dictates accurately set sequence of representation of knowledge, starting with those which give the most general and complete representations, data on mentality, conditions of its development and the main regularities of mental reflection, passing gradually to the subject matters which are clear up and concretize action of the general regularities in relation to concrete areas of psychology [13]. For increase of efficiency of psychologists’ professional activity it is necessary to provide with the sufficient amount of perfect characterized by high resolution ability psychodiagnostic means. However and it won't be a cardinal solution as nowadays the psychodiagnostics reached such stage when only the increase in quantity of techniques or their improvement can't already provide significant improvement of professional activity of psychologists [12; 35].

In each subject discipline within the available opportunities definitely should be carried out the emphasis or differentiation of that what are the external indicators of mental activity, and what should be treated to internal dynamics, the contents and structure of mental processes.

Considerable scientific interest causes studying not only different types and styles of professional thinking of the psychologist, but also a subject of this thinking. G.S. Abramova, being guided by the cultural and historical theory of L.S. Vygotsky, as such subject allocates the psychological reality recorded in its qualitatively specific characteristics and available to possible influences and self-influences, moreover possible:

«when activity of the person is read as the text — mental manifestation as the text» [13; 104]. Reliability of psychologist’s thinking is defined by the contents in it the scientific concepts allowing to enter complete characteristics of a subject, to fix, describe them, and also to influence them, distinguishing new properties.

S.V. Petrova, considering concept as the main unit of the analysis of professional thinking, marked out the distinctive feature of psychology and pedagogical concepts: big degree of generality which is shown in tendency of the psychologist to allocation of the generalized characteristics of object. Psychologists apply patrimonial transformation as a way of an operationalization of concepts. In practical activities psychologists apply the attributive generalized transformation of concepts characteristics of the pupil and transformation in terms of the generalized actions — attempts to generalize properties and actions of the defined object. Psychologists are inclined to analyze situations of professional activity by their generalization [14; 133].

Generalizing results of above-mentioned researches it is possible to draw the following conclusions:

• The professional thinking of the psychologist functions in the system of interpersonal knowledge and is directed on a subjective reconstruction of psychological characteristics of the person as a
• Reliability of thinking is defined by the contents in it the scientific concepts which are realized in practical
• The factor defining degree of formation of the expert, his readiness to professional activity is the level of professional thinking functioning which defines success of its
• The professional tasks and situations used in the course of training of students act as a development tool of professional thinking and, as a result, means of professional activity
• To be able to solve practical professional problems the student needs to possess a scientific categorial conceptual framework that is repeatedly noted in state standard specification as in truly scientific concept the way of the solution of a practical task is implicitly Thus, possessing the concepts, the expert also possesses the ways of solution of professional tasks.

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