The theory of a person’s system diagnostics

 

CHAPTER I.

SYSTEM APPROACH AS A THEORETICAL

BASIS OF A PERSON’S SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS

 

The principles of classical system approach

And their role in a person’s system diagnostics

 

Developing the theory, methods and equipment for a person’s complex diagnostics for many years we constantly faced two important questions: what is more reasonable to diagnose? and how to do it better?

Being a unity of soul (psyche) and body (soma) a man is simultaneously a part of socium. That’s why a person’s integrated diagnostics means a combination of psychological, somatic and sociological diagnostics. It gives the answer to the question “What should be diagnosed?”, but only generally. To have a more concrete answer you need a theoretical instrument which can help to fill in the information field, i.e. to select individual objects of investigation so that there were no any “white spots” left during a person’s integrated diagnostics and the degree of attention to the diagnostics of this or that quality corresponded to the degree of its importance.

Dealing with the problem “how is it better to diagnose?” we should mention that a great number of techniques has appeared in the arsenal of methods of a person’s diagnostics, particularly in psychological diagnostics and interfacing to it areas. This positive phenomenon has also its negative sides. At first, “interdepartmental” differentiating caused an excessive partition of diagnostic methods and diagnostic information about a person. Secondly, a practical psychologist, teacher, doctor finds it difficult to orientate in a great number of diagnostic techniques (occasionally contradictory) and the results received with their help. All this essentially complicates both the development of the unified theory of a person and his activity, and practical work with people, especially psychologic-pedagogical and administrative one. That’s why there should be a theoretical criterion of estimation of different diagnostic techniques to select and systematize them while solving the problem of complex (system) diagnostics of a person.

A person’s system diagnostics is meant as a theory and practice of a person’s integrated investigation on the basis of system analysis and system synthesis of his qualities and functions. Theoretic-methodological basis of a person’s system diagnostics was the system approach circumscribed in the works of M.I.Setrov (1972), A.I.Uyemov (1978), B.G.Ananyev (1968), B.F.Lomov (1984), V.A.Ganzen (1984) and others.

A person’s system diagnostics requires a full taking into account of all methodological principles of system approach and also the use of all basic components of system approach.

The principle of physics

 

Table 1 – The examples of manifestations of the laws of physics in psychology

 

The laws of physics	Psychological conformities to natural laws
Mechanical motion is relative. One and the same motion in different systems can look differently.	This implies, at first, that psychic development (of abilities, professionally important qualities, knowledge, skills, etc.) is relative. You should judge the process of their development(or degradation) not according to the level of the expressiveness of this or that quality, but according to the difference (D) between the points indicating the stages of development. Secondly, the degree of natural gifts (professionalism) should be revealed comparing the level of expressiveness of some qualities of estimated individual with similar qualities of other individuals. So, we can see, that natural gifts, genius, talent are relative notions. The genius of one social-historical epoch can not be the same for another epoch, etc.
The first Newton’s law (the law of inertia). Any isolated (not being influenced by external forces) body keeps its state of tranquility or uniform rectilinear motion.	It means that to change a psychic state, psychic process, personality psychological characteristics, social orientation, outlook, etc. you need an external or (and) internal influence. The effectiveness of the change is proportional to the effectiveness of overcoming of inertia. Too sharp and strong influence (especially in the opposite direction) leads to psychological explosion (conflict).
The second Newton’s law shows that the change of a body’s speed is caused by the influence of other bodies on it.	It means that external or internal influences are the causes of the change of the speed of development or degradation of psychic functions. That’s why the diagnostic index is not only the fact of the change of the development, but also the speed of this process.
The third Newton’s law. While interacting two bodies, their forces, by which they influence each other, are equal in modulo and opposite in direction.	The force of psychological influence on a personality is equal in modulo to the sum of qualitative and quantitative aspects of this influence. The qualitative aspect depends on social and psychological significance of the influence for a given person. The quantitative aspect depends on the quantity and vector of influences.
The angle of influence is equal to the angle of reflection.	The direction of a person’s psychic reaction on a psychic influence depends on what angle to the plane of a person’s needs this influence is made.

 

According to this principle any system is characteristic of physics laws, In system diagnostics the registration of the principle of physics is especially necessary while interpreting the results of the investigation. The examples in table 1 illustrate how these principles work in psychic states.

The postulates of principles of physics play a very important role in the comprehension of the essence of a person’s system diagnostics.

According to the postulate of integrity a composite system should be considered as a single unit. The example of such composite and at the same time integrated system is a man. The diagnostics of this integrated system should take system character which enables to diagnose the whole spectrum of a person’s qualities and also to review the investigated quality in the context other qualities of a person’s integrated structure.

According to the postulate of autonomy a system has a spatially-temporary metrics and intra-system laws of conservation which are defined by the contents and the structure of the system and don’t depend on the environment. That’s why identical external influences, also in the process of psycho-diagnostics cause different individual reactions, connected with individual (autonomic) features of the examinees. The postulate of autonomy corresponds to the well-known formula of S.L.Rubenstein according to which any external influences on a person are carried out through his internal conditions.

 

The principle of modeling

 

According to this principle any system can be presented as a finite set of models, each of them reflects a particular side of its essence.

Model – is a theoretical (imaginary), or sign (semiotic), or material (artificial or natural) substitute of the original which reflects a number of the original’s characteristics, essential to the given investigation, in the form of a number of elements and which helps to solve scientific and applied tasks.

The principle of modeling is of great importance for psychological diagnostics. It testifies to the legitimacy of studying of any quality while modeling the appropriate activity (situation). It should be pointed out, that huge modeling possibilities are used in a person’s diagnostics insufficiently. Because of it the practical diagnostics suffers which is especially actual for the diagnostics of the qualities appearing in extreme situations. It’s very difficult and even impossible for carrying out the diagnostic procedures in real extreme situations. The best solution of the problem is the modeling of extreme situation. As well as any other model, it has reproducibility, standardness and other important characteristics. It doesn’t only facilitate the procedure of the diagnostics, but also raises the reliability of the results. Its confirmation is the practice of usage of methods of the diagnostics of reliability in extreme situation and the diagnostics of psycho-emotional steadiness which are based on the use of the model of extreme situation (see the description of the methods in chapter VI, part II).

The principle of modeling suggests the possibility to model any aspects and characteristics of a person, his activity and behavior. The fact that many parameters have no qualified models yet (it especially concerns the simulation of emotions) testifies only about an irregularity or insufficiency of knowledge in this sphere, but not about theoretical hopelessness of this way.

In system diagnostics the principle of modeling allows to use simplified models. Their interaction provides the reflection of a composite system as a whole. It is reasonable to use the hierarchical system of models. In this case the model which is on the top of the pyramid helps to investigate only common tendencies which gradually become concrete dealing with the models of lower levels.

The postulates of modeling principle play an important role in a person’s system diagnostics.

The postulate of supplement, according to the principle of Bohr requires that the objects should be described using pairs of notions simultaneously completing each other. In system diagnostics the principle of continuum described in 2.2 corresponds to this postulate.

The postulate of uncertainty according to the principle of Meisenberg indicates that the minimum accuracy of the definition of a system’s properties depends on the area of uncertainty which is characteristic of this system, and inside of which the increasing accuracy of the definition of one property entails the lowering accuracy of the definition of another one. Due to this, many psychic processes have their areas of uncertainty, this postulate helps to understand the reasons of noninformity of the accuracy of the diagnostics of various properties during profound investigations.

 

Table 2 – The manifestation of the postulate of operation in Hooke’s law and also in psychic phenomenon.

 

Hooke’s law

Psychic phenomenon

The force of elasticity, originating in a body during its deformation, is proportional to the absolute alongation of the body. The coefficient of proportionality is called the rigidity of the body. It depends upon a material, geometrical sizes and forms. Hooke’s law is fulfilled during small deformations. The ultimate tension, during which Hooke’s law is fulfilled, is called the limit of elasticity.

During a psychological influence (pressure) on a person the quantity of a person’s counteraction is proportional to the quantity of the pressure and also the psychological rigidity of a person. An ultimate tension, under which this law is fulfilled, is called the limit of psychological steadiness. If the pressure is increased, a paradoxal phase of reaction is observed. It appears in two polar forms: the reaction of lion (supernormal rise of aggression, activity, will, muscle force, speed of reaction) and the reaction of rabbit (is characterized by relaxation, up to a stupor). The farther increase of a psychological pressure causes destruction of a person, up to a somatic self-destruction (suicide).

 

The postulate of operation causes a threshold character of a system’s reactions to an external influence. Up to the definite level the influence of the environment is compensated by strengthening of some processes and weakening of others and beginning with some level, the saltus – the modification of the system – is necessary. This postulate is displayed in Hooke’s law and its operations (see table 2).

The postulate of operation is compounded with the law of force by B.M.Teplov – V.D.Nebylitsin, which is the basis of their well-known technique of the diagnostics of force-weakness of nervous system and also the law of initial meanings by N.M.Peysakhov (1974) which contributes to the adequate interpretation of the results. E.P.Ilyin’s technique (1981) “Tepping-test” for the diagnostics of force-weakness of nervous system also corresponds with this postulate.