Abstraction (this term originated from the Latin word abstractio, which means abstraction) determines the view of the situation, a person or an object from a detached point of perception. Thus, there is a distraction from the specifics and the ability to assess the situation in general. The concept of abstraction played an important role in the development of many sciences.
Abstraction is an example
Any abstraction requires two actions: the first is of minor and minor details, the second is the focus on the phenomenon in general and important, meaningful details.
For example, in order to study motion, first discard the curvilinear motion in all its varieties, then - the accelerated movement, and as a result, the most pure and simple form remains for consideration, reflecting the very essence of it. Thus, abstraction is a tendency to focus on ideal conditions.
In spite of the fact that this seems elementary, it is abstraction that made it possible to isolate and study the most important concepts - speed, time, distance, etc. Hence, abstraction is a method of cognition.
This method allows you to discard a less significant, secondary, and concentrate on the most important. It's no secret that in a person's life there are often situations in which it is important to determine the main direction and not to waste energy in vain, spraying on trifles. Identify with this primary business and help abstraction. Abstraction and specification
Each concept has its own opposite. Abstraction and concretization is like looking close and far away. Standing close, you will consider everything in details (concretization), but standing far away, you will be able to evaluate the concept as a whole, without being distracted by trifles (abstraction). Thus, these are two opposite concepts.
It is easy to illustrate with an example. If you say "I will lose weight" is an abstraction. And if you say "I will give up the sweet and I will do morning runs" - this is a reality.
The method of abstraction and its purpose
Abstraction in psychology and other sciences allows us to achieve a whole range of goals that help to better understand the essence of a phenomenon, an object or a person. This analytical method allows you to drop a number of specific situations and look at the whole, so that the following goals are achieved:
- Create a sample. When we choose a particular property or quality of something and designate it as the key, it can be exaggerated and thus get a pure ideal. It is clear that in reality this can not exist, but such a pure equivalent may well be the starting point for the theory and reflection on the concept.
- Identification. It is the principle of abstraction that facilitates the search for common features in phenomena and events. In this case, attention is concentrated on the general, and the distinguishing details are omitted.
- Clarity and specifics. To achieve this goal, attention
concentrates on a certain concept, which allows, for example, to see boundaries in the meaning of the word. Abstraction helps to separate concepts between themselves. - Generalization and systematization. It is easy to guess that the generalization and abstraction in general are rather closely related. To achieve this goal, attention is focused on the most important features that make it possible to divide the concepts into appropriate groups. Each of the groups is independent and includes generalized concepts, but differs from other groups that have other common key concepts.
You can use abstraction in a variety of situations. Removing from insignificant details, it is much easier to concentrate on the very essence of the phenomenon of interest.