If a person is asked to name known types of sensations, he, most likely, will list about four. Most often we remember sight, smell, hearing and touch. In fact, the world of our sensations is much wider. You will learn about the types, properties and patterns of human sensations from this article.
So, what is the feeling? This is a mental process that reflects the individual properties of the objects and phenomena around us when they directly affect certain sense organs. In the sensation our nervous system is always involved.
Types and properties of sensations
Traditionally, all kinds of sensations are divided into three classes:
1. Exteroceptive. This kind of sensations arises when external stimuli act on the surface receptors, that is, it gives us an idea of the images of the external world. Depending on the characteristics of individual types of sensations, the exteroceptive sensations are divided in turn into contact and distant sensations.
The types of contact sensations include:
- tactile or tactile. Due to this kind of sensations, we can determine by touch, smooth or rough surface of paper, soft or hard crumb of bread, etc. In addition, it is the touch that "tells" us about the nature of the interaction of our body with a particular surface: sliding, friction, pressure, etc .;
- temperature. This kind of sensation is designed to provide thermoregulation of the body, because we feel the temperature changes;
- painful sensations not only "inform" us about the mechanical, electrical or chemical properties of surrounding objects, but also perform a protective function, signaling to the body that it has encountered something dangerous and destructive;
- flavoring. This kind of sensation depends on the state of the body. For example, a hungry person perceives sweets more sharply. And such tastes as tartness, sharpness or spice arise as a result of interaction with other types of sensations: temperature, kinesthetic or tactile.
The types of distant sensations include:
- visual. With the help of vision, we get the most part of the concept of the world, and on the quality of sight, its sharpness and sensitivity to light depends what kind of picture is in our brain;
- auditory. The field of hearing is wider than the visual, because we can hear what happens behind and at the side, without turning our heads. The world of sounds is extremely important for a person, because language forms the basis of information exchange between people;
- olfactory. The peculiarity of this type of sensation is that individual smells and their perceptions can be related to the past of the person or the climatic conditions in which he is.
2. Interoceptive. This group combines the types of sensations that arise when internal stimuli act, because interoceptive receptors are located in internal organs. These sensations are extremely important for our body, because they signal a malfunction in his work. Due to interoceptive sensations, we feel hunger, thirst, pain of internal organs.
3. Proprioceptive sensations:
- static-dynamic. This kind of sensation arises in the vestibular apparatus and is responsible for the balance and acceleration;
- kinesthesia. Thanks to the musculo-articular sensations, we can judge the accuracy of our movements;
- vibratory. It is this kind of sensation that is used by deaf and dumb people, and the source of its occurrence is the change in pressure.
Types of sensory disturbances
There are several types of disturbance of sensations:
- sensory hypopathy - a violation associated with a sharp change in the threshold of sensations, while the sensitivity decreases, and the person feels an equally weak sensation, as when exposed to strong and weak stimuli;
- sensory hyperpathy - sensitization. A person intensifies the intensity of sensations even when exposed to weak
irritants; - paresthesia is a kind of disturbance of sensations when, in the absence of stimuli, a person feels numbness or tingling in certain areas of the body.
It is the variety of sensations that fulfills the basic function of our world perception, and all types of sensations are considered in psychology as a way of recognizing the surrounding reality. Therefore, a healthy body that can feel the maximum range of effects of both internal and external factors, perceives life more fully and accurately.