Spiritual activity. Human activity (social studies): types, description and features

A person is characterized not only by physical, but also by mental power, stimulating him in actions and focusing on tasks, expressed in conviction and dreams, in courage and courage. With its help, the spiritual activity of people is formed. Sometimes it is confused with soul-searching, looking for hidden meanings and axioms, but this is too narrow a definition. It focuses on creativity and the creative process.

Concept of spiritual activity

moral;
ethical;
religious;
artistic.

The hallmark of moral activity is the demonstration of a person's highest motives and intentions. All people have different interests and requirements, which can be divided into three main groups:

material - mandatory for maintaining life;
social - paramount for the existence of society;
spiritual - showing the highest model of consciousness.

These needs give rise to a person’s desire to explore the world and make discoveries; they serve as a reason and incentive to see and create beauty, teach empathy and love, creativity and mutual assistance.

Personal requirements aim creative individuals at the birth of something previously unknown, necessary for the people. But first and foremost, creators create for themselves: work helps them identify their own abilities and realize their calling. The implementation of plans is also one of the dominant needs that guide a person’s ethical actions.

By expressing themselves, workers of science, masters of words and art receive satisfaction of their needs in revealing to humanity their personal plan, their own concept. The people who accept their thoughts are the target audience for their moral values.

Basic Forms of Moral Functioning

There are two key types of spiritual activity: theory and practice. The product of theoretical activity is fresh ideas, doctrines and teachings, concepts and concepts that represent the moral heritage and pride of human society. They are distributed in the form:

verbal works and scientific treatises;
masterpieces of sculpture and architecture;
and picturesque creations;
movies and television shows.

Practical actions are aimed at protecting and maintaining, researching and analyzing, assimilating and perceiving the developed values. Their comprehension helps people transform their personal philosophy and worldview, enrich their own intimate experience under the influence of the masterpieces of sages, painters, and servants of science.

Museums, book collections and repositories of archival materials contribute to the preservation, popularization and transmission of moral values. Schools and universities, the press and the media are involved in this. Thanks to them, all kinds of branches of erudition and competence, achievements and conquests in the field of history, technology, science, literature and aesthetics are reproduced, updated and spread from one generation to another.

It happens that the creation of moral products and their recognition are separated in time for a long period. The author does not always immediately find his reader, and the educator does not always find a follower. This discrepancy continues for years and even centuries, bypassing which the created creation becomes in demand, recognized and preserved. People have incentives, impulses and intentions that fuel them, enrich them, inspire them and inspire them.

Functions of spiritual production

Spiritual production, in its current form being universal and multifunctional, is brought to life with the goal of satisfying needs. Despite the versatility of this concept, a holistic, indivisible main guideline is maintained spiritual production- reproduction of the collective mind in its indivisibility.

The key function of moral creation is personal activity aimed at improving the quality of other areas of social life:

economics;
politicians;
public life.

The name “production of new technologies” given to this meaning by some scientists is not entirely correct. This means savings taking into account the modernization of existing technologies, which include social ones.

It is necessary to differentiate between utilitarian designs that ennoble the everyday improvement of life, and capital theories that can undermine old technologies and aim at previously unknown landmarks. Examples of such completely new concepts are the theory of relativity in science or the concept of messianism in religion.

Spiritual development based on practices

In order to regularly gain experience and cultivate moral development, we engage in spiritual practice on an ongoing basis. It is often used in religious activities, where it is compared to walking a path leading to a specific goal. The missions, objectives and focus of such practices are varied and different from each other, which is determined by the concept of religion or moral system. For Christianity, this is the salvation of the soul, Buddhists strive for nirvana, and for multiple cabalistic movements, penetration into the highest truths is important. Models of such practices are varied and contain prayers, different kinds meditation and concentration, involve participation in religious ceremonies.

Security of self-awareness

Spiritual security is an important part of national defense in the context of the commercialization of society and is expressed in the development of national consciousness, which reflects the customs of society, the heritage of its culture and past, as well as the level of moral and political unanimity of a constitutional society. Spiritual security is conditioned by moral standards and love for the fatherland; it ensures the protection of the state if the people support the internal and foreign policy leadership, trusts elected authorities.

Usually, disasters and misfortunes begin with the collapse of spirituality, when alien ideas and values, as well as unacceptable methods of obtaining them, are introduced into the people's psyche. The guarantee of moral safety becomes main goal, because it expresses the moral well-being of the people, their ability to pose and solve historical problems.

The term “spiritual activity” refers to philosophy, although it is also found in theology, and the interpretations are almost the same. This concept denotes the actions necessary for a person in his moral life. These include reading books, creating paintings, writing literary works, the formation of theological or atheistic positions, comprehension of a set of values, the development of positive differences in oneself. This is a search for meaning in life, a way to avoid difficult situations, as well as an understanding of the worldview concepts of love and happiness.

As you know, a person has strength not only physical, but also spiritual. The one that motivates him to action and directs him to goals is manifested in beliefs and dreams, in fearlessness and determination. It is thanks to it that not only material, but also spiritual human activity arises.

Sometimes it is only mistaken for endless internal soul-searching and the search for secret meanings and truths. But spiritual activity cannot be understood so narrowly; it is also aimed at creation and creativity. It is wrong to think that the work of the spirit is always hidden in the minds and consciousness of people - it is not so. It is widely manifested in public life, since it gives rise to its main values - moral, moral, religious and aesthetic.

Types and forms of human spiritual activity

There are two main types of spiritual activity of people: spiritual-theoretical and spiritual-practical.

As a result of the first type of activity, new theories and thoughts arise, ideas are created. They become the spiritual heritage and values of humanity. They are put into the form of a literary composition or scientific work, sculptural and architectural structures, musical works and paintings, feature films and television programs. Whatever the form, it always carries within itself the idea laid down by the author, his view and assessment of events, phenomena, and actions.

Spiritual and practical activities are aimed at preserving and studying, understanding the created values. By comprehending them, people change their own worldview and consciousness, enrich their inner world- this is how the creations of thinkers, artists and scientists influence them.

To preserve and disseminate spiritual values, humanity uses museums, libraries and archives, educational institutions and the media. Thanks to their existence, the most different areas knowledge and achievements - historical, artistic, technical, literary, scientific - are replenished and passed on from one generation to another.

Spiritual needs of man

The peculiarity of spiritual activity is in the manifestation of a person’s highest motives and aspirations. Everyone has different needs, among which there are material - necessary for maintaining life, social - important for the existence of society, and spiritual - a manifestation of the very high shape consciousness. It is they who arouse in a person a thirst for knowledge and discovery. It is because of them that people strive to see and create beauty around them, empathize and love, create and help.

Some people are motivated by spiritual needs to create something new, useful to people. Moreover, the creators themselves do this for themselves: this is how they reveal their talents and realize their abilities. After all, self-realization is also one of the highest needs that guides the spiritual activity of an individual. By expressing themselves, thinkers, poets and artists satisfy their need for self-expression, in the desire to convey their idea to people.

Those who accept this idea are consumers of spiritual values. They also feel a spiritual need – in painting and music, poetry and knowledge. They empathize with the creativity of the creator and comprehend the idea laid down by him. And sometimes it happens that there is a delay between the creation of a spiritual product and its consumption. for a long time. A writer does not always immediately find his reader, and a teacher does not always find his student. Sometimes this gap is measured not in years, but in centuries, after which the spiritual activity of creating values is ultimately combined with their spiritual consumption - recognition and preservation.

But this happens because high motives, desires and aspirations live in a person. They nourish and enrich him, inspire him and make him better.

Types of human activities- a rather subjective concept, since if desired, they can be described on more than one page, but most psychologists and sociologists have decided on three main specific types: learning, play and work. Each age has its own main type of activity, but this does not mean that adults do not play and schoolchildren do not work.

Labor activity.

Labor activity ( work) is the transformation by man of both material and intangible objects in order to use them in the future to satisfy his needs. According to the nature of the actions taken, work activity is divided into:

practical activities(or productive activity - changing natural objects, or changing society);
spiritual activity(intellectual, creativity, etc.).

It is this type of activity, according to most anthropologists, that is driving force evolution of people. Thus, in the process of labor, the purpose of which is the production of any product, the worker himself is formed. Perhaps labor is one of the main activities, but effective labor activity It would not exist without one more type of it - teaching, or training.

Educational activities.

Educational activities ( training, education) is an activity aimed at acquiring knowledge, skills and abilities. The value of this type of activity is that it prepares a person for work. Teaching is a broad concept that has many varieties. This doesn't have to mean sitting in your pants at a desk at school. This includes sports training, reading books, movies, and TV shows (not all TV shows, of course). Self-education as a type of learning can take place in a passive, unconscious form throughout a person’s life. For example, you were flipping through channels on TV and accidentally heard a recipe on a cooking show, and then it unexpectedly came in handy.

Game activity.

Game activity ( a game) - a type of activity whose goal is the activity itself, and not the result. The case when the main thing is participation, that is, the process itself is important. This is the classic definition. Nevertheless, the game, in my opinion, is, if not a type of education, then its branch, because it, like education, is a preparation for work. A sort of spin-off of studies, if you like. A game of cubes, Cossack robbers, “Call of Duty” or “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” - all of these games, to one degree or another, teach some kind of mental or physical activity, bring some skills, knowledge, abilities. Develop logic, erudition, reaction, physical state bodies and so on. There are many types of games: individual and group, subject and plot, role-playing, intellectual, etc.

Variety of activities.

The above classification of human activity is generally accepted, but not the only one. Sociologists highlight certain types of activity as the main ones, psychologists - others, historians - others, and cultural scientists - fourth. They characterize an activity in terms of its usefulness/uselessness, morality/immorality, creation/destruction, etc. Human activity can be labor and leisure, creative and consumer, constructive and destructive, cognitive and value-oriented, and so on.

The types of human activities are very diverse. Depending on the various criteria it is divided into practical, labor, educational, gaming, material, spiritual, moral, immoral, progressive, reactionary, and also includes creativity and communication.

From school course social sciences know that one of the main distinctive features Humans, in comparison with highly organized animals, recognize purposeful activity as the constant fulfillment of certain tasks in order to change the surrounding world, which results in the creation of the so-called “second nature”.

Any activity is built on four main elements:

object (an object that is subject to change);
subject (the one who performs the activity);
goals (the intended result of an action);
motives (reflects what a person’s will to action is based on).

Main types of human activities

These include material and spiritual. The purpose of the first is to change the surrounding reality, including nature and society. In turn, it is divided into production (the goal is to change natural objects) and social-transformative (the goal is to change and improve the system of social relations).

An example of the first type is the creation of goods for public consumption.

Social transformation manifests itself in various socio-political phenomena, such as: government reforms, revolutions, the creation of parties, participation in elections.

Spiritual activity seeks to change human consciousness both in the person of one person and the whole society. It is difficult to overestimate its influence on our lives. This type helps unite people, orients each individual to search own path and happiness.

value (worldview);
prognostic (future planning);
cognitive (gaining knowledge about the world around us) activity.

Attribution of material and spiritual activities to different categories is conditional.

In practice, these phenomena are nothing more than two sides of the same coin. Any of them involves material embodiment, and is based on planning, defining goals, methods and ways to achieve them.

Practical activities

It consists of transforming the entire surrounding world, including nature and society.

Social transformative activities

The main goal is to change the structure of society and social phenomena. The subject is a society, class, group or individual.

They perform actions and tasks that have important for society, pursue public interests and goals, using economic, political, ideological tools.

Spiritual activity

impact on creative thought and scientific knowledge;
formation, change of outlook on life;
planning for future events.

A person’s spiritual life is based on:

scientific;
creative;
religious activities.

The second includes artistic, musical, acting, architecture, and directing.

Social activity

One of its manifestations is political activity, which is based on public administration. The lives of the people included in social processes, V mandatory falls under the influence political parties and government decisions.

They, in turn, are influenced various shapes people's participation in political life countries, with the help of which citizens express their will and civic position, present their political demands to government officials.

Prognostic activity

Represents the construction of a model of future actions and events, an assumption about possible changes reality. The source of this type of activity is human fantasy, which precedes reality and builds a model of the future.

The design results are:

plans, tables, diagrams for inventions and various building structures;
ideal models for social change;
ideas of new forms of state and political structure.

The leading activities are play, communication and work.

The game is characterized by performing real actions through imaginary means.

Communication is the process of transmitting information as a result of interaction. People are forced to contact each other in order to satisfy the need for joint activities.

It consists not only in the exchange of information, but also in the transfer of emotions, experiences to each other, the manifestation of one or another attitude towards people and things, the expression of an assessment of the behavior of others, their actions.

Work is aimed at obtaining results that have practical benefits.

Types of human professional activity

Professional activity is characterized by organization, in most cases it is monotonous, and is regulated by standard rules. The person who carries it out has detailed, deep information and practical skills in a certain field of knowledge.

The results of such activities are of great social significance, as they affect the lives of many people.

The concept of “profession” includes various types of activity. There are five types in total professional activity:

Man-technology. Human work with mechanisms, materials, energy.
Man-man. Education, training, service, leadership.
Man-nature. Interaction with the five kingdoms of living nature (animals, plants, fungi, viruses), as well as objects of inanimate nature (minerals, minerals, etc.).
Man-signs. Working with numbers, languages, signs.
Man is an artistic image. Creating music, literature, acting, painting, etc.

Progressive Activity Example

Depending on the consequences the activity had on the course of history, the development of the state and society, progressive (involves development, improvement, creation) and reactionary (destructive) activities are distinguished.

As an example of progressive activity, one can cite the industrial transformations of Peter I, the abolition of serfdom by Alexander II, as well as the reforms of P. A. Stolypin.

Reactionary activity

In contrast to the progressive one, which leads to development, the regressive (reactionary), on the contrary, leads to decline and destruction, for example:

introduction of oprichnina;
decree on the creation of Military settlements;
introduction of a food embargo, etc.

Material activity

This is the result of changes and processing of the surrounding world, including natural objects and social phenomena.

The simplest examples of this type are: plant cultivation, land cultivation, fishing, construction, etc.

Collective activity and its examples

Activities are divided into separate groups depending on the number of subjects performing them. The opposite of collective activity is individual activity.

The first is based on the unification and coordination of the activities of each member of the team. The task of integration lies with the manager. Efficiency is assessed based on production results. In this case important role plays psychological factor, namely, the personal qualities of the manager, on which the labor efficiency of the team depends.

In addition, the effectiveness of the team depends on the quality interpersonal relationships, coordinated work, psychological compatibility of participants in labor activities.

A striking example of collective action is the construction of the Great Wall of China.

Conclusion

The presented types of human activity and the criteria for dividing them into various categories are generally accepted, but not universal. For psychologists, certain types of activity are basic, for historians - others, for sociologists - others.

Thus, there is a wide variety of classifications of human activities that characterize them from the standpoint: useful/harmful, progressive/regressive, moral/immoral, etc.

Activities are usually divided into material and spiritual.

Materialactivities are aimed at changing the world around us. Because the world consists of nature and society, it can be production (changing nature) and social-transformative (changing the structure of society). An example of a material production activity is the production of goods; examples of social transformation are government reforms and revolutionary activities.

Spiritualactivities are aimed at changing individual and social consciousness. It is realized in the spheres of art, religion, scientific creativity, in moral actions, organizing collective life and orienting a person to solve problems of the meaning of life, happiness, and well-being. Spiritual activity includes cognitive activity (gaining knowledge about the world), value activity (determining norms and principles of life), predictive activity (building models of the future), etc.

The division of activity into spiritual and material is arbitrary. In reality, the spiritual and the material cannot be separated from each other. Any activity has a material side, since in one way or another it relates to outside world, and the ideal side, since it involves goal setting, planning, choice of means, etc.

Activity - specific type human activity aimed at understanding and creatively transforming the surrounding world, including oneself and the conditions of one’s existence.
Activity- a set of conscious and motivated actions of a person, aimed at satisfying his needs and interests as a social being.
Activity structure: The main components of activity are actions and operations.
Action refers to a part of an activity that has a completely independent, human-conscious goal.
Operations- way of carrying out actions. Methods of action include skills, abilities, and habits.
Skills- partially automated actions that are formed as a result of repeated repetition. Distinguish the following types skills: motor (related to movement to control objects), sensory (collection of various types of information through the senses - vision, hearing, etc.), mental (related to the logic of organizing activities), communicative (mastery of communication techniques).
Skill- this is the transformation of skills and knowledge into substantive (real) actions. To develop a skill, a person must master the whole system skills and knowledge that relate to the same type of activity. Skills include the following: selecting knowledge related to the task as a whole; adjustment of actions; allocation specific features tasks; identifying the transformations that are necessary to solve the problem and their implementation; control of results.
Habit- part of human activity that is performed mechanically.
Habit is an individual’s internal need to act in a certain way.
The main activities include:
1. Communication- a type of activity that is aimed at the exchange of information between communicating people. The purpose of communication is to establish mutual understanding, good personal and business relations, providing mutual assistance and the educational influence of people on each other.
2. A game- a type of animal behavior and human activity, the goal of which is the activity itself, and not practical results. Types of games: individual and group (according to the number of participants); subject and plot (based on either objects or scenarios); role-playing (an individual’s behavior is determined by the role he assumes; games with rules (an individual’s behavior is determined by a system of rules).
3. Teaching- a type of activity whose purpose is to acquire knowledge, skills and abilities by a person. Learning as a process aimed at mastering specific knowledge, skills and abilities within the framework of a specific type of activity is called training.
4. Work- purposeful human activity that requires mental and physical stress. In work activity, a person’s abilities develop and his character is formed. Without knowledge and skills, no work is possible.