Psychological diagnosis: description and elucidation of the essence

The psychological diagnosis is the result of the activity of a specialist, during which the personality features, their present state, as well as predictions of further possible transformations were revealed.

Definition of concept

Such a concept as "diagnosis" is used widely enough not only in medicine, but also in other scientific fields. Literally it is translated as "recognition". With regard to such a term as "psychological diagnosis," it means identifying problems of a personal nature, as well as their obvious and hidden causes. In this case, it can be not only about deviations or pathologies, but also about normal conditions that also need to be investigated.

The setting of a psychological diagnosis can be carried out in four main areas, which at one time distinguished the famous scientist Reykovic:

• Study, analysis and composition of behavioral activity;
• The study of mental processes, which are responsible for the regulation of human activities;
• Diagnostics of the mechanisms of the course of nervous reactions;
• Study the conditions for the formation of psychological characteristics of the individual.

It is worth noting that in psychology the word "diagnosis" is not used as often as in other areas of medicine. This is due to the fact that the emotional state of a person is quite unstable and does not always give in to thorough study. That is why the psychological diagnosis is often approximate, descriptive.

If we talk about a detailed psychological diagnosis, then he suggests the following points:

• The primary study of the general state of the individual and the level of his development;
• The study of the personality for balance, as well as the identification of psychological characteristics;
• Search for problems (not only realized by the patient himself, but also hidden);
• The definition of the attitude of the individual to the problems identified;
• Psychological correction taking into account the presence or absence of a pronounced adaptive potential in the patient.

Basic mistakes in psychological diagnosis

The problem of psychological diagnosis is that it is difficult to establish it. Specialists often make the following mistakes:

• Inattentive or distorted observation, as a result of which the character traits and the form of their manifestation may be misinterpreted;
• Errors in recording data, most often they are associated with a biased attitude towards the patient or with subjective evaluation of terms;
• Instrumental errors are due to a lack of skills in working with technical devices, as well as inability to correctly interpret the data;
• The final diagnosis on the basis of the first impression without further research;
• The error of attribution is that the expert can assign to the subject those character traits that are not really inherent in him;
• The establishment of false causes of deviation from the normal state;
• The desire to use the established hypotheses everywhere, not wanting to work on the search for new solutions;
• Too cautious formulation of the diagnosis.

Stages of the psychologist's activity

The work of a psychologist with a patient includes the following main stages:

• Preliminary preparation includes the establishment of contacts between the patient and the doctor, as well as the selection of methods of work;
• Establishing contact with the patient, as well as motivating him to cooperate (this goal is achieved by creating a friendly and trustful atmosphere);
• Collection of data on the patient's condition by using various methods of psychological diagnosis;
• Processing of the received data with the subsequent formulation of the diagnosis and drawing up of the forecast of the further development of the patient's condition;
• Development of recommendations for the normalization of the patient's condition;
• The formulation of a medical report in the prescribed form.

Psychological conclusion

Psychological diagnosis, psychological conclusion - these are similar concepts, which, nevertheless, can not be identified. The first term is rather blurry and not so often used in practice. If we talk about a psychological conclusion, then it is made in a formalized form and can be primary, as well as refined (final).

It is worth noting that the division of the conclusions into primary and specified is rather arbitrary. In psychological practice, there is often a need for repeated research. That is why the final conclusion can go to the category of primary. This is due to the fact that the psychological and emotional state of the individual is subject to constant fluctuations and is quite unstable.

It is perfectly permissible to write a psychological conclusion in a free form, but if we talk about the generally accepted practice, then it should have approximately the following form:

• A common part:
  • Patient data;
  • Complaints of the patient or persons accompanying him;
  • History data;
  • Description of specific features of appearance and behavior;
  • Revealing the degree of formation of regulatory functions;
  • Development of cognitive characteristics;
  • Emotional and personal problems and features of interpersonal communication.
• Special part:
  • The formulated psychological diagnosis;
  • Forecasts of the further development of the situation;
  • Recommendations for the normalization of the state.

Principles of psychological conclusion

Psychological conclusions are established on the basis of the following principles:

• The document does not have a standard form of writing, and therefore is compiled in accordance with the theorist's own and practical knowledge of the diagnostician;
• The main conclusion is the formulation of the purpose with which the study was conducted;
• So that the psychological conclusion has practical significance, it must necessarily reflect the distinctive properties of the personality, which can be considered a deviation from the normal state;
• There should be an orientation to specific actions that carry a corrective function;
• The conclusion should be accompanied by exhaustive data on the research conducted (questionnaires and other);
• The descriptions should be clear and objective.

Psychological diagnosis and its types

It is worth noting that different specialists use different methods of working with patients. In this regard, great interest is the study of such issues as psychological diagnosis and its types. The following are considered basic:

• Diagnosis based on a statement of the fact that there is one or another symptom. At the same time, the patient's psychological characteristics are evaluated based on a given criterion, which is considered the norm.
• Determination of the degree of expression of certain characteristics. It is often used in the study of a group of people for the presence of certain characteristics.

Areas of application of research results

Psychological diagnosis can find its application in the following areas of human activity:

• Optimization of teaching and educational processes;
• Work in the field of vocational training and vocational guidance;
• Psychotherapeutic work, which is aimed at eliminating deviations from the normal state;
• Judicial practice (depending on the conclusion of a specialist, a measure of punishment may be determined).

Basic methods of diagnosis

The following basic methods of psychological diagnosis can be distinguished:

• The drawing method - on the basis of the image traced by the subject, conclusions are drawn about his condition;
• Method of interview - special forms, after filling which the psychologist can make the appropriate diagnosis;
• Sociometric method is used to identify patterns of relationships in a group of people;
• Biographical method implies the study of human psychology on the basis of a description of his life and the reconstruction of individual key stages;
• The genetic method is the diagnosis based on a study of the patient's immediate family history;
• The twin method is aimed at finding out the nature of the psychological characteristics of a person (they are congenital or acquired as a result of external factors);
• Mathematical methods allow us to substantiate and clarify the hypothesis advanced.

The psychological diagnosis of Vygotsky

One of the most prominent figures in the field of psychology is Vygotsky. He paid particular attention to such concepts as "psychological diagnosis" and "psychological prognosis". Based on his point of view, their content is the same. Nevertheless, to make a prediction, it is necessary to study not only the present, but also the past condition of the patient, which will allow to form a more or less accurate picture of the further development of the situation.

In accordance with the theory of Vygotsky, we can distinguish the following main levels of psychological diagnosis:

• Empirical - a statement of the symptoms on the basis of which the conclusion is made;
• Etiological - consists in revealing the reasons of occurrence of this or that condition;
• Typological - this is the highest level of diagnosis, which involves determining the location of identified abnormalities in the overall psychological picture of the individual.

Vygotsky's achievement is the introduction of the term "social development situation". It is a system of relationships that is established between the individual and his environment.

Common childhood diagnoses

There are the following frequent psychological diagnoses of children:

• Attachment disorders are the fear of separation from both close people and expensive things. The reason may be a recent loss or a sharp change in the situation. It manifests itself in a state of constant anxiety and isolation.
• Disinfective behavior disorders that involve excessive activity and impulsivity. Children with a similar diagnosis are often quick-tempered and stubborn, and also sensitive. In doing so, they seek to command others and are characterized by an excessive desire to obtain the desired thing.
• Communicative disorders manifest themselves in a difficult verbal or non-verbal expression of their thoughts. Such children are often characterized by a slow or indistinct speech, as well as stuttering.
• Developmental disorders are accompanied by uncontrolled behavior. Such children can be violent and aggressive, and also suddenly experience attacks of anger. Such disorders are accompanied by violations of social and communicative skills.
• Physiological disorders involve disturbances in the dietary system, as well as the management of natural needs. They can be caused by severe stress or fright.
• Disorders of mood are manifested in the form of depression and apathy. Also here include bipolar disorders, which are accompanied by manic attacks, excessive irritation and agitation.
• Disorders of motor signs are accompanied by delays in physical development. Often such children are awkward, learn for a long time elementary techniques (for example, buttoning buttons and so on).
• Tikoznye disorders are often hereditary in nature or they can arise as a result of severe stress. These are involuntary and irregular movements of various parts of the body. Often, under normal conditions, such problems go on independently by about 7 years.

Principles of the formulation of psychological diagnoses

The result of the work of a specialist with a patient is a psychological diagnosis. Psychodiagnostics knows the following basic principles:

• A comprehensive approach implies a holistic study of such basic spheres as personality, behavior and intellect;
• Unity of diagnosis and correction;
• A holistic study of mental characteristics (during the study, all areas of the psyche should be identified);
• The personal approach implies taking into account individual characteristics when diagnosing and prescribing treatment;
• The activity approach is that work with the patient should be carried out in the context of its field of activity;
• The principle of dynamism is to study not only the actual characteristics, but also the possibilities for their further development;
• The combination of individual and collegial examination consists in the possibility of involving outside specialists in the diagnosis and treatment.

Recommendations for working with patients

Psychological diagnosis is a complex category, and therefore specialists should be guided by certain rules, interacting with clients:

• Making recommendations for the patient, it is worthwhile to offer him several alternative solutions to the problem, so that he has the opportunity to choose depending on external circumstances;
• The psychologist should not be limited only to the distribution of recommendations, but give a subjective assessment to each of the councils;
• Do not impose on the patient the way of behavior to which the psychologist is inclined - the patient should be able to choose himself;
• Psychological counseling should not lead the patient into dependence on the doctor (on the basis of the results the patient should receive the skills of independent psychocorrection);
• The client should always be able to reapply to a specialist if he can not cope with the problem on his own;
• The psychologist should not complete the work with the patient until he is satisfied that he has correctly understood the recommendations and is ready for independent activity.

conclusions

The concept of psychological diagnosis implies the result of the activity of a specialist, which was aimed at identifying deviations in the development of the personality, developing recommendations and predicting the future state. This refers to the ability to recognize the problems of a personal nature, as well as the reasons for their occurrence and other significant points. If we talk about the directions of diagnosis, then it can consist in studying behavioral activity, as well as the psychological processes that regulate it. Attention is given to the mechanisms responsible for the course of nervous reactions and the conditions in which a psychological portrait is formed.

It should be noted that at the moment, much attention is paid to such a question as a psychological diagnosis and its types. The control function is to prevent common mistakes that are often made by specialists. So, speech can go first of all about carelessness to the patient, after all psychologists quite often rely on their previous experience. Also worth noting is the risk of biased treatment of the patient. A common mistake is the diagnosis on the basis of the first impression without a deeper analysis. Also worth noting is the probability of using the template theoretical situations without taking into account the individual characteristics of the individual.

Such a concept as "diagnosis" is not so common in psychology as "conclusion". Despite the fact that it does not have a fixed form, there is a generally accepted scheme for its compilation. So, in the general part contains the basic data about the patient, as well as complaints from him (or from accompanying persons). Here, the features of the patient's appearance and behavior that are important for the statement of the psychological diagnosis, as well as the problems identified, should be formulated. The special part contains not only the wording of the conclusion, but also general recommendations for solving the problem and forecasting the further development of events.

A fairly large contribution to the theory and practice of psychology was made by the scientist LS Vygotsky. He came to the conclusion that the concepts of prognosis and diagnosis are roughly the same. Nevertheless, the second is broader and more complex, because it implies the study not only of past and present, but also of a promising state. Vygotsky identified three levels of psychological diagnosis. The empirical is the simplest and implies only a statement of obvious and hidden symptoms. If we talk about the etiological level, then it is more difficult because of the need to search and analyze the reasons for the deviation. The lowest is the typological level at which the location of the existing deviations in the overall picture of the individual is being established.