Circadian Dynamics of Imaginal Characteristics of Mental Representations of Psychic States
The aim of the study is to investigate the circadian dynamics of the characteristics and structures of mental representations of psychic states with different modality and levels of mental activity. For this purpose, psychic states were evaluated using the “Mental State Relief” technique. The study was performed as follows: on the first day, the subjects (43 female students of the third course) rated their current psychic state experienced here and now; on the second day, they were asked to reproduce from memory and estimate the image of this initial state with the interval of eight hours, i.e. in the morning (7:00-8:00 a.m.), afternoon (3:00-4:00p.m.), and evening (11:00 p.m.-0:00 a.m.). The obtained data were statistically processed and analyzed; such characteristics of the image as intensity and structural organization were revealed. This paper shows how the psychic state is represented during the day, its stable and dynamic characteristics, as well as the day time when the structure of mental representations is most organized. The specifics of the dynamics of substructures of mental representations of states, including psychic processes, physiological reactions, emotions, and behavior, demonstrated significant differences. The analysis found that positive states at the average level of activity are marked by lower intensity, while negative states exhibit increasing intensity by the end of the day. Furthermore, negative states at the average level of activity vary in their values during the day and their characteristics become close to the initial ones by the night. The following conclusions were made on the basis of the obtained results: the intensity of mental representations of psychic states varies during the day, but some of their characteristics remain stable; the system of mental representations tends to a balanced state by bringing values of the characteristics to the same level; the structure of mental representations of psychic states is unstable in time and tends to change. Imaginal characteristics of mental representations of psychic states vary significantly during the day. Thus, it is possible to predict psychic states in terms of regulation by using their mental structures.