ADVERTISEMENTS:
In this article we will discuss about:- 1. Meaning and Definition of Imitation 2. Various Forms and Levels of Imitation 3. Importance of Imitation 4. Laws of Imitation 5. Types of Imitation 6. Educational Implication of Imitation.
Meaning and Definition of Imitation:
Imitation is the innate conative tendency to behave as others behave in the absence of logically sufficient grounds for behaving in that manner. In simplest terms it means to copy the action of others. A monkey copies men, and so does a parrot imitate man’s speech. A child imitates his elders, a pupil imitates his teacher and a follower imitates his leader.
According to Ross, “Imitation proper, the ‘doing’ aspect of gregariousness, is the process by virtue of which all the members of a group act together.”
ADVERTISEMENTS:
McDougal says, “Imitation is an innate tendency possessed by members of gregarious species, owing to which an individual attempts to copy in himself the actions and movements that he finds in others.”
In suggestions we follow the thoughts of others in sympathy we follow the feelings of others, and in imitation we follow the actions of others. Hence it is called the conative side of gregarious tendency.
Various Forms and Levels of Imitation:
(i) We have imitation in the animals. The younger bird imitates the elder in all actions. Birds learn to fly through imitation. Parrots imitate even men in spelling out words. Monkeys have a remarkable capacity to imitate men. The monkey-men exploits this imitating capacity and earns his living. We come across miracles of imitation in a circus. When a crow caws, others follow the suit. When a dog barks, others also join him.
(ii) Children at home display the tendency to imitate at a very early stage. The child hears the word ‘Mama’ and tries to speak the same out of imitation. The baby smiles when the mother smiles, and makes a weeping face when the mother weeps. The child starts laughing or crying as he sees others doing so.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
(iii) Children at school display this tendency. The child imitates other children in the manner of walking, talking and playing. He imitates the teacher as he speaks or writes.
(iv) Adults also imitate others. Individuals imitate, elders, playmates, colleagues, friends and others. The habit of smoking spreads through imitation. New generation imitates the old.
(v) Imitation also takes place at mass level. Fashions in dress, eating habits, literary style and forms of political behaviour spread on account of imitation. We Indians have imitated the English people in numerous ways. A backward nation generally imitates a superior nation. As the inter-social, inter-national and inter-continental communication is strengthening, imitation works more vigorously, and spreads life wild fire.
Today the latest Hollywood fashion in dress spreads in no time. Most of the adolescent boys and girls imitate the dress and behaviour of film stars displayed in the latest pictures. Most of the aspects of our modern living are an imitation of others.
We imitate the most modern style in housing and town-planning. We imitate the forms of government in other lands. Our Indian constitution itself is partly an imitation of western constitutions. Baghot is right in asserting that ‘society is imitation’. According to him society is what it is and will continue to be moulded, on account of the human tendency to imitate. Even good many scientific inventions have been motivated by imitation. An aeroplane is the result of desire to imitate birds in flying in air.
Importance of Imitation:
(i) For growth and development, physically and mentally, imitation is a gift of nature. It helps young birds and animals to develop as grown-up birds and animals and to learn adult ways of living. It helps children to learn manners and speech. In many fields of life, his growth depends largely on his imitation of others.
Akbar’s experiment on some infants, whom he puts under the charge of a deaf and dump nurse, is a nice illustration. The infants grew up deaf and dumb, as they got no opportunity to imitate others speaking.
(ii) For the spontaneous fulfillment of instinctive desire, imitation is a must. For instance, no child can fulfill the instinct of curiosity, constructiveness and combat, unless he imitates others. Unless he sees others fighting, how will he fight himself?
(iii) For learning skill and application of knowledge, imitation is necessary. We imitate others when first learning how to swim or how to ride a bicycle. A person learning mechanics imitates another trained mechanic.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
(iv) For the progress and spread of Culture and Civilization imitation is an invaluable aid. The younger generation imitates the elders. The backward communities imitates the progressive nations. Civilization spreads through uncivilized or semi-civilized communities through imitation.
Laws of Imitation:
Trade and McDougali have made the following generalisation:
(i) Imitation proceeds from higher to the lower i.e., from elder generation to the lower generations, from highly civilized communities to less civilized communities aristocrats, to the commoners, from town-dwellers to villagers etc.
(ii) Imitation proceeds from internals to externals, i.e., the ideas and theories imbibed to outer actions. First come theories and ideas, and then come actions and social habits in accordance with those. Hence practices lag behind theory.
(iii) Doing persists more obstinately than thinking, i.e., practices die hard, and habits become second nature. We know smoking is bad, but still we cannot help imitating others smoking. Similarly about chewing beetles, drinking wine etc.
(iv) Imitation proceeds in geometrical progression, i.e., it spreads very quickly. If a person is imitated by two, each of them is again imitated by two, and the process goes on.
Types of Imitation:
According to Drever, imitation is of two types:
(i) Unconscious, and
(ii) Deliberate. McDougali mentions two major forms – primary and secondary.
Primary imitation is of three kinds:
(i) Sympathetic,
(ii) Ideo-motor, and
(iii) Delibrate.
Secondary imitation is either:
(i) Unconscious, or
(ii) Meaningless.
The illustration no. 7 given below presents the classification.
A brief discussion of each type is given below:
Unconscious Imitation:
Here the individual copies the actions of others unconsciously. Children generally imitate unconsciously. The social environment plays a significant role in moulding the behaviour of the individual. The adult learns many things unconsciously. The pupil picks up behaviour from the social environment in the school, in an unwilling manner.
(ii) Deliberate Imitation:
Here the individual imitates deliberately, being conscious of the purpose behind the imitation. We put on the European dress deliberately, when we feel that it enhances our prestige.
(iii) Sympathetic Imitation:
It is almost the same thing as unconscious imitation. We sometimes imitate unconsciously by sympathetic induction. A person laughs, and we also laugh.
(iv) Ideo-motor:
When a particular act of another causes a similar change in the motor activity of another, the imitation is of this type. The player in the playfield raises his bat, and the spectator also raises his arm.
(v) Meaningless:
Children and infants are unable to understand the significance of copying another act; hence their imitation is meaningless imitation.
Educational Implication of Imitation:
(i) limitation as means of Learning:
A child grows through imitation. He develops his power of speech, motor ability, habit and manner of behaviour by imitating his elders. In the school he learns a number of activities by imitating his class-fellows and teachers. He learns skill and crafts mostly through imitation. Hence rich opportunities should be provided to the child at home and school to learn new modes of behaviour.
Human culture is very old. The past culture is learnt through imitation. New generation imitates the old generation. Backward communities learn from advanced nations.
(ii) Idea Surroundings are Needed for Imitation:
As much of imitation takes place unconsciously, the child imbibes and imitates all that is good or bad in the social surroundings around him. This emphasises the need for organising properly the home and school environment, so that the child does not pick up unhealthy practices. If the teachers smoke themselves, the pupils are prone to imitate them, and catch this bad habit. The entire social environment must be pure and polished.
(iii) Need for Models for Imitation:
Deliberate imitation need good models to be copied. Therefore, the teacher should present model pronunciation, model handwriting, model-drawing and model-behaviour to be imitated by the pupils. As school is a miniature society, school life must be a replica of the social life outside, and the school environment must be a model for the students. The behaviour of the teachers must be ideal, worth copying by the pupils.
(iv) Imitation and Self-expression:
Children must understand that for the development of originality, some amount of imitation is necessary. As says Nunn, “the most original minds find themselves only in playing the sedulous ape to others who have gone before them along the same path of self-assertion”.
It is wrong to suggest that imitation cramps originality. In words of Ross, “Imitation is only the means to original self-expression. If we accept its aid we need not start absolutely from the beginning, for it short-circuits in a helpful way the process of racial recapitulation that we have already discussed.”
This means that some amount of imitation is needed to start with. We agree nevertheless, that imitation is not an end in itself. It is the first means. The teacher must, therefore, be conscious of the exact use and limitation of imitation. New experience may begin with imitation, but imitation should not last for a longtime.
(v) Imitation and Classification of Students:
It is not useful to segregate brilliant students, because the average group will not have the opportunity of imitating the high group. Achievements of brilliant students should be brought to the notice of the class so that each child may be inspired to imitate.
(vi) Imitation and Co-Curricular Activities:
A number of activities can be learnt by the child through imitation. Hence opportunities must be provided to the child to work in groups so as to imitate others.
(vii) Imitation and Emulation:
Healthy spirit of emulation is bound to improve the achievement of children in knowledge and skill. Motivation must be provided to children for healthy emulation, so that the pupils imitate the superior students. Let the weaker students imitate the brighter ones.