Why does a person turn to psychology? It is based on people's desire for pleasure and avoidance of displeasure. It is the hunger for pleasure and the suffering of dissatisfaction that becomes the motivation for the search. What a person gets pleasure from depends on his formed psyche - the intrapsychic factor. But in this article I want to focus on the boundary of contact between a person’s personality and the outside world (book, training, psychologist) - on interactive factors. So, a person is not satisfied with something in his life. Option “A” is the acceptance of “Yes, I don’t like it, and I want changes.” The result is a person looking for opportunities for change. How he does it? First, he analyzes the situation with himself, relying on the knowledge he has, his past experience, discusses with friends, finds out how they are doing, and tries. If at this stage his hope of “coping without psychology” dies, but he still wants to find a way out himself, then the person takes up the book. Option “B” is the experience of limiting his knowledge “Yes, I’m not a professional in this field, I I don’t have enough information, I read what psychologists write.” Motivation is the requirement of the Super-Ego to never give up, the Ego’s desire for competence, mastery of the situation. Let's consider the interactive field of a person - a book. A book in which the author has outlined part of his professional knowledge and shared his experience is a product of the integration of knowledge, experience and personality of the author. This article of mine is no exception; at this stage of my life, my development, personal and professional, I describe my view on this topic. Reality is multifaceted, so another author will describe this topic through the prism of his subjective perception. In terms of knowledge, we will not contradict, but complement each other. So, a person takes a book and reads, but the book cannot give feedback, it cannot initiate contact with a person, here the person has complete power and control, this contact is safe for him. When reading a book, a person looks for answers to his questions in it. He perceives only that information that does not contradict his worldview, his values; which does not destroy his internal picture of the world, but complements and explains his past experience. Everyone knows this phenomenon: several people read the same book, but everyone will find their own meaning. Or one person reads one book at different periods of his life, and each time he will perceive it differently, depending on his inner state. Let's consider the possible results of the interaction between a person and a book. 1) Result - I didn’t like the book, the person doesn’t accept it. Consequences: - Internal state - there is no longer hope, there is a feeling of powerlessness, recognition of one’s limitations. The man stops: “Psychology won’t help me either.” - Internal state - there is still hope. The person continues to look for a way to change: “There is something in this, but it’s not very clear. I’ll read more.”2) The result is that the person found in the book an explanation of what is happening in his life, he feels better, his level of anxiety decreases. Consequences: - A person can stop at this point, understanding what is happening is enough for him, he feels relief. It can be assumed that the most unbearable thing for him was the state of uncertainty and misunderstanding. “Understanding is not enough.” A person finds advice he likes and implements it in life. The consequences of putting this advice into practice. Here, too, options are possible: - The person is satisfied with the consequences, confidence in psychology has increased, and later in life he will use the services of psychology. - People don't like the consequences. He may stop at this point, but he may look further, taking into account the changes. The life situation is already different. The result is that someone supports themselves with psychological information in difficult moments of life, finding explanations and advice, reducing the level of dissatisfaction to a tolerable level. But someone decides that he needs interaction with people and chooses training or contacting a psychologist. Option “B” is recognitionthe prevalence of practical psychology, and positive examples of other people. Let's remember what happened in our society not so long ago, there was socialism, in which a person had one value system, which was instilled in childhood in today's adults. Currently, the value system has changed, the pace of life has accelerated, a person needs to adapt, and the psyche has great inertia. The older a person is, the more difficult it is for him to change. Previously, there were no services of psychologists for healthy people; psychology developed as part of the treatment of mental disorders. Until now, many people subjectively experience the very fact of turning to a psychologist as their own inferiority. This task is made easier by trainings that are now conducted in schools, institutes, and organizations. Often a person takes part in them because he has to, under the persuasion and demands of other people. The training is always devoted to some topic, teaching some skill. The presenter tells the theory, shares information, but unlike a book (you can read the same thing), this is done by another person, with his own voice, intonation, and energy. There is an external incentive here not to stop at the information, but to experiment. When performing a particular task, a person gains experience that is experienced physically, emotionally and mentally. There is an opportunity to ask questions and get feedback about yourself from other people. By giving feedback to others, you understand more about yourself. By listening to other people, you learn the complexity of a given situation. In general, information can be “looked at, smelled, felt, tasted, chewed” and you can appropriate what suits you, and what is not suitable can be rejected. Let’s consider the possible results of a person’s interaction with other people in a training setting. - The result is a new experience this is what a person strived for; experiencing a new experience does not conflict with the old one, and easily complements a person’s identity. Consequences - the person is satisfied, he is pleased with himself and the training. Self-confidence and trust in psychology increases. - The result is that a new experience is what a person has been striving for, but does not experience satisfaction, which means that the “new” contradicts the old experience. In order to integrate the “new”, it is important for a person to deal with what is stopping him, that is, to resolve his internal conflict. The consequences depend on the intensity of the painful experience of the conflict, on the person’s ability to endure strong feelings, on how the person relates to his feelings. But the person’s perception of the training itself is also important. If the conflict is deep, then the person may choose to stay with the old, which is safer, and refuse the new. He assumed that what he wanted would suit him, but he checked and chose the old one. Now the attitude towards the old has changed, the person has made a choice and feels more confident. - If a person managed to experience the feeling of being accepted by other people, he noticed that this is possible for others, then he can continue moving towards what he was striving for. He has hope, “he wants more than he injects,” and he chooses another training, the topic of which is consonant with his conflict. Or he goes individually to a psychologist. Here it makes sense to talk about the differences between the possibilities of training and personal communication with a psychologist. Training is a form of study, which is not always liked by adults who do not like to feel like students. It depends on the person’s experience with teachers. But for many, the usual form of learning helps them overcome the feeling of shame from their imperfections; learning is not a shame. The training has a common theme that unites the entire group, there are time limits, and not everyone has time to adapt to the pace of the group. But this allows you not to go into other topics, but to focus on one. The group helps to overcome doubts and decide to risk experiences in a safe environment, but at the same time it limits sensitivity to one’s individuality. It depends on the person’s attitude towards himself and the world. Work with a psychologist is not limited in time, the number of meetings and their frequency are discussed, and it is determined.