Simonov Pavel Vasilievich: biography and scientific activity of the academician

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

Academician Simonov Pavel Vasilyevich devoted his whole life to the study of psychophysiology and biophysics. He was a specialist in the field of experimental neurophysiology of emotions, and also studied nervous activity and the possible problems associated with it. What was his path to the world recognition of the scientific community, what did he devote his life to, what works did he leave to posterity and where did he work during his scientific career? More on this and more.

Biography of Pavel Vasilyevich Simonov

Pavel Vasilyevich was born on April 20, 1926 in Leningrad in the family of an officer Stanislav Stankevich, who was repressed (as an "enemy of the people"). His mother - Maria Karlovna Stankevich - and the boy's sister Galina were expelled from Leningrad. Such a "shadow" cast on the family for many years did not allow Pavel Simonov to exist in peace. Fortunately, the famous sculptor Simonov Vasily Lvovich became a neighbor of Pavel Vasilyevich and his family at the new place of residence. He gave great support to little Pavel, adopted him, gave the boy not only his last name, but also made sure that the capableThe student received a good education. Simonova's sister, Galina Stanislavovna Stankevich, moved to Sweden, where she still lives with her family.

Study

In 1944, just a year before the end of the war, Pavel Vasilievich Simonov got the opportunity to study at the flight school, but due to poor he alth he could not continue his studies for more than a year. He transferred to the Military Medical Academy. In 1951 he completed it with excellent results.

Private life

Pavel Vasilyevich Simonov has two children: a daughter, the famous actress Yevgenia Simonova, and a son, Yuri Simonov-Vyazemsky, followed in his father's footsteps and became a professor. The wife of Simonov Sr. - Olga Sergeevna Vyazemskaya - worked as a teacher of a foreign language. The Simonovs have four adult granddaughters: Anastasia, Zoya, Ksenia and Maria.

Professional activities

Immediately after graduating from the Military Medical Academy, Pavel Vasilievich began working in the laboratory of the Main Military Hospital named after N. N. Burdenko. He spent 9 years as a researcher and head of the laboratory. Then for one year he worked as a senior researcher at the Physiological Laboratory of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1962, Simonov became head of a laboratory at the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. E. A. Asratyan became the head of the new place of work.

Career quickly went uphill and soon Pavel Vasilyevich Simonov became deputy director, and then director inthis institute. Since 1991 Simonov has been an Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He has the title of Doctor of Medical Sciences. In 1996, he began working at the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University. In 1999 he was awarded the title of Honored Professor of Moscow University. Simonov was a professor at the Department of Higher Nervous Activity. He also worked in the Department of Physiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

In addition to writing a large number of books, he shared his knowledge in the Journal of Higher Nervous Activity. I. P. Pavlov”, where he held an editorial position. He was a member of the editorial board of the journal "Science and Life", which is very fond of people close to science and simply interested in it. He also edited the edition of "Classics of Sciences" from the Russian Academy of Sciences. For his scientific developments, he was a member of the International Academy of Astronautics, the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Association of Aviation and Space Medicine and became an honorary member of the Pavlovsk Scientific Society of the USA.

Scientific activity of Simonov Pavel Vasilyevich

Research work has always attracted Pavel Vasilyevich. He began to engage in it enthusiastically from the very beginning of his medical practice. The academician paid much attention to the peculiarities of brain behavior. In 1964, he developed the need-information theory of emotions, in which he explained that emotion is a reflection of the actual need of the brain. He was able to substantiate some of the basic terms of psychology, for example, "will", "emotions", "consciousness" and others.

Manyscientists note the works describing the classification of human needs created by Simonov. The work of Pavel Simonov is also interesting in creating a formula for all the factors that affect the creation of emotions. Such a truly mathematical approach to the natural human process made the entire Russian scientific community talk about Simonov. For his work in the development of diagnostics and the state of the human brain, he received the State Prize of the USSR. He was also awarded the gold medal named after I. M. Sechenov, received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, the Badge of Honor, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 4th degree, and others.

Books

During his life, Pavel Vasilievich wrote many books, manuals, published many scientific papers. For his work, not only students, but also teachers, as well as many scientists around the world are grateful to him. Books by Pavel Vasilyevich Simonov are downloaded dozens of times every day and do not lose popularity in specialized departments of bookstores. One of the most famous books written by Simonov is a collection of lectures on the functioning of the brain. In it, he considered consciousness as knowledge, divided the subconscious and superconscious as two varieties of the mental unconscious. This work has become a scientific revelation. Before Pavel Vasilyevich, no one had delved into the study of this topic in such detail and completeness.

Simonov showed great interest in the study of human emotions. One of the books he wrote on this topic was the publication "Method of K. S. Stanislavsky and physiologyemotions". In it, he revealed the principles of the influence of the cerebral cortex on the manifestation of human emotionality, he also wrote about the conclusions of studying the relationship between speech and movements of the human body. Then Simonov replenished the department of libraries on general psychology with his publications on the brain. He published several collections of articles on their scientific research on the brain, as well as the difference in the work of the brain of creative people, scientists and the average worker.

The works of Pavel Vasilyevich Simonov in the field of studying the nature of personality are also known. Many note that the book "The Illness of Ignorance", the author of which is also Simonov, was very useful to them in their studies.

Last years of life

The great academician Pavel Simonov passed away June 6, 2002. He died in Moscow, where he lived all his life. The scientist was buried at the Khovansky cemetery in the capital of Russia.

Together with Pavel Vasilyevich, an entire era of Soviet and Russian science has gone. But I must say that he left a huge mark on the history of neuro- and psychophysiology. His works, books, collections of lectures are still used: students continue to write their theses, scientists - doctoral dissertations. His name is often remembered at conferences, and at Moscow State University, where Simonov worked for many years, their distinguished professor is remembered every year.