Traits

Character is an inseparable whole. But it is impossible to study and understand such a complex whole as character without highlighting individual aspects or typical manifestations (character traits) in it. Common traits of character are manifested in the relationship of the individual to social duties and duty, to people, to himself. The attitude to social duties and duty is primarily manifested in the attitude of the individual to social labor. In this regard, such character traits as diligence, conscientiousness, perseverance, frugality, and the opposite of them - laziness, negligence, passivity, wastefulness are revealed. A person's attitude to work has a decisive influence on the formation of his other personal qualities. D. I. Pisarev wrote: "Character is tempered by labor, and whoever has never earned his own daily food by his own labor, for the most part remains forever a weak, sluggish and spineless person." Attitude towards people clearly appears in such character traits as sociability, politeness, goodwill, etc. The antipodes of these traits are isolation, tactlessness, malevolence. As V. Hugo stated, "every person has three characters: the one that is attributed to him; the one that he attributes to himself; and, finally, the one that is in reality." In order to clarify the essence of his character, it is useful for a person to know the opinion of himself of the team in which he works and spends a significant part of his life. And above all, how orderly his relations with people are, how much people need him, how authoritative he is among them. Attitude towards oneself is manifested in self-assessment of one's actions. Sober self-assessment is one of the conditions for personal development, helping to develop such character traits as modesty, adherence to principles, self-discipline. Negative character traits are increased conceit, arrogance and boasting. A person with these traits is usually quarrelsome in a team, involuntarily creates pre-conflict and conflict situations in it. Another extreme in a person's character is also undesirable: underestimation of one's own merits, timidity in expressing one's positions, in defending one's views. Modesty and self-criticism must be combined with a heightened sense of self-worth, based on the consciousness of the real significance of one's personality, on the presence of certain successes in work for the common good. Principle is one of the valuable personal qualities that give the character an active orientation. Volitional character traits. Will is understood as a complex mental process that causes the activity of a person and awakens him to act in a directed way. Will is the ability of a person to overcome obstacles, to achieve the goal. Specifically, she acts in such character traits as purposefulness, determination, perseverance, courage. These character traits can contribute to the achievement of both socially useful and anti-social goals. To do this, it is important to determine what the motive of a person's volitional behavior is. "A brave act, the motive of which is to enslave another person, to seize someone else's property, to promote oneself, and a brave act, the motive of which is to help the common cause, of course, have completely different psychological qualities." According to volitional activity, characters are divided into strong and weak. People with a strong character have stable goals, are proactive, boldly make decisions and implement them, have great endurance, are courageous and bold. People in whom these qualities are weakly expressed or some of them are absent are classified as weak-character. They are characterized by a passive manifestation of their business and personal qualities. Often such people, having the best intentions, do not achieve significant results in work, study. Many of them sincerely experience their inability to act independently, persistently and decisively.

Volitional qualities can be cultivated in a person. IP Pavlov emphasized that a person is the only system capable of regulating itself within wide limits, that is, it can improve itself. Weak-willed people with thoughtful pedagogical work with them can become actively active. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of a person, for example, his temperament. So, it is easier for a choleric person to develop activity and determination than for a melancholic person. A person himself must train his will from a young age, develop such qualities as self-control, activity, courage.

The most objective and irrefutable data about a person's character is provided not by his passport data, not by the features of his external appearance, not by his involuntary actions, but by his conscious behavior. It is precisely by the fact that a person chooses not from possible actions in a given situation that his character is assessed. The nature of a person is quite multifaceted. This can be seen already in the process of activity: one does everything quickly, the other slowly and thoroughly, thinks carefully, acting for sure, and the third immediately grabs work without thinking, and only after a certain period of time, without solving the problem from a swoop, looks around and coordinates its actions, taking into account the circumstances. These features, distinguished in human behavior, are called traits, or sides, of character. Any trait is some stable stereotype of behavior.

However, character traits cannot be pulled out of the typical situations in which they appear, in some situations even a polite person can be rude. Therefore, any a character trait is a stable form of behavior in connection with specific, typical situations for this type of behavior.

According to Yu.M. Orlov, along with situations in which a certain trait of a person is found, its essential characteristic is the probability that a given type of behavior in a given situation will take place. One can speak of any trait as a stable characteristic of a person if the probability of its manifestation in a certain situation is high enough. However, the probability means that this feature is not always manifested, otherwise it would just be a matter of mechanical behavior. Such an understanding of character traits is very similar to the manifestation of a person's habit: in certain conditions, to act in a certain way. A character trait includes a certain way of thinking, understanding. In the performance of a characteristic act, volitional mechanisms are turned on, feelings are involved. Conditioning a person's behavior, a character trait in behavior is formed. The formation of character traits cannot be divorced from the formation of behavioral motives. The motives of behavior, being realized in action, being fixed in it, are fixed in the character. Each effective motive that acquires stability, according to S.L. Rubinstein, is potentially a future character trait in its origin and development; in motives, character traits appear for the first time in the form of tendencies, the action then leads them into stable properties. The path to the formation of character traits lies, therefore, through the formation of proper motives for behavior and the organization of actions aimed at consolidating them.

The most common properties of character are located along the axes: strength - weakness; hardness - softness; integrity - inconsistency; breadth - narrowness. If strength of character is understood as the energy with which a person pursues goals, his ability to get passionately carried away and develop a great effort of strength when meeting difficulties, the ability to overcome them, then weakness of character is associated with the manifestation of cowardice, indecision, “asthenicity” in achieving goals, instability of views, etc. Firmness of character means rigid consistency, perseverance in achieving goals, defending views, etc., while softness of character is manifested in flexible adaptation to changing conditions, achieving a goal through some concessions, finding reasonable compromises. The integrity or inconsistency of character is determined by the degree of combination of leading and secondary character traits. If the leading and secondary harmonize, if there are no contradictions in aspirations and interests, then such a character is called integral, but if they contrast sharply, then contradictory.

At the same time, the unity, versatility of character does not exclude the fact that in different situations the same person manifests different and even opposite properties. A person can be both very gentle and very demanding, soft, compliant and at the same time firm to the point of inflexibility. And the unity of his character can not only be preserved in spite of this, but it is precisely in this that it manifests itself.

Of great importance for characterological manifestations is the relationship of intellectual personality traits. The depth and sharpness of thought, the unusual posing of the question and its solution. Intellectual initiative, confidence and independence of thought - all this constitutes the originality of the mind as one of the sides of character. However, how a person uses his mental faculties will depend significantly on character. Often there are people who have highly intellectual data, but do not give anything of value precisely because of their characterological features.

The real achievements of a person do not depend on some abstractly taken mental capabilities, but on a specific combination of his features and characterological properties.

However, most of the individual manifestations that form the character of a person are complex and practically cannot be classified according to individual properties and states (for example, vindictiveness, suspicion, generosity, etc.). At the same time, individual qualities of the volitional (decisiveness, independence, etc.) and intellectual (depth of mind, criticality, etc.) spheres can be considered as components of a person’s character traits and used for his analysis. All character traits have a natural relationship with each other.

In the most general form, character traits can be divided into main, leading, setting the general direction for the development of the entire complex of its manifestations, and secondary, determined by the main ones.

Knowledge of the leading features allows you to reflect the main essence of the character, to show its main manifestations.

Although every character trait reflects one of the manifestations of a person's attitude to reality, this does not mean that every attitude will be a character trait. Only some relationships, depending on the conditions, become character traits.

From the totality of the relationship of the individual to the surrounding reality, it is necessary to single out the character-forming forms of relations that are the decisive, paramount and general vital importance of those objects to which the person belongs. These relationships simultaneously serve as the basis for the classification of the most important character traits. The character of a person is manifested in the system of relations:

1. In relation to other people (at the same time, such character traits as sociability - isolation, truthfulness - deceit, tact - rudeness, etc. can be distinguished)

2. In relation to the case (responsibility - dishonesty, diligence - laziness, etc.).

3. In relation to oneself (modesty - narcissism, self-criticism - self-confidence, etc.)

4. In relation to property (generosity - greed, thrift - extravagance, accuracy - slovenliness, etc.). It should be noted a certain conventionality of this classification and a close relationship, the interpenetration of these aspects of relations.

5. Despite the fact that these relationships are the most important from the point of view of character formation, they do not simultaneously and immediately become character traits. There is a certain sequence in the transition of these relations into character traits, and in this sense it is impossible to put in one row, for example, the attitude towards other people and the attitude towards property, because their very content plays a different role in the real existence of man. A decisive role in the formation of character is played by the attitude of a person to society, to people. The character of a person cannot be revealed and understood outside the collective, without taking into account his attachments in the form of camaraderie, friendship, love, etc.

The relationship of a person with other people is decisive in relation to activity, giving rise to increased activity, tension, rationalization or, on the contrary, calmness, lack of initiative. The attitude to other people and to activity, in turn, determines the attitude of a person to his own personality, to himself. The correct, evaluative attitude towards another person is the main condition for self-esteem.

The attitude towards other people is not only an important part of the character, but also forms the basis for the formation of the consciousness of the individual, necessarily including the attitude towards oneself as an actor, which depends primarily on the very form of activity. When an activity changes, not only the subject, methods and operations of this activity change, but at the same time the attitude towards oneself as an actor is restructured.

A painful condition accompanied by a syndrome of motivational insufficiency, hypochondria, and periodically arising acute feelings about one's laziness. A character trait that reflects the ease of generating emotions of anger, which often turn into verbal and other types of aggression. Particularly brutal ways of committing crimes, to indicate certain properties of the nature of the crime. Cruelty can be deliberate and involuntary, realized in certain actions, verbal behavior (inflicting torment with words) or in the imagination - fantasizing, operating with images of torture, torment of people or animals.

The character of a personality is a qualitative individual characteristic that combines stable and constant properties of the psyche that determine the behavior and characteristics of a person’s attitude. Literally, translated from Greek, character means a sign, a trait. Character in the structure of personality combines a combination of its various qualities and properties that leave an imprint on behavior, activity and individual manifestation. The totality of essential, and most importantly, stable properties and qualities determine the whole way of life of a person and his ways of responding in a given situation.

The character of the individual is formed, defined and formed throughout his life path. The relationship of character and personality is manifested in activities, communication, causing typical behaviors.

Personality traits

Any trait is some stable and unchanging stereotype of behavior.

Characteristic personality traits in a general sense can be divided into those that set the general direction for the development of character manifestations in the complex (leading), and those that are determined by the main directions (secondary). Leading traits allow you to reflect the very essence of character and show its main important manifestations. It must be understood that any character trait of a person will reflect the manifestation of his attitude to reality, but this does not mean that any of his attitude will be directly a character trait. Depending on the living environment of the individual and certain conditions, only some manifestations of relationships will become defining character traits. Those. a person can react aggressively to one or another irritant of the internal or external environment, but this will not mean that the person is malicious by nature.

In the structure of the character of each person, 4 groups are distinguished. The first group includes traits that determine the basis of personality, its core. These include: honesty and insincerity, adherence to principles and cowardice, courage and cowardice, and many others. To the second - features that show the attitude of the individual directly to other people. For example, respect and contempt, kindness and malice, and others. The third group is characterized by the attitude of the individual towards himself. It includes: pride, modesty, arrogance, vanity, self-criticism and others. The fourth group is the attitude to work, activity or work performed. And it is characterized by such features as diligence and laziness, responsibility and irresponsibility, activity and passivity, and others.

Some scientists additionally distinguish another group that characterizes a person's attitude to things, for example, neatness and slovenliness.

They also distinguish such typological properties of character traits as abnormal and normal. Normal features are inherent in people who have a healthy psyche, and abnormal features include people with a variety of mental illnesses. It should be noted that similar personality traits can be both abnormal and normal. It all depends on the degree of expression or whether it is an accentuation of character. An example of this would be healthy suspicion, but when it goes off scale, it leads to.

The determining role in the formation of personality traits is played by society and the attitude of a person towards him. It is impossible to judge a person without seeing how he interacts with the team, without taking into account his attachments, antipathies, comradely or friendly relations in society.

The attitude of the individual to any kind of activity is determined by his relationship with other persons. Interaction with other people can encourage a person to be active and rationalize or keep him in suspense, give rise to his lack of initiative. The idea of ​​the individual about himself is determined by his relationship with people and attitude to activity. The basis in the formation of the consciousness of the individual is directly related to other individuals. A correct assessment of the personality traits of another person is a fundamental circumstance in the formation of self-esteem. Also, it should be noted that when a person’s activity changes, not only the methods, methods and subject of this activity change, but also the person’s attitude towards himself in the new role of the actor changes.

Personality traits

The most important feature of character in the structure of personality is its certainty. But this does not mean the dominance of one trait. Several traits can dominate in the character, contradicting or not contradicting each other. Character can lose its certainty in the absence of its clearly defined features. The system of moral values ​​and beliefs of the individual is also the leading and determining factor in the formation of character traits. They establish the long-term orientation of the behavior of the individual.

Features of the individual's character are inextricably linked with his stable and deep interests. The lack of integrity, self-sufficiency and independence of the individual is closely related to the instability and superficiality of the interests of the individual. And, on the contrary, the integrity and purposefulness, perseverance of a person directly depends on the content and depth of his interests. However, the similarity of interests does not yet imply the similarity of the characteristic features of the individual. For example, among scientists you can meet both cheerful people and sad people, both good and evil.

To understand the personality traits, one should also pay attention to his affections, leisure. This can reveal new facets and features of character. It is also important to pay attention to the correspondence of a person's actions to his established goals, because the individual is characterized not only by the action, but also by how exactly he produces them. The orientation of the activity and the actions themselves form the dominant spiritual or material needs and interests of the individual. Therefore, character should be understood only as the unity of the image of actions and their direction. It is from the combination of the characteristics of the character of the individual and his properties that the real achievements of a person depend, and not from the presence of mental capabilities.

Temperament and personality

The relationship of character and personality is also determined by the temperament of the individual, abilities and other aspects. And the concepts of temperament and personality character form its structure. Character is a set of qualitative properties of an individual that determine his actions, manifested in relation to other people, actions, things. Whereas temperament is a set of properties of the individual's psyche that affect his behavioral reactions. The nervous system is responsible for the manifestation of temperament. Character is also inextricably linked with the psyche of the individual, but his features are formed throughout life under the influence of the external environment. And temperament is an innate parameter that cannot be changed, you can only restrain its negative manifestations.

The premise of character is temperament. Temperament and character in the structure of personality are closely interconnected with each other, but at the same time they are different from each other.

Temperament contains the mental dissimilarity between people. It differs in the depth and strength of manifestations of emotions, activity of actions, impressionability and other individual, stable, dynamic features of the psyche.

It can be concluded that temperament is an innate foundation and basis on which a person is formed as a member of society. Therefore, the most stable and constant personality traits is temperament. It is equally manifested in any activity, regardless of its direction or content. It remains unchanged in adulthood.

So, temperament is the personal characteristics of the individual, which determine the dynamism of the course of his behavior and mental processes. Those. the concept of temperament characterizes the pace, intensity, duration of mental processes, external behavioral reaction (activity, slowness), but not conviction in views and interests. It is also not a definition of the value of the individual and does not determine its potential.

There are three important components of temperament that are related to the general mobility (activity) of a person, his emotionality and motor skills. In turn, each of the components has a rather complex structure and is distinguished by various forms of psychological manifestation.

The essence of activity lies in the individual's desire for self-expression, the transformation of the external component of reality. At the same time, the direction itself, the quality of the implementation of these trends is determined precisely by the characterological features of the individual and not only. The degree of such activity can be from lethargy to the highest manifestation of mobility - a constant rise.

The emotional component of the personality's temperament is a set of properties that characterize the features of the flow of various feelings and moods. This component is the most complex in its structure in comparison with the others. Its main characteristics are lability, impressionability and impulsiveness. Emotional lability is the rate at which one emotional state is replaced by another or stops. Under the impressionability understand the susceptibility of the subject to emotional influences. Impulsivity is the speed with which an emotion turns into the motivating cause and force of actions and deeds without first thinking them through and making a conscious decision to carry them out.

The character and temperament of the individual are inextricably linked. The dominance of one type of temperament can help determine the character of the subjects as a whole.

Personality character types

Today, in specific literature, there are many criteria by which personality types are determined.

The typology proposed by E. Kretschmer is now the most popular. It consists in dividing people into three groups depending on their physique.

Picnic people are people who are prone to becoming overweight or slightly overweight, small in stature, but with a large head, broad face and shortened neck. Their character type corresponds to cyclothymics. They are emotional, sociable, easily adapting to a variety of conditions.

Athletic people are tall and broad-shouldered people, with well-developed muscles, a hardy skeleton and a powerful chest. They correspond to the iksotimic type of character. These people are powerful and quite practical, calm and unimpressive. Ixotimics are restrained in gestures and facial expressions, they do not adapt well to changes.

Asthenic people are people who are prone to thinness, the muscles are poorly developed, the chest is flat, the arms and legs are long, and they have an elongated face. Corresponds to the type of character schizotimics. Such people are very serious and prone to stubbornness, it is difficult to adapt to change. They are characterized by closure.

K.G. Jung developed a different typology. It is based on the predominant functions of the psyche (thinking, intuition). His classification divides subjects into introverts and extroverts, depending on the dominance of the external or internal world.

An extrovert is characterized by directness, openness. Such a person is extremely sociable, active and has many friends, comrades and just acquaintances. Extroverts love to travel and make the most of life. An extrovert often becomes the initiator of parties, in companies he becomes their soul. In ordinary life, he focuses only on circumstances, and not on the subjective opinion of others.

An introvert, on the contrary, is characterized by isolation, turning inward. Such a person fences himself off from the environment, carefully analyzes all events. It is difficult for an introvert to make contacts with people, so he has few friends and acquaintances. Introverts prefer solitude to noisy companies. These people have a high level of anxiety.

There is also a typology based on the relationship of character and temperament, which divides people into 4 psychotypes.

Choleric is a rather impetuous, fast, passionate and, along with this, unbalanced person. Such people are prone to sudden mood swings and emotional outbursts. Choleric people do not have a balance of nervous processes, therefore they are quickly depleted, thoughtlessly expending strength.

Phlegmatic people are distinguished by equanimity, unhurriedness, stability of moods and aspirations. Outwardly, they practically do not show emotions and feelings. Such people are quite persistent and persistent in their work, while always remaining balanced and calm. The phlegmatic person compensates for his slowness in work with diligence.

Melancholic is a very vulnerable person, prone to a stable experience of various events. The melancholic reacts sharply to any external factors or manifestations. Such people are very impressionable.

A sanguine person is a mobile, active person with a lively character. He is subject to frequent changes of impressions and is characterized by quick reactions to any events. Let's easily try on the failures or troubles that befell him. When a sanguine person is interested in his work, he will be quite productive.

K. Leonhard also identified 12 types that are often found in people with neurosis, accentuated characters. And E. Fromm described three social types of characters.

The psychological nature of the personality

Everyone has long known that significant changes occur in the psychological character of a person in the process of its development and life. Such changes are subject to typical (regular) and atypical (individual) trends.

Typical trends include changes that occur with a psychological nature in the process of growing up a person. This happens because the older the individual becomes, the faster he gets rid of childish manifestations in character, which distinguish children's behavior from adults. Childish personality traits include capriciousness, tearfulness, fears, irresponsibility. Adult traits that come with age include tolerance, life experience, intelligence, wisdom, prudence, etc.

As one moves along the life path and acquires life experience, the individual changes in his views on events, and their attitudes towards them change. Which together also affects the final formation of character. Therefore, there are certain differences between people of different age groups.

So, for example, people between the ages of about 30 and 40 live mainly in the future, they live in ideas and plans. All their thoughts, their activity are aimed at the realization of the future. And people who have reached the age of 50 have come to the point where their present life meets simultaneously with their past life and their future. And therefore, their character is modified in such a way as to correspond to the present. This is the age when people completely say goodbye to dreams, but are not yet ready to be nostalgic for the past years. People who have overcome the 60-year milestone practically do not think about the future, they are much more concerned about the present, they have memories of the past. Also, due to physical ailments, the previously taken pace and rhythm of life is no longer available to them. This leads to the appearance of such character traits as slowness, measuredness, and tranquility.

Atypical, specific tendencies are directly related to the events experienced by a person, i.e. caused by past life.

As a rule, character traits that are similar to existing ones are fixed much faster and appear faster.

It should always be remembered that character is not a fixed value, it is formed throughout the entire life cycle of a person.

The social nature of personality

Individuals of any society, despite their individual personality traits and differences, have something in common in their psychological manifestations and properties, therefore they act as ordinary representatives of this society.

The social character of the individual is a general way of adaptability of the individual to the influence of society. It is created by religion, culture, education system and upbringing in the family. It should also be borne in mind that even in the family, the child receives the upbringing that is approved in this society and corresponds to the culture, is considered normal, ordinary and natural.

According to E. Fromm, social character means the result of a person's adaptation to one or another image of the organization of society, to the culture in which he is brought up. He believes that none of the well-known developed societies in the world will allow the individual to fully realize himself. From this it follows that the individual is in conflict with society from birth. Therefore, we can conclude that the social nature of the individual is a kind of mechanism that allows the individual to exist freely and with impunity in any society.

The process of adaptation of an individual in society occurs with a distortion of the character of the individual and his personality, to the detriment of it. According to Fromm, the social character is a kind of defense, an individual's response to a situation that causes frustration in the social environment, which does not allow the individual to freely express himself and fully develop, putting him obviously within the framework and limitations. In society, a person will not be able to fully develop the inclinations and opportunities inherent in him by nature. As Fromm believed, the social character is instilled in the individual and has a stabilizing character. From the moment an individual begins to have a social character, he becomes completely safe for the society in which he lives. Fromm identified several variants of this nature.

Personal character accentuation

Accentuation of the character of a person is a pronounced feature of character traits, which is within the recognized norm. Depending on the magnitude of the severity of character traits, accentuation is divided into hidden and explicit.

Under the influence of specific environmental factors or circumstances, some weakly expressed or not at all manifested features can be clearly expressed - this is called hidden accentuation.

By explicit accentuation is understood the extreme manifestation of the norm. This type is characterized by the constancy of features for a certain character. Accentuations are dangerous in that they can contribute to the development of mental disorders, situationally defined pathological behavioral disorders, neuroses, etc. However, one should not confuse and identify the accentuation of a personality’s character with the concept of mental pathology.

K. Leongrad identified the main types and combinations of accentuations.

A feature of the hysteroid type is egocentrism, excessive thirst for attention, recognition of individual abilities, the need for approval and reverence.

A high degree of sociability, mobility, a tendency to mischief, excessive independence are prone to people with a hyperthymic type.

Asthenoneurotic - characterized by high fatigue, irritability, anxiety.

Psychosthenic - manifested by indecision, love of demagoguery, self-digging and analysis, suspiciousness.

A distinctive feature of the schizoid type is isolation, detachment, lack of sociability.

The sensitive type is manifested by increased resentment, sensitivity, shyness.

Excitable - characterized by a tendency to regularly recurring periods of dreary mood, the accumulation of irritation.

Emotionally labile - characterized by a very changeable mood.

Infantile-dependent - observed in people who play in children who avoid taking responsibility for their actions.

Unstable type - manifests itself in a constant craving for various kinds of entertainment, pleasure, idleness, idleness.

Each person has certain characteristics, which are expressed in emotional manifestations, the selection of specific actions and reactions. All this happens automatically and is defined by people as character traits. There are many personality types for quickly determining what kind of person is happening.

We all know what character is. This is a set of qualities that are inherent in a particular person. Character is developed throughout life. In childhood, he is flexible and quickly changing. Over the years, it acquires greater stability and at the end is fixed .. What is it and what features does this phenomenon have, the article will tell.

What is the nature of a person?

Each person faces the character of another personality. What it is? This is a characteristic of the psyche, which combines permanent and stable qualities that determine the behavior and attitude of the individual. Translated from Greek, character means "feature", "sign". This is a stable characteristic that affects behavior, responses, activities and individual manifestations of a person.

We can say that the character of a person determines the whole life of a person, his fate. They say that fate is predetermined. In fact, a person who does not obey specific rules and strategies creates his own destiny, which he then lives.

By changing the character, you can change the fate, because the character determines the reaction, behavior, decisions of a person that he takes in a particular situation. If you look closely, you can see that people who are similar in character live the same life. Only the details differ, but their ways and behavior are the same.

Character is formed throughout a person's life. At any moment it can be changed, which in adulthood is possible only under the influence of one's own desire and willpower. If a person cannot change his character, then his life does not change and its development is predictable.

Personality traits

The character changes depending on the type of activity, society, social circle, attitude towards oneself and the world as a whole. If any of these aspects change, then this can affect the change in the quality of character. If everything in a person's life remains unchanged, then the character traits remain unchanged.

Personality traits

The character of a person is also formed under the influence of the values ​​and moral beliefs that a person uses. The more stable they are, the more a person is fixed in his behavior and manifestations. The main feature of a personal character is its certainty, where one can note the leading features, of which there are always several. The certainty of character disappears if there are no stable qualities.

Character is also based on the interests that a person has. The more stable and constant they are, the more a person becomes purposeful, persistent and whole in his manifestations.

You can determine the characteristics of the character of another person by his actions and their orientation. Both the actions and the results that he achieves at the end of their commission are important. They are what characterize a person.

Temperament and personality

The interrelation and character of the personality is looked through. Although these characteristics are determined by the human psyche, they are different values. Temperament is determined by the structure of the nervous system, which makes it an innate quality, the manifestations of which cannot be changed, but you can just do something.

Character is a flexible aspect that develops throughout life. A person can change it, which is determined by his life activity.

Character is formed on the basis of the temperament with which a person was born. Temperament can be called the basis on which the entire branch of his character traits is built. At the same time, the temperament does not change from external circumstances and the type of activity.

Temperament is characterized by three directions, each of which has its own complex structure:

1. Mobility (activity). It manifests itself in vigorous activity, self-expression, manifestation of oneself, which can be both sluggish and overly active.
2. Emotionality. There is a variety of moods and flow of feelings. Defined:

• Lability is the rate of change from one mood to another.
• Impressibility - the depth of perception of external emotional stimuli.
• Impulsivity - the speed at which an emotion transforms into a motivating force for taking actions without thinking about it and making a decision to carry it out.

1. Motility.

Personality character types

Psychologists of different times tried to identify types of personality characters to identify specific groups of people. E. Kretschmer identified 3 groups of people according to their body type:

1. Picnic people, prone to gaining excess weight, short in stature, with a large face, neck, plump. They are easily adaptable to the conditions of the world, sociable and emotional.
2. Athletic people, characterized by well-developed muscles, are tall and broad-shouldered, hardy and with a large chest. They are not impressionable, domineering, calm and practical, restrained in gestures and facial expressions, and do not adapt well.
3. Asthenic people, characterized by thinness and underdeveloped muscles, a narrow face, long arms and legs, a flat chest. They are stubborn and serious, withdrawn and poorly adapted to change.

K. Jung proposed another typology that divides people according to the type of thinking:

• Extroverts. Very sociable and active people who tend to make many acquaintances. They are straight and open. They love to travel, have parties, be the soul of the company. They are guided by objective circumstances, and not by the subjective opinions of people.
• Introverts. Very closed and fenced off from the world people. They have few friends as it is difficult for them to make contacts. Constantly analyze everything that is happening. They are very anxious and prefer solitude.

Another classification divides people into 4 psychotypes depending on their combination of character and temperament:

1. Cholerics are unbalanced, fast, impulsive, passionate people. They are quickly depleted due to the senseless expenditure of strength. Prone to emotional outbursts and mood swings.
2. Phlegmatic people are stable in their manifestations, emotions and views, unhurried, unflappable people. They are inclined to calmness and poise, perseverance in work. Outwardly they do not show emotions.
3. Melancholic people are vulnerable people who are prone to constantly experiencing emotions. Very impressionable, sharply react to external manifestations.
4. Sanguine people are lively, mobile and active people. They react quickly to external circumstances and tend to receive many impressions. Productive at work. Easily tolerate failures and troubles.

The psychological nature of the personality

The changes that occur in the psychological character of a person are divided into regular (typical) and individual (atypical).

Regular changes occur as a person grows up and goes through certain changes in his body. Children's features disappear, being replaced by adults. Childish traits include capriciousness, irresponsibility, fears, tearfulness. For adults - wisdom, life experience, tolerance, reasonableness, prudence, etc.

Much here is determined by the situations that a person often encounters. Communication with people, various circumstances, successes and failures, tragedies determine the change of views and values ​​in a person. This is why people in the same age group differ from each other, because everyone had their own life experience. Here individual traits are formed, which depend on the life circumstances through which each person passes.

Traits change faster if they are similar to or include previous traits.

The social nature of personality

The social character of a person is understood as those qualities that should be characteristic of absolutely all people of this or that society. Going into society, a person must show not only individual traits, but also those qualities that are considered acceptable, approved, normal. Such a set is formed by society, the media, culture, upbringing, educational institutions, religion, etc. It should be noted that parents raise their children also depending on the framework and norms that are accepted in society.

According to E. Fromm, the social character of a person is a way of adapting a person to the society in which he is located. This is an unpunished and free way of existence in a particular society. He believed that no society allows a person to realize himself in full force, since he always dictates his own rules and norms, which should be above individual characteristics and desires. That is why a person is always in conflict with society when he must obey in order to be accepted, or tries to protest, which can be punished.

Society will never allow a person to express himself in full force, which prevents him from realizing his inclinations and harms the individual himself. There must be a distortion of character, when everyone adjusts himself to certain limits and norms accepted in society. Only by developing a social character in a person does society make him safe for himself. It is not the personality that is important here, but its safe manifestations, which will be acceptable in society. Otherwise, there will be punishment for any individual self-expression that does not fit into the framework.

Personal character accentuation

Under the accentuation of the character of the personality is understood a set of qualities that are clearly manifested by the individual within the normal range. It is divided into:

• Hidden - traits that appear infrequently or never at all. However, under certain conditions, they can appear.
• Explicit - features that appear to the extreme degree of the norm and are characterized by constancy.

K. Leongrad identified types of accentuation:

1. Hysterical - a thirst for attention, egocentrism, a need for reverence and approval, recognition of individual characteristics.
2. Hyperthymic - sociability, mobility, a tendency to mischief, excessive independence.
3. Asthenoneurotic - anxiety, high fatigue.
4. Psychosthenic - indecision, a tendency to demagogy, analysis and introspection, suspiciousness.
5. Schizoid - detachment, isolation, lack of sociability.
6. Excitable - periodic dreary moods, accumulation of irritation.
7. Sensitive - increased touchiness, sensitivity, shyness.
8. Infantile-dependent - a delay in childhood when a person does not take responsibility.
9. Emotionally labile - mood variability.
10. Unstable - a tendency to idleness, pleasure, entertainment, idleness.

Outcome

The nature of a person often helps in understanding the person himself, since everything revolves around his inner world, which has manifestations in the form of reactions, emotions, behavior, actions, and even achievements that are currently available. Considering different types of character can lead to the following result - a quick and easy understanding of people.

Character is a flexible characteristic that can be changed at any time. It can change both unconsciously and under the influence of the willpower of a person who controls the manifestation of a particular quality. The longer a person manifests a particular quality, the more it is fixed and becomes one of his characteristics that influence the future development of life.

“How many people - so many characters” - you can often hear. And this is actually true, there are no two absolutely identical people on earth. People have different worldview systems, principles, hobbies and values, react differently to certain external stimuli and events. determines his personal actions, which make up his whole life.

Scientists and psychologists call the character of a person an individual combination of certain personality traits that determine his attitude to the entire environment and are manifested in his actions.

Character(Greek χαρακτηρ - a sign, a distinctive feature, a sign) is a structure of persistent, relatively constant mental properties that determine the characteristics of a person's behavior and relationships.

In the scientific literature on psychology, there are several criteria for determining the types of human character. We will only consider the main ones.

The most popular typology of characters proposed by the famous German psychologist E. Kretschmer, therefore person's character depends on his physique. Kretschmer described the main three body types of a person and their corresponding types of characters:

Jung's character classification

The Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist Carl Gustav Jung developed his own, which is based on the dominant mental functions (sensations, intuition, feeling and thinking). He classified all people according to the predominance of the inner or outer world (introvertive and extravertive types).

1. An introvert is a closed, inwardly focused thinker, turned into himself, a person fenced off from the whole world around him, carefully analyzing all events, while suspecting everyone of contradictory actions. He has very few friends, because it is very difficult for him to make new contacts, he is closer to loneliness, he does not change his own habits. An introvert is a very suspicious person with an overestimated degree of anxiety, he listens to feelings in himself and values ​​his health.
2. An extrovert is a direct, open person, extremely sociable, active and understandable to everyone, he has many acquaintances and friends, he cannot stand loneliness, has little interest in his own health, loves to travel, tries to make the most of life. He becomes the soul of the company, is the initiator of various meetings and parties, loves to tell jokes, in everyday life he focuses not on subjective opinion, but on circumstances.

The relationship of human character with temperament

Features of different temperaments can help a person understand character traits if they are pronounced, however, people with pronounced certain temperaments are quite rare, most often mixed temperament in varying degrees of severity. But the predominance of any type of temperament can help determine type of person.

There is a huge amount character type classifications man, even better to say, attempts to systematize all the knowledge and psychology of his behavior, but none of them can be so deep and so effective. Since each person, going through periods of laying down certain characters in his life, collects them all in himself in order to live as an individual for the rest of his life.

If you find it difficult to determine your type of character, then various ones that are designed just for this can help you.

People don't look alike. Everyone has their own model of behavior in society. Someone easily converges with people, finds common themes, has the interlocutor to communicate. Another person looks at others for a long time, carefully selects the object of communication, ponders the course of the conversation, and so on.

Everything depends on the character. Character is the model of human behavior, his reaction to the world, his inner state. Character develops as a result of hereditary qualities and upbringing.

A person lives in a society of people and his attitude towards others plays a significant role. The quality of life of society, its civilization depends on this.

Sociability, kindness, responsiveness. It is difficult and unpleasant to communicate with a rude, indifferent, cynical person.

In order to live, everyone must work, thereby earning a livelihood for himself and his family.

Certain character traits help to succeed in this.

To succeed, you need to have some talents - creative thinking, perseverance, hard work, courage in making decisions. People who are proactive and conscientious are valued. In team work, it is important to trust employees. Performance is a valuable quality.

Character can be changed because it is influenced by the environment of communication.

For example, an optional person who is easy on given promises can turn into a responsible employee if the success of the enterprise and the lives of other people depend on his decisions and actions in the service. This is especially evident in the professions of firefighters, doctors, judges, where the fate and lives of people are decided.

Kretschmer gave the original classification of a person's character according to body type:

Picnics are burly men in a certain stage of obesity. Facial features are disproportionate to parts of the body, small. They are sociable, positive, generous. Negative character traits include a tendency to depression in a difficult life situation.

Asthenics are thin tall individuals with an elongated face. These are closed uncommunicative people. They prefer loneliness, they are often rude, greedy, stubborn. But it is the asthenics who have a developed mind and talent for science.

Athletes are physically developed and attractive, but not emotional people. Among them there are both good and evil.

Negative character traits

There are people who try to make money in dubious ways. At the same time, people who trusted the deceiver suffer from deceit, who are responsible for the result of dishonest behavior.

The successes and failures of a person largely depend on what place in society he assigns to you. If he behaves confidently and calmly, this causes respect and sympathy. A person who adequately responds to constructive criticism behaves with dignity.

A person should cherish and appreciate the good that he has

Modesty, as you know, is also one of the most worthy personality traits.

Mutual assistance is good only if it comes from a pure heart, without the expectation of a reciprocal action. A person should cherish and appreciate the good that he has. You cannot demand and expect incredible luck from life without doing anything to achieve great results. but without stinginess.

The role of education in the formation of character

It plays an important role in shaping a person's character. A child from childhood takes an example from his parents. If they behave incorrectly in relation to relatives, to work, to politics, the child absorbs all this and learns the wrong model of behavior. Over time, this model develops into a character.

Growing up, a person introduces into his behavior the views instilled in him by his father and mother. The child should be brought up in open, simple and logical ideas about life for his understanding. If adults say one thing and do the opposite, the child is lost in concepts and becomes hypocritical. At first, he cannot understand such a situation. But, since adults do not explain to him intelligibly why they are lying, he accepts this model of behavior and also learns to lie.

Temperament and character

These concepts are related, but not identical. Temperament is related to the human psyche. These are his innate characteristics. The variety of personality types forms special personal relationships in society. If the character is formed in the environment of communication, then a person is born with a special temperament. It can be guessed in a person from a very early age by behavior.

There are 4 types of temperaments:

Melancholics are vulnerable nervous people. It is difficult for them to converge with people, they do not like to devote to their problems. They often become depressed, if not helped to cope with this condition, the melancholic can commit suicide. Such people are influenced by the environment. If there are good people around the melancholic, he feels great. This temperament is often possessed by scientists, artists, writers. Such children do not like noisy games.

Cholerics are sociable, mobile, inquisitive. The energy of a child - a choleric must be directed in the right direction. He must attend sports sections, dance clubs. Otherwise, his activity may find a way out in bad rash acts. Cholerics are born leaders, they strive to stand out from the crowd, to lead. They have a certain perseverance, they are greedy, some strive for quick dishonest earnings. Choleric people are prone to reincarnations, among them there are many talented actors. The tendency to pretense is manifested from childhood.

Sanguine people are balanced calm people. You can rely on them - in a difficult situation, they will always find a way out. They are not afraid of difficulties, rarely subject to bad habits. They are guided by common sense in everything. Sanguine people do not like loneliness, they like to communicate with people, they have a good sense of humor. They have almost no negative character traits.

Phlegmatic people are mentally stable. Their strengths are intelligence. Restraint, composure. They do not like sudden changes in life.

There must be a golden mean in character. It should be distinguished in the assessment of a person:

• frugality from greed,
• modesty from isolation,
• restraint from indifference.

Before proceeding with the classification and enumeration of character traits, it is necessary to understand what character is. In Greek, "character" is a difference, a sign, a sign. From the point of view of psychology, character is a set of personal properties that determine a person’s actions in various situations and form him as an individual.

There is an old saying: "Sow a deed - you reap a habit; sow a habit - you reap a character; sow a character - you reap a destiny." This saying briefly and succinctly reflects the place that character occupies in the life and destiny of a person. Therefore, it is so important to know what character traits people have in order to learn to understand their influence on the resolution of various, and especially conflict, situations.

Classification of character traits

Conventionally, character traits can be divided into three main groups:

• emotional;
• strong-willed;
• intellectual.

According to the direction of impact, the features are also divided into the following subgroups:

• attitude to the outside world - people and society;
• attitude towards oneself personally;
• attitude to activities - training and work.

The most basic character traits, especially those related to the emotional group, are formed in early childhood - at the stage of formation of the child's psyche and depend on many factors. Not the last role is played by the natural predisposition of a person, which is influenced by hereditary characteristics and temperament. But the main influence is the environment.

It is in childhood that positive and negative traits of a person's character are laid in the process of acquiring experience of interaction with the outside world. Then, throughout life, the formation of individual features continues, and new ones may appear. And if at first this process takes place on an unconscious, reflex level, then with the acquisition of awareness, and depending on its level, a person has a choice. When this choice is realized, the opportunity opens up for the transformation of character, which is otherwise called personal growth.

Main character traits

Today, there are several hundred definitions of various character traits. Moreover, they can coexist in one person in a variety of combinations. Depending on the direction of influence, such traits can have both positive and negative consequences of their influence. Therefore, it is very difficult to say with absolute certainty that these are bad character traits, and these are good ones. In most cases, it makes sense to talk about certain sets of properties that in a certain situation can have a great influence on the consequences of solving certain problems, defined as positive or negative, which again will be to a certain extent a subjective opinion.

Nevertheless, let's try to compile a list of the main character traits that are formed in the early stages of development and therefore relate more to the emotional group, conditionally dividing them not into bad and good, but, say, into positive and negative traits of a person's character, as is commonly believed from the public. - a moral point of view.

Negative character traits

Anger. This is an emotional trait that can be expressed in a negative attitude of any direction - to oneself, people, and even to work. If this is not a periodic, but a constant reaction, most likely its roots are in a deep childhood resentment.

Pride. In religion, such a feature is even considered one of the grave sins. Because a person in whom this quality is manifested very strongly loses the ability to adequately assess and make the right decisions. Such a person ends up harming both others and himself.

Selfishness. This is a negative trait that concentrates and generates a whole host of others. In fact, it can become the quintessence of all unseemly character traits, but, as a rule, it has a negative impact in the direction of attitudes towards other people, while in relation to oneself it is subjectively considered positive.

Jealousy. This character trait is associated with selfishness and pride, since it implies a sense of possessiveness and has a devastating effect not only on others, but also on oneself, since jealousy is blind and therefore can push for very bad deeds.

Greed. It can take different forms: greed for fame, money, things, food, pleasure, etc. Pushes a person to unseemly acts and causes rejection of others.

Envy. A person possessed by envy causes harm, first of all to himself. After all, as they say, envy eats from the inside, sharpens like a worm. It can also bring great harm to the object of envy if the owner of such a trait sets out in some way to restore the apparent disequilibrium in his favor.

Cruelty. This trait, in any form, brings only destruction and suffering to those it is directed at. Psychologists believe that it is a manifestation of lack of will. It can be added that often a cruel person is guided by fear and self-doubt.

Positive character traits

It is believed that all character traits have their antipode. Therefore, let's see what are the character traits that are the opposite of those listed above.

Kindness. Unlike an evil person, you want to communicate with a good person. Kindness also implies such traits as selflessness and participation. Is it because good people are so often used for their own purposes by those who are dominated by negative character traits? Think about it.

Humility. Some do not like this quality, because for some reason it is considered slave. In fact, this is a very good trait that can work wonders - for example, stop destructive conflicts, nullify feuds and useless showdown.

Altruism. This is the complete opposite of selfishness. An egoist will never understand an altruist, but an altruist will understand, listen, forgive and even help. An amazing feature that is an endangered species, but in vain.

Confidence. Perhaps it is the most accurate antipode of jealousy, although some argue that its antipode is love. But it is trust, and not gullibility, that is the saving bridge between loving people, which is able to connect them and give true happiness of communication with each other.

Generosity. If it spreads in all directions, it will be a unique personality. This character trait is a blessing for others, and if it is from the bottom of the heart, then for its owner.

Goodwill. Although this trait is associated with kindness, it is more of an outward manifestation than envy, which is always secret. Goodwill blesses and attracts if it is sincere and is a character trait, and not a show.

Mercy. One of the best character traits of a person. We can safely say that this world is based on mercy, as one of the forms of universal love. By developing this trait, a person is enriched spiritually.

Other character traits

There are many other character traits that can be emotional, strong-willed or intellectual. They are developed already in the period of adulthood and are based on life experience. This is how curiosity and thoughtfulness, determination and independence appear. At the same time, character strengths can enhance both positive and negative traits. For example, assertiveness combined with anger can lead to a destructive effect, and combined with kindness can lead to the salvation of another person. It is not in vain that they say that there are as many characters as there are people, and in fact, even knowing many of the character traits of a particular person, it is impossible to completely predict his behavior in a particular situation.

Is it possible to change your character traits

Changing your traits only makes sense in a positive direction. After all, in the end, all positive traits lead to creation and improvement, and negative traits to destruction and annihilation. But for this it is necessary to first come to the realization that negative traits do exist, and thereby complicate the life of the individual. And very few succeed.

Before you begin to make a judgment about the character traits of a person, you need to have a clear idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat the properties of human nature are in general. Let's start to act according to the list of human character traits and according to a clear gradation, dividing the character according to the principle of black and white, that is, into its positive and negative features.

Negative properties of human nature

Adventurism is often called a negative quality of human nature. Indeed, excessive enthusiasm for various adventures does not lead to anything good - at best, a person sprays his life into chasing unrealizable dreams and implementing chaotic projects.

However, healthy adventurism is also inherent in a successful businessman - without it, innovation in entrepreneurial activity and corresponding commercial success are impossible. If you follow this path, then you can highlight other, in principle, negative character traits that a successful person definitely needs.

Here they are: authoritarianism (the decision of the leader should not be challenged), gambling (the desire to earn money in unusual ways, the ability to take risks), as well as greed (again, the desire to acquire financial success) and some kind of unscrupulousness, which is indispensable in big business. However, a certain balance will be important here, which will not allow a successful business person to turn into a complete villain.

However, let's leave business aside and move on to the character traits of ordinary people.

What are the negative traits of a person's character?

• Let's start with pride, which in many religious movements is generally regarded as a mortal sin. A man possessed by pride thinks that the world exists only for his sake and that everything is done according to his whims and for his pleasure. Such a proud person is able to cause a lot of pain to his loved ones and never find his place in life;
• It is impossible to call a positive quality of human disposition and excessive lust for power. The desire to tell others what to do and how to do it does not cause sympathy;
• Selfishness and vanity are also negative traits - concentration on one's needs and excessive boasting of one's often dubious achievements is annoying and makes communication with a person of such a warehouse extremely difficult;
• A jealous person is able to poison the life of a loved one, turn a cozy family nest into a hotbed of scandals, and even reach a crime, therefore, excessive jealousy in character is considered one of his worst properties;
• It is worth getting rid of resentment and envy. Envy is capable of undermining the soul from the inside, forcing you to wish other people bad - that's why the stable expression "envy in black" appeared. Resentment is bad because a person goes inside himself, reveling in a sense of resentment, and does not look for ways to solve a conflict or problem situation at all;
• Cruelty and vindictiveness are considered the two most negative properties of human nature. Rigidity is the reverse side of another negative character trait - lack of will. A person tries to restore his lost status quo by violence and pain to the people around him;
• The negative qualities of human nature also include: callousness, extravagance, stinginess, suspiciousness, malice, self-criticism and lust.

Positive character traits

What personality traits are considered positive? One of the most important good qualities of human nature is certainty, that is, such a character trait in which a person always knows what to strive for and what he needs to do to achieve the goal.

It is not sprayed on insignificant and insignificant factors, but goes straight along the chosen path:

• Hard work is also an extremely important positive feature in human nature. Without diligence, little can be achieved in life: after all, all its important milestones require regular and careful application of efforts;
• Reasonable vigilance is also necessary for each of us - after all, it will help to draw the right conclusions from the most difficult life situations and teach you how to prevent the occurrence of problems of various kinds in a timely manner;
• Endurance is a quality of character that is difficult to do without in modern life - because it is full of stress, conflict and controversial issues. The ability to endure all the trials of life and be ready to continue on your way is a very, very valuable skill;
• Goodwill is very useful in life. Attitude towards strangers with attention and warmth, sincere concern for them without the desire for profit and reward - decorate a person, make him a worthy person;
• Mindfulness is useful not only in a career and study - this quality will help save a person’s health and even life. It is important to develop this quality in yourself from childhood - an attentive person is most often successful in all areas of life;
• It is important and necessary to show courage in judgments and actions, because how many omissions people make, being afraid to express their opinion openly or show their talent;
• The ability to compassion, according to many philosophers, is able to save the world. One cannot indifferently pass by the sufferings of others and not extend a helping hand to those in need;
• It is also worth learning and decisiveness - it will help you make the most difficult and important decisions in situations where any delay is fatal;
• It is necessary to educate in oneself and respect for other people and learn to respect oneself. Without respect, it is impossible to provide a normal working environment in the office, it is also impossible to create a truly cozy and loving family circle;
• Spiritual generosity is obligatory in a person - the ability to give one's strength, feelings, talents and abilities to others, to share joys and opportunities with them;
• Tenderness and cheerfulness are important for the full existence of the individual in society. The manifestation of touching concern for one's neighbor, a sincere interest in the problems of others bring standard communication to a new, higher and more harmonious level, and the ability to enjoy life in all its manifestations will help to overcome crises and notice the beauty of the world around;
• People should not forget about honor: one should not drop one's dignity in the dirt, humiliate one's own personality with lies or base aspirations. It is important to learn to be honest not only with others, but also with yourself - then most mistakes can be avoided;
• The ability to be grateful is the most magnificent and, unfortunately, extremely rare positive quality of human nature - and it is precisely this ability that allows others and the person himself to realize the value of his life and talents.

Finally, I would like to note such a positive property of human nature as humility. Humility is taught and called for by various religious and philosophical movements, and this is no accident: after all, it is humility that helps a person to realize his mistakes, not to get hung up on unreasonable and limiting pride, but admitting defeat, to start moving on.

Humility is the highest virtue and an invaluable quality not only of character, but also of the human soul.

It is important to remember that any qualities of a person's character are always reflected on his face and an attentive psychologist is able to draw the right conclusions about a person simply by throwing a cursory glance at a person.

The character of a person and the features of his face are closely related, it is no accident that even a very handsome person with an evil soul quickly ceases to be attractive to others, and a kind and warm look can decorate even the most unsightly appearance.

This connection is considered in more detail by a special science - physiognomy, which is used both in psychology and in forensic science.

Modern recruitment agencies also do not shy away from this science - it allows you to make the recruitment of qualified personnel the most effective.