Positive character traits list. Positive or negative qualities of a person: main character traits and behavioral factors

A person's character is an important part of his life. The individual exists in society. Interacting with other people, we learn to understand each other, show our essence, develop our individuality. By the age of two or three, a child already has his own character and is ready to defend it. Just try to tell him something that does not match his ideas about himself, and you will see manifestations of a person who wants to be heard.

Often people, wondering what kind of characters there are, do not understand that each of us is unique, and therefore even the pronounced personality traits of each will be manifested in their own way. Character cannot be good or bad.

General character traits

We all have the ability to respond in a certain way to changing conditions. General traits of a person's character are the basis of the human psyche. These include courage, honesty, openness, secrecy, gullibility, isolation. If a person is open to interaction with other people, we can talk about his sociability, if he knows how to enjoy life, he is called cheerful, cheerful. The way a person acts in various situations, and shows his features of the psyche.

In relation to oneself

A person can treat his own person in different ways: love himself, consider himself a complete loser, ugly, critically look at his reflection in the mirror, try to change himself in every possible way. All these manifestations of personality can form an appropriate character: insecure, passive, closed, trusting, suspicious, purposeful, active.

Many people ask how to know the character of a person? The answer may be his unconscious attitude towards his personality. If a person does not love and respect himself, he simply cannot love others. In life, such a person will behave as discreetly as possible and not attempt to achieve a greater and better result.

In relation to other people

Depending on what personality traits prevail in a person, the following characters can be distinguished: sympathetic, noble, kind, generous, sensitive, attentive, devoted, independent, self-willed, selfish, cruel. By the way a person relates to other people, one can understand his attitude towards the world and himself.

Individual traits of a person's character are necessarily reflected in the interaction in the family, the team. A person who feels the need to suppress others ends up defeated, dissatisfied with her own life and actions taken to achieve a certain goal.

In relation to work and activity

Daily employment also leaves its mark on the character of a person. Being at the workplace, a person is forced to communicate with a large number of people, solve certain problems, overcome his own shortcomings, expressed in laziness, lack of awareness, competence, inability to do something.

in this case, they can be: lazy, hardworking, enthusiastic, indifferent, persistent, self-sufficient. The more and more effectively a person works on himself, the better his results. By studying this or that activity, each of us is able to reach the “ceiling” in it, reach the limit, become a real pro. The difference lies only in the fact that a person who is called lucky always strives forward and enthusiastically passes through obstacles, while an obvious loser is afraid to take risks, invents worthy excuses for himself in order not to act, but only to contemplate what is happening to him. . Often people who lack the strength to make their own decisions blame others for their own failures and losses.

How is character formed?

Modern psychological science claims that a person's character is laid in early childhood. Around the age of two or three, the child begins to show individual character traits. A person is formed both by social attitudes and the attitude of parents to his personality. If parents are attentive to his mood, take into account the needs and desires of the baby, take into account his personality, then the child grows open to the world around him, trusts the Universe and time, and treats people positively. When trust, for whatever reason, is lost, the little child is left with a disjointed sense of emptiness within. He can no longer blindly, unconditionally trust, as before, but begins to look for reasons, tricks, disappointments in everything.

Finally, the character completes its formation by the age of four or five. If the parents until this time have not paid enough attention to the child, have not understood his pressing problems, why he does this and not otherwise, then it will be more difficult to correct the situation further. A child who is constantly criticized becomes timid, insecure, indecisive. The one who is often scolded does not believe in himself, treats everything with suspicion. A child, surrounded by care and attention, becomes trusting and open, ready to learn about the surrounding reality. There are different types of people. The list is endless.

Character accentuations

Accentuations of character are pronounced manifestations of certain personality traits, on which a person gets hung up, before which he is too vulnerable. For example, a shy person may suffer if others do not pay attention to him, but he still does not dare to express himself in society. The merry fellow and the soul of the company may be offended by friends due to the fact that his ideas have not received due attention. In both cases, the person focuses on himself, his feelings about what others will say and think about him, needs the approval of his actions. What are the characters in general, so there are different accentuations.

Typology of characters

The Swedish psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung in the last century empirically deduced the types of human character. The essence of his concept is that he conditionally divided all people into introverts and extroverts, depending on the predominant mental functions.

An introvert is a person immersed in himself, his own thoughts, feelings, experiences. The basis of his existence is his own personality. An introvert experiences failures for a long time, often accumulates resentment and fears, loves to be alone. Time spent with himself is as essential to him as air. Reflections can make up a whole world for him, full of mysteries and secrets. Among people of this category there are many thinkers, writers, poets. Some immersion in themselves, isolation from the outside world allows them to create their own reality. An introvert highly appreciates solitude, the opportunity to reflect, emotional support from other people (as he is often unsure of himself).

An extrovert is a person whose thoughts and energy are directed to the outside world. A person of this type loves the company of people and is extremely difficult to endure loneliness. If he is left alone for a long time, he may even become depressed. An extrovert needs self-expression in the outer space. This is a prerequisite for the development of his personality. An extrovert is in dire need of communication, emotional confirmation of his own rightness and significance.

Temperament types

Answering the question of what kind of characters there are, it is impossible not to touch on the theory of four types of temperament. This classification is known to every person from school. Mostly there are people with a mixed type of temperament, in which one type prevails.

Choleric is a person of mood, the frequent change of which is due to the mobility of the nervous system. He is easily carried away by anything, but cools down very quickly. Thus, energy resources are often wasted. Choleric does everything quickly, sometimes forgetting about quality. Often he does not have time to do the work before she ceases to interest him.

Sanguine is a person with a stable type of nervous activity. He quite easily releases failures and disappointments from himself, switching to external circumstances. Easy to get carried away, works productively. A lively interesting person who needs a community of like-minded people.

Phlegmatic - a person of a calm, balanced disposition. From the outside, it may seem that it is difficult to anger or hurt a phlegmatic person. However, he is quite vulnerable, but he knows how to hide it well. Under the outer "thick-skinned" is a sensitive and sincere person. Phlegmatic is responsible and a good performer. However, the organizer will not come out of it.

A melancholic is an extremely emotional, vulnerable, vulnerable person. He takes injustice hard, often looks too closed and distrustful.

It should be noted that there are no bad or good types of temperament. Each type carries its own personality and each has strengths and weaknesses.

Typology of Kretschmer's characters

A psychologist from Germany, Ernst Kretschmer, proposed a classification that allows you to determine the character by the face of a person, as well as by his physique. He called people of the thin type asthenics and characterized them as closed personalities, prone to serious feelings. He defined overweight people as picnics. Picnics are often obese, easily adapt to changing conditions, and are in great need of society. People of the athletic type are practical, purposeful, calm, unflappable character.

The science of graphology deals with the study of the characteristics of human behavior, its personality traits in the shape of letters. Everything matters here: the position of the letters on the line, their height and width, and how elegantly and beautifully they are written. For example, in a person with low self-esteem, the lines are directed downwards. The one who keeps himself confident, the lines go up. Large letters indicate the breadth of the soul and the desire to be a leader, small letters characterize a person who doubts everything. Currently, there is more than one test for the character of a person, which allows you to determine which group he belongs to.

Is it possible for a person to change his character on his own?

For those who dream of changing their character for objective reasons, I would like to say that nothing is impossible. Just consciously take the necessary steps, control yourself. Of course, it will not be possible to radically change oneself, but one should not strive for this, because each of us is unique and unrepeatable. It is better to improve your best qualities of character than to constantly think about the shortcomings and find out what kind of characters there are and why you do not fit them. Learn to love yourself the way you really are, and then your own shortcomings will stop worrying you. Everyone has them, believe me. Your task is to develop yourself, to reveal the fullness of your possibilities for self-realization.

Thus, there are many options for how to determine the character of a person. The main thing is that you accept your own personality and learn to live in harmony with it and the world around you.

Today we will continue to study the positive traits of a person's character, by developing which we can become a harmonious personality.

Let me remind you once again that one cannot neglect some character traits in favor of others, since in the long run this will only bring harm. In other words, it is necessary to polish all facets of character without exception, and then one or another trait will help us in every situation of life.

By developing only our “favorite” traits, we use a one-sided approach, avoiding work on ourselves and not using the entire arsenal of character traits that we have.

Certainty

Set goals in life, no matter the difficulties. Make sure your goals are correct. Ignore distractions. Don't get frustrated if there are a lot of problems to solve.

industriousness

Invest your time and energy to complete every task you set. Finish all your projects. Do the job right, not just to. Follow the instructions. Concentrate fully on your work. Don't be lazy.

Vigilance

Be aware of what is happening around you so that you can have the right idea. Keep your eyes and ears open. Recognize and heed warning signals. Tell others about the danger. Stay away from dangerous places yourself.

Caution

Think before you act. Follow the safety rules. Ask permission. Communicate at the right time.

Endurance

Gather inner strength to withstand stress. Do your best. Don't be a "bitch". Do not waste your time, energy and talents on meaningless pursuits. Put your whole soul into what you do.

Flexibility

Change plans or ideas if you really need to. Don't be discouraged when plans change. Respect the decisions of your superiors. Don't be stubborn. Look for the good in change. Be flexible, but don't compromise on what's right.

Generosity

Manage your resources wisely so you can freely give to those in need. Share with others. Don't expect anything in return for your generosity. Give away your time and talents sometimes. Praise the good things you see in others.

Tenderness

Take care of others. Show good manners. Reject violence as a solution to your problems. Look for ways to ease the pain of others. Do not get angry and not others. Be a peacemaker.

Joy

Maintain a good attitude even when you face unpleasant conditions. Try to look for the good in everything. Smile at adversity. Don't give in to discouragement. Don't let your emotions control your mind. Take time out, laugh and sing every day.

distinction

Understand more deeply the reasons why things happen. Ask questions. Don't judge hastily. Take lessons from your own experience. Don't repeat mistakes. Look for the cause of the problem.

Humility

Recognize that achieving your success and results also depends on the investment of others in your life. Praise your parents, teachers, teammates and coaches. Don't think more highly of yourself than you should. Take responsibility for all your actions. Try again after every defeat. Give credit to those who made you.

Gratitude

Let others know through your words and actions that you appreciate them. Show your parents and teachers that you appreciate them. Say and write "thank you". Take care of other people's things. Be content with what you have.

Honour

Respect leaders and higher authorities. Don't laugh at them. Be considerate of those who lead you. Show loyalty to your superiors. Speak only the truth. Obey not with compulsion, but cheerfully. Make way for the elders. Honor your country.

Initiative

Recognize and do what needs to be done before you are asked to do it. Do something before talking about it. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Contribute to the success of the entire team. Be part of the solution, not the problem. Look for ways to help others.

Hospitality

Use food, shelter and fellowship for the benefit of others. Greet guests and visitors. Make others feel important. Cook for guests. Feel free to share your stuff. Don't expect anything in return.

Justice

Stand up for what is pure and honest. Respect the rule of law. Stand up for what is right. Never hurt others. Always stay open. Keep your conscience clear.

In the next article, we will finish looking at the positive character traits of a person. Stay with us.

You can often hear the assertion that character is given from birth. What if a person was born this way? Actually this is a myth. Character traits are formed throughout life from early childhood. The content and combination of these features are influenced by the social environment, life circumstances, culture and traditions of society.

Congenital features of the psyche or also affect the temperament, but this influence is not absolute, but is mediated by the interaction of man and society. Human nature is, as it were, polished by society. Therefore, with age, the character can change - some features become brighter, more distinct, while others seem to be muffled, go into the shadows.

About a person whose character traits are pronounced and leave an imprint on all his behavior, they say that he has a strong character. Weakness of character is manifested in inconstancy, instability of personal qualities that make up the warehouse of character. For example, when at home a person manifests himself as a narcissistic tyrant, and at work as a coward and sycophant.

Thus, the character is a multi-colored mosaic, from the individual elements of which a unique image of the personality is formed. Speaking about the formation and development of character, they mean its individual features, important, significant for the existence of a person in society. And in every society in different historical eras, these can be completely different qualities of a person.

Character traits and their classification

Any person has many qualities and properties, features of the nervous system, physiology, emotional and motor spheres. We are all very different, but not all manifestations of our nature are related to character.

What is a character trait

A character trait is not just one of the many qualities of a person, it is characterized by a number of features:

stability, constancy;
manifestation in various activities and spheres of life;
connection with the motives and values of the individual;
influence on the formation of stereotypes of behavior and habits;
social conditioning, that is, the connection with the norms of behavior in society.

The presence of such stable traits makes it possible to predict human behavior. Knowing the character of your partner, you can say with confidence how he will act in this or that case. This greatly facilitates communication between people.

Trait classification

There are a huge number of personality traits that make up the warehouse of her character, and a simple enumeration of them would take too much time and space. Therefore, since the time of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, they have been trying to classify these qualities, highlighting the main ones.

For example, the Austrian physician and naturalist of the early 19th century F. Gall, developing phrenology (the science that allows describing the character of a person according to the structure of his skull), identified 27 basic properties that make up the personality warehouse. These included the instinct of reproduction, the need for self-defense, love for offspring, etc. At present, neither innate instincts nor physiological characteristics of a person have anything to do with character, although they can to a certain extent influence his stock.

After Gall, attempts to compile a classification of character traits were made repeatedly, but all the time it turned out that some traits did not fit into this classification.

At present, it is customary to divide into types not character traits, but the spheres of their manifestation. Traditionally, 4 groups of such personality traits are distinguished:

Manifested in relation to other people: individualism and collectivism, indifference and sensitivity, politeness and rudeness, goodwill and, deceit and truthfulness, etc.
Manifested in relation to oneself: exactingness, self-criticism, self-respect, etc.
Manifested in relation to the case: initiative and passivity, laziness and diligence, organization and disorganization, perfectionism, etc.
: perseverance, perseverance, determination, independence, willingness to overcome obstacles and own weakness.

But this classification is also not complete, since it did not include such individual characteristics of a person that characterize his attitude to things: accuracy and carelessness, frugality, stinginess, etc.

Excessive emphasis on individual character traits

A variety of character traits, mixing, form that unique alloy, which is called a unique personality. If some features or a group of close qualities dominate excessively, as if they stick out to the fore, breaking the harmony of the image, then they talk about. For example, a pronounced need to be always in sight, love for "window dressing", obsessive sociability and the desire to openly violate generally accepted norms of behavior speak of a demonstrative type of accentuation. And excessive aggressiveness, incontinence, a tendency to scandals and tantrums are signs of an excitable type of accentuation.

Psychologists evaluate accentuation as a kind of "ugliness" of character. Even if positive traits are highlighted, a person's behavior often becomes unacceptable, inconvenient for others. So, it is difficult to coexist with an excessively accurate person, to the point of fanaticism, and exaggerated cheerfulness and sociability can be very tiring.

As already mentioned, each era leaves its mark on socially significant character traits. So, in a society focused on individual success, the most important positive qualities will be considered purposefulness, initiative, diligence, independence, self-sufficiency up to individualism. And in a society where collectivism and the ability to subordinate one's desires to the requirements of the collective are considered the main values, individualism is rejected and condemned. But nevertheless, undoubtedly, there are also common positive features associated with universal human values. These include the following:

For example, in certain situations, each person can experience, but this does not mean his cowardice, if he is able to overcome this fear and indecision. Everyone from time to time experiences a tendency to laziness, the question is how much laziness prevents a person from living and developing normally. The same can be said about misanthropy. It is impossible to love all people en masse and indiscriminately, but if this trait is strongly expressed, a person can turn into a real monster. Generosity is a good quality, but this does not mean that a person should give away all his possessions.

There are qualities that can be assessed as both positive and negative, depending on the degree of expression. And it is not always noticeable when, for example, perseverance turns into stubbornness, and the desire to protect oneself and loved ones turns into aggressiveness.

The main criterion that allows you to find out the ratio of negative and positive traits in your character is the attitude of the people around you. Society is a mirror that reflects your true appearance, and you should take a closer look at it.

In the social life of society and in relationships.

Each person has special qualities and individual traits in character. It is impossible to find two absolutely identical men or women. The description of the character of people is built from their actions, which affect their whole life.

Character and dependence on physique

E. Kretschmer, a famous German psychologist, determined that the behavior of a person directly depends on her physique. He compiled a description of the examples fit into three main groups.

Asthenics are people with underdeveloped muscles, rather thin with a small chest. They have an elongated face and long limbs. The psychologist united all such people in the group of schizotimics. Often these are very stubborn people, it is difficult for them to adapt to changing environmental conditions. They are very withdrawn and tend to suffer from schizophrenia with severe mental disorders.
Picnics are people who tend to be overweight. They are characterized by a round face, short neck and small. These people fell into the typological group of cyclothymic character. These are sociable people, very emotional and prone to quick adaptation in unfamiliar conditions. When psychological disorders fall into depression.
Athletics - have an athletic build, large chest and high growth. Athletes Kretschmer related to iksotimiks - unemotional personalities, domineering and not loving change. A severe psychological disorder can easily lead to epilepsy.

Here is a description given by a German psychologist. Now boldly approach the mirror and draw conclusions whether this theory applies to you or not.

The influence of temperament on character

Temperament - the characteristic vital energy of a person, which establishes an attitude towards life. It is often difficult to find a person in whom only one temperamental indicator is pronounced. As a rule, people have mixed temperaments, but knowing them, one can easily make a description of a person’s character, examples are given below:

Sanguine is a mobile person, who is characterized by regular mood swings. He reacts very quickly to all the events in his life. Failures and negative moments are perceived easily, without depression and frustration. Such a person has developed facial expressions, and he also completely devotes himself to work, if he is interested in it.
Choleric is a very bright and excited person, who reacts vividly to life events. It can quickly get angry and at the same time feel a breakdown. Such a person quickly lights up with new ideas, but just as easily loses interest.
A melancholic is a person who takes everything to heart. At the same time, he is very impressionable, it is easy to bring him to tears.
Phlegmatic - a person who is stingy with emotions. The whole life of such a person is balanced and full of stability. Such people are valued in many firms, as they are distinguished by perseverance and high work capacity.

Formation of personality character

The description of the character of people was made by many psychologists. But when is this very character formed and can it be changed? Character manifests itself at a very early age. By the age of five, a child has established characteristics that are almost impossible to change.

In the lower grades, the opinion of parents and teachers remains a priority, but after 14 years there is a whole psychological explosion. A teenager clearly demonstrates his opinion about life, forming character. Clearly, the formation is influenced by the media. During this period, it is easy to impose the wrong political views and grow a supporter of some movement. By the age of 20, the human personality is formed, the turning point begins at the age of 50. There is a rearrangement of priorities, the so-called wisdom appears.

Appearance and character of a person

And the character of a person is an important stylistic device for writers. This gives us a complete picture of the hero. We see its positive and negative features, a negative or positive character is formed.

Description of the nature of people is very important for solving serial crimes - experts start from the repetitive actions characteristic of a maniac. This creates an accurate portrait of the individual and even the possibility of predicting the actions of the offender.

If it is important to make a detailed description of a person, character traits are a significant indicator. Especially in such areas as politics, journalism. You need to be able to characterize a person’s abilities by appearance, because a real character does not always appear immediately.

Character(Greek - sign, distinctive property, distinctive feature, feature, sign or seal) - the structure of persistent, relatively constant mental properties that determine the characteristics of the relationship and behavior of the individual.

When they talk about character, they usually mean by this just such a set of properties and qualities of a personality that impose a certain imprint on all its manifestations and deeds. Character traits are those essential properties of a person that determine a particular way of behavior, way of life. The static character is determined by the type of nervous activity, and its dynamics is determined by the environment.

Character is understood as:

a system of stable motives and ways of behavior that form a behavioral type of personality;
a measure of the balance of the inner and outer worlds, the features of an individual's adaptation to the reality around him;
distinctly expressed certainty of the typical behavior of each person.

In the system of personality relations, four groups of character traits are distinguished, forming symptom complexes:

the attitude of a person towards other people, a team, society (sociability, sensitivity and responsiveness, respect for others - people, collectivism and opposite traits - isolation, callousness, callousness, rudeness, contempt for people, individualism);
traits that show a person’s attitude to work, their work (hard work, a penchant for creativity, conscientiousness in work, a responsible attitude to business, initiative, perseverance and their opposite traits - laziness, a tendency to routine work, dishonesty, irresponsible attitude to work, passivity) ;
traits that show how a person relates to himself (self-esteem, correctly understood pride and self-criticism associated with it, modesty and its opposite traits - self-conceit, sometimes turning into arrogance, vanity, arrogance, touchiness, shyness, egocentrism as a tendency to consider center of events
oneself and one's experiences, selfishness - the tendency to care primarily about one's own personal welfare);
traits that characterize a person's attitude to things (neatness or carelessness, careful or careless handling of things).

One of the most famous character theories is the theory proposed by the German psychologist E. Kretschmer. According to this theory, character depends on physique.

Kretschmer described three body types and their corresponding three types of character:

Asthenics(from Greek - weak) - people are thin, with an elongated face. long arms and legs, flat (ore cell and weak muscles. The corresponding type of character is schizothymic- people are closed, serious, stubborn, difficult to adapt to new conditions. With mental disorders, they are prone to schizophrenia;

Athletics(from Greek - peculiar to wrestlers) - people are tall, broad-shouldered, with a powerful chest, a strong skeleton and well-developed muscles. Corresponding character type - xotimics- people are calm, unimpressive, practical, domineering, restrained in gestures and facial expressions; They do not like change and do not adapt well to it. With mental disorders, they are prone to epilepsy;

Picnics(from Greek - dense. thick) - people of medium height, overweight or prone to obesity, with a short neck, a large head and a broad face with small features. Corresponding character tin - cyclothymics - people are sociable, contact, emotional, easily adapting to new conditions. With mental disorders, they are prone to manic-depressive psychosis.

General concept of character and its manifestations

In concept character(from the Greek character - “seal”, “chasing”), means a set of stable individual characteristics that develop and manifest themselves in activity and communication, causing typical behaviors for it.

When determining the character of a person, they do not say that such and such a person showed courage, truthfulness, frankness, that this person is courageous, truthful, frank, i.e. the named qualities are the properties of a given person, traits of his character, which can manifest themselves under appropriate circumstances. Knowledge of a person's character allows you to predict with a significant degree of probability and thereby correct the expected actions and deeds. It is not uncommon to say of a man of character: "He had to do it this way, he could not have done otherwise - that's his character."

However, not all human features can be considered characteristic, but only essential and stable ones. If a person, for example, is not polite enough in a stressful situation, then this does not mean that rudeness and incontinence are a property of his character. Sometimes, even very cheerful people can experience a feeling of sadness, but this does not make them whiners and pessimists.

Speaking like a lifetime human, character is determined and formed throughout a person's life. The way of life includes the way of thoughts, feelings, impulses, actions in their unity. Therefore, as a certain way of life of a person is formed, the person himself is formed. An important role here is played by social conditions and specific life circumstances in which a person’s life path passes, based on his natural properties and as a result of his deeds and deeds. However, the direct formation of character occurs in groups of different levels of development (, a friendly company, a class, a sports team, etc.). Depending on which group is the reference group for the individual and what values it supports and cultivates in its environment, the corresponding character traits will develop among its members. Character traits will also depend on the position of the individual in the group, on how he integrates in it. In a team as a group of a high level of development, the most favorable opportunities are created for the development of the best character traits. This process is mutual, and thanks to the development of the individual, the team itself develops.

Character content, reflecting social influences, influences, constitutes the life orientation of the individual, i.e. her material and spiritual needs, interests, beliefs, ideals, etc. The orientation of the personality determines the goals, the life plan of a person, the degree of his life activity. The character of a person implies the presence of something significant for him in the world, in life, something on which the motives of his actions depend, the goals of his actions, the tasks that he sets himself.

Decisive for understanding character is the relationship between socially and personally significant for a person. Every society has its own major and essential tasks. It is on them that the character of people is formed and tested. Therefore, the concept of "character" refers more to the relationship of these objectively existing tasks. Therefore, character is not just any manifestation of firmness, perseverance, etc. (formal persistence can be just stubbornness), but focus on socially significant activities. It is the orientation of the personality that underlies the unity, integrity, strength of character. The possession of life goals is the main condition for the formation of character. A spineless person is characterized by the absence or dispersion of goals. However, the nature and orientation of the personality are not the same thing. Good-natured and cheerful can be both a decent, highly moral person, and a person with low, unscrupulous thoughts. The orientation of the individual leaves an imprint on all human behavior. And although behavior is determined not by one impulse, but by an integral system of relations, something always comes to the fore in this system, dominating it, giving a peculiar flavor to a person’s character.

In the formed character, the leading component is the persuasion system. Conviction determines the long-term direction of a person's behavior, his inflexibility in achieving his goals, confidence in the justice and importance of the work that he performs. Character traits are closely related to the interests of a person, provided that these interests are stable and deep. The superficiality and instability of interests are often associated with great imitation, with a lack of independence and integrity of a person's personality. And, conversely, the depth and content of interests testify to the purposefulness and perseverance of the individual. The similarity of interests does not imply similar features of character. So, among rationalizers one can find people cheerful and sad, modest and obsessive, egoists and altruists.

Indicative for the understanding of character can also be the affections and interests of a person related to his leisure. They reveal new features, facets of character: for example, L. N. Tolstoy was fond of playing chess, I. P. Pavlov - towns, D. I. Mendeleev - reading adventure novels. Whether a person's spiritual and material needs and interests dominate is determined not only by the thoughts and feelings of the individual, but also by the direction of his activity. No less important is the correspondence of a person's actions to the set goals, since a person is characterized not only by what she does, but also by how she does it. Character can only be understood as a certain unity of direction and mode of action.

People with a similar orientation can go completely different ways to achieve goals and use their own, special, techniques and methods for this. This dissimilarity also determines the specific character of the individual. Character traits, having a certain motivating force, are clearly manifested in a situation of choosing actions or ways of behaving. From this point of view, as a character trait, one can consider the degree of expression of an individual's achievement motivation - his need to achieve success. Depending on this, some people are characterized by the choice of actions that ensure success (showing initiative, competitive activity, striving for risk, etc.), while others are more likely to simply avoid failures (deviation from risk and responsibility, avoiding manifestations of activity, initiative, etc.).

Teaching about character characterology has a long history of development. The most important problems of characterology for centuries have been the establishment of types of character and their definition by its manifestations in order to predict human behavior in various situations. Since character is a lifetime formation of a personality, most of its existing classifications proceed from grounds that are external, mediated factors in the development of a personality.

One of the most ancient attempts to predict human behavior is the explanation of his character by the date of birth. A variety of ways to predict the fate and character of a person are called horoscopes.

No less popular are attempts to connect the character of a person with his name.

Significant influence on the development of characterology had physiognomy(from the Greek Physis - "nature", gnomon - "knowing") - the doctrine of the relationship between the external appearance of a person and his belonging to a certain type of personality, due to which the psychological characteristics of this type can be established by external signs.

Palmistry has no less famous and rich history than the physiognomic trend in characterology. Palmistry(from the Greek Cheir - "hand" and manteia - "fortune telling", "prophecy") - a system for predicting a person's character traits and his fate according to the skin relief of the palms.

Until recently, scientific psychology has consistently rejected palmistry, but the study of the embryonic development of finger patterns in connection with heredity gave impetus to the emergence of a new branch of knowledge - dermatoglyphics.

More valuable, in a diagnostic sense, compared to, say, physiognomy, can be considered graphology - a science that considers handwriting as a kind of expressive movements that reflect the psychological properties of the writer.

At the same time, the unity and versatility of character do 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 and 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.

The relationship of character and temperament

Character often compared with, and in some cases, they replace these concepts with each other.

In science, among the dominant views on the relationship between character and temperament, four main ones can be distinguished:

identification of character and temperament (E. Kretschmer, A. Ruzhitsky);
opposition of character and temperament, emphasizing the antagonism between them (P. Viktorv, V. Virenius);
recognition of temperament as an element of character, its core, an invariable part (S. L. Rubinshtein, S. Gorodetsky);
recognition of temperament as the natural basis of character (L. S. Vygotsky, B. G. Ananiev).

Based on the materialistic understanding of human phenomena, it should be noted that the common character and temperament is the dependence on the physiological characteristics of a person, and above all on the type of nervous system. The formation of character essentially depends on the properties of temperament, more closely related to the properties of the nervous system. In addition, character traits arise when the temperament is already sufficiently developed. Character develops on the basis, on the basis of temperament. Temperament determines in the character such traits as the balance or imbalance of behavior, the ease or difficulty of entering a new situation, the mobility or inertness of the reaction, etc. However, temperament does not predetermine character. People with the same temperament properties can have a completely different character. Features of temperament can contribute to or counteract the formation of certain character traits. Thus, it is more difficult for a melancholic to form courage and determination in himself than for a choleric. It is more difficult for a choleric person to develop self-restraint, phlegmatic; a phlegmatic person needs to spend more energy to become sociable than a sanguine person, etc.

However, as B. G. Ananiev believed, if education consisted only in improving and strengthening natural properties, then this would lead to a monstrous uniformity of development. The properties of temperament can, to some extent, even come into conflict with the character. In P. I. Tchaikovsky, the tendency to melancholy experiences was overcome by one of the main features of his character - his ability to work. “You always need to work,” he said, “and every honest artist cannot sit idly by, under the pretext that he is not located .. If you wait for an arrangement and do not try to meet him, then you can easily fall into laziness and apathy . Disagreements very rarely happen to me. I attribute this to my being endowed with patience, and train myself never to give in to reluctance. I've learned to conquer myself."

In a person with a formed character, temperament ceases to be an independent form of personality manifestation, but becomes its dynamic side, consisting in a certain speed of the course of mental processes and manifestations of the personality, a certain characteristic of the expressive movements and actions of the personality. Here we should also note the influence exerted on the formation of character by a dynamic stereotype, i.e. a system of conditioned reflexes that form in response to a steadily repeating system of stimuli. The formation of dynamic stereotypes in a person in various repetitive situations is influenced by his attitude to the situation, as a result of which excitation, inhibition, mobility of nervous processes can change, and, consequently, the general functional state of the nervous system. It is also necessary to note the decisive role in the formation of dynamic stereotypes of the second signal system, through which social influences are carried out.

Ultimately, the traits of temperament and character are organically linked and interact with each other in a single, holistic image of a person, forming an inseparable alloy - an integral characteristic of his personality.

Character has long been identified with the will of a person, the expression “a person with character” was considered as a synonym for the expression “strong-willed person”. The will is associated primarily with the strength of character, its firmness, determination, perseverance. When they say that a person has a strong character, they thereby seem to want to emphasize his purposefulness, his strong-willed qualities. In this sense, the character of a person is best manifested in overcoming difficulties, in the struggle, i.e. in those conditions where the will of man is manifested to the greatest extent. But character is not exhausted by force, it has content, determining how the will will function under various conditions. On the one hand, in volitional deeds, character develops and manifests itself in them: volitional deeds in situations that are significant for the individual pass into the character of a person, fixing themselves in it as relatively stable properties of it; these properties, in turn, determine the behavior of a person, his volitional actions. Volitional character is distinguished by certainty, constancy and independence, firmness in the implementation of the intended goal. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for a weak-willed person to be called “spineless”. From the point of view of psychology, this is not entirely true - and a weak-willed person has certain character traits, such as fearfulness, indecision, etc. The use of the term “characterless” means the unpredictability of a person’s behavior, indicates that he does not have his own direction, an internal core that would determine his behavior. His actions are caused by external influences and do not depend on himself.

The peculiarity of character is also reflected in the peculiarities of the flow of human feelings. This was pointed out by K. D. Ushinsky: “nothing, neither words, nor thoughts, nor even our actions express ourselves and our attitude to the world so clearly and correctly, as our feelings: they hear the character of not a separate thought, not a separate decision, but the entire content of our soul and its structure. The connection between feelings and properties of a person's character is also mutual. On the one hand, the level of development of moral, aesthetic, intellectual feelings depends on the nature of a person's activity and communication and on the character traits formed on this basis. On the other hand, these feelings themselves become characteristic, stable features of the personality, thus constituting the character of a person. The level of development of a sense of duty, a sense of humor and other complex feelings is a fairly indicative characteristic of a person.

Of particular 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 thinking - all this makes up 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 high intellectual data, but do not give anything of value precisely because of their characterological features. Numerous literary images of superfluous people serve as an example of this (Pechorin, Rudin, Beltov, etc.). As I. S. Turgenev well said through the mouth of one of the characters in the novel about Rudin: “There is perhaps genius in him, but no nature.” Thus, 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.

character structure

In general form, all character traits can be divided into basic, leading, setting the general direction for the development of the whole complex of its manifestations, and secondary, determined by the main. So, if we consider such traits as indecision, timidity and altruism, then with the prevalence of the first, a person, first of all, constantly fears “no matter how something happens” and all attempts to help one’s neighbor usually end in inner feelings and the search for justification. If the second trait is altruism, then the person outwardly shows no hesitation, immediately comes to the rescue, controlling his behavior with the intellect, but at the same time he may sometimes have doubts about the correctness of the actions taken.

Knowledge of leading traits allows you to reflect the main essence of the character, to show its main manifestations. Writers, artists, wanting an idea of the character of the hero, first of all describe his leading, pivotal features. So, A. S. Pushkin put into the mouth of Vorotynsky (in the tragedy “Boris Godunov”) an exhaustive description of Shuisky - “a crafty courtier”. Some heroes of literary works so deeply and truly reflect certain typical character traits that their names become common nouns (Khlestakov, Oblomov, Manilov, etc.).

Although every character trait reflects one of the manifestations of a person's attitude to reality, this does not mean that any attitude will be a character trait. Only some relationships, depending on the conditions, become features. 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. The most important distinguishing feature of such relations is the decisive, paramount and general vital importance of those objects to which a 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:

In relation to other people (at the same time, such character traits as sociability - isolation, truthfulness - deceit, tact - rudeness, etc.) can be distinguished.
In relation to the case (responsibility - dishonesty, diligence - laziness, etc.).
In relation to oneself (modesty - narcissism, self-criticism - self-confidence, pride - humiliation, etc.).
In relation to property (generosity - greed, frugality - 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. So, for example, if a person shows rudeness, then this concerns his relationship to people; but if at the same time he works as a teacher, then here it is already necessary to talk about his attitude to the matter (bad faith), about his attitude towards himself (narcissism).

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, say, the attitude towards other people and the attitude towards property, since their very content plays a different role in the real existence of a person. 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 team, without taking into account his attachments in the form of camaraderie, friendship, love.

In the structure of character, one can distinguish traits that are common to a certain group of people. Even the most original person can find some trait (for example, unusual, unpredictable behavior), the possession of which allows him to be attributed to a group of people with similar behavior. In this case, we should talk about typical in character traits. N. D. Levitov believes that the type of character is a specific expression in the individual character of traits common to a certain group of people. Indeed, as noted, character is not innate, it is formed in the life and work of a person as a representative of a certain group, a certain society. Therefore, the character of a person is always a product of society, which explains the similarities and differences in the characters of people belonging to different groups.

Diverse typical features are reflected in the individual character: national, professional, age. Thus, people of the same nationality are in the conditions of life that have developed over many generations, they experience the specific features of national life; develop under the influence of the existing national structure, language. Therefore, people of one nationality differ in their way of life, habits, rights, and character from people of another. These typical features are often fixed by everyday consciousness in various attitudes and stereotypes. Most people have a formed image of a representative of a particular country: an American, a Scot, an Italian, a Chinese, etc.