The main feature of a person. What is character, its formation and is it possible to change a person's character? Physique and character

Behavior largely depends on what characters a person has. Each has its own characteristics. Character is a combination of a number of psychological properties (there are more than five hundred in total). But there are also certain nuances that appear in different situations and relationships. Character traits are divided into positive and negative, congenital and acquired. Each can tell a lot about a person.

Correct assessment begins with determining what types of character people have. All traits are categorized into five main groups:

Social

It includes traits conditioned by the attitude:

To yourself;

Labor and selling it;

Society.

Emotional

It includes:

Expressiveness;

Impressionability;

Cheerfulness;

Increased and low emotionality;

Impulsiveness;

Impressiveness;

Unstable emotionality.

Strong-willed

It includes:

Purposefulness;

Determination;

Persistence;

Uncertainty;

Courage;

Discipline;

Independence.

Intellectual

It includes:

Prudence;

Depth and flexibility of intelligence;

Resourcefulness;

Mindset (practical or theoretical);

Lightheadedness;

Quick wits;

Curiosity;

Thoughtfulness.

Moral

It includes the following features:

Rigidity;

Kindness;

Responsiveness;

Honesty and similar qualities.

For the compilation of a psychological portrait, certain qualities are noted.

What are the traits of a person

The positive include:

Adequacy, altruism, activity;

Fearlessness, frugality, prudence, nobility;

Generosity, good breeding, politeness, attentiveness, cheerful disposition, will, morality;

Humanism, gallantry, harmony;

Friendliness, delicacy, conscientiousness, discipline, foresight, diplomacy, efficiency, kindness, good nature;

Naturalness;

Femininity, cheerfulness;

Thoughtfulness, thrifty;

Ingenuity, initiative, diligence, sincerity, intelligence;

Creativity, sociability, correctness, culture, competence, collectivism, eloquence;

Curiosity, gentleness, ease of communication;

Wisdom, masculinity, peacefulness, dreaminess;

Tenderness, independence, reliability, observation, resourcefulness;

Experience, sociability, charm, education, caution, responsibility, neatness, responsiveness, giftedness, objectivity;

Decency, positivity, practicality, understanding, friendliness;

Decisiveness, romance, hospitality;

Self-criticism, modesty, ingenuity, conscientiousness, independence;

Tactfulness, hard work, craving for creativity, patience;

Smilingness, perseverance, poise, respect, perseverance, courtesy, perseverance;

Thrift, charisma, courage;

Chastity, purposefulness;

Sincerity, honesty, sensitivity;

Generosity, playfulness;

Energy, economy, enthusiasm, empathy, erudition.

All the antipodes of the listed traits belong to negative qualities.

For instance:

Aggressiveness;

Vulgarity;

Impudence;

Envy;

Arrogance;

Deceit;

Mercantile spirit;

Narcissism;

Touchiness;

Selfishness;

Callousness, etc.

Each positive trait has opposite meaning... However, there are some qualities that can be called neutral:

Shyness;

Silence;

Assertiveness;

Shyness;

Dreaminess.

For some people, these are positive qualities, for others, they may turn out to be negative. For example, assertiveness. In business, it is sometimes necessary, but in personal relationships it sometimes gets in the way. Shyness is good for a girl, but it is negatively perceived when it appears in a young man. When compiling a psychological portrait, all of the above positive qualities, their antipodes and other features are taken into account.

A person's character is not formed instantly, but until old age. The social environment is of great importance. For example, volitional qualities inherent in a person are manifested in freelance situations when endurance, courage, stubbornness, etc. are required. Emotionality is a mental manifestation that occurs in certain situations. At the same time, feelings can be negative or positive, dynamic or stable, neutral. If we talk about intellectuality, then this includes the individual characteristics and the quality of the individual's thinking. For example, criticality, stupidity, breadth of mind, flexibility in any relationship, etc.

The character of people is strongly influenced by their perception of the environment. Some consider everyone to be good or bad, others - only themselves. Each person has a certain attitude:

To oneself (one's own dignity, self-criticism, self-respect, etc.);

Labor (punctuality, accuracy, negligence, etc.);

Environment (politeness, isolation, sociability, rudeness, etc.).

As a result, a certain temperament is formed. It includes qualities that are constant for a particular person:

1. Sanguine people are very mobile, efficient, but they quickly get tired of strenuous work. They have bright facial expressions and strong expressions of emotion. They are sociable, responsive, balanced. They look at everything from a positive point of view, they are optimistic. They have a cheerful disposition.

2. Choleric people are characterized by sudden mood swings, hysteria, impetuosity. They have frequent outbursts of anger, irascibility, but quick disposition.

3. Melancholic pessimists, overly worried about any reason, are often in an anxious state. Such people are very distrustful of others, vulnerable, restrained, they have good self-control.

4. Phlegmatic people have very low activity. However, they are very reasonable, cold-blooded and prudent. Any business is always brought to the end.

Separately, it should be noted that each nationality has its own character traits, although there are many common features. Russians have the greatest diversity.

Their character is very different from other nationalities.

Main criteria:

a) Spiritual generosity, which most nationalities do not have.

b) Compassion.

v) Craving for justice.

G) Patience, endurance, endurance.

e) Negative qualities include pessimism, foul language, laziness, and hypocrisy. The positive ones are responsiveness, loyalty, compassion, humanity.

Russian is easily distinguished by the totality of character traits, one of which is a special sense of humor, which other nationalities are not always able to understand. The set of qualities is so diverse that the majority of them exhibit an excessive manifestation of emotions. Some traits can change over the course of a lifetime. At the same time, other qualities remain unchanged. However, negative traits are not always regarded as negative. Sometimes they emphasize dignity.

For instance:

1. Selfishness is not only ignoring other people, but also following one's own interests in the first place. Such a person has his own opinion and will not follow the lead of others.

2. Overconfidence can improve productivity and performance. Then a person feels self-satisfied, which ultimately brings positive results for society.

3. Jealousy sometimes pushes a person to work better, to achieve the best result.

4. Stubbornness helps you achieve any goals you set.

The character of any person consists of positive and negative qualities. As a result, a certain type is formed. For example, a person may be lazy, but kind and sympathetic. The other is evil, but very hardworking and aspiring. At the same time, women are always more emotional, selfless, good-natured, patient. Men are most often restrained, decisive, and responsible.

People's characters and problems

The positive and negative qualities of a person are due to the psychology of the individual and his body constitution. The system of properties and qualities of character is imprinted on the manifestation of personality traits.

Important! The statics of character is determined by the nervous system, and its dynamics are determined by external factors!

List of negative personality traits

• The bad qualities of a proud person are manifested in the opinion that the whole world exists for him and everything should happen according to his whims and to his pleasure.
• Lust for power is the tendency of people to thirst for or without reason to command, control everything and everyone.
• Selfishness and vanity is focusing on one's needs and an excessive love of honor.
• The bad qualities of a jealous person is a feeling of envy of the apparent or imagined success of the opponent, especially in the area of ​​love for the object.
• Touchiness is an attempt to get attention and get more than a person is willing to give.
• Envy is a feeling of annoyance caused by the well-being, success of another person.
• Vindictiveness is the desire and readiness to respond with evil to the evil inflicted, regardless of the presence of expediency in this.
• The bad qualities of a cruel person are the desire to inflict suffering on any living being.

List of positive personality traits

The formation of a noble and light image is achieved with the help of a number of individual psychological abilities of the individual:

• Certainty is the accuracy and clarity of thought, the absence of inconsistency and confusion in the elements of thought and the thoughts themselves.
• Resistance to stress is a person's good qualities that are highly valued due to the ability to withstand strong negative emotional influences that cause high mental stress.
• Mindfulness is the ability to listen to the other person.
• Compassion is the pity and empathy caused by the unhappiness of others.
• Respect is the best quality of a person, which lies in the ability to consider the interests of others.
• Spiritual generosity is the ability to give your strength, feelings and abilities to others.
• Diligence is the willingness to act with full dedication when performing any work.
• Cheerfulness is a good quality of a positive person that helps to find bright positive sides in all life situations.
• Honor is the inner moral dignity of a person.
• Gratitude is contentment with your talents and gifts of nature, not taking it for granted.
• Humility is a good quality of a non-proud person who is ready to submit to someone else's will.

What is most appreciated in women?

• Thrift is the ability to wisely manage your property and your mental strength.
• Meekness is gentleness of character.
• Tenderness is a manifestation of touching concern for a loved one.
• Patience is the best quality of a strong person, which is expressed in moral stability and clarity of mind.

What makes a man perfect?

• Courage is the ability to act in the face of despair.
• Wisdom is deep thinking and making decisions based on a wealth of life experience.
• Reliability is the best quality of a responsible person, which includes firm decision-making and keeping our promises.

Grouping of behavioral factors

• The relationship of people to others. Sociability, sensitivity, kindness and respect are the main advantages of collectivism. The negative qualities of a person are a closed, callous, rude, deceitful, contemptuous manifestation inherent in individualism.
• Traits that define the approach to business. Creativity, responsibility and conscientiousness in the fulfillment of assigned tasks, the manifestation of initiative and perseverance are the positive qualities of a person.
  The unacceptable are manifested in the form of laziness, inertia and indifference.
• Attitude to your "I". The system of symptom complexes includes self-esteem and critical self-esteem. The positive qualities of a person are modesty and the absence of bad qualities - conceit, arrogance and vanity. Negative indicators include arrogant, resentful, shy, and selfish tendencies.
• Attitude towards things. Accuracy or disdain for material goods allows you to make an assessment of the character of a person.

Human behavior is dictated by generally accepted standards. From the moment of birth, positive and negative qualities are assigned to each individual. Their manifestation is primarily due to education, as well as the ability to cope with critical situations.

Physique features and personality traits

German psychologist Ernst Kretschmer put forward a theory that helps group a list of good and bad sides, based on a person's physique:

1. Asthenics (translated from Greek "asthenic" means weak) are thin individuals with an elongated face and limbs, poorly developed chest and muscles. They also belong to the schizotimics group. The negative qualities of a person are manifested by isolation, seriousness, stubbornness, and a low level of adaptation to a new environment. Psychological disorders are accompanied by signs of schizophrenia.
2. Athletes (wrestlers) are tall people with broad shoulders, powerful breasts and a strong skeleton, developed muscle tissues. The positive qualities of a person (ixotimics) are calmness and practicality, restraint. They are not impressionable and do not tolerate change. Mental disorders lead to epilepsy.
3. Picnics are kind people, inclined to corpulence, with medium height and short necks. Cyclothymics are characterized by a wide face with small features. They are sociable and easily make contact. The best qualities of a complete person are expressed by increased emotionality and easy adaptation to a new environment. Mental disorders are accompanied by manic depressive states.

The manifestation of negative qualities of people in various situations

Career. Better qualities on the way to promotion good man can replace hypocrisy, lies, vanity, hatred and arrogance.

Extreme situation. A feeling of fear for your health and life can cause unexpected actions (deceitful, treacherous, cowardly, weak-willed, etc.).

Relationship. Jealousy, stupidity, greed, grumpiness, and slovenliness are good examples. Bad qualities of a person are especially noticeable when living together with other people.

The manifestation of the positive qualities of people in various situations

Extreme. Courageous, inventive, persistent and serious people are highly respected in society. This category includes loyal, reliable and responsive individuals who show their best sides in a tense situation.

Significant other. Ideal relationships with loved ones require cultivating compliance, attentiveness and kindness. It is important to show tenderness, loyalty and patience - the main positive qualities of a person who is in a couple.

High post. When moving up the career ladder, a special indicator is moral fortitude, a conscientious and hardworking attitude. Being honest, punctual, and considerate is the ideal tactic for a conscientious employee.

Attitude of society

It is generally accepted that the good qualities of a person always lead to development. Unacceptable actions, on the contrary, drive you to a dead end. Adequate and dignified behavior is highly valued. Relationships that are fair, ambitious, and kind are important indicators. Condemned - betrayal, pettiness, envy and indifference.

The manifestation of the dark and light sides is always evaluated collectively. There are no ideals. With good upbringing and compliance with all the parameters of the benefactor, the presence of bad habits related to negative properties is not excluded. Each individual has the right to independently choose a suitable model of behavior throughout his life.

Character is the manifestation of an emotional reaction in a person's behavior in various relationships and specific situations. The character of a certain person and all his features of the manifestation of qualities is a consequence of the upbringing and living conditions in a social society.

Of course, individual adjustment and various life circumstances affect a person's psychology, but the formation and development of higher mental functions and genetic characteristics is laid down and formed in the womb, therefore, when a person is born, practically from the first days, he shows his individual characteristics. Any person can be characterized and assigned to him a certain type of personality.

Also, you can pay attention to the manifestation of the characteristic typical signs of different peoples, i.e. there are general definitions of specific nationalities. For example, the character of the Russian is clearly different from other national mentalities.

The temperament of a Russian person:

• "The breadth and generosity of the soul", which is absent in most nations.
• Patience, resilience and endurance.
• Craving for justice and compassion.
• From the negative: laziness, pessimism, hypocrisy and foul language.

It is easy to define a Russian person by temperament, foreign nations associate a Russian person as one who loves to walk "on a grand scale", they were always surprised by the generosity, steadfastness and dedication of the Russian people. Only a Russian person has an original sense of humor, which perplexes fellow foreigners. Many foreign men believe that a Russian woman is the best companion for life, as she possesses responsiveness, humanity, loyalty and compassion.

Also, a decent barrier for foreigners is the study of the Russian language, it is considered the most difficult because of the excessive emotionality and the double meaning of the same words. The qualities in people of the Russian mentality, their attitude to other people in the social environment, tend to honor religious traditions to a greater extent. Attitude towards Christianity, observance of religious rites begins with the origins of the formation of the Slavic race.

8 SIGNS THAT LIE TO YOU! How to recognize a lie?

Individual characteristics in people, identifying their signs is an indicator of the true face of a Russian person, what qualities and abilities can manifest themselves in non-standard situations of a social society. The psychology of the Russian person, the flexibility of the mind, extraordinary endurance, dedication, love for the motherland, the manifestation of compassion has repeatedly convinced opponents of their strength and steadfastness.

Classification of character traits

Traits
Emotional	Strong-willed	Moral	Intellectual
Emotionality	Persistence	Honesty	Curiosity
Cheerfulness	Independence	Responsiveness	Quick wits
Impressionability	Uncertainty	Kindness	Resourcefulness
	Determination	Cruelty	Lightheadedness
	Courage		Thoughtfulness

Psychology of varying degrees of manifestation of the character of each person is individual and is formed throughout life, changes depending on the social environment. There is a certain classification to the group of which one or another person can be attributed.

List of manifestations in human behavior and assessment of qualities in social situations.

1. Strong-willed qualities are the features of the properties of a particular person, which are manifested in non-standard situations (endurance, patience, stubbornness, courage, cowardice, courage, discipline, etc.)
2. Emotional manifestations are the duration of mental processes in a particular person in specific situations (negative, positive, dynamic, neutral, statistical, non-traditional).
3. Intellectual features of an individual person, the quality of a person's thinking (breadth, depth, flexibility, criticality, stupidity, etc.)

List of manifestations of the qualities of people

Attitude to the outside world is divided into four types:

• I'm good - everyone is good.
• I'm good - everyone is bad.
• I'm bad - everyone is good.
• I'm bad - everyone is bad.
• Attitude towards one's personality (self-esteem, self-criticism, arrogance, self-esteem, etc.).
• Attitude towards work (laziness, hard work, accuracy, tolerance, negligence, punctuality, responsibility, etc.).
• Attitude in groups of social environment (sociability, isolation, truthfulness, deceit, politeness, rudeness, etc.).

Types of human temperament

Temperament is the constant features of the individual behavior of a particular person, which are equally manifested in various activities. There are four types of definitions of which are:

1. A sanguine person, distinguished by increased mobility, working capacity has pronounced mimic emotional manifestations in facial expression, responsiveness, sociability, poise, optimism, cheerful disposition, fatigue from hard work, carelessness.
2. Choleric - sudden mood swings, hot temper, hysteria, quick disposition, impetuosity, outbursts of anger.
3. Melancholic - anxiety, pessimism, vulnerability, excessive worries for any reason, restraint, self-control, not trusting others.
4. Phlegmatic person - cold-bloodedness, low activity, prudence, creates the impression of a wise person, always brings the matter to the end.

Human temperaments. 4 types of temperament: choleric, sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic

Manifestations of character traits in men and women

Manifestation of character traits in men

The same character trait in men and women, their attitude to actions is manifested in different emotional reactions, while causing completely different feelings.

For example, a woman's resentment manifests itself in a man in the form of angry outbursts.

• Women are characterized by manifestations of excessive emotionality, sensitivity, understanding and compassion, practicality, they are more susceptible to sudden mood swings. The psychology of men, the attitude towards values, is based on restraint and the desire for power and leadership. Each period of the era is characterized by the presence of certain qualities in men and women.

The manifestation of character traits in women

• So, for example, the qualities in modern people have minor differences, more and more associations of male and female professions are being formed. Today, it is not uncommon to meet the beautiful half of humanity behind the wheel, and a man is a stylist, a hairdresser or a conductor, which would have surprised them a few decades ago.

The main traits of a person's character are the predominant stable, innate or acquired qualities that are constantly manifested in the behavior of an individual. Having learned which signs correspond to a certain person, you can draw up a psychological portrait, attitude and opinion about him, as well as assign a type of temperament (choleric, sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic).

To classify which characteristic individual qualities, in order to determine the positive and negative character traits and draw general conclusions. This will help, for example, when applying for a job in choosing a position, and sometimes in choosing a life partner, defining the criteria which you value.

Negative and positive traits of a person's character

The psychology of any person is a continuous formation of the quality of character, depending on what conditions, therefore, it tends to show negative traits, they can change depending on what conditions, for the worse or for the better.

There are also constant negative qualities manifested in an individual person, which do not change throughout life.

Negative character traits can not always be regarded as their negative features and qualities can emphasize the merits:

1. Self-confidence - self-satisfaction, can provoke a craving for efficiency and improved performance, for the realization of self-satisfaction.
2. Stubbornness, provokes the achievement of goals set for oneself.
3. Selfishness - Ignoring others is bad, but trying to please others is not always beneficial. Sometimes you need to think about yourself in order to be able to help others.
4. Jealousy, some people can provoke them to want to achieve better results than others.

There are such character traits in people as cruelty, deceit, hypocrisy, laziness, stinginess, rudeness, gloom, etc., which will never provoke them to good deeds.

Positive and negative character traits, their qualities, to a greater or lesser extent, are present in every person. Positive ones can cover up negative personality traits of an individual. For example, people can be lazy but good-natured or selfish, but neat and hardworking, rude but sympathetic and generous, etc.

List of positive qualities and their signs:

1. Endurance and patience.
2. Gratitude and morality.
3. Initiative and originality.
4. Cheerfulness and giftedness.
5. Sensitivity and optimism, etc.

The main character traits in women

List of predominant qualities and their distinctive properties:

The main character traits in men

List of predominant qualities and their properties:

4 basic psychotypes of personality. How to identify and recognize a person's character?

Types of human character and their features

03.04.2015

Snezhana Ivanova

All existing types of character are formed through the totality and subsequent synthesis of distinctive character traits.

In the behavior and activities of a person, all his individual characteristics and qualities find their manifestation, which in their totality determine the character of the personality. In psychology, character is understood as the mental property of a person, which finds its manifestation in her subjective relations to society, activities, herself, her life, and other people. This system of properties is constantly realized in a person's actions, his way of life, and is also not only a prerequisite, but also the result of his real behavior in certain life situations.

Despite the fact that in all systems of a person's relations, his character finds its individual manifestation, the presence and combination of certain features makes it possible to predict his reaction in a certain situation or to a specific stimulus. The easiest way to do this is due to the so-called typical characters identified in psychological science, which make it possible to predict the behavior of people belonging to a specific type. So, for example, people who have traits of an internal type of character ( by K.G. Jung) in many life situations they will behave very similarly (typically) - balanced, silent, thoughtful, since they are very restrained in emotional manifestation.

Character types - difficulty of definition

All existing types of character are formed due to the totality and the subsequent synthesis of distinctive (but at the same time typical). It should be noted that the type of character is an education that is much more complex than typical traits. In order for it to be possible to determine a specific type of character, it is necessary to identify its typical and most significant features, namely:

• typical orientation of a person (interests, needs, attitudes, ideals, beliefs, etc.);
• typical manifestation of activity in various spheres of life (social, labor, cognitive, etc.);
• typical emotional and dynamic manifestation.

All of the listed features cannot unequivocally determine the types of character of a person. This is possible only in the complex relationship of all these features. It is also necessary to clarify here that, despite all the stability of the type of character as a complex formation, it is also quite dynamic and plastic. This is due to the fact that under the influence of various life circumstances, upbringing, living conditions, cultural and historical level of development of a given society, as well as the presence of requirements for oneself, all existing personality types develop and undergo some changes.

Classification of character types

The study of various types of character led psychology to create its classification, that is, before science there was a need to systematize existing types. The classification of character types became possible due to the search and establishment of regular connections in their formation and manifestation. Scientists-psychologists from different countries have made many such attempts, and often they had to collide on this path with rather difficult obstacles. Precisely because representatives of many psychological schools and directions tried to create their own classification of character types, today there are a huge number of them. But we must remember that it is impossible to find a universal classification that would be able to combine all existing types of characters (different countries, times and peoples).

The first attempts to isolate and describe the main types of character were made by ancient Greek philosophers. So, Plato proposed to distinguish types of character, according to ethical principles, and Aristotle believed that a person's character is determined by the structure and shape of a person's face. The philosopher established the following pattern: for people with a rude character, the shape of the nose resembles an onion, for a hot-tempered person, a pointed nose, and for noble and powerful personalities, the nose will be hooked. Aristotle also paid special attention to the similarity of the character of a person and an animal (this similarity was determined by appearance), for example, in a person with a thick nose like a bull, laziness was clearly manifested, and if the nose resembles a pig's piglet (wide, swollen nostrils) - stupidity. But, of course, Aristotle's theory never found a scientific basis.

Constitutional theories of character

The most significant influence on the emergence of many classifications of character was exerted by the constitutional theory, the most prominent representatives of which are W. Sheldon and E. Kretschmer. Their typology was based on the relationship between the type of physical constitution of the human body and the characteristics of the manifestation of his character (the table shows the relationship between the constitution of the body and the types of character according to the constitutional theory).

Types of character according to W. Sheldon and E. Kretschmer

Determination of the type of character, referring to the constitution of the body, the shape of the face or the state of the endocrine glands, could not find support from other psychological directions. Therefore, the constitutional theory has undergone significant criticism, which in turn led to the emergence of new ideas and, accordingly, new types of character.

F. Polan's character typology

Among other attempts to create a new typology of character, it is worth highlighting the work of Frederick Polan. He proposed a typology based on the laws of human mental activity, as well as on the study of certain personality trends (forms and content). Polan identified two typological lines, the first of which was based on the laws of the combination of trends and their features. In this line, the scientist distinguished two sections. The first includes types of character with a predominance:

• systematic association (whole, balanced individuals);
• systematic delay (people are reasonable and able to control themselves);
• opposite associations (nervous, rather restless, conflicting people);
• associations by similarity and contiguity (a person acts depending on the situation).

The second section of the first typological line by Polan was based on the formal features of human tendencies, which were based on:

• latitude (fine, wide / narrow);
• cleanliness (clean, calm / restless);
• strength (emotive, passionate, adventurous, brave / cowardly);
• resilience (stubborn, wayward, weak, constant / changeable);
• flexibility (flexible, harsh, soft / hard);
• sensitivity (agile, impressionable, soft-bodied, cold).

The second line of Polan's typology was based on the predominance of certain trends, namely:

• which are related to life (organic, spiritual);
• relating to individuals;
• public;
• synthetic (combine both social and individual);
• superpersonal (religious, philosophical and aesthetic tendencies);
• impersonal (focus on getting pleasure, fulfilling duties and achieving certain advantages in a particular society).

There were enough shortcomings in Polan's typology, but he tried to fight against functionalism and schematism that flourished at that time (this was in the 19th century), pointing out the complexity and contradictions of the human character.

Types of character according to K.G. Jung

Modern psychology widely welcomes the character typology proposed by the renowned neo-Freudianist Carl Gustav Jung. He suggested that all people can be divided into certain types, depending on their orientation: inwardly oriented (introverts) and outwardly oriented (extroverts). This is how extraverted and introverted personality types appeared (the table shows short description of these types).

Types of human character according to K. Jung

Each of the types presented in the table can be rational or irrational (depending on the role of the direction of the mind). In turn, Jung divided all irrational and irrational extra- and introverted types, depending on the predominance of a certain mental function, into the following types:

• thinking;
• emotional;
• sensory;
• intuitive.

Thus, Jung proposed only eight types: extraverted (thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuitive) and introverted (thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuitive character types).

Character types in Russian psychology

The most popular in Russian psychological science was won by the typologies of character proposed by P.F. Lesgaft and A.F. Lazursky. A rather interesting classification of the character types of a child by Lesgaft, who said that the manifestation of a certain type depends primarily on the influence of the family environment on the emerging personality. The scientist identified two categories of character types, which are presented in the table.

Typology of character P.F. Lesgaft

As for the typology of A.F. Lazursky, then the basis of his theory was the principle of active adaptation of the individual to the environment. The very same classification of character types, scientist, which includes three groups, was based on the differences between endopsyche (the main mental and psychophysiological functions) and exopsyche (the relationship of a person to objects of the surrounding reality), and their subsequent interaction. Lazursky proposed three groups of characters.

Typology of A.F. Lazursky

The typology of Lazursky's character was based on his application of "floating" criteria (they changed, passing to another level). Thus, with an increase in the level, the greatest importance on the formation of a certain type was attached to the spiritual and worldview characteristics and, accordingly, the role of the biological foundation of the personality diminished.

Types of social characters E. Fromm

The very concept of "social character" in psychology appeared thanks to the teachings of Erich Fromm, the founder of humanistic psychoanalysis. By character Fromm understood the energy of a person (or rather, its specific form), which appears in the process of dynamic adaptation of the various needs of an individual to a specific way of life in society. As for the social character itself, according to the scientist, it includes a certain set of those traits that are manifested in most of the representatives of a certain social group and which appeared as a result of their joint experiences and a similar way of life.

E. Fomm believed that the interaction of people with the environment occurs in two directions:

• through assimilation (the acquisition of various things and their subsequent use, and this is an unproductive path);
• through socialization (a person's knowledge of himself and other people, which is a productive way).

The types of social characters were identified by Fromom precisely among the unproductive orientations (the table below shows their characteristics).

Types of social characters according to E. Fromm

In contrast to unproductive strategies, From singled out only one productive one - conventionally called "adequate self-realization", which has three dimensions (or hypostases): work, love and thought. Thus, a productive (or) fruitful orientation is an indicator of a mature and healthy person who is capable of self-realization and full understanding (and acceptance) of himself.

The main types of character in modern psychoanalysis

The first psychoanalytic typology of characters was proposed by Z. Freud, who distinguished the following types: oral, anal, phallic and genital (the table shows their characteristics).

Types of human character according to Z. Freud

Types	Types of psychological defense	Typical character traits
oral	projection, denial, introjection	optimism / pessimism, gullibility / suspicion, admiration / envy, manipulative / passive
anal	intellectualization, formation of reactions, isolation, destruction of the deed	stinginess / generosity, tightness / expansiveness, neatness / uncleanliness, scrupulousness / absent-mindedness
phallic	crowding out	vanity / self-loathing, elegance / overly simplicity, chastity / depravity
genital	sublimation	socialization, adaptation and efficiency in activities

The most famous in the world in psychological circles is the classification of character types proposed by the modern American psychoanalyst Alexander Lowen. The psychotherapist identified the following personality types:

• oral character type (high dependence on others, mood swings, feelings of emptiness, need for support, fear of rejection, increased sensitivity, tendency to depression, etc.);
• the type of character is masochistic (constant need for suffering, increased sensitivity, insight, passivity, insecurity and stiffness);
• hysterical character type (ambition, realism, high control over one's own behavior, arrogance, high emotionality with simultaneous restraint);
• the type of character is schizoid (weak connection between thoughts and feelings, difficulty in spontaneous actions, low self-esteem, individualization, the presence of affective disorders, that is, inadequacy of emotional reactions);
• psychopathic character type (dominance, increased anxiety, concern for the image, concern for controlling the situation);
• the type of character is phallic-narcistic (self-confidence, ambition, arrogance, energy, expressiveness, flexibility and perseverance).

Character types and temperament

The formation of a person's character is significantly influenced by temperament, which plays the role of a foundation on which an individual personality pattern emerges - his character. Depending on the predominant type of temperament, four types of character are respectively distinguished: sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, melancholic.

The first and most striking type of character - a sanguine person has the following traits: sociability, activity, openness, energy, optimism, positive attitude, high efficiency and good lability. In the phlegmatic type of character, such traits as restraint, rationality, diligence, diligence, poise, calmness, reliability, peacefulness are manifested.

The type of character of a choleric person has mainly the following features: irascibility, touchiness, aggressiveness, impulsivity, activity, excitability, harshness and activity. For the melancholic type, the most characteristic features are: passivity, anxiety, isolation, imbalance, sentimentality and sensitivity.

In conclusion, it should be noted that among all the variety of typologies of characters, each of them should primarily serve not for their schematization or typification, but for a deeper understanding of the features of various types of character and the study of their individual manifestation.

Character(Greek - omen, distinctive property, distinctive feature, trait, 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 precisely such a set of properties and qualities of a person that impose a certain stamp on all of its manifestations and actions. Character traits are those essential properties of a person that determine this or that way of behavior, way of life. The statics of character is determined by the type of nervous activity, and its dynamics is determined by the environment.

Character is also understood as:

• a system of stable motives and methods of behavior that form a behavioral type of personality;
• the measure of the balance of the inner and outer worlds, the peculiarities of the adaptation of the individual to the surrounding reality;
• clearly 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:

• a person's attitude to other people, a team, society (sociability, sensitivity and responsiveness, respect for others - people, collectivism and opposite traits - isolation, callousness, heartlessness, rudeness, contempt for people, individualism);
• traits showing a person's attitude to work, their work (hard work, a tendency to creativity, conscientiousness in work, a responsible attitude to work, initiative, perseverance and the opposite traits - laziness, a tendency to routine work, dishonesty, irresponsible attitude to business, passivity) ;
• traits showing how a person relates to himself (self-esteem, correctly understood pride and self-criticism associated with it, modesty and its opposite traits - conceit, sometimes turning into arrogance, vanity, arrogance, resentment, shyness, egocentrism as a tendency to be viewed in the center of events
• yourself and your experiences, selfishness - the tendency to care mainly about your personal welfare);
• traits characterizing a person's attitude to things (neatness or slovenliness, careful or careless handling of things).

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

Kretschmer described three body types and the corresponding three character types:

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

Athletics(from Greek - characteristic of wrestlers) - people are tall, broad-shouldered, with a powerful chest, strong skeleton and well-developed muscles. The corresponding character type is ixotimics- people are calm, unimpressive, practical, domineering, restrained in gestures and facial expressions; do not like changes and poorly adapt to them. With mental disorders, they are prone to epilepsy;

Picnics(from Greek - dense. thick) - people of average height, overweight or prone to obesity, with a short neck, large head and wide face with small features. Matching Tint of Character - 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

Into the concept character(from the Greek. сharacter - "seal", "chasing"), means a set of stable individual characteristics, emerging and manifested in activity and communication, causing her typical ways of behavior.

When the character of a person is determined, it is not said that such and such a person has shown courage, truthfulness, frankness, that he is a brave, truthful, frank person, i.e. the named qualities are the properties of a given person, traits of his character, which can manifest themselves under the appropriate circumstances. Knowledge of a person's character allows you to predict with a significant degree of probability and thereby adjust the expected actions and deeds. It is not uncommon to say about a person with character: “He should have done exactly that, he could not have done otherwise - such is 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, this does not mean that rudeness and intemperance are a property of his character. Sometimes, even very cheerful people can feel sad, but this will not make them whiners and pessimists.

Acting as a lifetime person, character is determined and formed throughout a person's life... The way of life includes the way of thoughts, feelings, motives, 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 takes place, based on his natural properties and as a result of his actions and deeds. However, the formation of character directly occurs in groups of different levels of development (, friendly company, class, sports team, etc.). Depending on which group is the reference for the individual and what values ​​it supports and cultivates in its environment, the corresponding character traits will develop in its members. Character traits will also depend on the position of the individual in the group, on how he integrates into it. In the 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 personality, the collective 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, life plan of a person, the degree of his life activity. The character of a person presupposes the presence of something meaningful for him in the world, in life, something on which the motives of his actions, the goals of his actions, the tasks that he sets for himself depend.

Decisive for understanding character is the relationship between socially and personally significant for a person. Each society has its own most important and essential tasks. It is on them that the character of people is formed and tested. Therefore, the concept of "character" refers to a greater extent to the relationship of these objectively existing tasks. Therefore, character is not just any manifestation of firmness, perseverance, etc. (formal stubbornness can be just stubbornness), and 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 character formation. A spineless person is characterized by the absence or scattering of goals. However, the character and orientation of the personality are not the same thing. A good-natured and cheerful person can be both a decent, highly moral person, and a person with low, unscrupulous thoughts. The orientation of the personality leaves an imprint on all human behavior. And although behavior is determined not by motivation alone, but by an integral system of relations, in this system something always comes to the fore, dominating in it, giving the character of a person a peculiar flavor.

In a mature character, the leading component is the persuasion system. Conviction determines the long-term orientation of a person's behavior, his inflexibility in achieving his goals, confidence in the fairness 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. 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 meaningfulness of interests testifies to the purposefulness and perseverance of the individual. Similarity of interests does not imply similar character traits. So, among the rationalizers, you can find people who are cheerful and sad, modest and obsessive, egoists and altruists.

Attachments and interests of a person associated with his leisure time can also be indicative for understanding character. They reveal new features, facets of character: for example, L. N. Tolstoy was fond of playing chess, I. P. Pavlov - small towns, D. I. Mendeleev - reading adventure novels. Whether a person's spiritual and material needs and interests dominate determines not only the thoughts and feelings of a person, but also the direction of his activity. Equally important is the compliance of a person's actions with the goals set, since a person is characterized not only by what she does, but also by how she does it. Character, perhaps, 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 using their own, special, techniques and methods. This dissimilarity determines the specific character of the personality. Character traits, possessing a certain motivating force, are clearly manifested in a situation of choice of actions or methods of behavior. From this point of view, as a character trait, one can consider the degree of expression of an individual's motivation for achievement - his need to achieve success. Depending on this, some people are characterized by a choice of actions that ensure success (manifestation of initiative, competitive activity, the desire for risk, etc.), while others are more characterized by the desire to simply avoid failures (deviation from risk and responsibility, avoidance manifestations of activity, initiative, etc.).

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

One of the most ancient attempts to predict human behavior is to explain its character by date of birth. Various methods of predicting the fate and character of a person are called horoscopes.

No less popular are attempts to connect a person's character with his name.

A 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.

No less famous and rich history than the physiognomic direction in characterology, palmistry has. Palmistry(from the Greek. Cheir - "hand" and manteia - "fortune-telling", "prophecy") - a system of predicting the character traits of a person and his fate by the skin relief of the palms.

Until recently, scientific psychology has invariably 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 - dermatoglyphs.

More valuable, in diagnostic terms, compared, say, with 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, 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 at the same time very gentle and very demanding, soft and compliant and at the same time firm to inflexibility. And the unity of his character can not only be preserved, despite this, but it is precisely in this that it manifests itself.

The relationship of character and temperament

Character they are often compared with, and in some cases, these concepts are substituted for 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 antagonism between them (P. Viktorv, V. Virenius);
• recognition of temperament as an element of character, its core, an invariable part (S. L. Rubinstein, 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 the nervous system. The formation of character significantly depends on the properties of temperament, which is 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 character such traits as balance or imbalance of behavior, ease or difficulty of entering a new situation, mobility or inertia of reaction, etc. However, temperament does not predetermine character. People with the same temperament properties can have completely different temperaments. Features of temperament can contribute or counteract the formation of certain character traits. So, it is more difficult for a melancholic to form courage and determination in himself than for a choleric person. It is more difficult for a choleric to develop restraint, phlegmatic; a phlegmatic person needs to spend more energy to become sociable than a sanguine person, etc.

However, as BG Ananiev believed, if education consisted only in improving and strengthening natural properties, then this would lead to a monstrous homogeneity of development. The properties of temperament can, to some extent, even come into conflict with the character. PI Tchaikovsky's tendency to melancholic experiences was overcome by one of the main features of his character - his capacity for work. “You always have to work,” he said, “and every honest artist cannot sit idly by, under the pretext that he is not disposed. ... Disagreements rarely happen to me. I attribute this to the fact that I am gifted with patience, and I train myself never to give in to reluctance. I have learned to conquer myself. "

In a person with a developed 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 personality manifestations, a certain characteristic of expressive movements and actions of the personality. Here, it should be noted 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 stably 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, and, consequently, the general functional state of the nervous system can change. It is also necessary to note the decisive role in the formation of dynamic stereotypes of the second signaling 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 appearance of a person, forming an inseparable alloy - an integral characteristic of his individuality.

For a long time, character was identified with the will of a person, the expression "a person with character" was considered a synonym for the expression "strong-willed person." The will is associated, primarily, with the strength of character, his firmness, decisiveness, perseverance. When they say that a person has a strong character, they want to emphasize his purposefulness, his strong-willed qualities. In this sense, a person's character is best manifested in overcoming difficulties, in struggle, i.e. in those conditions where the will of a person is manifested to the greatest extent. But character is not exhausted by strength, it has content, defining how in different conditions the will will function. On the one hand, in volitional actions, character develops and manifests itself in them: volitional actions in situations that are significant for the personality pass into the character of a person, fixing themselves in him as his relatively stable properties; these properties, in turn, determine the behavior of a person, his volitional actions. The strong-willed 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, for example, fearfulness, indecision, etc. The use of the concept of "characterless" means the unpredictability of a person's behavior, indicates that he has no direction of his own, an inner core that would determine his behavior. His actions are caused by external influences and do not depend on himself.

The originality of character is also reflected in the peculiarities of the course of human feelings. This was pointed out by KD Ushinsky: “nothing, not our words, our thoughts, not even our actions express ourselves and our attitude to the world as clearly and truly as our feelings: in them one can 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 character traits of a person is also mutual. On the one hand, the level of development of moral, aesthetic, intellectual feelings depends on the nature of human activity and communication and on the character traits formed on this basis. On the other hand, these feelings themselves become characteristic, stable personality traits, thus constituting the character of a person. The level of development of a sense of duty, sense of humor and other complex feelings is a fairly indicative characteristic of a person.

Especially great importance for characterological manifestations has a relationship of intellectual personality traits. The depth and acuteness of thought, the unusual formulation of the question and its solution, intellectual initiative, confidence and independence of thinking - all this constitutes the originality of the mind as one of the sides of character. However, how a person uses their mental faculties will greatly depend on character. Often there are people who have high intellectual data, but do not give anything of value precisely because of their characterological characteristics. An example of this is the numerous literary images of superfluous people (Pechorin, Rudin, Beltov, etc.). As I.S.Turgenev said well through the lips of one of the characters in the novel about Rudin: “There is, perhaps, genius in him, but there is no nature.” Thus, the real achievements of a person depend not on some abstract mental capabilities, but on a specific combination of his characteristics and characterological properties.

Character structure

In general form, all character traits can be divided into basic, leading setting a general direction for the development of the entire complex of its manifestations, and minor, determined by the main... So, if we consider such traits as indecision, fearfulness and altruism, then with the prevalence of the former, a person, first of all, constantly fears “that something might not work out,” and all attempts to help a neighbor usually end up with inner experiences and a search for justification. If the leading trait is the second - altruism, then the person outwardly does not show any hesitation, immediately goes 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, AS Pushkin put into the mouth of Vorotynsky (in the tragedy “Boris Godunov”) an exhaustive description of Shuisky - “the crafty courtier”. Some heroes of literary works so deeply and faithfully 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 every attitude will be a character trait. Only a few relationships, depending on the conditions, become traits. From the totality of the personality's relationship to the surrounding reality, character-forming forms of relations should be distinguished. The most important distinguishing feature of such relations is the decisive, paramount and general vital significance 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 relationships:

• In relation to other people (at the same time, one can single out such character traits as sociability - isolation, truthfulness - deceit, tactfulness - rudeness, etc.).
• In relation to the case (responsibility - dishonesty, hard work - laziness, etc.).
• In relation to oneself (modesty - narcissism, self-criticism - self-confidence, pride - humiliation, etc.).
• In relation to property (generosity - greed, thrift - extravagance, accuracy - sloppiness, etc.). It should be noted a certain conventionality of this classification and close interconnection, interpenetration of these aspects of relations. So, for example, if a person is rude, 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 business (dishonesty), about his attitude to himself (narcissism).

Despite the fact that these relations are the most important from the point of view of character formation, they do not simultaneously and do not 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 the same row, for example, the attitude towards other people and the attitude towards property, since their very content plays a different role in the real life of a person. The 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, traits that are common to a certain group of people can be distinguished. Even in the most original person, you 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 the typical in character traits. ND 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 activity 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.

The individual character reflects a variety of typical features: 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 the national way of life; develop under the influence of the existing national structure and language. Therefore, people of one nationality differ in lifestyle, habits, rights, character from people of another. These typical traits are often fixed by everyday consciousness in various attitudes and stereotypes. Most people have a formed image of a representative of a particular country: American, Scottish, Italian, Chinese, etc.