Pleasant character traits. Positive traits in work

Each person has a unique set of personality traits. In another way it can be called - character. How and when its formation is determined, how it happens, depends on many reasons, which will be discussed below.

All the people we meet in our lives differ in their way of life, thinking, behavior. These differences are largely determined by the character - that is, the totality of the properties of the psyche. Personal qualities determine almost everything that will happen in the personal life of an individual, in his relationships with other people. The properties of the psyche make it possible to predict many human actions. But in order to say that a person has this or that character, one must always keep in mind that certain features of his psyche must be constant, and not depend on the situation.

We react differently to different situations, show different traits of character. It also happens that in different situations a person demonstrates the same type of behavior, regardless of its consequences. If any traits become dominant, play an increasing role in behavior and relationships, then they talk about character accentuations. This is the norm, but its extreme, borderline version. Under certain, often negative, circumstances, accentuation degenerates into a personality disorder.

Character is the totality of all the mental, spiritual properties of a person that are found in his behavior.

Character accentuation is an extreme variant of the norm, in which certain character traits are excessively strengthened, as a result of which selective vulnerability is found in relation to a certain kind of psychogenic influences with good resistance to others.

How is character formed?

Some personality traits in a person are already manifested from birth, for example, sociability or isolation. From the first days of life, a baby can catch the eyes of his mother, walk, turning to her, demand to take himself in his arms, love to be surrounded by people. Or vice versa, the child may feel comfortable being alone. The character develops in the first years of life, acquiring certain features by the age of three to five.

In many respects it is laid down genetically, children often inherit certain traits of their parents, many personality traits are determined by lifestyle, social conditions, and life circumstances. But the main thing that influences the formation of character is being in a team, communication with other people.

The first team is the family, it is in it that the initially inherent personality traits begin to develop or be suppressed. The formation of character falls on the school and adolescence period, when a person is not just in a team (most often he joins it already in early childhood), but learns to build relationships with people. Based on what values ​​this or that group to which the individual belongs, he will develop certain character traits. It turns out that the character of a person develops throughout his life changing depending on life situations.

Classification and list of character traits

In modern psychology, four groups are defined into which the properties of the psyche can be combined:

As a man relates to other people(such character traits as respect - contempt, sociability - isolation, responsiveness - callousness);

As a man goes about his business, to work (responsibility - irresponsibility, diligence - laziness, accuracy - dishonesty, a penchant for creativity - a penchant for routine, initiative - passivity);

As a man refers to himself(self-criticism - vanity, self-esteem - conceit, modesty - arrogance, etc.);

As a man refers to things(careful handling - negligent handling, neatness - slovenliness).

Groups of character traits are combined in different ways, manifest themselves in different ways, but scientists have long tried to derive a typology of human characters. For example, based on physique, constitution. German psychologist Ernest Kretschmer deduced three types of character, which corresponds to a particular physique:

1. Asthenics (schizothymic) - thin, with long limbs. The prevailing character traits are seriousness, isolation, stubbornness.
2. Athletics (ixotimics) - tall, with well-developed muscles, skeleton, proportional addition (calmness, authoritativeness, practicality, restraint).
3. Picnics (cyclothymics) - medium height or short, with short limbs, full or inclined to be overweight, with a large head (sociability, emotionality, sensitivity).

An introvert is an introverted person. He lives in his inner world, little interested in external events.

An extrovert is directed outward, he lives by events, not by experiences, by actions, not by thoughts. They behave differently: an introvert wears practical, discreet clothes, an extrovert - bright, decorative. An introvert is more likely to avoid social interaction while an extrovert seeks it out.

Such a section of psychological science as socionics even distributes human types, their characters according to their similarity to famous people (there is a type of personality "Napoleon", "Dostoevsky", "Huxley" and many others), each of which has such a mental function, like logic, ethics, sensorics and intuition.

Strong and weak character

There has long been such a definition of a person as "characterless". What does it mean?

In situations that require overcoming, struggle, some people over and over again show perseverance in achieving the goal, while others stop fighting all the time. In the former, character is fueled by will, that is, firmness, constancy in achieving the goal. The latter do not have such firmness, they do not have an inner core that leads to the goal. The first character can be called strong, the second - weak. People with strong character more likely to get what they want achieve more than weak characters.

Is it possible to "educate" a strong character?

Since it is largely based on temperament, that is, on the characteristics of the nervous system, it all depends on what kind of temperament a person has. Phlegmatic, with its slowness, low reaction rate, it is more difficult, say, to become sociable. While it is difficult for a sanguine person to do routine, monotonous, but important things. Changing character traits requires a lot of work on oneself, it is possible, but, as a rule, a person begins only when he is strongly motivated: for example, a big goal has appeared in his life, or character changes under the influence of strong love.

Character is leading, but not the only characteristic of a person. There is also the mind and actions by which a person is judged. And then the one who is called weak-willed does good deeds or makes an intellectual breakthrough, which, ultimately, is of greater importance to society.

In the behavior and activities of a person, all his individual characteristics and qualities are manifested, which in their totality determine the nature of the individual. In psychology, character is understood as the mental property of a person, which finds its manifestation in its subjective attitudes towards society, activity, oneself, one's life activity, and other people. This system of properties is constantly realized in the actions of a person, 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 human 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 allow you to predict the behavior of people belonging to a particular type. So, for example, people who have traits of an internal type of character ( according to K.G. Jung) in many life situations will behave very similarly (typically) - balanced, silent, thoughtful, as they are very restrained in emotional manifestation.

Character types - difficult to define

All existing types of character are formed due to the combination and 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 complicated 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.);
• a typical manifestation of activity in various spheres of life (social, labor, cognitive, etc.);
• typical emotional-dynamic manifestation.

All of these features clearly cannot accurately determine the types of human character. This is possible only in the complex relationships of all these features. Here it is also necessary to clarify that, despite all the stability of the type of character as a complex formation, it is also quite dynamic and plastic. This is explained by the fact that under the influence of various life circumstances, upbringing, living conditions, the cultural and historical level of development of a given society, as well as the presence of requirements for oneself, all existing types of personality 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 the existing types. The classification of character types became possible thanks to the search and establishment of regular connections in their formation and manifestation. Numerous similar attempts have been made by psychologists from various countries, and quite often they had to face rather difficult obstacles along the way. Precisely because representatives of many psychological schools and trends tried to create their own classification of character types, today there are a lot of them. But we must remember that it is impossible to find a universal classification that could unite all existing types of characters (of different countries, times and peoples).

The first attempts to identify 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 quick-tempered person, the nose is pointed, 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, a person with a thick nose like a bull showed laziness, and if the nose resembles a pig's snout (wide, swollen nostrils) - stupidity. But, of course, Aristotle's theory never found a scientific justification.

Constitutional character theories

The most significant influence on the emergence of many character classifications was provided by 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 features 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).

Character types according to W. Sheldon and E. Kretschmer

The definition 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 for other psychological directions. Therefore, the constitutional theory was subjected to significant criticism, which in turn led to the emergence of new ideas and, accordingly, new types of character.

Typology of F. Polan's character

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

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

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

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

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

• that relate to life (organic, spiritual);
• pertaining to individuals;
• public;
• synthetic (combine both social and individual);
• supra-personal (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 the flourishing at that time (it was in the 19th century) functionalism and schematism, pointing out the complexity and inconsistency of the human character.

Types of character according to K.G. Jung

Modern psychology widely welcomes the typology of character proposed by the famous neo-Freudian Carl Gustav Jung. He suggested that all people can be divided into certain types, depending on their orientation: internally oriented (introverts) and externally oriented (extroverts). This is how the extraverted and introverted personality types appeared (the table provides a brief 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 orientation of the mind). In turn, all irrational and irrational extra- and introverted types, depending on the predominance of a certain mental function, K. Jung divided into the following types:

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

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

Types of character in domestic psychology

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

Typology of P.F. Lesgaft

As for the typology of A.F. Lazursky, the basis of his theory was the principle of active adaptation of the individual to the environment. herself classification of character types, scientist, which includes three groups, was based on the differences between endopsyche (basic mental and psychophysiological functions) and exopsyche (the relationship of the individual to the 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 built on his use of "floating" criteria (they changed when moving to another level). Thus, with an increase in the level, the greatest importance for the formation of a certain type was given to spiritual and ideological features and, accordingly, the role of the biological foundation of the personality decreased.

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 the individual to a specific lifestyle in society. As for the social character itself, according to the scientist, it includes a certain set of those features that are manifested in the majority of representatives of a certain social group and which appeared as a result of their joint experiences and a similar lifestyle.

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 (knowledge by the individual of himself and other people, which is a productive way).

The types of social characters were singled out by Frome precisely among unproductive orientations (their characteristics are presented in the table below).

Types of social characters according to E. Fromm

Opposite to unproductive strategies, Frome 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 personality, which is capable of self-realization and full understanding (and acceptance) of oneself.

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 (their characteristics are presented in the table).

Types of human character according to Z. Freud

The most famous in the world in psychological circles was 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, hypersensitivity, a tendency to depression, etc.);
• masochistic character type (constant need for suffering, increased sensitivity, insight, passivity, uncertainty and constraint);
• hysterical character type (ambition, realism, high control over one's own behavior, arrogance, high emotionality with simultaneous restraint);
• schizoid character type (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);
• type of character psychopathic (dominance, increased anxiety, concern for the image, concern for control over the situation);
• the type of character is phallic-narcissistic (self-confidence, ambition, arrogance, energy, expressiveness, flexibility and perseverance).

Types of character and temperament

The formation of a person's character is significantly influenced by temperament, which plays the role of the basis on which an individual personality pattern emerges - his character. Depending on the prevailing 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 performance and good lability. In the phlegmatic type of character, such traits as restraint, rationality, diligence, diligence, poise, calmness, reliability, peacefulness are manifested.

The choleric character type has mainly the following features: irascibility, resentment, aggressiveness, impulsiveness, 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 the whole variety of typologies of characters, each of them should primarily serve not for their schematization or typification, but for a deeper understanding of the characteristics of various types of character and the study of their individual manifestation.

We talk about the main character traits and what they depend on. Read how to determine the character by facial features in our material.

The main character traits of a person affect not only the formation of his personality, but also relationships with other people, career building and mutual understanding in the family. The qualities of a person and their importance cannot be ignored when you choose your life path. You need to be able to identify strengths and understand that there may also be weaknesses that need to be improved. Then you can become a comprehensively and personally developed person who can conquer more than one peak.

Character traits of a successful person

About what are and what are the qualities in a successful adult, we will understand in order. First of all, let's clarify what a character is. After all, we are talking about a set of features that differ in constancy. It is the traits of a person that influence his behavior, attitude towards others and towards himself, as well as towards work and the world around him. The description of character from the point of view of psychology focuses on individual indicators by which one can predict and predict reactions, behavior and actions. For example, the desire to learn new things, sociability and openness instill in a person the desire to travel.

A character trait is one of the most important components of personality, since it contains the basis of a person, as well as a way to solve problems. It is difficult to list the exact list of traits with explanations. We are born with some traits, while others we acquire in the process of life (and they are the most changeable). The character of a person is not only a list of individual traits, but also a whole psychological system.

The list of persistent traits and their relationship to various systems is as follows:

Also, the division of character traits occurs according to the principle of cognition or emotionality:

• intellectual include criticality, craving for knowledge, resourcefulness, analyticity, flexibility and practicality;
• emotional include passion, sentimentality, impressionability;
• strong-willed include confidence, courage, uncertainty, perseverance;
• morality includes kindness, openness, deceit, cruelty, humanity.

To make it easier to explain a person's behavior and his actions, psychologists divided traits into instrumental and motivational. In the first case, we are talking about one's own style, unsurpassed, and in the second case, what drives a person and makes him perform this or that action.

It's no secret that a person develops in society. In this regard, the features are divided into typical and individual. Typical is understood as a set of standard qualities that are inherent in a certain group of people (family, team, population of one city). If a certain trait is used by a person most often, sometimes in non-standard situations, then it becomes individual and distinguishes the person from the rest.

Positive personality traits

The list of positive and good character traits of a person may differ, depending on what type of communication is in question. So, in the work, the positive qualities are:

• purposefulness;
• persistence;
• responsibility;
• diligence;
• organization;
• attentiveness.

In communicating with other people, such traits as honesty, openness, humanity, tolerance, justice, loyalty and sociability are important. Only in the presence of such manifestations, it is possible to build strong and fulfilling relationships with other people. In the process of personality formation, special attention is paid to morality and humanity. Distortion of these features or a large number of shortcomings cannot allow a person to develop. When compiling a list for a resume, you should indicate such positive qualities that matter to the employer:

• perseverance;
• purposefulness;
• responsibility;
• honesty;
• sociability;
• stress resistance;
• attention to detail and perfectionism;
• self-criticism;
• diligence.

Negative personality traits

Negative and negative character traits of a person are formed if the attitude towards oneself is better than towards other people. Speaking about what bad qualities are, we can distinguish the following:

• pride, self-confidence;
• selfishness;
• laziness;
• irresponsibility;
• envy;
• avarice;
• contempt;
• coarseness;
• aggression.

The more negative qualities are developed, and the less attention a person pays to self-improvement, which is fraught with conflicts with the outside world.

The character of a person by facial features

How to determine and how to recognize the character of a person by facial features? After all, not everyone knows that thin lips or a cut of the eyes can determine what quality is inherent in us, how we can act in a given situation. You can recognize the features by the shape of the face:

• confidence is determined by the ratio of the width and length of the face. If the width is less than 60% of the length, then we are talking about cautious and insecure people;
• friendliness can be determined by the position of the eyebrows. For example, if the eyebrow line is higher, then we are talking about increased facial expressions and sociability;
• a wide arrangement of eyes is inherent in people who more often forgive other people's oversights and mistakes;
• a small distance between the upper lip and nose is inherent in people with a sense of humor, but sometimes jokes are taken personally. a long distance speaks of sarcasm, the plane of humor;
• full lips speak of a more open and sociable person, and thin lips speak of isolation and secrecy;
• a thick fold on the eyelid is inherent in individuals who have analytical thinking, and a thin fold or its absence is inherent in those who impulsively perform actions;
• charismatic individuals have a deeper and more unusual eye color.

The shape of the face can tell no less about its owner. For example, a round face is more emotional, sexual personalities with whom you can build a serious relationship. The oval face shape is found in egoists, practitioners and methodical people, but it is difficult to build relationships with them. The triangular face of quick-tempered and creative people. Square - for smart, aggressive and dominant.

It is also worth paying attention to such features of a person that indicate the presence of certain qualities:

• a curved forehead for creative people, and a straight one for progressive ones;
• thin eyebrows for indecisive personalities, thick ones for persistent and resolute ones;
• expressive eyes in sympathetic and kind people, small in nervous ones;
• closely spaced eyes indicate a good reaction and concentration of attention, widely spaced are inherent in people with a broad outlook;
• a straight nose is inherent in individuals who are distinguished by kindness, cordiality, they set a high bar for themselves, and a big nose speaks of rage. An upturned nose occurs in sociable individuals, and a hump on the nose occurs in strong-willed individuals;
• a small mouth for modest people, and a big mouth for talkative ones;
• full lips in sensitive ones, small ones in egoists, raised corners speak of optimism, and lowered ones indicate that it is almost impossible to please a person;
• wrinkles around the eyes are in a sociable person, and wrinkles between the eyebrows speak of determination and hard work.

And these are not all ways to learn about the qualities of a person and his behavior without personal communication. There are traits that are determined alphabetically (letters in the name and surname), by date of birth, there is even a connection with certain diseases and favorite shades. So, if a person loves yellow, then he is distinguished by optimism, openness and honesty, and purple lovers are sensitive, emotional and not understood by everyone.

All these factors together leave an imprint on our personality. We no longer have to talk about ourselves and pass psychological tests in order to understand what kind of person we are talking about. A wrinkle on the forehead, a favorite shade, the shape of the eyes, a smile, a zodiac sign and clothing preferences can describe everything. A little more attention to those around us, and it will become easier to find a common language or see hidden qualities. Everything is in our hands, or rather, the eyes, the shape of the face and lips.

Every person is unique. He has his own unique appearance, interests, upbringing, predisposition to actions and character. Such traits may be similar in different people, but the totality of features will never be repeated. All this affects the feelings of a person that arises when interacting with society. Understanding yourself can help.

Character - a set of unique stable personality traits that reflect people's attitude to the world through their behavior and actions.

An outstanding German psychiatrist divides into 12 types. Let's consider them in more detail.

extroverted. People with such are sociable and open, have many friends and acquaintances, are attentive listeners, but are frivolous and verbose, prone to gossip.

introverted- the opposite of extroverts, the peculiarity lies in isolation, the desire for reflection, adherence to principles.

emotive- a kind person who knows how to empathize, but tends to keep grievances within himself and has a small social circle.

Demonstrative type - people are polite, artistic, interact with others without problems. However, they can be hypocritical, selfish, boastful, lazy, they will gladly accept power and praise.

Exalted. This is possessed by very sociable, disinterested and emotional people. The disadvantage lies in the tendency to hype and amorousness.

Pedantic personalities strictly observe all the rules, are accurate and reliable, conflict-free, but intrusive and always dissatisfied with something.

Characters of people stuck types are typical of moderately sociable, fair, ambitious and leadership-seeking individuals. Their disadvantage is tediousness, resentment, vindictiveness and jealousy.

Characters of people with hyperthymic type are optimistic, actively interact with others, sociable, have lively facial expressions. Their flaw is frivolity, irritability, irresponsibility, a tendency to conflict.

Personalities distimic type - on the contrary, uncommunicative, friendly, serious and conscientious. The disadvantages include passivity, pessimism, slowness in movements.

TO cycloid include people with frequent changes in mood and ways of communicating.

Closely interconnected with their temperament (that is, the mental manifestation of the nervous system). It is given to the individual from birth. With a great desire or under the influence of the outside world, the character of people is corrected, and it is almost impossible to change the temperament. In the best case, this will only be possible by 20-25%. It is divided into four categories: choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine, melancholic. In their pure form, they are not found in any person. Usually all groups are combined, but to varying degrees.

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 they determine 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, in this system something always comes to the fore, dominating it, giving a peculiar flavor to the character of a person.

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 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 diagnostic terms than, 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, 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 melancholic 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 mental processes and personality manifestations, a certain characteristic of expressive movements and personality actions. 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 truly, 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 indecisiveness, timidity and altruism, then with the predominance 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 leading feature is the second trait - altruism, then the person outwardly shows no 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, 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.