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 nervous activity, and its dynamics - 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 surrounding 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 type - cyclothymics - people are sociable, contact, emotional, easily adapting to new conditions. With mental disorders, they are prone to manic-depressive psychosis.

General concept of character and its manifestations

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

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

No less famous and rich history than the physiognomic direction in characterology, has palmistry. 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 invariably rejected palmistry, however, 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, in comparison with, say, physiognomy, one can consider graphology - a science that considers handwriting as a kind of expressive movements that reflect psychological properties writing.

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

The relationship of character and temperament

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

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

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

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

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

In a person with a formed character, temperament ceases to be an independent form of personality manifestation, but becomes its dynamic side, consisting in a certain speed of the course of mental processes and manifestations of the personality, a certain characteristic of the expressive movements and actions of the personality. Here we should also note the influence exerted on the formation of character by a dynamic stereotype, i.e. a system of conditioned reflexes that form in response to a steadily repeating system of stimuli. The formation of dynamic stereotypes in a person in various repetitive situations is influenced by his attitude to the situation, as a result of which excitation, inhibition, mobility can change. nervous processes 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 for a long time 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 strong character, thus, as it were, they 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.

Especially great importance for characterological manifestations has 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 actors novel about Rudin: “There is perhaps a genius in him, but no nature.” Thus, the real achievements of a person do not depend on some abstractly taken mental capabilities, but on a specific combination of his features and characterological properties.

character structure

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

Knowledge of leading traits allows you to reflect the main essence of the character, to show its main manifestations. Writers, artists, wanting an idea of ​​the character of the hero, first of all describe his leading, pivotal features. So, A. S. Pushkin put into the mouth of Vorotynsky (in the tragedy “Boris Godunov”) an exhaustive description of Shuisky - “a crafty courtier”. Some heroes 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.

Personality Traits in Psychology- these are stable, repeating in different situations, features of the individual's behavior.

Required Properties personality traits are: the degree of their severity in different people, transsituativity (a personality trait of an individual manifests itself in any situations) and potential measurability (personality traits are available for measurement using special questionnaires and tests).

In experimental psychology of personality, such traits as extraversion - introversion, anxiety, rigidity, impulsivity are most widely studied. AT modern research the point of view is accepted, according to which the description of personality traits is not enough for understanding and predicting individual characteristics of behavior, since they describe only general aspects of personality manifestations.

A trait is a unit of personality analysis, a predisposition to behave in a similar way in a wide range of situations.

G. Allport defines a personality trait as forming a block of psychological organization that serves to unite reactions to various stimuli.

main parameters personality trait:

• degree of expression
• transsituation,
• potential measurability. Features of personality traits:
• real, really manifest in people;
• are more generalized qualities than habits.
• is the driving or at least determining element of behavior.

The presence of personality traits can be established empirically.
The trait is only relatively independent of the other traits;

• is not synonymous with moral or social evaluation;
• it can be seen either in the context of the individual in whom it is found, or in terms of its prevalence in society.

The fact that actions or even habits are not consistent with a personality trait is not proof that the trait does not exist. G. Allport divides personality traits into general and individual, or personal, dispositions.
He distinguishes three types of dispositions:

• cardinal;
• central;
• secondary.

The correlation of traits, attitudes and habits, as well as their comparison, is important because they are all similar, belonging to the class of set phenomena, being the product of a combination of heredity and learning, differing in their uniqueness and initiating function. The trait is most generalized in relation to the other two phenomena and is an aspect of personality. Attitude is developed in relation to the environment. A habit is a particular response to a particular stimulus.

G. Allport considered the trait the most significant unit of analysis for understanding and studying personality. In his system, a personality trait is defined as a predisposition to respond in similar ways to different kinds of stimuli.

According to R. Cattell, the main organizing concept of personality is to describe the various types of traits he identified.

Traits are hypothetical mental structures of the personality that are found in behavior, determine the predisposition to act in the same way in different circumstances and over time. Personality traits reflect stable characteristics and are the most important in his concept.

In the study of the structural elements of personality, R. Cattell relies on factor analysis to a prudent extent.
Principles of classifying traits according to the principle of dichotomy.

• superficial - initial;
• constitutional - formed by the environment;
• ability, temperament - dynamic traits;
• common - unique features.

List of superficial dichotomous features, according to R. Cattell.

1. Self-confidence is humility.
2. Intellectuality, analyticity - limitation, lack of imagination.
3. Maturity of mind - stupidity, inconsistency, susceptibility to influence.
4. Inconstancy, vanity - prudence, stoicism, restraint.
5. neuroticism is the absence of neuroticism.
6. Devilishness, cynicism - softness.
7. Self-will, selfishness - kindness, unobtrusiveness, tolerance.
8. Rigidity, tyranny, vindictiveness - complaisance, friendliness.
9. Malice, callousness - kindness, courtesy.
10. Demoralization, autism - realism.
11. Strong will, conscientiousness - lethargy, impulsiveness.
12. Intellectuality - undepippinated mind, simplicity.
13. Infantilism, uncertainty - maturity, tact.
14. Asociality, schizoid - openness, idealism.
15. Gaiety, enthusiasm, wit - a feeling of misfortune, slowness.
16. Activity, nervousness - self-control, rigidity, conformism.
17. Neurosis, psychopathy - emotional maturity.
18. Excessive sensitivity, expressiveness - phlegm,
19. Malice, pettiness - naturalness, friendliness, openness.
20. Emotionality (inadequate)-unemotionality.
21. Rise, expressiveness, variety of interests - isolation, calmness, narrow-mindedness.
22. Accessibility, warmth, sentimentality - isolation, coldness, misanthropy.
23. Frivolity, vanity, pretense - mediocrity, artlessness.
24. Aggressiveness, paranoia - reliability, good-heartedness
25. Aesthetic interests - independence of judgment.
26. Anxiety, emotionality, hypomania - calmness, patience, modesty.
27. Infantilism, self-centeredness - emotional maturity, resistance to frustration.
28. Inconstancy, spinelessness, lack of realism - persistent, integral character.
29. Mental and physical strength, vivacity - neurasthenia.
30. Entrepreneurship, irascibility - lethargy, timidity.
31. Sociability, ardor - love of solitude, timidity.
32. Melancholy.
33. Rigidity, hardness - introspection, sensitivity, timidity.
34. Imagination, introspection, constructiveness - sedateness, stinginess.
35. Dexterity, determination - sincerity, gentleness.

R. Cattell considers personality traits as complex hypothetical constructs that predispose a person to stable behavior over time and in various circumstances.

The essence of G. Eysenck's theory is that personality elements can be arranged hierarchically: super-features, composite features, habitual reactions (PR), specific reactions (CP).

There are certain super traits or types such as extraversion in his system that have a powerful influence on behavior. In turn, he sees each of these super-features built from several composite features. These component traits are either more superficial reflections of the underlying type or specific qualities inherent in that type. Finally, traits are made up of numerous habitual responses (HA), which in turn are formed from many specific responses.

Unlike R. Cattell, G. Eysenck sees only two main types (super traits) underlying the personality structure: introversion - extraversion and stability - neuroticism. Features of the same behavior of the individual are the result of a combination of these two types.

As Victor Hugo used to say, a person has as many as three characters: one ascribes to him the environment, the other he ascribes to himself, and the third is real, objective.

There are more than five hundred character traits of a person, and not all of them are unambiguously positive or negative, a lot depends on the context.

Therefore, any person who has collected certain qualities in individual proportions is unique.

The character of a person is a specific combination of personal, ordered psychological traits, features, nuances inherent only to him. It is formed, meanwhile, for a lifetime and manifests itself during labor and social interaction.

Soberly assessing and describing the character of the chosen person is not an easy task. After all, not all of its properties are shown to the environment: some features (good and bad) remain in the shadows. Yes, and to ourselves we seem somewhat different than seen in the mirror.

Is it possible? Yes, there is a version that this is possible. Through long efforts and training, you are able to appropriate the qualities you love, becoming a little better.

The character of a person is manifested in actions, in social behavior. It is visible in the attitude of the individual to work, to things, to other people and in her self-esteem.

In addition, the qualities of character are divided into groups - "volitional", "emotional", "intellectual" and "social".

We are not born with specific traits, but acquire them in the process of upbringing, education, exploration of the environment, and so on. Of course, the genotype also influences the formation of character: the apple often falls very close to the apple tree.

At its core, character is close to temperament, but they are not the same thing.

In order to relatively soberly assess oneself and one's role in society, psychologists advise writing out their positive, neutral and negative traits on a piece of paper and analyze.

Try to do this and you will find examples of character traits below.

Positive character traits (list)

Negative qualities of character (list)

At the same time, some qualities are difficult to attribute to good or bad, and you can’t call them neutral either. So, any mother wants her daughter to be shy, silent and shy, but is this good for the girl?

Again, a dreamy person can be cute, but completely unlucky due to the fact that he is always in the clouds. An assertive individual looks stubborn for some, unbearable and stubborn for others.

Is it bad to be gambling and carefree? How far has cunning gone from wisdom and resourcefulness? Ambitiousness, ambition, purposefulness lead to success or to loneliness? It will probably depend on the situation and context.

And what to be to you, you decide!

Each person has his own psychological characteristics. There are no two identical people on earth. Everyone has inherent features that are determined in mental processes: a separate individual has a perception peculiar only to him, subjective memory and features of its processes. The level of intellectual development, such qualities as attention and imagination, also differ in individual characteristics.

Each person is a unique individual. People differ from each other in abilities, character traits, characteristics, temperament, manifestations of will, emotionality, needs and interests.

Each person has their own personal attitudes, rules and norms of life.

However, at the same time, all people have common features of the body structure. All, having individual characteristics, are united by the presence of mental processes (sensations, perception, memory, thinking, etc.), common structural elements of personality characteristics. Everyone's brain and other physiological systems function according to the same laws.

Thus, in each person one can observe manifestations that are common to all and individual (single), characteristic only of him.

Human features are divided into two classes: typical (inherent in a group of subjects) and individual (inherent in only one subject).

Typical features are differences, in other words, features that distinguish a certain group of people on some basis. In psychology, intergroup differences are divided into three main levels: neurodynamic, temperamental and characterological.

Typical features at the neurodynamic level are manifested in varying degrees of severity of the properties of the nervous system (strength, mobility, lability, balance between the processes of excitation and inhibition). Based on the existing neurodynamic features, people are distinguished with a strong or weak, mobile or inert, balanced or unbalanced nervous system.

Typical features at the temperamental level are characterized, in contrast to the properties of the nervous system, by differences in mental activity, and not physiological processes. The properties of temperament include:

reactivity, which is characterized by the intensity of mental reactions (the degree of fear, the depth of experiencing feelings, etc.);

sensitivity, which is determined by the least intensity of external influences that cause a mental reaction (the higher the sensitivity, the faster the mental reaction appears). Sensitivity is associated with the properties of the nervous system (weak nervous system - high sensitivity);

activity - the energy of a person in deeds, actions (the predominance of excitation processes);

plasticity is expressed in the ease of adaptation to new conditions (the opposite property is rigidity, which means the inertia of attitudes, the slowness of switching from one condition (situation) to another);

extraversion is associated with the orientation of the personality to the environment (ease of contact with strangers, etc.);

introversion is determined by the orientation of the individual towards himself (a special attitude to his own thoughts, experiences, the difficulty of establishing contacts with other people, etc.);

emotional excitability is essentially identical to sensitivity.

Each property of temperament under certain conditions acts either as a positive or as a negative quality of the personality. For example, the high sensitivity of a student helps to better understand the psychology of another person. At the same time, such a student is the most mentally vulnerable. He is acutely experiencing failure.

Term character introduced by the ancient Greek scientist Theophrastus (VI-III centuries BC). Translated from Greek, this word means "feature", "sign", "sign". It is believed that character is a combination of permanent and essential personality traits that form a certain mental warehouse. Character properties are usually separated from temperament properties. This division is based on the condition that the properties of temperament are determined to a greater extent by the genotype (the innate type of the nervous system), and the properties of the character are determined by the phenotype (the warehouse of higher nervous activity, which is formed as a result of a combination of innate characteristics and living conditions). Character properties include volitional qualities and personality orientation, including feelings, interests, etc. In other words, with a narrower understanding, they should include only those features of a person’s personality that characterize his attitude to something.

It is customary to distinguish five main groups of character traits: the first group is determined by traits that reflect a person's behavior in relation to society, to other people. These are collectivism, tact, politeness, sensitivity, benevolence, truthfulness, humanity, etc. Opposite to them: individualism, tactlessness, rudeness, deceit, flattery, cruelty, envy, impudence, etc .;

the second group is characterized by features characteristic of a person in activity (labor, educational, etc.). This is diligence, perseverance, initiative, etc. Opposite to them: laziness, irresponsibility, dishonesty, lack of initiative, etc .;

the third group is traits that reflect a person's attitude to things. These are accuracy, frugality, generosity, etc. Opposite to them: slovenliness, extravagance, stinginess, etc .;

the fourth group is determined by the features expressing a person's attitude towards himself. These are criticality, exactingness, modesty, pride, etc. Opposite: arrogance, boastfulness, arrogance, arrogance, etc .;

the fifth group is characterized by features that reflect a person's attitude to the world around him, to social phenomena and events. These are adherence to principles, optimism, etc. Opposite: unscrupulousness, pessimism, etc .;

An essential feature of character traits is the stability of their manifestation in various situations. This property mention, speaking about the strong or weak character of a person (manifestation of activity in counteracting external circumstances). In this case, there is also a judgment about the inconsistency of character (the presence in a person of properties that lead to contradictions in actions and deeds).

Being born, a new personality receives a unique character as a gift. Human nature can consist of traits inherited from parents, or it can manifest itself in a completely different, unexpected quality.

Nature not only determines behavioral reactions, it specifically affects the manner of communication, attitude towards others and one's own person, to work. Character traits of a person create a certain worldview in a person.

A person's behavioral responses depend on the nature

Temperament or character?

These two definitions create confusion, because both of them are involved in the formation of personality and behavioral responses. In fact, the character and temperament are heterogeneous:

1. The character is formed from a list of certain acquired qualities of the personality's mental make-up.
2. Temperament is a biological quality. Psychologists distinguish four types of it: choleric, melancholic, sanguine and phlegmatic.

Having the same warehouse of temperament, individuals can have a completely different character. But temperament has an important influence on the development of nature - smoothing or sharpening it. Also, human nature directly affects temperament.

What is character

Psychologists, speaking of character, mean a certain combination of traits of an individual, persistent in their expression. These traits have the maximum impact on the behavioral line of the individual in diverse relationships:

• among people;
• in the work team;
• to one's own personality;
• to the surrounding reality;
• to physical and mental labor.

The word "character" is of Greek origin, it means "to mint". This definition was introduced by the naturalist Ancient Greece Theophrastus philosopher. Such a word really, very accurately defines the nature of the individual.

Theophrastus first coined the term "character"

The character seems to be drawn as a unique drawing, it gives rise to a unique seal that a person wears in a single copy.

Simply put, character is a collection, an association of stable individual mental characteristics.

How to understand nature

To understand what kind of nature an individual has, you need to analyze all his actions. It is behavioral reactions that determine examples of character and characterize the personality.

But this judgment is often subjective. Far from always a person reacts as intuition tells him. Actions are influenced by upbringing, life experience, customs of the environment where the person lives.

But you can understand what kind of character a person has. Observing and analyzing the actions of a certain person for a long time, one can identify individual, especially stable features. If a person in completely different situations behaves in the same way, showing similar reactions, makes the same decision - this indicates the presence of a certain nature in him.

Knowing which character traits are manifested and dominated by a person, it is possible to predict how she will manifest herself in a given situation.

Character and traits

A character trait is an important part of a personality; it is a stable quality that determines the interaction of a person and the surrounding reality. This is a defining method of resolving emerging situations, so psychologists consider a trait of nature as a predictable personal behavior.

Variety of characters

A person acquires features of character in the course of his entire life span, it is impossible to attribute individual features of nature to innate and characterological. In order to analyze and assess the personality, the psychologist not only determines the totality of individual characteristics, but also highlights their distinctive features.

It is the traits of character that are defined as leading in the study and compilation psychological characteristics personality.

But, defining, evaluating a person, studying the features of behavior in the social plan, the psychologist also uses knowledge of the content orientation of nature. It is defined in:

• strength-weakness;
• latitude-narrowness;
• static-dynamic;
• integrity-contradiction;
• integrity-fragmentation.

Such nuances constitute the general complete description a certain person.

List of personality traits

Human nature is the most complex cumulative combination of peculiar features, which is formed into a unique system. This order includes the most striking, stable personal qualities, which are revealed in the gradations of human-society relationships:

Relationship system	Inherent traits of an individual
	Plus	Minus
To self	fastidiousness	Condescension
	Self-criticism	Narcissism
	Meekness	Boastfulness
	Altruism	Egocentrism
To the people around	Sociability	Closure
	Complacency	Callousness
	Sincerity	deceitfulness
	Justice	Injustice
	Commonwealth	Individualism
	sensitivity	Callousness
	Courtesy	shamelessness
To work	organization	Laxity
	obligatory	stupidity
	diligence	slovenliness
	Enterprise	inertia
	industriousness	laziness
to items	frugality	Waste
	thoroughness	Negligence
	Neatness	Negligence

In addition to character traits included by psychologists in the gradation of relationships (a separate category), manifestations of nature in the moral, temperamental, cognitive and sthenic spheres were identified:

• moral: humanity, rigidity, sincerity, good nature, patriotism, impartiality, responsiveness;
• temperamental: gambling, sensuality, romance, liveliness, receptivity; passion, frivolity;
• intellectual (cognitive): analyticity, flexibility, inquisitiveness, resourcefulness, efficiency, criticality, thoughtfulness;
• sthenic (volitional): categoricalness, perseverance, obstinacy, stubbornness, purposefulness, timidity, courage, independence.

Many leading psychologists are inclined to believe that some personality traits should be divided into two categories:

1. Productive (motivational). Such traits push a person to commit certain acts and actions. This is the goal-feature.
2. Instrumental. Giving personality during any activity individuality and way (manner) of action. These are traits.

Gradation of character traits according to Allport

Allport's theory

The famous American psychologist Gordon Allport, an expert and developer of gradations of personality traits of an individual, divided personality traits into three classes:

Dominant. Such features most clearly reveal the behavioral form: actions, activities of a certain person. These include: kindness, selfishness, greed, secrecy, gentleness, modesty, greed.

Ordinary. They are equally manifested in all the numerous spheres of human life. These are: humanity, honesty, generosity, arrogance, altruism, egocentrism, cordiality, openness.

Secondary. These nuances do not have a particular effect on behavioral responses. These are not dominant behaviors. These include musicality, poetry, diligence, diligence.

A strong relationship is formed between the traits of nature existing in a person. This regularity forms the final character of the individual.

But any existing structure has its own hierarchy. The warehouse of man was no exception. This nuance is traced in Allport's proposed gradation structure, where minor features can be suppressed by dominant ones. But in order to predict the act of a person, it is necessary to focus on the totality of the features of nature..

What is typicality and individuality

In the manifestation of the nature of each personality, it always reflects the individual and typical. This harmonious union personal qualities, after all, the typical serves as the basis for identifying the individual.

What typical character . When a person has a certain set of traits that are the same (common) for a particular group of people, such a warehouse is called typical. Like a mirror, it reflects the accepted and habitual conditions for the existence of a particular group.

Also, typical features depend on the warehouse (a certain type of nature). They are also a condition for the appearance of a behavioral type of character, in the category of which a person is “recorded”.

Having understood exactly what features are inherent in a given personality, a person can make an average (typical) psychological portrait and assign a certain type of temperament. For example:

positive	negative
Choleric
Activity	Incontinence
Energy	irascibility
Sociability	Aggressiveness
Determination	Irritability
Initiative	Rudeness in communication
Impulsiveness	Behavior instability
Phlegmatic person
persistence	Low activity
performance	slowness
calmness	immobility
Consistency	uncommunicative
Reliability	Individualism
good faith	laziness
sanguine
Sociability	Rejection of monotony
Activity	Superficiality
benevolence	Lack of persistence
adaptability	bad perseverance
Cheerfulness	Frivolity
Courage	Recklessness in actions
Resourcefulness	Inability to focus
Melancholic
Sensitivity	Closure
Impressionability	Low activity
diligence	uncommunicative
Restraint	Vulnerability
cordiality	Shyness
Accuracy	Poor performance

Such typical character traits corresponding to a certain temperament are observed in each (to one degree or another) representative of the group.

individual manifestation. Relationships between individuals always have an evaluative characteristic, they are manifested in a rich variety of behavioral reactions. The manifestation of individual traits of an individual is greatly influenced by emerging circumstances, a formed worldview and a certain environment.

This feature is reflected in the brightness of various typical features of the individual. They are not the same in intensity and develop in each individual individually.

Some typical features are so powerfully manifested in a person that they become not just individual, but unique.

In this case, typicality develops, by definition, into individuality. This classification of personality helps to identify the negative characteristics of the individual that prevent them from expressing themselves and achieving a certain position in society.

Working on himself, analyzing and correcting the shortcomings in his own character, each person creates the life he aspires to.