Man as an individual and as an accentuated personality. Classification, formation factors and treatment for character accentuation

Karl Leonhard- an outstanding German psychiatrist, known for his approach to the diagnosis and differentiation of the most common mental illness - schizophrenia. He was a continuator of the views of K. Kleist, who believed that, as with neurological diseases, mental disorders should be explained by pathological processes that have their localization in the brain, and the very nature of schizophrenia lies in hereditary degeneration. But nevertheless, in the history of psychiatry and psychology, Leonhard remains as the author of the concept of accentuated personalities. The development of this particular issue is of the greatest interest and necessity for my work.

The concept of accentuated personalities presented in this work is based on the monograph “Normal and Pathological Personalities”, written and published in 1964 (VEB. Publishing house “Volk und Gesundheit”). Much has been borrowed from this monograph. Many amendments and additions were made to the second edition, and in March 1975 in Berlin, the book of the ball was completed and sent to print. However, it is published in the USA by Donald Press, New York, in 1976.

The first part of the monograph provides a psychological and clinical analysis of various accentuated personalities, i.e. people with a peculiar sharpening of personality properties and a special reaction.

The second part is like an illustration to the first, i.e. it conducts a characterological analysis of the heroes of classical works of world literature by over thirty writers: Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Gogol, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Balzac, Goethe, Stendhal and others. In the preface to his work, the author explains his desire not to be “an unfounded scientist, but to specifically confirm theoretical reasoning with clear examples taken from life or from the books of great psychological writers.”

This work is devoted to individuals not pathological, but normal, albeit accentuated. If their depiction is sometimes so vivid and expressive that one gets the impression that the people being described are pathological, then this is only due to the intention of one or another author to emphasize the analyzed personal traits as sharply as possible. That is why Leonhard refers to Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, explaining that Dostoevsky shows with exceptional force the differences in the behavior of different people. Accented personalities, who in business professional descriptions represent nothing more than scientific interest, thanks to Dostoevsky become close to us, we perceive them more directly, visibly. Some critics saw Dostoevsky's characters as pathological. However, as the author claims, this opinion is based on a misunderstanding: precisely because Dostoevsky depicted the psychology and actions of people so figuratively, so excitingly, they were attributed a pathological character. In fact, the behavior of all the heroes is the behavior of completely normal people.

Everything is described in living literary language, and the terms are explained in great detail, which makes the publication of a special glossary inappropriate.

In this work, Leonhard does not define the term “accentuation” that he introduced; moreover, he considers accentuation to be a characteristic of temperament, but it is worth dwelling on this.

Accentuation- This is an excessive sharpening of individual personality traits. If in a normal person all life difficulties are associated with the difficulties of the external situation, and not with oneself, then with hidden features associated with inclinations or abilities, they are corrected by proper upbringing. And in communication there are no signs of accentuation, but the person himself experiences certain difficulties. When compensatory mechanisms begin to fail, signs of accentuation may come out. With implicit accentuation, personality traits appear only in special cases when the person encounters an obstacle. If the life of an accentuated personality turns out unfavorably, then a complete deformation of the personality may occur, difficult to distinguish from psychopathy.

Accented personality traits.

Demonstrative personalities.

The essence of the demonstrative or hysterical type lies in the abnormal ability to repress. The meaning of the process of repression is convincingly illustrated in a passage from Nietzsche (“Beyond Good and Evil”). “I did it - memory tells me, I couldn’t do it - tells me pride, which remains inexorable in this dispute. And then the moment comes when the memory finally recedes.”

In fact, each of us has the ability to do this with unpleasant facts. However, this repressed knowledge usually remains at the threshold of consciousness, so it cannot be completely ignored. In hysterics, this ability goes very far: they can completely “forget” about what they don’t want to know, they are able to lie without even realizing that they are lying.

Pedantic individuals.

In individuals of the pedantic type, in contrast to the demonstrative type, repression mechanisms are extremely poorly represented in mental activity. If the actions of hysterics are characterized by a lack of reasonable weighing, then pedants “delay” in making a decision even when the stage of preliminary deliberation is finally completed. Before they begin to act, they want to make sure once again that a better solution cannot be found, that better options do not exist. The pedant is not able to repress doubts, and this slows down his actions. Thus, the rashness of hysterics is contrasted with the indecisiveness of pedants. Of course, the decisions with which the pedantic subject hesitates must be to some extent important to him. What is not of serious importance for a person, consciousness represses without any difficulty; for this, even a pedant does not need to make a special decision.

Stuck individuals.

The basis of the stuck, paranoid type of personality accentuation is the pathological persistence of affect.

Feelings that can cause strong reactions usually subside after the reactions are “given free rein”: the anger of an angry person goes away if it is possible to punish the one who angered or offended him; The fear of a fearful person goes away if the source of fear is eliminated. In cases where an adequate reaction for some reason did not take place, the affect ceases much more slowly, but still, if the individual mentally turns to other topics, then normally the affect passes after some time. Even if an angry person was unable to respond to an unpleasant situation either in word or deed, it is nevertheless possible that the next day he will not feel strong irritation against the offender; A fearful person who has failed to escape from a fearful situation still feels freed from fear after a while. For a stuck person, the picture is different: the effect of affect ceases much more slowly, and as soon as you return your thoughts to what happened, the emotions accompanying stress immediately come to life. The affect of such a person lasts for a very long time, although no new experiences activate it.

Excitable personalities.

A person with insufficient controllability of character is very interesting. This is manifested in the fact that the decisive factors for a person’s lifestyle and behavior are often not prudence, not the logical weighing of one’s actions, but drives, instincts, and uncontrollable impulses. What is suggested by reason is not taken into account.

The reactions of excitable individuals are impulsive. If they don’t like something, they don’t look for an opportunity to reconcile; tolerance is alien to them. On the contrary, both in facial expressions and in words, they give vent to irritability, openly declare their demands, or even withdraw angrily. As a result, such individuals, on the most trivial occasion, get into conflict with their superiors and employees, are rude, aggressively throw away their work, submit their resignations, without realizing the possible consequences. The reasons for dissatisfaction can be very different: they don’t like how we are treated in this enterprise, the salary is low, or the work process is not satisfactory. Only in rare cases is it about the severity of the work itself, because excitable individuals, as a rule, have a tendency to engage in physical labor and can boast of higher indicators here than other people. Most often, they are irritated not so much by hard work as by organizational issues. As a result of systematic friction, frequent job changes are observed.

As the anger of a person with increased excitability increases, he usually moves from words to “deeds,” i.e. to assault. It happens that physical assault among excitable people precedes words, since such people are generally not very inclined to exchange opinions. After all, an exchange of opinions is equivalent to an exchange of thoughts, and the level of thinking of such people is quite low. And yet you cannot say that the actions and actions of these impulsive people are reckless; rather, on the contrary, their frustration is latently growing, gradually intensifying and looking for a way out, a release.

Hyperthymic individuals.

Hyperthymic natures always look at life optimistically, overcome sadness without much difficulty, and in general it is not difficult for them to live in the world. An elevated mood is combined with a thirst for activity, increased talkativeness and a tendency to constantly deviate from the topic of conversation, which sometimes leads to racing thoughts. Hyperthymic accentuation of personality is not always fraught with negative consequences; it can have a beneficial effect on a person’s entire way of life. Thanks to an increased thirst for activity, they achieve production and creative success. The thirst for activity stimulates their initiative and constantly pushes them to search for something new. Deviation from the main idea gives rise to many unexpected associations and ideas, which also contributes to active creative thinking. In society, hyperthymic individuals are brilliant conversationalists, constantly in the center of attention, and entertain everyone.

However, if this temperament is expressed too clearly, the positive prognosis is removed. Cloudless gaiety and excessive liveliness are fraught with danger, for such people, jokingly, pass by events that should be taken seriously. They constantly experience violations of ethical standards, since at certain moments they seem to lose both the sense of duty and the ability to repent. An excessive thirst for activity turns into fruitless scattering; a person takes on a lot and does not complete anything. Excessive cheerfulness can turn into irritability.

Dysthymic personalities.

Dysthymic temperament is the opposite of hyperthymic. Personalities of this type are serious by nature and usually focus on the gloomy, sad aspects of life to a much greater extent than on the joyful ones. Events that have shaken them deeply can drive this severe pessimism into a state of reactive depression. In society, dysthymic people hardly participate in conversation, only occasionally inserting remarks after long pauses.

A serious mood brings to the fore subtle, sublime feelings that are incompatible with human egoism. A serious attitude leads to the formation of a serious ethical position. A negative manifestation is passivity in actions and slow thinking in cases where they go beyond the norm.

Affectively - labile personality type.

Affectively labile, or cyclothymic, individuals are people who are characterized by alternating hyperthymic and dysthymic states. Now one or the other of the poles comes to the fore, sometimes without any visible external motives, and sometimes in connection with certain specific events. It is curious that joyful events not only evoke joyful emotions in such people, but are also accompanied by a general picture of hyperthymia: a thirst for activity, increased pride, and a rush of ideas. Sad events cause depression, as well as slowness of reactions and thinking.

The reason for the change of poles is not always external stimuli; sometimes a subtle change in the general mood is enough. If a cheerful society gathers, then affectively-labile individuals can find themselves in the center of attention, be the “ringleaders”, and amuse all those gathered. In a serious, strict environment, they can be the most withdrawn and silent.

Affectively - exalted temperament.

The affectively exalted temperament could be called the temperament of anxiety and happiness. This name emphasizes its close connection with anxiety-happy psychosis, which is accompanied by sudden mood swings.

Affectively - exalted people react to life more violently than others; they equally easily become delighted with joyful events and despair with sad ones. From “passionate jubilation to mortal melancholy” they have one step. Exaltation is motivated by subtle, altruistic motives. Attachment to loved ones, friends, joy for them, for their success can be extremely strong. There are enthusiastic impulses that are not related to purely personal relationships. Love for music, art, nature, passion for sports, religious experiences, searches for a worldview - all this can capture an exalted person to the depths of his soul.

The other pole of his reactions is extreme impressionability about sad facts. Pity and compassion for unfortunate people and sick animals can drive such a person to despair. Over an easily correctable failure, a slight disappointment that would be forgotten by others the next day, an exalted person may experience sincere and deep grief. He will feel some ordinary trouble from a friend more painfully than the victim himself. Even with slight fear, physiological manifestations (trembling, cold sweat) are immediately noticeable in an exalted person.

The fact that exaltation is associated with subtle and very human emotions explains why artistic people - artists, poets - especially often have this temperament.

Anxious (fearful) individuals.

Such people are characterized by timidity, lack of self-confidence, and there is a component of humility and humiliation. Overcompensation is possible in the form of self-confident or even impudent behavior, but its unnaturalness immediately catches the eye. Fearful timidity can sometimes turn into gullibility, in which there is a request: “Be friendly with me.” At times timidity is joined by timidity.

Emotive personalities.

Emotivity is characterized by sensitivity and deep reactions in the field of subtle emotions. It is not rude feelings that excite these people, but those that we associate with the soul, with humanity and responsiveness. Usually such people are called soft-hearted. They are more compassionate than others, more susceptible to being moved, and experience special joy from communicating with nature and works of art. Sometimes they are characterized as sincere people.

In a conversation with emotive individuals, you can immediately see how deeply they are affected by the feelings they talk about, since all this is clearly expressed by their facial expressions. Tearfulness is especially characteristic of them: they cry when talking about a movie with a sad ending, about a sad story. They also easily experience tears of joy and emotion. Emotional children are often not allowed to read fairy tales, because when the plot turns sad, they immediately begin to cry. Even men often cannot resist tears, which they admit with considerable embarrassment.

The special sensitivity of nature leads to the fact that mental shocks have a painfully deep effect on such people and cause depression. A person of an emotive nature cannot be “infected” with fun in a cheerful society; he cannot become either funny or happy for no reason.

Of particular interest is the “Combination of accentuated character traits and temperament.” The author does not set himself the goal of showing all possible combinations of character traits and temperament, but indicates that their combination will greatly expand the boundaries of understanding personality.

One might assume that a demonstrative personality prone to pretense would be especially pronounced in combination with hyperthymia. But this assumption is only valid for childhood, when in fact, often with such a combination, the thirst for activity entails a whole series of dishonest actions. In adults, on the contrary, hyperthymia often weakens immoral manifestations. Cunning, insincerity, pretense do not fit with their life attitude.

The combination of demonstrative character traits with hyperthymic liveliness of temperament contributes to the activation of acting abilities in a person.

Of particular interest is the combination of demonstrative and affective-labile traits, since both are associated with a penchant for poetic and artistic activity. Demonstrative character traits stimulate fantasy, an affectively labile temperament generates an emotional orientation and has a softening effect on hysterical egoism.

The pedantic character softens when combined with a hyperthymic temperament, since the latter is somewhat superficial.

Simple summation is not observed when pedantic and dysthymic traits are combined. However, with this combination, the specificity of both is enhanced, i.e. the deviation from the norm is more significant.

Pedantry and anxious temperament belong to different mental planes. However, if both types of accentuation are observed in one person, a cumulative effect is possible. This is due to the fact that one of the most important signs is fear, especially in childhood.

Among the combinations of stuck character traits with temperamental properties, the stuck-hyperthymic combination is especially important. Such people never find peace; they are always in an elevated mood.

The combination of stuckness and anxiety has a special quality. Anxiety is associated with a diminishment of human dignity. Such persons are weak and helpless. Stuck individuals cannot stand this, they try in every possible way to repress it, it is very easy to undermine their pride. This is how overcompensation occurs.

Moving on to excitable, accentuated personalities, it is important that when combined with other temperaments, nothing else arises, however, interesting varieties are possible.

You can often find people who have a noticeable predominance of one trait. Some are very restless, others are too pedantic, others are overly sarcastic, etc. This one predominant character trait can be considered at the same time both as a talent and also as a human flaw. A certain character trait presupposes a certain strategy of behavior characteristic of a given individual. So, for example, a pedantic person, as a rule, is assiduous and neat; a person prone to demonstrativeness strives for brightness and attractiveness.

In psychology, the predominant character traits of a person that are on the borders of the clinical norm are called accentuation. Accented individuals can achieve significant success in science, culture, sports, political activity, etc. However, these people also often encounter psychological difficulties in cases where situations arise that are opposite to their personality traits. Avoiding such situations can be difficult, and in order to overcome difficulties and discomfort in communication, you need to consult a psychologist to receive qualified help.

An accentuated personality can be selectively vulnerable in relation to some psychogenic influences, while to others, fairly good stability is maintained. Accentuations are not mental disorders, however, some properties are similar to those and this suggests the presence of connections between them. An accentuated personality experiences difficulties in maintaining a normal lifestyle. To identify accentuations, psychologists use special tests and psychological questionnaires. This work is carried out by practical psychologists who have higher psychological education.

In general, accentuation is " extreme variant of the norm" Accentuations include a group of persistent, pointed character traits of a person, congenital or acquired. The negative side of this problem can be minor disruptions in relationships with people, as well as adaptation in the outside world.

With accentuation, a disturbance of mental balance usually occurs; the depth of this disturbance depends on the degree of expression of some mental properties and the insufficient development of others. Excessive emotional excitability may occur in the absence of a person’s control over his own behavior, as well as reactions that were caused by emotional reasons. Anxiety, suspicion and uncertainty arise in the absence of an adequate assessment of current events, as well as a loss of sense of reality. A person’s behavior may manifest selfishness, excessive claims to one’s own importance in the absence of the necessary abilities and opportunities.
All these character traits can be inherent in a mentally normal person. However, in this case, they are balanced by other character traits and therefore appear more balanced. Harmony and disharmony are broader concepts used to qualify the mental states of a person. We can talk about a person as a harmonious personality if there is an optimal combination of his mental and physical properties. It is noted that in people with accentuations in the nature of the combination of these properties complicate social adaptation.

Psychologists consider those personality traits that prevent a person from being socially active and adapting in society as a violation. The potential for social adaptation of a person with accentuations depends on the degree of personality disharmony and factors of the surrounding reality.

In favorable conditions accentuated personality feels satisfactory, that is, under these conditions the person is in a state of compensation. And, on the contrary, in unfavorable conditions a person may experience painful manifestations - anxious, neurotic. In such cases, a person needs a qualified person who will help the person overcome his problems and adapt to the social environment.

Accentuation(from lat. accentus- emphasis), Accentuation of character, Personality accentuation, Accentuated personality trait- a character trait (in other sources - personality) that is within the clinical norm, in which certain of its traits are excessively strengthened, as a result of which selective vulnerability is revealed in relation to some psychogenic influences while maintaining good resistance to others. Accentuations are not mental disorders, but in a number of their properties they are similar to personality disorders, which allows us to make assumptions about the existence of a connection between them. According to ICD-10, it is classified as one of the problems associated with difficulties in maintaining a normal lifestyle (Z73.)

Lichko A. Character accentuations as a concept in psychiatry and medical psychology

More than a quarter of a century has passed since the appearance of Karl Leonhard's book on accentuated personalities. This monograph was republished in both German and Russian. Its author contrasted accentuated personalities as variants of the norm with psychopathy as manifestations of pathology. K. Leonhard believed that in developed countries about half of the population is classified as accentuated. However, the types of accentuated personalities he described essentially represented variants of character types. Personality in psychology is a broader concept than character; it also includes abilities, inclinations, intelligence, and worldview. K. Leonhard only used the name “accentuated characters” for some of the types described. But with each type of accentuation, the personality can be very different. For example, with the epileptoid type, you can be both a fanatical Catholic and a militant atheist, have outstanding musical abilities and none, become an immoral criminal money-grubber or a fearless fighter for truth and justice. All this prompted us to develop the position of “character accentuation” and, in addition, to try to distinguish them not only from psychopathy (personality disorders), but also from the “average norm” and try to give the clearest possible definition. As is known, in Russian psychiatry psychopathy includes character anomalies that “determine the entire mental appearance” (totality of character), “do not undergo any drastic changes throughout life” (relative stability of character) and “prevent one from adapting to the environment” ( serve as a cause of social maladaptation). “Character accentuations are variants of its norm, in which individual character traits are excessively enhanced, which reveals selective vulnerability to certain psychogenic factors with good and even increased resistance to others.” Explicit and hidden accentuations of character. If a psychologist or psychiatrist turns his attention to those around him, then only about 10% of them, with short contact, judging by their manner of behavior, actions and statements in everyday life, can be classified as one of the types of accentuation described below. These are obvious accentuations of character. In adolescence, when character is still being formed and its features have not yet been smoothed out and polished by life experience, or during the period of involution, when these features may become sharpened, this percentage may be large. In most other individuals, a character type clearly manifests itself only in special conditions, when fate strikes at the place of least resistance of a given type, at its Achilles heel. For example, in a situation where it is necessary to quickly establish close informal contacts with a new environment, one will do this with interest and pleasure, easily integrate into the new environment and even take a leadership position in it, i.e. will show the traits of hyperthymia, while the other will withdraw into himself, isolate himself from others, be unable to intuitively feel the new atmosphere, prefer loneliness and “inner freedom” to the minimum necessary conformism, i.e. will reveal himself as a schizoid. But the first, under forced isolation, deprivation of a wide range of contacts, limited freedom of action, and even doomed to idleness, is capable of a violent affective reaction that causes damage to him and does not at all contribute to changing the situation for the better for him, while the second will endure these conditions quite steadfastly , plunging into the inner world of fantasies and reflections. These are hidden character accentuations. This is where the majority of the population belongs. It is possible that some accentuations, being obvious in adolescence, become hidden as they grow older. To identify hidden types of character accentuations in adolescence, we have developed a special method suitable for mass examinations - the Pathocharacterological Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ). Using this method, different types of character accentuations were discovered in about two-thirds of the adolescent population. In marginal teenage populations, such as those who are antisocial (delinquent, abusing drugs and other intoxicating substances, etc.) or suffering from non-psychotic mental disorders (tendency to acute affective reactions, psychogenic depression, etc.) and chronic somatic diseases, and even among the elite part of teenagers (students of prestigious mathematical, art and English schools), the proportion of accentuators identified using PDO exceeded 80%, and sometimes reached almost 100%. Correlation between types of character accentuations and types of personality disorders. In the English-language psychiatric literature there is no concept similar to accentuated personalities or character accentuations in German and Russian psychiatry. However, a partial analogy can be drawn with the types of personality disorders in DSM-III-R and ICD-10. The difference lies primarily in the fact that character accentuations are variants of the norm; the expression of character traits does not reach such a degree as to become the cause of social maladaptation and there may be neither the totality nor stability of character noted earlier. A comparison of types is given in the table, which also shows a comparison of our classification with the taxonomy of K. Leonhard.

Comparison of types of character accentuations and types of personality disorders according to DSM-III-R and ICD-10

Types of character accentuations. Our previous descriptions were based on the study of adolescents, in whom the types of accentuations are especially pronounced. Further follow-up studies, when adolescents became adults after 5-10 years, made it possible to add additions to the characteristics of each type. Hyperthymic type almost always maintains high spirits, activity, enterprise and sociability, talkativeness, rapid speech, and expressive facial expressions. Its representatives, thanks to their good orientation in a changing situation, often first successfully climb the social ladder. But very often, sooner or later, career collapse occurs due to the inability to foresee the long-term consequences of one’s actions, overly rosy hopes, indiscriminateness in choosing associates, and a penchant for adventure. But if they fail, they do not despair - they look for a new field to use their vigorous energy. In family life, they manage to combine the ease of cheating on their spouses with affection for them, if only they turn a blind eye to their adventures. In general, we can say about hypertims that they are good tacticians and worthless strategists. Some of them develop short depressive phases with age - they turn from hyperthymic into cycloid. The most conflictual and hostile relationships among hyperthyms develop with epileptoids. Poor compatibility also happens with representatives of their own type due to the struggle for leadership, and the best compatibility occurs with emotionally labile and conforming people who willingly accept leadership from hyperthymes. Cycloids They behave differently as they grow older. For some of them, the phasicity is smoothed out, for others, on the contrary, it becomes even more obvious. Finally, a small part seems to be “stuck” in one phase for many years, turning into hyperthymic or melancholic people - a rare “constitutionally depressed type” according to P.B. Gannushkin. The latter cases may be accompanied by persistent astheno-neurotic symptoms with hypochondrization. Some cycloids have a connection between phases and seasons. For some, “downturns” occur in the winter - something similar to “hibernation” sets in with constant lethargy, a drop in activity, a decrease in interest in everything, avoidance of noisy companies and a preference for the usual narrow circle of contacts. During these periods, it is difficult to endure a drastic change in the stereotype of life - moving to a new place of residence, a new job, the appearance of new family members who change their usual way of life. For others, subdepressive states usually occur in the spring, and “highs” in the fall. They themselves note this well. A striking example of this group is A.S. Pushkin: “I don’t like spring... in spring I am sick, My blood is fermenting, my feelings and mind are constrained by melancholy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And every autumn I bloom again... I again feel love for the habits of being; One by one sleep flies away, one by one hunger comes; The blood plays easily and joyfully in the heart, Desires are boiling - I am happy and young again...” “Autumn” was written by Pushkin at the age of 34. The use of tricyclic antidepressants during mild depression in cycloids is apparently irrational. There may be a tendency to “sway” phases that become more pronounced. Correction is best done with tranquilizers or Eglonil (Dogmatil, Sulpiride). Labile (emotionally labile) type character accentuation also undergoes various changes over the years. Some of its representatives seem to be approaching cycloids: they have short subdepressive phases that last for several days. For others, the features of emotional lability are smoothed out, for others they remain as in their youth. Usually there remains a quick intuitive perception of the attitude of others towards oneself, excessive sensitivity to emotional rejection from significant others and a constant need for empathy. Representatives of this type often retain some infantilism, remain very youthful for many years, and look younger than their years. But signs of aging appear early and almost suddenly. It is as if they do not have a period of real maturity - they pass from youth to old age. In life, they find it difficult to combine with representatives of the epileptoid and sensitive types of accentuation; most of all they prefer to communicate with hyperthymic people, who lift their spirits. Sensitive type accentuation in adulthood undergoes few changes, although due to overcompensation they try to mask some features. Nevertheless, there remains constant concern about the attitude of others towards oneself, caution and timidity in contacts, and worries about one’s own inferiority complex. Psychogenic depression and phobias easily develop. If you manage to have a family and children, then sensitivity smoothes out; if you remain alone, it can even become sharper. This is especially evident among “old maids”, who are always afraid of being suspected of extramarital sexual contacts. But only occasionally does it come to “sensitive delirium of attitude” according to E. Kretschmer. Psychasthenic (anancastic) type accentuation also changes little with age. Everyone also lives with constant anxiety about the future, and is prone to reasoning and soul-searching. Indecision is combined with unexpected haste of action. Obsessions easily arise, which, like pedantry, serve as a psychological defense against anxiety. But if in adolescence psychasthenics, like sensitive ones, have a negative attitude towards alcohol and other intoxicating drugs, then as they grow older, alcoholic drinks can become more attractive as a way to suppress internal anxiety and constant tension. In relation to loved ones and subordinates, petty despotism may appear, which, apparently, feeds on the same internal anxiety. Relationships with others are sometimes spoiled by petty adherence to principles. Schizoid type accentuation is also distinguished by the stability of the main character traits. With age, isolation can be partly masked by external formal contacts, but the inner world still remains sealed off to others, and emotional contacts are difficult. Restraint in the expression of emotions and equanimity in exciting situations appear, although the ability to control oneself in schizoids may be less associated with willpower than with weakness of temperament. There is a lack of empathy and the ability to empathize. In social life, youthful nonconformism does not weaken with age: they tend to look for unconventional solutions, prefer unaccepted forms of behavior, and are capable of unexpected escapades, without taking into account the harm they cause to themselves. Enrichment with life experience does little to change weak intuition in contacts with others, the inability to understand feelings, desires, and fears unexpressed by others, which was noted by G. Asperger in schizoid children. The fate of schizoid accentuators largely depends on the extent to which they manage to satisfy their hobby. Sometimes they unexpectedly discover remarkable abilities to stand up for themselves and their interests, and force others to keep their distance. Spouses and children are often dissatisfied with their silence. In professional activities they can even be verbose, although writing is usually preferred to oral statements. In their sympathies, schizoids sometimes gravitate towards the emotionally labile, perhaps feeling in their character what they themselves lack. Epileptoid type accentuation also retains its basic features over the years, especially the combination of slow inertia in movements, actions, thoughts with affective explosiveness. In the heat of the moment, they can lose control of themselves, burst into a stream of abuse, inflict beatings - at these moments there is no trace of slowness left. In some cases, over the years, “hypersociality” with lust for power, the establishment of “one’s own rules,” intolerance of dissent, and resentment towards grievances becomes more and more apparent. Alcohol abuse is accompanied by severe forms of intoxication with aggressiveness and loss of memory of certain periods of time. If alcoholism develops, it develops malignantly. Some are particularly vindictive and sadistic. In groups they strive to become a ruler, in contacts they strive to subjugate and dominate others, although they are often obsequious to their superiors and the powerful, especially if they expect benefits and concessions for themselves. Pedantic neatness is visible in clothes, hairstyle, and preference for order in everything. They easily cheat on their sexual partners, but they cannot tolerate infidelity and are extremely jealous and suspicious. Hysterical type accentuation is characterized by boundless egocentrism, an insatiable thirst for the constant attention of the environment towards oneself. When growing up, social adaptation largely depends on the extent to which one’s profession or social position allows one to satisfy this thirst. They claim an exclusive position both in the family and during sexual contacts. Unsatisfied egocentrism in adulthood leads to the fact that the element of hysteroid in social life becomes violent opposition. They revel in their own eloquence, their “outstanding” role. They win at moments of transition in society, in situations of crisis and confusion. It is then that loudness can be mistaken for energy, theatrical belligerence for decisiveness, and the desire to be in everyone's sight for organizational skills. Once in power - big or small - hysterics do not so much govern as play at governing. The leadership hour of hysterics soon passes, as soon as the environment understands that problems cannot be solved with rattling phrases. Unstable type accentuation is often detected in adolescence. Judging by the follow-up reports, the fate of the majority turns out to be sad: alcoholism, drug addiction, crime. In an asocial company, the unstable remain in the role of the “six” - subordinates, subservient to the leaders, but ready for anything. Only cowardice can deter people from committing serious crimes. In cases of satisfactory social adaptation, the main features - aversion to work, thirst for constant entertainment, irresponsibility - are smoothed out, often under the influence of a strong personality on whom they become dependent, and a strictly regulated regime. Conformal type The character accentuations described by us still remain little recognized. Its main features are blind adherence to the customs of one’s environment, uncriticality towards everything that is drawn from one’s familiar surroundings and a prejudicial rejection of everything that comes from people outside one’s own circle, dislike of the new, changes, intolerance of breaking stereotypes. But all this allows you to adapt in conditions when life does not require great personal initiative, when you can swim along the channel laid out by your familiar surroundings. But even in an era of social cataclysms, conformists begin to behave like many from their usual environment - for example, to show unbridled aggressiveness. Paranoid accentuation as a special type of character . This is the most late-developing type of character: it is clearly formed in adulthood, most often at 30-40 years old. In adolescence and young adulthood, these individuals are endowed with epileptoid or schizoid features, sometimes hysterical and even hyperthymic. Paranoid accentuation is based on an overestimation of one’s personality – one’s abilities, one’s talents and skills, one’s wisdom and understanding of everything. Hence the deep conviction that everything they do is always correct, what they think and say is always the truth, what they claim is certainly their right. It is this basis that serves for highly valuable ideas, which P.B. Gannushkin considered the main feature of this type. But paranoid accentuation, as long as it has not reached a pathological level - paranoid psychopathy, paranoid personality development - is also a variant of the norm, although usually extreme. Extremely valuable ideas differ from delusional ones in that they are perceived by the immediate environment, at least by part of it, as completely real or possible and acceptable. By implementing overly valuable ideas, a paranoid accentuator will not cause obvious damage to himself or put himself in an extremely dangerous position. The absence of delusional ideas distinguishes paranoid accentuation from paranoid psychosis. But with paranoid psychopathy, the picture is also usually limited to overvalued ideas, although with severe decompensations they can transform into delusional ones. Other features of paranoid accentuation are the same as in paranoid psychopathy - paranoid personality disorder according to DSM-III-R. Namely, all people who disagree with super-valuable ideas are either ignorant or envious. Any obstacles to the implementation of their ideas awaken a militant readiness to defend their real and imaginary rights, regardless of anything. Rancor is combined with suspicion, a tendency to see evil intent and malicious conspiracy everywhere. But all these features, when accentuated, do not reach such a degree as to cause social maladjustment, especially persistent ones. And these traits themselves may not appear all the time, but only in certain situations, when either interests are infringed, or, conversely, great power is in the hands of a paranoid accentuator. Paranoid psychopathy differs from accentuation primarily in the stability of the formed character and its totality - the manifestation of its traits everywhere and always and constant social disadaptation. With severe decompensations of paranoid psychopathy, as indicated, paranoid psychosis develops when overvalued ideas turn into delusional ones. Then even those around him who were previously gullible and under the influence of a paranoid personality begin to understand the morbidity of these ideas, and the actions of the paranoid person can cause obvious harm to him. Differences in the soil on which paranoid accentuation and psychopathy are formed affect character traits. Previous epileptoidism contributes to aggressiveness, a tendency to physical sadism, violent affective outbursts when counteracted by others, hypochondriacal behavior with accusations of others causing harm to their health (“vengeful hypochondriacs”), fanaticism and impatience with dissent. The schizoid premorbid turns into emotional coldness, indifference to the suffering of others (“mental sadism” according to E. Fromm), restraint, the ability to maintain distance in relationships with others, unconditional dedication to his overvalued idea (the epileptoid premorbid rather pushes for this idea to bring tangible benefit). Hyperthymic accentuation introduces into paranoid development unrestrained energy, incontinence, complete disregard for the real assessment of the situation, and an unfounded belief in one’s future success. Hysterical traits are manifested by posing, demonstrativeness, a desire to attract admiring glances, a demand for worship, a tendency to self-dramatization and deliberate exaltation. Mixed types of character accentuations and frequency of different types. Mixed types make up the majority. However, there are both frequent and never encountered combinations. For example, hyperthymia can be combined with hysteria or instability, but not with schizoidity or sensitivity or psychasthenic traits. As mixed types grow older, one of the components of the combination may come to the fore, depending on the conditions in which the subject finds himself. Different types of accentuations occur with different frequencies. Population norms were established for adolescence in the 1970s cohort. The hyperthymic type was determined in 4-12%, cycloid - 3-8%, emotionally labile - 2-14%, sensitive - 2-7%, psychasthenic - about 1%, schizoid - 1-8%, epileptoid - 2-9 %, hysterical - about 2%, unstable - 1-14%, conformal - 1-11%. The range of fluctuations depended on gender and age. The genesis of accentuations – heredity or upbringing? It is impossible to raise a hyperthymic, cycloid or schizoid person with any special education. Apparently, these types of accentuations are caused by a genetic factor. However, among the blood relatives of epileptoids and hysteroids, there are often people with the same character traits. Nevertheless, upbringing from childhood as a “family idol” - indulgent hyperprotection with protection from difficulties, permissiveness, satisfaction of the slightest desires and whims - can instill hysterical traits in many, with the exception, perhaps, of those who are already endowed with sensitive or psychasthenic traits. Those who grow up in conditions of tough relationships with constant aggressiveness around them acquire pronounced epileptoid properties. They are most difficult to instill in emotionally labile, sensitive and psychasthenic adolescents. Hypoprotection to the point of neglect, asocial companies from childhood are able to cultivate the traits of unstable accentuation, which can also be layered on the core of other types, with the exception of the sensitive and psychasthenic. Sensitivity is likely to be either genetic or a consequence of a physical disability such as stuttering. Emotional lability is the result of infantilizing upbringing or combined with constitutional infantilism. Mixed types, from the point of view of the role of heredity and upbringing, can be divided into two groups - intermediate and amalgam. Combinations with intermediate types are determined genetically (for example, the father has epileptoid accentuation, the mother has hysterical accentuation, their descendant is endowed with traits of both types). With amalgam types, the genetic core of one type, under the influence of the environment, especially upbringing, is layered with traits of another type. The role of character accentuations in the development of mental disorders and implications for psychotherapy. Accentuations of character as variants of the norm should not be classified as “pre-illness”, primarily because each type creates not only an increased risk of certain mental (and possibly some somatic) disorders, namely those that are the result of a blow to its Achilles heel. But each type of accentuation has increased resistance to a number of other psychogenic influences. A representative of sensitive accentuation will easily give rise to both psychogenic depression and phobic neurosis if the immediate environment towards him is unfavorable, but will be highly resistant to the temptation and compulsion to use alcohol, drugs and other intoxicating drugs. An epileptoid in an unfavorable environment will enter into a fight, but alcohol is extremely dangerous for him and alcoholism often develops malignantly. When mental disorders occur, character accentuations attract attention primarily as a certain systematics of the premorbid background. In psychogenic disorders, accentuations play the role of soil, a predisposing factor. On the one hand, which of the psychogenic adverse effects is most likely to cause a breakdown depends on the type of accentuation. For a hysterical person, this is a loss of attention from significant persons, the collapse of hope for satisfying inflated claims. The epileptoid will more difficultly endure the infringement of his interests, the “rights” assigned to himself, the loss of valuable property, as well as the protest against his undivided rule on the part of those who, from his point of view, must bear him without complaint. A schizoid will find himself in a crisis situation if he needs to quickly establish informal emotional contacts with a new environment. A blow for him may be the deprivation of his favorite hobby. A psychasthenic person has a heavy burden of responsibility, especially for others. For the emotionally labile, the most painful thing is emotional rejection from loved ones and significant others, as well as forced separation from them or their loss. Character accentuation also acts as a pathoplastic factor, leaving a strong imprint on the picture of mental disorders. For example, premorbid sensitivity contributes to the development of ideas of relation, depression, and epileptoidism contributes to ideas of persecution, dysphoria, and affective explosions. Hyperthymia, cycloidism, and emotional lability in premorbidity contribute to affective disorders in the picture of various mental disorders. In acute psychoses, the influence of premorbid accentuation may have little effect, but the types of subsequent remissions are closely related to accentuations. The choice of the most adequate methods of psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic programs also largely depends on the type of character accentuation both in non-psychotic disorders and in psychosis. For example, hyperthymics at group psychotherapy sessions feel like fish out of water, but for a sensitive person the very environment can become a mental trauma, and an epileptoid with his desire for power, resentment and rancor can be difficult for the group. Hyperthyms cannot tolerate directive tone, emotionally labile people gravitate towards auto-training, looking for empathy and compassion. They and sensitives receive temporary relief from catharsis. Psychasthenics readily accept rational psychotherapy, but there is always a danger that for them it can turn into empty verbal chewing gum that does not correct behavior in any way. Nonverbal methods of group and behavioral psychotherapy may be more effective for them. Psychotherapy for schizoids is successful if the patient feels sympathy and trust in the psychotherapist. Hobbies for a schizoid are also psychological protection and can serve as a key to contact. The epileptoid appreciates attention to his person, to his health in particular. Rational psychotherapy is perceived as advice from a competent specialist and as a way of making a carefully considered decision. Hysteroids are readily treated with suggestive methods, but the effect is only felt by the elimination of individual symptoms, which are soon replaced by others. Their compensation depends on the situation - on the possibilities of satisfying their egocentrism. With unstable accentuation, psychotherapy is ineffective. Inclusion in a group with a strong leader may help. Thus, character accentuations can serve in psychiatry and medical psychology as a taxonomy of the premorbid background in mental and psychosomatic disorders. The types of accentuation may determine the characteristics of the clinical picture, vulnerability and tolerance to various psychogenic factors, the prognosis for social adaptation and the choice of psychotherapeutic programs. In particular, in the multiaxial diagnostic classification, types of character accentuation were proposed as a special pathocharacterological axis.

Character Accentuations of personality character: essence of the concept and typology

In order to understand what is meant by character accentuations, it is necessary to analyze the concept of “character”. In psychology, this term is understood as a set (or set) of the most stable human traits that leave an imprint on a person’s entire life activity and determine his relationship to people, to himself and to business. Character finds its manifestation both in a person’s activities and in his interpersonal contacts and, of course, it gives his behavior a peculiar, characteristic shade only for him.

The term character itself was proposed Theophrastus, who was the first to give a broad description of the 31st type of human character ( read about character types), among which he identified boring, boastful, insincere, talkative, etc. Subsequently, many different classifications of character were proposed, but all of them were built on the basis of typical traits inherent in a certain group of people. But there are times when typical character traits manifest themselves in a more vivid and original way, which makes them unique and original. Sometimes these traits can “sharpen”, and most often they appear spontaneously, under the influence of certain factors and in appropriate conditions. Such sharpening (or rather the intensity of traits) in psychology is called character accentuation.

The concept of character accentuation: definition, essence and degree of expression

Accentuation of character– excessive intensity (or intensification) of a person’s individual character traits, which emphasizes the uniqueness of a person’s reactions to influencing factors or a specific situation. For example, anxiety as a character trait in its usual degree of manifestation is reflected in the behavior of most people who find themselves in extraordinary situations. But if anxiety acquires the characteristics of accentuation of a person’s character, then the person’s behavior and actions will be distinguished by the predominance of inadequate anxiety and nervousness. Such manifestations of traits are, as it were, on the border of normality and pathology, but, under the influence of negative factors, certain accentuations can turn into psychopathy or other deviations in a person’s mental activity.

So, accentuation of a person’s character traits ( in the lane from lat. accentus means emphasis, intensification) inherently do not go beyond the boundaries of the norm, but in some situations they quite often prevent a person from building normal relationships with people around him. This is due to the fact that each type of accentuation has its own “Achilles heel” (the most vulnerable spot) and most often the impact of negative factors (or a traumatic situation) falls on it, which can further lead to mental disorders and inappropriate behavior person. But it is necessary to clarify that accentuations themselves are not mental abnormalities or disorders, although in the current International Classification of Diseases (10th revision), accentuations are all included and are included in class 21/item Z73 as a problem that is associated with certain difficulties in maintaining normal for a person's lifestyle.

Despite the fact that the accentuation of certain character traits, in their strength and characteristics of manifestation, quite often go beyond the boundaries of normal human behavior, they cannot in themselves be classified as pathological manifestations. But it must be remembered that under the influence of difficult life circumstances, traumatic factors and other stimuli that destroy the human psyche, the manifestation of accentuations intensifies and the frequency of their repetitions increases. And this can lead to various neurotic and hysterical reactions.

Self concept of “character accentuation” was introduced by a German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard(or rather, he used the terms “accentuated personality” and “accentuated personality trait”). He also made the first attempt at their classification (it was presented to the scientific community in the second half of the last century). The term was later clarified A.E. Lichko, who by accentuations understood extreme variants of the norm of character, when some of his traits are excessively strengthened. According to the scientist, there is a selective vulnerability that relates to certain psychogenic influences (even in the case of good and high resistance). A.E. Lichko emphasized that, regardless of the fact that any accentuation, although it is an extreme option, is still the norm, and therefore it cannot be presented as a psychiatric diagnosis.

Degree of severity of accentuations

Andrei Lichko identified two degrees of manifestation of accentuated traits, namely: explicit (the presence of clearly defined traits of a certain accentuated type) and hidden (under standard conditions, traits of a particular type appear very weakly or are not visible at all). The table below provides a more detailed description of these degrees.

Degrees of severity of accentuations

Dynamics of personality character accentuation

In psychology, unfortunately, today problems related to the development and dynamics of accentuations have not yet been sufficiently studied. The most significant contribution to the development of this issue was made by A.E. Lichko, who emphasized the following phenomena in the dynamics of types of accentuations (stage by stage):

• the formation of accentuations and sharpening of their features in a person (this happens during puberty), and later they can be smoothed out and compensated (explicit accentuations are replaced by hidden ones);
• with hidden accentuations, the features of a particular accentuated type are revealed under the influence of psychotraumatic factors (the blow is applied to the most vulnerable place, that is, where there is the least resistance);
• against the background of a certain accentuation, certain disorders and deviations arise (deviant behavior, neurosis, acute affective reaction, etc.);
• types of accentuations undergo a certain transformation under the influence of the environment or due to mechanisms that were constitutionally laid down;
• the formation of acquired psychopathy occurs (accentuations were the basis for this, creating a vulnerability that is selective to the adverse effects of external factors).

Typology of character accentuations

As soon as scientists turned their attention to the peculiarities of human character and the presence of some similarities, various typologies and classifications immediately began to appear. In the last century, the scientific research of psychologists was focused on the peculiarities of the manifestation of accentuations - this is how the first typology of character accentuations in psychology appeared, which was proposed back in 1968 by Karl Leonhard. His typology became widely known, but the classification of types of accentuations developed by Andrei Lichko, who, when creating it, relied on the work of K. Leonhard and P. Gannushkin (he developed a classification of psychopathy), became even more popular. Each of these classifications is designed to describe certain types of character accentuation, some of which (both in Leonhard’s typology and Lichko’s typology) have common features of their manifestations.

Character accentuations according to Leonard

K. Leongard divided his classification of character accentuations into three groups, which he identified depending on the origin of the accentuations, or more precisely, where they are localized (related to temperament, character or personal level). In total, K. Leonhard identified 12 types and they were distributed as follows:

• temperament (natural formation) included hyperthymic, dysthymic, affectively-labile, affectively-exalted, anxious and emotive types;
• The scientist classified demonstrative, pedantic, stuck and excitable types as character (socially determined education);
• At the personal level there were two types – extra- and introverted.

Character accentuations according to Leonard

K. Leonhard developed his typology of character accentuations based on an assessment of people’s interpersonal communication. Its classification is aimed primarily at adults. Based on Leonhard’s concept, a characterological questionnaire was developed, authored by H. Smišek. This questionnaire allows you to determine the dominant type of accentuation in a person.

The types of accentuation of Shmishek's character are as follows: hyperthymic, anxious-fearful, dysthymic, pedantic, excitable, emotive, stuck, demonstrative, cyclomitic and affectively exalted. In the Shmishek questionnaire, the characteristics of these types are presented according to Leonhard's classification.

Accentuations of character according to Lichko

Basis of classification A. Lichko were accentuations of character in adolescents, because he directed all his research on studying the characteristics of character manifestation in adolescence and the reasons for the appearance of psychopathy in this period. As Lichko argued, in adolescence, pathological character traits manifest themselves most clearly and find their expression in all areas of a teenager’s life (in family, school, interpersonal contacts, etc.). Adolescent character accentuations manifest themselves in a similar way, for example, a teenager with a hyperthymic type of accentuation splashes his energy everywhere, with a hysterical type he attracts as much attention as possible, and with a schizoid type, on the contrary, he tries to protect himself from others.

According to Lichko, during puberty, character traits are relatively stable, but when talking about this, it is necessary to remember the following features:

• most types become more acute during adolescence, and this period is the most critical for the emergence of psychopathy;
• all types of psychopathy are formed at a certain age (the schizoid type is determined from an early age, the traits of a psychosthenic appear in elementary school, the hyperthymic type is most clearly noticeable in a teenager, the cycloid type is mainly in youth (although in girls it can manifest itself at the beginning of puberty), and the sensitive mainly formed by the age of 19);
• the presence of a pattern of transformation of types in adolescence (for example, hyperthymic features can change to cycloid), under the influence of biological and social factors.

Many psychologists, including Lichko himself, argue that for the puberty period the term “character accentuations” is most ideally suited, because it is teenage character accentuations that manifest themselves most clearly. By the time the puberty period comes to an end, accentuations are mostly smoothed out or compensated, and some move from obvious to hidden. But it should be remembered that adolescents who have obvious accentuations constitute a special risk group, since under the influence of negative factors or traumatic situations these traits can develop into psychopathy and affect their behavior (deviation, delinquency, suicidal behavior, etc.). ).

Character accentuations according to Lichko were identified on the basis of the classification of accentuated personalities by K. Leonhard and psychopathy by P. Gannushkin. Lichko’s classification describes the following 11 types of character accentuations in adolescents: hyperthymic, cycloid, labile, asthenoneurotic, sensitive (or sensitive), psychasthenic (or anxious-hypochondriac), schizoid (or introverted), epileptoid (or inert-impulsive), hysterical ( or demonstrative), unstable and conformal types. In addition, the scientist also called a mixed type, which combined some features of various types of accentuations.

Accentuations of character according to Lichko

Although A.E. Lichko studied mainly teenage accentuations of character; his typology is widely used to identify accentuations in adults.

Accentuation of character - overly pronounced character traits in a certain person, which are not considered pathological, but are an extreme variant of the norm. They arise due to improper upbringing of the individual in childhood and heredity. There are a large number of accentuations, which are characterized by their own characteristics. In most cases, they occur during adolescence.

Character accentuation: what is it?

Accentuation (accentuated personality) is a definition used in psychology. This term is understood as disharmony in the development of character, which manifests itself in the excessive expression of its individual traits, causing increased vulnerability of the individual to certain types of influences and complicating its adaptation in some specific situations. Character accentuation arises and develops in children and adolescents.

The term “accentuation” was first introduced by the German psychiatrist K. Leonhard. He refers to character accentuation as overly expressed individual personality traits that have the ability to transform into a pathological state under the influence of unfavorable factors. Leonhard made the first attempt to classify them. He argued that a large number of people have sharpened character traits.

Then this issue was considered by A.E. Lichko. By accentuation of character he understood extreme variants of his norm, when certain traits are excessively strengthened. At the same time, selective vulnerability is noted, which relates to certain psychogenic influences. Any accentuation cannot be presented as a mental illness.

A.E.Lichko

Causes

An accentuated character arises and develops under the influence of many reasons. The most basic is heredity. The reasons for its occurrence also include insufficient communication in adolescence with both peers and parents.

The appearance of sharpened character traits is influenced by the child’s social environment (family and friends), incorrect parenting style (overprotection and hypoprotection). This leads to a lack of communication. Lack of satisfaction of personal needs, inferiority complex, chronic diseases of the nervous system and physical ailments can also lead to accentuation. According to statistics, these manifestations are observed in people who work in the “person-to-person” field:

• teachers;
• medical and social workers;
• military;
• actors.

Types and types, main clinical manifestations

There are classifications of character accentuations, which were identified by A. E. Lichko and K. Leongard. The first proposed a typology of accentuations, consisting of 11 types, each of which is characterized by specific manifestations that can be observed in adolescence. In addition to types, Lichko identified types of accentuation, which differ depending on the degree of severity:

• obvious accentuation is an extreme version of the norm (character traits are expressed throughout life);
• hidden - the usual option (sharpened character traits appear in a person only in difficult life circumstances).

Types of accentuations according to A. E. Lichko:

Leonhard identified a classification of character accentuations, consisting of 12 types. Some of them coincide with the typology of A.E. Lichko. He studied the typology of characters in adults. The species are divided into three groups:

1. 1. temperament (hyperthymic, dysthymic, exalted, anxious and emotive);
2. 2. character (demonstrative, stuck and excitable);
3. 3. personal level (extroverted and introverted).

Types of accentuations according to K. Leonhard:

Peculiarities

According to A.E. Lichko, most types become more acute in adolescence. Certain types of accentuations occur at a specific age. Sensitive appears and develops by the age of 19. Schizoid - in early childhood, and hyperthymic - in adolescence.

Character accentuations are found not only in pure form, but also in mixed forms (intermediate types). Manifestations of accentuation are not constant; they tend to disappear in some periods of life. Character accentuation is found in 80% of adolescents. Some of them, under the influence of unfavorable factors, may develop into mental illness at a later age.

In the development of character accentuations, two groups of changes are distinguished: transient and persistent. The first group is divided into acute emotional reactions, psycho-like disorders and psychogenic mental disorders. Acute affective reactions are characterized by the fact that such people harm themselves in various ways, and there are suicide attempts (intrapunitive reactions). This behavior occurs with sensitive and epileptoid accentuation.

Extrapunitive reactions are characterized by taking out aggression on random persons or objects. Characteristic of hyperthymic, labile and epileptoid accentuation. The immune reaction is characterized by the fact that a person avoids conflicts. Occurs with unstable and schizoid accentuation.

Some people have demonstrative reactions. Psychological disorders manifest themselves in minor misdemeanors and offenses, vagrancy. Sexual deviant behavior, the desire to become intoxicated or experience unusual sensations through the use of alcohol and drugs are also found in individuals of this type.

Against the background of accentuations, neuroses and depression develop. Persistent changes are characterized by a transition from an obvious type of character accentuation to a hidden one. Psychopathic reactions may occur with prolonged exposure to stress and critical age. Persistent changes include the transformation of types of accentuations from one to another due to improper upbringing of the child, which is possible towards compatible types.