A complete list of negative moral qualities of a person with a description. What are the characters? Types of human character

“How many people - so many characters,” we often repeat. And this is true, there are no two identical people, and even twins, so indistinguishable at first glance, turn out to be completely different people at the second. People have different value systems, hobbies, principles and worldviews, they react differently to external stimuli. The nature of a person determines his actions, from which life is made up. MirSovetov invites you to trace together what character is made of and whether it is possible to change it.

Psychologists call character an individual combination of those personality traits that are manifested in a person’s actions and determine his attitude to the environment.

Translated from Greek, the word "character" - Charakter - means "imprint", "chasing". Already from the name itself it is clear that in all ages the character was considered as a stable system of personality traits of a person, such a kind of inner core, on which other properties are strung like rings.

Character is closely related to his abilities. To some extent, he is one of the constituent parts of the character, because. determines the form of manifestation of human reactions, the dynamics of his mental processes. The type of temperament cannot be changed, but a person with a strong will can control and correct its negative traits. The concept of abilities is also included in the definition of character. For example, while developing the ability to work, we simultaneously develop diligence as a character trait.
Types of temperament, as a rule, are inherited by a child from one of the parents. But temperament is only the basis for the education of various character traits. For example, you can cultivate perseverance in both the choleric and the phlegmatic, but it will manifest itself in vigorous activity in one and methodical work in the other. Character is not an innate and immutable property, it is formed under the influence of life experience, upbringing, environment.

There is a branch of psychology devoted to the study of human character. It's called characterology. Characterology emerged as a separate discipline not so long ago, but already in ancient times, attempts were made to study and predict the character of a person. So, for example, the study of the influence of a person's name on his character, the selection of favorable combinations of a name and patronymic. Physiognomy is the study of the connection between a person's appearance and his character. Even graphology, the science that establishes the connection between a person's handwriting and his character, can also be attributed to one of the forerunners of characterology.

Character traits

In the character of each person, common groups of traits can be distinguished. Different scientists offer a different division of character traits into groups. There are many classifications, from highly specialized to popular science. One of the most obvious ways of dividing into groups is the system of B.M. Teplov.
In the first group, this scientist singled out common character traits, those that are the mental basis of the personality. These are such qualities as adherence to principles, honesty, courage and, of course, their antipodes: cowardice, insincerity.
The second group includes those character traits in which a person's attitude towards other people is manifested. Those. sociability and isolation, kindness and hostility, attentiveness and indifference.
The third group of character traits are those traits that express a person's attitude towards himself. It is this group that includes pride and conceit, vanity, arrogance and self-esteem, adequate pride.
The fourth large group of traits reflects a person's attitude to work. Diligence and laziness, fear of difficulties and perseverance in overcoming them, activity and lack of initiative are included in this group.
In the typologies of character traits of other scientists, it is worth highlighting two very important groups of character traits, normal and abnormal. Normal are those traits that are inherent in mentally healthy people, and abnormal - traits of people with mental illness.

Interestingly, the same character traits can apply to both normal and abnormal. It's all about the extent to which it is expressed in the character of a person. For example, suspiciousness can be absolutely healthy, but when it dominates, one can speak of paranoia.

Classification of human characters

Having dealt with the main distinguished groups of character traits, it would be reasonable to move on to the typology of characters. But here in modern psychology there is no general classification. And how can characters be classified given the richness of the compatibility of their traits in different people? However, such attempts have been made by scientists for a very long time.

For example, there is a division of characters according to their dominant volitional and emotional qualities. As a result, a volitional type of character is distinguished (active, with a dominant will), emotional (guided by an emotional background) and rational (sober-minded, based on the arguments of reason).

At one time, the German psychiatrist Kretschmer classified people according to their constitution and hypothesized that certain character traits are also inherent in people of a certain constitution.
So asthenics, people of thin build, with thin bones and weak muscles, are characterized by weak emotionality, love of philosophy and introspection, and a tendency to loneliness.
People of the athletic type (medium or tall, broad chest, excellent muscles) are characterized by a strong will, perseverance and even stubbornness.
The third type of constitution is picnic, it is distinguished by medium height, well-developed adipose tissue, weak muscles. People of this type are emotional, they strive to enjoy life.
And although later this typology of characters was not recognized as absolutely correct, there is a grain of truth in it. People with a certain body structure are more likely to suffer from similar ones. The type of human constitution is innate, it is influenced by a genetic factor, which also causes some ailments. Which makes the hypothesis about the general traits of character probable. MirSovetov once again emphasizes that we are talking only about some traits, and not about the character completely.

character building

A person's character changes somewhat throughout his life. These changes occur most often unconsciously, but sometimes a person consciously changes some features. But the main, basic features are laid down in early childhood, and it can be said with confidence that by the age of 5-6, the child already has his own character. Already by the second year of life, the child demonstrates strong-willed character traits, and by the age of 3-4 business traits are formed. Obvious signs of communicative character traits appear by the age of 4-5, when the child begins to take an active part in group role-playing games.

During this age period, the character of the child is strongly influenced by adults, the way parents treat the baby. If parents pay attention to the child, talk to him and are interested in his desires, then such a child is most likely to develop trust in people, sociability and cheerfulness. Otherwise, the appearance of such traits as isolation, closeness is likely.

During the school years, the formation of the character of the child continues, but in the lower grades, the opinion of parents and teachers is a priority, and in the middle grades, peers have a greater influence on the character. In the upper grades, the picture changes again: the opinion of adults again becomes more significant. But the influence of elders becomes more indirect, the respect of a person as a person and the self-esteem of a young person. Also during this period, the mass media acquire a greater influence on the character of a person.
In the future, character changes will be made up of personal life events, meetings with bright charismatic personalities, and also under the influence of age-related changes. The most notable of the latter are changes in the character of the individual at an older age. At 50, a person finds himself, as it were, at the junction of the past and the future. He no longer has the habit of making plans and living in the future, but it is too early to indulge in memories. After 60 years, a new stage in a person's life begins, when the past and present acquire an extraordinary value. Such character traits as slowness, regularity are manifested. It also somewhat changes the character and beginning health problems.

How to change your character

As a rule, new character traits are most quickly and fully manifested in a person if they are similar to existing ones. After the age of thirty, cardinal changes in character occur extremely rarely. Yet it is never too late to change.
A person can always change character traits that he does not like. There are many methods for this, but they are all based on one thing: the desire to change must be internal and conscious.
A good helper in changing character will be a systematic approach. Write down on a separate sheet of character traits that you want to get rid of. Next to each trait, write how it manifests itself. Knowing this, it will be easier for you to control yourself and prevent actions that are unpleasant for you. The character of a person is created for a long time, it is difficult to get rid of unpleasant features, this requires painstaking and long work. But this is not impossible, and literally the first week is a particular difficulty. When control over the manifestation of the “dark” side of your character becomes a habit, it will become much easier to monitor your behavior. And very soon, what you did not like in your character will no longer complicate your life and communication with loved ones.

For example, your negative trait is anger. It manifests itself in the fact that you, without listening to the interlocutor, manage to be rude to him. You should start to control your actions: try to listen to the interlocutor to the end, count to five or ten before saying harshness.

Also good results in changing your character gives a role model. Having chosen some sample (it can be either a real or a fictional person), you begin to equal it. And ask yourself what he would do in your place. By copying the desired behavior, you will also develop the correct ones and minimize the manifestations of negative character traits. Here MirSovetov will make only such a remark: do not try to copy someone's behavior exactly as it is, superficially. Yes, and it's unlikely you'll get it. You need to understand that you are individual in your own way, and therefore some feature will appear with its own shade peculiar only to you.

For example, you want to be as firm in dealing with clients as your work colleague. This does not mean at all that you should copy his actions exactly. Those. if you see from the outside how your colleague calmly and confidently communicates with each of the clients, then, following him, it is somewhat wrong to put on a “mask of equanimity and confidence”, completely imitating his facial expressions and intonation. Rather, this alone will not be enough. It is better if you also try to figure out how he manages to be so. Surely, your colleague is well versed in his subject, has a great deal and this gives him confidence in the conversation. Perhaps he is more, sifting out personal, any unfounded claims and highlighting only really problematic points, thereby avoiding unnecessary disputes and conflicts. Those. you must sort out the character of the person who serves as a role model for you, and try to develop these qualities in yourself.

It doesn't matter which self-correction system you use. It is important that you sincerely want to change for the better, then nothing will be impossible for you. Remember that there is no limit to perfection, develop all the best in yourself, and MirSovetov wishes you good luck in this!

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

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

Character is understood as:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

General concept of character and its manifestations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The relationship of character and temperament

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Of particular importance for characterological manifestations is the relationship of intellectual personality traits. The depth and sharpness of thought, the unusual posing of the question and its solution, intellectual initiative, confidence and independence of thinking - all this makes up the originality of the mind as one of the sides of character. However, how a person uses his mental faculties will depend significantly on character. Often there are people who have high intellectual data, but do not give anything of value precisely because of their characterological features. Numerous literary images of superfluous people serve as an example of this (Pechorin, Rudin, Beltov, etc.). As I. S. Turgenev well said through the mouth of one of the characters in the novel about Rudin: “There is perhaps genius in him, but no nature.” Thus, the real achievements of a person do not depend on some abstractly taken mental capabilities, but on a specific combination of his features and characterological properties.

character structure

In general form, all character traits can be divided into basic, leading, setting the general direction for the development of the whole complex of its manifestations, and secondary, determined by the main. So, if we consider such traits as indecision, timidity and altruism, then with the predominance of the first, a person, first of all, constantly fears “no matter how something happens” and all attempts to help one’s neighbor usually end in inner feelings and the search for justification. If the second trait is altruism, then the person outwardly does not show any hesitation, immediately comes to the rescue, controlling his behavior with the intellect, but at the same time he may sometimes have doubts about the correctness of the actions taken.

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

Although every character trait reflects one of the manifestations of a person's attitude to reality, this does not mean that any attitude will be a character trait. Only some relationships, depending on the conditions, become features. From the totality of the relationship of the individual to the surrounding reality, it is necessary to single out the character-forming forms of relations. The most important distinguishing feature of such relations is the decisive, paramount and general vital importance of those objects to which a person belongs. These relationships simultaneously serve as the basis for the classification of the most important character traits.

The character of a person is manifested in the system of relations:

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

Despite the fact that these relationships are the most important from the point of view of character formation, they do not simultaneously and immediately become character traits. There is a certain sequence in the transition of these relations into character traits, and in this sense it is impossible to put in one row, say, the attitude towards other people and the attitude towards property, since their very content plays a different role in the real existence of a person. A decisive role in the formation of character is played by the attitude of a person to society, to people. The character of a person cannot be revealed and understood outside the team, without taking into account his attachments in the form of camaraderie, friendship, love.

In the structure of character, one can distinguish traits that are common to a certain group of people. Even the most original person can find some trait (for example, unusual, unpredictable behavior), the possession of which allows him to be attributed to a group of people with similar behavior. In this case, we should talk about typical in character traits. N. D. Levitov believes that the type of character is a specific expression in the individual character of traits common to a certain group of people. Indeed, as noted, the 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.

Character is something unified, holistic. How does it affect a person's life? Globally! The fact is that all our actions are justified by something. We do what our mind and heart tells us to do. Another factor also affects our lives. In any something like an internal core, which has a direct impact on its behavior. It's about character. This core consists of certain ones that are entrenched in the process of daily activities.

The list of which will be discussed in this article are different. Some of them make us better, others worse. The list of character traits is extensive. All of them affect our lives in one way or another. Can character be changed? Yes, you can. It's hard to do, but sometimes you just can't do without it. We are not always to blame for who we have become. Wrong upbringing, bad company, inappropriate education - all this can have a bad effect on the character of the individual. Bad qualities are instilled in a person, and he begins to think that they are the norm. Timely recognition of the problem will help to solve it.

The character traits we are going to look at also affect how we communicate with others. Do you have few friends? Perhaps the problem is not with people, but with the fact that you need to change your inner being.

Character traits: list

An important positive character trait is diligence. Any person who is ready to work will achieve a lot. This is not about the ability to unload wagons, but about labor in general: both physical and intellectual. Those who have such a character trait as diligence do not stand still, but are constantly looking for more and more new types of activities in which they could realize themselves. The opposite of this character trait is laziness. Of course, she spoils for her reason becomes difficult to climb, inert, unable to achieve her goals.

Character traits, the list of which is wide, include kindness. Kind people are open to the world, always ready to help those in need. They refuse evil, because they understand that bad deeds will not lead to anything good. The opposite character trait is anger.

What can be said about cowardice? People who are owners of this character trait are constantly in the back rows. Often life passes them by. They do not find the strength and courage to undertake something new, something that would change not only themselves, but also the world around them.

The character traits listed here are varied. They can also include sociability. It helps us to establish contacts with other people, make new acquaintances, maintain old ones, and so on. Man is a social being. This means that, living in a society, it is necessary to be able to contact with their own kind. Lack of sociability is a negative character trait. Being single is good, but not always. It is worth thinking about what lies ahead of us. Sooner or later, you still want to see people next to you who you can really rely on.

Here is a list of positive human qualities:

Goodwill;

openness;

philanthropy;

perseverance;

openness to new things;

seriousness;

good nature;

Restraint;

Tact;

Gaiety;

Purposefulness;

Here is the list of the person:

inertia;

Envy;

Aggressiveness;

Idleness;

Closure;

malevolence;

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

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

General character traits

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

In relation to oneself

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

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

In relation to other people

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

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

In relation to work and activity

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

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

How is character formed?

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

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

Character accentuations

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

Typology of characters

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

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

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

Temperament types

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

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

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

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

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

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

Typology of Kretschmer's characters

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

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

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

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

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

The character of a personality is a qualitative individual characteristic that combines stable and permanent properties of the psyche that determine the behavior and characteristics of a person’s attitude. Literally, translated from Greek, character means a sign, a trait. Character in the structure of personality combines a combination of its various qualities and properties that leave an imprint on behavior, activity and individual manifestation. The totality of essential, and most importantly, stable properties and qualities determine the whole way of life of a person and his ways of responding in a given situation.

The character of the individual is formed, defined and formed throughout his life path. The relationship of character and personality is manifested in activities, communication, causing typical behaviors.

Personality traits

Any trait is some stable and unchanging stereotype of behavior.

Characteristic personality traits in a general sense can be divided into those that set the general direction for the development of character manifestations in the complex (leading), and those that are determined by the main directions (secondary). Leading features allow you to reflect the very essence of character and show its main important manifestations. It must be understood that any character trait of a person will reflect the manifestation of his attitude to reality, but this does not mean that any of his attitude will be directly a character trait. Depending on the living environment of the individual and certain conditions, only some manifestations of relationships will become defining character traits. Those. a person can react aggressively to one or another irritant of the internal or external environment, but this will not mean that the person is malicious by nature.

In the structure of the character of each person, 4 groups are distinguished. The first group includes traits that determine the basis of personality, its core. These include: honesty and insincerity, adherence to principles and cowardice, courage and cowardice, and many others. To the second - features that show the attitude of the individual directly to other people. For example, respect and contempt, kindness and malice, and others. The third group is characterized by the attitude of the individual towards himself. It includes: pride, modesty, arrogance, vanity, self-criticism and others. The fourth group is the attitude to work, activity or work performed. And it is characterized by such features as diligence and laziness, responsibility and irresponsibility, activity and passivity, and others.

Some scientists additionally distinguish another group that characterizes a person's attitude to things, for example, neatness and slovenliness.

They also distinguish such typological properties of character traits as abnormal and normal. Normal features are inherent in people who have a healthy psyche, and abnormal features include people with a variety of mental illnesses. It should be noted that similar personality traits can be both abnormal and normal. It all depends on the degree of expression or whether it is an accentuation of character. An example of this would be healthy suspicion, but when it goes off scale, it leads to.

The determining role in the formation of personality traits is played by society and the attitude of a person towards him. It is impossible to judge a person without seeing how he interacts with the team, without taking into account his attachments, antipathies, comradely or friendly relations in society.

The attitude of the individual to any kind of activity is determined by his relationship with other persons. Interaction with other people can encourage a person to be active and rationalize or keep him in suspense, give rise to his lack of initiative. The idea of ​​the individual about himself is determined by his relationship with people and attitude to activity. The basis in the formation of the consciousness of the individual is directly related to other individuals. A correct assessment of the personality traits of another person is a fundamental circumstance in the formation of self-esteem. Also, it should be noted that when a person’s activity changes, not only the methods, methods and subject of this activity change, but also the person’s attitude towards himself in the new role of the actor changes.

Personality traits

The most important feature of character in the structure of personality is its certainty. But this does not mean the dominance of one trait. Several traits can dominate in the character, contradicting or not contradicting each other. Character can lose its certainty in the absence of its clearly defined features. The system of moral values ​​and beliefs of the individual is also the leading and determining factor in the formation of character traits. They establish the long-term orientation of the behavior of the individual.

Features of the individual's character are inextricably linked with his stable and deep interests. The lack of integrity, self-sufficiency and independence of the individual is closely related to the instability and superficiality of the interests of the individual. And, on the contrary, the integrity and purposefulness, perseverance of a person directly depends on the content and depth of his interests. However, the similarity of interests does not yet imply the similarity of the characteristic features of the individual. For example, among scientists you can meet both cheerful people and sad people, both good and evil.

To understand the personality traits, one should also pay attention to his affections, leisure. This can reveal new facets and features of character. It is also important to pay attention to the correspondence of a person's actions to his established goals, because the individual is characterized not only by the action, but also by how exactly he produces them. The orientation of the activity and the actions themselves form the dominant spiritual or material needs and interests of the individual. Therefore, character should be understood only as the unity of the image of actions and their direction. It is from the combination of the characteristics of the character of the individual and his properties that the real achievements of a person depend, and not from the presence of mental capabilities.

Temperament and personality

The relationship of character and personality is also determined by the temperament of the individual, abilities and other aspects. And the concepts of temperament and personality character form its structure. Character is a set of qualitative properties of an individual that determine his actions, manifested in relation to other people, actions, things. Whereas temperament is a set of properties of the individual's psyche that affect his behavioral reactions. The nervous system is responsible for the manifestation of temperament. Character is also inextricably linked with the psyche of the individual, but his features are formed throughout life under the influence of the external environment. And temperament is an innate parameter that cannot be changed, you can only restrain its negative manifestations.

The premise of character is temperament. Temperament and character in the structure of personality are closely interconnected with each other, but at the same time they are different from each other.

Temperament contains the mental dissimilarity between people. It differs in the depth and strength of manifestations of emotions, activity of actions, impressionability and other individual, stable, dynamic features of the psyche.

It can be concluded that temperament is an innate foundation and basis on which a person is formed as a member of society. Therefore, the most stable and constant personality traits is temperament. It is equally manifested in any activity, regardless of its direction or content. It remains unchanged in adulthood.

So, temperament is the personal characteristics of the individual, which determine the dynamism of the course of his behavior and mental processes. Those. the concept of temperament characterizes the pace, intensity, duration of mental processes, external behavioral reaction (activity, slowness), but not conviction in views and interests. It is also not a definition of the value of the individual and does not determine its potential.

There are three important components of temperament that are related to the general mobility (activity) of a person, his emotionality and motor skills. In turn, each of the components has a rather complex structure and is distinguished by various forms of psychological manifestation.

The essence of activity lies in the individual's desire for self-expression, the transformation of the external component of reality. At the same time, the direction itself, the quality of the implementation of these trends is determined precisely by the characterological features of the individual and not only. The degree of such activity can be from lethargy to the highest manifestation of mobility - a constant rise.

The emotional component of the personality's temperament is a set of properties that characterize the features of the flow of various feelings and moods. This component is the most complex in its structure in comparison with the others. Its main characteristics are lability, impressionability and impulsiveness. Emotional lability is the rate at which one emotional state is replaced by another or stops. Under the impressionability understand the susceptibility of the subject to emotional influences. Impulsivity is the speed with which an emotion turns into a motivating cause and force for actions and deeds without first thinking them through and making a conscious decision to carry them out.

The character and temperament of the individual are inextricably linked. The dominance of one type of temperament can help determine the character of the subjects as a whole.

Personality character types

Today, in specific literature, there are many criteria by which personality types are determined.

The typology proposed by E. Kretschmer is now the most popular. It consists in dividing people into three groups depending on their physique.

Picnic people are people who are prone to becoming overweight or slightly overweight, small in stature, but with a large head, broad face and shortened neck. Their character type corresponds to cyclothymics. They are emotional, sociable, easily adapting to a variety of conditions.

Athletic people are tall and broad-shouldered people, with well-developed muscles, a hardy skeleton and a powerful chest. They correspond to the iksotimic type of character. These people are powerful and quite practical, calm and unimpressive. Ixotimics are restrained in gestures and facial expressions, they do not adapt well to changes.

Asthenic people are people who are prone to thinness, the muscles are poorly developed, the chest is flat, the arms and legs are long, and they have an elongated face. Corresponds to the type of character schizotimics. Such people are very serious and prone to stubbornness, it is difficult to adapt to change. They are characterized by closure.

K.G. Jung developed a different typology. It is based on the predominant functions of the psyche (thinking, intuition). His classification divides subjects into introverts and extroverts, depending on the dominance of the external or internal world.

An extrovert is characterized by directness, openness. Such a person is extremely sociable, active and has many friends, comrades and just acquaintances. Extroverts love to travel and make the most of life. An extrovert often becomes the initiator of parties, in companies he becomes their soul. In ordinary life, he focuses only on circumstances, and not on the subjective opinion of others.

An introvert, on the contrary, is characterized by isolation, turning inward. Such a person fences himself off from the environment, carefully analyzes all events. It is difficult for an introvert to make contacts with people, so he has few friends and acquaintances. Introverts prefer solitude to noisy companies. These people have a high level of anxiety.

There is also a typology based on the relationship of character and temperament, which divides people into 4 psychotypes.

Choleric is a rather impetuous, fast, passionate and, along with this, unbalanced person. Such people are prone to sudden mood swings and emotional outbursts. Choleric people do not have a balance of nervous processes, therefore they are quickly depleted, thoughtlessly expending strength.

Phlegmatic people are distinguished by equanimity, unhurriedness, stability of moods and aspirations. Outwardly, they practically do not show emotions and feelings. Such people are quite persistent and persistent in their work, while always remaining balanced and calm. The phlegmatic person compensates for his slowness in work with diligence.

Melancholic is a very vulnerable person, prone to a stable experience of various events. The melancholic reacts sharply to any external factors or manifestations. Such people are very impressionable.

A sanguine person is a mobile, active person with a lively character. He is subject to frequent changes of impressions and is characterized by quick reactions to any events. Let's easily try on the failures or troubles that befell him. When a sanguine person is interested in his work, he will be quite productive.

K. Leonhard also identified 12 types that are often found in people with neurosis, accentuated characters. And E. Fromm described three social types of characters.

The psychological nature of the personality

Everyone has long known that significant changes occur in the psychological character of a person in the process of its development and life. Such changes are subject to typical (regular) and atypical (individual) trends.

Typical trends include changes that occur with a psychological nature in the process of growing up a person. This happens because the older the individual becomes, the faster he gets rid of childish manifestations in character, which distinguish children's behavior from adults. Childish personality traits include capriciousness, tearfulness, fears, irresponsibility. Adult traits that come with age include tolerance, life experience, intelligence, wisdom, prudence, etc.

As one moves along the life path and gains life experience, the individual changes in his views on events, and their attitudes towards them change. Which together also affects the final formation of character. Therefore, there are certain differences between people of different age groups.

So, for example, people between the ages of about 30 and 40 live mainly in the future, they live in ideas and plans. All their thoughts, their activity are aimed at the realization of the future. And people who have reached the age of 50 have come to the point where their present life meets simultaneously with their past life and their future. And therefore, their character is modified in such a way as to correspond to the present. This is the age when people completely say goodbye to dreams, but are not yet ready to be nostalgic for the past years. People who have overcome the 60-year milestone practically do not think about the future, they are much more concerned about the present, they have memories of the past. Also, due to physical ailments, the previously taken pace and rhythm of life is no longer available to them. This leads to the appearance of such character traits as slowness, measuredness, and tranquility.

Atypical, specific tendencies are directly related to the events experienced by a person, i.e. caused by past life.

As a rule, character traits that are similar to existing ones are fixed much faster and appear faster.

It should always be remembered that character is not a fixed value, it is formed throughout the entire life cycle of a person.

The social nature of personality

Individuals of any society, despite their individual personal characteristics and differences, have something in common in their psychological manifestations and properties, therefore they act as ordinary representatives of this society.

The social character of the individual is a general way of adaptability of the individual to the influence of society. It is created by religion, culture, education system and upbringing in the family. It should also be borne in mind that even in the family, the child receives the upbringing that is approved in this society and corresponds to the culture, is considered normal, ordinary and natural.

According to E. Fromm, social character means the result of a person's adaptation to one or another image of the organization of society, to the culture in which he is brought up. He believes that none of the well-known developed societies in the world will allow the individual to fully realize himself. From this it follows that the individual is in conflict with society from birth. Therefore, we can conclude that the social nature of the individual is a kind of mechanism that allows the individual to exist freely and with impunity in any society.

The process of adaptation of an individual in society occurs with a distortion of the character of the individual and his personality, to the detriment of it. According to Fromm, the social character is a kind of defense, an individual's response to a situation that causes frustration in the social environment, which does not allow the individual to freely express himself and fully develop, putting him obviously within the framework and limitations. In society, a person will not be able to fully develop the inclinations and opportunities inherent in him by nature. As Fromm believed, the social character is instilled in the individual and has a stabilizing character. From the moment an individual begins to have a social character, he becomes completely safe for the society in which he lives. Fromm identified several variants of this nature.

Personal character accentuation

Accentuation of the character of a person is a pronounced feature of character traits, which is within the recognized norm. Depending on the magnitude of the severity of character traits, accentuation is divided into hidden and explicit.

Under the influence of specific environmental factors or circumstances, some weakly expressed or not at all manifested features can be clearly expressed - this is called hidden accentuation.

By explicit accentuation is understood the extreme manifestation of the norm. This type is characterized by the constancy of features for a certain character. Accentuations are dangerous in that they can contribute to the development of mental disorders, situationally defined pathological behavioral disorders, neuroses, etc. However, one should not confuse and identify the accentuation of a personality's character with the concept of pathology of the psyche.

K. Leongrad identified the main types and combinations of accentuations.

A feature of the hysteroid type is egocentrism, excessive thirst for attention, recognition of individual abilities, the need for approval and reverence.

People with a hyperthymic type are prone to a high degree of sociability, mobility, a tendency to mischief, and excessive independence.

Asthenoneurotic - characterized by high fatigue, irritability, anxiety.

Psychosthenic - manifested by indecision, love of demagoguery, self-digging and analysis, suspiciousness.

A distinctive feature of the schizoid type is isolation, detachment, lack of sociability.

The sensitive type is manifested by increased resentment, sensitivity, shyness.

Excitable - characterized by a tendency to regularly recurring periods of dreary mood, the accumulation of irritation.

Emotionally labile - characterized by a very changeable mood.

Infantile-dependent - observed in people who play in children who avoid taking responsibility for their actions.

Unstable type - manifests itself in a constant craving for various kinds of entertainment, pleasure, idleness, idleness.