72. Individual and typical in character Typical as a reflection of the general in the conditions of life and human nature. Character is a socio-historical phenomenon; consequently, there can be no universal characters outside of time and space. There are certain

It's not just about character When we talk about character and temperament, there is a danger that you will take it for granted, which is no longer subject to change, they say, such is your destiny, you were born that way. This is not entirely true. Yes, human temperament is determined

What is character

Introduction

Character is a certain style of relationships and human behavior that has developed and strengthened under the influence of life influences and upbringing. The character of a person expresses a certain warehouse of his needs and interests, aspirations and goals, feelings and will, manifested in the selectivity of his reality and behavior, in attitudes and manners of behavior. The following basic qualities are distinguished in the character: moral education, completeness, integrity, certainty, strength, balance. Moral education characterizes a person, both in terms of his relationships and forms of behavior, and is the leading and most socially valuable quality of character. Completeness characterizes the versatility of needs and interests, aspirations and hobbies, the diversity of human activities. Some people are distinguished by versatility, others by narrowness, one-sidedness and limited development. Integrity characterizes the internal unity of a person's mental make-up, the consistency of his relations with various aspects of reality, the absence of contradictions in aspirations and interests, the unity of word and deed. Definiteness characterizes the firmness and inflexibility of behavior that constantly corresponds to established beliefs, moral and political ideas and concepts, the developed main direction that makes up the meaning of human life and activity. Strength characterizes the energy with which a person pursues his goals, the ability to get carried away passionately and develop a great effort of strength when meeting with difficulties and obstacles and overcoming them. Balance characterizes the most optimal or favorable ratio of restraint and activity for activity and communication with people. These basic properties are in a complex, sometimes contradictory relationship. Completeness, wholeness, certainty and strength of character are determined as a result of life influences and education. Character is formed in the process of continuous interaction of the individual with the surrounding people, in the process of reflecting the emerging circumstances of life and upbringing. The fullness and strength of their character depend on the range of impressions and the variety of people's activities.

General concept about character

Literally translated from Greek, character means chasing, imprint. In psychology, character is understood as the totality of individual-peculiar mental properties that manifest themselves in a person under typical conditions and are expressed in the ways of activity inherent in such conditions.

Character is an individual combination of essential personality traits that express a person’s attitude to reality and are manifested in his behavior, in his actions.

Character is interconnected with other aspects of the personality, in particular with temperament and abilities. Character, like temperament, is fairly stable and little changeable. Temperament on the form of manifestation of character, peculiarly coloring one or another of its features. So, persistence in a choleric person is expressed in vigorous activity, in a phlegmatic person - in concentrated deliberation. Choleric works energetically, passionately, phlegmatic - methodically, slowly. On the other hand, the temperament itself is rebuilt under the influence of character: a person with a strong character can suppress some of the negative aspects of his temperament, control its manifestations. Ability is inextricably linked with character. A high level of abilities is associated with such character traits as collectivism - a feeling of inextricable connection with the team, a desire to work for its good, faith in one's own strengths and capabilities, combined with constant dissatisfaction with one's achievements, high demands on oneself, and the ability to be critical of one's work. The flourishing of abilities is associated with the ability to persistently overcome difficulties, not to lose heart under the influence of failures, to work in an organized manner, to show initiative. The connection between character and abilities is also expressed in the fact that the formation of such character traits as diligence, initiative, determination, organization, perseverance occurs in the same activity of the child in which his abilities are formed. For example, in the process of labor as one of the main types of activity, on the one hand, the ability to work develops, and on the other, diligence as a character trait.

In communicating with people, the character of a person is manifested in the manner of behavior, in the ways of responding to the actions and deeds of people. The manner of communication can be more or less delicate, tactful or unceremonious, polite or rude. Character, unlike temperament, is determined not so much by the properties of the nervous system as by the culture of a person, his upbringing.

There is a division of human personality traits into motivational and instrumental. Motivational encourage, direct activity, support it, and instrumental give it a certain style. Character can be attributed to the number of instrumental personality traits. It is not the content that depends on it, but the manner in which the activity is performed. True, as was said, character can also be manifested in the choice of the goal of an action. However, when the goal is defined, the character appears more in its instrumental role, i.e. as a means to achieve the goal.

We list the main personality traits that are part of the character of a person. Firstly, these are the personality traits that determine the actions of a person in choosing the goals of activity (more or less difficult). Here, as certain characterological traits, rationality, prudence, or their opposite qualities can appear. Secondly, the character structures include features that relate to actions aimed at achieving the set goals: perseverance, purposefulness, consistency, and others, as well as alternatives to them (as evidence of a lack of character). In this regard, character approaches not only temperament, but also the will of a person. Thirdly, the composition of the character includes purely instrumental traits that are directly related to temperament: extraversion - introversion, calmness - anxiety, restraint - impulsivity, switchability - rigidity, etc. a peculiar combination of all these character traits in one person allows us to classify him as a certain type . In the next section, consider the typology of characters.

IV SEMESTER

MODULE 3

Lecture #2 (27)

Theme: "Character"

Plan

1. General concept of character and its definition.

2. Character structure.

3. Typology of character.

4. Personality and character.

5. Formation of character.

General concept of character and its definition.

Psychology concept character (from the Greek. character - “seal”, “chasing”), means a set of stable individual characteristics of a person that develops and manifests itself in activity and communication, causing typical behaviors for her.

When they determine the character of a person, they do not say that such and such a person showed courage, truthfulness, frankness, but that this person is brave, truthful, frank, i.e. these qualities are the properties of a given person, traits of his character, which can manifest themselves under appropriate circumstances. Knowing the nature of a person makes it possible with a significant degree of probability to foresee and thereby correct the expected actions and deeds. It is not uncommon to say about a person with character: "He had to do just that, he could not do otherwise - such is his character."

However, not all human features can be considered characteristic, but only significant And sustainable . 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.

Acting as a lifetime education of a person, 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 is played here by social conditions and specific life circumstances in which life path man, on the basis of his natural properties and as a result of his deeds and deeds. However, the actual formation of character occurs in groups of different levels of development (family, friendly company, class, sports team, work 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 the team, as a group of a high level of development, the most favorable opportunities are created for the development of the best character traits. This process is mutual, and thanks to the development of the 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. Exactly orientation personality is the basis of 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 a person are not the same thing. Good-natured and cheerful can be both a decent, highly moral person, and a person with low, unscrupulous thoughts. The orientation of the individual leaves an imprint on all human behavior. And although behavior is determined not by one impulse, but by an integral system of relations, in this system something always comes to the fore, dominating it, giving a peculiar flavor to the character of a person.

In the formed character, the leading component is system beliefs . 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. personality traits are closely related to interests 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 definite 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.).

Character structure.

Character human personality always versatile. Individual features or aspects can be distinguished in it, which, however, do not exist in isolation, separately from each other, but are connected together, forming a more or less integral structure of character.

Structure character is found in a regular relationship between its individual features. If a person is cowardly, there is reason to believe that he will not have initiative (fearing an unfavorable turn of the proposal or act initiated by him), decisiveness and independence (making a decision involves personal responsibility), selflessness and generosity (helping another may infringe on his own in some way). interests, which is dangerous for him). At the same time, from a person who is cowardly by nature, one can expect humiliation and obsequiousness (in relation to the strong), conformity (not to turn out to be a "black sheep"), greed (to insure oneself financially for the future), readiness for betrayal (in any case , under extreme circumstances that threaten his safety), distrust and caution (“Belikovsky” - according to A.P. Chekhov - “no matter what happens”), etc. Of course, not every person whose character is dominated by cowardice will demonstrate a character structure similar to that described above, including all of the listed traits. In different life circumstances, it can be significantly transformed and can even include qualities that seem to be opposite to the dominant ones (for example, a coward can be arrogant). However, the general tendency towards the manifestation of just such a complex of character traits for a cowardly person will prevail.

The nature of a person is quite multifaceted. This can be seen already in the process of activity: one does everything quickly, the other slowly and thoroughly, thinks carefully, acting for sure, and the third immediately grabs work without thinking, and only after a certain period of time, without solving the problem from a swoop, looks around and coordinates its actions, taking into account the circumstances. These features, distinguished in human behavior, are called traits , or parties, character. Any trait is some stable stereotype of behavior.

However, character traits cannot be plucked out of the typical situations in which they appear, and, as noted above, in some situations even a polite person can be rude. Therefore, any character trait is a stable form of behavior in connection with specific, typical situations for this type of behavior.

According to Yu.M. Orlov, along with situations in which a certain trait of a person is found, its essential characteristic is the probability that this type of behavior will take place in a given situation. One can talk about any trait as a stable characteristic of a person if the probability of its manifestation in a certain situation is high enough. However, the probability means that this feature is not always manifested, otherwise it would just be a matter of mechanical behavior. Such an understanding of character traits is very similar to the manifestation of a person's habit: in certain conditions, to act in a certain way. Such a trait as altruism can manifest itself in the habit of helping everyone who needs it. A habit cannot always turn into a character trait, it is only a predisposition to act accordingly. A character trait includes a certain way of thinking, understanding. Volitional mechanisms are included in the commission of a characteristic act, feelings are involved. The habit does not include these components. At the same time, by conditioning a person's behavior, a character trait in behavior is formed. To become an altruist, one must constantly help people, although the first altruistic act could be caused by a random impulse.

Among the character traits, some act as the main, leading, setting the general direction for the development of the entire complex of its manifestations. Along with them, there are secondary features, which in some cases are determined by the main ones, while in others they may not be in harmony with them. In life, there are more integral characters and more contradictory. The existence of integral characters makes it possible to single out certain types of characters, endowed with common features, among a huge variety of characters.

Character traits cannot be identified with beliefs, outlook on life and other features of the personality orientation. One good-natured and cheerful person can be highly moral and decent, and the other - also good-natured and cheerful - but at the same time does not disdain any, including unscrupulous, actions to achieve his goals.

Character traits and attitudes of the personality, manifested in actions and deeds, in the extent to which the subject is actively involved in joint activities, the character turns out to be dependent both on the content of the activity, and on successful or unsuccessful overcoming of difficulties, on distant or immediate prospects in achieving the main life goals.

At the same time, character depends on how a person relates (on the basis of his previously established features) to his failures and successes, to public opinion and a number of other circumstances. Thus, people studying in the same class of school or working on an equal footing in the same brigade acquire different character traits depending on whether they cope with the task. Some success inspires and encourages them to work or study even better, others tend to "rest on their laurels"; failure depresses some, in others it awakens a “fighting spirit”.

Thus, the most important moment in the formation of character is how a person relates to environment to oneself and to others. These relationships are at the same time the basis for the classification of the most important character traits.

The character of a person is manifested, firstly, in the fact that how he treats other people : relatives and friends, work and study comrades, acquaintances and little acquaintances, etc. Stable and unstable affection, adherence to principles and unscrupulousness, sociability and isolation, truthfulness and deceit, tact and rudeness reveal a person's attitude towards other people.

Secondly, it is indicative of the character a person's attitude towards himself : pride and self-esteem or humiliation and self-doubt. For some people, selfishness and egocentrism (placing oneself at the center of all events) come to the fore, for others - selflessness in the struggle for a common cause.

Thirdly, character is found in person's attitude to work . So, among the most valuable character traits are conscientiousness and diligence, seriousness, enthusiasm, responsibility for the assigned work and concern for its results.

Fourth, character is manifested in man's relationship to things : not only attitude towards property in general, but also careful or careless handling of one's belongings, with clothes, shoes, books, teaching aids surrounding nature, etc.

The activity of a person, his behavior is primarily determined by the goals that he sets for himself, and the main determinant of his behavior and activity always remains the direction of his personality - the totality of his interests, ideals and beliefs. However, two people who have a lot in common in the direction of their personality and whose goals coincide can differ significantly in the methods they use to achieve these goals. Behind these differences are personality traits. In the character of a person, as it were, there is a program of his typical behavior in typical circumstances. “Knowing the character of T.,” the teacher says about his student, “I am sure that he will not restrain himself, will say a lot of superfluous things, perhaps he will be rude, unfair, and then he will regret what happened, walk for three days in a repentant mood and in the end will do everything possible to make amends." Character traits, therefore, have a certain motivating, motivating power, which is most pronounced in stressful situations, when it is necessary to make a choice of actions, to overcome significant difficulties.

A resolute person, by his nature, passes from impulses to actions often without any long struggle of motives. Tact as a character trait of an individual contributes to the manifestation of caution in statements, which involves taking into account a number of circumstances and problems that are significant for the people with whom he communicates.

So, as a character trait, the degree of expression in an individual can be considered achievement motivation - his need for the obligatory achievement of success in any activity, no matter what he is busy with, especially in conditions of competition with other people. Achievement motivation as a personality trait is formed in vivo as a result of systematic and personally significant rewards for success and punishment for failures.

Typology of character.

Attempts to investigate character have been made since time immemorial. An independent doctrine of character was formed - characterology which has a long history of development. The most important problems of this doctrine for centuries have been the identification of character types and their determination by external manifestations in order to predict human behavior in various situations.

The typology of characters is usually built on the existence of certain typical features. Typical are traits and manifestations of character that are common and indicative for a certain group of people. Accordingly, the type of character should be understood as an expression in the individual character of traits common to a certain group of people.

It should also be noted that all typologies of human characters, as a rule, proceed from a number of general ideas.

1. The character of a person is formed relatively early in ontogenesis and manifests itself as a more or less stable personality formation throughout the rest of life.

2. Combinations of personality traits that are part of a person's character are not random.

3. Most people, in accordance with their main character traits, can be divided into typical groups.

It should be noted that attempts to create character typologies have not always been based on scientific methods.

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 . In practice, all horoscopes are compiled in the same way: the generally accepted time period is divided into certain intervals, each of which is assigned a certain sign, symbol. The description of a person's character is given through the prism of the various properties of this symbol. However, the characters of people born at the same time, according to different horoscopes, turn out to be different. So, for example, in accordance with the horoscope of the Druids, who connect human characters with trees, a person born in the interval from December 22 to January 1 is an apple tree. According to the horoscope, the apple tree is rarely tall, there is a lot of cuteness in it, a lot of charm, cordiality. Inspires the thought of love, even when she herself does not think about it. According to the astrological signs of the Zodiac, a person born between December 22 and January 20 is Capricorn. According to this horoscope, this suggests a stubborn character, the most persistent, hardy, hidden, secretly proud. Lives in reality, overcoming troubles and obstacles. Oriental horoscopes establish 12-year cycles, each of which passes under the sign of some animal. A person born in a certain year receives a number of innate properties, in accordance with which his character is formed. However, the comparison of the characteristics of similar animals in Japanese or, say, Chinese horoscopes also differs significantly.

No less popular attempts associate a person's character with his name . IN Lately this branch of characterology received a new impetus for development. Theorists this direction believe that the determining influence of a person's name on his character is caused by the following factors. On the one hand, the maximum growth rate of muscle tissue in a child is observed in the first months of life, on the other hand, at the same time, the very range of sounds that a child observes is his own name. The baby does not imitate the sounds he hears, but imitates the voiced facial expressions. As a result, the child reflexively stimulates nerve impulses precisely in those muscle groups - facial, articulatory and respiratory, which are involved in pronouncing the name. The metabolism in the muscles where the impulse occurs accelerates against the background of already rapid growth. In the end, these small, but noticeable in their influence on the structure of facial muscles, facial muscles will be accentuated developed. That is why people with the same names look alike. This is how character is formed.

Significant influence on the development of characterology had physiognomy - the doctrine of the relationship between the external appearance of a person and his belonging to a certain type of personality, due to which, by external signs, psychological characteristics of this type. Already Aristotle and Plato proposed to determine the character of a person, looking for features of similarity with some animal in his appearance, and then identified his character, as in the eastern horoscope, with the character of this animal. So, according to Aristotle, a nose as thick as a bull's meant laziness, a wide nose with large nostrils, like a pig's, - stupidity, a nose like a lion's - importance, hair thin, like wool from goats, sheep and hares, timidity , hair is tough, like that of lions and wild boars - courage.

The most famous was the physiognomic system of Johann Kasper Lavater, who considered the study of the structure of the head, the configuration of the skull, facial expressions, etc. to be the main way of understanding the human character. So, according to Lavater, Goethe's genius is most evidenced by his nose, which "marks productivity, taste and love - in a word, poetry."

When determining the character of a person, physiognomists used a variety of signs as defining ones. So, in addition to the nose, attention was paid to the human mouth. A. Delestre noted that the degree of clenching of the lips is directly proportional to the hardness of character; relaxed lips are a sign of possessing “female” character traits (softness, courtesy), and the more - the more pronounced (for a stupid person, for example, the mouth is generally open). This was explained by the fact that even when a person laughs, a certain mask reflexively appears on his face, which is appropriately associated with the character. A smile can be self-satisfied, sweet, happy, bright, cold, mocking, meek, stupid, etc.

The characteristic relationships of a person are manifested not only in the facial expressions of his mouth, but also in speech. The character of a person is revealed as in the content speeches , i.e. in what the given person mainly talks about, and in the form of speech, in the way he speaks. Great writers often emphasized the character of the characters in their works through their speech. Hail Prostakova: “Lies! Oh, she's a beast! Lies! As if noble! ..”, testifies to the heartlessness, rudeness, cruelty of the “noble” noblewoman in relation to her devoted Eremeevna.

However, the most important indicator of character was eyes person. Even the ancients said: "The eyes are the mirror of the soul." Aristotle pointed out that large, good-natured, but bulging eyes are a sign of stupidity. L.N. Tolstoy distinguished, for example, cunning eyes, radiant, bright eyes, sad, cold, lifeless. He wrote: “There are people who have only laughing eyes - these are cunning and selfish people. There are people whose mouth laughs without eyes - they are weak, indecisive people, and both of these laughter are unpleasant.

At present, under these purely fictional facts, they are trying to bring scientific evidence. American psychologists J.Glive and E.Clery, after a five-year study of character traits of about 10 thousand children, proved that children with dark eyes have more life, initiative and a more restless character than children with light eyes. In adults, some deviations are possible. The authors argue that people with dark blue eyes are very persistent, but tend to be sentimental. They easily give in to moods, remember grievances for a long time, are capricious, sometimes their actions are unpredictable. People with dark gray eyes are stubborn and courageous, they are persistent and achieve their goal, despite various difficulties. They are quick-tempered and vindictive, jealous, mostly monogamous. Those who have dark brown eyes are cheerful, witty, quick-tempered, but quick-witted. They are amorous, but not very constant. As a rule, they are sociable, love humor, easily converge with people. Often they act recklessly, after which they are tormented by remorse. Owners of light brown eyes are shy, prone to solitude, dreamy, hard to endure the offense inflicted on them. Hardworking, diligent, you can rely on them - they will not let you down. Blue eyes indicate romantic inclinations, but at the same time, selfishness and conceit. The blue-eyed ones are easily amenable to impulses, but quickly cool down. Their undeniably positive feature is truthfulness. As for people with green and gray-green eyes, then, as J.Glive and E.Clery assure, in most cases they have a strong will, resolutely and rigorously go towards their goal. They are persistent. They are tough and intractable.

As a separate direction of characterology, one can single out the definition of the individual characteristics of a person according to his posture, body position . According to some psychologists, the character is most clearly revealed in the posture of a person: how he stands, how he walks, how he sits, and even in what position he falls asleep. In everyday consciousness, for example, there is an opinion that arrogant people more often tilt their bodies back, stick out their chests, throwing their heads back. The sycophant leans forward all over, his gaze ingratiating, although there is a barely noticeable cunning laugh in the corners of his eyes, a wide, obsequious smile on his face.

And here is how women are characterized by the posture in which they sit on a chair, modern characterology. If a woman prefers to sit on the edge of a chair, squeezing her knees, then she is very active, cheerful, restless. He constantly grabs at everything, not finishing what he started to the end. They are too impatient, but they involve in any undertaking even those who do not like this or that work. They spend the whole day in trouble, but they do not see an end to them in the following days. The position crosswise in the area of ​​the knees, the legs extended forward, and the hands lying on the knees - a type of selfish, self-satisfied, narcissistic women. She tries to attract attention at all costs and strives to show herself smarter than others in all matters. If she fails, she becomes aggressive or retires to a dark corner. Too curious. Legs stretched forward, one slightly ahead of the other, “speak” of an unstable, quarrelsome character. These women believe that they know everything, and only in exceptional cases admit their mistakes. Their perseverance to convince the interlocutor of their own rightness quickly bothers. Despite this, their arguments are often irresistible, and in many matters logic is on their side.

Palmistry has no less famous and rich history than the physiognomic trend in characterology. Palmistry (from 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. Palmistry has been known since ancient times, but it flourished most in the 16th-18th centuries, when there were departments of palmistry in many universities in Europe. In its origins, palmistry is closely related to astrology, since the main signs of the hand that are taken into account are the "7 hills" in the palm, called the names of the Sun and planets: Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Mars and the Moon.

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 . In particular, it was shown that the formation of the pattern of the palms of each person, as well as the development of the brain, occurs in 3-4 months of intrauterine development and is due to the same influence of the gene set of the parents or chromosomal abnormalities of the fetus. Therefore, palmistry should be considered rather as an anatomical or physiological feature of the body, and it can be put on a par with constitutional direction of characterology, a prominent representative of which was E. Kretschmer. Kretschmer considered character in connection with the structure of the body as the mental constitution of a person, corresponding to his bodily constitution, and explained character, ultimately, by innate, primarily endocrine factors.

However, at present, neither anthropology, nor anatomy, nor psychology have any reliable data that a person’s character depends on the structure of the body, facial configuration, eye color, etc. Does it follow from this that the determination of a person's character on the basis of the study of his appearance is impossible? It probably makes sense to recall the statement of Charles Darwin that it is essential for a physiognomist to know that “... each individual contracts mainly only certain muscles of the face, following his personal inclinations. These muscles may be more developed, and therefore the lines and wrinkles of the face, formed by their normal contraction, may become deeper and more visible. The connection between the appearance of a person and the warehouse of his character is clearly seen as in literary works, and in the image of the great masters of the portrait. However, scientific psychology proceeds from the position that the relationship between the habitual facial expression of a person and the warehouse of his character is not unambiguous. This or that facial expression, folds, wrinkles can have a variety of causes. And here one cannot but agree with A.V. Petrovsky that the reason for a slightly ajar mouth can be not only the stupidity of a person, but also deafness, and a sick nasopharynx, and strained attention.

The most vivid, clear idea of ​​a person's character can be obtained by knowing the specifics of his actions, behavior, and activities. Movements and actions, the implementation of which becomes a need under certain conditions, as you know, are called habits. Here it is appropriate to recall the Eastern proverb: "Sow an act - you reap a habit, sow a habit - you reap a character, sow a character - you reap a destiny." The emphasis in it is on the habitual actions of a person, which, repeating themselves, become character traits, making up his being, influencing the position of a person in public life and the attitude of other people towards him. This was also pointed out by André and Gaston Durvili, according to whom the expression is a gesture fixed by a long repetition. The idea and its external image are closely related. That is why the movements of musicians are beautiful, harmonious, and weak-minded people are usually awkward in their movements. Fearful people, according to Durvili, betray themselves with discordant gestures. It is caused by "reckless fears that swirl through their minds. Their eyebrows, forehead, lips, arms, and legs also randomly gesticulate. If they want to say something, they can't because of stuttering. It is common for them to break a chair, sit on someone's hat, spill tea, etc.

In this respect, diagnostically more valuable 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. Graphological information, accumulated over the centuries, established a connection between two series of facts - the features of handwriting and character. Some of the connections were pretty obvious: "The eccentric (original) writes in a peculiar way, so it's easy to recognize him." Others are not so clear: "A strong slope expresses great impressionability."

In those days when writing was a professional art - calligraphy, it seemed obvious that writing was connected not only with the technique, skills and abilities of the author, but also with his spiritual and moral character. The calligrapher was subjected to the most severe requirements of asceticism, for pure writing required a person endowed with enormous self-control, with a rigid internal organization, in order to fully master the handwriting, so that nothing superfluous, nothing distorting the form, penetrated into the letter from the psyche. At present, unequivocal links between the graphic features of writing and the supposedly corresponding character traits are not confirmed. The dependence of handwriting on the emotional state and some typological properties of higher nervous activity has been most reliably established. The specific features of handwriting serve to diagnose certain mental illnesses. For example, the handwriting of patients with schizophrenia is often distinguished by pretentiousness, deliberate stylization.

Even N.A. Bernshtein noted that most of all the mechanics of the movement of a living organism is distinguished from the movement of a machine by the “redundancy of the degree of freedom”. The same action can be performed in many ways, so in each action it is possible to single out something that can be associated with the personal meaning of this action. Thanks to this, writers can very accurately convey the character of their hero. So, for example, M. Yulermontov in the story "A Hero of Our Time" wrote: "His gait was careless, lazy, but I noticed that he did not wave his arms - a sure sign of some secrecy."

The most objective and irrefutable data about a person's character is provided not by his passport data, not by the features of his external appearance, not by his involuntary actions, but by conscious behavior.

The individual character reflects the diverse typical features : national, professional, age. Thus, people of the same nationality are in the conditions of life that have developed over many generations, they experience the specific features of 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. Being refracted in a peculiar way, typical features inherent in preschool children, adolescents, the elderly, etc. appear in national characteristics. It is not difficult to describe the typical character of a teacher, doctor, military man, at the same time, each typical character has its own individual features. So, in literature there are many images of misers, i.e. people in whose minds a passion for hoarding is sharply expressed (Plyushkin, Gobsek, Miserly Knight, etc.), but each of them is an individual.

Despite stability, the type of character has a certain plasticity. Under the influence of the life circumstances of upbringing, the requirements of society, the type of character changes and develops. It is enough to trace the dynamics of the development of the character of a person who has devoted himself to a pedagogical specialty. Consistently passing the stages of professional growth: a student on teaching practice, a teacher is a young specialist, an experienced teacher and, possibly, a head teacher or school director, he loses some character traits of the previous one and acquires new ones, characteristic of the next age or professional group.

In general, there can be no absolute or universal classification of characters, dividing them into types. The grounds for typification are usually introduced by a researcher or an interested person in order to, in accordance with the existing task, divide people into groups according to their predominant qualities. So similar characters can be observed in people with dominant volitional or emotional qualities. Accordingly, the characters are divided into types: strong-willed (active, purposeful, active); emotional (acting under the influence of impulse, experiences); rational (evaluating everything in terms of reasonableness).

K. Jung proposed to classify characters depending on belonging to extroverted And introverted type .The first type is characterized by the orientation of the personality to the world, the objects of which, like a magnet, attract the interests, vital energy of the subject, in a certain sense leads to a belittling of the personal significance of the phenomena of his subjective world. Extroverts are characterized by impulsiveness, initiative, flexibility of behavior, sociability. Introverts are characterized by fixing the interests of the individual on the phenomena of their own inner world, to which they attach the highest value, lack of sociability, isolation, a tendency to introspection, difficult adaptation. It is also possible to classify into comfortable and independent; dominating and submissive; normative and anarchic and other types.

In addition to the fact that the number of character traits is extremely large (there are about 1500 of them in the dictionary of the Russian language by S.I. Ozhegov), each of the traits has a different quantitative degree of severity. Each person is honest, frank, cheerful, proud, generous, etc., but each person has his own measure of honesty, frankness, cheerfulness, pride, generosity. So, for example, even when people talk about the generosity of a person, behind this they can stand in the very simple version the following gradations: not very generous; generous, but not very; generous and very generous, etc. The quantitative development of this or that character trait can reach its limit, the limit, which is still considered normal, socially acceptable behavior.

Excessive expression of individual character traits and their combinations, representing extreme variants of the norm, is called character accentuation . Practical accentuation is the ultimate value, the extreme version of the manifestation of the norm. Character accentuation is characterized by increased vulnerability only to a certain kind of psycho-traumatic influences, addressed to the so-called “place of least resistance” of this type of character, while maintaining resistance to others. This weak link in a person’s character manifests itself only in situations that place increased demands on the functioning of this particular link, in all other situations that do not affect the vulnerable points of the character, the individual behaves without disruption without causing trouble either to others or to himself.

Depending on the degree of severity, explicit and hidden (latent) character accentuations are distinguished. Explicit, or pronounced, accentuations are classified as the extreme limit of the norm and are distinguished by permanent features of a certain type of character. Hidden accentuation is the usual version of the norm, expressed weakly or not expressed at all. Such accentuations can appear unexpectedly under the influence of situations and traumas that make demands on the place of least resistance, while psychogenic factors of a different kind, even severe ones, not only do not cause mental disorders, but may not even reveal the type of character. Both types of accentuation can pass into each other under the influence of various factors, among which an important role is played by the features of family upbringing, social environment, professional activity etc.

The concept of "accentuation" was introduced into psychology by K. Leonhard. His concept of "accentuated personalities" was based on the assumption of the presence of basic and additional personality traits. There are much fewer main features, but they are the core of the personality, determine its development, adaptation and mental health. With a significant expression of the main features, they leave an imprint on the personality as a whole, and under adverse circumstances they can destroy the entire structure of the personality.

According to Leonhard, personality accentuations, first of all, are manifested in communication with other people. Therefore, evaluating communication styles, certain types of accentuations can be distinguished. IN classification proposed Leonhard , includes the following types:

1. Hyperthymic type. He is characterized by extreme contact, talkativeness, expressiveness gestures, mimics, pantomimes. Such a person often spontaneously deviates from the original topic of conversation. He has episodic conflicts with people around him because of an insufficiently serious attitude to his official and family responsibilities. People of this type are often the initiators of conflicts themselves, but are upset if others make comments to them about this. From positive traits, attractive to communication partners, people of this type are characterized by energy, thirst for activity, optimism, initiative. At the same time, they also have some repulsive features: frivolity, a tendency to immoral acts, increased irritability, projectionism, and an insufficiently serious attitude to their duties. They can hardly endure the conditions of strict discipline, monotonous activity, forced loneliness.

2. Distimy type. He is characterized by low contact, reticence, and a dominant pessimistic mood. Such people are usually homebodies, burdened by a noisy society, rarely come into conflict with others, lead a secluded life. They highly value those who are friends with them, and are ready to obey them. They have the following personality traits that are attractive to communication partners: seriousness, conscientiousness, a heightened sense of justice. They also have repulsive features. This is passivity, slowness of thinking, slowness, individualism.

3. Cycloid type . He is characterized by fairly frequent periodic mood swings, as a result of which the manner of communicating with people around him also often changes. In a period of high mood, such people are sociable, and in a period of depression, they are closed. During a spiritual upsurge, they behave like people with a hyperthymic character accentuation, and during a recession, they behave like people with a dysthymic accentuation.

4. excitable type . This type is characterized by low contact in communication, slowness of verbal and non-verbal reactions. Often such people are boring and gloomy, prone to rudeness and abuse, to conflicts in which they themselves are an active, provocative side. They are quarrelsome in the team, powerful in the family. In an emotionally calm state, people of this type are often conscientious, accurate, love animals and small children. However, in a state of emotional arousal, they are irritable, quick-tempered, and have poor control over their behavior.

5. stuck type . He is characterized by moderate sociability, tediousness, a tendency to moralize, and taciturnity. In conflicts, such a person usually acts as an initiator, an active party. He strives to achieve high performance in any business he undertakes, makes high demands on himself; especially sensitive to social justice, at the same time touchy, vulnerable, suspicious, vengeful; sometimes overly arrogant, ambitious, jealous, makes exorbitant demands on relatives and subordinates at work.

6. Pedantic type . A person with this type of accentuation rarely enters into conflicts, acting as a passive rather than an active side in them. In the service, he behaves like a bureaucrat, presenting many formal requirements to those around him. At the same time, he willingly concedes leadership to other people. Sometimes he harasses the household with excessive claims for accuracy. Its attractive features are: conscientiousness, accuracy, seriousness, reliability in business, and repulsive and conducive to the emergence of conflicts - formalism, tediousness, grumbling.

7. alarm type . People with this type of accentuation are characterized by: low contact, timidity, self-doubt, minor mood. They rarely come into conflict with others, playing a mostly passive role in them, in conflict situations they seek support and support. Often they have the following attractive features: friendliness, self-criticism, diligence. Due to their defenselessness, they also often serve as "scapegoats", targets for jokes.

8. emotive type . These people prefer communication in a narrow circle of the elite, with whom good contacts are established, whom they understand "perfectly". Rarely do they themselves enter into conflicts, playing a passive role in them. Grievances are carried in themselves, not “spilling” out. Attractive traits: kindness, compassion, heightened sense of duty, diligence. Repulsive features: excessive sensitivity, tearfulness.

9. Demonstrative type . This type of accentuation is characterized by the ease of establishing contacts, the desire for leadership, the thirst for power and praise. Such a person demonstrates high adaptability to people and, at the same time, a tendency to intrigue (with an external softness of the manner of communication). People with this type of accentuation annoy those around them with self-confidence and high claims, systematically provoke conflicts themselves, but at the same time actively defend themselves. They have the following features that are attractive to communication partners: courtesy, artistry, the ability to captivate others, originality of thinking and actions. Their repulsive features: selfishness, hypocrisy, boasting, shirking work.

10. exalted type . He is characterized by high contact, talkativeness, amorousness. Such people often argue, but do not bring matters to open conflicts. In conflict situations, they are both active and passive side. At the same time, the faces of this typological group are attached and attentive to friends and relatives. They are altruistic, have a sense of compassion, good taste, show brightness and sincerity of feelings. Repulsive features: alarmism, susceptibility to momentary moods.

11. extrovert type . Such people are highly contactable, they have a lot of friends, acquaintances, they are talkative to the point of talkativeness, open to any information, rarely come into conflict with others and usually play a passive role in them. In communication with friends, at work and in the family, they often give up leadership to others, prefer to obey and be in the shadows. They have such attractive features as a willingness to listen carefully to another, to do what is asked, diligence. repulsive peculiarities: susceptibility to influence, frivolity, thoughtlessness of actions, passion for entertainment, participation in the spread of gossip and rumors.

12. introverted type . It, unlike the previous one, is characterized by very low contact, isolation, isolation from reality, and a tendency to philosophize. Such people love solitude; come into conflict with others only when trying to unceremoniously interfere in their personal lives. They are often emotionally cold idealists with relatively little attachment to people. They have such attractive features as restraint, strong convictions, adherence to principles. They also have repulsive features. This is stubbornness, rigidity of thinking, stubborn upholding of one's ideas. Such people have their own point of view on everything, which may turn out to be erroneous, differ sharply from the opinions of other people, and yet they continue to defend it, no matter what.

Later, the classification of characters based on the description of accentuations was proposed by A. E. Lichko . This classification is based on observations of adolescents.

Since character accentuations border on the corresponding types of psychopathic disorders, their typology is based on a detailed classification of such disorders in psychiatry, reflecting, nevertheless, the character property of a mentally healthy person, due to the fact that most character accentuations are formed to adolescence and is often most clearly manifested and it is in it that it is advisable to consider the classification by accentuation on the example of adolescents.

1. Hyperthymic type . Adolescents of this type are distinguished by mobility, sociability, and a tendency to mischief. They always make a lot of noise in the events taking place around them, they love the restless companies of their peers, with good general abilities they show restlessness, lack of discipline, and study unevenly. Their mood is always good and upbeat. They often have conflicts with adults, parents, teachers. Such teenagers have many different hobbies, but these hobbies, as a rule, are superficial and pass quickly. Adolescents of the hyperthymic type often overestimate their abilities, are too self-confident, strive to show themselves, show off, and impress others.

2. Cycloid type . It is characterized by increased irritability and a tendency to apathy. Teenagers of this type prefer to be at home alone instead of being somewhere with their peers. They are hard going through even minor troubles, they react extremely irritably to comments. Their mood periodically changes from elated to depressed (hence the name of this type) with periods of about two to three weeks.

3. labile type . This type is extremely changeable in mood, and it is often unpredictable. The reasons for an unexpected change in mood can be the most insignificant, for example, someone accidentally dropped an offensive word, someone's unfriendly look. All of them "are capable of sinking into despondency and a gloomy mood in the absence of any serious troubles and failures." A lot in their psychology and behavior depends on the momentary mood of these teenagers. According to this mood, the present and the future for them can be colored either with iridescent or gloomy colors. Such teenagers, when they are in a depressed mood, are in dire need of help and support from those who could improve their mood, who can distract them, cheer them up and entertain them.

4. Astheno-neurotic type . This type is characterized by increased suspiciousness and capriciousness, fatigue and irritability. Especially often fatigue manifests itself when performing a difficult task. The tendency to hypochondria is a particularly typical feature.

5. sensitive type . It is peculiar to him hypersensitivity to everything: to what pleases, and to what upsets or frightens. These teenagers do not like big companies, too gambling, mobile, mischievous games. They are usually shy and timid around strangers and therefore often come across as withdrawn. They are open and sociable only with those who are familiar to them; they prefer communication with children and adults to communication with peers. They are distinguished by obedience and show great affection for their parents. In adolescence, such adolescents may have difficulty adapting to the circle of peers, as well as an “inferiority complex”. At the same time, these same adolescents develop a sense of duty quite early, and high moral demands are made on themselves and those around them. What they lack in their ability, they often make up for in choice. complex types activity and increased diligence. These teenagers are choosy in finding friends and buddies for themselves, find great affection in friendship, adore friends who are older than them.

6. Psychasthenic type . These adolescents are characterized by early intellectual development, a tendency to reflection and reasoning, to introspection and evaluation of the behavior of other people. Such teenagers, however, are often stronger in words than in deeds. Their self-confidence is combined with indecision, and peremptory judgments are combined with hasty actions taken just at those moments when caution and prudence are required.

7. Schizoid type . Its most significant feature is isolation. These teenagers are not very attracted to their peers, they prefer to be alone, to be in the company of adults. “Mental loneliness does not even burden the schizoid teenager who lives in his own world with his unusual interests for children of this age.” Such teenagers often demonstrate outward indifference to other people, lack of interest in them. They poorly understand the state of other people, their experiences, they do not know how to sympathize. Their inner world is often filled with various fantasies, special hobbies. In the outward manifestation of their feelings, they are quite restrained, not always understandable to others, primarily for their peers, who, as a rule, do not like them very much.

8. epileptoid type . These teenagers often cry, harass others, especially in early childhood. “ Such children love to torture animals, beat and tease the younger and weak, mock the helpless and unable to fight back. In a children's company, they claim not just leadership, but the role of ruler. In the group of children they control, such teenagers establish their rigid, almost terrorist orders, and their personal power in such groups rests mainly on the voluntary obedience of other children or on fear. Under the conditions of a strict disciplinary regime, they often feel at their best, “they know how to please the authorities, achieve certain advantages, seize ... posts that give ... power, establish dictate over others.”

9. hysteroid type . The main feature of this type is egocentrism, a thirst for constant attention to one's person. Adolescents of this type have a tendency to theatricality, posturing, and panache. Such children can hardly endure when their comrade is praised in their presence, when others are given more attention than themselves. “The desire to attract eyes, listen to admiration and praise becomes an urgent need for them.” Such adolescents are characterized by claims to an exclusive position among their peers, and in order to influence others, to attract attention, they often act in groups as instigators and ringleaders. At the same time, being unable to act as real leaders and organizers of the case, to gain informal authority for themselves, they often and quickly fail.

10. Unstable type . He is sometimes incorrectly characterized as weak-willed, going with the flow. Adolescents of this type show an increased inclination and craving for entertainment, and indiscriminately, as well as for idleness and idleness. They do not have any serious, including professional interests, they hardly think about their future.

11. Conformal type . This type demonstrates thoughtless, uncritical, and often opportunistic submission to any authorities, to the majority in the group. Such teenagers are usually prone to moralizing and conservatism, and their main life credo is “to be like everyone else”. This is a type of opportunist who, for the sake of his own interests, is ready to betray a comrade, to leave him at a difficult moment, but no matter what he does, he will always find an excuse for his act, and often more than one.

To better understand the essence of the marked accentuations, we can consider their literary counterparts. So, Gavroche from the novel "Les Misérables" by V. Hugo has a hyperthymic type; in Sonya Marmeladova from the novel "Crime and Punishment" by F.M. Dostoevsky - emotive; in Shakespeare's Othello - stuck; in Milady from the novel "Three Musketeers" by A. Dumas and Moliere's Tartuffe - hysterical; Dmitry Karamazov has a pronounced excitable (close to psychopathy); in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet - exalted; Sancho Panso from Don Quixote by Cervantes is extroverted. Unlike "pure" types, mixed forms of accentuations are much more common as a result of the simultaneous development of several typical features or as a layering of new character traits on its existing structure.

As a rule, with proper educational work, character accentuations are smoothed out and compensated over time. But in complex psychogenic situations that affect the “weak link” of the character for a long time, accentuations can not only become the basis for acute affective reactions, but also be a condition for the development of psychopathy. Accentuation of character under the influence of adverse conditions can lead to pathological disorders and changes in personality behavior.

There are other classifications of character types. For example, a typology of character is widely known, built on the basis of a person’s attitude to life, society and moral values. Its author is E. Fromm, who called this classification social typology of characters. “Social character,” writes Fromm, “contains ... a selection of traits, an essential core of the character structure of most members of the group, which has developed as a result of the basic experience and way of life common to this group.” According to the author of this concept, the social character determines the thinking, emotions and actions of individuals. The various classes and groups of people that exist in society have their own social character. On its basis, certain social, national and cultural ideas develop and gain strength. However, these ideas are in themselves passive and can become real forces only when they meet special human needs.

Summarizing the observational data on the behavior of various people and correlating them with the practice of working in the clinic, E.Fromm brought out the following main types of social characters.

1. "Masochist-sadist" . This is the type of person who tends to see the reasons for his life success and failures, as well as the causes of observed social events not in the circumstances, but in people. In an effort to eliminate these causes, he directs his aggression towards the person who seems to him to be the cause of failure. If it is about himself, then his aggressive actions are directed at himself; if other people act as a cause, then they become victims of his aggressiveness.

Such a person is engaged in self-education, self-improvement, "remaking" people "for the better" a lot. With his persistent actions, exorbitant demands and claims, he sometimes brings himself and those around him to a state of exhaustion. Such a person is especially dangerous for those around him when he gains power over them: he begins to terrorize them, proceeding from “good intentions”.

Describing such people as a psychiatrist, Fromm wrote: "The most frequently manifested masochistic tendencies are a sense of one's own inferiority, helplessness, insignificance." Masochistic people show tendencies to belittle and weaken themselves, revel in self-criticism and self-flagellation, build unthinkable vain accusations on themselves, and in everything and above all try to take the blame on themselves, even if they have nothing to do with it.

According to Fromm, people of this type, along with masochistic tendencies, almost always have sadistic tendencies. They manifest themselves in the desire to make people dependent on themselves, to acquire complete and unlimited power over them, to exploit them, to inflict pain and suffering on them, to enjoy how they suffer. This type of person was named by Fromm authoritarian personality. Such personality traits were characteristic of many famous despots in history; Fromm included among them Hitler, Stalin and a number of other famous historical figures.

2. " Destroyer". It is characterized by pronounced aggressiveness and an active desire to eliminate, destroy the object that caused frustration, the collapse of hopes in this person. "Destructiveness," writes Fromm, "is a means of getting rid of an unbearable feeling of impotence." Destructiveness as a means of resolving their life problems is usually addressed by people who experience a sense of anxiety and powerlessness, are limited in the realization of their intellectual and emotional capabilities. During periods of great social upheavals, revolutions, upheavals, they act as the main force that destroys the old, including culture.

3. "Conformist-machine". Such an individual, faced with intractable social and personal life problems, ceases to "be himself." He unquestioningly submits to circumstances, society of any type, the requirements of a social group, quickly assimilating the type of thinking and behavior that is characteristic of most people in a given situation. Such a person almost never has either his own opinion or a pronounced social position. He actually loses his own "I", his individuality and is used to experiencing exactly the feelings that are expected of him in certain situations. Such a person is always ready to submit to any new authority, if necessary, quickly and without problems changes his beliefs, not particularly thinking about the moral side of such behavior. This is a type of conscious or unconscious opportunist.

The classification of characters has become widespread depending on belonging to extroverted And introverted type proposed by K. Jung. As you remember, extraversion - introversion is considered by modern psychology as a manifestation of temperament. The first type is characterized by the orientation of the personality to the surrounding world, the objects of which, like a magnet, attract the interests, vital energy of the subject, what in in a certain sense leads to a belittling of the personal significance of the phenomena of his subjective world. Extroverts are characterized by impulsiveness, initiative, flexibility of behavior, sociability. Introverts are characterized by fixing the interests of the individual on the phenomena of their own inner world, lack of communication, isolation, a tendency to introspection, and difficult adaptation. It is also possible to divide into conformal and independent, dominant and subordinate, normative and anarchic and other types.

It should be noted that all existing concepts of character types have one very significant drawback. The fact is that each person is individual and can not always be attributed to a certain type. Very often, a variety of character traits are quite developed in the same person. Therefore, a question arises, to which there is still no satisfactory answer: what to do with those people who do not fit into the classification and cannot be assigned unambiguously to any of the proposed types? Such an intermediate group of people makes up a fairly significant part - up to half of all people.

Personality and character.

It must be emphasized that character is one of the main manifestations of personality. Therefore, personality traits may well be considered as a character trait. Among such traits, first of all, it is necessary to include personality traits that determine the choice of goals of activity (more or less difficult). Here, as certain characterological traits, rationality, prudence, or their opposite qualities can appear. Secondly, the character structure includes traits that are manifested in actions aimed at achieving the set goals: perseverance, purposefulness of a person. Thirdly, the composition of the character includes instrumental traits that are directly related to temperament, for example, extraversion - introversion, calmness - anxiety, restraint - impulsiveness, switchability - rigidity, etc.

IN domestic psychology there was an opinion that temperament and character are very close, since the features of temperament in one form or another are reflected in the character of a person. This is due to the fact that the basic properties of temperament are formed much earlier than the formation of character is completed. Therefore, most well-known researchers are of the opinion that character develops on the basis of temperament. Temperament determines such traits in character as balance or imbalance of behavior, ease or difficulty of entering a new situation, mobility or inertness of reaction, etc. At the same time, it is necessary to be aware that temperament does not predetermine a person’s character.

IN modern science among the dominant views on The relationship between character and temperament can be divided into four main approaches:

First, very often there is an identification of character and temperament. An example of this is the concept of E. Kretschmer, who connected the body type with temperament and behavioral characteristics.

Secondly, in some psychological concepts one can find the opposition of character and temperament. Moreover, most often in these concepts, the antagonism of character and temperament is emphasized.

Thirdly, studying psychological concepts, we can meet with the opinions of various researchers that temperament is an element of character, its core, an invariable part. For example, S. L. Rubinshtein adhered to such a point of view.

Similar information.

Literally translated from Greek, character means chasing, imprint. In psychology, character is understood as the totality of individual-peculiar mental properties that manifest themselves in a person under typical conditions and are expressed in the ways of activity inherent in such conditions. Character is an individual combination of essential personality traits that express a person’s attitude to reality and are manifested in his behavior, in his actions. Character is interconnected with other aspects of the personality, in particular with temperament and abilities. Temperament on the form of manifestation of character, peculiarly coloring one or another of its features. So, persistence in a choleric person is expressed in vigorous activity, in a phlegmatic person - in concentrated deliberation. Choleric works energetically, passionately, phlegmatic - methodically, slowly. On the other hand, the temperament itself is rebuilt under the influence of character: a person with a strong character can suppress some of the negative aspects of his temperament, control its manifestations. Ability is inextricably linked with character. A high level of abilities is associated with such character traits as collectivism - a feeling of inextricable connection with the team, a desire to work for its good, faith in one's own strengths and capabilities, combined with constant dissatisfaction with one's achievements, high demands on oneself, and the ability to be critical of one's work. The flourishing of abilities is associated with the ability to persistently overcome difficulties, not to lose heart under the influence of failures, to work in an organized manner, to show initiative. The connection between character and abilities is also expressed in the fact that the formation of such character traits as diligence, initiative, determination, organization, perseverance occurs in the same activity of the child in which his abilities are formed. For example, in the process of labor as one of the main types of activity, on the one hand, the ability to work develops, and on the other, diligence as a character trait.

The problem of character and its development has a long history and is one of the most complex in psychology. The beginning of its study and development falls on the day of Ancient Greece and is associated with the names of Plato, Protagoras, Aristotle, Theophrastus (Theophrastus). However, this is forever. new problem, because it constantly arises with the birth of each child, with the advent of a new generation and indispensable concerns about its upbringing.

Interest in this problem has been significant in every era historical development human society. It is especially acute today in connection with the turning points in our country.

The term "character" is of Greek origin (from the verb "to scratch", "to write on stone, wood or copper"). First, it denoted a tool in order to develop coinage, stamp or brand, seal; then - the image of coinage, stamp, stamp, seal, signs of an imprint.For example, the value of a coin was determined by the image of a seal or an imprint.In ancient Greece, the image of coinage began to be applied to a person, first to determine the features of her face, and then - the characteristics of behavior.

Since ancient times, the term "character" has been understood as stable features, a set of stable properties or features that distinguish objects, phenomena. However, in ancient times this term was rarely used. Even in the first book on the character of Aristotle's disciple Theophrastus, which was written after about 319 BC. E. e., this term is used only once - in the title (the book is called "Characters"). And only since the 19th century. the word "character" with various shades of its generally accepted meaning begins to be widely used and firmly enters everyday and scientific language.

In the sense of stable signs, indicating differences, the word "character" is used in the natural and human sciences. In this sense, they talk about the nature of the disease, weather, painting, music, architecture. It takes on a slightly different meaning when talking about a person's character.

In relation to a person, revealing his character means showing that she has stable essential features or features that distinguish her from other people, emphasize her individual originality, determine behavior in general, attitude towards herself and other people, to activities and society; allow you to guess how it will act in certain situations and under certain circumstances.

Character plays a major role in revealing the content of a person's inner world, it manifests his "I", her life position. The essence of the personality is clearly and fully expressed in the character. And although personality is not limited to character, to know character is, in fact, to know personality. This is what people do in real life. They build personal relationships based on knowledge of each other's character, that is, knowledge of what unites them and separates them.

Character is the most valuable asset of a person. In communication with people, its vital importance is enormous. People with an unkind disposition are shunned and shunned because they are capable of creating difficulties and conflict situations where there is no ground for them, they constantly complicate the solution of everyday issues and the like. A person with a friendly character attracts, inspires trust and respect for himself, is an authority and a model of behavior for others. It becomes for others a clear measure of moral perfection. With her, life's difficulties are easily overcome, problems and conflicts are solved, mutual understanding is achieved. She is capable of providing disinterested assistance and always looks to the future with optimism.

There are several signs of character.

Firstly, character is understood as the quality of a person, something special in a person’s mental make-up, which distinguishes it from other people.

Secondly, the firmness of character and at the same time its plasticity are emphasized.

Thirdly, the expression of character in behavior is recognized, or in the form of formal dynamic qualities, the so-called immediate, primary, quick, emotionally colored reactions to external influences; or in the form of conscious aspirations to act in accordance with the moral norms and principles of the community.

Depending on what signs and in what combination are taken into account, the term "character" in everyday speech and science is used in the meaning of either abilities, or temperament, or will, or moral category.

In the sense of abilities, the term "character" is more often used in everyday life. For example, when discussing the actions of this or that person, we usually say: "Yes, he is able (not able) to do this."

V.S Merlin put forward a position according to which character traits and abilities differ only as different aspects psychological research. This theory, in fact, puts an equal sign between abilities and character, not entirely legitimate. Indeed, in order to realize his potential, a person needs to have a strong character, and above all, to possess such traits as perseverance, perseverance, independence, thoughtfulness, honesty, diligence, and the like.

Difficult is the question of the relationship of character and temperament. The identification of temperament with character has a rich and long history. In the literature, not without reason, Hippocrates' doctrine of temperament is considered as the first attempt to determine the differences in the characters of people. Since then, for a long time the concept of "character" in fact, were included in the concept of "temperament". Only in the XVIII century. Kant distinguished between these concepts, understanding by temperament "what nature makes of a person", and by character - "what nature makes of itself". In the history of domestic and foreign psychology, there have been attempts to isolate character from temperament, to consider temperament as the central core of character. This is largely reflected in modern French characterology, where among the types of character there are such as choleric, sanguine and phlegmatic, as well as in many character typologies common abroad. From the same positions, character is reduced to the constitutional properties of the personality, temperament is considered as the natural basis of character, and the connections between temperament and character are revealed.

There is no doubt that temperament is the natural basis of character and, to one degree or another, it is represented in each of its traits as its dynamic characteristic. But it is unlawful to reduce character to temperament, since, in addition to dynamic coloring, characterological action expresses a person's vision, assessments, desires, and a person's attitude to a certain phenomenon. True, when perceiving one or another character trait, people often pay their main attention to its dynamic coloring, especially if this coloring is bright, and they do not notice the content side of the trait, it turns out. It is possible that this gives rise to confusion of temperament and character. So, for example, the reaction of a person is perceived from the outside, outraged by injustice.

Quite often, character comes down to freedom, which is called the "backbone of character." Proponents of this view understand by character only the interconnection of volitional traits, which, of course, impoverishes the concept of "character". The value of volitional qualities in the structure of character is, of course, great. Moreover, the external visually "tangible" side of character traits are actions and deeds, in the implementation of which the will participates. In this regard, the statement that "there is no character without will, there is no freedom without character" deserves attention. But, in addition to volitional traits, moral, emotional and intellectual features must also be distinguished in the structure of character.

Often the term "character" is given an ethical meaning, especially when it comes to the education of character in children and youth.

Of course, there are character traits in which the norms of moral behavior turn out to be. These are moral. They should be distinguished from volitional, emotional and intellectual features, which, despite the fact that they also carry a certain moral burden, primarily have a specific psychological meaning.

Such is the range of views on character, the consideration of which, on the one hand, indicates the need to differentiate character from his understanding in terms of abilities, temperament, will and moral category, and on the other hand, to emphasize their close relationship.

In foreign literature, the concept of "character" is used in several meanings, depending on what kind of psychological school represents the author, however, in general, in understanding the essence of character, hereditary and biological prerequisites are given priority, but the role of social factors is reduced.

In Ukrainian and Russian characterology, character is considered on the basis of the principle of unity of consciousness and activity, the principle of development, complex and systems approach(V. Abramenko, B.G. Ananiev, A.G. Kovalev, V. Myasishchev, M.D. Levitov, I.V. Strakhov, etc.). The concept of "character" is named by the authors basically identically, the character is analyzed in the unity of content and form, they note the influence of the orientation of the personality on it.

So, according to B.G. Ananiev, character expresses the main life orientation and manifests itself in a way of action that is peculiar to a particular person. By definition, M.D. Levitov, character is the mental warehouse of a person's personality, which is expressed in its orientation and will.

At the same time, in the question of whether the nature of the orientation of the personality is determined or not, some psychologists, in particular A.V. Petrovsky, take an indefinite position. They recognize the conditionality of the orientation of the personality of only some character traits.

Orientation is the main component of the personality, which expresses its "I" and makes up the public face of a person, his essence as a subject of knowledge and transformation of the world, as a member of society. Orientation is a system of life aspirations that covers what the individual wants to achieve in his life, what he sees its meaning in, encourages him to achieve the goal and morally justifies his activities and behavior. Orientation is embodied in such mental phenomena and their hierarchical systems as needs, interests, ideals, thoughts, worldviews and beliefs.

What the orientation consists of (representations, knowledge, views, assessments, desires, aspirations, inclinations, needs, etc.) is the substratum of the character, its inner, content, motivational side. In each character trait, concentrated, in the form of a clot, there is a certain amount of orientation, which becomes available to perception separately from the system in relatively constant ways of behavior, therefore, an accessible and independent objective assessment and self-assessment, control and self-control. Proceeding from this, character is an integral component of the personality, the function of which is to objectify its orientation in the form of stable features expressed in specific and relatively constant modes of behavior.

Orientation and character are independent structural units of personality, formed simultaneously from a single substrate, but in different ways.

Orientation is formed as a dynamic system of a person's life aspirations, and the manifestation of character traits is motivated by orientation, and at the same time, each character trait most accurately expresses the essence of one or another of its parts.

Each of the character traits is its "molecule", a simple or complex component that has its properties and the ability to self-manifest. The character as a whole exists only as a systemic set of interrelated stable features, thanks to which the originality and originality of the "I" of the personality are realized, that is, the important, true meaning of its orientation is revealed in a new way and its individuality is emphasized.

The question of the relationship between the concepts of "personality" and "character" has long been represented in characterology by three views. Some authors identify personality and character, others consider character separately from personality and remove it from its structure, others point to the connection between them, defining personality as the totality of all human qualities, and character as a peculiarity of predominantly emotional and volitional manifestations of personality. The most common are the first and third views.

So, for example, Yu.B. Gippenreiter believes that character in the form of formal dynamic features of behavior is a prerequisite for the formation of personality, but personality in its development "removes" character. Developing as a person, a person is freed from character, "loses" it. Such views are based on a peculiar understanding of the essence of character, its identification with temperament.

We believe that the development of character is inseparable from the development of other components of personality. All components of personality develop synchronously and in close relationship. In early childhood and at a low level of development of the individual, impulsive, affective behavior is fixed, temperamental reactions predominate. However, as a conscious person, her character becomes more diverse and richer due to the formation of complex and integral patterns, more and more meaningful, capable of restraining temperamental reactions, and thus less and less dynamically colored. That is, as it develops and with age, the character acquires balance, becomes stable, formed. Accordingly, the personality also changes, in the formation there is a transition from temperamental self-affirmation to self-expression in the products of activity, in creativity. Thus, there is not a “disappearance” of character, but the acquisition of that noble social maturity that causes respect for the individual.

Considering the question of the relationship between the concepts of personality and character, it should be noted that the concept of personality is generic and is at the highest level in the hierarchical structure of psychological knowledge about a person. It denotes a specific person who has consciousness and self-awareness, with an established worldview, with an established system of life positions. The psychological content of the personality is revealed in its orientation, abilities, temperament and character and is manifested in the features of these complex mental formations.

Thus, the concept of "character" should be distinguished from the concept of "personality". The character has a clear psychological purpose. By objectifying orientation in a peculiar way, he, along with temperament and abilities, reveals a person as an individual and social "I", as a person for everyone and himself. This, in turn, stimulates the processes of self-awareness and self-knowledge, behavior control, self-expression and the realization of creative possibilities. However, this does not mean that how many people - so many characters. The character is like typical options and individual differences within them.