The concept of destructive. Destructive behavior in conflict. Causes of destructive behavior

Important! Destructive human behavior lies between the norm and social pathology.

Destructive behavior pattern

Destructive behavior, like behavior in general, consists of many components and is reflected at all levels human life. In psychology, behavior itself is presented in the form of an active stimulus-response connection and is divided into the following components:

• external activity (movements, actions, statements);
• internal activity (motivation, goal setting, cognitive processing, emotional response).

Important! Internal activity will always find a way out. Destructive thoughts one way or another are embodied in destructive actions.

The destructive model of behavior has a number of features:

• causes a negative, negative assessment from most people;
• does not conform to social norms;
• causes damage both to the individual and to those around him;
• acts as a response to a non-standard situation;
• associated with a negative personality orientation;
• develops as a result of lack of social adaptation;
• has its own individual characteristics.

The basis of the destructive behavior model is:

• lack of motivation;
• inadequacy;
• maladaptation;
• autism;
• lack of effectiveness.

Destructive behavior

Any human behavior is realized in society and is of a social nature and is always associated with speech, action and goal setting. Destructive behavior reflects a low degree of socialization of the individual, avoidance of society, and poor adaptation to internal and external conditions.

Important! The degree of adaptation largely determines the behavior of an individual.

Often destructive behavior is demonstrated by people who do not have a developed sense of responsibility, who do not know how to accept independent decisions and make a choice. At the individual level, such individuals are more likely to choose the path of abnormal behavior. They can display their destructive behavior in relation to the following social principles:

1. Spiritual and moral standards s (universal human values).
2. Moral and ethical standards(rules not written down on paper).
3. Legal standards(rules enshrined in legal acts).
4. Organizational and professional standards(instructions).
5. Individual norms(individual rights in society, personal orientation towards certain attitudes and needs).

Any model of behavior is laid down and formed in childhood. At the age of 4-5 years, a child learns information that will determine his relationships with others. A full-fledged family, whose members show care and attention to each other, has a beneficial effect on the formation of the child’s psyche and lays constructive behavioral foundations. Thus, people who have not received competent education, love and warmth are at risk.

Important! Children often adopt the destructive behavior patterns of their parents.

Scientists have concluded that destructive behavior develops successfully against the background of the following factors:

• the presence of massive social deviations (alcoholism, crime, bureaucracy);
• situational deviations (the presence of speculation, marriages of convenience, etc.);
• weakening measures of social influence (reducing the level of condemnation, criticism from outside);
• liberalization of measures to combat destructive behavior (absence of fines and punishments for offenses and deviations).

Types of destructive behavior

Classification of destructive behavior is difficult, since specialists have to work with a floating value - the norm. It is subject to change, and what is considered acceptable today will be beyond the scope of adequate behavior tomorrow, and vice versa. Basically, psychologists divide destructive behavior into two large groups:

• delinquent behavior(exceeding the legal framework, violation of the law);
• deviant behavior (inconsistency with generally accepted standards of morality and morality).

Many scientists, psychologists and sociologists, since the first third of the 20th century, have been thinking about what kind of behavior can be placed within the framework of deviations and destructive behavior, and whether such behavior always carries exclusively Negative consequences. Many classifications have been developed. Here is a table showing different approaches to understanding destructive behavior.

date	Scientist	Classification	The essence
1938	R. K. Merton	Subordination	Acceptance of public goals and means of achieving them
		Innovation	Acceptance of social goals, but not the means to achieve them
		Ritualism	Denial of a goal due to the inability to achieve it, but maintaining the desire to achieve it
		Retreatism	Leaving society due to disagreement with its goals and means of achieving them
		Mutiny	An attempt to change social goals and means of achieving them
1981	V. V. Kovalev	Deviations of a socio-psychological nature	— violation of discipline; — violation of social norms; — violation of legal norms; - demonstration of self-destruction.
		Deviations of a pathological nature	- pathological; - non-pathological.
		Personal-dynamic deviations	— reaction; - development; - state.
1987	F. Pataki	Predeviant syndrome(prerequisites for deviant behavior)	— affective type of behavior; - conflicts in the family; — aggressive actions; - desire for antisocial behavior in childhood; - intolerance educational process; - low level of intellectual development.
		Basics of deviant behavior(stable forms)	- crime, - alcohol addiction, - drug addiction, - suicide.
1990	Ts.P.Korolenko	Non-standard actions	Motivated destructive behavior that go beyond generally accepted norms.
		Destructive behavior	— behavior aimed at violating social attitudes; - escape from reality with the help of psychotropic substances; — violation of rights and laws; - self-destruction (conformism, narcissism, fanaticism, autism, suicide).
1995	V. N. Ivanov	Pre-criminogenic behavior	Ignoring the rules of conduct in in public places, minor offenses, drug use.
		Criminal behavior	Criminal offenses
2001	Yu.A. Clayburgh	Negative behavior	Self-destruction
		Positive behavior	Creation
		Neutral behavior	Begging
2004	E.V.Zmanovskaya	Antisocial behavior	Violation of legal norms, laws, criminal liability.
		Antisocial behavior	Violation of ethical standards leading to difficulties in interpersonal communication.
		Self-destructive behavior	Behavior in one way or another entails harm to oneself.
2010	N. V. Maysak	Deviations by nature of behavior	— constructive behavior (creativity); — self-destructive (addictions and suicidal tendencies); — externally destructive (legal violations, communication deviations).
		Deviations by level of acceptance by society	— approved (adaptation to the group); — demonstration of neutrality (ambiguity in assessing behavior); — disapproved (deviation from ethical and legal norms).

Destructive Behaviors

Abnormal behavior may take various shapes in the context of relationships with society and adaptation to it:

1. Radical adaptation(an attempt to change a world that does not suit a person).
2. Hyperadaptation(setting unattainable goals).
3. Conformist adaptation(adjustment to generally accepted norms with which the individual does not agree).
4. Deviant adaptation (motivated destructive behavior, going beyond the norm).
5. Socio-psychological maladjustment(open denial of the need to adapt to society, making efforts to avoid this).

Also, destructive behavior can be expressed in the form of the following symptoms:

• aggressive behavior towards people;
• hostility in communication;
• tendency to destroy things;
• desire to upset the way of life of loved ones;
• lack of ability to experience emotions;
• threat to someone else's and one's own life.

Destructive behavior in conflict

A conflict is an open clash of interests of individuals or even groups of individuals. Psychologists do not advocate avoiding conflict situations, but, on the contrary, they advise you to learn to control their progress. In this case, the conflict acquires the status of confrontation, the goal of which is to constructively resolve the situation and reach a consensus for all conflicting parties. Destructive behavior in this case lies in the inability to adequately conduct confrontation. Thus, we have the following conflict strategies:

• Constructive. A person strives to resolve a controversial situation peacefully, offering working solutions that would satisfy both parties.
• Destructive. The lack of skills in conducting confrontation consists of deliberately exacerbating the conflict, shifting to the opponent’s personality, inability to listen, and excessive emotionality. The deviant provokes the opponent into aggression and worsening the problem.
• Conformist. Separately, it is worth noting this type of inadequate and partly destructive conflict management strategy. In this case, the person easily obeys the opponent, tries to avoid an unpleasant argument and end it faster, agreeing with everything that is told to him.

Socially destructive behavior

Socially destructive behavior is associated with social maladaptation - a lack of understanding of the rules by which human society exists and functions. The man who demonstrates destructive and antisocial behavior, unable to find themselves in society. Thus, the destructive nature of his behavior only intensifies. Socially destructive patterns of his behavior can be expressed as follows:

1. Social and personal discredit. Undermining the reputation or authority of an individual. Tendency to criticize and condemn. Openly offensive and disrespectful behavior.
2. Competition. Destructive behavior can be caused by fear for one’s position in a team, which leads a person to attempts to assert himself through other members of this team.
3. Avoiding sincere communication. A person exhibiting destructive behavior patterns avoids open communication. It is unlikely that he will be able to adequately answer the direct question “why are you behaving this way?”

Prevention of destructive behavior

The work to prevent destructive behavior must begin with the family and school education. It is at this age that children need to lay down those ideals that will become guides for them in the world of adults.

Important! The main difficulty that parents and teachers face is that children with destructive patterns consider their behavior to be the norm.

Psychologists working with children give several tips that will help grow a full-fledged personality that fits into the social framework:

1. Understand your child. The first thing a parent and teacher needs to do is understand why the child acts this way, why he demonstrates destructive behavior.
2. Create a balance at the level of need-can-want. To instill in a child good habits(from reading books to daily trips to school), it is necessary to maintain a balance between the child’s need, opportunity and desire to do this. Taking into account these parameters and explaining to him why he needs to do this and not otherwise, you can ensure that the child stops automatically following the norms and acquires motivation to fulfill them.
3. Activate your teenager's personal resources. Help your child realize himself in different areas of activity. Experiment, make sure he finds something he likes. This will have a beneficial effect on the processes of his social adaptation.
4. Solve the problem of growing up. Infantile personality disorder often becomes a risk factor for the emergence of self-destructive behavior. Help your child gradually become an adult. Create conditions for him to have a painless transition into the world of responsibility and independent decision-making.
5. Show less aggression. Try to be more tolerant of your child’s mistakes. Instead of scolding him, explain where he made a mistake and show him by personal example how he should have done it.
6. Use a body-centered approach. Psychologists advise learning to work with your body, understand it, differentiate emotions and their localization in the body. This will help the child in the process of self-identification and teach him to understand himself and others.

Is a sense of duty a constructive or destructive feeling for an individual?

Perhaps you remember from school a boy who never obeyed his elders, studied poorly and was not shy about peppering his speech with strong words? Most likely, he started smoking earlier than anyone else, and in his relationship with his parents he had big problems. Do you know where this guy is now? Were you interested in his future fate?

Most likely, he was diagnosed with destructive behavior. This means that without timely psychological correction his fate could have been given up.

What is destructive behavior?

There are several scientific definitions this concept. Psychologists and sociologists give their definitions using terms familiar to them. However, there is one definition that any person will understand: destructive behavior - destructive behavior. How does it manifest itself? What is the person trying to destroy?

The main manifestations of destructiveness

Scientists have conducted a lot of research on this problem; they have studied patterns of behavior that can be classified as destructive quite well. A person whose behavior is considered destructive has the following characteristics:

• aggression and cruelty towards others;
• hostility in communication;
• tendency to destroy material objects and things;
• the desire to upset the established way of life of people close to him;
• inability to experience emotions and feelings (may be permanent, or may only appear from time to time);
• a threat to the lives of both others and your own.

We see that a person who is destructive by nature can cause harm not only to things or objects, but also to society, and even to himself. It turns out that there are several types or forms of destructive behavior? Yes this is true.

Forms

To begin with, it should be noted that there is a distinction between constructive and destructive behavior. The first is creative and is absolutely normal for any healthy person. The second often turns out to be a symptom of some mental disorder.

In psychology, destructive human behavior varies in direction and nature of manifestation. So, we have already talked about the first classification: a person can address his destructive energy to any object of external reality or to himself. Interestingly, manifestations of destructiveness are not always negative character: it can be a part or the beginning of creation. For example, you can demolish a dilapidated house to build a new one in its place, or cut your hair long hair to model a beautiful hairstyle.

Another classification of destructive behavior is based on the nature of the manifestation of destructiveness. There are two main forms:

1. Delinquent- it includes actions that are contrary to legal norms, for example, violations of discipline, illegal violations.
2. Deviant- this is behavior that contradicts moral standards, for example, drug addiction and alcoholism, attempts to commit suicide.

Causes of destructive behavior

In psychology, destructive behavior is often called deviant. However, no deviation occurs without a reason. What is the basis on which the first signs of destructive behavior develop?

It is believed that the reason may lie in bad heredity. In people whose actions are antisocial, one of the parents often showed signs of destructiveness. However, the question of the relationship between heredity and environment remains open here. In families whose members exhibit destructive forms behavior, and education is often appropriate. In addition, the child is forced to constantly observe the antisocial behavior of his parents, which cannot but leave its mark on his psyche.

Thus, the destructive behavior of children is determined by the influence of the family. In the future, destructiveness becomes the constant companion of such a person. In any situation, he will behave antisocially, causing harm to himself and others. However, signs of destructiveness can also appear in an adult who is mentally healthy. Why is this happening?

Some more reasons for destructiveness

Other reasons for destructive behavior include:

• mental disorders - in this case, destructiveness may be one of the symptoms;
• severe somatic illness - a person may realize that he has nothing to lose and begin to behave destructively;
• failures in personal affairs - a person feels humiliated, trampled and loses hope of improving the situation;
• addiction to alcohol or drugs - sometimes this is not a manifestation of destructiveness, but its cause: a person behaves antisocially only when intoxicated.

Prevention of destructive behavior

What can be done to prevent destructive behavior? Who does this and what methods are used? The main burden falls on the school and other educational establishments. The fact is that it is precisely in them that there is an opportunity to influence children en masse. For this purpose, special educational activities are carried out aimed at preventing social destructive behavior.

But a lot can be done with the help of the child’s family members. If parents and other relatives encourage only socially approved actions and give each other love and warmth, the likelihood of behavioral disorders in their children will be very low.

What has been done in the USA to prevent destructiveness

An interesting study on the problem of disruptive behavior was conducted in New York State. Typically, American teenagers who have committed illegal acts are placed in specialized correctional institutions. In addition to classes with psychologists, juvenile delinquents there undergo daily occupational therapy sessions.

But such correctional institutions only contain teenagers who have already shown signs of destructiveness. What happens if you place them in a healthier social environment?

Instead of correctional institutions, some teenagers went to the homes of foster parents. Adult couples were instructed in methods of preventing destructiveness and had appropriate practical skills. The results of the study were impressive: pupils of such foster families are much less likely to adult life exhibited destructive forms of behavior.

What conclusion can be drawn from all this? Even if a child or teenager has already shown the first signs of destructive behavior, he should not be considered lost to society. With appropriate psychological correction methods, it can still be corrected.

The profound social changes taking place in the world in beginning of the XXI centuries, force us to take a fresh look at a number of phenomena, the study of which had previously received insufficient attention. One of them - destructive human activity . The destructive side of human nature was especially clearly manifested in the twentieth century: massacres, revolutions, wars, numerous terrorist attacks. The media daily reports on violent crimes occurring even in the most prosperous countries. Moral, religious and legal norms designed to help reduce destructiveness are not able to completely prevent it. Even the most comfortable living conditions do not lead to a decrease in destructiveness, and it manifests itself not only in the attitude of people to each other: and natural environment, both cultural monuments and the simplest objects are subject to senseless destruction. Considering the current level of development of technology and technology, destructive activities currently pose a real threat not only to individual social groups, but also to all humanity.

For today's Russia this problem is especially relevant, since in a country undergoing a protracted process of transformation, there is practically no generally accepted system of values ​​that would restrain the destructive tendencies inherent in human nature. In addition, the deterioration of the general socio-economic situation in the country, the growth of unemployment, the social vulnerability of people, their disappointment in life associated with the lack of prospects, contribute to the growth of destruction. The need for research is also ripe because during the formation of the information society, the degree of influence of the individual on society increases significantly, and, consequently, the consequences of destructive activities can be completely unpredictable.

It should be noted that the phenomenon of destructive activity has not been sufficiently studied in science. Even the very concepts of “destruction”, “destructiveness”, “destructive activity” are absent in most dictionaries, and if they are found, their interpretation ends simple translation words. So, for example, in the “Big Encyclopedic Dictionary” destruction is interpreted as “violation, destruction normal structure anything." IN " The newest dictionary foreign words and expressions” it is indicated that destruction is “destruction, a violation of the correct, normal structure of something,” and destructiveness is understood as “destructiveness; desire to spoil; unfruitfulness."

Although the presence of a destructive principle in human nature has been stated by many researchers, only one large-scale work is devoted to this topic - the book by E. Fromm “The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness”. Meanwhile, the attention of many scientists was attracted by particular manifestations of destruction, such as murder, suicide, and terrorist activity. But these phenomena have in many ways general grounds that need to be clarified. In addition, individual manifestations of destructive activity were studied, as a rule, by narrow specialists: biologists, geneticists, psychologists, sex therapists, historians, and lawyers. But it is known that only a holistic study of the phenomenon with the use of data obtained by specialized specialists makes it possible to comprehend its essence. So, the insufficient development of the problem of destruction in general and destructive human activity in particular, the lack of unambiguous interpretations of the terms themselves indicate the need for research. Only an in-depth study of this topic, analysis of the determinants of destructive activity, the peculiarities of its manifestation in the information society and clarification of the specifics of auto-destruction may make it possible to develop sociocultural mechanisms that restrain the destructive principles of human nature and redirect destructive tendencies to other areas of activity.

The problem of destructive human activity has been little studied; moreover, it was formulated only in the twentieth century, although it was intuitively guessed by thinkers in the distant past. The Chinese thinker wrote about the presence of innate evil in the souls of people Xunzi And ancient Greek philosopher Plato . The Judeo-Christian theological tradition uses the concept of “original sin,” which in the form of a mythological image expresses the destructive principle inherent in human nature. He mentioned the destructive aspirations inherent in human nature I. Kant. However, only in the twentieth century were attempts made to substantiate destructive human activity. One of the most famous theories explaining the presence of a destructive principle in human nature is the concept of the founder of psychoanalysis Z. Freud . Freud was deeply pessimistic about human nature and, influenced by the terrible cruelty and destruction caused by the First World War, came to the conclusion that man has two basic instincts: Eros – the instinct of life, the energy of which (known as “libido”) is aimed at strengthening, preserving and reproducing life; And Thanatos – the death instinct, the energy of which is aimed at destruction and cessation of life. The “death instinct,” Freud believed, was based on a biological mechanism common to all forms of life. Every organism, he reflected, strives to reduce nervous excitement to a minimum. Death completely removes all internal tension, and thus all organic life forms tend towards death. However, the desire for complete inner peace collides with the opposite force, the instinct of life. According to S. Freud, everything human behavior is the result of a complex interaction between these two instincts. He pointed out that destructive tendencies occur in all people, and “... large number individuals they are strong enough to determine their behavior in human society.” According to S. Freud, destructive tendencies cannot be ignored, since if the energy of Thanatos is not turned outward, this will lead to the destruction of the individual himself. Discharge of destructive energy can be provided by catharsis - the performance of expressive actions that are not accompanied by destruction. The concept of S. Freud is supported by a famous psychologist and psychotherapist E. Bern . However, these researchers only state the presence of destructive tendencies in human nature, without conducting an in-depth analysis of them.

A famous American scientist studied destructiveness E. Fromm . He pays enough attention to her at work "Escape from freedom" and devotes a separate book to this phenomenon, which he called "The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness" . E. Fromm is a supporter of the sociocultural determination of destructiveness, which, in his opinion, is one of the types of aggression. He distinguishes benign And malignant aggression . Within the first one, he identifies pseudo-aggression (including careless killings or injuries), play aggression in educational training and defensive aggression (including in order to protect the freedom of the individual and society, one’s body, one’s needs, thoughts, feelings, one’s property; aggression associated with a person’s reaction to an attempt to deprive him of illusions due to conformity; instrumental aggression, which aims to ensure that necessary and desirable). In general, E. Fromm defines benign aggression as biologically adaptive, contributing to the maintenance of life and serving the cause of life. He notes that this type aggression is a reaction to a threat to the vital interests of the individual. Benign aggression is inherent in phylogenesis, is characteristic of both animals and people, is explosive in nature, and arises spontaneously as a reaction to a threat. Unlike benign, malignant aggression – destructiveness – biologically non-adaptive, it is not inherent in phylogeny, is unique to humans, is not needed for physiological survival – on the contrary, destructiveness brings biological harm and social destruction. Its main manifestations - murder and cruel torture - have no purpose other than obtaining pleasure. E. Fromm believes that they differ spontaneous destructiveness – manifestation of dormant destructive impulses that are activated under emergency circumstances (for example, destructiveness out of revenge), and destructiveness associated with character structure , which is always inherent in a particular individual in hidden or explicit form ( sadism, necrophilia ). E. Fromm considers the main reasons for destructiveness to be the lack of opportunities for creative self-realization, narcissism, a feeling of isolation and “worthlessness.” Currently, an increase in destructiveness is observed in connection with the spread of freedom, which brings not only positive changes, but also leads to a loss of a sense of security and a sense of belonging to society. Freedom is accompanied by a feeling of loneliness, insignificance and alienation. People strive to overcome them, to “escape from freedom.” One of ways to “escape from freedom” , according to E. Fromm, and is destructiveness . Following this tendency, a person tries to overcome feelings of inferiority by destroying or conquering others.

Despite its undoubted value, E. Fromm’s concept is not free from a number of shortcomings. Thus, E. Fromm notes that aggression that arose to protect one’s vital interests is not malignant. In this case, the question inevitably arises: what interests should be considered vital? After all, the sphere of vital interests of people is much wider than that of animals, and if we include among them, say, the need for security, the desire to belong to social group, to achieve high self-esteem and self-actualization, the need for respect from others, we will see that the scheme proposed by E. Fromm for dividing aggression into benign and malignant is not applicable. After all, most destructive actions are precisely the consequence of dissatisfaction with the needs we have listed. It is quite difficult to draw a line between destructiveness and defensive, instrumental aggression. It should be noted that often destructive actions are committed when there is objectively no threat to a person’s vital interests, but for the subject this threat is a reality. In addition, E. Fromm focuses on such forms of destructiveness as sadism and necrophilia, leaving out autodestruction, vandalism, terrorism and a number of its other manifestations. Also, considering primarily the psychological and sociocultural foundations of destructiveness, he leaves its biological and neurophysiological foundations without due attention, does not analyze the historical diversity of forms of destructiveness, confirming his conclusions with only a few examples.

concept self-destructive human behavior formulated N. Farberow , however, it has not become widespread. He classifies not only completed suicides as self-destructive behavior, but also alcoholism, substance abuse, drug addiction, neglect of medical recommendations, workaholism, delinquent acts, unjustified risk-taking, reckless gambling. This approach allowed N. Farberow to develop the principles of modern suicide prevention and initiate the creation of suicide prevention centers in the USA, and then in many countries around the world.

Despite the absence special works, the presence of the problem of destructiveness is stated by a number of domestic and foreign scientists. At the same time, destructiveness is considered as a component of aggression, a type of deviant behavior, compound element creativity or type of transformation. So, a domestic researcher Yu.M. Antonyan highlights three components of aggression : constructive, destructive and deficient. He points out that when destructive aggression the activity of the individual is deformed, therefore his activity is destructive in relation to others; such a subject may develop sadistic disorders, form a sadistic or authoritarian character. O.S. Osipova distinguishes two types of deviant behavior: creative and destructive. Deviant destructive behavior – the commission by a person or group of people of social actions that deviate from the dominant sociocultural expectations and norms in society (a separate social group, stratum), generally accepted rules for the fulfillment of social roles, entailing the containment of the pace of development of society: the destruction of the energy potential of individuals and society as a whole. O.S. Osipova points out the connection between deviant behavior and risk, as well as the fact that deviant behavior contributes to self-actualization, self-realization and self-affirmation of the individual. Ts.P. Korolenko And T.A. Donskikh , analyzing behavioral deviations, divide them into two large groups: non-standard And destructive behavior . The typology of destructive behavior is built in accordance with its goals. In one case, these are externally destructive goals aimed at violating social norms (legal, moral, ethical, cultural), and, accordingly, externally destructive behavior. In the second case, there are intra-destructive goals aimed at the disintegration of the personality itself, its regression, and, accordingly, intra-destructive behavior. E.V. Zmanovskaya distinguishes three groups of deviant behavior: antisocial (delinquent), asocial (immoral), autodestructive (self-destructive). Under self-destructive she understands behavior that deviates from medical and psychological norms, threatening the integrity and development of the individual. Self-destructive behavior in modern world appears in the following main forms: suicidal behavior, food addiction, chemical dependency(substance abuse), fanatical behavior (for example, involvement in a destructive religious cult), autistic behavior, victim behavior (victim behavior), activities with a significant risk to life (extreme sports, significant speeding when driving, etc. ). According to the direction and severity of destructiveness, E.V. Zmanovskaya suggests using the following scale of deviant behavior: antisocial (active-destructive) – prosocial (relatively destructive, adapted to the norms of the antisocial group) – asocial (passive-destructive) – self-destructive (passive-autodestructive) – suicidal (active-autodestructive).

Some researchers point to the connection between destruction and creativity. So, V.N. Druzhinin highlights two types of transformation : creative behavior , creating a new environment, and destruction – maladaptive behavior that does not create, but destroys the previous environment. He notes that creativity and destruction are united by the fact that their cause is the alienation of man from nature and the world as a whole. B. Karlof emphasizes that in the creative act itself there is inevitably an element of destruction. He writes about two types of behavior : adaptive related to the resources available to a person, and creative , which he defines as "creative destruction" . The approach of the Polish scientist is interesting Yu. Kozeletsky to this problem. In his opinion, it is inherent in man "transgression" – the desire to constantly overcome one’s previous achievements and results, the desire to go beyond what one possesses. Yu. Kozeletsky highlights constructive , creating transgression - creativity, and destructive transgression - actions leading to the destruction of the former. Thus, there is no certainty in science regarding what is meant by “destructiveness” and “destructive human activity.”

It should be noted that a number of issues directly related to destructive activity are explored in works devoted to the analysis aggression And violence . The most significant in this regard are the works of foreign researchers K. Lorenz, R. Baron and D. Richardson, A. Bandura, L. Berkowitz, R. Bowen, N. Zinberg and G. Fellman, as well as articles by domestic scientists L.V. Skvortsova, I.Yu. Zalysina, A.A. Reana. In general, all works that in one way or another affect destructive human activity can be divided into two groups . The first includes the works of researchers who believe that destructiveness – a property inherent in human nature itself , which cannot be completely eradicated. The second group includes studies that note that the desire for destruction is not inherent in man initially. It is acquired in the process of life as a result of the individual’s dissatisfaction with basic needs, is a consequence of frustration, and is formed as a result of social learning. And therefore, by changing the conditions of existence, it is possible to influence the destructive activity of man.

Although destructive activity has not been studied comprehensively, its individual forms have been studied quite deeply. Yes, research suicide studied by E. Durkheim, A. Camus, N. Berdyaev, L.Z. Tregubov and Yu.R. Vagin, A.G. Ambrumova, V.A. Tikhonenko, L.L. Bergelson, I.B. Orlova; murders – Yu.M. Antonyan; terrorism – V.V. Vityuk, S.A. Efirov, L.A. Mojoyan, E.G. Lyakhov, A. Taheri, A.P. Schmid; cannibalism – E. Volkhard, P. Brown, L. Kanevsky. Biological And neurophysiological the determinants of destructive activity are touched upon in the works of D. Dewsbury, K. Lorenz, O. Manning, R. Chauvin, J. Dembovsky, M.L. Butovskoy, V.P. Efroimson, R. Bolton, J. Wilder. Provisions that shed light on sociocultural the determinants of the phenomenon under study are contained in the works of E. Fromm, B.F. Porshneva, A.P. Skripnik, P. Kuusi.

Thus, an analysis of the degree of scientific development of the problem shows that it has practically not been studied comprehensively. The only fundamental work - “The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness” by E. Fromm - is not without shortcomings, primarily because its author pays main attention only to the psychological and sociocultural foundations of the phenomenon under study, leaving without attention the biological, neurophysiological, genetic foundations, as well as the problem of self-destruction. In this regard, there is a need for a holistic study of destructive human activity using data from special sciences: ethology, neurophysiology, endocrinology, genetics, psychology, sociology, and cultural history.

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People lie, deliberately harm their health, commit suicide and kill their fellow species. Science is trying to explain why the most intelligent species behaves so irrationally.

Destructive Behavior - Bad Habits

And alcohol is harmful to health, and this fact is well known to everyone who smokes and drinks. It turns out that a person quite consciously makes things bad for himself, and this clearly requires some kind of explanation. Scientists who have studied the reasons for this behavior explain that there are several important reasons.

First and foremost, a person cannot truly be aware of harm when it is delayed in time. What happens due to harmful addictions somewhere in 10 or 20 years does not in any way affect behavior today; this is a feature of our psyche. Now, if a heart attack occurred immediately after a cigarette or doctors diagnosed cancer the next morning, this would be a real incentive.

Another clean one human trait, causing us to harm ourselves in this way is a wonderful skill to include rationalization. “My grandmother smoked and lived to be 90 years old,” “Alcohol is beneficial in small doses” - our mind is able to find a thousand arguments to prove that there is no problem.

Destructive behavior - Experimenting with your own body

Tattoos, piercings, plastic surgery - a person voluntarily agrees to endure pain and runs the risk of receiving various negative side effects these procedures. This is not for the sake of survival or increasing resilience, but simply for the sake of what he considers it beautiful. And this is not a whim modern man On the contrary, the ancient rituals of “body reconstruction” were even more elaborate and dangerous.

No other animal species has anything like it. Where did homo sapiens is this a tradition? Psychologists believe that it was born out of the need to group and separate from other groups. All ancient tribes would have been no different from each other if it had not been customary for some to have their noses pierced, and for others to have their ears pierced.

In addition, the self is a purely human phenomenon. And beauty is not just aesthetics. For example, a number of studies have shown that buyers are more likely to buy a product from a seller who seems more beautiful to them. Beauty in human society has become another resource. By improving one's body, a person gains certain benefits, despite the risks.

Destructive Behavior - Gambling

The addiction to gambling can cost a person a lot. Of course, this is another type of destructive behavior, the meaning of which from the point of view of the well-being of the human race is completely unclear. Why do people play?

Research has shown that the main mechanism of involvement in gambling is that a person perceives failure in the game differently than in life. For him, failure in the game is an additional incentive to try again; loss in the game is perceived as a challenge.

Scientists have observed that, when starting to play, all players rationally approach how long they will play, and perceive the game only as entertainment. However, losing changes their perception, gambling now it becomes a challenge, a battle, a war where they must do everything to win.

Destructive Behavior - Tendency to Violence

Wars and conflicts are so typical of human society that scientists believe that the desire for violence is inherent in human nature, just like the need for food or sex. At the same time, it is also characteristic of animals, but in animals we can always clearly trace what goal it is pursuing. This is always a struggle for some resources - food, territory, the best female. If we look at a person, we will see a lot of senseless aggression, aggression for the sake of aggression. Biologists call man the most cruel of living creatures.

Researchers have different opinions. Some believe that the thirst for violence is simply a human need, while others say that manifestations of violence are always the same struggle for resources, only not always as obvious as in animals.

Destructive Behavior - Lies

Research shows that people are much more likely than they might seem at first glance. For example, the American psychologist Feldman conducted a simple experiment. He left two strangers in the room and asked them to just talk about something.

In fact, the conversation was recorded. And after each participant was individually asked to review the recording and note how often during the conversation he “was not very accurate” (the experimenter deliberately avoided the word “lie”). It turned out that 60% of the experiment participants lied at least once during a 10-minute conversation with a stranger.

Feldman's study is not the only one. Lying is indeed a definite norm in our society. It is the kind of meaningless lies, as in a conversation with strangers, not for the sake of saving a life or receiving some kind of reward. Psychologists explain that this lie is often associated with That is, we often lie when we are not confident in ourselves and want to appear better.

Test: If you have discovered more than one of the destructive manifestations described above in your behavior, it’s time for you to think about personal changes!

Based on materials from the site vitaportal.ru

Constructive criticism: when I criticize you.

Destructive criticism: when you criticize me.

Breaking is not building, it doesn’t hurt your soul.

Proverb

Destructiveness as a personality quality is the inability to create the basis for further fruitful work, rational and expedient behavior; disruption of the functioning of something.

One day a poor peasant went into his barn and found a golden egg under a chicken roost. His first thought was: “Someone wants to play a joke on me.” But to be sure, he took the egg and took it to the jeweler. He checked the egg and told the peasant: “100 percent gold, pure gold.” The peasant sold the egg and returned home with a lot of money. In the evening he threw a huge feast. At dawn the whole family got up to see if the hen had laid another egg. Indeed, there was a golden egg in the nest again.

Since then, the peasant found such an egg every morning. By selling them he became very rich. But the peasant was a greedy person, which means he was destructive. He asked himself why a chicken lays only one egg a day, how does she do it? He wanted to know this so he could create golden eggs himself and become even richer. Over time, the former peasant became increasingly angry because he did not find answers and could not influence the appearance of the golden eggs. The destructiveness of consciousness pushed him towards destruction. And one day his patience ran out, all the anger and irritation spilled out - he grabbed a knife, went to the chicken coop and killed a chicken to look inside. All he discovered were halves of the future golden egg, which was just beginning to emerge. The moral of this wise story is this: don’t indulge your destructive consciousness, don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Destructiveness is a champion of quick results. She doesn't want to understand the idea that success (the golden egg) must be long-term. Getting quick results is a destructive idea. For example, a person ran to the bank for a mortgage loan. Wants to buy a house and a prestigious car. What destructive force drove him into slavery before the bank? Greed and destructive thinking. The loan at high interest rates will have to be paid off. You will have to work hard at several jobs. Health is destroyed from overexertion and lack of sleep. Relationships in the family are also destroyed, because there is a house and a car, but the owner himself is not there, he is constantly at work, comes when everyone is already asleep, and leaves when everyone is still sleeping. In a word, a complete rampant of destructiveness.

Philosopher D.G. Pshonko argues that the idea is to move in such a way that our resources are constantly replenished, and increasing the result depends on the increase in resources, that is, we must take care of the golden eggs, of course, but at the same time we need to love and cherish the chicken that is these golden brings eggs. And a person, when planning his life, must plan not only the result, but plan the resource, replenishment of the resource, and each time, the more attention he pays to replenishing resources, the more results he receives. Thus, a constructive approach to your life involves proper interaction with time, with planning your life, with planning your capabilities, with constant replenishment of resources.

A destructive approach to life is always carried out in conjunction with greed. Buy a house or car faster. And more, more tchotchkes. Reasonableness says: “You need to earn money quietly, you don’t need to take out loans at extortionate interest rates.” Everything has its time. The time will come, we will calmly buy both a house and a car, but only without the excitement and consciousness inflamed by greed and destructiveness.

This suggests an anecdote about two bulls: the young bull has destructive thinking, and the old bull, on the contrary, has constructive thinking.

Two bulls, young and old, stand on a hillock and look down at a herd of cows. The young man says: “Listen, stop chewing grass, I noticed such a beautiful chick there, let’s quickly go down and make love to her.” Then we’ll come back and finish chewing the grass, eh??!?!?! The old bull slowly, measuredly chews the grass... The young bull: - Well, come on quickly, in case he leaves! - Look, here’s another beauty - red-haired, with white spots. Let's quickly go down and love her, shall we?! The old man, measuredly, without hurrying anywhere, chews grass. - No! I’m about to descend like an avalanche from the mountain, demolish the barn along the way, break the fence and fall in love with that blonde over there. Old bull (in a thick bass): N-e-e-o... Now we will calmly chew the grass, and then slowly and measuredly we will descend from the mountain and take possession of the entire herd... and then we will also slowly and measuredly go into the mountains.

In pursuit of results, a person quickly wastes his results. Efficiency – zero. He rushed at ten thousand, as if at five hundred, and got stuck. As a result, disappointment and despondency from the destructive scenario of life. A constructive scenario is when a person constantly develops, grows personally, and improves himself. He does not chase events, does not indulge stupidity and greed, does not drive his mind to illness - destructive thinking.

A destructive person is a specialist subversive of his own mind. Usually he is under the influence of the energy of ignorance and degradation. It is not without reason that in the ranks of destructiveness there are many people prone to drugs, debauchery, alcoholism, and suicide.

Destructiveness is a destructive, disastrous and unfruitful state of consciousness. Consciousness is destructive when the idea has settled in it that there is no point in achieving anything in this world, that this world is illusory, you need to leave this world, you need to turn your gaze to the otherworldly reality, to the otherworld. Destructive consciousness says: material world there is no goal for which one could live: neither family, nor love, nor friendship, nor public improvement, nor apartments, nor cars, nor the respect of others, it costs nothing to live for this even for a second, not to mention a whole life .

Destructiveness is the gap between theory and practice. There is knowledge, but people are not going to put it into practice. This approach is equivalent to the phenomenon of buying a train ticket and not going. Learning is light, but the unlearned are darkness. Everyone knows everything, but they can’t apply it. This is destructiveness and stupidity.

A person sometimes knows very well what sad ending his destructive behavior will lead to, but, contrary to common sense, he continues to act destructively. The mind tells him: “Today you get drunk, tomorrow your head will be bo-bo.” You'll suffer from a hangover. If you drank well, it means you’re bad in the morning. If it’s good in the morning, it means you drank poorly.

An unreasonable person listens to reason, but acts destructively. He happily raises his glass. Satisfied. This is ignorance. Child's state of consciousness. He knows, but acts to his own detriment. Indulges his senses and his lustful mind. This is destructive behavior.

Peter Kovalev