Features of behavior, communication, attitude towards people, objects, work, things show the character traits that an individual possesses. Based on their totality, an opinion about a person is determined. Such clichés as “the life of the party”, “bore”, “pessimist”, “cynic” become the result of an assessment of a person’s character traits. Understanding how character works helps in building relationships. Moreover, this applies to both your own qualities and those of others.

Human character traits: classification

Types of character are determined by the prevailing traits, which in turn influence behavior and actions. They can be considered in a system of relationships to work, other people, things, and oneself.

Work

• Hard work-laziness. This “duet” can be either a character trait or express an attitude towards a specific job. Constant feeling laziness may also indicate that a person is simply not interested in the business he is busy with, but in something else, he will prove himself better. Laziness can be a sign of lack of motivation. But excessive hard work also takes on a degree of workaholism, which can also indicate problems in personal relationships and lack of interests.
• Responsibility-irresponsibility. One of the most important qualities for an employee. A person who responsibly fulfills his duties and does not let his colleagues down will be a valuable employee.
• Conscientiousness-bad faith. Carrying out duties and doing them well are not the same thing. It is important for management that hard work is expressed not only in the mechanical execution of actions, but brings results.
• Initiative-passivity. This quality is especially valuable for people who want to advance in career ladder. If an employee does not show initiative, does not generate ideas, or hides behind the backs of his colleagues, he will not develop in his profession.

Other people

• Reticence-Sociability. It shows a person’s openness, his relaxedness, how easy it is for him to make acquaintances, how he feels in a new company or team.
• Truthfulness-deception. Pathological liars lie even in small things, hide the truth, and easily betray. There are people who embellish reality, most often they do this because reality seems boring to them or not bright enough.
• Independence-conformity. This quality shows how a person makes decisions. Does he rely on his experience, knowledge, opinion, or does he follow someone else’s lead and is easy to suppress?
• Rudeness-politeness. Bitterness and internal experiences make a person cynical and rude. Such people are rude in queues, on public transport, and disrespectful to their subordinates. Politeness, although a positive character trait, can have selfish motives. It may also be an attempt to avoid confrontation.

Things

• Neatness-sloppiness. Creative chaos or meticulous cleanliness in the house can show how neat a person is. It can also be characterized by appearance. Sloppy people often cause antipathy, and there are not always those willing to look at the broad soul behind the external absurdity.
• Thrift-negligence. A person can be assessed by his attitude towards accumulated property and borrowed items. Although this human trait appeared in the material group, it can also manifest itself in relation to people.
• Greed-generosity. To be called generous, you don’t have to be a philanthropist or give away your last. At the same time, excessive generosity is sometimes a sign of irresponsibility or an attempt to “buy” someone else’s favor. Greed is expressed not only in relation to other people, but also towards oneself, when a person, out of fear of being left without money, saves even on small things.

Self

• Demandingness. When this personality trait is pronounced, two extremes appear. A person who is demanding of himself is often just as strict with others. He lives by the principle “I could do it, so others can too.” He may not be tolerant of other people's weaknesses, not understanding that each person is individual. The second extreme is built on uncertainty. A person tortures himself, considering himself not perfect enough. A striking example may serve as anorexia, workaholism.
• Self-criticism. A person who knows how to criticize himself has healthy self-esteem. Understanding, accepting and analyzing your achievements and defeats helps in the formation of a strong personality. When the balance is disturbed, either egocentrism or self-criticism is observed.
• Modesty. It is necessary to understand that modesty and shyness are different concepts. The first is based on a value system instilled during upbringing. The second is a signal for the development of complexes. In a normal state, modesty is manifested in moderation, calmness, knowing the limits in words, expressing emotions, financial spending, etc.
• Selfishness and egocentrism. Similar concepts, but the trait here is egoism, while egocentrism is a way of thinking. Egoists think only about themselves, but use others for their own purposes. Egocentric people are often misanthropes and introverts who do not need others and believe that no one is worthy of them.
• Feeling self-esteem . Shows how a person feels internally. Outwardly, it is expressed in a high assessment of one’s rights and social value.

Personality assessment and types of characters

In addition to the main character traits that are formed in the system of relationships, psychologists also identify other areas:

• Intelligent. Resourcefulness, curiosity, frivolity, practicality.
• Emotional. Passion, sentimentality, impressionability, hot temper, cheerfulness.
• Strong-willed. Courage, perseverance, determination.
• Moral. Justice, responsiveness, kindness.

There are motivational traits-goals that drive a personality and determine its guidelines. As well as instrumental features-methods, they show by what methods the desired will be achieved. So, for example, a girl may exhibit masculine character traits when she persistently and proactively pursues her lover.

Gordon Allport put forward a theory about what character traits there are. The psychologist divided them into the following types:

• Dominant. They determine the behavior of the individual as a whole, regardless of the sphere, and at the same time influence other qualities or even overlap them. For example, kindness or greed.
• Regular. They are also expressed in all areas of life. These include, for example, humanity.
• Secondary. They do not particularly influence anything, and are often derived from other traits. For example, diligence.

There are typical and individual personality traits. It’s easy to group typical ones; by noticing one of the dominant qualities or several minor ones, you can “draw” a personal portrait as a whole, and determine the type of character. This helps to predict actions and better understand a person. So, for example, if an individual is responsive, then most likely he will come to the rescue in difficult situation, will support, listen.

Character: types of positive and negative traits

Personality is a balance of positive and negative qualities. In this regard, everything is conditional. For example, envy is considered a bad trait, but some psychologists argue that it can become an incentive to work on yourself or improve your life. The curvature positive traits, on the contrary, can lead to their transformation into negative qualities. Persistence develops into obsession, initiative into self-centeredness.

Strong and weak character traits should be highlighted; you often have to remember them when filling out a resume. They terrify many, because it can be difficult to evaluate oneself. Here's a little cheat sheet:

• Weak. Formality, irritability, shyness, impulsiveness, inability to remain silent or say “no.”
• Strong. Perseverance, sociability, patience, punctuality, organization, determination.
• Negative. Pride, jealousy, vindictiveness, cruelty, parasitism.
• Positive. Kindness, sincerity, optimism, openness, peacefulness.

Character traits are formed in childhood, but at the same time they can change and transform depending on life circumstances. It's never too late to change what you don't like about yourself.

“There are as many characters as there are people,” we often repeat. And this is true, two identical people no, and even twins, so indistinguishable at first glance, turn out to be completely different people at second glance. People have various systems values, hobbies, principles and worldviews, react differently to external stimuli. A person’s character determines his actions, which make up his life. MirSovetov invites you to explore together what character is made up of and whether it is possible to change it.

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

Translated from Greek, the word “character” – Charakter – means “imprint”, “minting”. Already from the name itself it is clear that in all centuries character has been considered as a stable system of human personality traits, such a kind of internal core on which other properties are strung like rings.

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

There is a branch of psychology devoted to the study of human character. It's called characterology. Characterology became a separate discipline not so long ago, but already in ancient times attempts were made to study and predict human character. For example, studying the influence of a person’s name on his character, selecting favorable combinations of first and middle names. Physiognomy is the study of the connection between a person’s appearance and his character. Even graphology, a science that establishes the connection between a person’s handwriting and his character, can also be considered one of the forerunners of characterology.

Character traits

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

It is interesting that the same character traits can apply to both normal and abnormal ones. The whole point is how much it is expressed in the character of a particular person. For example, suspicion can be absolutely healthy, but when it dominates, we can talk about paranoia.

Classification of human characters

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

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

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

Character Formation

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

During this age period, adults and the way parents treat the child have the strongest influence on the child’s character. If parents pay attention to the child, talk to him and are interested in his desires, then such a child is likely to develop trust in people, sociability and cheerfulness. Otherwise, traits such as isolation and closedness are likely to appear.

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

How to change your character

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

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

Also good results in changing his character provides a role model. Having chosen a model (it can be either a real or a fictitious person), you begin to look up to him. And you ask yourself what he would do if he were in your place. By copying the desired behavior, you will also develop the correct ones and minimize the manifestations of negative character traits. Here MirSovetov will make only this remark: do not try to copy someone’s behavior exactly as it is, superficially. And it’s unlikely that you will succeed. You need to understand that you are individual in your own way, and therefore some trait will manifest itself with its own nuance that is unique to you.

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

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

Character traits

Character is an inextricable whole. But it is impossible to study and understand such a complex whole as character without highlighting individual aspects or typical manifestations(character trait). General character traits are manifested in the individual’s relationship to social responsibilities and duty, to people, and to himself. The attitude towards social responsibilities and duty is primarily manifested in the individual’s attitude towards social work. In this regard, such character traits as hard work, conscientiousness, perseverance, frugality, and their opposites - laziness, negligence, passivity, wastefulness are revealed. A person’s attitude towards work has a decisive influence on the formation of his other personal qualities. D.I. Pisarev wrote: “Character is tempered by work, and whoever has never earned his daily living by his own labor, for the most part remains forever a weak, lethargic and spineless person.” Attitude towards people is clearly reflected in such character traits as sociability, politeness, goodwill, etc. The antipodes of these traits are isolation, tactlessness, and hostility. As V. Hugo argued, “every person has three characters: the one that is attributed to him; the one that he ascribes to himself; and, finally, the one that actually exists.” In order to find out the essence of his character, it is useful for a person to know the opinion of the team in which he works and spends a significant part of his life. And first of all, how orderly his relationships with people are, how much people need him, how authoritative he is among them. Attitude towards oneself is manifested in self-assessment of one’s actions. Sober self-esteem is one of the conditions for personal improvement, helping to develop such character traits as modesty, integrity, and self-discipline. Negative traits character are increased conceit, arrogance and boasting. A person possessing these traits is usually difficult to get along with in a team and unwittingly creates pre-conflict and conflict situations in it. The other extreme in a person’s character is also undesirable: underestimation of one’s merits, timidity in expressing one’s positions, in defending one’s views. Modesty and self-criticism must be combined with a heightened sense of self-esteem, based on the awareness of the real significance of one’s personality, on the presence of certain successes in work for the common benefit. Integrity is one of the valuable personal qualities that gives character an active orientation. Strong-willed character traits. Will is understood as a complex mental process that causes human activity and awakens him to act in a directed manner. Will is a person’s ability to overcome obstacles and achieve a goal. Specifically, it appears in such character traits as determination, determination, perseverance, and courage. These character traits can contribute to the achievement of both socially useful and antisocial goals. To do this, it is important to determine what the motive of a person’s volitional behavior is. “A brave act, the motive of which is to enslave another person, to seize someone else’s goods, to advance in one’s career, and a brave act, the motive of which is to help the common cause, have, of course, completely different psychological qualities.” Based on their volitional activity, characters are divided into strong and weak. People of strong character have stable goals, are proactive, boldly make decisions and implement them, have great endurance, are courageous and courageous. People in whom these qualities are weakly expressed or some of them are absent are classified as weak-willed. They tend to passively demonstrate their business and personal qualities. Often such people, having the best intentions, do not achieve significant results in work or study. Many of them sincerely worry about their inability to act independently, persistently and decisively.

Volitional qualities can be cultivated in a person. I.P. Pavlov emphasized that man is the only system capable of regulating itself within wide limits, that is, it can improve itself. Weak-willed people with thoughtful pedagogical work can become actively involved with them. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of a person, for example his temperament. Thus, it is easier for a choleric person to develop activity and determination than for a melancholic person. A person himself must train his will from a young age, develop qualities such as self-control, activity, and courage.

The most objective and irrefutable data about a person’s character are not provided by his passport data, not by his traits appearance, not his involuntary actions, but conscious behavior. It is by the choice of possible actions that a person chooses in a given situation that his character is assessed. Human character 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 onto the work without thinking, and only after a certain period of time, without solving the problem at once, looks around and coordinates its actions taking into account the circumstances. These features identified in human behavior are called traits, or aspects, of character. Any trait is some stable stereotype of behavior.

However, character traits cannot be taken out of the typical situations in which they appear, in some situations even polite man can be rude. Therefore any A character trait is a stable form of behavior in connection with specific situations typical for a given type of behavior.

According to Yu.M. Orlova, along with situations in which a certain human trait is revealed, its essential characteristic is the probability that this type of behavior will take place in a given situation. A trait can be spoken of as a stable characteristic of a person if the probability of its manifestation in a certain situation is quite high. However, probability means that this trait does not always appear, otherwise it would simply be a matter of mechanical behavior. This understanding of character traits is very similar to the manifestation of a person’s habit: under certain conditions, to act in a certain way. A character trait includes a certain way of thinking and understanding. When committing a characteristic act, volitional mechanisms are activated and feelings are involved. By conditioning a person’s behavior, a character trait in behavior is formed. The formation of character traits cannot be separated from the formation of behavioral motives. Motives of behavior, realized in action, consolidated in it, are fixed in character. Each effective motive that acquires stability, according to S.L. Rubinstein, is potentially a future character trait in its origin and development; in motives, character traits appear for the first time in the form of tendencies, action then leads them to stable properties. The path to the formation of character traits therefore lies through the formation of appropriate motives of behavior and the organization of actions aimed at consolidating them.

The most common character properties are located along the axes: strength - weakness; hardness - softness; integrity - inconsistency; breadth - narrowness. If strength of character is understood as the energy with which a person pursues his goals, his ability to become passionately carried away and develop great tension when encountering difficulties, the ability to overcome them, then weakness of character is associated with the manifestation of cowardice, indecisiveness, “asthenicity” in achieving goals, instability of views, etc. Strength of character means rigid consistency, perseverance in achieving goals, defending views, etc., while softness of character is manifested in flexible device to changing conditions, achieving the goal through some concessions, finding reasonable compromises. The integrity or inconsistency of character is determined by the degree of combination of leading and secondary character traits. If the leading and secondary ones are in harmony, if there are no contradictions in aspirations and interests, then such a character is called integral, but if they sharply contrast, then it is contradictory.

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

The relationship between intellectual personality traits is of great importance for characterological manifestations. Depth and sharpness of thought, unusual formulation of the question and its solution. Intellectual initiative, confidence and independent thinking - all this constitutes originality of mind as one of the aspects of character. However, how a person uses his mental capacity, will depend significantly on the character. It is not uncommon to encounter people who have highly intellectual abilities, but who do not provide anything valuable precisely because of their characterological characteristics.

A person’s real achievements depend not on abstract mental capabilities alone, but on a specific combination of his characteristics and characterological properties.

However, most of the individual manifestations that make up a person’s character are complex and practically cannot be classified into individual properties and states (for example, rancor, suspicion, generosity, etc.). At the same time, individual qualities of the volitional (decisiveness, independence, etc.) and intellectual (depth of mind, criticality, etc.) spheres can be considered as components of a person’s character traits and used for its analysis. All character traits have a natural relationship with each other.

In the very general view character traits can be divided into basic, leading, setting the general direction for the development of the entire complex of its manifestations, and secondary, determined by the main ones.

Knowledge of the leading traits allows you to reflect the basic essence of character and show its main manifestations.

Although every character trait reflects one of the manifestations of a person’s attitude to reality, this does not mean that every attitude will be a character trait. Only some attitudes, depending on the conditions, become character traits.

From the entire set of relationships of a person to the surrounding reality, it is necessary to highlight the character-forming forms of relationships - the decisive, primary and general vital significance of those objects to which a person belongs. These relationships simultaneously serve as the basis for the classification of the most important character traits. A person’s character is manifested in a system of relationships:

1. In relation to other people (in this case, one can highlight such character traits as sociability - isolation, truthfulness - deceit, tactfulness - rudeness, etc.)

2. In relation to business (responsibility - dishonesty, hard work - laziness, etc.).

3. In relation to oneself (modesty - narcissism, self-criticism - self-confidence, etc.)

4. In relation to property (generosity - greed, frugality - wastefulness, neatness - sloppiness, etc.). It should be noted that this classification is somewhat conventional and there is a close relationship and interpenetration of these aspects of the relationship.

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

A person’s relationships with other people are decisive in relation to activity, giving rise to increased activity, tension, rationalization or, on the contrary, complacency, lack of initiative. The attitude towards other people and towards activity, in turn, determines the person’s attitude towards his own personality, towards himself. A correct, evaluative attitude towards another person is the main condition for self-esteem.

The attitude towards other people not only acts important part character, but also forms the basis for the formation of a person’s consciousness, necessarily including the attitude towards oneself as an actor, which depends primarily on the very form of activity. When an activity changes, not only the subject, methods and operations of this activity change, but at the same time a restructuring of the attitude towards oneself as an actor occurs.

A painful condition accompanied by motivational deficiency syndrome, hypochondria, and periodically occurring acute worries about one’s laziness.

A character trait that reflects the ease of generating emotions of anger, which often turn into verbal and other types of aggression. Particularly brutal methods of committing crimes, to indicate certain properties of the nature of the crime. Cruelty can be intentional and involuntary, realized in certain actions, verbal behavior (inflicting torture with words) or in the imagination - fantasizing, operating with images of torture, torment of people or animals. Character- this is a unique set of qualities that determine the originality and uniqueness of each individual person, his personality and behavior. Understanding character facilitates the process of communication between people, helps to avoid controversial or

Character traits

conflict situations . The very concept of “character” is of Greek origin and denotes the characteristics of the psycho-emotional manifestation and expression of an individual. Each of us, without much thinking, can easily and quickly name

• various character traits
• . This list can be very capacious. But in order to determine the characteristic type of a particular individual, one should know not only its main features, but also be able to indicate which of them are defining and which are only complementary. In modern psychology there are:

leading traits, which in fact are the determinants of character as a whole; secondary traits that complement and individualize a particular personality. Knowing the leading features allows you to determine

the essence of all character , its “backbone”., then, most likely, he will not outwardly express his disapproval of the actions or behavior of others that contradict his internal beliefs. He would rather remain silent, arguing in his heart about the wrongness of those around him. And vice versa, if another’s leading quality is love of truth, and the secondary one is timidity, then he will not fail to point out to others that they are wrong, fearing only in the depths of his soul the consequences of his statements.

The characteristic features are divided into the following main groups in relation to various everyday aspects:

• attitude towards other people (tactfulness, friendliness, rudeness, sociability, isolation, sincerity, truthfulness, deceit, etc.);
• attitude to work, activity (responsibility, hard work, dishonesty, laziness, irresponsibility, etc.);
• attitude towards oneself (self-criticism, narcissism, modesty, arrogance, self-confidence, pride, vanity, etc.);
• attitude towards property and property (generosity, frugality, accuracy, carelessness, sloppiness, etc.).

The dominant group is the first (i.e., attitude towards others), since man is a social being, the main features of his behavior are formed and manifested in society. The assessment of behavior by others influences the formation and understanding of character as a whole.

Character Structure

The structure highlights features of both individual properties and those common to a certain group of people: national, age or professional. The image and way of life, features of everyday life, even language and national structure influence the formation of common features for groups and even entire nations. Thus, people of one nationality differ from another in their lifestyle, habits, type of thinking, etc. At the everyday level, typical common features create certain stereotypes. Most of us have our own idea about the inhabitants of a particular country, their habits and morals: the Italians, the French, the Japanese, etc.

All this is true to some extent: character is not an innate or hereditary trait, it formed in the process of personality development as a representative of a certain group or community. It is a product of society, which can explain similar or different traits in the morals of people of different groups.

Accentuation- this is the increased development of certain traits characteristic of an individual. Thus, a distinction is made between extroverts (open and sociable people) and introverts (closed and unsociable).

There is the following classification of character by accentuation, according to which the following types of character are distinguished:

1. Hyperthymic. The defining properties of this type are: talkativeness, sociability, such people have well-developed facial expressions. Along with this, such people are often irritable and frivolous, but at the same time they are very energetic and proactive.
2. Disthymic. The traits that define this type are isolation and pessimism. Such people avoid noisy companies, but highly value friendship; they have a heightened sense of injustice. Taking important decisions, they are often slow and clumsy.
3. Cycloid. For this type of accentuation, the defining feature is the frequent change of mood, depending on which they are either withdrawn into themselves, or, on the contrary, sociable beyond measure.
4. Excitable. Distinctive feature This type of accentuation is conflict. Such people are difficult to communicate with, are often authoritarian in the family, and are difficult to get along with in groups. They are neat and attentive when they are calm, but in a bad mood they are often irritable and hot-tempered.
5. Stuck. These are very intractable individuals who love to teach everyone. They often cause various conflicts to arise. The demands they place on others (as well as on themselves) are very high.
6. Pedantic. The defining feature of this type is increased (sometimes excessive) attention to detail. Such people do not strive for leadership; they are conscientious, but they like to grumble about any reason.
7. Anxious. Individuals with this type are insecure. They strive to avoid conflict situations, and in cases of such they seek support from others. Friendliness and self-criticism are also defining features of their character, but their lack of willpower often makes them the subject of jokes or ridicule.
8. Demonstrative. Representatives of this type of character easily make contact, can adapt to any situation, and are prone to intrigue. One of their defining properties is self-confidence, which often becomes the cause of disputes and conflicts. People with such a character are artistic and courteous, they have out-of-the-box thinking. They can often be boastful, hypocritical and selfish.

In modern psychology there are many classifications.

Types of temperament

Temperament has a huge influence on the formation of this or that type of character, which has been noted since Ancient world. Thus, Hippocrates divided all temperaments into four main types:

1. – a cheerful, cheerful, balanced person who soberly assesses the situation and acts thoughtfully.
2. Choleric– a person who reacts quickly to external events; he can often be unreasonably harsh and inclined to commit rash acts. As a rule, choleric people are hot-tempered and unbalanced.
3. – a person characterized by emotional stability and endurance. It is almost impossible to bring him out of a state of mental balance and peace.
4. Melancholic- an individual with increased nervous sensitivity, nervous stress and shocks are strictly contraindicated for people of this type.

It should be noted, however, that in the so-called pure form These types of temperaments are extremely rare. As a rule, the temperament is of a mixed type (one type may have some traits of both phlegmatic and sanguine, both choleric and melancholic).

The relationship between temperament and human character

The words “character” and “temperament” are often compared with each other; they often replace each other.

In psychology, there are four fundamental views on the relationship between them:

1. unity of temperament and character, their identification (according to the teachings of E. Kretschmer and A. Ruzicki);
2. opposition of temperament and character, their antagonism (teachings of P. Viktorov, V. Virenius);
3. recognition of a person’s temperament as the core or element of his character (according to S. Rubinstein, S. Gorodetsky);
4. recognition of temperament as the natural basis of the entire character (according to L. Vygotsky, B. Ananyev).

Both the types of temperament and the types of character of a person depend on the characteristics of his physiology and the type nervous system. A person's character is formed when his temperament is quite developed. Temperament is the basis of character, but does not predetermine it. People with the same type of temperament may have various features character. The type of temperament can influence whether it helps or hinders the development of certain character traits. For example, it is much more difficult for a phlegmatic person to cultivate sociability than a sanguine person, and a choleric person requires much more effort to become balanced than a phlegmatic person, etc.

The character and temperament of a person are closely interrelated with each other; together they constitute a person’s individuality, the foundations and description of his behavior.

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

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

General Character Traits

It is common for all of us to react in a certain way to changing conditions. General character traits of a person represent the basis of the human psyche. These include courage, honesty, openness, secrecy, gullibility, and isolation. If a person is open to interacting with other people, we can talk about his sociability; if he knows how to enjoy life, he is called cheerful, cheerful. How a person acts in various situations shows his mental characteristics.

In relation to yourself

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

Many people ask how to find out a person’s character? The answer may be his unconscious attitude towards his personality. If a person does not love and respect himself, he simply cannot love others. In life, such a person will behave as inconspicuously as possible and will not make attempts to achieve greater and better results.

In relation to other people

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

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

In relation to work and activity

Daily work also leaves an imprint on a person’s character. While at the workplace, a person is forced to communicate with big amount people, solve certain problems, overcome own shortcomings, expressed in laziness, lack of awareness, competence, inability to do something.

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

How is character formed?

Modern psychological science states that a person's character is formed in early childhood. At about two or three years of age, the child begins to show personality traits character. A person is shaped by both social attitudes and the attitude of his parents towards his personality. If parents are attentive to his mood, take into account the needs and desires of the baby, and take into account his individuality, then the child grows up open to the world around him, trusts the Universe and time, and has a positive attitude towards people. When trust, for whatever reason, is lost, Small child is left with a disjointed feeling of emptiness within himself. He can no longer trust blindly, unconditionally, as before, but begins to look for reasons, pitfalls, and disappointments in everything.

The character finally completes its formation by the age of four or five. If the parents did not pay enough attention to the child until this time, did not understand his pressing problems, why he acts this way and not otherwise, then it will be more difficult to correct the situation. A child who is constantly criticized becomes timid, unsure of himself, and indecisive. Someone who has often been scolded does not believe in himself and treats everything with suspicion. A child surrounded by care and attention becomes trusting and open, ready to learn about the surrounding reality. There are different human characters. The list goes on and on.

Character accentuations

Character accentuations are pronounced manifestations of certain personality traits on which a person becomes fixated and to which he turns out to be excessively vulnerable. For example, shy man may suffer if others do not pay attention to him, but never dare to express himself in society. A merry fellow and the life of the party may be offended by his friends because his ideas did not receive the attention they deserve. In both cases, the person focuses on himself, his feelings about what others will say and think about him, and needs approval of his actions. Whatever the characters are in general, there are also different accentuations.

Typology of characters

In the last century, psychiatrist from Sweden Carl Gustav Jung experimentally deduced human character types. The essence of his concept is that, depending on the prevailing mental functions, he conditionally divided all people into introverts and extroverts.

An introvert is a person immersed in himself, his own thoughts, feelings, experiences. The basis of his existence is his own personality. An introvert experiences failures for a long time, often accumulates grievances and fears, and likes to be alone. He needs time spent with himself like air. Reflections can make up a whole world for him, full of mysteries and secrets. Among people in this category there are many thinkers, writers, and poets. A certain self-absorption and isolation from the outside world allows them to create their own reality. An introvert greatly values ​​solitude, the opportunity to think, and emotional support from other people (since he is often unsure of himself).

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

Temperament types

When answering the question about what types of characters there are, one cannot help but touch upon the theory of four types of temperament. This classification is known to every person from school. Mostly there are people with a mixed type of temperament, in which one type predominates.

A choleric person is a person of mood, whose frequent changes are due to the mobility of the nervous system. He gets carried away easily, but cools down very quickly. Thus, energy resources are often wasted. Choleric does everything quickly, sometimes forgetting about quality. Often he does not have time to complete the work before it ceases to interest him.

Sanguine - a person with a stable type nervous activity. He quite easily lets go of failures and disappointments, switching to external circumstances. Easily gets carried away and works productively. Alive interesting person who needs a community of like-minded people.

A phlegmatic person is a person of calm, balanced disposition. From the outside it may seem that it is difficult to anger or touch a phlegmatic person. However, he is quite vulnerable, but knows how to hide it well. Beneath the external “thick skin” lies a sensitive and sincere person. The phlegmatic person is responsible and a good performer. However, the organizer will not come out of it.

A melancholic person is an extremely emotional, vulnerable, vulnerable person. He takes injustice seriously and often looks overly withdrawn and distrustful.

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

Typology of Kretschmer's characters

Psychologist from Germany Ernst Kretschmer proposed a classification that allows one to determine character by a person’s face, as well as by his physique. He called thin people as asthenics and characterized them as closed personalities prone to serious experiences. He defined overweight people as picnics. Picnicians are often obese, easily adapt to changing conditions, and are in great need of society. People of the athletic type are distinguished by practicality, purposefulness, and a calm, imperturbable character.

The science of graphology deals with the study of the characteristics of human behavior, his personality traits based on the outline of letters. Everything matters here: the placement of the letters on the line, their height and width, and how elegantly and beautifully they are written. For example, a person with low self-esteem has lines directed downwards. For those who carry themselves confidently, the lines go up. Large letters indicate the breadth of the soul and the desire to be a leader, small letters characterize a person who doubts everything. Currently, there is more than one test for a person’s character to determine which group he belongs to.

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

For those who dream of changing their character due to objective reasons, I would like to say that nothing is impossible. Just consciously take the necessary steps, control yourself. Of course, you won’t be able to radically change yourself, but you don’t need to strive for this, because each of us is unique and inimitable. Better improve yours best qualities character, rather than constantly thinking about shortcomings and finding out what kind of characters there are and why you don’t match them. Learn to love yourself for who you really are, and then your own shortcomings will stop bothering you. Everyone has them, believe me. Your task is to develop yourself, to reveal the fullness of your capabilities for self-realization.

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