The history of teachings about temperament in psychology briefly. The classical doctrine of temperament
Temperament- sustainable association of individual personality traits. Temperament is the basis of character development; and from a physiological point of view, temperament is a type of higher nervous activity person.
The Magic of Numbers in Mediterranean civilization led to doctrine of the four temperaments, while in the East a five-component "system of the world" was developing.
The doctrine of temperament has its own history. Even in ancient times, scientists drew attention to the differences between people.
Under temperament Hippocrates understood both the anatomical and physiological and individual psychological characteristics of a person. He explained temperament as a feature of behavior, the predominance of one of the "vital juices" (four elements) in the body:
The predominance of yellow bile (ancient Greek - chole, "bile, poison") makes a person impulsive, "hot" - choleric.
The predominance of lymph (ancient Greek - phlegm, "sputum") makes a person calm and slow - phlegmatic.
The predominance of blood (lat. - sangvis, "blood") makes a person mobile and cheerful - sanguine.
The predominance of black bile (ancient Greek - melana chole, "black bile") makes a person sad and fearful - a melancholic.
The turning point in the history of the natural science study of temperaments was Pavlov's doctrine of types nervous system .
Aristotle, explaining the theory of Hippocrates, argued that different temperaments are generated by the qualities of human blood. Aristotle singled out such qualities of blood as the rate of sedimentation and the degree of density and warmth. For example, light blood is inherent in sanguine people, heavy blood in melancholic people, warmth in choleric people, liquid blood in phlegmatic people.
A theory based on the qualities of the nervous system began to develop. So , A. Galler, founder experimental physiology, He argued that differences in temperaments determine the strength and excitability of the very blood vessels through which blood flows. This idea was adopted by his student G. Vriesberg, which bound types behavior with features of the nervous system. So, he believed that choleric and sanguine big brain, "strong and thick nerves", high excitability of the senses. And phlegmatic and melancholic people are characterized by a small brain, "thin nerves and low excitability of the senses.
Seago created a typology, according to which each system of the body corresponds to a certain external environment that affects this system. He identified four main types of body structure: respiratory, digestive, muscular and cerebral. Each of these types corresponds to certain features of temperament.
Shiro's views influenced the so-called constitutional theories of temperament. The main propagandist of constitutional typology is considered E. Kretschmer, who published the work "The structure of the body and character." The main idea of this study is that people with certain body structure type certain mental characteristics and a tendency to mental illness. E. Kretschmer singled out four constitutional types:Leptosomatic , Picnic, athletics, Dysplastic.
E. Kretschmer argued that in healthy people there is a relationship between the structure of the body and mental qualities characteristic of certain mental illnesses, but not pronounced. Therefore, depending on certain types of body structure, he deduced three types of temperament: 1) schizothymic - leptosomatic or asthenic body structure, 2) cyclothymic - picnic physique; 3) iksotimik - athletic physique. Kretschmer's typology was and is quite popular in Western Europe.
Just as the constitutional typology of E. Kretschmer spread in Europe, in America it gained popularity W. Sheldon's concept. The qualities of temperament Sheldon called depending on the functions of certain organs of the body: viscerotonia, somatotonia and cerebrotonia. He called people in whom viscerotonia predominates scerotonics, the second type, respectively, somagogonics, and the third - cerebrotonics. If the individual parameters have the same intensity, then this is a mixed type.
Humoral theories of temperamental differences.
The founders of the doctrine of temperaments were the doctors Hippocrates and Galen. They created an essentially humoral (from Latin - moisture, juice) theory of temperament, a scientific explanation of which from the point of view of higher nervous activity gave Pavlov.
The name "temperament" comes from the Latin word, which means "proper proportion of parts." Hippocrates believed that some people in the body bile predominates, others have the most blood, still others have a particularly large amount of mucus, and fourth have the greatest amount of black bile.
Four out of nine Galenic temperament types and in our time are considered as the main ones: choleric, sanguine phlegmatic and melancholic.
In the course of many centuries that have passed since the time of ancient science, various hypotheses have been put forward, aimed at explaining the cause of differences in the dynamic manifestations of the psyche. German philosopher Kant believed that the natural basis of temperament are qualitative blood features. Close to this point of view is the idea of a Russian doctor and teacher Lesgaft that the manifestations of temperament are ultimately based on the properties of the circulatory system. The speed and strength of the blood flow, according to his theory, determine the metabolic rate and, ultimately, the individual characteristics of temperament as a measure of the excitability of the organism and the duration of its reactions under the action of external and internal stimuli.
Features of ideas about the types of temperament I. Kant, Stendhal. W. Wundt's approach to temperament.
The most detailed psychological portraits of all four types of temperaments were created by the German philosopher Kant. In his opinion sanguine characterizes the desire for pleasure, combined with a slight excitability of feelings and with their short duration. At melancholic the tendency to sadness prevails.
Choleric temperament reveals a considerable force of activity, energy and perseverance when under the influence of any passion. Phlegmatic person characterized by balance.
Wundt understood temperament as a predisposition to affect. Adhering to this view, he singled out 2 properties: the strength and speed of change (stability - instability) of emotions, thereby emphasizing the importance of the energy characteristics of the individual - STRONG EMOTIONAL REACTIONS in combination with emotional instability form a choleric temperament. LITTLE strength with their instability - sanguine, etc. He also expressed an important idea that temperament has both positive and negative sides.
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (c. 460-377 BC) is considered the creator of the doctrine of temperament. He argued that people differ in the ratio of the four main "juices to organisms - blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. The ratio of these "juices of the body" in Greek was denoted by the word "kra-sis", which was later replaced by the Latin word (.shregatepsht -“proportionality?”, “correct measure”. Based on the teachings of Hippocrates, another famous physician of antiquity, Claudius Galen (c. 130-c. 200), developed a typology of temperaments, which he outlined in the famous treatise Le SetregatenCit. According to his teachings, the type of temperament depends on the predominance of one of the juices in the body. They were allocated 13 types of temperament, but then they were reduced to four. These four names of temperament types are well known to you: sanguine (from lat. zap&ta- blood), phlegmatic (from Gerch. rye&ta- mucus, sputum), choleric (from the Greek. USA - bile) and melancholic (from the Greek. melas cie - black bile). This concept has had a huge impact on scientists for many centuries. This is confirmed by the fact that so far the names of temperament types proposed by Galen are the most common.
In subsequent centuries, researchers, observing a significant variety of behavior, coinciding with differences in physique and physiological functions, tried to streamline and somehow group these differences. As a result, numerous concepts and typologies of temperaments have arisen. These concepts were based on a variety of personality traits. In a number of concepts, the properties of temperament were understood as hereditary or innate and associated with individual differences in body features. Such typologies are called constitutional typologies. Among them, the most widespread was the typology proposed by E. Kretschmer, who in 1921 published his famous work “Body structure and character *. His main idea is that people with a certain body type have certain mental characteristics. E. Kretschmer made many measurements of people's body parts, which allowed him to distinguish four constitutional types: leptosomatic, picnic, athletic, dysplastic (Fig. 24.1).
1. Leptosomatic characterized by a fragile physique, high growth, flat chest, narrow shoulders, long and thin lower limbs.
2. Picnic - a person with pronounced adipose tissue, excessively obese, characterized by small or medium stature, a blurred body with a large belly and a round head on a short neck.
3. Athletic - a person with well-developed muscles, a strong physique, characterized by high or medium height, broad shoulders, narrow hips.
4. Dysplastic - a person with a shapeless, irregular structure. Individuals of this type are characterized by various body deformities (for example, excessive growth, disproportionate physique). With the named types of body structure, Kretschmer correlates the three types of temperament he singled out, which he calls: schizothymic, ixothymic and cyclothymic. The schizothymic has an asthenic physique, he is closed, prone to mood swings, stubborn, not inclined to change attitudes and views, hardly adapts to the environment. In contrast, the ixothymic has an athletic physique. This is a calm, unimpressive person with restrained gestures and facial expressions, with low flexibility of thinking, often petty. The picnic physique is cyclothymic, his emotions fluctuate between joy and sadness, he easily contacts people and is realistic in his views.
Kretschmer's theory is most widespread in Europe. In the USA in the 40s. 20th century W. Sheldon's concept of temperament gained great popularity. His concept is based on the assumption that the body and temperament are two interrelated parameters of a person. According to the author, the structure of the body determines the temperament, which is its function. Sheldon proceeded from the hypothesis of the existence of basic body types, describing which he borrowed terms from embryology.
He identified three types: 1) endomorphic (mostly internal organs are formed from the endoderm); 2) mesomorphic (muscle tissue is formed from the mesoderm); 3) ectomorphic (skin develops from the ectoderm and nervous tissue). People with the endomorphic type tend to have a relatively weak physique with excess adipose tissue, the mesomorphic type is characterized by a slender and strong body, great physical strength, and the ectomorphic type is characterized by a fragile physique, a flat chest and long thin limbs with weak muscles. According to Sheldon, these body types correspond to certain types of temperaments, named by him depending on the function of certain organs of the body: viscerotonia (from lat. V^$ce^a - entrails), somatotonia (from the Greek. but. - body) and cerebrotonia (from lat. sergegit - brain). Sheldon calls persons with a predominance of a certain type of physique, respectively, viscerotonics, somatotonics and cerebrotonics, and believes that each person has all of these groups of properties. However, the differences between people are determined by the predominance of certain properties (Table 24.1).
In modern psychological science, most constitutional concepts are subjected to sharp criticism because they underestimate the role of the environment and social conditions in the formation of a person's mental properties. Concepts based on the consideration of the functioning of the nervous system, which performs a dominant and controlling role in the body, deserve more serious attention. The theory of the connection of some general properties of nervous processes with types of temperament was proposed by I.P. works of his followers.The studies conducted by Pavlov are deservedly regarded as the most significant for understanding physiological foundations temperament.
Thanks to Pavlov's research in domestic psychology there were ideas about temperament as a property of a person, largely due to the innate characteristics of a person. For example, B. G. Ananiev believed that the basic properties of a person as a representative of the species Noto shrget manifest themselves not only in inclinations, but also in temperament.
The greatest contribution to the development of the theory of temperament in Russian psychology was made by B. M. Teplev. His works devoted to the study of the properties of temperament determined not only the modern view on the problem of temperament, but also became the basis for the development of further experimental studies of temperament. Teplov attributed to the properties of temperament stable mental properties that characterize the dynamics of mental activity. He explained the individual characteristics of temperament by different levels of development of certain properties of temperament. Among the most significant properties of temperament were the following:
1) Emotional excitability. This property was understood as the ability to respond to very weak external and internal influences.
2) Excitability of attention - this property of temperament determines the adaptive functions of the individual's psyche. It consists in the ability to notice an extremely small change in the intensity of the acting stimulus.
3) The power of emotions. Teplov saw the main function of this property in the "energization of activity" depending on the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of motives. (Modern psychologists call this property the intensity and modality of emotional manifestations.)
4) Anxiety. Teplov understood anxiety as emotional excitability in a threatening situation. Moreover, he fundamentally shared anxiety and emotional excitability under normal conditions. One of the reasons for this opinion is that emotional excitability does not depend on the strength of the stimulus, and anxiety, on the contrary, is directly dependent on it.
5) Reactivity of involuntary movements. The function of this property is to increase the intensity of adaptive reactions to situations and stimuli that are directly acting at the moment.
6) The activity of volitional purposeful activity. This property, according to Teplov, manifests itself in an increase in the activity of adaptation by transforming the situation in accordance with the intended purpose.
7) Plasticity - rigidity. The function of this property is to adapt to the changing requirements of the activity.
8) Resistance. This property lies in the ability to resist all internal and external conditions that weaken or inhibit the activity begun.
9) Subjectivation. Teplov saw the function of this property in strengthening the degree of mediation of activity by subjective images and concepts.
From the above characteristics of the properties of temperament proposed by Teplov, we should draw two main conclusions. First, the properties of temperament are manifested in the dynamics of mental processes and the degree of activity of the individual. Secondly, temperament is closely related to activity. These provisions were developed in subsequent studies by domestic scientists.
The well-known psychophysiologist V. M. Rusalov, based on the concept of the properties of the nervous system, proposed in the late 1980s. his interpretation of the properties of temperament. This concept deserves attention, since it took into account the achievements of modern physiology. Rusalov, based on the theory of P.K. Anokhin's functional system, which includes four blocks - storage, circulation and processing of information (afferent synthesis block), programming (decision making), feedback, - identified four properties of temperament associated with them, which are responsible for the breadth or narrowness of the afferent synthesis (the degree of tension of the organism's interaction with the environment), the ease of switching from one behavior program to another, the speed of execution of the current behavior program and sensitivity to the discrepancy between the real result of the action and its acceptor .
In accordance with this, the traditional psychophysiological assessment of temperament has changed and instead of two parameters - activity and sensitivity - four components have already been identified: ergicity (endurance), plasticity, speed and emotionality (sensitivity). All these components of temperament, according to Rusalov, are biologically and genetically determined. So, temperament depends on the properties of the nervous system, and they, in turn, should be understood as the main characteristics of functional systems that ensure the integrative, analytical and synthetic activity of the brain, the entire nervous system as a whole.
From the point of view of this concept, temperament is a psychobiological category in the sense that its properties are neither completely innate nor dependent on the environment. They, in the words of the author of this concept, represent a “systemic generalization* of genetically specified individual biological properties of a person, which, “included in the most different types activities are gradually transformed and form, regardless of the content of the activity itself, a generalized, qualitatively new individually stable system of invariant properties” (Rusalov V. M., 1979).
In accordance with the two main types of human activity - objective activity and communication - each of the selected properties of temperament should be considered separately, since it is assumed that in these types of activity they manifest themselves in different ways. So, according to Rusalov, the psychological characteristics of temperament are not the properties of the nervous system per se or their combination, but the typical features of the course of mental processes and behavior that these properties generate. For example, activity, as a property of temperament, in cognitive mental processes is manifested in how much a person in the ability to focus on a particular object or aspect of it. In turn, the pace is manifested in how fast the corresponding mental processes proceed.
Excitability, inhibition and switchability characterize the speed of occurrence and termination of one or another cognitive process or his switching from one object to another. For example, some people are slow to engage in intellectual activity or switch from one topic to another. Others quickly memorize or recall information. It should also be borne in mind here that these features do not determine the abilities of people.
Most of the authors in to a large extent associate the properties of temperament and their manifestations with physiological features organism. Let us also get acquainted with the point of view that has developed in domestic psychology regarding the physiological foundations of temperament.
Temperament should be understood as individual-peculiar properties of the psyche that determine the dynamics of human mental activity, which are equally manifested in a variety of activities, regardless of its content, goals, motives, remain constant in adulthood and in interconnection characterize the type of temperament.
Before proceeding to the consideration of various types and features of temperament, it should immediately be noted that there are no better and worse temperaments - each of them has its positive aspects, and therefore the main efforts should be directed not at its correction, but at its reasonable use in a specific activity. merits. From time immemorial, man has made attempts to isolate and realize the typical features of the mental make-up of various people, trying to reduce all their diversity to a small number of generalized portraits.
Such generalized portraits from ancient times were called types of temperaments. Such typologies were practically useful, since with their help it was possible to predict the behavior of people with a certain temperament in specific life situations.
The term "temperament" goes back to the views of ancient science on the nature of individual psychological differences. Ancient Greek medicine, represented by its largest representative Hippocrates (5th century BC), believed that the state of the body depends mainly on the quantitative ratio of "juices" or liquids present in the body. Blood, bile, black bile and mucus (phlegm) were considered such “juices” necessary for life, and it was assumed that their optimal ratio was necessary for health. The four "juices" Hippocrates assigned the same role in human life, which is assigned in nature to the main elements: fire, earth, water and air. The balance of the elements leads to a favorable climate, without droughts and floods, without storms and earthquakes. It is exactly the same in the human body: health (“kraza”) occurs with a successful, even mixing of “juices”, “dyscrasia” (improper mixing) leads to deviations in health. Roman physicians, working a few centuries later, began to use the word temperamentum, which means "proper ratio of parts", from which the term "temperament" came to mean "proportion" in mixing fluids.
Hippocrates did not stop only at the descriptions of temperaments. He went further and suggested possible variants of disease states in people with one or another temperament, described subtle psychological observations. So, according to Hippocrates, phlegmatic people are affected by tenesmus; bile - prolonged diarrhea. Melancholics are dominated by silence, timidity and sadness, and "if the feeling of fear or cowardice continues for too long, then this indicates the onset of melancholy." Melancholics "... are full of all sorts of fears, complain of pain in the abdomen, as if they were pricked with thousands of small needles", they often have dreams with images of the dead.
Recognizing the influence of external conditions on the formation of temperament, Hippocrates also spoke about the inheritance of personality traits: “... a phlegmatic person is born from a phlegmatic person, a bilious person from a consumptive person, a person with a diseased spleen from a person with a diseased spleen ... since birth comes from all parts body, then from healthy it will be healthy, and from sickly it will be sickly.
Gradually, in ancient science, the idea was recognized that not only the bodily functions, but also the mental characteristics of people are an expression of their temperament, i.e. depend on the proportion in which the main "juices" are mixed in the body.
Roman anatomist and physician Claudius Galen, who lived in the II century. BC, for the first time gave a detailed classification of different types of temperament. Subsequently, representatives of ancient medicine reduced the number of temperament types to four. Each of them was characterized by the predominance of any one liquid.
Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) also spoke of four temperaments. Aristotle put the properties of blood as the basis for dividing people into types. In his opinion, the ability of blood to clot is associated with its "earthy" integral part, and its insufficient coagulation - with the predominance of moisture in it, the "watery" component. The temperament of a person depends on the temperature of the blood, the predominance of “earthy” or “watery” principles in it. People with cold, watery blood are prone to fear, anxiety, and are characterized by uncertainty in their judgments and actions. Hot, rich in fibers (now known to be fibrinogen and fibrin), rapidly clotting blood is characteristic of angry, easily excited, brave, imprudent natures. People with watery and cold blood are characterized by rationality, prudence. The best, according to Aristotle, should be considered warm, thin and pure blood, which, contributing to courage, also provides sufficient rationality.
The mixture of fluids in the body, characterized by the predominance of blood, was called the sanguine temperament (from the Latin word "sangvis" - blood); mixing, in which lymph predominates - phlegmatic temperament (from the Greek word "phlegm" - mucus); mixing with a predominance of yellow bile - choleric temperament (from the Greek word "chole" - bile) and, finally, mixing with a predominance of black bile - melancholic temperament (from the Greek words "melain chole" - black bile).
These names of temperaments have survived to this day, but the former ideas about the organic basis of psychological differences between people are now primarily of historical interest.
During the many centuries that have passed since ancient science, various new hypotheses have been put forward, seeking to explain the cause of the differences in the dynamic manifestations of the psyche.
In the history of the study of this problem, three main systems of views can be distinguished. The oldest of them, as we already know, connects the cause of individual differences with the role of certain body fluids. These humoral theories (from the Latin humor - moisture, juice) include ideas about the special significance of blood that have become widespread in modern times.
Thus, the German philosopher I. Kant (late 18th century), who made a great contribution to the systematization of psychological ideas about temperaments, believed that the natural basis of temperament are individual characteristics blood.
Close to this point of view is the idea of the Russian teacher, anatomist and physician P.F. Lesgaft, who wrote (at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries) that the manifestations of temperament are ultimately based on the properties of the circulatory system, in particular, the thickness and elasticity of the walls of blood vessels, the diameter of their lumen, the structure and shape of the heart, etc. which are associated with the speed and strength of blood flow and, as a result, a measure of the excitability of the body and the duration of reactions in response to various stimuli.
Long-standing ideas about the importance of body fluids have received partial confirmation in modern endocrinological studies, which have shown that such properties of the psyche as one or another dynamics of reactivity, sensitivity, emotional balance, to a large extent depend on individual differences in the functioning of the hormonal system.
At the turn of the XIX and early XX centuries. the so-called somatic concept was formed, according to which there is a connection between the properties of temperament and physique. The works of the German psychiatrist E. Kretschmer (20s of our century), which substantiate the idea that differences in the types of body structure (some features of growth, fullness, proportions of body parts) also indicate certain differences in temperament, are widely known.
The American scientist W. Sheldon (40s of our century) also put in a direct connection the bodily features that act in varying degrees of development of various tissues of the body, and the features of temperament. Somatic theories should not be overly contrasted with humoral ones: both the type of body structure and the dynamic properties of the psyche can be the result of the same cause - the result of the action of hormones secreted by the endocrine glands.
A great contribution to the further study of temperament was made by the great Russian academician, Nobel Prize winner Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936).
Studying the processes of excitation and inhibition in the cerebral cortex, their duration, turnover and strength, I. Pavlov was able to distinguish four types of higher nervous activity.
Strong balanced slow type- with the predominance of inhibition processes in the cerebral cortex, low mobility in the change of excitation and inhibition. As a rule, these are calm, persistent, hardworking, even, somewhat slow people.
Strong balanced movable type, in which the processes of excitation and inhibition are equally expressed, they quickly and easily replace each other. Such people are mobile, cheerful, sociable, quite purposeful and persistent, flexible. This type of higher nervous activity corresponds to the Hippocratic sanguine.
Strong unbalanced type, with the predominance of excitation processes in the cerebral cortex. These are choleric, unrestrained, ardent, selfish, screamers and fighters, at the slightest provocation they “give out” an emotional outburst. It should be noted that a pretty choleric is, as a rule, with high intelligence. Otherwise, choleric causes irritation and hostility among others.
weak type, in which both excitatory and inhibitory processes are weak, their mobility and change are insignificant. Indecisive, always doubting people, anxious and fearful. It is clear that these are melancholic. A fairly pronounced melancholic was, for example, Berseniev from I. Turgenev's novel "On the Eve".
I. Pavlov believed that the golden mean is “phlegmatic and sanguine temperaments, balanced, and therefore healthy, stable and truly vital nervous types ... Phlegmatic is always calm, always even, persistent and stubborn worker of life. Sanguine is a hot, very productive figure, but only when he has a lot of interesting things to do, that is, constant excitement. When there is no such thing, he becomes boring and lethargic ... ".
Thus, the studies of I. Pavlov brought the scientific neurophysiological foundation to the teachings of Hippocrates about temperaments.
Undoubtedly, each person has a well-defined type of nervous system, the manifestations of which, that is, the characteristics of temperament, constitute an important aspect of individual psychological differences.
The founder of the doctrine of the types of temperament is the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (5th century BC). Hippocrates argued that people differ in the ratio of the four main "juices of the body" - blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile, which are part of it. Each liquid has special properties and a special purpose. Based on this theory, the most famous doctor of antiquity after Hippocrates, Claudius Galen (II century BC), developed the first typology of temperaments. According to the teachings of Galen, the type of temperament depends on which of the "juices" prevails in the human body. He singled out types of temperament, the names of which have survived to our time and are widely known: sanguine (from Latin sanguis - blood), phlegmatic (from Greek phlegm - phlegm), choleric (from Greek chole - bile) and melancholic (from Greek melas chole - black bile). This fantastic concept has had a huge impact on scientists for many centuries.
Other scientists have tried to explain temperament by features appearance person. The most widespread typology was E. Kretschmer (1921), the main idea of which is that people with a certain body type have certain mental characteristics.
In the USA in the 40s. 20th century W. Sheldon's concept of temperament, according to which the body and temperament are two interconnected parameters of a person, has gained great popularity. According to the author, the structure of the body determines the temperament, which is its function.
K. Jung (1923) proposed a peculiar solution to the problem. He identified two main types of behavior. The first type is extroverted. People of this type are adventurous, open to others, sociable. The second type is introverted. People of this type are characterized by shyness, isolation, the desire to avoid risk and social interactions. According to Jung, the predominance of extraversion is observed in choleric and sanguine people, and the dominance of introversion in melancholic and phlegmatic people.
The scientific doctrine of temperaments was created by I.P. Pavlov. He linked temperament with the functioning of the central nervous system. In the study of higher nervous activity, he discovered its three main properties.
1. Strength - the ability to withstand intense loads: long work, stress, etc. Depending on this, two types of it were distinguished: strong and weak.
I.P. Pavlov distinguished between the force of excitation and the force of inhibition, considering them to be two independent properties of the nervous system. The strength of excitation shows the efficiency of the nerve cell. It manifests itself in endurance, i.e. in the ability of the cell to withstand prolonged or short-term, but strong excitation, without passing into the opposite state of inhibition. People with high rates of excitation strength are distinguished by high efficiency, courage, risk appetite, ability to overcome difficulties and failures in work; persistent and stubborn in achieving their goals, striving for independence, easily experiencing failures.
The force of inhibition is understood as the functional performance of the nervous system during the implementation of inhibition. This feature is manifested in restraint in actions, conversation; in the ability to keep a secret, to follow the rules; in composure in anticipation of danger, slowness in decision-making; in thorough chewing of food during meals; in a good dream.
Weakness nervous processes is characterized by the inability of nerve cells to withstand prolonged and concentrated excitation and inhibition. Under the action of very strong stimuli, nerve cells quickly pass into a state of protective inhibition. Thus, in a weak nervous system, nerve cells are characterized by low efficiency, their energy is quickly depleted. But on the other hand, a weak nervous system has great sensitivity: even to weak stimuli, it gives an appropriate reaction.
Weakness of the nervous system is not a negative property. A strong nervous system copes more successfully with some life tasks (for example, in work associated with large and unexpected loads). A weak nervous system copes more successfully with others (for example, in conditions of monotonous work). A weak nervous system is a highly sensitive nervous system, and this is its advantage over a strong one.
2. Balance - is determined by the ratio of the strength of the processes of excitation and inhibition. Depending on this, two types of the nervous system and the corresponding types of temperament are distinguished: balanced and unbalanced. If the strength of one process exceeds the strength of another, a person becomes either too easily excitable or too calm. A balanced person behaves collectedly in the most stressful environment. Without difficulty, he suppresses unnecessary and inadequate desires, drives away extraneous thoughts. Works evenly, without random ups and downs.
3. Mobility - manifested in the speed of transition of one nervous process to another. The mobility of nervous processes is manifested in the ability to change behavior in accordance with changing living conditions. The measure of this property of the nervous system is the speed of transition from one action to another, from a passive state to an active state, and vice versa. In accordance with this, two types of the nervous system were distinguished: mobile and inert. They differ in the speed of the corresponding nervous processes and the corresponding external or internal actions (thinking, memory, imagination, etc.). The nervous system becomes more inert the more time or effort it takes to move from one process to another. For example, a student with a mobile nervous system, other things being equal, will solve a problem faster than a child with an inert nervous system.
Depending on the ratio of these processes, four types of higher nervous activity and the corresponding temperaments were distinguished: sanguine- strong balanced mobile; phlegmatic- strong balanced inert; choleric- strong unbalanced; melancholic- weak type.
Temperament types
The division of people into four types of temperament is very conditional. Only a few are pure representatives of these types; in the majority, there is a combination of individual features of one temperament with some features of another. One and the same person in different situations and in relation to different spheres of life and activity can reveal features of different temperaments. So, for example, seeing how slowly a student does homework, helps his mother, you might think that he is phlegmatic. But, watching him at the stadium at the moment when the team he supports scores a goal, you can decide that he is a choleric. In the classroom, the same student will seem sanguine. But at the blackboard he can sometimes be mistaken for a melancholic. However, if students with different temperaments are observed under the same conditions, their behavior will be even more unequal. It is possible to attribute a person's temperament to one or another type only according to the prevailing features.
Sanguine temperament characterized by increased reactivity and activity, due to which it responds vividly to everything new. He has a balanced ratio of activity and reactivity, he can restrain his reactions and manifestations of feelings. The rate of reactions is quite high, which is manifested in rapid movements, the rate of speech, thinking and other mental processes. This person is very energetic and efficient, he actively takes up a new business and can work for a long time without getting tired. Productive in dynamic and varied work. Able to quickly focus his attention, he is characterized by flexibility of mind, resourcefulness. The sanguine person is extroverted, quickly adapts to changing situations, finds contact with other people, is sociable, quickly switches from one type of activity to another. Emotionally unstable, easily amenable to feelings, they are usually not strong and shallow. Inclined to positive emotions.
At the core choleric temperament lies an unbalanced type of nervous system. The choleric, as well as the sanguine, is characterized by high reactivity and activity, a fast pace of reactions, but reactivity prevails over activity. He is distinguished by increased excitability, imbalance, which manifests itself in communication and activity: he enthusiastically gets down to business, takes the initiative, but the energy is quickly depleted. He is less plastic and more inert than the sanguine. It is difficult for a choleric person to do activities that require smooth movements, a calm, slow pace, he often shows impatience, sharpness of movements, impetuousness. In dealing with people, the choleric is quick-tempered, unrestrained, irritable, which can lead to conflict situations.
Phlegmatic temperament characterized by calmness, poise, low mobility, great rigidity (lack of flexibility) and introversion. Activity prevails over reactivity. Mental processes are slow, he needs time to focus on any activity. Phlegmatic people are characterized by low reactivity and low emotional excitability. The movements of the phlegmatic are slow, he hardly switches his attention, he does not adapt well to the new environment. In activity shows perseverance, patience and perseverance. Differs in patience, endurance, self-control. In relations with people, the phlegmatic is even, calm, it is not easy to piss him off. As a rule, he hardly converges with new people, weakly responds to new impressions, is introverted.
Melancholic temperament characterized by high emotional sensitivity, impressionability, increased vulnerability, a tendency to low mood, anxiety, and resentment. Increased sensitivity with great inertia leads to the fact that an insignificant occasion can cause tears in him and fixation on the injury. The melancholic is distinguished by a slow mental pace, sluggish and slow movements. His facial expressions and movements are inexpressive, his voice is quiet. Low reactivity and reduced activity are manifested in the fact that he is unsure of himself, often gets lost, and tends not to complete the work. The melancholic is not energetic, unpersistent, gets tired easily and has little work capacity. He is introverted, prone to isolation, restrained in expressing feelings, avoiding communication with unfamiliar people.
The concept of temperament.
Considering mental processes, psychologists point to individual differences in their course. But it must be remembered that the bearer of mental processes is a specific person. Feels, thinks, feels a person with a certain personality. Only this particular personality creates the unity of the human psyche.
Therefore, psychology faces the task of studying those individual psychological characteristics of the personality, which, including differences in the course of individual mental processes, are at the same time new. quality education, giving originality to the mental appearance of a person.
Temperament is one of the manifestations of individual psychological characteristics of a person. Under Temperament is understood as the individual-peculiar properties of the psyche that determine the dynamics of a person’s mental activity, which are equally manifested in a variety of activities, regardless of its content, goals, motives, remain constant in adulthood and, in their mutual connection, characterize the type of temperament.
Human temperament is manifested in different areas of mental activity. It appears especially brightly in the emotional sphere, in the speed and strength of emotional excitability. There are people who are emotionally responsive, impressionable. Even minor events find an emotional response in them. They warmly respond to the events of social life, work with enthusiasm and passion. On the other hand, there are people with reduced excitability, unimpressive. Only especially important events in public and private life cause them joy, anger, fear, etc. To everyday events, they relate without excitement; work energetically, calmly.
Other people quickly establish their attention, quickly think, speak, remember. Conversely, there are people whose characteristic feature is the slow, calm flow of mental processes. They think slowly, they speak slowly. Their speech is monotonous, inexpressive. Slowness is found in them in other mental processes, as well as in attention. Temperamental differences are also manifested in the features motility: in body movements, in gestures, in facial expressions. Some people have fast, energetic movements, plentiful, sharp gestures, expressive facial expressions. In others, movements are slow, smooth, gestures are mean, facial expressions are inexpressive. The first is characterized by liveliness, mobility, the second - motor restraint. Temperament affects the characteristics of moods and the nature of their change. Some people are most often cheerful, cheerful; their moods change often and easily, while others are prone to lyrical moods; their moods are stable, their change is smooth. There are people whose moods change abruptly, unexpectedly.
The nature of the course of mental activity depends on temperament. 1. The speed of occurrence of mental processes and their stability, for example, the speed of the mind, the speed of perception, the duration of concentration. 2. Mental tempo and rhythm. 3. The intensity of mental processes - the activity of the will, the strength of emotions, etc. 4. Orientation of mental activity. That is, the focus on certain objects, for example, the desire for new impressions or the appeal to oneself, to one's ideas, etc.
Definition of temperament: temperament is called an individual psychological feature of a person, which manifests itself in the degree of emotional excitability, in the speed and energy of the course of mental processes, in the speed and expressiveness of movements, facial expressions and gestures, and in the features of changing moods. Temperament- this is a peculiarity of the dynamics of human mental activity.
You can give the following definition of temperament: Feature the individual from the side of his dynamic features, that is, the speed, pace and rhythm of mental processes and mental states.
The development of the doctrine of temperament.
The founder of the doctrine of temperament is the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who lived in the 5th century BC. BC. Hippocrates claimed that there are four fluids in the human body: yellow bile and black bile, blood and mucus. These liquids are mixed with each other in a certain proportion. Hippocrates called the proportion or ratio of four liquids in a mixture the ancient Greek word "crasis". This word was subsequently translated into Latin by the word temperamentum. The common word "temperament" comes from the said Latin term. Hippocrates believed that in mixing four
liquids, one of them may predominate. From the predominance of a certain liquid in mixing, a type of temperament arises. According to Hippocrates, there are four main types of temperament - choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine.
The choleric temperament arises from such a mixture of the four fluids, in which yellow bile predominates. The name of this temperament established by Hippocrates - choleric comes from the ancient Greek word hole. Translated into Russian, it means - "bile". The word "choleric" in Russian means "bilious". The mixture of the four liquids, dominated by black bile, was called by Hippocrates the melancholic temperament. The name of this temperament comes from two ancient Greek words: melan - black and hole - bile. Hence the word "melancholic" in translation into Russian means "black bile." Hippocrates called the mixing of the four liquids with an excess of mucus the phlegmatic temperament. From the Greek word phlegma, phlegm. Finally, the fourth type of temperament arises when the four blood fluids predominate in the mixture. Hippocrates did not give this temperament a special name. Later it was called sanguine. From the Latin word sanguts - blood. Hence "sanguine" can be translated into Russian with the word "bloody".
Hippocrates approached the problem of temperaments from a medical point of view. He believed that this or that temperament creates a predisposition to certain kinds of diseases. Hippocrates' teaching in its content corresponded to the level of development of the sciences of his time and was long outdated. However, the name of Hippocrates will always live in the history of the science of temperament. His merit is that he was the first to put forward the idea of temperament, which has existed for over two and a half thousand years.
The terms introduced by Hippocrates to denote certain types temperament: choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic. Words such as "temperament", "sanguine", although they do not belong to Hippocrates himself, but their appearance in science is associated with his teaching on temperament.
Hippocrates' doctrine of temperament aroused great interest in this problem among ancient scientists - philosophers, doctors. Already in antiquity, many different teachings about temperament appeared (Aristotle, Galen, etc.). Some of them argued that the mental qualities of a person also depend on temperament.
The founder of the psychological doctrine of temperament is the German philosopher Kant. The characteristics of the four temperaments (sanguine, melancholic, choleric and phlegmatic) vividly written by him were considered classical for a long time and had a great influence on the development of teachings about temperament in empirical psychology. Kant's doctrine of temperament and the numerous theories of temperament created by empirical psychologists are based on idealistic philosophy and cannot be considered scientific.
Except psychological theories temperament, many others have been created - chemical, physical, physiological. Some scientists looked for the foundations of temperament in chemical composition body and blood. Others - in the movement of tissue molecules; the third - in the nature of the metabolism in the body, in the speed and strength of the movement of blood in the vessels, in the activity of the endocrine glands, etc.
E. Kretschmer in 1921 proposed to consider the dependence of the psyche on the type of physique. This typology is called constitutional typologies. He singled out four constitutional types: 1. Leptosomatic is characterized by a fragile physique, high growth, flat chest. The shoulders are narrow, the lower limbs are long and thin. 2. Picnic - a person with a pronounced adipose tissue, excessively obese and clumsy, characterized by small or medium stature, a swollen body with a large belly and a round head on a short neck. 3. Athletic - a person with well-developed muscles, strong physique, broad shoulders, narrow hips. 4. Dysplastic - a person with a shapeless, irregular structure (disproportionate physique, etc.).
With the named types of body structure, Kretschmer correlates the three types of temperament he singled out: schizothymic(closed, stubborn, inactive); ixothymic(calm,
Unimpressive, with low flexibility of thinking); cyclothymia(his emotions waver between joy and sadness, he easily contacts people and is realistic in his views).
In the 40s of the 20th century, W. Sheldon also developed his constitutional concept of temperament. It should be noted that in psychological science, most of the constitutional concepts have become the object of sharp criticism.
The well-known psychologist X. Eysenck believes that a person's personality includes four levels: I - the level of individual reactions; II - the level of habitual reactions; III - the level of individual personality traits; IV - level of typical traits: intro-extroversion, emotional instability (neuroticism), psychopathic traits, intelligence.
Neuroticism is emotional and psychological instability, susceptibility to psychotrauma. In persons with increased neuroticism, due to excessive sensibility and resentment, even over trifles, emotional stress can occur. They experience conflicts for a long time, “cannot pull themselves together”, are often depressed, upset, irritable, anxious, the circle of their friends usually narrows. These traits are quite persistent and can be smoothed out in the process of persistent self-education.
Extraversion in combination with increased neuroticism causes the manifestation of the choleric temperament; "introversion plus neuroticism" determines the temperament of the melancholic; the opposite of neuroticism is emotional stability, balance, combined with extraversion, manifests itself as a sanguine type.
A scientific solution to the problem of temperaments became possible only thanks to the teachings of I.P. Pavlova about types of higher nervous activity. Temperament - these are the innate characteristics of a person that determine the dynamic characteristics of the intensity and speed of response, the degree of emotional excitability and balance, the features of adaptation to the environment.
There are no better or worse temperaments - each of them has its positive aspects, therefore, the main efforts should be directed not to reworking the temperament (which is impossible due to the innate temperament), but to the reasonable use of its merits and leveling its negative sides.
Mankind has long tried to isolate the typical features of the mental make-up of various people, to reduce them to a small number of generalized portraits - types of temperament. Such typologies were practically useful, since With with their help it was possible to predict the behavior of people of a certain temperament in specific life situations.
Temperament, translated from Latin, is a mixture, proportionality.
Types of higher nervous activity and their correlation with temperaments.
Experimenting on dogs, I.P. Pavlov noticed that each animal has its own individual characteristics. One dog - live, mobile; she quickly develops conditioned reflexes, both positive and inhibitory; the stereotype is changed relatively quickly. Another dog is distinguished by its calmness and slowness; she slowly develops positive conditioned reflexes and relatively easily - inhibitory ones; alteration of the dynamic stereotype is not easy for this type of dog. From an attempt to find out the reasons for these differences, the teaching of I.P. Pavlov about the types of higher nervous activity.
Type of higher nervous activity, according to Pavlov, - this is a peculiar complex of the basic properties of the nervous processes of excitation and inhibition- strength, balance and mobility.
Under by the power of nervous processes I.P. Pavlov understood the performance of nerve cells, their ability to endure strong stress without falling into a state of inhibition (outrageous inhibition). The strength of nervous processes depends on the stock of reactive, or functional, substance in the nerve cells. I.P. Pavlov said: “A cell with a small supply of functional substance will be a weak cell and, accordingly, a weak nervous type, and with a large supply of functional substance, it will be strong.”
The first property is strength. The strength of the process of excitation and inhibition, depending on the performance of nerve cells. A strong nervous system is characterized
great strength of nervous processes - excitation and inhibition; the latter is due to the large stock of reactive substance in the nerve cells. A weak nervous system is associated with a small supply of functional substance in nerve cells; it is characterized by weakness of the main nervous processes - excitation and inhibition. A strong nervous system is able to endure great tension, but a weak one cannot endure such tension.
The second property, laid down by I.P. Pavlov in determining the type of higher nervous activity is balance of the main nervous processes- excitation and inhibition, the degree of compliance of the excitation force with the inhibition force or their balance. Equilibrium follows from the ratio of the processes of excitation and inhibition in terms of their strength. If both nervous processes are approximately of the same strength, then they balance each other. Such a nervous system is called balanced. If one of the nervous processes (usually excitation) prevails in strength over the other (inhibition), then such a nervous system will be unbalanced.
The third property that determines the type of higher nervous activity, is the mobility of the main nervous processes- excitation and inhibition, i.e. the rate of change of excitation by inhibition and vice versa. The nervous system of man and animal is constantly exposed to environment, which is characterized by inconstancy and variability. The balance of the organism with the environment is achieved only if both nervous processes - excitation and inhibition - keep pace with the fluctuations of the environment in terms of the speed of the flow and the speed of the change. I.P. Pavlov defines the mobility of nervous processes as the ability to "quickly, at the request of external conditions, give way, give preference to one stimulus over another, stimulus over inhibition and vice versa."
Excitation. Excitation is a property of living organisms, an active response excitable tissue to irritation. For the nervous system, excitation is the main function. The cells that form the nervous system have the property of conducting excitation from the site where it arose to other sites and to neighboring cells.
Thanks to this, nerve cells have acquired the ability to transmit signals from one body structure to another. Excitation became a carrier of information about the properties of stimuli coming from outside and, together with inhibition, a regulator of the activity of all organs and systems of the body. The process of excitation occurs only at a certain intensity of the external stimulus, which exceeds the absolute threshold of excitation characteristic of this organ.
In the course of evolution, along with the complication of the nervous system, methods of transmitting excitation were also improved, in which this process extends to the end of the path without any weakening, which allows excitation to carry out a regulatory function in the whole organism. The process of excitation together with inhibition forms the basis of higher nervous activity. Their dynamics leaves a seal on all acts of behavior, up to the most complex ones, and their individual characteristics determine the type of higher nervous activity.
Braking. Inhibition is an active process, continuously associated with excitation, leading to a delay in the activity of nervous processes or working organs. In the first case, braking is called central, in the second - peripheral. Peripheral inhibition was discovered in 1840 by the Weber brothers, who received a delay in heart rate during rhythmic stimulation of the vagus nerve. Central inhibition was discovered by I.M. Sechenov in 1863. This discovery had a profound impact on the study of not only neurodynamics, but also the regulation of mental processes.
At present, two different ways of inhibition of cellular activity have been identified: inhibition can either be the result of the activation of specific inhibitory structures, or arise as a result of preliminary excitation of the cell.
The mobility of the nervous processes of an animal in laboratory conditions is determined by converting a positive reflex into an inhibitory one and vice versa. If in a series of experiments the sound stimulus is reinforced by the action of the unconditioned (food), and the light stimulus is not reinforced, then the animal develops a positive conditioned reflex
leke to the sound and brake - to the light. If, in subsequent experiments, the reverse is done: the light stimulus is reinforced by the action of the unconditioned (food), and the sound stimulus is not reinforced, then the positive conditioned reflex must be converted into an inhibitory one and the inhibitory one into a positive one. In animals with a mobile nervous system, this alteration occurs relatively quickly. and painless; animals With sedentary nervous system such alteration is given With with great difficulty. Speed and ease of alteration of positive conditioned reflexes in brake and inhibitory to positive is an indicator of the mobility of nervous processes. On the basis of mobility, the nervous system can be mobile or inert.
The mobile nervous system is characterized by the rapid course of nervous processes, rapid and easy change of the process of excitation by the process of inhibition and vice versa. characteristic feature inert nervous system is a relatively slow flow of the main nervous processes - excitation and braking and the difficulty of their mutual change.
Depending on the originality of the combination of these three basic properties of nervous processes - strength, balance and mobility, there are peculiar types of the nervous system. This was pointed out by I.P. Pavlov: “As a result of possible fluctuations in the basic properties of the nervous system and possible combinations of these fluctuations, types of the nervous system should occur and, as arithmetical calculations indicate, at least twenty-four, but, as reality testifies, in a much smaller number, and precisely four types, especially sharp, conspicuous ... ".
Emphasizing the possibility of a wide variety of combinations of the basic properties of the nervous processes of strength, balance and mobility, I.P. Pavlov argued that four variants of these properties are most often found in life. They determine the four main types of higher nervous activity.
Physiological the characteristics of the four types of higher nervous activity can be represented as follows: Type I - strong, balanced, mobile; II type - strong, unbalanced; III type - strong, balanced, inert; IV type - weak.
The doctrine of the types of higher nervous activity by I.P. Pavlov developed as a result of experiments on animals (dogs). He was always cautious about the possibility of transferring data obtained through experiments on animals to humans. However, he considered it possible to extend the doctrine of the types of higher nervous activity to man. I.P. Pavlov believed that the type of higher nervous activity is manifested in the behavior and animal activity and person. The imprint that the type of higher nervous activity leaves on behavior and human activity, I.P. Pavlov called temperament. I.P. Pavlov drew a parallel between the four main types of higher nervous activity and temperaments, the existence of which was first noticed by Hippocrates.
In addition to these basic temperaments, there are many others - individual, or mixed. The most studied in psychology are the four basic temperaments; individual or mixed temperaments have not been studied enough.
temperament properties.
1. Sensitivity is determined by what is the smallest force of external influences necessary for the occurrence of any mental reaction of a person, and what is the rate of occurrence of this reaction.
2. Reactivity characterized by the degree of involuntary reactions to external or internal influences of the same strength (a critical remark, an offensive word, a sharp tone, even a sound).
3. Activity
indicates how intensely (energetically) a person affects external world and overcomes obstacles in achieving goals (perseverance, focus, focus). The ratio of reactivity and activity determines what human activity depends to a greater extent: on random external or internal circumstances (mood, random events) or on goals, intentions,
beliefs. Plastic and rigidity indicates how easily and flexibly a person adapts to external influences (plasticity) or how inert and inert his behavior is. The rate of reaction, the characteristic speed of various mental reactions and processes, the rate of speech, the dynamics of gestures, the speed of the mind.
5. Rate of reactions. We judge this property by the speed of various mental reactions and processes, that is, the speed of movements, the pace of speech, the speed of memorization, the speed of the mind, resourcefulness.
6. Plastic- rigidity. The ease and flexibility of a person's adaptation to external influences is plasticity. Rigidity - inertia, inertia of behavior, habits, judgments.
7. Extraversion, introversion determines what the reactions and activities of a person mainly depend on - from external impressions that arise at the moment (extrovert), or from images, ideas and thoughts related to the past and future (introvert).
8. emotional excitability, How weak an impact is necessary for the occurrence of an emotional reaction and at what speed it occurs.
Psychological characteristics of temperament types.
The psychological characteristics of the main types of temperament stem from its psychological essence and are closely related to its definition. They reveal the features of emotional excitability, the speed and energy of the course of mental processes, the features of motor skills, the nature of the prevailing moods and the features of their change. Characteristics reveal the originality of the dynamics psychological activity personality, due to the corresponding type of higher nervous activity.
Given the above, the psychological characteristics of the main types of temperaments can be presented in the following form:
I. Sanguine temperament, which is based on a strong, balanced, mobile type of higher nervous activity, is characterized by mild emotional excitability, rapid mental processes, fast, numerous, varied movements, an abundance of light, graceful gestures, rich facial expressions, a predominance of a cheerful, cheerful mood , quick, painless mood swings.
2. Choleric temperament, which is based on a strong, unbalanced (with a predominance in strength of the excitation process), mobile type of higher nervous activity, psychologically characterized by increased emotional excitability, rapid, energetic flow of mental processes, fast, energetic movements, sharp gestures , expressive facial expressions, stable cheerful mood and a sharp transition from one mood to another.
3. Phlegmatic temperament, which is based on a strong, balanced, inert type of higher nervous activity. It is characterized by the following features: reduced emotional excitability; slow, calm flow of mental processes; slow, few movements, rare, inexpressive gestures, inexpressive facial expressions; smooth, stable moods and their slow and smooth change.
4. Melancholic temperament, which is based on a weak type of nervous system, is characterized by high emotional excitability (sensibility), asthenic feelings, slow mental processes, relatively rapid fatigue, slow movements, weak facial expressions, few, low-energy gestures with weak expression, a tendency to sad lyrical moods, slow change of moods.
Research B.M. Teplova and V.D. Nebylitsin showed that the structure of the basic properties of the nervous system is much more complicated, and the number of combinations is much greater than previously thought. However, these four types of temperament, as the most generalized ones, can be used to study individuality. According to V.D. Nebylitsin, the so-called inhibitory type is distinguished, characterized by strength, mobility, imbalance, with a predominance of the braking process in terms of strength.
Character The general concept of character.
Features of temperament do not reveal the social appearance of a person. Knowing them, we cannot say anything about a person's life goals, the strength of his patriotism, honesty, diligence, perseverance and other qualities of his personality. People with the same temperaments can treat their duties differently, behave differently.
The behavior of a person as a member of society is considered, first of all, from the moral and volitional side. At the same time, they mean not the random actions of a person, but the stable features of his personality, psychological properties.
Patriotism, diligence, honesty, truthfulness, modesty are the moral qualities of a person. Decisiveness, initiative, perseverance, self-control, independence, courage are the volitional properties of a person. The moral and volitional side of behavior is most clearly expressed in a complex personality trait called "character".
The word "character" of ancient Greek origin and translated into Russian means "feature, sign, sign, feature."
Character- an individual combination of stable mental characteristics of a person, causing a typical way of behavior for a given subject in certain life conditions and circumstances.
Character in the dynamic sense of analytical psychology is the specific form that a person's energy is given by the dynamic adaptation of his needs to a particular mode of existence of a given society. Character, in turn, determines the thinking, emotions, and actions of individuals. It is rather difficult to see this, because we are usually convinced that thinking is an exclusively intellectual act and does not depend on psychological structure personality. This, however, is not so, and the less true the more our thinking is confronted with ethical, philosophical, political, psychological or social problems, and not just with the empirical manipulation of specific objects. Such thinking, in addition to the purely logical elements involved in the act of thinking, is largely determined by the personality structure of the person who thinks. This applies equally to any doctrine and theoretical system, as well as to individual concepts: love, justice, equality, self-sacrifice, etc.
Each person has his own special character, inherent only to him, in which some features are more pronounced, others are weaker. A peculiar combination of character traits creates his individuality. Therefore, in life there are no people whose characters would be similar.
Character is formed throughout a person's life in accordance with the conditions of life, practice and social experience of a person. In turn, character has an impact on the formation of personality. The formation of character and personality as a whole is greatly influenced by education and self-education. In essence, the formation of personality continues throughout life, under the influence of the surrounding microenvironment (family) and macroenvironment (team). At the same time, in addition to a positive example of the family and others, a large role belongs to self-education, and if a person is aware of the shortcomings of his character or his personality traits, then it is never too late to correct them.
It often happens that a child grew up and was brought up in hostile environment, in conditions of frequent conflicts between parents and other family members, he was often not only a witness, but also a participant in these quarrels, which undoubtedly influenced the formation of his character and personality traits. The alcoholism of one or more family members has a particularly adverse effect on the formation of character and other personality traits. In addition to frequent conflicts, manifestations negative properties human nature, a severe neurotic (psychogenic) situation is created in the family, which adversely affects the process of forming the character and personality of a teenager. Attraction to vigorous activity, communication with people of high psychological orientation and conviction, their positive way of actions and thoughts make a teenager take a fresh look at the unsightly life of his parents, resist it. A teenager develops a new life perception, he makes the first attempts at self-education. The emerging needs for a different life, not like the unsightly life of parents, give rise to new interests.
In high school or high school educational institutions worldview is formed. If this happens spontaneously, then the wrong formation of personality is possible. Needs may turn out to be perverted (the need for lies, etc.), and interests may be limited (interest in personal enrichment and well-being, the search for an "easy" life, etc.). Here, the team where a person studies or works is of great importance.
In the future, a lot depends on the abilities, character traits and strong-willed qualities. It should be emphasized that all these qualities can be developed in the process of education and growth, with persistent and purposeful self-education. Naturally, the natural inclinations of different people different and each achieves success precisely in the activity for which he is most capable. Therefore, it is important that a person chooses a profession in accordance with his capabilities.
Character- this is an individual type of mental reactions to the action of direct stimuli and impressions of reality.
The character of a person is formed under the influence of the totality of social relations in which a person is included and which determine the way of his life. The leading role in shaping the character of a person belongs to education.