Character(Greek - sign, distinctive property, distinctive feature, feature, sign or seal) - a structure of persistent, relatively permanent mental properties that determine the characteristics of relationships and behavior of an individual.
When they talk about character, they usually mean just such a set of properties and qualities of a person that leave a certain stamp on all its manifestations and actions. Character traits constitute those essential properties of a person that determine a particular way of behavior or way of life. The statics of character are determined by the type of nervous activity, and its dynamics are determined by the environment.
Character is also understood as:
- a system of stable motives and modes of behavior that form a behavioral type of personality;
- a measure of balance between the internal and external worlds, the characteristics of an individual’s adaptation to the reality around him;
- a clear definition of the typical behavior of each person.
In the system of personality relationships, there are four groups of character traits that form symptom complexes:
- a person’s attitude towards other people, the team, society (sociability, sensitivity and responsiveness, respect for others - people, collectivism and the opposite traits - isolation, callousness, callousness, rudeness, contempt for people, individualism);
- traits that show a person’s attitude to work, his business (hard work, a penchant for creativity, conscientiousness in work, a responsible attitude to work, initiative, perseverance and the opposite traits - laziness, a tendency to routine work, dishonesty, irresponsible attitude to work, passivity) ;
- traits that show how a person feels about himself (feeling self-esteem, correctly understood pride and the self-criticism associated with it, modesty and its opposite traits - conceit, sometimes turning into arrogance, vanity, arrogance, touchiness, shyness, egocentrism as a tendency to consider in the center of events
- yourself and your experiences, egoism - the tendency to care primarily about your personal good);
- traits that characterize a person’s attitude towards things (neatness or sloppiness, careful or careless handling of things).
One of the most famous theories of character is the theory proposed by the German psychologist E. Kretschmer. According to this theory, character depends on physique.
Kretschmer described three body types and three corresponding character types:
Asthenics(from Greek - weak) - people are thin, with long faces. long arms and legs, flat (ore cell and weak muscles. The corresponding type of character is schizothymics- people are closed, serious, stubborn, difficult to adapt to new conditions. In case of mental disorders, they are prone to schizophrenia;
Athletics(from Greek - characteristic of wrestlers) - people are tall, broad-shouldered, with powerful chest, strong skeleton and developed muscles. The corresponding character type is ixothymics- people are calm, unimpressive, practical, domineering, restrained in gestures and facial expressions; They do not like change and do not adapt well to it. In case of mental disorders, they are prone to epilepsy;
Picnics(from Greek - dense. thick) - people of average height, overweight or prone to obesity, with a short neck, big head and a wide face with small features. The corresponding type of character is cyclothymics - people are sociable, sociable, emotional, easily adapting to new conditions. With mental disorders, they are prone to manic-depressive psychosis.
General concept of character and its manifestations
In concept character(from the Greek character - “seal”, “minting”), means a set of stable individual characteristics that develop and manifest themselves in activity and communication, determining typical modes of behavior for it.
When determining the character of a person, they do not say that such and such a person showed courage, truthfulness, frankness, that this person is courageous, truthful, frank, i.e. named qualities - properties this person, traits of his character that may appear under appropriate circumstances. Knowing a Person's Character allows you to predict with a significant degree of probability and thereby correct expected actions and actions. It is often said about a person with character: “He had to do exactly this, he could not have done otherwise - that’s his character.”
However, not all human features can be considered characteristic, but only significant and stable ones. If a person, for example, is not polite enough in a stressful situation, this does not mean that rudeness and lack of restraint are a property of his character. Sometimes, even very cheerful people can feel sad, but this will not make them whiners and pessimists.
Speaking as a lifetime person, character is determined and formed throughout a person’s life. The way of life includes the way of thoughts, feelings, motives, actions in their unity. Therefore, as a certain way of life of a person is formed, the person himself is formed. Social conditions and specific life circumstances in which it takes place play a big role here. life path of a person, based on his natural properties and as a result of his actions and actions. However, the direct formation of character occurs in groups of different levels of development (, friendly company, class, sports team, etc.). Depending on which group is the reference group for the individual and what values it supports and cultivates in its environment, the corresponding character traits will develop in its members. Character traits will also depend on the individual’s position in the group, on how he integrates into it. In a team as a group of a high level of development, the most favorable opportunities are created for the development of the best character traits. This process is mutual, and thanks to the development of the individual, the team itself develops.
Character content, reflecting social influences, influences, constitutes the life orientation of the individual, i.e. her material and spiritual needs, interests, beliefs, ideals, etc. The orientation of the individual determines the goals, life plan of a person, and the degree of his life activity. The character of a person presupposes the presence of something significant for him in the world, in life, something on which the motives of his actions, the goals of his actions, the tasks that he sets for himself depend.
Crucial for understanding character is the relationship between what is socially and personally significant for a person. Every society has its own most important and essential tasks. It is on them that the character of people is formed and tested. Therefore, the concept of “character” refers to to a greater extent to the relation of these objectively existing tasks. Therefore, character is not just any manifestation of firmness, perseverance, etc. (formal persistence may simply be stubbornness), but a focus on socially significant activities. It is the orientation of the individual that underlies unity, integrity, and strength of character. Possessing goals in life is the main condition for the formation of character. A spineless person is characterized by the absence or scattering of goals. However, the character and direction of a person are not the same thing. Both a decent, highly moral person and a person with low, unscrupulous thoughts can be good-natured and cheerful. The orientation of the individual leaves an imprint on all human behavior. And although behavior is determined not by one impulse, but by an integral system of relationships, in this system something always comes to the fore, dominating it, giving a person’s character a unique flavor.
In a formed character, the leading component is a belief system. Conviction determines the long-term direction of a person’s behavior, his inflexibility in achieving his goals, confidence in the justice and importance of the work he is doing. Character traits are closely related to a person’s interests, provided that these interests are stable and deep. Superficiality and instability of interests are often associated with great imitation, with a lack of independence and integrity of a person’s personality. And, conversely, the depth and content of interests indicate the purposefulness and perseverance of the individual. Similarity of interests does not imply similar character traits. Thus, among rationalizers one can find cheerful and sad people, modest and obsessive people, egoists and altruists.
Indicative for understanding character can also be a person’s attachments and interests associated with his leisure time. They reveal new features, facets of character: for example, L. N. Tolstoy was fond of playing chess, I. P. Pavlov - towns, D. I. Mendeleev - reading adventure novels. Whether a person’s spiritual and material needs and interests dominate is determined not only by the thoughts and feelings of the individual, but also by the direction of his activities. No less important is the correspondence of a person’s actions to the goals set, since a person is characterized not only by what he does, but also by how he does it. Character can perhaps be understood only as a certain unity of direction and course of action.
People with similar orientations can take completely different paths to achieving goals, using their own special techniques and methods to achieve this. This dissimilarity also determines the specific character of the individual. Character traits, having a certain motivating force, are clearly manifested in the situation of choosing actions or methods of behavior. From this point of view, the degree of expression of an individual’s achievement motivation—his need to achieve success—can be considered as a character trait. Depending on this, some people are characterized by a choice of actions that ensure success (showing initiative, competitive activity, risk-taking, etc.), while others are more likely to simply avoid failures (deviation from risk and responsibility, avoidance manifestations of activity, initiative, etc.).
Teaching about character - characterology has a long history of development. The most important problems of characterology over the centuries have been the establishment of character types and their definition by their manifestations in order to predict human behavior in different situations. Since character is the lifetime formation of a personality, most of its existing classifications are based on grounds that are external, indirect factors in personality development.
One of the most ancient attempts to predict human behavior is to explain his character by his date of birth. Various ways of predicting the fate and character of a person are called horoscopes.
No less popular are attempts to connect a person’s character with his name.
A significant influence on the development of characterology was exerted by physiognomy(from the Greek Physis - “nature”, gnomon - “knowing”) - the doctrine of the connection between the external appearance of a person and his belonging to a certain type of personality, thanks to which the psychological characteristics of this type can be established by external signs.
Palmistry has a no less famous and rich history than the physiognomic direction in characterology. Palmistry(from the Greek Cheir - “hand” and manteia - “fortune-telling”, “prophecy”) - a system for predicting a person’s character traits and his fate based on the skin texture of the palms.
Until recently, scientific psychology invariably rejected palmistry, but the study of the embryonic development of finger patterns in connection with heredity gave impetus to the emergence of a new branch of knowledge - dermatoglyphics.
Graphology, a science that considers handwriting as a type of expressive movements that reflect the psychological properties of the writer, can be considered more valuable in diagnostic terms compared to, say, physiognomy.
At the same time, unity and versatility of character do not exclude the fact that in different situations the same person exhibits different and even opposite properties. A person can be both very gentle and very demanding, soft and compliant and at the same time firm to the point of inflexibility. And the unity of his character can not only be preserved, despite this, but it is precisely in this that it manifests itself.
The relationship between character and temperament
Character are often compared with, and in some cases these concepts are replaced with each other.
In science, among the dominant views on the relationship between character and temperament, four main ones can be distinguished:
- identification of character and temperament (E. Kretschmer, A. Ruzhitsky);
- contrasting character and temperament, emphasizing the antagonism between them (P. Viktorv, V. Virenius);
- recognition of temperament as an element of character, its core, an unchangeable part (S. L. Rubinstein, S. Gorodetsky);
- recognition of temperament as the natural basis of character (L. S. Vygotsky, B. G. Ananyev).
Based on the materialistic understanding of human phenomena, it should be noted that what character and temperament have in common is dependence on the physiological characteristics of a person, and above all on the type nervous system. The formation of character significantly depends on the properties of temperament, which is more closely related to the properties of the nervous system. In addition, character traits arise when temperament is already sufficiently developed. Character develops on the basis of temperament. Temperament determines character traits such as balanced or unbalanced behavior, ease or difficulty of entering a new situation, mobility or inertness of reaction, etc. However, temperament does not determine character. In people with identical properties temperament can be completely different character. Features of temperament can promote or counteract the formation of certain character traits. Thus, it is more difficult for a melancholic person to develop courage and determination than for a choleric person. It is more difficult for a choleric person to develop restraint and phlegmatic behavior; a phlegmatic person needs to spend more effort to become sociable than a sanguine person, etc.
However, as B. G. Ananyev believed, if education consisted only of improving and strengthening natural properties, this would lead to a monstrous uniformity of development. The properties of temperament may, to some extent, even come into conflict with character. In P. I. Tchaikovsky, the tendency to melancholic experiences was overcome by one of the main features of his character - his ability to work. “You always need to work,” he said, “and every honest artist cannot sit idly by, under the pretext that he is not in the mood... If you wait for favor and do not try to meet him, then you can easily fall into laziness and apathy . Dislikes very rarely happen to me. I attribute this to the fact that I am gifted with patience, and I train myself never to give in to reluctance. I learned to conquer myself.”
In a person with a formed character, temperament ceases to be an independent form of personality manifestation, but becomes its dynamic side, consisting in a certain speed of mental processes and personality manifestations, a certain characteristic of expressive movements and actions of the individual. Here it should be noted the influence exerted on the formation of character by a dynamic stereotype, i.e. a system of conditioned reflexes that form in response to a steadily repeating system of stimuli. The formation of dynamic stereotypes in a person in various repeated situations is influenced by his attitude to the situation, as a result of which excitation, inhibition, mobility of nervous processes, and, consequently, the general functional state of the nervous system can change. It is also necessary to note the decisive role in the formation of dynamic stereotypes of the second signaling system, through which social influences are carried out.
Ultimately, the traits of temperament and character are organically connected and interact with each other in a single, holistic appearance of a person, forming an inseparable alloy - an integral characteristic of his individuality.
Character for a long time identified with the will of a person, the expression “a person of character” was considered as a synonym for the expression “a strong-willed person.” Will is associated primarily with strength of character, its firmness, determination, and perseverance. When they say that a person has strong character, then they seem to want to emphasize his determination, his strong-willed qualities. In this sense, a person’s character is best demonstrated in overcoming difficulties, in struggle, i.e. in those conditions where human will is most manifested. But character is not limited to strength; it has content, determining how the will will function under various conditions. On the one hand, character is formed in volitional actions and is manifested in them: volitional actions in situations that are significant for the individual pass into a person’s character, becoming fixed in him as his relatively stable properties; these properties, in turn, determine human behavior and his volitional actions. The strong-willed character is distinguished by certainty, constancy and independence, firmness in achieving the intended goal. On the other hand, there are often cases when a weak-willed person was called “spineless.” From a psychological point of view, this is not entirely true - and a weak-willed person has certain character traits, such as, for example, timidity, indecisiveness, etc. The use of the concept “characterless” means the unpredictability of a person’s behavior, indicates that he lacks his own direction, an internal core that would determine his behavior. His actions are caused by external influences and do not depend on himself.
The originality of character is also reflected in the peculiarities of the flow of a person’s feelings. K. D. Ushinsky pointed out this: “nothing, neither words, nor thoughts, nor even our actions express ourselves and our attitude to the world as clearly and truly as our feelings: in them one can hear the character of not a separate thought, not a separate decision, but the entire content of our soul and its structure.” The connection between feelings and character traits of a person is also reciprocal. On the one hand, the level of development of moral, aesthetic, and intellectual feelings depends on the nature of a person’s activity and communication and on the character traits formed on this basis. On the other hand, these feelings themselves become characteristic, stable personality traits, thus constituting a person’s character. The level of development of a sense of duty, a sense of humor and other complex feelings is a rather indicative characteristic of a person.
Especially great value for characterological manifestations there is a relationship between intellectual personality traits. Depth and sharpness of thought, unusualness in posing a question and its solution, intellectual initiative, confidence and independence of thinking - all this constitutes the originality of the mind as one of the aspects of character. However, how a person uses his mental abilities will depend significantly on character. It is not uncommon to encounter people who have high intellectual abilities, but who do not provide anything valuable precisely because of their characterological characteristics. This is exemplified by numerous literary images extra people(Pechorin, Rudin, Beltov, etc.). As I. S. Turgenev said well through the mouth of one of the characters in the novel about Rudin: “Perhaps there is genius in him, but there is no nature.” Thus, a person’s real achievements depend not on abstract mental capabilities alone, but on a specific combination of his characteristics and characterological properties.
Character Structure
In general All 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. So, if we consider such traits as indecisiveness, timidity and altruism, then with the predominance of the former, a person, first of all, is constantly afraid that “something might not work out” and all attempts to help his neighbor usually end in internal experiences and searches for justification. If the leading trait is the second one - altruism, then the person does not outwardly show any hesitation, immediately goes to help, controlling his behavior with his intellect, but at the same time he may sometimes have doubts about the correctness of the actions taken.
Knowledge of leading features allows you to reflect the main essence of character, show its main manifestations. Writers and artists, wanting an idea of the character of the hero, first of all describe his leading, core features. Thus, A.S. Pushkin put into the mouth of Vorotynsky (in the tragedy “Boris Godunov”) an exhaustive description of Shuisky - “a crafty courtier.” Some heroes literary works They reflect certain typical character traits so deeply and correctly that their names become household names (Khlestakov, Oblomov, Manilov, etc.).
Although every character trait reflects one of the manifestations of a person’s attitude to reality, this does not mean that every attitude will be a character trait. Only some relationships become traits depending on the conditions. From the entire set of relationships of the individual to the surrounding reality, character-forming forms of relationships should be distinguished. The most important distinctive feature Such relationships are 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:
- In relation to other people (in this case, one can distinguish such character traits as sociability - isolation, truthfulness - deceit, tactfulness - rudeness, etc.).
- In relation to business (responsibility - dishonesty, hard work - laziness, etc.).
- In relation to oneself (modesty - narcissism, self-criticism - self-confidence, pride - humiliation, etc.).
- 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. So, for example, if a person is rude, then this concerns his relationship with people; but if at the same time he works as a teacher, then here it is already necessary to talk about his attitude to the matter (dishonesty), about his attitude towards himself (narcissism).
Despite the fact that these relationships are the most important from the point of view of character formation, they do not simultaneously and immediately become character traits. There is a certain sequence in the transition of these 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, since the content itself fulfills them different role in the real existence of man. 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.
In the character structure, one can identify traits common to a certain group of people. Even in the most original person you can find some trait (for example, unusualness, unpredictability of behavior), the possession of which allows you to classify him into a group of people with similar behavior. In this case, we should talk about typical character traits. N.D. Levitov believes that a character type is a specific expression in the individual character of traits common to a certain group of people. Indeed, as noted, character is not innate - it is formed in the life and activity of a person as a representative of a certain group, a certain society. Therefore, a person’s character is always a product of society, which explains the similarities and differences in the characters of people belonging to different groups.
Individual character reflects a variety of typical traits: national, professional, age. Thus, people of the same nationality are in living conditions that have developed over many generations and experience specific features national life; develop under the influence of the existing national structure and language. Therefore, people of one nationality differ from people of another in their lifestyle, habits, rights, and character. These typical features are often recorded by everyday consciousness in various installations and stereotypes. Most people have a formed image of a representative of one country or another: an American, a Scot, an Italian, a Chinese, etc.
Today we will continue to study the positive character traits of a person, by developing which we can become a harmonious person.
Let me remind you once again that you cannot neglect some character traits in favor of others, as this will only cause harm in the long run. In other words, it is necessary to polish all facets of character without exception, and then in every situation in life one or another trait will help us.
By developing only our “favorite” traits, we use a one-sided approach, avoiding working on ourselves and not using the entire arsenal of character traits that we have.
- Certainty
Set goals in life, no matter the difficulties. Make sure your goals are correct. Ignore distractions. Don't get discouraged if there are a lot of problems to solve.
- Hard work
Invest your time and energy to complete every task you set. Finish all your projects. Do the job right, not just. Follow the instructions. Concentrate completely on your work. Don't be lazy.
- Vigilance
Be aware of what is happening around you so that you can have a proper understanding. Keep your eyes and ears open. Recognize and heed warning signs. Tell others about the danger. Stay away from dangerous places yourself.
- Caution
Think before you act. Follow safety rules. Ask permission. Communicate at the right time.
- Endurance
Get some internal forces to withstand stress. Do your best. Don't be a "net". Don't waste your time, energy and talents on meaningless activities. Put your whole soul into what you do.
- Flexibility
Change plans or ideas if really necessary. Don't be upset when plans change. Respect your superiors' decisions. Don't be stubborn. Look for the good in change. Be flexible, but don't compromise on what's right.
- Generosity
Manage your resources wisely so that you can freely give to those in need. Share with others. Don't expect anything in return for your generosity. Give away your time and talents sometimes. Praise the good that you see in others.
- Tenderness
Take care of others. Show good manners. Reject violence as a solution to your problems. Find ways to ease other people's pain. Don't get angry or others. Be a peacemaker.
- Joy
Support yourself good attitude, even when you encounter unpleasant conditions. Try to look for the good in everything. Smile in the face of adversity. Don't be discouraged. Don't let your emotions control your mind. Take time out, laugh and sing every day.
- Discrimination
Understand more deeply the reasons why things happen. Ask questions. Don't judge hastily. Learn from your own experience. Don't repeat the same mistakes. Look for the cause of the problem.
- Humility
Recognize that your success and results depend on the investment of others in your life. Praise your parents, teachers, teammates and coaches. I don't think more highly of myself than you should. Take responsibility for all your actions. Try again after each defeat. Give credit to those who made you.
- Gratitude
Let others know through your words and actions that you are grateful. Show your parents and teachers that you appreciate them. Say and write “thank you.” Take care of other people's things. Be content with what you have.
- Honor
Respect leaders and higher authorities. Don't laugh at them. Be attentive to those who lead you. Show loyalty to your superiors. Tell only the truth. Obey not with compulsion, but cheerfully. Give up your seat to elders. Honor your country.
- Initiative
Recognize and do what needs to be done before you are asked to do it. Do something before you talk about it. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Contribute to the success of the entire team. Be part of the solution, not the problem. Look for ways to help others.
- Hospitality
Use food, shelter and companionship for the benefit of others. Greet guests and visitors. Make others feel important. Cook for guests. Feel free to share your stuff. Don't expect anything in return.
- Justice
Stand up for what is pure and honest. Respect the rule of law. Stand up for what is right. Never put others down. Always stay open. Keep your conscience clear.
In the next article we will finish looking at the positive character traits of a person. Stay tuned.
Dear readers! In our blog you will learn a lot of interesting things about the personal characteristics of a person. As you know, human qualities can be positive and negative. In this article we will look in more detail at what qualities are considered positive. From birth, children are endowed with their own individual temperament and character. From childhood, parents try to instill in them positive human qualities.
Personal characteristics can be either genetically innate or acquired. Certain personal qualities of an individual are formed under the influence environment and upbringing or are a consequence independent work above yourself. A child may inherit some traits of his parents, and some will manifest them, while others will not. The list of positive and negative qualities of a person is very long. In this article we will try to analyze the main features of a positive personality.
A person with many positive traits is an example to follow. But the division of all people into “good” and “bad” is quite arbitrary.
Positive Personality Characteristics
Based on this, we can distinguish 4 groups of positive traits. Let's consider the best human qualities:
Qualities necessary for work, which are revealed by a simple job interview. Attitude to society, team:
- Sociability – focus on communication, a person’s ability to make contact (synonym – sociability).
- Sensitivity is a person’s ability to sympathize, to feel the state of mind of another (a synonym for this quality is attentiveness).
- Responsiveness is a very multifaceted quality, including warmth, generosity and compassion.
- Respect for people - respectful attitude.
- Kindness is a very high, strong moral quality, to which thousands of articles, books, films, musical works, paintings, and so on are devoted. This is the ability and desire to bring joy to others. People who have a good character always have many loyal friends.
- Kindness is the ability to do something nice for another person.
- Loyalty is steadfastness and constancy in feelings, relationships, and in the performance of one’s duty.
- Optimism is a look at life from a positive point of view, confidence in a better future.
- Cheerfulness as a personal quality is the ability to never lose heart, to approach life optimistically and cheerfully, to see happiness in the little things.
- Altruism – “alter” means “other” in Latin. This is a principle of human behavior that implies selflessness in actions aimed at meeting the needs of other people, with a willingness to put one’s own interests in the background. Noble individuals have this quality.
Attitude to activity:
- Hard work is a person’s positive attitude towards the work process, love for work.
- Integrity is the honest performance of an individual's duties.
- Diligence is a positive moral quality consisting in the readiness to fulfill duties according to instructions, regulations, etc.
- Discipline is a person’s tendency to comply with work rules and standards of behavior. Often a person asks to include this quality as a characteristic in order to increase his chances of employment in the desired company.
- Responsibility is the ability and ability to be responsible for one’s actions and actions.
- Purposefulness is a conscious and active focus of an individual on a specific result of his work. Great item for a resume!
- Diligence is the ability to show great diligence, zeal and diligence, to go beyond one’s duties.
- Stress resistance is a set of personal qualities that allow a person to calmly endure any irritant, without outbursts of emotions. Now this quality is very important for employees of dynamic, fast-growing companies, and during interviews they pay attention to this quality.
Attitude towards yourself:
- Self-esteem is a person’s awareness of his own importance.
- Modesty is a human character trait that implies moderation in everything.
- Pride is a feeling of strength, freedom, the height of one’s position. This quality should not be confused with pride, which is biblical sin. It is akin to arrogance and can refer to negative character traits.
- Self-criticism is the ability to soberly evaluate one’s actions. A self-critical person knows that his opinion is not the only correct one. But you shouldn’t go too far in this matter, since excessive self-criticism indicates low self-esteem.
- Honesty is the inadmissibility of deception, and in particular, fraud, in relations with other people.
Attitude to things:
- frugality as a personal quality – the ability to observe moderation in the use of any resources;
- neatness - external neatness, cleanliness, efficiency and accuracy in accordance with ethics and aesthetics;
- generosity is a virtue associated with the ability to provide selfless help to others, the antonym of stinginess and stinginess;
- selflessness - absence of greed, self-interest, reluctance to take advantage of others to the detriment of others.
Positive qualities in men and women
The manifestations of positive moral qualities in males and females are sometimes very different.
For example, when it comes to sociability, women are seen as more likely to chatter, be more open, and trust strangers. Men, on the contrary, communicate only with people they know well, and in essence and to the point. It is more difficult for them to start a conversation, but it is easier to end it at the right moment. As for discipline, the female sex has been distinguished by this since childhood.
Girls can easily follow instructions and do everything as required. But boys differ in this only at a more mature age, when they turn into men. If we talk about neatness, then women are always neater and more appearance, and in their affairs.
When it comes to spending money, girls are considered spenders, and young men are considered thrifty. But women consider generosity in a man to be one of the best human qualities.
And finally, there are positive character traits that the weaker half is more prone to. These are the following important mental qualities good man:
- patience;
- tenderness;
- empathy;
- mystery.
But good qualities, distinguishing men to a greater extent:
- masculinity;
- persistence;
- selflessness, altruism;
- stress resistance.
Thus, from the very beginning, parents must instill in their children moral values, the qualities of a good person, and be an example for them. Then our society will consist only of decent and kind people.
We looked at all the positive qualities of a person from different positions. What do you think? Share your opinion with our readers, because you have something to say. Recommend us on social networks, everyone knows that truth is born only in dispute. We are ready to listen to your opinion, only together we will come to the truth! Until next time.
We talk about the main character traits and what they depend on. Read how to determine character by facial features in our material.
The main character traits of a person influence not only the formation of his personality, but also relationships with other people, building a career and mutual understanding in the family. A person’s qualities and their significance cannot be ignored when you choose your path in life. You need to be able to identify strengths and understand that there may also be weaknesses that need to be improved. Then you can become a comprehensively and personally developed person who can conquer more than one peak.
Character Traits of a Successful Person
Let’s look at what qualities there are and what are in a successful adult in order. First of all, let's clarify what character is. After all, we are talking about a set of traits that are constant. It is a person’s traits that influence his behavior, attitude towards others and himself, as well as towards work and the world around him. The description of character from the point of view of psychology focuses on individual indicators by which reactions, behavior and actions can be predicted and predicted. For example, a thirst for learning new things, sociability and openness instill in a person a desire to travel.
A character trait is one of the most important components of a personality, since it contains the basis of a person, as well as a way of solving problems. It is difficult to list an exact list of traits with explanations. We are born with some traits, while others acquire them throughout life (and they are the most changeable). A person’s character is not only a list of individual traits, but also an entire psychological system.
The list of persistent traits and their relationship to various systems is as follows:
|
Trait, manifestation |
|
|
In relation to yourself |
Selfishness, demandingness, modesty, self-sufficiency, criticality |
|
With other people |
Openness-closedness, honesty-lies, rudeness-politeness |
|
Hard work and laziness, initiative and passivity, formality and responsibility |
|
|
To the outside world |
Accuracy, negligence |
Also, the division of character traits occurs according to the principle of cognition or emotionality:
- Intellectual skills include criticality, thirst for knowledge, resourcefulness, analyticalness, flexibility and practicality;
- emotional include passion, sentimentality, impressionability;
- strong-willed include confidence, courage, uncertainty, perseverance;
- Moral values include kindness, openness, deceit, cruelty, and humanity.
To make it easier to explain human behavior and his actions, psychologists divided traits into instrumental and motivational. In the first case, we are talking about one’s own style, unsurpassedness, and in the second case, about what motivates a person and forces him to perform this or that action.
It's no secret that a person develops in society. In this regard, traits are divided into typical and individual. By typical we mean a set of standard qualities that are inherent in a certain group of people (family, team, population of one city). If a certain trait is used by a person most often, sometimes in non-standard situations, then it becomes individual and distinguishes the person from the rest.
Positive character traits of a person
The list of positive and good character traits of a person may differ, depending on what type of communication we are talking about. So, in work the following are considered positive qualities:
- determination;
- persistence;
- responsibility;
- hard work;
- organization;
- attentiveness.
When communicating with other people, such traits as honesty, openness, humanity, tolerance, justice, loyalty and sociability are important. Only with such manifestations can you build strong and fulfilling relationships with other people. In the process of personality formation special attention pay attention to morality and humanity. Distortion of these traits or a large number of shortcomings cannot allow a person to develop. When compiling a list for your resume, you should indicate your positive qualities that are important to the employer:
- perseverance;
- determination;
- responsibility;
- honesty;
- communication skills;
- stress resistance;
- attention to detail and perfectionism;
- self-criticism;
- hard work.
Negative character traits of a person
Negative and negative character traits of a person are formed if the attitude towards oneself is better than towards other people. Talking about what there are bad qualities, the following can be distinguished:
- pride, self-confidence;
- selfishness;
- laziness;
- irresponsibility;
- envy;
- stinginess;
- contempt;
- coarseness;
- aggression.
The more negative qualities are developed, and the less attention a person pays to self-improvement, which is fraught with conflicts with the outside world.
Human character based on facial features
How to determine and how to recognize a person’s character by facial features? After all, not everyone knows that by thin lips or the shape of the eyes one can determine what quality is inherent in us, how we can act in a given situation. You can recognize features by the shape of your face:
- Confidence is determined by the ratio of the width and length of the face. If the width is less than 60% of the length, then we are talking about cautious and unsure people;
- Friendliness can be determined by the position of the eyebrows. For example, if the eyebrow line is higher, then we are talking about increased facial expressions and sociability;
- wide eyes are characteristic of people who more often forgive other people's mistakes and mistakes;
- a small distance between the upper lip and nose is typical for people with a sense of humor, but sometimes jokes are taken personally. a long distance speaks of sarcasticness, flatness of humor;
- full lips indicate a more open and sociable person, while thin lips indicate isolation and secrecy;
- a thick fold on the eyelid is characteristic of individuals who have analytical thinking, and a thin fold or its absence is characteristic of those who impulsively perform actions;
- Charismatic individuals have a deeper and more unusual eye color.
The shape of a face can tell just as much about its owner. For example, a round face is found in more emotional, sexual individuals with whom you can build a serious relationship. Egoistic, practical and methodical people have an oval face shape, but it is difficult to build relationships with them. Triangular face in hot-tempered and creative people. Square - for smart, aggressive and dominant people.
It is also worth paying attention to such facial features that indicate the presence of certain qualities:
- creative people have a curved forehead, and progressive ones have a straight forehead;
- thin eyebrows for indecisive individuals, thick eyebrows for persistent and decisive ones;
- sympathetic and kind people have expressive eyes, nervous ones have small ones;
- Closely spaced eyes indicate good reaction and concentration; widely spaced eyes are characteristic of people with a broad outlook;
- a straight nose is characteristic of individuals who are distinguished by kindness, warmth, they set a high bar for themselves, and a large nose speaks of rage. An upturned nose occurs in sociable people, and a hump on the nose occurs in strong-willed individuals;
- modest people have small mouths, and talkative people have big mouths;
- full lips for sensitive people, small ones for egoists, raised corners indicate optimism, and downturned ones indicate that the person is almost impossible to please;
- A sociable person has wrinkles around the eyes, and wrinkles between the eyebrows indicate determination and hard work.
And these are not all the ways to learn about a person’s qualities and behavior without personal communication. There are traits that are determined alphabetically (letters in the first and last name), by date of birth, there is even a connection with certain diseases and favorite shades. So, if a person loves the color yellow, then he is characterized by optimism, openness and honesty, and lovers of purple are sensitive, emotional and not understood by everyone.
All these factors together leave an imprint on our personality. We no longer have to talk about ourselves and go through psychological tests, so that you can understand what kind of person we are talking about. A wrinkle on the forehead, favorite shade, eye shape, smile, zodiac sign and clothing preferences can describe everything. A little more attention to those around us, and it will become easier to find common language or see hidden qualities. Everything is in our hands, or rather, the eyes, face shape and lips.
Throughout his life, each person exhibits his own individual characteristics, which are reflected not only in his behavior or the specifics of communication, but also determine his attitude towards activities, himself and other people. All these features that manifest themselves in life, both in scientific use and in everyday life, are called character.
Definition of "character"
In psychology, character is understood as a certain set of human traits that are clearly expressed and relatively stable. Character traits always leave an imprint on a person’s behavior and also influence his actions.
In psychological dictionaries you can find a fairly large number of definitions of character, but they all boil down to the fact that character is the totality of the most persistent individual psychological characteristics personality, which are always manifested in its activities and social behavior, as well as in the system of relationships:
- to the team;
- to other people;
- to work;
- to the surrounding reality (to the world);
- to myself.
The term itself character» ( in the lane from Greek character – coinage or seal) was introduced by the ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist, student Plato and Aristotle's closest friend Theophrastus. And here it is worth paying special attention to the translation of the word – minting or printing. Indeed, character appears as a kind of pattern on a person’s personality, thereby creating a unique seal that distinguishes its owner from other individuals. Such a design, just like the coat of arms or emblem on the personal seal of the medieval nobility, is drawn on a certain basis using specific signs and letters. The basis for engraving an individual personality is temperament, and a unique design is based on bright and individual character traits .
Character traits as a tool for psychological assessment and understanding of a person
In psychology, character traits are understood as individual, rather complex characteristics that are the most indicative for a person and make it possible with a high degree of probability to predict his behavior in a specific situation. That is, knowing about the presence of specific person certain traits, one can predict his subsequent actions and possible actions in a given case. For example, if a person has a pronounced trait of responsiveness, then there is a high probability that at a difficult moment in life he will come to the rescue.
A trait is one of the most important and essential parts of a person, his stable quality and established way of interacting with the surrounding reality. A character trait crystallizes a personality and reflects its integrity. A person's character trait is real way solutions to many life situations (both activity and communication) and therefore they need to be considered from the point of view of the future. So, character traits are a forecast of a person’s actions and deeds, since they are persistent and make a person’s behavior predictable and more obvious. Because every personality is unique, there is a huge variety of unique character traits.
Each person acquires special character traits throughout his life in society, and all individual signs (traits) cannot be considered characterological. These will only be those who, regardless of life situation and circumstances, will always manifest themselves in an identical way of behavior and the same attitude in the surrounding reality.
Thus, in order to assess personality psychology (characterize it) as an individual, it is necessary to determine not the entire sum of a person’s individual qualities, but to highlight those traits and qualities of character that are distinctive from other people. Despite the fact that these features are individual and different, they must constitute a structural integrity.
A person’s character traits are a priority when studying his personality, as well as for understanding and predicting his actions, actions and behavior. Indeed, we perceive and understand any type of human activity as a manifestation of certain traits of his character. But, characterizing a person as a social being, it becomes important not so much the manifestation of traits in activity, but what exactly this activity is aimed at (as well as what the human will serves). In this case, one should pay attention to the content side of character, and more specifically, to those character traits of a person that make up the general structure of his mental make-up. They are expressed in: integrity-contradiction, unity-fragmentation, static-dynamism, breadth-narrowness, strength-weakness.
List of human character traits
Human character- this is not only a certain set of certain traits (or a random set of them), but a very complex mental formation that represents a certain system. This system consists of many of the most stable qualities of a person, as well as its properties, manifested in various systems human relationships (to work, to your business, to the world around you, to things, to yourself and to other people). In these relationships, the structure of character, its content and individuality of originality find its expression. Below, in the table, the main character traits (groups of them) are described, which find their manifestation in various systems of human relations.
Persistent character traits (symptom complexes) manifested in personal relationships
In addition to the traits that manifest themselves in the system of relationships, psychologists have identified human character traits that can be attributed to the cognitive and emotional-volitional sphere. So character traits are divided into:
- cognitive (or intellectual) – curiosity, theoreticality, criticality, resourcefulness, analyticalness, thoughtfulness, practicality, flexibility, frivolity;
- emotional (impressionability, passion, emotionality, cheerfulness, sentimentality, etc.);
- strong-willed traits (persistence, determination, independence, etc.);
- moral traits (kindness, honesty, justice, humanity, cruelty, responsiveness, patriotism, etc.).
Representative of the humanistic trend in psychology Gordon Allport character traits were combined into three main categories:
- dominant (those that most determine all forms of human behavior, his actions and deeds, such as selfishness or kindness);
- ordinary (which manifest themselves in equally in all spheres of life, for example parity and humanity);
- secondary (they do not have the same influences as dominant or ordinary ones, for example it could be diligence or a love of music).
So, the main character traits are manifested in various fields mental activity and system of personality relationships. All these relationships are consolidated in in different ways actions and forms of human behavior that are most familiar to him. Certain natural relationships are always established between existing traits, which make it possible to create a structured character. It, in turn, helps to predict, based on a person’s character trait already known to us, others who are hidden from us, which makes it possible to predict his subsequent actions and actions.
Any structure, including character, has its own hierarchy. Thus, character traits also have a certain hierarchy, so there are main (leading) and secondary traits that are subordinate to the leading ones. It is possible to predict a person’s actions and behavior based not only on the main features, but also on secondary ones (despite the fact that they are less significant and do not appear so clearly).
Typical and individual in character
The bearer of character is always a person, and his traits are manifested in activities, relationships, actions, behavior, methods of action in the family, in a team, at work, among friends, etc. This manifestation always reflects the typical and individual in character, because they exist in organic unity (thus, the typical is always the basis for the individual manifestation of character).
What is meant by typical character? A character is said to be typical when it has a set of essential traits that are common to a particular group of people. This set of features reflects general conditions life of a particular group. In addition, these traits must be manifested (to a greater or lesser extent) in each representative of this group. The set of distinctive typical features is a condition for the emergence of a certain one.
What is typical and individual in character is most clearly expressed in a person’s relationships with other people, because interpersonal contacts are always determined by certain social conditions of life, the corresponding level of cultural and historical development of society and from the formed spiritual world the person himself. The attitude towards other people is always evaluative and manifests itself in different ways (approval-condemnation, support-misunderstanding) depending on the existing circumstances. This manifestation is expressed depending on a person’s assessment of the actions and behavior of others, or rather their positive and negative character traits.
Typical human character traits, in terms of their level of intensity, manifest themselves individually in each person. For example, individual traits can reveal themselves so strongly and clearly that they become unique in their own way. It is in this case that the typical in character turns into the individual.
Positive character traits and their manifestation
Both typical and individual in character find their manifestation in systems of personality relationships. This happens due to the presence of certain traits (both positive and negative) in a person’s character. So, for example, in relation to work or one’s business, such positive character traits as hard work, discipline and organization are manifested.
As for interpersonal communication and attitude towards other people, good character traits are the following: honesty, openness, fairness, integrity, humanity, etc. All these traits allow you to build constructive communication and quickly establish contacts with people around you.
It should be noted that there are a huge variety of individual character traits. But among them it is necessary to highlight first of all those that have the greatest influence on the formation of a person’s spirituality and his (it is in this context that it finds its manifestation best feature human character - humanity). These traits are even more important in the process of educating and developing the younger generation, because the same traits are formed differently depending on situations, the presence of other character traits and the orientation of the individual himself.
While highlighting good character traits, one should not forget about their possible distortion, or the presence of obvious negative traits that a person needs to fight. Only in this case will the harmonious and holistic development of the personality be observed.
Negative character traits and their manifestation
In relation to the behavior, actions and activities of other people, a person always forms traits of a certain character - positive and negative. This occurs on the principle of analogy (that is, identification occurs with what is acceptable) and opposition (with what is included in the list of unacceptable and incorrect). The attitude towards oneself can be positive or negative, which primarily depends on the level of development and the ability to adequately evaluate oneself ( that is, from the formed level). About high level self-awareness is evidenced by the presence of the following positive traits: high demands on oneself, and self-esteem, as well as responsibility. And, conversely, an insufficient level of development of self-awareness is indicated by such negative character traits as self-confidence, selfishness, immodesty, etc.
Negative character traits (in principle, just like positive ones manifest themselves) in the four main systems of human relationships. For example, in the “attitude to work” system, among the negative traits are irresponsibility, carelessness and formality. And among the negative traits that manifest themselves in interpersonal communication, it is worth highlighting isolation, stinginess, boastfulness and disrespect.
It should be noted that negative character traits, which find their manifestation in a person’s system of relationships with other people, almost always contribute to the emergence of conflicts, misunderstandings and aggression, which subsequently leads to the emergence of destructive forms of communication. That is why every person who wants to live in harmony with others and with himself should think about cultivating positive traits in his character and getting rid of destructive, negative traits.
