What characteristics characterize as individuality. Signs that characterize a person as a person

In the understanding of the layman, a person is a person who has strong character who has his own opinion, is able to think and act outside the box, without fear of condemnation of the crowd. In other words, according to the majority, not all people deserve it. high rank. After all, many prefer the position of a gray mouse, living peacefully in its own little world and worrying about what neighbors and colleagues will say about it.

but scientific approach this concept gives quite different results. In psychology, each person is considered to be a personality, regardless of the set of qualities and traits that he possesses. To create a basic "portrait" of a member of the community, scientists use a certain set of criteria. Let's try to understand what characterizes a person as a person from the point of view of science.

What is a personality?

This term is commonly understood as the totality of mental and physical features a person, his habits, experience and knowledge acquired by him in everyday life and in the process of interaction with the environment - people and objects. All these components are manifested in behavior, expressed in the change of "masks" suitable for various socio-cultural groups and situations. Simply put, personality is complex concept, including social skills, mental characteristics and attitudes based on experience interpersonal relationships.

What is the place of the term personality in the system of modern psychology? It is between the individual and individuality. At the same time, an individual is a single representative of the human race, and individuality means a reflection of specific hereditary or acquired traits of a particular person.

Components of personality

In order to fully illuminate the versatility of each of us, signs are used that characterize a person as a person. These, according to modern scientists, include:

• character,
• temperament,
• motivation,
• capabilities.

Each of these concepts reveals human nature from a certain side. Therefore, only after a thorough analysis of all points and the combination of the information received into a single whole, we can talk about creating an exhaustive portrait of a member of society.

Character

As a rule, character is understood as a set of stable features of a person that influence his behavior. At the same time, it is customary to divide all properties into 4 groups, each of which reflects the attitude of the individual to one of the aspects of life:

• to other people
• to work
• to things
• to yourself.

Based on this data, one of the most common types of characters can be attributed to each of us:

• psychasthenic - indecisive, prone to introspection and reflection;
• schizoid - closed, detached from the outside world;
• hyperthymic - mobile and sociable;
• epileptoid - with a low reaction, sullen, scrupulous and conservative;
• sensitive - timid, impressionable;
• asthenoneurotic - tired of communication, irritable and anxious;
• hysterical - self-centered, longing for universal attention and approval;
• emotionally labile - prone to frequent mood swings;
• infantile - refusing responsibility for himself and his actions;
• unstable - weak, weak-willed, gravitating towards entertainment and idleness.

Of course, a person's behavior is not always determined only by his character. However, in most cases, it is he who has a decisive influence on actions and words.

Temperament

Temperament serves as the basis of character and is determined by the type of higher nervous activity. In other words, the psychophysiological characteristics of a person become the basis for it, which means that it can be attributed to the innate properties of the personality. Temperament mainly affects the activity and intensity of actions, and not their content.

There are 4 types of temperament:

• choleric - explosive, often aggressive, mobile and prone to frequent and abrupt mood swings;
• melancholic - impressionable and vulnerable, tired and prone to self-flagellation;
• phlegmatic - calm and balanced, with great difficulty adapting to new conditions and tasks;
• sanguine - energetic and sociable, active and cheerful.

There are practically no “pure” representatives of this or that temperament. Therefore, most often a person is referred to one of the types, focusing on the predominant features.

Motivation

In order for a person to start acting, demonstrating his personal characteristics, he needs motivation. It is a psychophysiological process that stimulates the commission of a particular act. The activity and direction of activity, as well as its effectiveness, depend on the strength of motivation. In this case, the average indicators are optimal. When motivation is too weak or too strong, productivity drops sharply.

Motivation is divided into internal and external. The first is connected with the action itself, which brings pleasure and benefit to a person. And the second one is based on side effects, appearing as a result of the implementation of any activity.

There are also positive and negative motivations. The basis for this division is the polarity of the stimuli. In the first case, we are talking about receiving a reward, benefit or pleasure as a result of an action. And in the second case, the performance of tasks is aimed at avoiding punishment, fines, and censure.

The source of the stimulus influences the stability of motivation. The needs of the person himself create constant prerequisites for the performance of actions. But if the behavior is determined by external factors, then constant reinforcement is required to maintain momentum.

Capabilities

In order for all activity to bring the expected effect, abilities are needed. This word refers not only to the skills and abilities that allow you to engage in certain activities, but also the speed and depth of their development. Such parameters depend on internal mental processes.

Abilities are usually divided into general and special. The first - search activity, creativity and intelligence - are necessary for performing almost all actions. Therefore, the degree of their development often correlates with the success of a person as a whole. Special abilities more specific: for example, a penchant for music, literature, mathematics, design, sports, etc. Without them, it is impossible to achieve decent results in specific areas of activity.

To assess certain abilities, the following "ladder" was created:

• makings,
• capabilities,
• talent,
• genius.

As a rule, the transition from one "step" to another requires great effort, and often is not possible at all. However, in stressful situations often there is a surge, sharpening of already known abilities or an unexpected manifestation of new ones.

So, the criteria that determine a person are not only the qualities of her character, but also the features of her activity - the sources of motivation and the quality of the performance of the roles assumed. At the same time, activity aimed at establishing interpersonal relationships is of primary importance. Indeed, it is under the personality, and not the individual or individuality, that the very “social being” is often meant, which is formed and manifests its features exclusively during interaction with its own kind and the environment.

Instruction

Do not look for a clear and objective personality. Just as one can talk endlessly about the essence and purpose of a person, and still not come to a single conclusion, the dialogue that arose between the philosophers of antiquity about the nature and essence of personality continues to this day. During this long-standing discussion, a large number of possible definitions were proposed, each of which singled out its own characteristics that form the personality.

Don't get caught up in non-scientific ideas about personality. Everyday people's reasoning about personality and what its main characteristics contain a lot of the original meaning of this concept and, unfortunately, are very far from the view modern science to these questions. The word itself comes from lat. "persona", which originally referred to the masks used by the actors of ancient Greek drama during the performance itself. Gradually, it began to be used not only in relation to the theatrical field of activity, it came into active use in everyday life. However, the original meaning of this word is still partly preserved: now it was "", or "game", a kind of superficial social image that takes on individuality when it plays certain life roles.

Such an understanding of personality is outside the scope of science and significantly narrows the possible interpretations of this phenomenon. In such a "everyday" view, the essence of personality lies in how a person manifests himself in society. What he demonstrates, what others can directly observe by interacting with him - this will be the "personality". Such an interpretation suggests the possibility of a value judgment. You can often hear: “Petya Ivanov - strong personality”,“ Masha is an unpleasant person, ”etc. Such assessments are usually made according to the criteria of socially desirable characteristics, whether it be, for example, the ability to behave in society, charm or popularity.

Try to use scientific ideas about personality in judgments. The content of the definition of personality from the standpoint of various scientific theories much more multifaceted than in the original concept of "external social appearance". Philosophy, theology, literature, sociology, psychology are just some of the areas in which various aspects of personality are studied. In some ways similar and in some ways sharply opposed scientific ideas, however, explain the same object. But the field of personality manifestations is so rich and diverse that it turns out to be practically impossible to cover and enclose it in a narrow framework only. possible definition. However, most theoretical definitions agree on some key aspects in understanding personality.

First of all, it is the recognition of the key importance of individuality or individual differences. The personality expresses such qualities, thanks to which each person differs from all other people. But do not equate the concept of personality and individuality. Personality, as a phenomenon, is possible only in the conditions of the existence of society. It is through interaction with society that a person develops in himself those unique qualities that will then form part of his individuality. In addition, personality is considered in relation to a person's life history or development prospects. It is characterized as a subject of influence of internal and external factors, acting as an interaction of genetic and biological predispositions, social experience and changing circumstances. environment. From such positions, a person is a subject included in the system of sociocultural relations, in which

2. Individuality of the person and the problem individual approach in professional music education.

Individuality is often equated with the brightness of personality, which is especially appreciated in art. Individuality cannot be described simply by listing the special qualities of a person - in any psychological portrait necessarily there are not at all individual, but typical features inherent in many people. The individuality of a person is often correlated with the type of temperament, character, personality (during the study of mankind, many typologies have been created, many of which contradict each other).

Individuality is manifested in the peculiarity of the connections between the properties of a person, but the properties themselves can be inherent in many people. The type is the most likely combination of these properties. It is believed that certain traits are heritable, but research has disproved this hypothesis.

Signs of a person's personality:

1. external expressiveness. We call an individual a person who looks unusual, who has a vivid speech, expressive gestures, that is, according to the external picture.
2. A special bond between traits common to all people. Many people have traits such as kindness, greed, generosity, etc., and individuality lies in how these traits are interconnected. They are always interconnected in a unique way.
3. A unique life story. The mental warehouse and life experience of each person is unique, even if they belong to the same family, generation, culture. The formation of personality is influenced primarily by such environmental factors that a person is able to perceive, realize and which he attaches any importance to.
4. The ability to express yourself or what is called "be yourself"

This is the parameter that a person defends daily in social life, because. life averages us and the ability to express oneself is the highest indicator of individuality.

The second approach to the definition of individuality: this is the psychological individuality that is associated with such concepts as temperament, character, abilities.

Temperament- a stable association of individual personality traits associated with dynamic, rather than meaningful aspects of activity. Temperament is the basis of character development. From a physiological point of view, it is due to the type of higher nervous activity of a person.