Personality character and factors influencing its formation.

How character develops and is formed

Problems of the formation and development of human character aroused the interest of philosophers of Antiquity and scientists from the Middle Ages. This topic remains relevant today for modern psychoanalysts and psychologists. Each time they try to find the answer to the question of what personal self-development is, what factors it depends on, what influences the development of a person’s character to a greater extent.

To understand what influences personal self-development, it is necessary to find out what shapes and develops character. The process of self-development of personal qualities is directly related to certain changes in qualitative and quantitative relationships. This process is complex in structure. Various changes occur in the person himself, including in his behavior, personality, and activities. The intellectual and emotional-volitional sphere is changing. Sometimes such changes are progressive, sometimes they regress.

The development of a person's character is associated with a process of change. Some of them have irreversible properties, and some are natural and directed. It is important that such development lead to qualitative, structural and quantitative transformation.

Character is the basis of personality. A core is built on it, it reacts in a certain way to various areas of life. Self-development of personality and factors of character formation have been studied from a scientific point of view for decades.

The discovery of what individual human characteristics are belongs to Julius Bahnsen. He viewed character as a specific set of personality traits. Then Freud, Jung and Adler joined in their research. They believed that a person's character was formed as a separate process. He was out of consciousness, his individuality was influenced by sexual and other impulses. The question of character formation is within the purview of anthropologists. They consider the character of the individual as an object.

Character development: main stages

The formation of human character begins from the first day of his life. It changes over time. In infancy and early childhood, the individual imitates the behavior and actions of adults. Being in preschool and younger age, the personality is influenced by the heredity and upbringing of the child. Upon reaching adolescence, a person engages in self-education.

Purposefully and consciously, a person’s character can change and improve in an independent form

First of all, it is adjusted due to the social behavior of the individual; it is influenced by social activities and interpersonal interaction. It doesn’t matter what stage of life a person is at, what matters is how he perceives the situation.

The main stages of human character development were first identified by the Austrian psychologist and psychiatrist Sigmund Freud. He counted 5 stages during which personality is formed. According to Freud, the oral stage refers to the age period 0 to 1 year. During this period of time, such traits as manipulativeness, infantility, envy and dependence are formed. Further, during the anal period, which lasts from 1 to 3 years, the basis of personality is laid down by such traits as frugality, stubbornness, accuracy, cruelty and pedantry. During the next period, which occurs between the ages of 3 and 5 years, self-doubt, shyness and reticence, timidity and silence are formed. During the genital period from 11 to 12 years and until the end of life, socialization or social maladjustment occurs. This is where efficiency or passivity in activity is manifested.

In the field of psychology, character is often divided into age periods. Each of them has leading factors and conditions under which the formation of certain traits occurs. The formation of a person’s personality begins from the first years of his life. At this age, a child communicates with his parents through emotions, and his mental processes develop. He strives to understand the world and exhibits emotional properties. It is necessary to provide the baby not so much care as to show love and affection. Personal self-development begins precisely from this stage of life.

Character at different periods of life

Character formation factors are present in early and preschool age. At this moment, the child actively studies the way adults behave and tries to imitate their model. The formation of character occurs not so much due to the characteristics of children from birth, but rather through direct training with emotional reinforcement. It is important to convey information in a playful way, while praising, approving and supporting the person. The development of character is influenced by the social environment. This includes the family, educational institution, contacts between an adult and a child, and the child’s interactions with other peers.

The very first traits are formed precisely before school. It is important to show trust, kindness and openness when communicating with children.

Here the following character traits are formed:

• kindness and selfishness.
• hard work and laziness.
• neatness and sloppiness.
• responsiveness and indifference.
• sociability and isolation.

Next comes the stage of primary school age. The formation of character traits continues. Some of them that were previously acquired may be adjustable.

It is important how a teenager evaluates his own actions, as well as how adults treat them. This is how the self-esteem of the future individual is formed. The consolidation of already formed traits or their destruction will depend on the process and conditions of the child’s learning.

Upon reaching adolescence, the moral and moral development of the child appears. This factor influences the development and formation of character. During this same period, a person’s strong-willed traits develop. In adolescence, the moral and ethical foundations of the future personality are laid.

The following factors influence character:

1. A person's attitude towards himself and other people.
2. Self-confidence and level of self-esteem.
3. Information from the media and the Internet.

The process of self-development of personal qualities continues throughout a person’s life. After coming of age, individual self-development begins. It is important to be aware of your acquired character traits and correct them.

Character Formation Factors

The formation of character, oddly enough, begins in the prenatal period of development and depends on the state of health of the mother. The behavior of the fetus is affected by the general hormonal background of the expectant mother. The main hormonal factors in character formation depend on the amount of adrenaline synthesized. This is a stress hormone, the release of which into the blood naturally affects the development of the child. Night shifts, sports, and intense physical activity before childbirth contribute to significant amounts of the stress hormone. A child is not always born hardened, but often tired from violent emotions long before his birth.

The opposite situation is when a pregnant woman is in a half-asleep, passive state for the entire period of bearing a child, the fetus receives hormones aimed at digesting food, sleep and rest. Of course, such a condition of the fetus will certainly affect the formation of the child’s character.

In the first months of life, a person imitates his relatives. The actions and forms of behavior of the baby depend on the psychological reactions of parents, grandparents. From two to ten years, character formation goes through a special, sensitive (sensual) stage. The child perceives and adopts the behavior style of others:

• Adults among themselves;
• Adults with children;
• Children among themselves.

In this age period, the formation of a person’s character goes through the stage of laying the basic moral guidelines. The baby develops a sense of criticality towards the actions of people around him. By the age of twelve, the basic core of character has been formed, including an attitude towards truth. How correctly a child understands the “truth”, the more “educated” he will become later.

The period of the so-called “adolescence” is marked by a heightened sense of justice, which children perceive differently. However, negativity reactions are characteristic of almost all adolescents. Their manifestations vary. At this age, character formation is almost complete. Neither education, nor further upbringing, nor a change of environment - practically nothing affects the development of a person’s character traits. The core of personality does not undergo fundamental changes until the end of life.

However, character-building factors such as reward and punishment (to a much lesser extent) continue to have a corrective influence on human behavior. Personal reactions in adulthood depend on the external information field, including the following types:

• People's opinion of an individual;
• The actions of others;
• Ideology of society;
• Fictional characters: their thoughts, judgments, actions;
• Movie;
• Mass media, including the Internet.

And in adults, one might say, further character formation occurs under the condition of reassessing one’s own behavior. Self-education can soften manifestations of aggression, passivity, and rejection of the opinions of others. However, in extreme life circumstances, instinctive manifestations of nature again appear. Therefore, people who are actively engaged in self-education, as a rule, avoid such life situations.

Human self-development

At each stage of life, a person is capable of improving. He can change his character thanks to the information field. Personal self-development occurs in the following way:

1. Through the opinions and judgments of other people.
2. Thanks to personal example from significant people and their actions.
3. Based on the books you read.
4. Development of culture and ideology in society and state.

The formation of character traits does not end in adulthood. At the new stage, everything becomes more meaningful. Rational traits are fixed; if a person needs to achieve success in his career and family, then he develops such qualities as endurance, responsibility, perseverance, determination and perseverance.

What influences the formation of a person

Personal self-development is a long process. It happens most of life. Some personality traits are present from birth, while others are passed on through genetics. Every year a person develops new features and qualities. They are formed through the influence of the social environment and where it develops and grows. The structure of the state and society in which it is located plays a role in the formation of human character.

The process of personality formation is individual for everyone, but there are generally accepted norms

1. No one can say at what age the formation of a person begins. Some psychologists believe that this process begins with the birth of a child, others suggest that character is formed from the age of two. The baby becomes especially sensitive to the environment between the ages of 2 and 10 years. It is important for him what adults think of him, what model of behavior they offer. Physiological mechanisms play an important role in the formation of a person. Temperament affects personality.
2. A child's involvement in group activities and games is involved in the formation of his character in preschool age. The child must have experience interacting with other children, then such traits as neatness, self-confidence and sociability develop. Please note that joint activities with other children and adults may not always benefit the child. In some cases, the makings of certain character traits in childhood and adolescence are destroyed.
3. During the period of schooling, which occurs between the ages of 7 and 16, the formation of the emotional component of the future personality occurs. Certain character traits develop and a teenager’s self-esteem is formed. He pays attention to how teachers and peers treat him, what they say in the media. Closer to reaching adulthood, a person possesses a certain set of internal qualities. They will most likely remain unchanged throughout your life. Only the person himself can correct character traits; personal development helps him in this. A person can develop both positive and negative sides. In the first case, the individual will help his development in terms of family and career. In the second case, it will harm mental and physical health. For example, negative experiences include the use of alcohol, drugs, aggression towards the family and the outside world.
4. At the age of 25-30, there are no longer such traits as maximalism and capriciousness in the character. A rational link appears, the individual is responsible for his actions, the person is reasonable in business.
5. At the age of 30, in most cases, a change in character occurs. Only stress and mental illness can affect a person. At the age of 50, a person begins to live here and now, he no longer dreams or fantasizes about the possibility of development in his life. With age, a person becomes more immersed in memories.

The main influence on a person is his family and social environment. As an individual grows up, he becomes more dependent on himself, his inner world.

I have such a character. Scientists' Attempts to Explain Human Behavior

“Hypocrite, hillbilly, young old man, holy simplicity, moral freak, news bearer, impudent, braggart, proud, coward” - Aristotle gave a description of all these and 20 other character types in his famous treatise “Characteristics”, based on observation of people’s actions . As we see, ancient Greek philosophers were among the first to understand how a person’s stable character is formed. And only the subsequent development of science centuries later showed that the study of this complex phenomenon, namely character, is also associated with the study of temperament. Note that it is not easy to distinguish between these concepts, but we will try to do it.

And again Aristotle. Parents and the state should participate in character formation

In his treatise, Aristotle gave a description of the spiritual qualities - morals - of a person in accordance with age, social status and profession. The philosopher emphasized that character is not a natural property, its features develop in the process of life and are the result of experience.

However, the scientist also attached great importance to education. He believed that it cannot be a private matter; the state must help parents take care of the child, influencing his moral character, developing what is lacking by nature.

Aristotle's characteristics are characterized by insight and subtlety of observation. By the way, the tradition he started developed in the Renaissance and Modern times; most of his descriptions are applicable to modern people.

Factors influencing the formation of character. Scientists from different centuries adhere to the same point of view

There have been debates among scientists since ancient times. They cannot come to an agreement, namely, decide on what still influences the formation of character.

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According to some, the leading role in this process belongs to heredity. Representatives of another point of view completely refute the first, believing that a person’s character is formed only under the influence of social factors and the process of education.

Or maybe both factors influence them?

As an analysis of the monographs of Alexander Bain, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Ernst Kretschmer shows, both congenital and acquired factors have a decisive influence here. The former usually include heredity and individual psychological characteristics of the individual, and the latter include upbringing and social environment. In the process of human development, they enter into certain relationships and interactions.

It is worth noting that in a broad sense, an individual inherits all traits to a certain extent from relatives, since they depend on the genotype of the organism. However, over time, under the influence of the environment, they can change for the better or for the worse. A study by modern scientists from the University of California at San Diego also proves this. Experts believe that, in addition to upbringing, genes also influence what character will be, writes Science Alert.

Project leader Chi-Hua-Chen and his team analyzed about 60,000 genetic samples provided by the private biotechnology company 23andMe, as well as about 80,000 samples collected by the Genetics of Personality Consortium. With the help of these data, researchers were able to find out what genetic features influence the formation of a particular character.

In particular, it turned out that personality openness depends on differences in the WSCD2 and PCDH15 genes. Emotional instability is determined by alleles on chromosome 8p23.1 and differences in the L3MBTL2 gene. Almost the same changes are observed in neurotics, as well as in those who suffer from chronic depression.

Such results prove that DNA can carry a predisposition to a certain pattern of behavior, but a person’s bad actions cannot be justified by genetics; here, upbringing is more “to blame,” scientists say.

Such different but identical concepts: character and temperament

Some psychologists tend to consider temperament and character as synonymous concepts, since they are both personality traits. But we will discuss below whether there are any differences between these related definitions.

Their main difference is in typology. Another ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, who lived in the 5th century. BC, identified four types of human temperament: sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, melancholic. They are still actively used in psychology today.

The structure of character is represented by its properties, which reflect the individual’s attitude towards himself, society and the world around him. Characters can be completely different, but they have a huge variety of types. Therefore, experts even classify them into groups, the leading ones being intellectual, emotional, moral and volitional components.

One more important point must not be overlooked: temperament and character, as a rule, depend on each other. As the Soviet psychologist Sergei Leonidovich Rubinstein said: “Temperament is an element of character, its core.” And this is actually true. For example, persistence in a choleric person is expressed in vigorous activity, in a phlegmatic person - in concentrated thinking. The choleric person works energetically and passionately, while the phlegmatic person works methodically, slowly. On the other hand, a person with a strong character can suppress some of the negative aspects of his temperament by controlling its manifestations.

Let us add that the basic properties of temperament take shape much earlier than character formation is completed. Therefore, temperament is to a much greater extent physiological, innate in nature.

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Non-scientific and pseudo-scientific typologies of character

From the point of view of scientists, we understand what factors influence the formation of character. But we also want to talk about unscientific or pseudo-scientific ideas, so that you, dear readers, are critical of the approaches mentioned below.

Thus, a generally accepted factor among astrologers that influences a stable character is the person’s date of birth or name.

In turn, such a direction as physiognomy has made a significant contribution to character studies. Namely, this teaching claims that there is a certain connection between a person’s appearance and his belonging to a certain type of personality. This means that by external signs one can establish the psychological characteristics of a person belonging to one type or another. In particular, the Swiss writer Johann Caspar Lavater developed the most famous physiognomic system, in which the main way to understand human character is to study the structure of the head, the configuration of the skull and facial expressions.

A popular but unscientific approach is palmistry, or palm reading, common among gypsies and psychics. They determine a person’s character and even his destiny by the skin texture on the palm.

The implausibility of this approach lies in the fact that the formation of folds/lines on the skin is a completely random process.

You can take, for example, and crumple several identical sheets of paper; it is not surprising that each sheet crumples in its own way. However, palmistry gave birth to a scientific direction - dermatoglyphics, which says that the pattern on the fingers is not a completely random phenomenon. What to believe or not to believe is up to you.

By its nature, character is a socio-psychological formation of the individual. It reflects the objective relationships of people and their attitudes towards various social phenomena, events and things. A person’s behavior, which, as a rule, depends on his stable disposition, always leaves an imprint on all actions, thoughts and feelings. Therefore, it is so important to be able to control yourself, and sometimes change your difficult character for the better.

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Biological factors

Personal self-development depends on internal factors. Genetic characteristics are passed on from parents from birth. Traits acquired through inheritance form the basis of personality. The perception of the surrounding world and the assessment of other people depends on the hereditary qualities of the individual, his abilities and physical characteristics. From the point of view of biological heredity, no two people are alike.

Parents pass on certain qualities to their children; they are embedded in the genetic program. Anatomical and physiological structure, various physical characteristics and physiological characteristics, as well as the structure of the nervous system are inherited from parents. Additionally, genetics contains anomalies in the development of the body, a predisposition to certain diseases that are hereditary in nature.

For example, people with a congenital cleft lip will feel different in society. During the period of preschool development, they may develop complexes and internal fears. At this moment, it is important for a person to provide support, show the possibilities of equal interaction with others, and should not show violence towards such a child or adult. Integration into society and social adaptation will help him in life.

The connection between character and temperament

Often these two terms are identified, believing that they have the same meaning. And to a certain extent this is true. Both concepts mean a complex of spiritual and mental qualities that express the level of a person’s excitability and his attitude towards society and himself.

However, the first of them is formed under the influence of the environment, while the second is assigned from birth. The development of individual characteristics of an individual depends on temperamental characteristics. Specific ones can promote and hinder the emergence of certain traits. Thus, phlegmatic people, distinguished by regularity and slowness, are unlikely to show temper or irritability.

Four views on the connection between character and temperament:

• Identification - both concepts are equal in meaning.
• Contrast – the cardinal difference is emphasized.
• Recognition of temperamental properties as part of character.
• They are also the foundation for the development of the behavioral system of the individual.

But even despite the fact that scientific points of view differ greatly, their dependence on human physiology, or more precisely, on the characteristics of the nervous system, cannot be denied. I note that temperament is much more connected with it, which suggests the conclusion that it is still a “base”. It is he who influences the formation of such traits as rational perception of situations, balance, and calmness. But this is a predetermining aspect in the formation of a behavioral system. After all, with the same temperamental properties, radically opposite morals can develop.

Social factors

Personal self-development depends on society. What matters is what environment a person is in. An individual develops depending on the country in which he was born, the school where he studied, the family in which he grew up. The social system and the system of industrial relations play an important role. A person is influenced by social processes and material living conditions.

A person has a distant and immediate environment that directly influences him. In the first stages of life, a person cannot influence his well-being; upon reaching adulthood, he has the power to change the material side of life. When favorable conditions are created, a person can achieve the highest level of development.

A woman’s self-realization in a man’s world also influences the formation of personality. For example, after an unsuccessful experience communicating with the opposite sex in adolescence, women may develop certain complexes already in adult periods of life. A person must cope with established ideas about relationships with other people and the structure of society as a whole on his own or with the help of specialists.

How psychology influences character development

The formation of a person’s character, as well as personal self-development, occurs throughout a person’s life journey. It is affected by various conditions. What is important is how the individual was brought up, on what principles his work and interaction with society were structured, and how his life position was formed.

For a long time, it was generally accepted that character is influenced solely by a person’s genetic characteristics. John Locke became a pioneer in the concept of personality education. It was this period of his life that the scientist paid the most attention to. In his writings, J. Locke believed that, first of all, a person’s character is influenced by his motives. In particular, the development of a person’s character is laid by psychophysical nature and external conditions.

Over the past century, the myth that genetic characteristics are the basis of character has been dispelled. The formation of personality is influenced by external conditions and the process of a person’s upbringing.

A few words about the characteristic features

These are individual traits that influence life activity, choice of profession and interaction with people. At my consultation, anyone can determine their type and find out how to live with it. In the meantime, I will describe the main points.

Definition and Manifestation

The term character in psychology means a complex of personal qualities. They develop during the period of growing up and manifest themselves in all areas of life, both personal and social. As a result, sustainable human behavior is formed in specific situations. Sounds pretty simple. But in fact it turns out that not all such manifestations can be considered permanent characteristics. A striking example of this is when an individual is in a prolonged state of stress. He is so tense and tired that he can involuntarily become rude or become hot-tempered and unrestrained. But that doesn't mean he's always like this. Only regular expressions of rudeness can indicate such a trait.

Therefore, we add that the “foundation” is laid by nervous activity, or rather, its type, and the dynamics are laid by the environment. There are a huge number of difficult-to-understand explanations of this concept. But if we talk briefly about what a person’s character is, then the definitions will sound like this:

• a set of sustainable behavior that influences the formation of an individual’s type;
• the method of adaptation of the individual to society, the boundary between his internal and external worlds, where he lives;
• a clearly presented system of reactions to stimuli.

One cannot speak of a fully formed character while the individual is growing and developing. The creation of his behavioral characteristics depends on his lifestyle. This means not only the physical sphere, but also the spiritual: thoughts, experiences, feelings. Such a human system is a complex interweaving of social influence and direction. It includes needs, beliefs and worldviews and interests.

About character traits

Most often, behavior develops under the influence of social subgroups, which include the individual. These include family, friendly company, groups at work or study. The development of specific properties depends on which of them is preferred. The position of the individual and the level of his interaction with the group will also play a large role in this. There are several general categories of morality based on attitudes towards certain aspects of the environment.

Features table

Formation

Character is formed under the influence of family, friends and acquaintances, as well as the team in the service or in educational institutions. The very first influence comes from the family circle - from the parents. This is where the “foundation” for the future development of the child is laid. During life, the mindset and disposition change. Factors also include life circumstances, the creation of a system of values ​​and views, and lifestyle.

Psychologist Daria Milai

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Personality traits are characteristics that determine a person’s behavior in specific situations. Psychologists have identified several classifications. I have already described one of them in the table given earlier. It's time to meet the second one. It is associated with mental manifestations and distinguishes such qualities as:

• Strong-willed – purposefulness, perseverance, independence, activity, self-control, determination.
• Emotional – impetuosity, hot temper, indifference, sensitivity, sensitivity.
• Intellectual - quick-wittedness, ingenuity, interest in everything new, thoughtfulness.