Finding ourselves in front of the mirror, we no longer know whether to cry or laugh. The silent reflection tells us so much. In other articles, we discussed speech, masks of emotions, characteristic gestures for people in different states and learned to recognize them, drawing some conclusions about personality traits. We were talking about details, nuances, halftones, which need to be paid attention to immediately, tracked and analyzed in the process of communication, which is quite difficult, especially for a novice observer.
Now we get to the really big subject of conversation. The time has come to stop breaking a person into pieces and examine him as a whole - “from head to toe.” Moreover, we have already revealed the secrets of facial features and we have also learned to determine the character of a person by his hands. What can we see when we look at the whole person? Is any information, besides what has already been described, imprinted in our body?
What can we learn about ourselves in front of the mirror?
Every day we encounter people. At work, in transport or in a store, every time we go out into the street, without meaning to, we involuntarily note their physique and put bright stamps: fat, doughy, bony, lanky, muscular, and so on. By doing this, we remember the character traits of people we know with a similar build and begin to expect something specific from new acquaintances. With experience, predictions come true more and more often and stereotypes appear: a fat man is a good-natured man, a skinny man is a witty man, and others. In everyday life, these expectations appear at the level of intuition and life experience. We do not attach any importance to this and simply use our knowledge. But psychologists, having conducted numerous studies, collected all this information and details about the dependence of character on body type, and proposed their own classification options, one of which is dividing people into picnics, asthenics and athletes .
Asthenics
Remember, as a child, we teased our skinny classmates, calling them grasshoppers, hangers, pods, dystrophies or skeletons. Then we had no idea that we were dealing with future asthenics. Asthenics are intellectuals and loners. In company, we are more likely to find them leading a calm scientific discussion in the corner, rather than having fun in the thick of things. Features of their physique include thinness, thin bones and narrow shoulders. They have a long, narrow and flat chest. If asthenic men can be distinguished by impressive height, then women, as a rule, are short. Fragile and miniature, apparently poorly enduring the hardships of life, they often age prematurely.
Man of asthenic body type
People with an asthenic physique have a harder time communicating than other types. Their usual acquaintance occurs at the cost of incredible efforts. They do not like to start relationships themselves and are wary of “uninvited guests.” Asthenics live in a fictional world. They establish many rules and frameworks in it, which, unknowingly, are often violated by others. Then asthenics become even more isolated, cherishing their grievances and suspicions, feeding selfishness. Therefore, to successfully conduct business or have pleasant communication with them, you should be extremely attentive and caring. But asthenics are resistant to stress. They are helped by the ability to control emotions and maintain composure in critical situations.
Asthenic girls are fragile and small in stature
The isolation and high intellectuality of asthenic women, emphasized by them in every possible way, keep men at a distance. Therefore, they have problems in their personal lives. What kind of man likes to feel stupid all the time? By the way, work colleagues are usually not delighted with such distant and arrogant behavior.
Ways to communicate with different types of people
The famous psychologist James Borg in his book “The Power of Persuasion. The art of influencing people" identifies five main types of interlocutors; accordingly, with each type of people you need to use your own methods of communication, this is the key to successful communication.
Type one: “What do you have there? Hurry up!"
Fearing missing out on new opportunities, this interlocutor is ready to give a chance to anyone who can interest him in something. But don't expect a royal welcome. For him, time is money.
Periodically checking his watch, he will speak quickly and study you carefully. For such a person it is very important to keep the situation under control. So, under no circumstances try to seize the initiative in the conversation!
Communication tactics
Please note: when inviting you to a meeting, he is initially committed to a positive ending. So get straight to the point. Be direct, brief and to the point. Lengthy speeches will disappoint him instantly. If you manage to present yourself correctly, you will find a real “treasure”. Do not miss your chance!
Type two: “What benefit do I get from this?”
Representatives of this type accept any proposals only in written form. They prefer to communicate through secretaries, and agree to a meeting as if out of mercy. Dialogue with them resembles torture - they find fault with your words, challenging every statement: “You are mistaken. This is far from the case. I know". Don't give in. This is just a tactic to “knock out” a more profitable offer. In fact, the opponent does not know much, having only a set of preconceived opinions. However, you shouldn’t expose him!
Communication tactics
Looking down on the other side of the table, he feels superior. Change the balance of power. Ask him to sit next to you on the sofa. Say it's necessary. The excuse can be any: your back hurts, you need an outlet, but the laptop cord is short, etc. Be assertive, a little aggressive, and don't take your opponent's attacks personally.
Type three: “Corrosive and meticulous”
Characteristics: thinks and speaks slowly, drawing out words. If you are ready to communicate, it means that you have already collected as much information as possible regarding the topic of negotiations, you and your company. Therefore, you need to know the subject of the conversation thoroughly. If you warned that the dialogue would last 30 minutes, then in exactly half an hour he will stop listening to you. When saying goodbye, he will ask you to write and send him a list of the issues discussed. At the same time, keep in mind: he may forget everything you talked about. But the contents of the letter will be remembered for a long time. Before making a final decision, he will take a time out to think everything over again and... get the approval of a third party. This will require several more meetings. Perhaps with the involvement of specialists from his and your company. So be patient.
Communication tactics
Become a complete reflection of him: speak at an average pace and only to the point. Answer the questions asked clearly. Do not interrupt him or be late for the meeting under any circumstances. After negotiations, pay special attention to the final letter!..
Type four: “Let’s discuss everything in person”
On the phone they listen to you attentively and offer to arrange a meeting. You arrive, and the good mood of your interlocutor only intensifies: he quickly discards formalities and asks you to address him by name, is interested in you, actively gestures, creating a relaxed atmosphere, and invites you to discuss all matters in an informal setting. If a representative of this type is interested in your proposal, he will not play cat and mouse with you and will immediately report it.
Communication tactics
Dealing with such a person is pleasant, easy and mutually beneficial. Therefore, try to be just as honest and open, without abusing his sincerity and cordiality.
Type five: “Let’s switch to you”
In his behavior he resembles the previous type. However, there is a significant difference between them. If a representative of the fourth type acts completely disinterestedly, then this “character” hopes to use you with the help of ostentatious friendliness. At the same time, he will never leave his desk. He will carefully study your business card, trying to determine the status of its owner. Most likely, he will ask several lengthy questions, trying to encourage a frank conversation. If he decides that this is an important person in front of him, then you will also be offered cookies for tea. Otherwise your conversation will be very short...
Communication tactics
Throughout the dialogue, be vigilant and do not rush for a couple of nice smiles and agreement to accept your offer to tell all the latest office gossip and a summary of meetings held with the interlocutor’s competitors. Don't lose control. Remember: you are being watched closely. Be prepared to stand up for yourself. For people of this type, such behavior evokes respect.
PS Of course, there are no “pure” types in life. However, everyone, to one degree or another, combines the features of the described “characters”. If you can identify the dominant in your interlocutor, consider that the key to his trust is in your pocket...
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Athletics
But who had it good in childhood were athletes. Born leaders, they emerged victorious from any fight. Their main argument is strength, they are arrogant and self-confident. You don’t have to be a good person, people are already drawn to you. Such people most often in adolescence and adulthood receive the nicknames “jock”, “bull”, athlete.
Athletic man
Women of this type are endowed with a harmonious physique and pleasant appearance. When communicating with people, they masterfully suppress them with pressure and authority. Difficulties in communication arise when they meet their own kind. This is a very difficult conflict to resolve, because neither side is used to giving in and looking for a compromise. People with an athletic body type tend to dominate in relationships.
Women with an athletic body type are harmonious and successful
Picnics
The third type includes our most favorite objects of children's ridicule, kind and unrequited buns, donuts, mattresses and other “goodies” and “softness”. These are picnics. People are emotional, warm-hearted and sociable. They have a hard time dealing with stressful situations, panic and get very upset because their feelings are heightened.
Men with the picnic body type are kind and warm-hearted
Picnics are usually of medium height, they have a dense figure and a soft, broad face. Their substantial belly protrudes from a deep, vaulted chest that expands downward.
Women with this body type are soft and good-natured. They know how to forgive and sacrifice their interests in order to preserve relationships. Open expression of feelings and ease of communication help them more easily cope with difficulties in their personal lives and simplify their relationships with other people.
Jung's personality types
If we consider Jung's theory in all its details, then, of course, everything is somewhat more complicated. The division into introverts and extroverts is obviously not enough. Two pronounced introverts may be completely different in the way they view and interact with the world. It’s the same with extroverts - they are different.
In this regard, Jung introduces an additional concept - primary mental function. There are four of them in total, and they are also divided into pairs of opposites: feeling and thinking, sensation and intuition. Thus, the type is determined by two main coordinates - inward (introversion) or outward (extroversion) and the mental function that predominates in it.
Accordingly, such combinations are obtained as, for example, intuitive-introvert (Jung), thinking extrovert (Freud), feeling introvert (Melanie from Gone with the Wind), feeling extrovert (Scarlett from the same place), and so on. Some types are more common, some less common.
There are some other nuances in Jung’s theory - a secondary function, the division into rational and irrational, suppressed function, and so on, but we won’t dive into such jungle - it will only be of interest to maniac psychologists. Now let's focus on the most important thing.
Mixed types
Most often there are mixed types: pyknic-asthenic, pyknic-athletic and asthenic-athletic.
To summarize, our intuitive conclusions can be called correct. Moreover, psychological researchers working on this problem initially built their hypotheses precisely on them, relying on life experience accumulated over generations.
In describing the complexion, we have just seen its relationship with the characteristics of communication. Indeed, the body is a very vivid carrier of information about its owner. Everything matters: its size, shape, proportionality. In our body, as in a data bank, all childhood experiences are recorded that served as the basis for the formation of character. Looking at a person, you can reasonably guess what his character and communication style are, how he interacts with people around him and solves his problems.
Therefore, the next step towards studying the relationship between body structure and personality traits will be a description of characters based on their figure features. This is one of the most interesting character classifications, including body features. We will learn who “hermits” are, how to behave with adult “teenagers”, what it’s like to live next to a “volcano”, how to spot a “sufferer” and what “pragmatists” can achieve in life.
Types of higher nervous activity according to I. P. Pavlov
Russian psychophysiologist I.P. Pavlov confirmed the correctness of Hippocrates' classification, but he, of course, did not believe that the types were associated with fluid in the body. The difference in temperaments or types of higher nervous activity, from Pavlov’s point of view, depends on the strength, nature and speed of the basic nervous processes - excitation and inhibition. The psychophysiologist also identified 4 types, whose characteristics are very close to the temperaments of Hippocrates:
- Strong, fast - sanguine.
- Strong, inert – phlegmatic.
- Strong, unrestrained - choleric.
- The weak type is melancholic.
It was the study of the characteristics of higher nervous activity of different types made by I. P. Pavlov that made it possible to identify such characteristics of individuals as extraversion and introversion, emotional stability and lability, rigidity and plasticity, etc. Combinations of these characteristics formed the basis of many modern classifications, including one of the most popular – the classification of psychosociotypes.
