Character traits and their meanings. A complete list of negative moral qualities of a person with a description. Positive character traits

Every person is unique. He has his own unique appearance, interests, upbringing, predisposition to actions and character. These traits may be similar to different people, but the totality of features will never be repeated. All this affects the feelings of a person that arises when interacting with society. Understanding yourself can help.

Character - set of unique sustainable features personality, reflecting the attitude of people to the world around them through their behavior and actions.

An outstanding German psychiatrist divides into 12 types. Let's consider them in more detail.

extroverted. People with such are sociable and open, have many friends and acquaintances, are attentive listeners, but are frivolous and verbose, prone to gossip.

introverted- the opposite of extroverts, the peculiarity lies in isolation, the desire for reflection, adherence to principles.

emotive- a kind person who knows how to empathize, but tends to keep grievances within himself and has a small social circle.

Demonstrative type - people are polite, artistic, interact with others without problems. However, they can be hypocritical, selfish, boastful, lazy, they will gladly accept power and praise.

Exalted. This is possessed by very sociable, disinterested and emotional people. The disadvantage lies in the tendency to hype and amorousness.

Pedantic personalities strictly observe all the rules, are accurate and reliable, conflict-free, but intrusive and always dissatisfied with something.

alarming type - people are timid, unsociable, self-critical, with low self-esteem. Their positive features are friendliness, diligence.

Characters of people stuck types are typical for moderately sociable, fair, ambitious and striving for leadership individuals. Their disadvantage is tediousness, resentment, vindictiveness and jealousy.

Characters of people with hyperthymic type are optimistic, actively interact with others, sociable, have lively facial expressions. Their flaw is frivolity, irritability, irresponsibility, a tendency to conflict.

Personalities distimic type - on the contrary, uncommunicative, friendly, serious and conscientious. The disadvantages include passivity, pessimism, slowness in movements.

To cycloid include people with frequent changes in mood and ways of communicating.

Closely interconnected with their temperament (that is, the mental manifestation of the nervous system). It is given to the individual from birth. With a great desire or under the influence of the outside world, the character of people is corrected, and it is almost impossible to change the temperament. In the best case, this will only be possible by 20-25%. It is divided into four categories: choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine, melancholic. In their pure form, they are not found in any person. Usually all groups are combined, but to varying degrees.

Each person has certain characteristics, which are expressed in emotional manifestations, the selection of specific actions and reactions. All this happens automatically and is defined by people as character traits. There are many personality types to quickly determine what kind of person is happening.

We all know what character is. This is a set of qualities that are inherent in a particular person. Character is developed throughout life. In childhood, he is flexible and quickly changing. Over the years, it acquires greater stability and at the end is fixed .. What is it and what features does this phenomenon have, the article will tell.

What is the nature of a person?

Each person faces the character of another personality. What it is? This is a characteristic of the psyche, which combines permanent and stable qualities that determine the behavior and attitude of the individual. Translated from Greek, character means "feature", "sign". This is a stable characteristic that affects behavior, responses, activities and individual manifestations of a person.

We can say that the character of a person determines the whole life of a person, his fate. They say that fate is predetermined. In fact, a person who does not obey specific rules and strategies creates his own destiny, which he then lives.

By changing the character, you can change the fate, because the character determines the reaction, behavior, decisions of a person that he takes in a particular situation. If you look closely, you can see that people who are similar in character live the same life. Only the details differ, but their ways and behavior are the same.

Character is formed throughout a person's life. At any moment it can be changed, which in adulthood is possible only under the influence of one's own desire and willpower. If a person cannot change his character, then his life does not change and its development is predictable.

Personality traits

The character changes depending on the type of activity, society, social circle, attitude towards oneself and the world as a whole. If any of these aspects change, then this can affect the change in the quality of character. If everything in a person's life remains unchanged, then the character traits remain unchanged.

Personality traits

The character of a person is also formed under the influence of the values ​​and moral beliefs that a person uses. The more stable they are, the more people fixed in their behavior and manifestations. The main feature of a personal character is its certainty, where one can note the leading features, of which there are always several. The certainty of character disappears if there are no stable qualities.

Character is also based on the interests that a person has. The more stable and constant they are, the more a person becomes purposeful, persistent and whole in his manifestations.

You can determine the characteristics of the character of another person by his actions and their orientation. Both the actions and the results that he achieves at the end of their commission are important. They are what characterize a person.

Temperament and personality

The interrelation and character of the personality is looked through. Although these characteristics are determined by the human psyche, they are different values. Temperament is determined by the structure of the nervous system, which makes it an innate quality, the manifestations of which cannot be changed, but you can just do something.

Character is a flexible aspect that develops throughout life. A person can change it, which is determined by his life activity.

Character is formed on the basis of the temperament with which a person was born. Temperament can be called the basis on which the entire branch of his character traits is built. At the same time, the temperament does not change from external circumstances and the type of activity.

Temperament is characterized by three directions, each of which has its own complex structure:

  1. Mobility (activity). It manifests itself in vigorous activity, self-expression, manifestation of oneself, which can be both sluggish and overly active.
  2. Emotionality. There is a variety of moods and flow of feelings. Defined:
  • Lability is the rate of change from one mood to another.
  • Impressibility - the depth of perception of external emotional stimuli.
  • Impulsivity - the speed at which an emotion transforms into a motivating force for taking actions without thinking about it and making a decision to carry it out.
  1. Motility.

Personality character types

Psychologists of different times tried to identify types of personality characters to identify specific groups of people. E. Kretschmer identified 3 groups of people according to their body type:

  1. Picnic people, prone to gaining excess weight, short in stature, with a large face, neck, plump. They are easily adaptable to the conditions of the world, sociable and emotional.
  2. Athletic people, characterized by well-developed muscles, are tall and broad-shouldered, hardy and with a large chest. They are not impressionable, domineering, calm and practical, restrained in gestures and facial expressions, and do not adapt well.
  3. Asthenic people, characterized by thinness and underdeveloped muscles, a narrow face, long arms and legs, a flat chest. They are stubborn and serious, withdrawn and poorly adapted to change.

K. Jung proposed another typology that divides people according to the type of thinking:

  • Extroverts. Very sociable and active people who tend to make many acquaintances. They are straight and open. They love to travel, have parties, be the soul of the company. They are guided by objective circumstances, and not by the subjective opinions of people.
  • Introverts. Very closed and fenced off from the world people. They have few friends as it is difficult for them to make contacts. Constantly analyze everything that is happening. They are very anxious and prefer solitude.

Another classification divides people into 4 psychotypes depending on their combination of character and temperament:

  1. Cholerics are unbalanced, fast, impulsive, passionate people. They are quickly depleted due to the senseless expenditure of strength. Prone to emotional outbursts and mood swings.
  2. Phlegmatic people are stable in their manifestations, emotions and views, unhurried, unflappable people. They are inclined to calmness and poise, perseverance in work. Outwardly they do not show emotions.
  3. Melancholic people are vulnerable people who are prone to constantly experiencing emotions. Very impressionable, sharply react to external manifestations.
  4. Sanguine people are lively, mobile and active people. They react quickly to external circumstances and tend to receive many impressions. Productive at work. Easily tolerate failures and troubles.

The psychological nature of the personality

The changes that are taking place in psychological nature personalities are divided into natural (typical) and individual (atypical).

Regular changes occur as a person grows up and goes through certain changes in his body. Children's features disappear, being replaced by adults. Childish traits include capriciousness, irresponsibility, fears, tearfulness. For adults - wisdom, life experience, tolerance, reasonableness, prudence, etc.

Much here is determined by the situations that a person often encounters. Communication with people, various circumstances, successes and failures, tragedies determine the change of views and values ​​in a person. This is why people in the same age group differ from each other, because everyone had their own life experience. Here individual traits are formed, which depend on life circumstances through which each individual passes.

Traits change faster if they are similar to or include previous traits.

The social nature of personality

The social character of a person is understood as those qualities that should be characteristic of absolutely all people of this or that society. Going into society, a person must show not only individual traits, but also those qualities that are considered acceptable, approved, normal. Such a set is formed by society, the media, culture, upbringing, educational institutions, religion, etc. It should be noted that parents raise their children also depending on the framework and norms that are accepted in society.

According to E. Fromm, the social character of a person is a way of adapting a person to the society in which he is located. This is an unpunished and free way of existence in a particular society. He believed that no society allows a person to realize himself in full force, since he always dictates his own rules and norms, which should be above individual characteristics and desires. That is why a person is always in conflict with society, when he must obey in order to be accepted, or tries to protest, which can be punished.

Society will never allow a person to express himself in full force, which prevents him from realizing his inclinations and harms the individual himself. There must be a distortion of character, when everyone adjusts himself to certain limits and norms accepted in society. Only by developing a social character in a person does society make him safe for himself. It is not the personality that is important here, but its safe manifestations, which will be acceptable in society. Otherwise, there will be punishment for any individual self-expression that does not fit into the framework.

Personal character accentuation

Under the accentuation of the character of the personality is understood a set of qualities that are clearly manifested by the individual within the normal range. It is divided into:

  • Hidden - traits that appear infrequently or never at all. However, under certain conditions, they can appear.
  • Explicit - features that appear to the extreme degree of the norm and are characterized by constancy.

K. Leongrad identified types of accentuation:

  1. Hysterical - a thirst for attention, egocentrism, a need for reverence and approval, recognition of individual characteristics.
  2. Hyperthymic - sociability, mobility, a tendency to mischief, excessive independence.
  3. Asthenoneurotic - anxiety, high fatigue.
  4. Psychosthenic - indecision, a tendency to demagogy, analysis and introspection, suspiciousness.
  5. Schizoid - detachment, isolation, lack of sociability.
  6. Excitable - periodic dreary moods, accumulation of irritation.
  7. Sensitive - increased touchiness, sensitivity, shyness.
  8. Infantile dependent - delay in childhood when a person does not take responsibility.
  9. Emotionally labile - mood variability.
  10. Unstable - a tendency to idleness, pleasure, entertainment, idleness.

Outcome

The nature of a person often helps in understanding the person himself, since everything revolves around his inner world, which has manifestations in the form of reactions, emotions, behavior, actions, and even achievements that are on this moment are available. Consideration various types character can lead to the following result - a quick and easy understanding of people.

Character is a flexible characteristic that can be changed at any time. It can change both unconsciously and under the influence of the willpower of a person who controls the manifestation of a particular quality. How longer man exhibits a specific quality, the more it is fixed and becomes one of its characteristics that affect the future development of life.

Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to properly praise themselves. Therefore, the need to make a list of the positive qualities of a person in a resume becomes a problem for many. When writing your positive character traits, remember that they should resonate with the chosen profession.

Classification of qualities

Choose which ones positive traits should be indicated in the resume, it is not so easy. After all, it is desirable to limit yourself to 5-7 characteristics that will most clearly show your character. Please note that during the interview, the recruiter may ask you to dwell on this point in more detail and give examples.

In your resume, you can indicate your positive qualities that affect relationships:

  • sociability, non-conflict, the ability to find a common language in a team;
  • collectivism, love of team work;
  • readiness to always come to the rescue and lend a shoulder at a difficult moment;
  • tolerance, respect for the opinions of other people;
  • responsiveness, sensitivity;
  • individualism, the ability to work independently and be responsible for the results obtained.

In relation to work, the following positive character traits can be distinguished:

  • diligence, responsible approach to all assignments;
  • initiative, interest in the development of new projects;
  • perseverance, perseverance, focus on achieving results;
  • creative approach to work, creativity, resourcefulness;
  • conscientiousness, diligence, reliability.

You can characterize your attitude to things and the organization of work as follows:

  • accuracy, pedantry, scrupulousness;
  • organizational skills;
  • careful handling of things.

The attitude towards oneself can be shown using the constructions:

  • self-criticism, modesty;
  • self-confidence, stress resistance;
  • the ability to adapt;
  • decency, honesty, conscientiousness;
  • punctuality, discipline;
  • politeness, flexibility, friendliness.

Universal designs

Each applicant can, when writing a resume, choose the most suitable option for him. In this document, you can identify your positive features as follows:

  • activity, tolerance, accuracy, sociability, initiative;
  • scrupulousness, accuracy, honesty, ability to pay attention to details, diligence;
  • politeness, punctuality, resourcefulness, conscientiousness, discipline;
  • ambition, creativity, communication skills, organizational skills, increased efficiency;
  • love for creativity, fast learner, attention to detail, creativity.

Any of the options presented can be written in a resume. But do not forget that there is no single correct design, you must focus on your own characteristics.

Characteristics for various professions

Often, employers also write in the ad what kind of person they would like to see in the proposed place. For example, future leaders can specify the following qualities:

  • organizational skills, communication skills, multitasking, result orientation;
  • entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, resistance to stress, optimism;
  • willingness to take responsibility for the results, competent speech, perseverance, organization, self-confidence.

It is preferable for an accountant, analyst or economist to indicate a list of the following positive personal qualities:

  • accuracy, scrupulousness, attention to detail, perseverance;
  • increased efficiency, pedantry, responsibility, self-criticism;
  • diligence, pedantry, attentiveness, purposefulness, honesty.

Sales managers and people whose work involves active communication can fill this column like this:

  • activity, initiative, purposefulness, sociability, self-control;
  • the ability to establish contact, stress resistance, goodwill, decency, responsiveness;
  • discipline, cheerfulness, desire to work for results, multitasking, optimism;
  • communication skills, tolerance, oratorical skills, loyalty, attentiveness;
  • positive attitude, sociability, organization, independence, politeness.

It is better for teachers to emphasize the following qualities of a person:

  • sociability, loyalty, conscientiousness, love for children, flexibility;
  • high efficiency, communication skills, stress resistance;
  • optimism, non-conflict, accuracy, organizational skills, attentiveness;
  • discipline, politeness, reliability, resourcefulness, decency;
  • responsiveness, creativity, the ability to show a creative approach, oratorical skills, adherence to principles.

Be prepared to tell at the interview how certain traits of your character manifest themselves in work. For example, you can confirm your initiative if you say that you have developed and implemented a new workflow scheme or developed a different, more effective sales strategy. Do not forget that excessive sociability for an analyst or pedantry for a seller will turn out to be rather negative qualities.

Speaking of such a concept as "human character", most of us mean a person's reactions to certain events in his life, as well as the people around him. In fact this concept is much more complex. Today you will learn about the features of the human character, its main types and features.

Concept, manifestation of character

The concept of "character" in psychological terminology implies (translated from Greek - "seal") a set of personal characteristics of a person that are formed in the process of growing up and are clearly manifested in a person's life (both personal and public). As a result, stable and uniform behavior is formed in certain situations.

In fact, far from all the psychological characteristics of a person can be considered its permanent character traits. simple and a prime example: man's enough stressful situation showed himself to be rude and intemperate. Does this mean that such behavior is characteristic of him due to such a character? Not at all. Only the regular manifestation of such behavior can speak of a character trait.

The basis of human character is formed by his nervous activity, or rather its type; the dynamics of its manifestation is the environment.

There are many deep definitions and interpretations of the set of concepts included in the word "character". talking in plain language, the character of a person is most often understood as:

  • a system of stable type of behavior that forms the type of personality;
  • line between inner world human and outside world in which he lives or the way the individual adapts to the environment;
  • a clearly defined system of human behavioral reactions to certain stimuli.

It is worth noting that the character cannot be called finally formed as long as a person lives, grows and develops. The formation of a person's character directly depends on the characteristics of his lifestyle, which includes not only the physical leaving, but also the spiritual: thoughts, feelings, impulses, etc.

The character of a person in its content is a complex relationship between social influence and the orientation of the individual, consisting of spiritual / material needs, beliefs, interests, etc.

Character traits

It should be noted that the direct formation of character occurs under the influence of certain social subgroups that include a person (for example, family, friends, work team, etc.). Depending on which of the groups is dominant for a person, such character traits will develop in him. In addition, a significant role in this process will play the position of the individual in the group and the degree of his interaction with it.

In general, several groups of character traits can be distinguished depending on the relationship of a person with the outside world:

  1. The relationship of a person to other individuals. It implies the perception by the individual of his own family, colleagues, friends, just strangers. Here there is a human desire for active communication and, accordingly, character traits accompanying this desire, such as respect for others, collectivism, sensitivity, kindness towards others. The opposite manifestation is also possible - the desire for limited communication and, accordingly, the traits associated with it - callousness, restraint, contempt for others, etc.
  2. The attitude of a person to his own work, achievements. As in the previous case, a person tends to show radically different emotions in relation to his own work. It all depends on his characteristic traits: diligence, creativity, organization, responsibility - with a positive attitude towards one's own work and laziness, dishonesty, carelessness, etc. - with a negative / indifferent attitude towards work.
  3. Man's attitude towards himself. An important component in the character is the person's own "I". Such character traits as self-esteem, pride (healthy feeling), modesty, or opposite character traits are implied: conceit, arrogance, touchiness, selfishness.
  4. Man's relation to things. Everything is simple here: a person either cares about the state of his (and not only) things (neatness, careful handling), or not (sloppiness, negligence, etc.).

The relationship of character and temperament

Many mistakenly believe that a person's temperament is initially akin to character and therefore identify these two concepts. In the scientific community, 4 main views on the interaction of character and temperament are officially accepted:

  • Identification (character and temperament are considered equal concepts in meaning).
  • Contrasting concepts, emphasizing the fundamental difference between them.
  • Recognition of temperament as part of the character, sometimes even its core.
  • Recognition of temperament as the actual foundation for character development.

Despite the radically different scientific views on the concept of character and temperament, one can single out their general dependence on the physiological characteristics of a person, namely the characteristics of his nervous system. It is also worth noting that temperament is more strongly associated with nervous system of the individual, therefore, is in fact the basis for character. Temperament has a decisive influence on the formation of such traits as balance, adequate perception of a particular situation, calmness of reaction, etc.

Nevertheless, temperament is not yet a predetermining factor in the formation of character. So, the formation of a radically different character with the same temperament is considered a fairly common occurrence.

Basic character types

There are many different theories according to which the character of a person can be divided into several types. To your attention are some of the most common in the scientific community.

Character types according to Kretschmer

According to the famous German psychologist Kretschmer, all individuals living on Earth belong to one of three main groups / types of character (the main role in determining a person into one type or another is his physiological data):

  • Asthenics. People of thin build with thin long arms and legs, weak chest. Most often, people from this group have poorly developed muscles. AT psychologically this type corresponds to the schizotimic type of character: people with a similar type of character are characterized by isolation, stubbornness, and poor adaptation to changes in the environment.
  • Athletics. People are quite strong, with well-developed muscles. This type corresponds to the ixothymic type of character: people with a similar type of character are characterized by calmness, practicality, restraint, authoritativeness, etc.
  • Picnics. People who are fairly dense or even have excess weight, the head is large, the neck is short, the face with small features. The corresponding type of character is sociability, emotionality, quick adaptation to new conditions.

Classification of characters according to Carl Gustav Jung

The famous psychiatrist and psychologist from Switzerland created a seemingly simple, but rather deep classification of characters, since we are talking about the interaction of the conscious with the unconscious. So, K.G. Jung identified three main types of character: extrovert, introvert, ambivert.

So, the reactions and activities of an extrovert are more dependent on external impressions from events, people, etc. In an introvert, the opposite is true: he is more guided by his own experiences, sensations, etc.

Extroverts are sociable, pleasant interlocutors, open, cheerful, have a large number of friends. They always try to take everything from life, they care little about their own health

Introverts, on the other hand, are a special type of person who is quite difficult to understand. He is always closed, uncommunicative, tends to analyze everything, rather suspicious, has few friends.

Well, and, finally, an ambivert is a person who has learned, so to speak, all the best from the first two types. This person is a wonderful analyst with a subtle soul, prone to periodic “attacks” of loneliness and at the same time able to “stir up” a large company with his wit, humor and charisma.

Types of characters according to Hippocrates

Hippocrates is considered the founder of one of the key theories of human nature. True, far away ancient times under the typology of temperament created by him was understood, rather, the physical component of a person. And only a couple of centuries ago, the concept of four temperaments developed by him began to be studied from a psychological point of view.

So, there are 4 main types of character / temperament:

  • Choleric; a rather passionate, short-tempered, sometimes aggressive person who finds it rather difficult to control his emotional condition and reactions to irritating external factors. The choleric is characterized by frequent outbursts of anger, mood swings and other sudden changes in behavior. Quickly consumes energy, depleting the reserve of forces.
  • Sanguine. A very mobile and cheerful person, for whom, like a choleric person, sharp mood swings are characteristic, but at the same time a quick and stable reaction to external factors. Sanguine is a productive and purposeful person.
  • Phlegmatic person. The person is very restrained, practically does not show emotions. Slow, has a balanced psyche, persistent and persistent in work.
  • Melancholic. A very impressionable and easily hurt person, acutely experiencing his own failures. Reacts quite sharply to external stimuli.

That, perhaps, is all that you should know about the character of a person, his main types, features and manifestation in the world around him. From all of the above, we can draw a simple conclusion: each person is very individual, the personality is complex, multifaceted and unusual.

Human character traits and their manifestation

03.04.2015

Snezhana Ivanova

Character traits always leave an imprint on a person's behavior, and also affect his actions.

Throughout his life, each person shows his individual characteristics, which are displayed not only in his behavior or the specifics of communication, but also determine the attitude towards activities, himself and other people. All these features, manifested 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 pronounced and relatively stable. Character traits always leave an imprint on a person's behavior, and also affect 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 a set of the most persistent individual psychological characteristics personalities that always appear in its activities and public behavior, as well as in the system of relations:

  • to the team;
  • to other people;
  • to work;
  • to the surrounding reality (to the world);
  • to yourself.

The term itself character» ( in lane from Greek character - chasing or printing) was introduced by the ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist, a student of Plato and closest friend of Aristotle Theophrastus. And here it is worth paying special attention to the translation of the word - chasing or printing. Indeed, the character seems to emerge as a kind of pattern on a person's personality, thus creating a unique seal that distinguishes its owner from other individuals. Such a design, as well as a coat of arms or an emblem on the personal seal of the medieval nobility, is drawn on a certain basis with the help of specific signs and letters. Temperament is the basis for engraving an individual personality, and bright and individual character traits are the basis for engraving .

Character traits as a tool for psychological assessment and understanding of a person

In psychology, character traits are understood as individual, rather complex features that are the most indicative for a person and make it possible to predict with a high degree of probability his behavior in a particular situation. That is, knowing that a particular person has certain traits, one can predict his subsequent actions and possible actions in a particular case. For example, if a person has a pronounced feature of responsiveness, then there is a high probability that at a difficult moment in life he will come to the rescue.

A feature is one of the most important and essential parts of a person, its stable quality and a well-established way of interacting with the surrounding reality. The personality trait crystallizes and reflects its integrity. A human character trait is a real way to solve 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 prediction of the actions and actions of a person, since they are persistent and make a person's behavior predictable and more obvious. Due to the fact that each person is unique, there is a huge variety of unique character traits.

Each person acquires special features of his character throughout his life in society, and it is impossible to consider all individual signs (features) as characterological. Such will be only those who, regardless of life situation and circumstances will always manifest themselves in the same way of behaving and in the same attitude in the surrounding reality.

Thus, in order to assess personality psychologists (to characterize it) as an individual, it is necessary to determine not the entire sum of the individual qualities of a person, 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.

Character traits of a person are a priority in the study of his personality, as well as for understanding and predicting his actions, actions and behavior. Indeed, we perceive and understand any kind of human activity as a manifestation of certain traits of his character. But, characterizing a personality as a social being, it is not so much the manifestation of traits in activity that becomes important, but what exactly this activity is aimed at (and also what the human will serves). In this case, attention should be paid to the content side of the character, and more specifically, to those personality traits that make up overall structure as her mental makeup. They are expressed in: integrity-contradiction, unity-disintegration, static-dynamic, breadth-narrowness, strength-weakness.

List of human traits

human character- this is not only a certain combination of some features (or a random set of them), but the most complex mental education, which is a specific system. This system consists of many of the most stable personality traits, as well as its properties, manifested in various systems human relations (to work, to one's work, to the world around, to things, to oneself and to other people). In these relations, the structural nature of the character, its content and individuality of originality finds its expression. The table below describes the main character traits (their groups) that find their manifestation in various systems of human relations.

Persistent traits (symptom complexes) of character, manifested in personality relationships

In addition to the traits that manifest themselves in the system of relations, psychologists have identified traits of a person's character that can be attributed to the cognitive and emotional-volitional spheres. So character traits are divided into:

  • cognitive (or intellectual) - curiosity, theoreticality, criticality, resourcefulness, analyticity, thoughtfulness, practicality, flexibility, frivolity;
  • emotional (sensibility, passion, emotionality, cheerfulness, sentimentality, etc.);
  • volitional traits (perseverance, determination, independence, etc.);
  • moral traits (kindness, honesty, justice, humanity, cruelty, responsiveness, patriotism, etc.).
Some psychologists suggest distinguishing between motivational (or productive) and instrumental character traits. Motivational traits are understood as those that drive a person, that is, they encourage him to certain actions and deeds. (they can also be called trait-targets). Instrumental features give a person's activity a peculiar style and individuality. They refer to the very manner and way of performing an activity (they can also be called trait-ways).

Representative of the humanistic trend in psychology Gordon Allport personality traits are grouped into three main categories:

  • dominant (those that most of all determine all forms of human behavior, his actions and deeds, such as selfishness or kindness);
  • ordinary (which manifest themselves equally in all spheres of life, for example, parity and humanity);
  • secondary (they do not have the same influences as dominant or ordinary, for example, it can be diligence or a love of music).

So, the main character traits are manifested in various spheres of mental activity and the system of personality relations. All these relationships are anchored in different ways actions and forms of human behavior that are most familiar to him. Between existing features, certain regular relationships are always established that allow you to create a structural character. She, in turn, helps to predict, according to the character trait of a person 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 the actions of a person and his behavior, relying not only on the main features, but also on secondary ones (despite the fact that they are less significant and do not manifest themselves 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, ways of acting 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 an organic unity (thus, the typical is always the basis for the individual manifestation of character).

What is meant by typical character? A character is called typical if there is a set of essential features that are common to a certain group of people. This set of features reflects the general conditions of life of a particular group. In addition, these traits should be manifested (to a greater or lesser extent) in each representative of this group. The totality of distinctive typical features is a condition for the emergence of a certain.

Typical and individual in character is most clearly expressed in a person's relationship to other people, because interpersonal contacts are always conditioned by certain social conditions of life, the corresponding level of cultural and historical development of society and the formed spiritual world of the person himself. 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 the person's assessment of the actions and behavior of others, or rather their positive and negative character traits.

Typical traits of a person's character in terms of their intensity are manifested in each individually. So, for example, individual traits can reveal themselves so strongly and vividly that they become unique in their own way. It is in this case that the typical in character passes into the individual.

Positive character traits and their manifestation

Both typical and individual in character, finds its manifestation in the systems of personality relations. This is due to the presence in the character of a person of certain traits (both positive and negative). So, for example, in relation to work or one's own business, such positive character traits as diligence, discipline and organization are manifested.

As for interpersonal communications and attitudes towards other people, the following are good character traits: honesty, openness, justice, adherence to principles, humanity, etc. All these features allow you to build constructive communication and quickly establish contacts with people around you.

It should be noted that there are a lot of individual character traits. But among them it is necessary to single out, first of all, those that have the greatest influence on the formation of a person’s spirituality and him (it is in this context that the best trait of a person’s character, humanity, finds its manifestation). These traits are even more important in the process of upbringing and development of the younger generation, because the same traits are formed differently depending on situations, the presence of other character traits and the orientation of the personality itself.

Highlighting good qualities character, do not forget about their possible curvature, or the presence of obvious negative traits that a person needs to deal with. Only in this case will harmonic and holistic development personality.

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 happens according to the principle of analogy (that is, identification with what is acceptable) and opposition (with what is included in the list of unacceptable and wrong). 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). Pro 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, on the contrary, such negative traits character like self-confidence, selfishness, indiscretion, etc.

Negative character traits (in principle, as well as positive ones are manifested) in the four main systems of human relations. For example, in the "attitude to work" system, among the negative features are irresponsibility, carelessness and formality. And among the negative features manifested in interpersonal communication, it is worth highlighting isolation, stinginess, boastfulness and disrespect.

It should be noted that negative character traits, which are manifested in the system of human relations with other people, almost always contribute to the emergence of conflicts, misunderstanding 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.