Individual: definition. person, individual, personality

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The human personality is the object of study of many humanities, such as psychology, philosophy, sociology. The concept of "man", "individual", "personality" is often found both in scientific and in everyday language. In everyday life, these words are considered synonyms, but in fact, each has its own semantic connotation. Let's try to understand this in more detail.

Concept - person, individual, personality

The word "man" sounds when referring to the abilities and traits inherent in all. It emphasizes the existence of a special community - the human race, which is different from others in its own way of life. It is thanks to him that at all stages of its development, everywhere and always retains a certain status.

The definition of "man-individual" means the existence of a separate specific representative of humanity. Who is that? An individual person is a unit of the human race, a certain carrier of psychological and social traits inherent in the entire human community. They mean will, reason, own interests and needs. In this sensean individual is a specific person.

This context does not consider biological factors (sex, age, physical characteristics, temperament), as well as social differences. But, of course, this data cannot be completely ignored. After all, the differences between a child and an adult, a primitive savage and our contemporary are quite obvious.

Thus, the definition of "individual" includes a set of characteristics and traits that distinguish each person from another. This implies differences of completely different levels - from neurophysiological and biochemical to socio-psychological.

What is a personality

The dynamics of human development at different moments (historical and personal) is characterized by the concept of "personality". In this case, the individual is the starting point of personality development, its initial state. Thus, a person is the most complete embodiment of all human qualities.

As a social subject, a person is characterized by autonomy, the desire to oppose oneself to society to a certain extent and gain independence from society. This implies self-awareness, mental control skills, the ability to analyze and evaluate oneself.

All these qualities form the basis of life position. This is the basic principle of behavior based on social and worldview attitudes, values and ideals. The significance of these normative factors in life is explained by the theory of self-regulation of human behavior in society.

Fundamentals of Developmentpersonalities

Each author has his own interpretation of personality. But almost any definition of "personality", "individual", "individuality" is based on one of two polar views. One of them says that the personality is formed and undergoes further changes depending on innate qualities and data, while the influence of the social environment is minimized.

Representatives of the opposite position almost completely reject the innate factor and prefer to consider the individual as a product of social development. Perhaps both points of view are extreme.

The classical definition of personality implies that a person, an individual, a personality has specific qualities that are formed, necessary for him as a product of social development. He is expected to enter into social relations through communication and conscious activity. According to this approach, a biological organism becomes a personality only through social and cultural experience. Moreover, it is allowed to influence the formation of individual traits - a combination of temperament, innate abilities and predispositions.

As we grow up

Let's consider how a person, individual, personality is formed. What directly affects the growth process? There are several such preconditions.

- Biological factor. The heredity of a person is the very material that will later be formed into a human individual. This factor in itself does not yet create personality, since socialexperience and cultural heritage cannot be passed down through the genes. But it must be taken into account as a source of an infinite variety of characters, temperaments, inclinations and the cause of possible social restrictions.

- Physical environmental conditions. Some researchers attach paramount importance to them. But, as you know, in the same geographical conditions there are completely different types of personalities, and similar general group characteristics are observed in completely different ones.

- Social culture that forms a certain number of basic personality types corresponding to it. A certain cultural experience is the common heritage of mankind.

- Experience, both group and unique (subjective). This is the most important factor in its formation, arising in the process of socialization.

What is personality socialization

A person achieves a set of values, attitudes, likes and dislikes, goals and patterns of behavior thanks to the phenomenon of socialization. This is the process of assimilation by an individual of the norms and patterns of behavior of his group, necessary for functioning in society.

Socialization concerns all aspects of education, training and familiarization with culture. It involves everyone that an individual encounters in the family, everyday life, kindergarten and school, sees on TV, etc. At the same time, the process of personal formation goes through three successive stages:

1. Children imitate adults and copy their behavior.

2. Children play and try on various roles.

3. In group activities, they begin to understand the expectations addressed to them withthe side of others.

When it happens

Most psychologists believe that the process of socialization is not limited to childhood and lasts a lifetime. The socialization of children lays the foundations for personal values. And in relation to adults, this process involves changing external behavior and acquiring the necessary skills.

According to one of the theories, in the process of socialization of adults, children's myths become obsolete, for example, about the inviolability of authority or one's own supervalue. Gradually, on the basis of the experience gained, that individual is formed, the definition of which is given above.

Communication in a group and the corresponding experience makes it possible to adjust the unique internal attitudes of the individual with the general qualities characteristic of his social environment.

How it happens

At the beginning of life, a person does not yet realize that he is an individual, and his individuality is in its infancy. Separation from the physical and social world continues throughout life. Accumulating social experience, he forms the image of his "I" by comparing himself with others.

Evidence that a person is not just an automatically developing set of natural inclinations is the cases known to science of raising a person in social isolation, for example, in an animal environment. Studies of the psyche of such "Mowgli" have shown that they have no idea of their own "I" as a separate being in a series of similar ones.

Can such an individual be considered a person? Definitionthe concept itself runs counter to the given data, so the answer is unambiguously negative.

Based on personal experience

"Social mirror" is constantly in front of each of us. In childhood, when evaluating one's own abilities, a person is based on the opinion of the immediate environment, with age - on the assessments of competent specialists. A mature person understands that he is an individual, and his individuality is unique.

The influence of personal experience cannot be underestimated. That is why children raised in the same family are very different. They have similar group experiences (but not identical). In addition to the family, children communicate in the external environment and with different people. Even twins with the same set of genes cannot always be in exactly the same conditions, meet the same people and experience identical emotions.

This is why every personal experience is unique. According to psychoanalysts, certain incidents that happened to people may well turn out to be critical, setting the tone for subsequent emotional reactions.

What is a social role

This concept means a way of human behavior in accordance with generally accepted norms of interpersonal relations, depending on the existing status in the system. The process of socialization of the individual implies the indispensable condition for the development of social roles as a way of integrating a person into society.

The concept of a social role implies role expectations - what exactly is expected from an individual according to the "rules" of a particular role. Other mainthe concept here is role behavior. This is all that a person carries out according to his role. Society in this case assumes the function of control.

Individual and society are linked by the existence of a variety of institutions - from law enforcement to public opinion. A system of social sanctions is applied to those who disobey. The most insignificant of them are condemnation and public censure, the more severe ones are measures of forcible restraint.

Individual - definition of social status

Under the social status is understood the position (rank) of an individual in the structure of a group or the group itself in a number of other formations. The behavior that is expected from the bearer of a certain social status is the essence of his social role. Children and adults, women and men, servicemen and civilians have different statuses. Each person is a carrier of many different statuses, in accordance with which he builds his behavior in certain situations.

Through learning to roles, cultural norms are assimilated. What is acceptable for one status may be completely inappropriate for another. That is, socialization is the most important process of learning the methods and methods of interaction accepted in society, as a result of which the society receives its adequate member.

The ability to play the most important roles is acquired, starts from childhood. Most of this process happens on an unconscious level, rather painlessly. Children participate in games, help parents, listen to family conversations, read and watchvarious stories. Their "playing" roles help in the future to take on real roles and understand the reactions of others.

About prescribed statuses

Society has a very complex structure, and the coordinated functioning of all its institutions is possible only if people strictly observe their own duties, regulated by intra-group relations. The easiest way to achieve this is to classify all diverse human activities into a huge number of prescribed roles and accustom each individual from an early age to perform a certain set of them, "set" by status.

After going through primary role training in childhood, a person assigns himself prescribed roles according to the selected criterion. Its codename is "rules for success". The universal basis for the development of such a criterion in society is the sex and age of a person. Other determining factors are nationality, race, religion or class.

Despite the unconscious nature of role-playing, it is a powerful and real factor in socialization. For example, separating boys and girls for many years leads to large differences between them in maturity in terms of abilities, preferences, and ways of expressing emotions.

What is attainable status

This is a social position, reinforced through individual choice and competition. If part of the statuses is assigned by a group or society, this does not take into account individualqualities of an individual or his abilities, then the achieved status is the result of abilities, perseverance, diligence, diligence of the individual, as well as a certain amount of luck.

In primitive (or traditional) societies, statuses are almost always prescribed, and social position directly depends on birth. In modern society, the individual has a greater degree of freedom.

The people with the most ability and flexibility win. Those who have not been able to "find themselves" and adapt to new roles are not competitive.

How do they differ

Achieved and prescribed statuses have a fundamental difference, nevertheless they intersect and interact. It is almost impossible for an individual to improve or somehow change his own position in a society where most statuses are prescribed. Socialization is not associated with the expectation of a change in status. But if hereditary factors do not play a fundamental role, it is difficult for a person to put up with a low status, having the opportunity to show personal abilities

When there is a struggle for status and opportunities are conditionally equal, the reasons for the lack of success are exclusively personal incompetence and lack of ability. In a society of "equal opportunities" this postulate is learned by any individual. The definition of failure as one's own insolvency hurts a person's self-esteem. But even in this case, the individual finds ways to raise the status, using various benefits and preferential rights.

If the role is the behavior expected ofindividual in the case of a specific status, then role behavior is actual. It differs from what is expected in most characteristics - from role-playing interpretation to possible conflicts with others. That's why no two individuals play the same role in the same way.