The psyche of absolutely every person is unique. Features of character and temperament also differ.
Individual differences that exist between people have been of genuine interest for a long time. This topic includes many questions and mysteries regarding the abilities, temperament and character of a person. The uniqueness of each individual individual from a psychological point of view depends not only on the environment in which his socialization took place and is taking place, but also on biological and physical characteristics.
Studying the properties of temperament and character is very exciting. In modern conditions, when we have to communicate with a large number of people every day, the acquired knowledge of human psychology will be very relevant.
Why do we need knowledge about the main types of human temperament, character andpersonality?
Why does a person need to know about the mental processes occurring in the body of another person? Mental processes determine the differences between us. Learning about the psychology, temperament, character and abilities of people will help you better understand human nature and the catalysts for doing certain things.
If you take into account a certain group of people and put them in the same situation, their behavior will not be identical. The emergence of emotional experiences and reactions to the same event will be different for each member of the group. Possession of the basic knowledge of human psychology and its components such as character and temperament will help predict the behavior of these people. Such skills and abilities will be useful not only for people studying disciplines related to psychology, but also for those who want to begin to better understand themselves and understand others. The study of character, temperament and abilities gives insight into the differences between people.
Determining the motives of the activities of people from your environment will help you find the best ways to build communication links. But more importantly, having knowledge from this area, you will be better able to understand yourself and analyze your positive and negative qualities.
The temperament, character and abilities of the individual are individual. The whole range of our interests will never fully coincide with all the interests of another person. Our emotions and spiritual impulses in a certain life situation will not be on100% coincide with the experiences of another person. And also the difference in ideas and beliefs will be very tangible. There can be no complete similarity in all respects due to socialization under different life circumstances.
This kind of deepening into the sphere of human psychology will help to establish relationships with other people more easily. Knowing the personality traits of people in your environment will help you find an individual approach to everyone.
Effective communication is the goal of any interpersonal communication. In order to achieve this effectiveness, more time must be devoted to the study of such a science as psychology. Of course, only professionals have deep knowledge. But for everyday life, a thorough study of the available information about human psychology is absolutely not necessary. It will be enough to study the basics and concepts from this area.
The concepts of temperament and character in psychology are very common. They are decisive when it comes to human psychology.
So, what do the concept of temperament and the concept of character mean?
Meaning of the term "temperament"
The study of various aspects of the human personality by general psychology gives an understanding of temperament as a set of certain innate traits. From birth, a person is endowed with one of the four types of temperament, with which his personality is correlated throughout life. Also, a person may have traits of several types at once. Such types are called mixed. It is not possible to change your belonging to one or another type. The question immediately arises: “Why can’t you change the temperament?”. The answer is given by the natural sciences.
Finding temperament in direct proportion to the biological characteristics of the human body, which are given to a person from birth and do not change throughout life, give reason to be completely sure that belonging to one of the four types of temperament will be constant.
When the traits of temperaments are discussed, first of all, we mean the characteristic in the manifestation of emotions, the degree of energy in a particular activity, as well as the intensity of the feelings experienced.
If we give an explanation of the concept of "temperament", then we can say that this concept is a certain style of human behavior determined by biology, manifested in the characteristic features of his mental activity. Mental activity refers to the speed, pace and intensity of mental reactions.
History of the division of people by type of temperament
We all know that there are four types of temperament. It is noteworthy that this division is by no means the merit of modern researchers. This classification has its roots in the lifetime of the well-known ancient Greek "father of medicine" Hippocrates, who is the founder of the theory of dividing temperaments into four types. In his works, he said that the presence of distinctive features in the behavior of each person directly depends on the predominance of one and four types of fluid in the body, whichhe called "life juices". These species included: blood, lymph, bile and black bile. The predominance of blood refers to sanguine people and makes them quite sociable, cheerful and moderately active people. A high percentage of lymph in the body refers to phlegmatic people and defines them as people who are balanced, calmly calm and to some extent slow. A high level of bile concentration is the cause of fussiness and excessively violent reactions that have an external manifestation. People with a predominance of this fluid are choleric. As for black bile, it makes a person very receptive and sensitive. Determines a high level of empathy.
Several centuries later, Russian scientist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, deduced his theory regarding the cause of differences in temperaments. He associated the presence of characteristic features in the course of mental processes with the functioning of the nervous system.
In order to make psychological portraits of four types, you need to identify the properties of each temperament on certain points. The main points will be: the speed of reaction, the level of excitability, the manifestation of activity, sensitivity, as well as plasticity, which determines the ability of a person to adapt.
Each of the temperaments is unique and carries a set of both positive and negative characteristics. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will help you most effectively use your positive traits and skillfully hide the negative manifestations of temperament, minimizingtheir detrimental effect on their lives. Understanding this topic will allow you to understand yourself, as well as give you the opportunity to better understand the features and causes of other people's behavior patterns.
Next, psychological portraits of people according to four types of temperament will be presented in a generalized form. It should also be understood that this division is very conditional. Very rarely a person can be attributed to any one particular temperament. Much more often you can observe a mixture of several features of different types of temperament in one person.
Melancholic
Psychological processes in people who belong to this type are somewhat slowed down. In the external manifestation, melancholics are particularly inexpressive. And although for the most part they cannot stand feelings for everyone to see, inside they are very violently experiencing any events and have a tendency to worry about trifles. People with this type of temperament have a high level of empathy and take everything to heart. Such people cannot be called the soul of the company due to their lack of sociability, but such people focus not on the quantity, but on the quality of communication. They are distinguished by depth and constancy in feelings. In the performance of a particular activity, they are characterized by a low level of involvement. As for external manifestations, people of this type of temperament are distinguished by a quiet voice, inexpressiveness and smoothness of movements, some slowness, as well as a low level of energy.
Most of the melancholic can be attributed to introverts.
Choleric
Choleric people are the exact opposite of melancholic people.
Choleric people are distinguished by the activity of the flow of mental processes in the body.
In their activities, choleric people are distinguished by a high degree of involvement in the process of completing a task and a willingness to find a way out of difficult situations that have arisen. But they are not always productive, as their energy level is subject to constant changes. The presence in the team of a person with this type of temperament can be the cause of many interpersonal conflicts due to their intemperance and harshness in statements. The intense course of mental processes affects such people in terms of the manifestation of emotions. Often, choleric people are not balanced enough, prone to irascibility and irritability people. Their facial expressions are distinguished by a special degree of expressiveness, and gestures by sharpness. They say about such people: “Everything is written on his face.”
Most choleric people are extroverts.
Phlegmatic
The closest to melancholic in terms of distinctive features of temperament are phlegmatic people. Weak mobility of nervous processes, just like in melancholics, becomes the reason for their slowness, a certain degree of slowness and inexpressiveness in terms of the manifestation of feelings.
If we talk about the mood of these people, then according to numerous observations of researchers, one can single out its stability. Such peoplethey have an enviable calmness, and even in unforeseen situations they retain the ability to remain cold-blooded. They are difficult to influence emotionally. In mental activity, they are distinguished by following a clear structure in the actions performed. Not very emotional.
Most phlegmatic people are introverts.
Sanguine
The most sociable, optimistic, cheerful and energetic are sanguine people. They are also distinguished by a high level of efficiency, which is characteristic of them due to the presence of a high level of energy.
These are people who are characterized by positive thinking and a relaxed attitude to any manifestations of life. Such a person knows how to please almost anyone. He has the ability to easily make new acquaintances and easily join different companies, and more importantly, feel absolutely comfortable in them. Such people light up very quickly and also quickly go out. To a greater extent, this applies to feelings in which they are distinguished by inconstancy. They also tend to quickly switch from one thing to another, leaving the previous one unfinished. His facial expressions and gestures are especially expressive.
Almost all sanguine people are extroverts.
Meaning of the term "character"
Character determines the manifestation of the human personality.
The environment in which a person is located plays a significant role in its formation. Depending on various circumstances, an individual may manifest and realizedifferent qualities inherent in him, which can often be opposite to each other.
The process of socialization, which takes place during childhood and adolescence, has a special influence on the formation of future personality traits. However, the qualities formed at a young age do not determine the character for life. Like a worldview that changes throughout life, a person's character undergoes multiple changes at any age.
Character traits are understood as the distinctive properties of the human personality, from which a distinctive model of behavior is formed.
Manifestations of character are observed in the course of interaction with society. The manner of communication can be very delicate or, on the contrary, completely unceremonious. The difference is due to personality traits that have differences at the individual level.
It is customary in society to divide people into strong and weak characters. Those people who possess the first type are distinguished by such features as assertiveness, the ability to defend their point of view, and perseverance. The second type is often characterized by weak will and inability to stand up for oneself.
Modern experts have proposed a classification that divided character traits into three main groups.
The first group consists of communicative traits, such as sociability or, conversely, isolation, empathy or indifference, etc.
The second group is determined by business features, such as responsibility or irresponsibility shown in relation to work, accuracy ornegligence, etc.
The third group includes strong-willed personality traits, such as perseverance or compliance, purposefulness or indifference to one's own success.
From the point of view of the system of human relations, manifestations of character occur in four areas. In relation to other people, to business, to oneself, to property. After analyzing all four points, you can make a psychological portrait of the personality of each person.
Summarizing all of the above, character can be defined as a distinctive combination of certain personality traits that defines the external manifestations of a human personality.
Temperament and character in psychology
When it comes to describing the individual properties of a person, many concepts and terms are used. From the point of view of general psychology, temperament and character are key personality traits.
There is a link between the two terms, but it does not define them as synonyms. Temperament and character of personality in psychology are not identically equal. What is the difference?
The main difference between the characteristics of temperament and character is that a person is endowed with temperament from birth without the possibility of changing it, while character is formed in the process of life and undergoes multiple changes.
People with the same type of temperament can be completely different in character. The qualities of character acquired in the process of socialization are determined by the influence of the environment and upbringing. Almost anytraits can be brought up in a still not fully formed person, i.e. child. It is noteworthy that character is based and develops on the basis of temperament. In other words, temperament affects the development of individual character traits of an individual. Also, temperament determines the dynamics of the manifestation of character.
Based on this, we can conclude that the concepts of character and temperament of a person in psychology are interconnected.
Abilities
What determines the ability of temperament and character? Abilities depend on the type of nervous system. An example of the influence of temperament on a set of certain abilities is the phlegmatic, who has less ability to build successful social interaction than the sanguine.
The psychological characteristics of a person include abilities that help to quickly acquire and apply the acquired knowledge in a particular area or in several at once.
When we say that a person has certain abilities, in most cases we mean that their presence will help a person succeed in a particular field.
Abilities are related to a person's temperament and are the reason why different people differ in the results of performing the same activity under the same conditions.
The concept of "ability" is interpreted as the possession of skills, abilities and knowledge at a high level, which is the guarantor of the effective performance of a particular activity.
Abilities can be divided intocomplex and elementary.
Elementary abilities are innate. Temperament has no effect on them. This includes abilities related to the sense organs. Complex features are socially determined. This is the presence and development of a predisposition to perform any particular activity. So a phlegmatic person can easily cope with a work that is monotonous, and a choleric person will cope with activities that involve a quick change of actions.
In psychology, temperament determines the nature of abilities.
Summing up, we can conclude that human psychology is amazing and multifaceted. The individuality of abilities, character and temperament makes each of us unlike anyone else. The study of this topic will give a better understanding of human nature and its manifestations.
Knowledge about temperaments and character traits will help you communicate more effectively with other people and achieve great results in self-knowledge. The latter will be more relevant for people prone to reflection.
It would be very useful to be able to change the type of temperament depending on the situation. But unfortunately, due to the fact that it is innate, it is not possible to switch between its four types. And although the temperament is practically not subject to change, under the influence of long-term work on oneself, one can develop one's own strengths and overcome some negative traits. It will be easier, of course, to do this for representatives of mixed types.
Psychology of personality, temperament,character and abilities - all this determines the distinctive features of each person. Depending on each individual situation, any of the existing types may be in a winning position. It is important that the differences in temperament are not in the possibilities of the psyche, but in the originality of its manifestations.
Now, when the topic of self-improvement is very relevant, personality psychology is one of the first places in the list of topics studied. Most writers make this theme the main one in their work. Knowing yourself, making the most of your time, and communicating effectively are subsections of many modern books aimed at improving your own life. And all these books are based on knowledge of human psychology. Therefore, reading them is an effective first step towards positive change. They give the basics of the functioning of the nervous systems and how best to apply their features in the performance of a particular business. The right approach to activity, depending on your own distinctive features, allows you to be more effective in different areas of life.
Temperament and personality in psychology continue to be studied.