Negative human traits. A complete list of negative moral qualities of a person with a description

Character is complicated mental phenomenon. It cannot be projected simply by the upbringing and behavior of parents. From birth, a child has his own unique character. He inherits some traits from his parents. For some, they manifest themselves to a greater extent, while others may be completely different from any of the family members. The list of basic positive and negative qualities is very long and is often described as a list of adjectives.

Personality and actions

Personality character is a set of mental characteristics and unique properties of the inner world of an individual. They are expressed through activities and play a crucial role in various aspects of life. Character translated from Greek means “a sign, distinguishing feature" People build their entire lives thanks to the type of psychological organization they have. Depending on this, they build relationships and find their soul mates.

Only by analyzing all a person’s actions can he be characterized. However, opinions about morality can only be subjective, since not everyone commits any actions, relying on what their heart tells them. By studying the behavior of an individual over a long period of time, it is possible to reveal individual traits of his character. The presence of a particular trait is indicated by the same behavior in different situations. He can draw similar conclusions and demonstrate the same reaction to what is happening.

For example, if an individual is responsible by nature, then his behavior at home and at work will correspond to this criterion. If someone is cheerful by nature, then a one-time manifestation of sadness will not become a separate character trait against the background of general positive behavior.

From the moment of birth, negative and positive traits person. This first occurs upon contact with parents. For example, excessive love and care from mom and dad can make a person spoiled and dependent. That is why many parents pay special attention to the upbringing and development of their child’s personal growth.

So that the baby can feel responsible, many people have pets. Simple chores around the house, such as picking up your toys, help develop this useful trait. This allows you to correctly and game form Explain to the child that not all whims and desires can be fulfilled. For the next stage of personality development, kindergarten and school play an important role. It is at this stage that the already established basic character traits are corrected.

Here you can help a small human personality get rid of excess shyness and greed. At a later age, changing and forming new character traits is only possible when working with a psychologist.

Difference from temperament

It is known that character and temperament jointly shape the behavior of an individual. However, these concepts have a fundamentally different nature. They are often confused with each other. Character is a list of moral mental properties that were acquired over time. But temperament has a biological origin. People may have different characters, but have the same temperament. It is divided into 4 types:

1. Impetuous and unbalanced choleric person.
2. Slow and imperturbable phlegmatic.
3. An easy-going and cheerful sanguine person.
4. Emotionally sensitive melancholic.

At the same time, character can compensate for temperament, and it, in turn, can suppress certain character traits.

As a rule, people's behavior is dictated by generally established standards. From birth, each individual is assigned positive and negative qualities. Their manifestation is due to upbringing and the ability to cope with critical situations. There are 4 types of human behavior:

The positive list of human qualities is huge. All definitions have subjectivity - this concerns the nature and essence of the individual, his behavior. In our society, certain norms have been established with the help of which we can determine how positive or negative a particular personality trait or action is. However, there are the highest qualities that demonstrate virtue:

• Good manners- these are good manners in society. A well-mannered person is always polite and correct with others, regardless of their social status. There is never any shame in him. He knows the rules of behavior in society and has respect for other people's property, nature, and society.
• Honoring Elders- this is the recognition of the value of outside views, especially the views of older people. A courteous and respectful attitude towards others indicates that a person sees an individual in everyone. In any work process, this quality is indispensable and is expressed in distance and subordination.
• Kindness- This is a gentle and attentive attitude towards people. Responsiveness and caring towards others, a tendency to support and help out of difficult circumstances without expecting anything in return.
• Friendliness- This is a friendly and supportive attitude towards others. This is the ability to behave sincerely and attentively towards people. A friendly person will always strive for mutual pleasant communication, therefore he has not only loyal friends, but also many useful acquaintances.
• Modesty- this is the lack of intention to praise oneself. Lack of boasting and tactfulness in relation to others is inherent in a modest person. This quality can be expressed both due to respect for other people and due to shyness.
• Responsibility- this is a person’s ability to be responsible for what is entrusted to him. A responsible person is able to make decisions in difficult situations and assess their consequences. Husbands are responsible for their wives, mothers for their children, employees for professional tasks. Only an independent and mature person is not afraid to take responsibility for something.
• Loyalty- this is devotion to one’s own worldview, ideas and views, as well as to close people. This quality is an important aspect of the relationship between a man and a woman. After all, it is associated with such a negative trait as jealousy. A faithful personality is reliable in the stability of the personality.
• Perseverance- This is the ability to achieve goals. This quality is possessed strong people who do not give in to difficulties and failures. Persistence in achieving goals and implementing plans shows strength of character and invincibility of spirit. It is thanks to their own strength that persistent individuals achieve heights.
• Confidence is a positive assessment of oneself. Confidence is closely related to a person's ability to manage himself in ambiguous environments. About such a person you might think: “He knows what he’s doing.” As a rule, he knows his worth and is not afraid of publicity. He is also able to control himself in stressful situations.
• Responsiveness- this is the willingness to help and the ability to selflessly respond to any request. The advantage of this quality is not only the self-perception of a kind person.
• Honesty- this is not the permissibility of lying towards others. This quality speaks of strong character, integrity and ethical standards. An honest person always treats his interlocutor with respect, so he always tells him the necessary truth, sometimes even offensive.
• Unselfishness- this is the lack of inclination to acquire profit. Only personal gain motivates selfish people. People who are sincere and selfless are trusted much more. Because their own benefit has no significance. They are able to help others without demanding anything in return.

Along with their derivatives, these qualities are capable of constituting the nature of the true beauty of an individual’s character. As a rule, children imitate the behavior of their parents and absorb the bad and good qualities of a person.

The list of negative qualities is also huge. These include:

You cannot assign an individual the presence of negative character traits just based on some specific actions or actions. Even the most well-mannered and polite people can believe that they are endowed with, for example, greed or arrogance. If such behavior is a pattern, then the conclusion will be indisputable.

By studying the personality of a person, be it a woman, a man or a child, one can always identify a bad tendency to unseemly behavior due to, for example, errors in upbringing or psychological trauma. But even bad heredity can be protected. Let's look at the main negative traits human character.

Authoritarianism

The desire to dominate in everything, ignoring any needs of other people. An explicit or hidden demand for submission and discipline from everyone with whom a person intersects. Other people's opinions are not taken into account, any disobedience is suppressed without an attempt to find a mutually beneficial solution. It is believed that this is a typical negative trait of the Russian character.

Aggressiveness

The desire to conflict with others. In early childhood, this is an obligatory negative character trait of a child learning ways to protect his interests. Provocative, sometimes deliberately false statements, elevated tone, and insults are typical for an aggressive adult. Sometimes attempts are made to influence the opponent physically.

Gambling

A painful desire to achieve a set goal, regardless of the size of the risks, ignoring one’s own and others’ logical arguments about the excess of the amount of spending over the value of the desired result. Often causes situations leading to death, loss of health or significant financial losses.

Greed

Pathological desire for personal material gain in any situation. Getting profit at any cost becomes the only source of positive emotions in life. At the same time, the duration of pleasant sensations from the benefits received is extremely short-lived - due to the uncontrollable constant desire to enrich oneself even more.

Apathy

Absence emotional reaction to most external stimuli due to characteristics of temperament or due to the body’s protective reaction to stress. It is one of the reasons for the impossibility of achieving even simple goals due to the inability or unwillingness to concentrate and make volitional efforts.

Disorderly

Negligent fulfillment of obligations due to unwillingness to act according to rules already known to everyone or lack of understanding of the algorithms necessary to quickly and least costly achieve existing goals. Often this is a typical negative character trait of a woman who has just escaped from excessive parental care.

Indifference

Real or consciously demonstrated lack of interest in a specific subject, object, event, responsibilities due to the innate emotional coldness experienced severe stress or, instilled from infancy, a sense of superiority over people with a different social status, a different faith, nationality, race.

Irresponsibility

A consciously chosen, imposed during upbringing or conditioned by moral immaturity position of refusal to real awareness of the consequences of one’s own actions, reluctance to make decisions that affect one’s own and others’ quality of life. In difficult everyday situations, active actions are not taken due to the expectation that the problem will resolve on its own.

Facelessness

The absence of individual traits, which is why an individual subject is easily “lost” in the general mass of people like him. In the process of communication, the “gray man” does not evoke sympathy due to his fixation on uninteresting topics; in a team he is uninitiative, boring, afraid of innovations and resists them in every possible way.

Ruthlessness

Emotional indifference to other people's troubles, inability or unwillingness to sympathize, sympathize with people in particular and living beings in general, experiencing physical or emotional pain. Sometimes it is deliberate inhumanity in actions that lead to suffering and even death of the objects chosen as victims.

Rudeness

Intentional or unconscious violation of norms, the sequence of actions adopted in a given society in relation to a specific situation. The reason for deliberate cheekiness may be the desire to provoke a conflict or draw attention to one’s own person, unconsciously - errors in upbringing, emotional immaturity.

Talkativeness

A painful need to constantly participate in a dialogue with one or more interlocutors, regardless of the content of the conversation, the degree of enthusiasm of the other participants, or the relevance of the conversation. The main goal of such an interlocutor is not to receive new information, and the role of the narrator when contacting someone. At the same time, he can disseminate information that others would prefer to keep secret.

windiness

Inability to keep any promises and take into account other people's interests, lack of ability to move for a long time to achieve one goal, desire for constant change of circle of friends and partners. Lack of principles and clear behavioral boundaries, rapid fading of interest in a specific activity or person.

Lust for power

A passionate desire for control over everyone and the expectation of unquestioning obedience, the desire for unlimited power, especially over the more educated and skilled. Intoxication with one’s own superior position in situations where others are forced to seek help or seek protection or material support.

Suggestibility

In pathological form, this is a subconscious tendency to perceive behavior imposed from outside without one’s own conscious comprehension and weighing the results of one’s actions performed under the influence of someone else’s authority. However, reduced suggestibility can cause learning difficulties.

Vulgarity

Inability to find a balance between originality and vulgarity in communication, when choosing clothes, social guidelines, and so on. For example, during a dialogue, the interlocutor speaks in a raised tone, is mannered, and does not disdain dirty jokes. When choosing an outfit, he prefers flashy things, and the components often do not fit well with each other.

Stupidity

The inability or unwillingness to determine logically correct conclusions even from the simplest everyday problems, the tendency to see the grain of wisdom in pseudoscientific and populist statements, the inability to subject information from sources that are independently elevated to the status of authoritative to a reasonable critical analysis.

Pride

Confidence in the social, moral, mental insignificance of others, the inability to forgive for personal and other people’s mistakes, denial of the possibility of other subjects of society having worthy characteristics. It develops against the background of distortions in upbringing, personality degradation due to illness, immaturity of the individual, coupled with high social status.

Coarseness

Reluctance to adhere to the polite format of communication with interlocutors accepted in normal society due to personality deformation due to illness, injury, stress or the frequent need to take a defensive position when territory and rights are encroached upon. Typical manifestations: communication in a raised voice, rudeness, obscene language.

Greed, stinginess

The desire to minimize costs even at the expense of health, basic hygiene and common sense. A pathological pursuit of material stability can manifest itself in the form of a refusal to get rid of garbage, junk, or ignoring reasonable requests from a loved one to purchase essentials.

Cruelty

The desire to cause discomfort to living subjects for the sake of personal moral satisfaction. The impact on the victim can be both intangible - in the form of insults and refusal to satisfy some important emotional needs, and physical - through infliction of pain, torment, and encroachment on life.

Forgetfulness

Inability to remember some data necessary in everyday life, a combination of actions to achieve a certain goal, an algorithm for starting or turning off a device. Arises due to age-related changes in the brain, information overload. It may be a consequence of a stressful situation that you want to forget.

Addiction

The desire to derive pleasure from performing actions or using a certain substance, even if the source of pleasant emotions harms health, relationships with others, leads to large financial expenses, pushes to crime due to the desire to achieve a “high”, in the absence of legal access to it.

Envy

Inability to enjoy any personal benefits, achievements, qualities. The tendency to constantly compare the values ​​of oneself and others. Moreover, the “crumbs” on the other side always seem larger, tastier and more desirable than their own “placers”. In a pathological form, it deprives one of cheerfulness and the ability to soberly evaluate one’s own and others’ merits.

Complexity

Constant belittlement in one’s own eyes of one’s own natural talents, trained abilities, denial of the value of personal achievements, inability to force oneself to declare personal achievements in a circle of authority figures. Formed due to overly strict upbringing, psychological trauma or disease of the nervous system.

tediousness

The habit of lecturing everyone, everywhere, repeatedly discussing the same topic, despite the obvious lack of interest in it among the people who are trying to be drawn into dialogue. The reason lies in the pathological love of attention and endless conversations on any topic, even provided that the instigator of the conversation is a complete layman on the topic being discussed.

Anger

An emotional manifestation of strong dissatisfaction with something, a landmark indicating the presence of clearly uncomfortable conditions for a person. In the absence of actions that eliminate the cause of the feeling, over time it can push one to commit an offense, so manifestations of anger should not be ignored.

Spoiled

A bad habit is to demand the fulfillment of your desire as soon as possible, without taking into account the capabilities of the person to whom the claim is made. Refusal to control and restrain one's own needs, to tolerate the slightest inconvenience, and to personally exert emotional and physical effort to achieve what one wants.

Laziness

Lack of desire to strain for personal needs, tendency to spend idle time all day long. The behavior reveals a desire to obtain comfort at the expense of the work of others, a deep aversion to useful activities even in minimal quantities. When applying for a job, this negative character trait should not be indicated on your resume.

Deceit

Consciously systematically expressing false information to interlocutors for slanderous purposes, for one’s own benefit or to disguise personal failures in some activity. The pathological form is inherent in insecure individuals who try to impress others with fictitious stories about themselves.

Hypocrisy

Feigned assurances of love, sincere admiration and goodwill towards the interlocutor during a conversation with him. The purpose of such behavior is ingratiation and the desire to flatter for one’s own benefit, while hiding true, perhaps even malicious, sentiments towards the participant in the dialogue or the object of the conversation.

Flattery

A tendency to excessively constantly praise out loud the real and imaginary merits and virtues of others, for the sake of one’s own self-interest. The object of exaltation can also be obviously negative actions, the actions of an influential person, specially whitewashed by the flatterer and voiced by him as the only the right decision in the situation under consideration.

Curiosity

In a pathological form, this is the desire to find out information of interest, regardless of decency, personal feelings of those being questioned and the situation of the situation in which communication takes place. The reason for unhealthy curiosity is a painful desire to be aware of even those events that are not related to the person showing interest.

Pettiness

The habit of attaching great importance to one’s insignificant statements and actions. The widespread emphasis on one's imaginary achievements as opposed to the truly important and heroic actions of those around them. Attention to ordinary details to the detriment of values, the desire to obtain reports on household expenses down to “one thousandth”.

Vindictiveness

The tendency to focus personal attention on all small and large troubles, everyday conflicts, and invented grievances, in order to be sure to repay each of the offenders a hundredfold over time. In this case, the duration of the time interval from the moment of receiving a real or imaginary insult does not matter.

Impudence

Unceremonious behavior in any situation, the desire to achieve what you want with minimal costs and “over the heads” of others. Such behavior is formed due to improper upbringing, due to a difficult childhood or, conversely, due to spoiling, which has reinforced the habit of always getting what you want at any cost.

Arrogance

The perception of the majority of those around them as subjects of an obviously lower category due to an imaginary difference in social status or real differences based on material, national, racial or other characteristics. The reason may be a defensive reaction to wounded pride in the past or distortions in upbringing.

Annoyance

Inability or unwillingness to independently deal with emerging problems, have fun or relax. The reason may lie in emotional immaturity, fear of loneliness, desire to increase self-esteem through active participation in the lives of other people, even if they experience obvious discomfort from this and openly declare it.

Narcissism

Unreasonable and groundless praise of oneself, narcissism under any circumstances, the desire to embellish the results of one’s actions and the actions taken themselves, selfishness, indifferent attitude not only towards strangers, but also close people, interest only in personal comfort and benefit.

Negligence

Reluctance to qualitatively fulfill assumed or assigned obligations, neglect in behavior with people in everyday or professional relationships, insufficient attention to trusted values, inability - due to poor education or personal deformation - to understand the importance of diligence when working on something.

Touchiness

Increased negative reaction to everyday troubles due to hypertrophied selfishness. It is because of him that you want the world to spin at your feet, and those around you, forgetting about own needs, met expectations around the clock and all year round: they were polite, generous and caring, and strived to ensure the comfort of others.

Limitation

Confidence that a true picture of the world is accessible only to you, and other explanations of the structure of the universe and the principles of interaction between man and environment- a complete invention of narrow-minded louts. It occurs due to insufficient education, a congenital developmental defect that prevents the adequate assimilation of educational information.

Alarmism

The tendency to accept as reality the imaginary catastrophic consequences of any, even minor incidents in one’s own life and the world as a whole. It is a manifestation of bad upbringing by a reinsurer, an overly violent fantasy or a disorder of the nervous system due to stress or illness.

vulgarity

A penchant for pretentious outfits, demonstration of real or ostentatious material security through the acquisition of unnecessary luxury items. Or, and sometimes both, a passion for dirty jokes, obscene anecdotes, often voiced in a completely inappropriate environment for the sake of causing a feeling of awkwardness among the majority of listeners.

Irritability

A negative reaction to a stimulus, expressed in excessive expression of emotions, the intensity of which does not correspond to the strength of the influence of a factor that is unpleasant for some reason. The cause of irritability can be external or internal, caused by overload of the nervous system or exhaustion of the body by illness.

Extravagance

Inability to rationally spend income, including the desire to systematically or constantly make acquisitions for the sake of the process itself, and not for the purpose of exploiting the purchased item or thing. It is based on the desire to feel like “the ruler of the world”, to correspond to the status of a financially secure person.

Jealousy

Showing dissatisfaction or distrust of a subject who has a certain value for the jealous person. It is expressed by suspicion of infidelity or a greater emotional predisposition towards another person (not only a spouse, but also a mother, sister, friend may be in the place of the accused - the list can be endless).

Self-criticism

The habit of justifiably and unreasonably convicting oneself of many sins of varying magnitude. For example, insufficient attention to fulfilling duties, although in reality a person gives his all at work or in relationships. Possible reasons: low self-esteem, actively supporting an interested environment, perfectionism.

Self-confidence

Unreasonable exaltation of one's abilities, supposedly allowing one to cope with a certain or any task. It is the cause of bragging and risky actions, often committed in disregard of safety rules, the laws of physics and the arguments of logic. Based on inexperience, dependence on the desire to live on the brink of a foul.

Weakness

Lack of ability to perform volitional effort for the sake of a desired goal or to resist dangerous, illegal temptations, morally degraded individuals. Tendency to submit to other people's decisions, even when they require serious sacrifices. Such a negative character trait of a man can make him an object of ridicule in the team.

Cowardice

The inability to resist an opponent due to insufficiently developed willpower and susceptibility to phobia. It can be expressed by fleeing the scene of some event due to an imaginary or real danger to one’s own health or life, despite leaving other possible participants in the incident in danger.

Vanity

The desire to receive praise for real and imaginary merits. The desire first of all to have a positive image, and not to be worthy of compliments. Indiscriminate quality of voiced approvals - flattery is also perceived favorably. Moreover, it is not always possible to distinguish it from sincere statements.

Stubbornness

The desire to act only in accordance with one’s own ideas about the correctness of the chosen path, rejection of authorities, ignoring well-known rules purely because of the habit of acting as one has decided. Lack of ability to be flexible when interests clash, unwillingness or inability to take into account the goals and capabilities of others.

Selfishness

Conscious self-love, the desire to live in comfort, regardless of the possible inconveniences resulting from this for others. Their own interests are always exalted above the desires of other people, the opinions of the latter on this and other matters are never taken into account. All decisions are based only on one’s own benefit.

Human character traits and their manifestation

03.04.2015

Snezhana Ivanova

Character traits always leave an imprint on a person’s behavior and also influence his actions.

Throughout his life, each person exhibits his own individual characteristics, which are reflected not only in his behavior or the specifics of communication, but also determine his attitude towards activities, himself and other people. All these features that manifest themselves 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 clearly expressed and relatively stable. Character traits always leave an imprint on a person’s behavior and also influence 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 the totality of the most persistent individual psychological characteristics of a person, which always manifest themselves in their activities and social behavior, as well as in the system of relationships:

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

The term itself character» ( in the lane from Greek character – coinage or seal) was introduced by the ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist, student Plato and Aristotle's closest friend Theophrastus. And here it is worth paying special attention to the translation of the word – minting or printing. Indeed, character appears as a kind of pattern on a person’s personality, thereby creating a unique seal that distinguishes its owner from other individuals. Such a design, just like the coat of arms or emblem on the personal seal of the medieval nobility, is drawn on a certain basis using specific signs and letters. Basis for engraving individual personality is temperament, and the unique pattern is bright and individual character traits .

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

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

A trait is one of the most important and essential parts of a person, his stable quality and established way of interacting with the surrounding reality. A character trait crystallizes a personality and reflects its integrity. A person’s character trait is a real way to solve many life situations (both active and communicative) and therefore they need to be considered from the point of view of the future. So, character traits are a forecast of a person’s actions and deeds, since they are persistent and make a person’s behavior predictable and more obvious. Because every personality is unique, there is a huge variety of unique character traits.

Each person acquires special character traits throughout his life in society, and all individual signs (traits) cannot be considered characterological. These will only be those who, regardless of life situation and circumstances, will always manifest themselves in an identical way of behavior and the same attitude in the surrounding reality.

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

A person’s character traits are a priority when studying his personality, as well as for understanding and predicting his actions, actions and behavior. Indeed, we perceive and understand any type of human activity as a manifestation of certain traits of his character. But, characterizing a person as a social being, it becomes important not so much the manifestation of traits in activity, but what exactly this activity is aimed at (as well as what the human will serves). In this case, you should pay attention to the content side of character, and more specifically, to those personality traits that make up the overall structure of its mental make-up. They are expressed in: integrity-contradiction, unity-fragmentation, static-dynamism, breadth-narrowness, strength-weakness.

List of human character traits

Human character- this is not only a certain set of certain traits (or a random set of them), but a very complex mental formation that represents a certain system. This system consists of many of the most stable qualities of a person, as well as its properties, manifested in various systems human relations(to work, to your business, to the world around you, to things, to yourself and to other people). In these relationships, the structure of character, its content and individuality of originality find its expression. Below, in the table, the main character traits (groups of them) are described, which find their manifestation in various systems of human relations.

Persistent character traits (symptom complexes) manifested in personal relationships

In addition to the traits that manifest themselves in the system of relationships, psychologists have identified human character traits that can be attributed to the cognitive and emotional-volitional sphere. So character traits are divided into:

• cognitive (or intellectual) - curiosity, theoreticality, criticality, resourcefulness, analyticalness, thoughtfulness, practicality, flexibility, frivolity;
• emotional (impressionability, passion, emotionality, cheerfulness, sentimentality, etc.);
• strong-willed traits (persistence, determination, independence, etc.);
• moral traits (kindness, honesty, justice, humanity, cruelty, responsiveness, patriotism, etc.).

Some psychologists propose to distinguish between motivational (or productive) and instrumental character traits. Motivational traits are understood as those that motivate a person, that is, they encourage him to take certain actions and actions. (they can also be called goal traits). Instrumental features give human activity a unique style and individuality. They relate to the very manner and way of performing an activity (they can also be called trait-methods).

Representative of the humanistic trend in psychology Gordon Allport character traits were combined into three main categories:

• dominant (those that most 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 ones, for example it could be diligence or a love of music).

So, the main character traits are manifested in various fields mental activity and systems of personality relationships. All these relationships are fixed in different methods of action and forms of human behavior that are most familiar to him. Certain natural relationships are always established between existing traits, which make it possible to create a structured character. It, in turn, helps to predict, based on a person’s character trait 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 a person’s actions and behavior based not only on the main features, but also on secondary ones (despite the fact that they are less significant and do not appear 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, methods of action 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 organic unity (thus, the typical is always the basis for the individual manifestation of character).

What is meant by typical character? A character is said to be typical when it has a set of essential traits that are common to a particular group of people. This set of traits reflects the general living conditions of a particular group. In addition, these traits must be manifested (to a greater or lesser extent) in each representative of this group. The set of distinctive typical features is a condition for the emergence of a certain one.

What is typical and individual in character is most clearly expressed in a person’s relationships with other people, because interpersonal contacts are always determined 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. The 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 a person’s assessment of the actions and behavior of others, or rather their positive and negative character traits.

Typical human character traits, in terms of their level of intensity, manifest themselves individually in each person. For example, individual traits can reveal themselves so strongly and clearly that they become unique in their own way. It is in this case that the typical in character turns into the individual.

Positive character traits and their manifestation

Both typical and individual in character find their manifestation in systems of personality relationships. This happens due to the presence of certain traits (both positive and negative) in a person’s character. So, for example, in relation to work or one’s business, such positive character traits as hard work, discipline and organization are manifested.

As for interpersonal communication and attitude towards other people, the good character traits are the following: honesty, openness, fairness, integrity, humanity, etc. All these traits allow you to build constructive communication and quickly establish contacts with people around you.

It should be noted that there are a huge variety of individual character traits. But among them it is necessary to highlight first of all those that have the greatest influence on the formation of a person’s spirituality and his (it is in this context that it finds its manifestation best feature human character - humanity). These traits are even more important in the process of educating and developing the younger generation, because the same traits are formed differently depending on situations, the presence of other character traits and the orientation of the individual himself.

While highlighting good character traits, one should not forget about their possible distortion, or the presence of obvious negative traits that a person needs to fight. Only in this case will the harmonious and holistic development of the personality be observed.

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 occurs on the principle of analogy (that is, identification occurs with what is acceptable) and opposition (with what is included in the list of unacceptable and incorrect). The 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). About high level self-awareness is evidenced by the presence of the following positive traits: high demands on oneself, and a feeling self-esteem as well as responsibility. And, conversely, an insufficient level of development of self-awareness is indicated by such negative character traits as self-confidence, selfishness, immodesty, etc.

Negative character traits (in principle, just like positive ones manifest themselves) in the four main systems of human relationships. For example, in the “attitude to work” system, among the negative traits are irresponsibility, carelessness and formality. And among the negative traits manifested in interpersonal communication, it is worth highlighting isolation, stinginess, boastfulness and disrespect.

It should be noted that negative character traits, which find their manifestation in the system of a person’s relationships with other people, almost always contribute to the emergence of conflicts, misunderstandings 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.

Psychologists call character a combination of personality traits that determine its behavior. You can make many lists of human character traits. If two people are given the task of characterizing a third person, their lists will differ from each other. People don't think about how character affects their successes or failures. But, considering the individual qualities that make up character, it is easy to understand how they affect the personality as a whole. A person's character traits develop depending on the type nervous activity, heredity, upbringing environment. They are formed throughout life. The predominance of certain traits determines a person’s lifestyle.

Human character traits: list

Many psychologists divide all character traits into 4 main groups:

• Attitude towards others;
• Attitude towards yourself;
• Attitude to material values;
• Attitude to work.

Within each group, many qualities can be identified.

For example, a list of traits of the “attitude towards others” group:

• compassion;

• respect;
• reliability;
• flexibility;
• politeness;
• the ability to forgive;
• generosity;
• Gratitude;
• hospitality;
• justice;
• meekness;
• obedience;
• loyalty;

• sincerity;
• tolerance;
• truthfulness.

Character traits: list of the “attitude towards oneself” group:

• Caution;
• Contentment (understanding that true happiness does not depend on material conditions);
• Creation;
• Determination;

• Courage;
• Attentiveness;
• Endurance;
• Faith;
• Honor;
• Initiative;
• Self-control.

“Attitude towards material values” can be characterized by the following qualities:

• Thrift;
• Organization;
• Generosity;
• Wisdom.

“Attitude to work” demonstrates the following character traits:

• Hard work;
• Enthusiasm;
• Initiative;
• Punctuality;

Psychologists also classify character traits according to volitional, emotional and intellectual characteristics. Personality properties appear in combinations. For example, kindness, generosity and hospitality are usually characteristic of the same person. When characterizing a person, others highlight leading features or a set of features. By saying, “He's a kind and sincere guy,” or “She's lazy and disorganized,” people make a point. This doesn't mean that a lazy girl can't be kind and honest. It’s just that these traits do not predominate in her behavior.

Positive and negative character traits

For harmonious interaction in all four areas (with society, material values, work and oneself), a person must demonstrate his best qualities and minimize the worst. It is traditional to highlight “pros” and “cons” in personality characteristics. Every positive trait has its opposite. Even children easily name antonyms: “good - evil”, “hardworking - lazy”, etc. It is difficult to define uniquely positive character traits. For example, for the professions of a teacher, salesperson, doctor, and waiter, such traits as goodwill, politeness, and tolerance are important. These qualities are not essential for the work of a programmer, accountant, or draftsman, who more require organization, punctuality, and responsibility.

There is a special concept of “professional character traits”. A clearly expressed quality suitable for a particular job helps a person achieve great professional success. At the same time, character is formed throughout life. The profession leaves its mark on the personality. Therefore, when they say “he is an exemplary policeman,” everyone understands that we are talking about a disciplined, courageous, fair person. The expression “teacher from God” means a kind, wise, tolerant person. A person who dreams of a good career must develop the best qualities of his profession.

Good character traits can also be controversial in the everyday sense. Being generous is good, but if, because of generosity, a person gives away necessary property, his family and himself suffer. Obedience, for which a child is praised at home and in kindergarten, can be detrimental to him and form a weak-willed, passive personality.

Much simpler people understand negative character traits. We can say that these qualities are universal. Anger, envy, deceit, laziness, and greed are included in the list of mortal sins of Christians. But such properties are perceived negatively by people of all faiths. Muslims consider hypocrisy to be the worst sin. Hypocrites are equally disliked in all countries and among all peoples. Negative character traits of a person, if they appear in combination, make the person very unattractive to others. Negative characters are quarrelsome neighbors, quarrelsome colleagues, evil relatives. These are people who have taken the negative aspects of their nature to the extreme.

Every person is to a certain extent deceitful, envious, and quick-tempered, but reasonable people try not to demonstrate their negative qualities to others. Negative aspects of character can be corrected. If others often say: “You are too rude,” “It’s difficult to communicate with you because of your arrogance,” you need to draw conclusions and start working on yourself. Psychologists advise writing down the negative qualities of your character on a piece of paper and working with each one individually. For example, you can remember among your friends a person who behaves exactly the opposite of you - not rude, but correct, not quick-tempered, but patient. You need to imagine yourself in a certain situation in the place of this person. At the same time, it is important to conjure up a real picture and real emotions. Such psycho-emotional training helps to reconfigure behavior and develop the desired quality in oneself.

Adaptation of character to society

Any culture, people and civilizations have certain frameworks of behavior. A person cannot exist outside of society. From childhood, the child has to adapt to the requirements of the environment - the family, kindergarten, schools. An adult is influenced by many social forces, from spouses to politics, religion, social class. A person’s character inevitably adapts to the demands of society. At the same time, many natural inclinations of the individual are put under pressure.

History knows many examples when brilliantly gifted people came into conflict with their environment due to the inability to lead the lifestyle that their nature required. At the same time, social norms allow a person to lead a safe life in the society around him. Such social character traits as loyalty, tolerance, and politeness allow painless contact with others. Rejection of social norms, primarily laws and morals, creates an asocial personality.

In modern psychology there is a term “national character traits”. Each nation develops certain common, typical behavior patterns among its representatives. For example:

• The peoples of Northern Europe and Americans are self-confident, honest, practical, persistent, and freedom-loving. The conservatism and subtle humor of the British, the punctuality of the Germans, and the taciturnity of the Scandinavians are well known.
• Residents of Southern Europe and Latin America energetic, temperamental, emotional, cheerful, sensual. A romantic Italian, a passionate Spanish woman, a charming French woman, restless Brazilians - there is a lot of reality in these stereotypes;

• Representatives of Eastern Europe(Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles, Czechs) love constancy, are magnanimous, generous, selfless, sympathetic, prone to repentance and forgiveness. The widespread stereotype of the “mysterious Russian soul” has many foundations.
• The peoples of the East are much more respectful of parents and, in general, elders than Europeans. Eastern societies, much more than European ones, are characterized by hospitality, family honor, dignity, modesty, goodwill, and tolerance.

Traits of a social nature are inextricably linked with religious norms. The standards of Christian morality include the following qualities:

• Lack of envy;
• Chastity;
• Meekness;
• Generosity;
• Sociability;
• Compassion.

The influence of religious culture in the history of society is very strong. Even modern atheists European countries They consider the main Christian value - love for people - to be the best personal characteristic.

Islamic society creates the following traits in people:

• Respect for elders;
• Hospitality;
• Modesty;
• Courage;
• Humility.

Characteristics of men and women

A person’s gender plays a huge role in character formation. Not only gender characteristics develop certain qualities, but also public opinion. Standard character traits of a man:

• Leadership;
• Ability to protect;
• Inner strength;
• Reliability;
• Loyalty;

Women are guided more by intuition and feelings than by reason; they are more talkative, gentle in communication, and cunning. Of course, in most cases, women and men correspond to their gender characteristics. But it has not yet been studied in detail what influences the formation of gender traits more - nature or nurture. Often men and women have to fulfill the role that society imposes on them. For example, medieval society ordered a woman to be modest and obedient to her parents and husband. Modernity requires more independence from women.

The world is full of men and women who do not fit the accepted characteristics. Many girls have leadership and organizational skills. And, conversely, a large number of men are delicate, non-aggressive and emotional.

At what age is character formed?

Any mother who has raised several children will say that all her babies were completely different from infancy. Even infants react differently to food, bathing, and play. There are temperamental, noisy babies, and there are quiet and inactive ones. Heredity plays a role here, as well as natural temperament, which depends on physique, health and upbringing conditions.

A child's character traits develop under the influence, first of all, of the family. Responsible, loving parents already at the age of three or four years see what type of temperament the child has by nature: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, or melancholic. Depending on innate qualities, a positive, socially acceptable character can be formed. If there is no love and attention for children in a family, they are less likely to grow up friendly and hardworking. On the other hand, the examples of many outstanding politicians, writers, and artists who grew up in disadvantaged conditions confirm the importance of innate character traits and self-education.

Was last modified: April 20th, 2019 by Elena Pogodaeva