Often, when giving a personal characteristic to a person, we hear: he has a terrible character, or he is calm in character, or he is spineless. A certain impression about a person is immediately created. So what is character and what factors influence its formation, what place does it occupy in the overall structure of a person’s personality? Is it stable or does it change from situation to situation? How does character influence human behavior? Let's start to figure it out.
Let us turn to the psychological dictionary, edited by I. V. Dubrovina.
Character (Greek charakter - trait, feature) is an individual combination of personality traits that express a person’s attitude to reality and are manifested in his behavior and actions. Lack of character is also a manifestation of character.
It should be added that character is a set of stable personality traits. A person’s character is manifested in everything: in relationships, in activities, in communication. It is character (one cannot exclude temperament) that makes a person’s behavior specific, distinguishing him from others. For example, some prefer calm and consistent activities, others choose complex ones, sometimes associated with risks and problems.
In communication, character is manifested in the ways of reacting to the actions of other people, in the manner of behavior (polite and delicate or rude and unceremonious). Character does not change from situation to situation, it is more stable and less changeable. A person with a complex character usually has a lot of problems, and it is difficult for those around him. Character is closely related to temperament, if temperament is unchanged, because it is inherent in us by nature, then character is formed by the environment and can be corrected if a person wants it himself.
What is character
Character is the totality of those most clearly manifested traits of the human psyche, which are especially clearly manifested when expressing attitudes towards the world around us, communicating with other people and relating to oneself.
For example, we admire the character of another person: “How purposeful and decisive he is!” We judge this way because this person behaves in accordance with these characteristics: he does not give up in the face of difficulties, goes to the end, constantly seeks strength within himself, and commits courageous actions.
How to overcome the habit of laziness?
It is not for nothing that laziness is considered a sin in religion. After all, movement is life, and its absence is stagnation and regression.
Take the path of fighting with yourself. Helping yourself or a loved one change is important so as not to lose your own self.
About the harm
Being lazy and relaxing are different concepts, but most people confuse them, passing them off as one another . Lazy people in 99% of cases do not admit to this shortcoming and justify it with various excuses. The consequences of this behavior may be:
- ignoring life around;
- loss of interest in what is happening;
- alienation of friends and loved ones;
- change in reputation and image among others;
- the occurrence of health and appearance problems;
- narrowing of horizons, intellectual retardation;
- problems in the family, at work, in the team;
- stress arising from the inability to change anything in life.
Suffering from harmful manifestations of laziness, such a person cannot admit that he needs help. Independently or from strangers. It is important to wage a thorough struggle so that laziness does not turn into the meaning of life.
How character traits are formed
Initially, before moving on to the topic of influence on character, we will understand how the character of each person is formed. Character can change throughout a person's life. Starting from adolescence, he can improve himself, for example, by introducing good habits and changing behavior. First of all, bundles of positive and negative traits are formed: kindness - hostility, sociability - secrecy, responsiveness - selfishness.
At an early age, those qualities that are approved and supported by adults develop well.
Psychologists believe that character is formed based on a person’s temperament, which, in turn, represents the genetically determined properties of a person. There are 4 types of temperament: sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. Each type is characterized by certain behavior patterns and reactions to what is happening, for example, melancholic people are slow, get tired quickly, and do not adapt well to new environmental conditions, while sanguine people are characterized by sociability, activity, high speed of thinking and emotionality.
But temperament can change, especially as the child grows and develops as a person. Probably, your parents or relatives, whom you have not seen for a long time, at your already conscious age said: “And in childhood you were a calm child,” or, conversely: “Your parents had a hard time with you, because they couldn’t calm you down!” They reasoned this way because they saw the changes that had taken place in your character.
Character Formation Factors
As has already been said, even before we are born, genes shape our character. And the greatest contribution to the development of character in the early years is made by family and society. Further formation is provided by the person himself, depending on how he works on himself and his inner world.
During school years, a person develops traits that manifest themselves in relationships with people. Have you noticed that your further communication with people in life depended on how sociable you were at school with your peers: how easily you can make new acquaintances and communicate with strangers. At school, comparisons with classmates begin, so the child develops a self-attitude: he compares his successes with the successes of other children in the class and in electives. This can contribute to the formation of both positive qualities (in case of success in studies/activities) and negative ones (in case of failure or failure).
Features of character formation
A child's character traits are formed in the womb. With the intake of mother's hormones, the emotional and mental background of the baby is formed. After birth, breastfeeding also continues to provide hormones from the mother to the baby. Therefore, both during pregnancy and after the birth of the baby, the emotional state of the mother is important.
A person’s character traits manifest themselves most clearly during stressful situations. Therefore, if a person has the goal of changing some character traits, he should avoid critical situations so that the transformation is more successful.
You probably know the feeling when you break down after holding back negative emotions for a long time and notice how difficult it is then to take the will into your fist and start again.
Repeatability
A character trait can be called a generalized way of behavior. If, for example, a person always answers honestly, then his character trait is honesty.
Therefore, another condition is the opportunity to repeat your behavior so that it develops into a character trait.
Let's say that a person was asked to help, and he agreed. Based on a single incident, we can hardly call him responsive. But if he is asked several times and he agrees again, then we can well conclude that he is responsive.
Stages of character development
Character formation begins from the very birth of a child. In the first years of life, we copy the behavior, habits, and values of people close to us: mothers, fathers, grandparents. From the age of 12-14, our individuality begins to manifest itself; under the influence of external and internal factors, our character changes. During this period, the formation of moral and moral values and volitional qualities occurs. High school students have already developed their basic character traits. In the future, they are consolidated and developed, but transformation is also possible under the influence of external factors: culture, environment, media and others. In an adult, the formation of characteristic traits does not stop, but those properties that contribute to achieving success in life are consolidated: in the family plan, in a career, in the formation of the necessary social circle.
Human self-development
At each stage of life, a person is capable of improving. He can change his character thanks to the information field. Personal self-development occurs in the following way:
- Through the opinions and judgments of other people.
- Thanks to personal example from significant people and their actions.
- Based on the books you read.
- Development of culture and ideology in society and state.
The formation of character traits does not end in adulthood. At the new stage, everything becomes more meaningful. Rational traits are fixed; if a person needs to achieve success in his career and family, then he develops such qualities as endurance, responsibility, perseverance, determination and perseverance.
What influences the formation of character besides physiology?
It is known that the character of each person is based on genetic characteristics transmitted from parents. But it is also subject to variability under the influence of social factors.
First of all, upbringing means a lot. Parents need to understand their child’s temperament from an early age and build upbringing in such a way as not to break him or disrupt his psyche. A person’s character also tends to change under the influence of living conditions: how calm or hectic a person’s life is, a rich or poor family, high or low status. Lifestyle is similarly capable of making changes: an unhealthy lifestyle - excessive consumption of alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, smoking, drugs - all this will spoil positive character traits, destroying the nervous system. Such qualities as nervousness, hostility, and foul language will develop. Imagine a teenager from a disadvantaged area and a poor family and imagine the kind of life he leads. Surely you can only characterize such a person with negative qualities.
Biological factors
Personal self-development depends on internal factors. Genetic characteristics are passed on from parents from birth. Traits acquired through inheritance form the basis of personality. The perception of the surrounding world and the assessment of other people depends on the hereditary qualities of the individual, his abilities and physical characteristics. From the point of view of biological heredity, no two people are alike.
Parents pass on certain qualities to their children; they are embedded in the genetic program. Anatomical and physiological structure, various physical characteristics and physiological characteristics, as well as the structure of the nervous system are inherited from parents. Additionally, genetics contains anomalies in the development of the body, a predisposition to certain diseases that are hereditary in nature.
For example, people with a congenital cleft lip will feel different in society. During the period of preschool development, they may develop complexes and internal fears. At this moment, it is important for a person to provide support, show the possibilities of equal interaction with others, and should not show violence towards such a child or adult. Integration into society and social adaptation will help him in life.
Is it possible to change character
Work makes a big contribution to changing character. People who devote a lot of time to work, setting high goals and achieving them, and dealing with difficulties and problems that arise along the way, as a rule, have a strong character. In adulthood, it is less amenable to adjustment, but, nevertheless, it is possible to change it. In this case, a person’s self-education and self-discipline play an important role. Therefore, if you want to change for the better, reconsider your activities and start introducing good habits or changing your thinking. Based on this, we can judge that a person himself influences what his character will be like by performing certain actions and performing corresponding activities.
Life situation
Under certain conditions, we exhibit certain character traits. If the necessary conditions are not created, we lose the opportunity to express ourselves.
For example, if you have a lot of problems and you deal with them courageously, you show perseverance, courage, determination, etc. If you don’t have any problems, then you simply don’t have the opportunity to discover courage and perseverance within yourself.
In this sense, character is to some extent determined by life situations, but other factors cannot be excluded.
How to get rid of laziness?
You can cope with excessive laziness only by strictly taking control of your behavior. Monitor your thoughts regularly and do the following:
- quality sleep, rest, healthy eating will allow you to be active during the day without feeling tired;
- Lack of a goal and its vision deprives you of motivation. Be clear about why you are doing something. Think about the end result and don’t feel sorry for yourself;
- plan and record everything you have planned, set deadlines. Set importance ratings, track progress in completing tasks;
- do the most difficult things first. So that laziness doesn’t take you by surprise and your strength doesn’t run out before you get up from the couch;
- you need to force yourself to take the first step towards action;
- be active: any physical activity will speed up mental processes and metabolism. The strength to act will begin to appear in the body. If sports are not your thing, try hiking, hiking;
- communicate with active, energetic people. Recharge yourself and draw on the experience of their lives. Constant contact with them will infect you with the habit of working and being more productive;
- Don't look for an excuse for laziness. Be responsible to yourself .
For greater efficiency, you can leave explanatory notes indicating the reasons on the list of planned tasks. For which some of them were not implemented.
Be honest if it was your fault. But try not to blame yourself, but to reward yourself in cases where the task is completed correctly and on time.
Exchange of positive emotions on the article: What is character? How is it formed? I give you a blessing, and you go through the stars!
- Emotions: how to cope with anxiety
- Everything that does not kill us makes us stronger: everything that destroys a person and helps him to be stronger
Recommendations for Improving Character
Primary character traits in a child, primarily business ones, can be developed at a certain age if certain conditions are met.
- The child, or the adult who will be primarily involved in this task (parent, educator, teacher) must have a strong desire to develop such qualities. Haste and promises to “make a man out of a child” are a waste of time.
- It is necessary to develop a certain sequence of persistent and time-consuming actions aimed at demonstrating and consolidating the required character traits.
- Direct you on the right path, and where necessary, suggest steps to create conditions for self-education.
- Constantly emphasize and significantly reinforce positive dynamics in achieving the goal.
- Involvement of sanctions mechanisms for the manifestation of opposite traits, such as irresponsibility, laziness, sloppiness.
It should not be forgotten that the development of one of the traits is impossible without affecting the others, since with age they develop into a fairly stable system of values.
Before qualitatively correcting any trait, it is important to identify the relationship with others and act in conjunction with all dependent character traits.
