The concept of will in psychology. Will is a definition in psychology

Will is present in many acts of human behavior, helping to overcome resistance, as well as other desires and needs on the way to the intended goal. If, for example, a person does not want to drink a bitter medicine, but he knows that it is absolutely necessary for his health, then, suppressing his unwillingness by force of will, he forces himself to systematically carry out the prescribed treatment. Another example: a student wants to go to a disco, but his home test is not yet ready for tomorrow. Overcoming an instant desire with an effort of will, the student forces himself to work, setting tomorrow's success as his goal. We observe the manifestation of will in various situations of communication. For example, a person is unpleasant for us, but our further advancement objectively depends on him, therefore, by willpower we restrain our hostility, put on a psychological “mask” suitable for a given situation, and, as a result, achieve our goal.

Most often, a person shows his will in the following typical situations:

it is necessary to make a choice between two or more equally attractive, but requiring opposite actions thoughts, goals, feelings, incompatible with each other;

in spite of everything, it is necessary to purposefully move towards the intended goal;

on the way of practical activity of a person there are internal (fear, uncertainty, doubts) or external (objective circumstances) obstacles that must be overcome.

In other words, the will (its presence or absence) is manifested in all situations related to the choice and decision-making. Will is a person’s conscious overcoming of difficulties on the way of carrying out an action.

As the main functions  wills emit:

the choice of motives and goals;

regulation of motivation for actions with insufficient or excessive motivation;

the organization of mental processes in a system that is adequate to human activities;

mobilization of physical and mental capabilities in achieving goals in a situation of overcoming obstacles.

Will as a phenomenon of the human psyche, even in antiquity, attracted the attention of thinkers. Aristotle introduced the concept of will into the system of categories of the science of the soul in order to explain how human behavior is realized in accordance with knowledge, which in itself is devoid of incentive power. Aristotle's will acted as a factor, along with the desire to change the course of behavior: initiate it, stop it, change direction and pace. However, the thinkers of antiquity, and later the Middle Ages, did not interpret the will in its modern personal understanding. So, in antiquity, the concept of "will" was absorbed by the concept of "logic." According to Aristotle, for example, any action follows primarily from a logical conclusion.

In the Middle Ages there was a rite of exoris - the expulsion of the devil. A person in those days was perceived only as a passive principle, in which the will manifested itself in the form of good and evil spirits (sometimes even personified). This understanding of the will was due to the fact that traditional society actually denied an independent beginning in behavior. S.I. Rogov * notes that the personality appears in him only as a kind, as a program according to which ancestors lived. Only certain members of society recognized the right to rejection, for example, a shaman — a person who communicates with the spirits of their ancestors; a blacksmith - a person to whom the power of fire and metal is subject; a robber - a criminal who opposed himself to a given society.

* Rogov S.I. General psychology. - M., 1995.

The concept of will, as it were, is being revived in modern times with the advent of the concept of personality, one of the main values \u200b\u200bof which is free will. A new worldview is emerging - existentialism, the "philosophy of existence", according to which freedom is absolute, free will. M. Heidegger, C. Jaspers, J.-P. Sartre and A. Camus believed that any person is essentially self-willed and irresponsible, and any social norms are a suppression of the human essence.

In Russia, I.P. presented an interesting interpretation of the will. Pavlov, considering the will as an "instinct" (reflex) of freedom. As an instinct of freedom, the will acts as a stimulus of behavior no less than the instincts of hunger or danger.

A lot of controversy has arisen and arises on the question of the conscious or unconscious origin of the concept of "will".

Proponents of idealistic views interpreted the inherent ability of a person to independently choose a goal and how to achieve it as a phenomenon of will. The ability to make decisions expressing personal attitudes and beliefs, they interpreted as the result of the actions of the irrational force behind these acts.

At one time, the German philosophers A. Schopenhauer and E. Hartmann absolutized will, declaring it to be a cosmic force, a blind unconscious principle, the derivative of which is all the psychic manifestations of man.

Psychoanalytic psychology represented the will of man as a kind of energy of human actions. Proponents of psychoanalysis believed that a person’s biological energy, transformed into psychic, controls the actions of a person. Freud identified this energy with the psychosexual energy of sex drive - the unconscious libido, thereby explaining human behavior first with the "cultured" manifestations of this life-affirming force (Eros), and then its struggle with the same subconscious craving for death (Tantos).

Supporters of the theory of the will as a special supernatural force that underlies the psyche and being in general, were such well-known psychologists as W. Wundt and W. James.

The theological interpretation of the will is that the will is identified with the divine principle in the world: God is the exclusive possessor of free will, endowing it with people at his discretion.

Materialists interpret will as a side of the psyche that has a material basis in the form of nervous brain processes. Volitional or voluntary actions develop on the basis of involuntary movements and actions. The simplest of involuntary actions are reflex. This type also includes impulsive actions, unconscious, not subordinate to the general purpose of the reaction. In contrast to involuntary, conscious human actions are aimed at achieving his goal, which is characteristic of volitional behavior.

The material basis of voluntary movements is the activity of giant pyramidal cells located in one of the layers of the cerebral cortex in the region of the anterior central gyrus. In these cells, impulses to movement arise. Scientists came to this conclusion by studying the causes of abulia (painful lack of will), which develops on the basis of cerebral pathology and appraxia (impaired voluntary regulation of movements and actions that make it impossible to carry out a volitional act), resulting from damage to the frontal lobes of the brain.

The doctrine of the second signal system I.P. Pavlova significantly supplemented the materialistic concept, proving the conditioned-reflex essence of the will.

Modern studies of the will in psychology are conducted in different scientific areas: in behaviorist-oriented science, certain forms of behavior are studied, in the psychology of motivation, the focus on intrapersonal conflicts and ways to overcome them, in the psychology of personality, the main focus is on the identification and study of the corresponding volitional characteristics of the personality. At the same time, modern psychology seeks to give integrative character to the science of will.

Will - this is perhaps one of the most complex concepts in the world of psychology. Belief in oneself and one's own strengths, the ability to discipline oneself, showing decisiveness at the right time, courage and patience are all phenomena that reunite into one whole, forming the main character of our article. Psychology covers several interpretations of the concept of will. In our article, we will try to learn more about this mystery.

What is will: definitions

1. The will is a conscious regulation by each individual of their actions and actions, the implementation of which requires moral and physical costs.
2. Will is a form of mental reflection in which the goal is the reflected object, the motivation for its achievement and the existing objective obstacles to implementation; the subjective goal, the struggle of contradictions, one's own volitional effort is considered to be reflected; the result of the manifestation of will is the achievement of a goal and the satisfaction of one's own desires. It is worth noting that the obstacles that a person has to face are both internal and external.
3. Will is a side of consciousness, which is a kind of lever of activity and regulation of the beginning, designed to create efforts and hold them for as long as necessary.

In short, we can combine all of the above and conclude that the will is the skill of every person, which manifests itself in self-determination and self-regulation by him of his own activities and various mental processes.

Will and its main features

Modern psychology divides this phenomenon into three most common kind  in the human psyche:

The development of will in the character of man

This distinctive feature of human character distinguishes us from the behavior of other living beings on the planet. It is commonly believedthat this is a conscious quality that was formed as a result of the formation of society and social labor. Will closely interacts with cognitive and emotional processes that take place in the human psyche.

She is subject exhibit only two functions:

• brake;
• incentive.

The functioning of the first quality is manifested in the form of deterrence of those actions that are contrary to your prejudices, signs, moral standards and so on. As for the second quality, it encourages us to take action and achieve our goals. Thanks to the combination of these two interacting functions, each person has the opportunity develop strong-willed qualitiesto overcome life's difficulties that stand in the way of their own realization and happiness.

It is worth noting that, if the quality of living conditions, starting from birth, were unfavorable, then the likelihood that the child will have well-developed volitional qualities is small. But believe and know that courage, perseverance, determination and discipline can always be developed through hard work on oneself. To do this, it is necessary to devote time to various activities, suppressing external and internal obstacles.

List of factorsthat contribute to the inhibition of the development of volitional qualities in children:

• spoilage;
• tough parents who believe that suppressing a child’s decisions will benefit him.

Characteristics of the will

• Close relationship with the concept and motive “necessary”;
• The formation of a clear intellectual plan, which allows you to go to the implementation of the plan;
• Conscious mediation;
• Interaction with other mental processes, for example: emotions, attention, thinking, memory and so on.

Will in the structure of character and its education

Self-education and the development of one's own volitional qualities is an integral part of self-improvement of each person, on the basis of which, it is necessary to develop rules and programs for the development of self-education of “willpower”.

If consider willpower  as spontaneous control, it should include self-stimulation, self-determination, self-control and self-initiation. Let's look at each concept in more detail.

• Self-determination (motivation)

Determination or, as we are used to say, motivation is the conditionality of human behavior, which was prompted by certain factors or causes. In the arbitrary behavior of a person, the cause of action and deed lurks in the person himself. It is he who is responsible for the reaction of the body to the stimulus. However, decision making is a more complex processwhich covers more ongoing events.

Motivation is the process of creating the intention to act or to do nothing. The formed foundation of his action is called a motive. Quite often, in order to try to understand the reason for the actions of another person, we ask ourselves, and what motive prompted the person  to commit this act.

Summing up the above, I want to note that in one person all the components of volitional qualities are heterogeneous: some are better, others are worse. This indicates that the will is heterogeneous and depending on various life situations. Consequently, we can assume that there is no unique will power for all cases, otherwise it would manifest itself by one person either extremely successfully or stably badly.

But this does not mean that there is no point cultivate  and nurturing your willpower. It should be assumed that significant difficulties can be encountered along the way, therefore it is necessary to acquire patience, wisdom, tact and human sensitivity.

Belief in one's own strengths, self-discipline, a manifestation of determination, courage, patience - the will has so many names. But depending on the circumstances, the situation, it takes on a different look. Will is one of the most complex phenomena in modern psychology. This is a kind of internal force capable of managing your decisions, actions, and, as a result, the results of actions. It is thanks to the strong-willed character that she is able not only to set goals that are impossible at first glance, but also to achieve them, overcoming any obstacles to this.

Types of will in psychology

There are three most common types of this important component of the human psyche:

1. Free will is referred to in other words as spiritual freedom. It is this freedom of decision and action that is characteristic of deeply religious individuals. For example, it is worth remembering how monks live. They easily give up wealth and live "not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit."
2. The will, called natural, manifests itself in the freedom of choice, thinking, views, judgments, human behavior.
3. And the last view is a forced will, characterized by an imposed decision. In this case, you are forced to make your choice as necessary in connection with certain prevailing circumstances.

Development of the will

In psychology, the development of the will in a person is attributed, first of all, to the main signs that are distinguishing from the behavior of other living beings. It is generally accepted that this conscious quality (that is, it is human nature to control the manifestation of will in one’s behavior) arose with the emergence of society, social labor. Will is associated with emotional and cognitive processes in the human psyche.

It is important to note that it exhibits two functions:

• incentive
• brake.

It is with our activity that we ensure the functioning of the first, and the inhibitory one acts in unity with the previous one and is manifested in the form of restraining those manifestations of activity, that is, actions that contradict the norms of morality and society. Due to the interaction of two functions, a person manages to develop strong-willed qualities in himself, to overcome obstacles on the way to achieving the desired.

If the living conditions of a person from childhood were unfavorable, it is unlikely that cherished willful qualities will be developed in her. But determination, perseverance, discipline, courage, etc. can always be developed. For this, the main thing, doing various activities, to overcome both external and internal obstacles.

Aimed at achieving a consciously set goal with overcoming obstacles. Volitional effort consists in the conscious mobilization of the physical, intellectual and moral forces of man.

General characteristic of the will. Thus, volitional behavior exists when there are two main factors: 1) the goal, which, of course, has various motivations, and 2) the obstacles (barriers, barriers). The main thing in a volitional act is awareness of the value of the goal. Deepening knowledge about the role of barriers in the structure of activity does not negate the fact that in a volitional act an obstacle is a secondary formation derived from the goal. P.V. Simonov expressively emphasizes this circumstance when he writes that the debris of rocks that overwhelmed the mountain trail remain nothing more than a pile of stones until something necessary for the traveler on the other side of the collapse appears. However, the activity associated with the obstacle may in certain cases “push the initial impulse into the background, and then we will encounter stubbornness, behavior, where overcoming has become an end in itself, and the original motive has lost its meaning and even been forgotten.”

An obstacle, an obstacle does not always have an external form of existence, as in the above example. There are internal barriers and interference. As such, competing motives, various emotional states (fear, fatigue, laziness, etc.) act. It can be difficult for a child to overcome the barrier of shyness, the same barrier can prevent a young man from declaring love, and laziness does not allow a person to “start a new life”. However, an external obstacle has its own internal equivalent. Overcoming an external obstacle (for example, climbing a steep cliff), a person at the same time overcomes an internal one - fatigue.

The will manifests itself not only in obvious activity, although more often this is the case, but also in its inhibition. A person with a strong will rarely shows increased emotional excitability, impulsivity, he is usually not prone to affective reactions. Strong will does not predispose to tactlessness, rudeness, talkativeness.

In a complex volitional act, there are three main links. First link: goal setting. Often the goal is not just set, but chosen in the face of a clash of several motives. Then there is a struggle of motives, a mental discussion, the weighing of alternatives in dialogues with oneself and, probably, with other people. So, a young man, having felt a steady interest in children, a predisposition to communicate with them, can choose from two options: become a pediatrician or pedagogue - choose one of them as a vital goal.

The second link: pondering the way, the means of achieving the set (chosen) goal. Here, ways of overcoming difficulties are outlined, the composition of the main actions leading to the achievement of the goal is planned. So, if the goal was to master the pedagogical profession, then our young man decides what kind of teacher to become, what form of mastering the profession (full-time, part-time, evening) and which university to prefer.

The third link is the execution of the decision. It accounts for the lion's share of strong-willed efforts. Here is the preparation and passing of competitive exams, the actual work on mastering the profession, perhaps, without interruption from the main job, repeated, for several years, tension of forces. Of course, in the composition of a real volitional act, these links are not separated from each other as strictly as in our presentation. Along with interpenetration, there are other forms of interaction.

In a simple volitional act, the goal setting and decision making are the same; the second link is the execution of the decision. Tired, for example, a correspondence student by the end of the day, but still it is necessary to carry out the test today. This volitional act is implemented within 2 to 3 hours, and not several years. It is clear that many simple acts are realized in the structure of a complex volitional act, although the first does not come down to the second only.

Of interest is the development of the will in phylogenesis. We know that such mental processes as emotions are inherent in both man and animals. But animals do not possess thinking and speech, but they have corresponding phylogenetic prerequisites (reflection of the connection between objects in the situation of the visual field, communication). The will, which appeared along with labor activity, seems to be devoid of such premises. P.V. In this connection, Simonov points to the “reflex of freedom” described by IP Pavlov, which manifests itself in the animal’s resistance to attempts to limit its motor activity.

As ontogenetic prerequisites of the will, elementary independent actions of children in the process of eating, dressing, washing, the participation of Preschoolers in feasible types of domestic work, and their observance of the rules of the game can be considered. Thus, already a preschooler gains some experience of overcoming difficulties. He may make a commitment not to molest his parents at the store with requests for purchases. Whether he fulfills this obligation or not - not the main thing, more important is the fact that there will be a struggle of motives. The arbitrariness of mental processes (attention, memory, etc.) is one of the neoplasms that occur in primary school age. It is formed under the influence of educational activities. It is clear that we are talking only about the first stages of the volitional development of personality.

Thus, volitional processes perform three main functions:

initiating, or incentive, providing the beginning of a particular action in order to overcome obstacles;

stabilizingassociated with volitional efforts to maintain activity at the proper level in the event of external and internal interference;

brake, which consists in restraining other, often strong desires that are not consistent with the main objectives of the activity.

Volitional act

The most important place in the problem of will is occupied by the concept of “volitional act”. Each volitional act has a specific content, the most important of which are decision making and its implementation. These elements of the volitional act often cause significant mental stress, similar in nature to the state stress.

The following main components are distinguished in the structure of a volitional act:

the urge to commit volitional action caused by a particular need. Moreover, the degree of awareness of this need can be different: from a vaguely conscious attraction to a clearly conscious goal;

the presence of one or more motives and establishing the sequence of their implementation:

“Struggle of motives” in the process of choosing one or another of conflicting motives;

decision making in the process of choosing one or another variant of behavior. At this stage, either a sense of relief or a state of anxiety associated with uncertainty about the correctness of the decision may occur;

implementation of the decision, the implementation of a particular option.

At each of these stages of the volitional act, a man shows his will, controls and corrects his actions. At each of these moments, he compares the result with the ideal image of the goal that was created in advance.

AT volitional actions  the personality of a person is clearly manifested, its main features.

Will manifests itself in such personality traits as:

purposefulness;

independence;

determination;

perseverance;

shutter speed;

self-control

Each of these properties is opposed by opposite traits of character in which lack of will is expressed, i.e. lack of one’s will and submission to another’s will.

The most important volitional personality trait is determination  as human ability  fulfill your life goals.

Independence  manifested in the ability to perform actions and make decisions on the basis of internal motivation and their knowledge, skills. A non-independent person is oriented toward submission to another, at shifting responsibility on him for the actions taken.

Determination expressed in the ability to timely and without hesitation to take a deliberate decision and implement it. The actions of a decisive person are characterized by thoughtfulness and speed, courage, confidence in their actions. The opposite of decisiveness is indecision. A person who is indecisive constantly doubts, hesitates in making decisions and using the chosen decision methods. An indecisive person, even having made a decision, begins to doubt again, waiting for what others will do.

Exposure and Composure  there is the ability to control oneself, one’s actions and the external manifestation of emotions, to constantly control them, even with setbacks and big setbacks. The opposite of endurance is the inability to restrain oneself, which is caused by the lack of special education and self-education.

Perseverance  expressed in the ability to achieve the goal, overcoming difficulties on the road to achieving it. A persistent person does not deviate from the decision, and in case of failure, acts with renewed vigor. A person deprived of perseverance, at the first failure, departs from the decision.

Discipline  means a conscious submission of their behavior to certain norms and requirements. Discipline manifests itself in various forms, both in behavior and in thinking, and is the opposite of indiscipline.

Courage and courage  they are manifested in readiness and ability to fight, overcome difficulties and dangers on the way to achieving the goal, in readiness to defend one’s life position. Courage is opposed to such a quality as cowardice, usually caused by fear.

The formation of the listed volitional personality traits is determined mainly by the purposeful upbringing of the will, which should be inseparable from the upbringing of feelings.

The development of the emotional-volitional sphere of personality.

Cognizing reality, a person in one way or another relates to the objects and phenomena surrounding him: to things, events, other people, his personality. Some phenomena really delight him, others grieve, some cause admiration, others resent, etc. Joy, sadness, admiration, indignation, anger, etc. are all different types of a person’s subjective attitude to reality. This attitude of a person to the world around him is not only understood by him and experienced in actions, but also experienced in the form of emotions. Emotions are a special class of mental processes and conditions associated with instincts, needs and motives, reflecting in the form of direct experience (satisfaction, joy, fear, etc.) the significance of the phenomena and situations acting on the individual for the implementation of his life. Accompanying almost any manifestation of the subject’s activity, emotions serve as one of the main mechanisms of internal regulation of mental activity and behavior aimed at meeting current needs. Human emotions have a long history of phylogenetic development, during which they began to perform a number of the following specific functions. 1. The adaptive function of emotions allows a person to adapt to environmental conditions. 2. The signal function is expressed in the fact that experiences arise and change in connection with ongoing changes in the environment or in the human body. 3. The incentive function, as it were, determines the direction of the search that can satisfy the solution to the problem. Emotional experience contains the image of the subject of the satisfaction of needs and a biased attitude towards it, which prompts a person to act. 4. The reinforcing function is expressed in the fact that significant events that cause a strong emotional reaction are quickly and permanently imprinted in memory. 5. The switching function is detected in the competition of motives, as a result of which the dominant need is determined. 6. The communicative function is that mimic and pantomimic movements allow a person to transfer his experiences to other people, to inform them of his attitude to objects and phenomena of the surrounding reality. There are different types of emotions and emotional states: mood, affect, passion, fear, stress, frustration. Mood is a general, more or less stable emotional state that stains a person’s behavior over a period of time. Mood affects to varying degrees all mental processes that occur in a given segment of a person’s life. The mood depends on the general state of health of the work of the endocrine glands, the tone of the body's vital activity. It is an emotional reaction not to the immediate consequences of certain events, but to their significance in a person’s life in the context of his life plans, interests and expectations. Frustration - a psychological condition caused by failure to satisfy a need, desire. The state of frustration is accompanied by various negative experiences: disappointment, irritation, anxiety, despair, etc. Frustrations arise in situations of conflict, when, for example, the satisfaction of needs encounters insurmountable or insurmountable obstacles. A high level of frustration leads to disorganization of activity and a decrease in its effectiveness. Frequent frustrations lead to the formation of negative behaviors, aggressiveness, increased irritability. Affect is a short-term, rapidly proceeding state of strong emotional arousal, arising as a result of frustration or some other reason that has a strong effect on the psyche, usually associated with the dissatisfaction of very important human needs. With affects, sharp changes in the activity of consciousness are observed. Its volume narrows and is limited to a small number of perceptions and perceptions that are closely related to the experienced emotion. Impairment of consciousness can lead to an inability to subsequently recall episodes of the event that caused the affect, and in the case of an extremely strong affect, they can result in loss of consciousness and complete amnesia. Passion is a strongly expressed passion of a person by someone or something, accompanied by deep emotional experiences associated with the corresponding object. In intensity of emotional arousal, passion approaches affection, and in duration and stability it resembles mood. The main sign of passion is its effectiveness, the fusion of volitional and emotional moments. Passion, possessing great power, is one of the essential impulses for activity. The unity of the moral, rational principle and passion often acts as a driving force of great deeds, exploits, discoveries. Fear is an unconditionally reflex emotional reaction to danger, which manifests itself in a sharp change in the life of the body. Instinctive fear is caused by a stimulus that signals possible physical pain. The socially determined causes of fear are the threat of public censure, loss of labor results, humiliation of dignity, etc. Stress - a state of mental stress that occurs in a person in the process of activity in the most difficult, difficult conditions both in everyday life and in special circumstances. As the founder of the doctrine of stress G. Selye emphasized, stress is an essential component of life. It can not only lower, but also increase the body's resistance to negative factors. To cultivate these polar functions of stress, G. Selye suggested distinguishing between “stress” itself, as the necessary mechanism for the body to overcome adverse external influences, and “distress” as a condition that is certainly harmful to health (the word “distress” can be translated as “exhaustion”, “unhappiness” "). Thus, stress is a tension that mobilizes, activates the body to combat the source of negative emotions. Distress is an excessive stress that reduces the body's ability to adequately respond to environmental requirements. Different types of stress are distinguished depending on the type of stressor and the nature of its influence, physiological stress and psychological stress in the most general classification. Under physiological stress, the human body responds not only with a protective reaction (a change in adaptive activity), but also with a complex generalized reaction, often little dependent on a specific stimulus. Psychological stress, in turn, is divided into information stress and emotional stress. Information stress occurs in situations of information stress, when the subject does not cope with the task, does not have time to make the right decisions at the required pace. Emotional stress appears in situations of threat, danger, resentment, etc. At the same time, its various forms - impulsive, inhibitory, generalized - lead to changes in the course of mental processes, emotional shifts, transformation of the motivational structure of activity, impaired motor and speech behavior. A person’s behavior in a stressful situation depends on many conditions, but first of all on his psychological preparation, which includes the ability to quickly assess the situation, the skills of instant orientation in unexpected circumstances, strong-willed composure and determination, and experience in similar situations. Emotions are integral reactions of the body to the effects of factors of the external and internal environment, as well as to the results of their own activities. Emotions are a direct form of expression of feelings. Feelings - stable emotional relationship of a person to the phenomena of reality, reflecting the significance of these phenomena in connection with his needs and motives; the highest product of the development of emotional processes in social conditions. Having a strictly causal nature, feelings are somehow subjective, since the same phenomena for different people can have different meanings. One and the same feeling can be realized in different emotions. This is due to the complexity of the phenomena, the versatility and multiplicity of their connections with each other. Human feelings are social in nature. Emotions are relatively weak in external behavior, sometimes not even noticeable. Feelings, on the contrary, are very noticeable outwardly. They are a product of the cultural and historical development of man, in life and activity they play a motivating role. Depending on the orientation, feelings are divided into: moral (human experiences of his relationship to other people, to society); intellectual (feelings associated with cognitive activity); aesthetic (feelings of beauty that are especially pronounced in the perception of works of art, natural phenomena, events of public life); practical (feelings associated with human activities); parental (feelings associated with attitudes toward children), etc. Higher feelings (moral, aesthetic, intellectual) are peculiar only to man and are experienced by him in activity and communication. In the definition of these feelings as the highest, their features are emphasized: generalization, stability and irreducibility to momentary emotional experiences. Moral feelings are feelings in which a person’s attitude to the requirements of public morality is reflected. Moral norms are formed and changed in the process of historical development of a society depending on its traditions, customs, religion, dominant ideology, etc. The moral feelings include: a sense of duty, humanity, goodwill, love, friendship, patriotism, sympathy, etc. Aesthetic feelings are feelings that a person has in connection with the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of his aesthetic needs. These are feelings that express the attitude of the subject to various facts of life and their reflection in art as something beautiful or ugly, tragic or comic, sublime or vulgar, elegant or rude. Intellectual feelings are feelings associated with cognitive activity of a person. The existence of intellectual feelings (surprise, curiosity, curiosity, joy about the discovery made, doubts about the correctness of the decision, confidence in the correctness of the proof, etc.) is a clear evidence of the relationship of intellectual and emotional moments. The creative life and activity of people who solve practical problems require a lot of activity and tension of physical and spiritual forces from a person. That is why everyone who has specific goals in their lives and makes quite definite efforts to implement them and translate their plans into reality should have the necessary volitional qualities. Will is a person’s ability to act towards a consciously set goal, while overcoming external and internal obstacles (that is, his immediate desires and aspirations). Will is an important component of the human psyche; it is inextricably linked with the motivational sphere of the personality, cognitive and emotional processes. The main function of the will is to strengthen motivation and improve on this basis the conscious regulation of actions. The main functions of the will: 1) the choice of motives and goals; 2) regulation of motivation to action with insufficient or excessive motivation; 3) the organization of mental processes into an adequate system of actions performed by a person; 4) mobilization of mental and physical abilities while overcoming obstacles that arise on the way to achieving goals. Willful action is associated with the awareness of the purpose of the activity, its significance, the subordination of its impulses to conscious control and the change in surrounding reality in accordance with their intentions. Willful action has the following characteristics: - is conscious, focused, intentional, accepted for implementation by its own conscious decision; - is an action necessary for external (social) or personal reasons, i.e. there are always grounds on which an action is accepted for execution; - has the initial or manifested during its implementation deficit motivation (or inhibition); - as a result, it is provided with additional motivation (inhibition) due to the functioning of certain mechanisms and ends with the achievement of the intended goal. Volitional actions are distinguished by degree of difficulty. In the case when the goal is clearly visible in the goal and it immediately goes into action, they speak of a simple volitional act. A complex act of will is preceded by accounting for the consequences, awareness of the motives, making a decision, drawing up a plan for its implementation. A complex volitional act consists of the following actions: 1) awareness of the goal and the desire to achieve it; 2) awareness of a number of opportunities to achieve the goal; 3) the emergence of motives that reinforce or refute these opportunities; 4) the struggle of motives and choice; 5) adoption of one of the features as a version; 6) overcoming external obstacles in the implementation of the decision and achieving the goal. The volitional action of each person has its own special uniqueness, as it is a reflection of the relatively stable structure of the personality. Within the framework of the individual differences of the volitional sphere, the distinguished parameters can characterize both the volitional act as a whole and its individual links. In particular, one of the main characteristics of the will is its strength. Willpower is manifested at all stages of the volitional act, but most clearly in what obstacles are overcome with the help of volitional actions and what results are obtained. It is the obstacles that are overcome through volitional efforts that are an objective indicator of the manifestation of willpower. Analyzing the individual links of the volitional act, we can conclude that the first, starting stage of volitional action in many respects depends on such personality traits as determination, initiative, independence, endurance and self-control. Purposefulness - the ability of a person to subordinate his actions to set goals. Purposefulness is the most important motivational-volitional quality of a person, which determines the content and level of development of all other volitional qualities. They distinguish strategic commitment - the ability of an individual to be guided in all his life by certain principles and ideals; and operational determination - the ability to set clear goals for individual actions and not be distracted from them in the process of execution. Initiative - the ability to work creatively, taking actions on one’s own initiative. For many people, the most difficult thing is to overcome their inertia; they cannot do something themselves, without stimulation from the outside. The independence of the volitional act is manifested in the ability to resist the influence of various factors, to critically evaluate the advice and suggestions of other people, to act on the basis of their views and beliefs. Independent people without outside help see the problem and, based on it, set a goal. Typically, such people actively defend their point of view, their understanding of the task, goal and its implementation. Exposure - the ability to slow down actions, feelings, thoughts that impede the implementation of the decision. This is the ability to constantly monitor your behavior. It is often difficult to resist impulsive actions in an emotionally stressful environment. A seasoned person will always be able to choose the level of activity that meets the conditions and is justified by the circumstances. In the future, this ensures success in achieving the goal. Self-control is a person’s ability to maintain inner calm, to act reasonably and carefully in difficult life situations. Initiative, self-reliance as the strong-willed qualities of a person oppose such qualities as suggestibility, pliability, inertia, but they must be distinguished from negativism as an unmotivated tendency to act contrary to others. An individual parameter characterizing the features of the stage of updating one or more motives and the decision-making stage is decisiveness - the ability to make and implement fast, informed and solid decisions. Decisiveness is realized in the choice of the dominant motive and adequate means of achieving the goal. It is especially pronounced in difficult situations where the action involves a certain risk. To make a decision in a timely manner means to take it at the very moment when circumstances so require. An essential prerequisite for decisiveness is courage - the ability to resist fear and take reasonable risks to achieve your goal. The qualities opposite to decisiveness are indecision, impulsiveness and inconsistency. The most important characteristic of the stage of execution of activity is perseverance, or perseverance. Persistence, or perseverance - the ability of a person to mobilize his abilities for a long struggle with difficulties. A persistent person is able to find in the environment exactly what will help achieve the goal. Persistent people do not stop before failures, do not give in to doubts, do not pay attention to reproaches or opposition of other people. Stubbornness should be distinguished from perseverance - the quality of a person, expressed in the desire to act in one's own way, contrary to reasonable arguments, requests, advice, instructions from other people.

The concept of a mental state, its types.

Mental states  - holistic characteristics of mental activity over a period of time. They accompany a person’s life - his relationship with other people, society, etc.

In any of them, three dimensions can be distinguished: ♦ motivational and incentive; ♦ emotional and evaluative; ♦ activation and energy. The first is decisive.

There are mental states of both an individual person and a community of people (micro and macro groups, peoples, societies). In sociological and socio-psychological literature, two types of them are specifically considered - public opinion  and public mood.

Mental states of a person are characterized by integrity, mobility and relative stability, interconnection with mental processes and personality traits, individual originality and typicality, diversity, polarity.

Integrity is manifested in the fact that they characterize all mental activity in a certain period of time, express a specific ratio of all components of the psyche.

Mobility is variability, in the presence of stages of flow (beginning, certain dynamics and end).

Mental states are relatively stable, their dynamics are less pronounced than processes (cognitive, volitional, emotional). At the same time, mental processes, states and personality traits are closely interconnected. States affect the processes, being the background of their course. At the same time, they act as a building material for the formation of personality traits, especially characterological ones. For example, a state of concentration mobilizes the processes of attention, perception, memory, thinking, will and emotions of a person. In turn, it, repeatedly repeated, can become a quality of personality - concentration.

Mental states are extremely diverse and polarity. The latter concept means that each of them corresponds to the opposite (confidence / insecurity, activity / passivity, frustration / tolerance, etc.).

Mental states of a person can be classified.

The basis of the division is a number of reasons:

1. Depending on the role of the individual and the situation in the occurrence of mental states - personal  and situational.

2. Depending on the dominant (leading) components (if any) - intellectual, strong-willed, emotional  etc.

3. Depending on the degree of depth - (more or less) deep  or superficial.

4. Depending on the flow time - short, long, long  etc.

5. Depending on the effect on the personality - positive  and negative, steniclife-enhancing and asthenic.

6. Depending on the degree of awareness - more  or less conscious.

7. Depending on the reasons that cause them.

8. Depending on the degree of adequacy of the objective situation that caused them.

One can distinguish typical positive and negative mental states that are characteristic of most people both in everyday life (love, happiness, grief, etc.) and in professional activities related to extreme conditions. This should include professional suitability, awareness of the importance of their profession, the joy of success in work, volitional activity, etc.

Of great importance for the effectiveness of labor activity is the mental state of professional interest associated with the awareness of the importance of such activity, the desire to learn more about it and active actions in the relevant field, focusing on objects from this professional sphere, on which the specialist’s consciousness is concentrated.

The diversity and creative nature of work makes it possible for an employee to have mental states that are similar in content and structure to the state of creative inspiration inherent in scientists, writers, artists, actors, musicians. It is expressed in a creative upsurge, an increase in perception, an increase in the ability to reproduce previously captured, an increase in the power of imagination, the emergence of a number of combinations of original impressions, etc.

The mental state of readiness for it as a whole and for its component parts is important for the effectiveness of professional activity.

Along with positive (stenic) states, negative (asthenic) can occur in a person during his life. For example, indecision appears not only in the absence of independence, self-confidence, but also because of the novelty, ambiguity, and confusion of a particular life situation. Extreme conditions lead to states of mental tension.

Psychologists also talk about the state of purely operating room(operator, business) tension  which arises as a result of the complexity of the activity performed (these are difficulties of sensory discrimination, state of alertness, complexity of visual-motor coordination, intellectual stress, etc.), and emotional tension caused by emotional extreme conditions (working with people, including patients, offenders, etc.).

Regulation and self-regulation of mental states.

Regulation of mental conditions carried out through treatment (psychiatry), as well as through the provision of psychological assistance and support. Psychological assistance and support, unlike psychotherapy, is carried out not by psychotherapists, but by practical psychologists by analyzing the psyche of the client, individual and group consultations, and also trainings. Methods of psychological impact.The method of presenting models is based on the use of mechanisms of mental infection, suggestion and imitation in the process of presentation as patterns: the behavior of other people, characters in movies, fiction, fairy tales, parables, anecdotes. Discussion - discussion of any problems of the client in order to find optimal solutions. The main mechanism of psychological influence here is conviction - the process of influencing consciousness by the power of logical evidence. Training - a method of influence aimed at creating new mental formations, or at changing and developing existing ones. During the training, various exercises, role-playing games, and psycho-gymnastics are used. Mental Self-Regulation  based on the arbitrary control of one’s own mental state. It presupposes the presence or development of appropriate skills, including the skills of psychoprophylaxis and psychohygiene. For a student, for example, these are the following skills: - the ability to overcome excessive anxiety in oneself; feeling of uncertainty, fear and anxiety, indecision and constraint at seminars, exams, tests; - the ability to prevent and relieve stressful manifestations, excessive tension and excitement; - the ability to mobilize one’s will or internal forces to create a working mood, necessary well-being; - the ability to control the pace and tone of his speech, breathing, muscle tension, etc .; - the ability to discharge in types of activities replacing studies: physical labor, physical education, disco, cinema, fiction, etc. In practical psychology, various methods of psychophysical self-regulation have been developed. The most famous of these is autogenic training. In terms of psychophysical self-regulation, books by the American psychologist and educator Dale Carnegie, other psychologists, as well as special guidelines developed for these purposes can be useful.

Characterization of temperament, its typology.

The first attempt to create a personality typology was the division of people into four temperaments, which dates back to antiquity and is associated with the names of famous doctors of that era: Hippocrates and Galen. In accordance with this typology, people are divided into four types: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic. Each temperament indicates a way of thinking and human behavior emotionally. Each type of temperament is associated with certain signs that characterize the human nervous system. These are: stability - instability; dynamism - inertia; A comparison showed that sanguine and phlegmatic people are people with a stable nervous system, and choleric and melancholic people are unstable. A person’s belonging to a particular temperament is reflected in the style of his behavior and relations with others. Sanguine can be described as living, moving, quickly responding to surrounding events, relatively easily experiencing setbacks and troubles. He quickly adapts to new conditions, quickly converges with people, his feelings easily arise and are replaced by new ones, he is rich in facial expressions, mobility, expressiveness, sometimes superficiality, inconstancy. The sanguine people traditionally include Napoleon, D "Artagnan from The Three Musketeers" by A. Dumas. Choleric can be described as fast, impetuous, able to deal with passion, but unbalanced, prone to violent emotional outbursts and sudden changes in mood. He is characterized by increased excitability, strong emotionality, sometimes irritability, affectiveness. Traditionally, A.S. Pushkin, A.V. Suvorov, Athos from the “Three Musketeers” by A. Dumas are traditionally considered choleric. Phlegmatic can be described as slow, not indulgent, with steady aspirations and a more or less constant mood, with a weak external expression of mental states. It is characteristic that he develops new forms of behavior slowly but persists for a long time, he seldom loses his temper, is not prone to affects, he is characteristic, calm , endurance, sometimes lethargy, indifference to others, laziness.Pharmacists traditionally include IA Krylov, MI Kutuzov, Porthos from the Three Musketeers by A. Dumas. Melancholic can be described as easily vulnerable, prone to deeply experience even minor failures, but outwardly sluggishly reacting to the environment. It slows down, it is difficult for him to concentrate on one thing for a long time, strong influences lead to stupor, sometimes it is characterized by isolation, fearfulness, and anxiety. N.V. is traditionally classified as melancholy. Gogol, P.I. Tchaikovsky, Aramis from The Three Musketeers by A. Dumas. Types of temperament Pavlov. Types of temperament I.P. Pavlov's are built on the basis of types of the nervous system. I.P. Pavlov showed that the basis of higher nervous activity is three components: strength (the individual maintains a high level of performance during prolonged and intense work, quickly recovers, does not respond to weak stimuli), poise (the individual remains calm in an exciting environment, easily suppresses his inappropriate desires ) and mobility (the individual quickly responds to changes in the situation, easily acquires new skills). The combination of these components, according to Pavlov, gives an explanation of the classical temperaments of Hippocrates: - the sanguine has a strong, balanced, mobile type of higher nervous activity; - choleric - a strong, unbalanced, mobile type of higher nervous activity; - phlegmatic - a strong, balanced, inert type of higher nervous activity; - melancholic - a weak, unbalanced, inert type of higher nervous activity. Classification of temperamental groups So, choleric and sanguine people have a more active temperament, while melancholic and phlegmatic people are characterized by some passivity. The most lively and mobile people are choleric and sanguine people. Moreover, choleric is the most unbalanced of them, and this is clearly noticeable in that it is unbalanced both externally and internally. Sanguine internally balanced, although outwardly can be very emotional. A melancholic, on the contrary, is unbalanced internally, although externally this does not always occur. Belonging to one of the four temperamental groups can be determined by the reaction that manifests itself in him on the obstacle that arose on his way: the choleric sweeps away the obstacle; sanguine bypasses; the phlegmatic often does not even notice; the melancholic stops in front of the obstacle. Usually, there is practically no pure temperament. Each person has a combination of two temperaments, one of which is the main, and the other is additional. But the constant manifestation of only the main and additional temperament is the exception rather than the rule. Each personality contains all four temperaments, but in a different proportion. Each of them comes to the fore, depending on the situation. The main, leading temperament is manifested at a close psychological distance (in a familiar environment, with loved ones) in a comfortable psychological atmosphere. Additional temperament is more clearly manifested in a tense and (or) conflict situation. For example, protecting your personal interests, defending your opinion, etc. The third type of temperament is manifested in a formal setting, at a distant psychological distance (in relation to management, subordinates or partners from other organizations, just strangers). This type of temperament can be called role-playing, because a person in such a situation is constrained by conventions, and, adapting to society, plays a certain social role. The fourth type of temperament manifests itself most rarely. As a short-term reaction to stressful situations (the collapse of the company and unexpected dismissal, a serious illness or death of a loved one, or some natural disaster: fire, flood, etc.). Temperament. Activity. Character Temperament and activity. Dynamic personality traits of a person appear not only in the external manner of behavior, not only in movements - they are also manifested in the mental sphere, in the sphere of motivation, in general performance. Naturally, the features of temperament are reflected in training sessions and in labor activity. But the main thing is that differences in temperament are differences not in the level of possibility of the psyche, but in the uniqueness of its manifestations. The absence of a relationship between the level of achievement, i.e. the end result of actions, and the characteristics of temperament, if the activity proceeds in conditions that can be defined as normal. Thus, regardless of the degree of mobility or reactivity of the individual in a normal, non-stressful situation, the results of activities will, in principle, be the same, since the level of achievement will depend mainly on other factors, in particular on the level of motivation and ability. At the same time, studies establishing this pattern show that, depending on temperament, the way the activity is carried out changes. Depending on the characteristics of temperament, people differ not in the final result of actions, but in the way they achieve results. Studies have been conducted to establish a relationship between the method of performing actions and the characteristics of temperament. In these studies, an individual style of activity was considered as a way to achieve results or a way to solve a specific problem, mainly due to the type of nervous system. The results of studies of the vast majority of authors, regardless of the characteristics of the studied groups and experimental situations in which the method of performing actions typical of these individuals was studied, shows that it is the type of nervous processes that has a significant impact on the formation of a certain style of activity. Before the sanguine should constantly pose new, if possible interesting tasks that require concentration and stress from him. It is necessary to constantly include his active work and systematically encourage his efforts. Phlegmatic needs to be involved in vigorous activity and interest. It requires systematic attention. It cannot be switched from one task to another. In relation to the melancholic, not only harshness, rudeness, but simply increased tone, irony are unacceptable. It requires special attention, it should be praised in time for the successes shown, decisiveness and ox. A negative assessment should be used as carefully as possible, in every way mitigating its negative effect. Melancholic - the most sensitive and vulnerable type with him, you need to be extremely gentle and friendly. It depends on temperament in what way a person realizes his actions, but their content side does not depend on it. Temperament is manifested in the characteristics of the course of mental processes. Influencing the speed of memory and the strength of memorization, fluency of mental operations, stability and switchability of attention. Temperament and character. Temperament must be strictly distinguished from character. Temperament in no way characterizes the content side of the personality (worldview, views, beliefs, interests, etc.), does not determine the value of the person or the limit of achievements possible for a given person. It is only related to the dynamic side of activity. Although temperament, it can not determine the relationship of the personality, its aspirations, and interests, its ideals, i.e. the entire wealth of the content of the inner life of a person, however, the characteristic of the dynamic side is essential for understanding the complex way of human behavior, the character of a person. The degree to which a person shows poise in behavior, flexibility, dynamism, and expansiveness in reactions speaks of the qualitative characteristics of the personality and its capabilities, which take shape in some way on the individual's labor and social activities. Thus, temperament is not something external in the character of a person, but organically enters into its structure. Life impressions. education and training on the natural basic fabric of temperament - a type of higher nervous activity - gradually weave patterns. The attitude of the individual, his convictions, aspirations, the consciousness of necessity and duty allow one to overcome some impulses, train others in order to organize his behavior in accordance with social norms. Temperament does not determine the development of specific character traits; temperament itself is transformed under the influence of character traits. The development of character and temperament in this sense is an interdependent process.

Manifestation of temperament in human activity.

Since each activity makes certain demands on the human psyche and its dynamic features, there are no temperaments that are ideally suited for all types of activities. The role of temperament in work and study lies in the fact that the influence on the activity of various mental states caused by an unpleasant situation, emotional factors, and pedagogical influences depends on it. The influence of various factors determining the level of neuropsychic stress depends on temperament (for example, assessment of activity, expectation of activity control, acceleration of the pace of work, disciplinary actions, etc.). There are four ways to adapt temperament to the requirements of the activity. The first way is professional selection, one of the tasks of which is to prevent people who do not have the necessary temperament properties from taking part in this activity. This path is implemented only when selecting for professions that have high requirements for personality traits. The second way to adapt temperament to activity is to individualize the requirements, conditions and methods of work presented to a person (individual approach). The third way is to overcome the negative influence of temperament through the formation of a positive attitude to activities and relevant motives. The fourth, main and most universal way of adapting temperament to the requirements of activity is the formation of its individual style. Under the individual style of activity is understood such an individual system of methods and methods of action that is characteristic of a given person and is suitable for achieving a successful result. Temperament is an external manifestation of the type of higher nervous activity of a person, and therefore, as a result of upbringing, self-upbringing, this external manifestation can be distorted, changed, a “masking” of true temperament occurs. Therefore, "pure" types of temperament are rarely found, but, nevertheless, the predominance of a particular trend is always manifested in human behavior. Temperament leaves its mark on the ways of behavior and communication, for example, a sanguine person is almost always an initiator in communication, he feels at ease in the company of strangers, a new unusual situation only excites him, and the melancholic, on the contrary, scares, confuses, he is lost in a new situation, among new people. The phlegmatic person also hardly converges with new people, shows his feelings a little and does not notice for a long time that someone is looking for a reason to get to know him. He is inclined to start a love relationship with friendship and in the end falls in love, but without lightning metamorphoses, since he has a slowed rhythm of feelings, and the stability of feelings makes him monogamous. In choleric, sanguine, on the contrary, love arises more often from an explosion, at first glance, but is not so stable. The productivity of a person’s work is closely related to the characteristics of his temperament. So, the sanguine's special mobility can bring an additional effect if the work requires him to frequently move from one occupation to another, to make decisions quickly, and the monotony, regulation of activity, on the contrary, leads to rapid fatigue. Phlegmatic and melancholic, on the contrary, under conditions of strict regulation and monotonous labor, they show greater productivity and resistance to fatigue than choleric and sanguine people. In behavioral communication, it is possible and necessary to foresee the peculiarities of the reaction of persons with different types of temperament and to adequately respond to them. We emphasize that temperament determines only dynamic, but not meaningful characteristics of behavior. On the basis of one and the same temperament, both a “great” and a socially insignificant person are possible.

The structure and typology of character.

Character, along with temperament, is one of the most significant forms of personality manifestation. If temperament determines the dynamic side of personality, then character is its content.. Character leaves its mark on all actions, thoughts and feelings of a person, by which we judge the personality traits. Not all of its features are part of the character, but only significant and sustainable. Definition Character -- - an individual combination of the most stable, essential personality traits, manifested in human behavior, in a certain relation: to oneself, to other people, to the assigned business. The nature of the human person is always multifaceted. Defines him totality of personality traits. All these traits, or qualities, of a person can be conditionally divided into several groups that reflect a person’s attitude to different aspects of life. Each group includes positive and negative qualities.

In the structure of personality, character occupies a central place, combining all other properties and features of behavior:

Affects cognitive processes

On an emotional life

On motivation and will

Determines the individuality and originality of personality

Human character is a fusion of the innate properties of higher nervous activity with individual traits acquired throughout life.

Character structure:

Traits expressing the orientation of the personality (sustainable needs, attitudes, interests, inclinations, ideals, goals), relationships to the surrounding reality and representing individually-unique ways of implementing these relations.

The second group includes intellectual, volitional and emotional traits.

The typology of character is based on the existence of certain typical traits that are common and indicative for a certain group of people. Regularly combined character traits form an integral structure. An integral character is a character in which positive relationships between traits prevail. However, conflicting characters are often found in life. A contradictory character (discordant) is a character in which there are traits that contradict each other and determine different forms of behavior in similar situations. character ipologies

1. Somatic approach.  Historically, the first ones that have been widely used for many centuries are character typologies based on the doctrine of temperament, which combines physiological and somatic approaches in its foundations. From the point of view of this doctrine, the mental identity of people is determined either by the features of physiological processes, or by the somatic type of body structure - body constitution, or a combination of other physical qualities, for example, gene chromosomes (authors of the approach are Hippocrates, Galen, E. Kretschmer, W. Sheldon, Ch . Lombrazo).

2. Socio-psychological approach.The second typology connects characters with the orientation of the personality and the interaction of the individual with society. According to this approach, C. Jung identifies a number of psychosocotypes. The psychosocial type, from the point of view of C. Jung, is an innate mental structure that determines the specific type of information exchange of a person with the environment. C. Jung identifies 2 grounds for the typology of character:

1) personality orientation outward or inward (extraversion - introversion);

2) mental functions  (sensations, intuition, thinking, feelings) .In accordance with these signs, 8 types of character were distinguished: extraverted sensing, extraverted-intuitive, extraverted-cognitive, extraverted-emotive, introvert-sensed, introvert-intuitive, introverted-cognitive, introverted-emotive .

The sociopsychological typologies of character include typologies of A. Adler, C. Horney, and E. Fromm. You can also distinguish types depending on the professional orientation of the individual. For example, such a typology of people is presented in the concept of E. A. Klimov: types of people choosing activities in the field of `` person - person "", `` person - technology "", `` person - nature "", `` person - iconic system "" or `` person - artistic image "". 3. Psychiatric approach.  Recently, a typology of characters has become widespread, linking character traits with accentuation - the excessive severity of individual character traits and their combinations

Personality and character formation.

Character begins to form from the first months of life. The main role in this belongs to communication with people around. In actions and forms of behavior, the child imitates his loved ones. Through direct learning through imitation and emotional reinforcement, he assimilates adult behaviors. Although the character begins to form from the first months, nevertheless emit special  Sensitive period for the formation of character: age from two to three to nine to ten years. At this time, children talk a lot and actively with both surrounding adults and peers. During this period, they are open to almost any external influences. Children readily accept any new experience, imitating everyone and everything. Adult people at this time still enjoy the unlimited trust of the child, so they have the opportunity to influence him with word, deed and action. For the formation of the character of the child, the communication style of the people around is important: - adults with adults, - adults with children, - children with children. The child adopts the style of communication, and tries to adapt to it, which in turn also affects the formation of character. It is generally accepted that the way mother and father act with respect to the child, after many years, becomes a way of treating him with his children when the child becomes an adult and has his own family. However, this is so and not so. The child does not just adopt communication styles, he criticizes  in my own way. The more adult the child and the more developed his intellect and the more willingly he uses the capabilities of his mind, the more critical he is. That is why the core of character is always included human attitude to truth. The inquiring mind of a child cannot but leave an imprint on the formation of his character. One of the first in the character of a person is laid such traits as: - kindness-selfishness, - sociability-isolation, - responsiveness-indifference. Studies show that these character traits begin to form long before the start of the school period of life, even as early as infancy. Later, other character traits are formed: - industriousness-laziness, - accuracy-sloppiness, - conscientiousness-maliciousness, - responsibility-irresponsibility, - perseverance-cowardice. These qualities, however, also begin to take shape even in preschool childhood. They are formed and fixed in games and affordable types of domestic work and other household activities. Of great importance on the development of character traits is stimulation by adults. Both low demands and very high ones can adversely affect character formation. In the preschool period, those traits that are constantly supported (positive or negative reinforcement) are mainly preserved and fixed. In the elementary grades of the school, under the influence of new experience, character traits that are manifested in relations with people are formed and corrected. The child begins to live full  social life, communicate with a large number of people, including few he knew. The responsibility of the child for the result of the activity increases. They begin to compare it with other children. Therefore, it is in elementary school that such an important character trait as self-attitude is formed. School success can build confidence in one's own intellectual integrity. Failures can form a kind of “double-complex”: the child stops trying, because he all the same "dvoechnik". In adolescence, the strong-willed traits of character are most actively developed and fixed. The teenager is gradually mastering new areas of activity, is trying his hand at them. In early youth finally the basic moral, worldview foundations of the personality are formed, which most people carry through the rest of their lives. We can assume that by the end of school the character of a person as a whole is established. What happens to a person in the future almost never makes his character unrecognizable for those who interacted with him during his school years. However, character is not a frozen formation, but is formed and transformed throughout the course of a person’s life. After graduation, the biggest “innovation” in character will occur in the first few years of the young man’s work. Interesting work, productive relationships with colleagues and superiors will give rise to a love of work, of labor achievements. Routine work, destructive relationships with colleagues can give rise to passivity and dependent moods. Many adult, conscious people are themselves the creator of their character. They analyze their behavior, their thoughts and feelings. If you don’t like something in yourself, you educate yourself. People capable of self-education usually achieve much more success in life than their more passive “antagonists”. A huge influence on the formation and development of character in all periods of life is exerted by the external information background: - judgments of people around them about life, - actions of people around, - fiction (judgments and actions of fictional characters), - movies and other media images, - prevailing ideology in society.

Inclinations as natural prerequisites for the development of abilities.

According to psychology, abilities and inclinations are interconnected with each other. Makings are prerequisites for the development of abilities, which means that the development of the personality as a whole depends on the makings. Under favorable living conditions, a person can achieve success by acquiring abilities in the process of life and regardless of whether he initially had the prerequisites to come to any life achievements. Scientists argue whether a person has inclinations from birth or does not exist at all as such. Despite the fact that the anatomical origin of the makings has not been proven, psychologists agree that with proper education and training, a person will achieve success in life faster. If a child does not receive the ground for the development of his abilities, and his parents do not support him in various interests and hobbies, such a person risks not revealing his talents. Such errors in education are quite common. Ignoring the natural abilities and inclinations of the child, parents seek to impose on them their once unrealized opportunities. In other words, the child is forced to do everything that parents could not achieve, without realizing their inner potential.

Abilities -first of all, these are personality traits that allow achieving success in business and communication. They are easy and playable. Most often these are the qualities that we have long discovered in ourselves and which bring us pleasure.

Deposits -  these are the skills that allow the development of abilities. As a rule, these are certain properties of the nervous system, or anatomical and physiological characteristics.

The makings and abilities of a person can be divided between natural and specific. Natural inherent in man biologically, and are formed through life experience. For example, if you develop good physical makings, you can achieve good results in sports. The specific abilities and inclinations of a person, in turn, can be divided into three components:

theoretical and practical. The first kind of ability determines a person’s tendency to abstract logical thinking. The second type defines practical actions. In diversified people, both of these abilities are perfectly combined and complement each other;

general and special abilities. The presence of the first type of abilities determines various types of human activity and communication. For example, mental abilities and functions of memory and speech. Special abilities allow you to succeed in specific areas of activity. For example, in sports, music, technology, mathematical and literary fields;

educational and creative abilities. The former help a person to easily acquire skills and knowledge, and also contribute to the formation of personality. The second, i.e. creativity helps to create works of art and culture, as well as make various discoveries.