It is not a secret for anyone that the inner world of a person is a phenomenon that constantly changes throughout life. Just a moment can make us completely different than we were a minute ago. And of course, what is inside us is reflected in our behavior. In particular, it concerns character. Every event that we experience affects our individual way of behavior. And it would be wrong to ignore the conditions and mechanisms of character formation. At least in order to understand how and where we got these or other personality traits from us.
Development and formation of character
Character can be confidently called the basis of personality. This is a kind of core, which allows a certain way to respond to various manifestations of life. The problem of character formation has been considered by science for several decades. It is generally believed that this theory of individual characteristics of man was first discovered by Julius Bansen, who viewed character as a set of certain personality traits. After him, psychologists with world names (Freud, Jung, Adler) considered the formation of the character of man as a process that is beyond consciousness and caused by sexual or other motivations. Also today, the question what character shapes, the anthropologists are also engaged. The object of their close attention is the importance of character for the individual.
Factors influencing the formation of character
Formation and change of character is a process that takes the main part of life. Having innate personality traits transmitted genetically through parents, a person year after year, like an onion starts to overgrow with different layers of traits and qualities that are formed mainly under the influence of the social environment in which it grows and develops. That is why the ways of character formation are of special interest for psychologists. And, despite the fact that this process has an individual character, the concept of the norm has not been canceled. And the main stages of character formation are as follows:
- The specific age at which the impact on the future character of a person begins to be called is extremely difficult. In some psychologists this process is described almost from birth, in others - presumably from two years. In any case, it is worth remembering that the period from two to ten years is the time of the child's special receptivity to what he is told and how adults behave alongside him. Also, do not forget about the physiological mechanisms that impose a hint on the future character. This includes temperament.
- The next thing that influences the formation of character already at preschool age is, of course, the degree of the child's participation in group activities and games. The more experience such interaction has a child, the better it will develop such traits as sociability, accuracy, self-confidence, etc. But it is worth remembering that some joint exercises can on the contrary destroy the inclinations of some traits.
- In the school period, approximately 7-15 years, the emotional component of a person is formed. The development of certain traits depends on the level of self-esteem of the adolescent, the attitude of teachers and peers towards him, as well as the influence of the media (Internet, television, etc.). Closer to 15-17 years a person already has a certain internal set of qualities that will remain unchanged throughout his life. Correct them will be able only the person himself as a result of constant development and work on themselves. Moreover, both in the positive side (career, self-education), and in the negative (smoking, alcohol abuse).
- By the age of 25-30, the formation of character consists in a departure from "childishness" (maximalism, capriciousness, etc.) and the emergence of a rational link (responsibility for one's actions, discretion, etc.).
- After 30 years of character change,
as a rule, no longer occur. An exception may be mental illness or stress. By the age of 50, people, as a rule, already part with various kinds of fantasies and dreams and begin to live on the principle of "here and now." The older a person becomes, the more space in his life memories begin to occupy. Especially it is characteristic with the onset of old age.
Thus, at the beginning of life, the basis is the influence of the family and the social environment on character formation. But the older the person becomes, the more the future depends on working on oneself and your inner world.