Character

10.10.2016

Snezhana Ivanova

A melancholic is a person for whom it is extremely important to protect his inner world and have space for self-realization.

Melancholic - one of the four types of temperament, characterized by modesty, increased anxiety and great immersion in one's inner world.

For a melancholic, it is extremely important that the events of life do not change rapidly. It is difficult for a melancholic to adapt to various conditions and circumstances. For their perception, changes are painful, especially unpleasant ones. Unforeseen situations can destroy the fragile inner world of melancholic people. These people do not know how to adapt to a constantly changing world, they cannot determine their strengths and capabilities. The characteristics of the melancholic will be presented below.

Characteristics of a melancholic

Usually, melancholic has low self-esteem. He has an unstable mood, which can be shaken by any trouble. The melancholic takes failure hard. This type of temperament is characterized by an unstable psyche. Sometimes it seems that melancholic people work hard and hard, and then quickly destroy themselves from the inside.

Tendency to be pessimistic

The melancholic often plunges into himself, is sad, reflects on life and eternal values. For a melancholic, it is extremely important to feel protected from external negative factors. Since his personality already has a tendency to self-destruction, it will not be difficult to offend him. Some melancholics are so pessimistic in their views that it becomes quite difficult to interact with them: they show vulnerability too often. From the outside it may seem that the melancholic does not care about anything, but in fact he has a real battle going on inside him: passions boil, imaginary events unfold. Only all this happens "behind the scenes", hidden from the eyes of strangers. Such a person thinks too much, compares, analyzes, tries to understand the reaction of others and predict their future behavior. The melancholic opens only to those people whom he can trust. He has few friends, he is hard going through betrayal in friendship and love. It also takes time to gain his trust, because the melancholic is not inclined to open his feelings to unfamiliar people.

Analysis of actions

The main intellectual need of the melancholic is mental activity. This person is inclined to analyze everything that happens, to which his attention is specifically drawn. The melancholic has a great self-absorption, he is focused, assiduous and often talented. The melancholic endlessly analyzes his activities, reconsiders the events taking place. At the same time, such a person is unnecessarily obsessed with failures, any experiences. It may take a long time before he realizes that a lot of strength and energy is wasted. The tendency to analyze his own and other people's actions often makes him look for flaws in himself and other people. The melancholic in some way idealizes this world, and in another case does not expect anything good from it.

Dependence on someone else's opinion

Melancholic is characterized by severe stiffness. In society, he tries to behave as discreetly as possible. He has some dependence on the opinions of others. It is always difficult for a melancholic person to make decisions, to take responsibility for the outcome of some important matter. It often unreasonably seems to him that people do not listen to his opinion, do not show interest in his activities and personality in general. Such a person often adapts to the mood of the boss, relatives, friends and acquaintances. It seems impolite and tactless to melancholic to declare himself loudly. He generally tries to take up as little space as possible in space, not to disturb others, not to distract from business. A big problem is the situation when such a person needs to speak in public, read a speech, etc. Timid and shy by nature, the melancholic begins to be embarrassed and blush.

A tendency to seclusion

Another significant characteristic of the melancholic is the need for solitude.. He, more than anyone else, needs to have his own space. If for some reason a person is deprived of this, then he begins to suffer greatly. The characterization of a melancholic would be incomplete without this important component. The tendency to solitude can be traced in everything he does. Outwardly, a person is among people, but internally, to one degree or another, he is always immersed in his own thoughts. The melancholic, as a rule, has a rich inner world. He does not need constant communication with other people. If he has to interact with them forcibly, then he begins to lose a large amount of energy, which leads to additional experiences, provokes a bad mood, a depressed state of mind.

Professions for melancholic

For each person it is extremely important to choose the right field of activity. Otherwise, we will not be able to achieve success and be happy. Each type of temperament has its own directions and activities. Professions for melancholics should be calm, not requiring frequent changes in activities. It is easier for a melancholic to immerse himself in one work entirely than to constantly switch. From frequent switching, he quickly gets tired and starts to get nervous. Stress negatively affects the performance of a melancholic.

Librarian

This profession, which requires attention to detail and trifles, is ideal for people of this type of temperament. A calm atmosphere will allow the melancholic to relax and not be nervous in vain. Some people note that the profession of a librarian allowed them to merge with their surroundings to some extent and remain invisible. It is important for a melancholic to protect his inner world from third parties invading it. In addition, he is responsible and disciplined, an excellent performer who will do any work on time.

Writer

Great immersion in the process, the need for study will allow the melancholic to take place as a creative person. Very often, such people are endowed with outstanding talents and abilities. The desire for constant research will help tune in to a creative flight and fantasy. The melancholic has a rich imagination, which makes it easy for him to express his thoughts in artistic images: words, music, colors.

Programmer

Melancholic people are often well versed in technology, they know how to identify any breakdown, they know all the smallest components of the structure. They often become computer scientists and programmers, they can sit at the computer for a long time, compiling a new program. Their attention to detail is sometimes simply amazing: any little thing will be noticed and taken into account.

Thus, a melancholic is a person for whom it is extremely important to protect his inner world and have space for self-realization. He does not tolerate noisy companies, but he really needs praise and recognition.

Who is a melancholic? This is a person who is considered one of the most mysterious and at the same time interesting in terms of temperament. A melancholic person is clearly distinguished by sensuality, tenderness, spiritual depth and creativity. But how to determine that you are a melancholic? What are the distinctive personality traits of people of this temperament? And were there famous melancholics?

Characteristics of a melancholic child

Is your child melancholic? It makes no sense to sound the alarm, because, in fact, you live with a future genius. Your task, as a parent, is to reveal the best personality traits in a baby, and it is recommended to start doing this at an early age. Every child who has the features of a melancholy person develops rapidly, he always wants to deeply learn about the world around him. However, he loves interacting with other children. Toys for such a baby should be bought more difficult, so that the child makes every effort to solve the puzzle.

If you find the right approach to a melancholic child in childhood, he will grow up as a mature, socially active person, able to reach heights in career, creativity and love.

Description of the temperament of the melancholic

In short, the main characteristic of a melancholic woman and a man with the same temperament is as follows: isolation, pessimism, thoughtfulness. What is a subject of joy for a sanguine person, indifference for a phlegmatic person, irritation for a choleric person, then all this is a reason for sadness for a melancholic person. He is vulnerable, and deeply worries every situation in life. To upset and bring to tears a person of this temperament is as easy as shelling pears, especially rude, insensitive and.

The main qualities inherent in a melancholic include:

• isolation;
• seriousness;
• realistic attitude to things and phenomena;
• slowness;
• tearfulness;
• thoughtfulness;
• creation;
• demanding of oneself and others.

Melancholic usually:

• quiet;
• gloomy;
• depressive;
• critical;
• deep.

So what is melancholy? This means that due to the peculiarities of their psyche, melancholics are usually lethargic, drooping and upset. They care about the depth and essence of each issue. People with this temperament are prone to research work, while monotony does not attract them. Everything that requires attention and analysis is liked by the melancholic, and from early childhood.

A melancholy (or melancholic) person is a creator. Such an activity is best suited for a melancholic, because it gives him pleasure to think, delve into the problem and find a way out of it.

As for the mood of the melancholic, it is quite changeable and depends on external circumstances. Any failure leads to disappointment and a drooping melancholic state. Although he tries to hide it in every possible way, he does not really succeed.

Life changes are something difficult and even impossible for a melancholic, since it is extremely difficult for him to adapt to a new situation. Hypersensitivity leads to tears, frustration and even - this is the main description of the melancholic temperament. If something does not work out for this person, he quickly loses his temper, gets nervous and even angry with other people.

This is a positive character trait, because such a person keeps promises and does not throw words to the wind. Since melancholics are deep and refined personalities, they have a creative mindset, rich imagination and delicate taste, so how to live a melancholic in the modern world is a difficult question. Everything that the melancholic says, in his opinion, is extremely important and serious.

Characteristics of a melancholic man and a woman with a similar type of temperament

1. Job. The team for the melancholic plays an important role, because in it he should feel comfortable and cozy. If such people do not surround him, then the melancholic simply withdraws into himself. People with a melancholic temperament are slow and passive, they find themselves only in creative activity. Anything that requires stamina and activity causes stress in the melancholic.
2. Self-esteem. As a rule, it is underestimated in a melancholic. Such people do not believe in their victory, they are ready for failures and constant defeats. Each loss leads the melancholic to even greater disappointments and frustrations. Self-doubt and affect other areas of the melancholic's life.
3. Relationship. In romantic relationships, melancholics are far from a vivid manifestation of their feelings. They are restrained, passive, but at the same time monogamous. If a melancholic fell in love, then his feelings will be incorruptible throughout his life. In relationships with other people, melancholic people do not strive for acquaintances. It is difficult for this person to cope with the storm of their own feelings, not to mention relationships with others. Closure prevents melancholic people from communicating and quickly making new acquaintances.

Test: am I a melancholic?

Before appealing to heaven with the question “What if I am a melancholic?”, It is necessary to determine whether this is exactly the case. To do this, it is enough to answer a few questions of the test. It is not worth thinking about the question for a long time, just say “yes” or “no”.

• Is my speech quiet and slurred?
• Do you get lost in a new environment?
• Do you consider yourself to be timid and shy people?
• Are you a sentimental person?
• Do you like it?
• Do you believe in your strengths, abilities and achievement of high results?
• Are you easily thrown off track?
• Do you consider yourself to be vulnerable and impressionable people?
• Are you making too high demands on yourself?
• Are you easily moved to tears?

If you answered yes to all these questions, then you are melancholic by nature. With positive answers to only a few questions, your character contains traits inherent in such people.

How can a melancholic become happy?

There are 1000 and 1 tips on how to stop being a melancholic and how this person can become happy. For this:

• Don't judge people by yourself. A person may simply not understand your changing mood and subtle hints. The same words and actions are perceived by some as a challenge, by others as a joke. Believe me, everyone you know or don't know has no obsession - be sure to offend you. They live the way they are used to, and your conjectures are simply incomprehensible to them. You have the right to be offended or not, but be sure to think - do you need it?
• Another answer to the question of what to do if you are a melancholic is to stop delving into your own past! The only thing worth thinking about is what pros and cons you learned from these events and just forget about what has passed.

• Negative thoughts should be replaced with positive ones. Just look at the problem from a different perspective. How? The husband left for another, respectively: the minus is that you were left alone and betrayed, plus - you got rid of the traitor and start a new life full of pleasant surprises.
• Keep a diary of what happens. This is an excellent device with which you can evaluate all the pros and cons of the melancholic (yourself) and what happened to you over a certain period of time. Divide the pages into 2 parts - in the first write down the bad moments, in the second the good ones. Very soon you will clearly see that there are more reasons for joy in life.
• Listing the main character traits of a melancholic, it can be noted that these are people with good psychologist data. Do not kill this talent in yourself. Apply the knowledge gained in practice and maybe very soon you will release your own book.

Melancholics are deep personalities, so it is extremely interesting to get to know them closer. Almost every genius has features inherent in people with this temperament.

• Michelangelo.

This world famous sculptor became famous thanks to his masterpieces. Like all melancholics, Michelangelo was very pedantic and scrupulous. To create another sculpture, this man studied human anatomy, he even opened up corpses for the sake of.

However, Michelangelo became famous as a poet, architect, artist. Just imagine, for 4 years in a lying position on scaffolding, he drew 9 phenomena of the book. No sanguine or choleric person would have shown such perseverance and scrupulousness. quickly grabs at different things, but he can’t bring even one to the end.

• Sergey Yesenin.

The famous Russian poet, whose work is still admired by millions of people. Yesenin's poems do not leave anyone indifferent, as they are distinguished by penetrating, touching, penetrating every person to the depths of the soul. Yesenin's worldview is very similar to the melancholic's attitude to life. These people are united by sensitivity and reverent attitude to the sounds, colors of nature, smells and.

• Bill Gates.

Everyone knows the name of this person, but the fact that he was a melancholic is known only to a few. This innovator in the field of technology and computerization was able to achieve a high bar only due to the presence of melancholic traits in his character,.

Aristotle believed that any genius is melancholic in temperament.

There are other famous melancholics. These include: Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Maxim Galkin and even Michael Jackson. If you are surprised, then they managed to hide their flaws and show only the best qualities!

Melancholic (melancholic) translated from Greek means black bile. This is a controversial and complex type. Such a person acutely endures failures and gets upset over trifles. He is sensitive, vulnerable and capable of deep emotional experiences. Among melancholics there are extraordinary personalities with pronounced virtues.

Melancholic - a person who gets upset over little things

Characteristics of the melancholic in the classification of Hippocrates

The doctrine, created more than 2000 years ago, characterizing human behavior, remains relevant to this day. In short, the scientist believed that the type of temperament is determined by the vital juices circulating in the body.

According to Hippocrates and Galen: the character depends on which liquids predominate:

• black bile - melancholic;
• lymph - phlegmatic;
• bile or poison - choleric;
• blood is sanguine.

Hippocrates gives a clear psychological portrait of melancholics, describes them as closed, weak, aloof people with high sensitivity.

A manifestation of melancholy is the inability to show emotions in public

The salient features are:

• propensity for analysis;
• thoughtfulness;
• increased anxiety;
• rancor;
• inability to show emotions in public.

Melancholics prefer to make plans in advance and do not tolerate spontaneous decisions. In a dispute, they are objective and prefer to argue their arguments.

Owners of this temperament rarely scream and lose their temper. Usually they speak in a low voice, gesticulate little and do not show unnecessary emotions. It is difficult for them to make new acquaintances and meet people.

A melancholy is rarely seen at a noisy party. They prefer a quiet pastime dedicated to creativity, reading books, contemplating the inner world. Easily vulnerable individuals are often prone to depression and see the world in gray tones. Secrecy and oppression of feelings make them pessimists and do not allow them to enjoy life.

Melancholy interferes with living in the modern world. People of this type are prone to low self-esteem, self-critical and suffer from complexes. In their work, they feel underestimated and overreact to any criticism. It is difficult for them to converge with the team, they keep aloof and try to avoid conflicts. Most of all, melancholic people are suitable for creative work that does not require excessive activity and communication, but they can realize themselves in any field, as they have good observation and stubbornness.

Melancholic people suffer from low self-esteem

In a relationship, melancholic people are capable of deep feelings, but require the same from a partner. Otherwise, they can be jealous, suspicious. People with this type of nervous system value their parents, family and try to keep it under any circumstances. They are monogamous and prefer to live with one partner all their lives.

If a guy and a girl are melancholic in a pair, it is difficult to achieve mutual understanding. The internal experiences of two people and constant showdowns interfere. The choleric will constantly dominate the melancholic and make his life unbearable. The calmness and slowness of the phlegmatic will become annoying, but the sanguine person will recharge the soulmate with the missing optimism.

If a child with a melancholy temperament grows up in the family, develop in him from early childhood:

• perseverance;
• ability to listen and analyze;
• creation.

Curious children who explore the world around them with interest and love toys that teach them to think logically: constructors with small details, puzzles. They have few friends, as they rarely take part in outdoor games. At school, melancholics weakly reveal their own.

Children perceive information well, but prefer not to stand out and do not like to answer at the blackboard. Criticism of the teacher or conflicts with classmates upset them greatly. The child needs encouragement from the teacher and a comfortable environment.

Description of mixed temperament types with melancholic

A clearly defined psychotype is rare. Most often, the melancholy temperament is mixed with other types that define the personality traits of a person. In psychology, not only the teachings of Hippocrates are used.

According to Jung's teachings, two types of temperament are defined - introvert and extrovert.

Carl Jung identified two behavioral patterns:

The first type of people is subject to introspection and is immersed in the inner world. Introverts find it difficult to make new acquaintances and love to fantasize. The second type is sociable, a good storyteller and is not afraid to show emotions. According to statistics, about 70% of people on the planet are extroverts.

Melancholic introvert

Introversion exacerbates the characteristic features of melancholic and makes them more withdrawn and touchy. Such people have increased anxiety, vulnerability. In women, passivity and complexes are manifested. They do not like to be in a big company, they are in the clouds, they dream, they are engaged in creativity.

Melancholic introverts are characterized by isolation

Signs of melancholic men are punctuality and a penchant for analysis. They try to keep their word and draw up a plan of action in advance. Feeling comfortable in a team is hindered by low self-esteem and inner feelings.

Melancholic introverts are suitable for thoughtful work that does not require physical activity and communication.

Melancholic extrovert

According to the teachings of G. Eysenck, who built the scale of introversion-extroversion, a melancholic, by definition, cannot be an extrovert, since he does not possess:

• sociability;
• openness;
• carelessness;
• initiative;
• sociability;
• talkativeness.

A melancholic, by definition, cannot be an extrovert.

Impulsive, optimistic people. These qualities are not combined with the passivity and unsociable melancholic.

Melancholic-choleric

Choleric people are characterized by intemperance, easily lose their temper, but quickly calm down and do not harbor resentment. The melancholic-choleric type is rare. It is characterized by a cyclical emotional state, when impulsiveness is replaced by periods of apathy.

Melancholic-cholerics are characterized by irascibility, but they are quickly outgoing

People with this temperament set goals for themselves and strive for them with the impetuosity of a choleric, but after a while they easily fall into despondency and pessimism, characteristic of melancholic people. They can be good leaders, as they have not only a penetrating character and purposefulness, but they are also able to take a sober look at the situation.

melancholic sanguine

A hard-working and proactive person who does not dwell on failures is a sanguine person. He easily gets acquainted with people and navigates in unfamiliar surroundings. Sanguine-melancholic is a strange combination. These types have different personality traits that conflict with each other.

Sanguine-melancholic has a controversial character

Usually people behave like sociable and sociable sanguine people, without showing signs of mixed temperament for years. Emotional shock can activate them. A person becomes melancholic, thoughtful for a long time and mentally experiences an unpleasant situation.

melancholic phlegmatic

A phlegmatic person is a calm and stable person who prefers to stick to an established routine. People with traits of melancholic and phlegmatic combine slowness with increased restlessness and anxiety. A set of qualities prevents them from acting, correcting mistakes that upset and make them nervous.

Melancholic phlegmatic does not show initiative in work and in personal life. People around him consider him a distant and strange person.

Pros and cons of melancholy people

The melancholic temperament has many virtues. Representatives of this type know how to listen, delve into problems and give good advice. They strive for excellence, are responsible and empathetic. They have few friends, but those that do can count on any help.

In a melancholic, it is easy to identify strengths that distinguish him from other people:

• the ability to think outside the box;
• hypersensitivity;
• high intelligence;
• ability to analyze;
• constancy in love;
• respect for parents;
• loyalty in friendship.

The weaknesses of the melancholic rarely affect others.

Most often, shortcomings harm only him:

• difficulties in communication, isolation;
• shyness, poor self-esteem;
• susceptibility to stress;
• tendency to depression;
• acute reaction to criticism;
• slowness in work;
• passivity.

The faults of the melancholic harm no one but himself.

It is common for a melancholic woman to get upset and sad over little things. These are romantic natures who love to dream. They make good wives, caring housewives and mothers.

Men of this type are serious, thoughtful, on whom you can rely. They have an innate sense of self-worth, but have low self-esteem, which often prevents them from succeeding at work.

Famous melancholic

The ability to subtly feel the world around and emotionality develop creative abilities. Many melancholic people have become famous people and have contributed to culture and art.

These include contemporary film and music stars:

• Johnny Depp;
• Angelina Jolie;
• Milla Jovovich;
• Elvis Presley;
• Michael Jackson.

A striking example of a famous melancholic woman is Britney Spears, a man is Bill Gates. Melancholic people have great creative potential. It was they who created many masterpieces that conquered the world.

Among these people P.I. Tchaikovsky, F.M. Dostoevsky, N.V. Gogol, Isaac Newton.

Tests for determining the type of temperament in psychology

You can find out the psychotype of a person with the help of tests. G. Eysenck's technique is very popular.

There are special tests to check temperament.

It includes 57 questions, each of which belongs to a certain scale:

• 24 questions to determine extraversion-introversion;
• 24 questions to calculate emotional instability-stability;
• 9 questions to determine frankness-lies.

When taking the test, answer unequivocally and without hesitation. A key is required to process responses. For each scale, a special set of numbers is provided. The subject's data is compared with the key. If the key options match, 1 point is assigned. Counting begins with a scale of lies. A result above 5 points indicates that the person answered the questions insincerely, the test cannot be considered passed. In the overall calculation, the results of the lie scale are not taken into account.

If more than 12 points are scored on the introversion-extroversion scale, then the person is an extrovert, less is an introvert. The same scheme works in clarifying emotional instability.

In addition, you can find out the type of temperament according to the formula of A. Belov. It contains 80 questions that determine what character traits are inherent in a person. The interpretation of the answers shows the percentage of different psychotypes.

Good results are given by the methods of Tolstikov and Gulenko. Any tests are easy to pass on the Internet online and quickly find out your personal qualities.

How to stop being melancholic?

Psychologist K. Jung in his teaching claims that the psychotype of a person cannot be changed, since these are innate features. But you can change your behavior and develop new habits.

Hippocrates distinguished 4 types of temperament - sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic. However, in their pure form, they are rare, each person only gravitates towards one of them. During life, under the influence of social influence, upbringing, lifestyle, health, manifestations of temperament can be smoothed out. In children, the signs of temperament are more distinct, they are easy to see if you observe the behavior of the child for some time.

Let's talk in detail about each type of temperament. Let's talk about activities that are comfortable for children, taking into account temperament.

sanguine

Proper upbringing will form in the child an active attitude to learning, purposefulness.

Mobile, active activities are suitable for such a child. You can choose sports, dancing. Classes can be both individual and in a group, in a team. Perhaps, due to his activity, the child will be interested in many types of activities, he will want to engage in several circles and studios at once. Let him do it, let him move from one section to another. The more skills he masters, the more inclinations will receive incentives for development. A deeper immersion in the chosen activity can occur in subsequent years - in adolescence, adolescence.

Phlegmatic person

This is a calm and unhurried baby. He thoroughly thinks through his actions, shows perseverance in achieving the goal. It is difficult for him to quickly navigate the situation, he does not like change, he prefers stability, he remembers the acquired knowledge and skills for a long time. His mood is stable, he rarely loses his temper, communicates with pleasure with adults and peers around him.

Education can form in a phlegmatic child such qualities as perseverance, perseverance. He is suitable for activities that require painstaking and patience. If the child has a good ear for music, you can offer him music lessons. If he has an interest in drawing, sculpting, appliqué - engage in artistic creativity with him.

Such a child may not like activities that require speed, instant reaction, quick adaptation. Therefore, from all types of sports, choose calm ones. These are swimming, ballroom and sports dancing. There, the skill is formed by repeated repetition and individual work with a trainer.

Team games - football, handball, basketball, contact sports - boxing, fencing will not bring satisfaction to the phlegmatic, since they require quick reaction, the ability to understand a partner and an opponent and make an instant decision.

Choleric

A choleric child is characterized by unbalance, excitability, speed of action, movements. It lights up quickly and also cools down quickly. Especially uncomfortable for him will be painstaking, monotonous, long-term activity. In communicating with peers, he strives to be a leader, often a source of conflict.

With the right upbringing, very important qualities are formed in a choleric child: activity, initiative, dedication, organizational and communication skills.

For a child with a choleric temperament, intensive, but not very long classes are suitable, where there is an opportunity to communicate with peers or compete with an opponent. Passionate, risk-averse nature will feel at ease on the football field, volleyball or basketball court, on the bike path. A choleric child will also "light up" on the dance floor, in a musical group - where a powerful and short-term release of energy is required.

Activities that require painstaking, thoroughness, such as drawing, modeling, embroidery, beadwork, can quickly get bored with such a child. A difficult test for a choleric child will be loneliness, lack of communication with peers.

melancholic

In children with a melancholic type of temperament, activity proceeds slowly, while they quickly get tired. If the child is urged, the actions slow down even more. Slowly, but for a long time, the child is immersed in one or another emotional experience. A bad mood will not be fleeting; the sadness that arises surprises adults with its depth, strength, and duration. The child is anxious in an unfamiliar environment, shy of strangers, avoids numerous contacts with peers.

In the process of education, melancholic children develop softness, responsiveness, sincerity.

For such a child, calm activities in comfortable conditions are suitable. Melancholic children enjoy reading books, watching educational programs, films, they love to observe the nature around them, to explore it.

Their deep feelings and experiences can be revealed in artistic, literary creativity.

To determine the child's temperament, use the questions that are presented in the "Diagnosis of abilities and interests" section. They will help to see in the behavior of the child signs of a type of temperament.

Summing up

• Temperament is an innate quality, don't try to fight it. Try to understand it and take it into account when choosing activities for your child.
• There are no "bad" temperaments. Rudeness, aggressiveness, selfishness, a low level of culture are the result of poor upbringing.
• Choose activities according to the inclinations of the child, his behavior. Consider the strength and speed of the child's reactions, stability and change of emotions, activity and fatigue, the need for communication.
• Parents should not only expand the horizons of the baby, but also develop his abilities, expanding his ideas about various activities. It is important to offer the child those activities that suit him in terms of temperament, according to his abilities. Such activities will form his interests, inclinations, help overcome uncertainty and fear.

The basis of temperament

Each person is unique, differs in ways of expressing emotions, feelings and reacts differently to what is happening in the surrounding reality. If one individual remains calm in any situation, then even the slightest trouble can lead another to despair. These features of human behavior largely depend on differences in the activity of the nervous system.

Temperament as a psychobiological basis of personality

The mental activity of a person, which is characterized by its dynamic features (tempo, speed and intensity), is temperament. It characterizes not the person's beliefs, views or interests, but its dynamism, therefore it is not an indicator of value.

The following components can be distinguished that determine the basis of temperament:

• The general activity of a person's mental activity, which is expressed in the degree of desire to act, to manifest themselves in various activities, to transform the surrounding reality. There are two extremes of general activity: on the one hand, passivity, inertia, lethargy, and on the other, swiftness. Between these two extremes are representatives of different temperaments;
• Motor or motor activity is expressed in the speed, intensity, sharpness, strength of muscle movements and speech of the individual, his mobility, talkativeness;
• Emotional activity expresses the sensitive basis of temperament, that is, the susceptibility and sensitivity of the individual to emotional influences, her impulsiveness.

Also, the temperament of a person has an external expression and is manifested in activities, behavior and actions. Based on these features, some of its properties can be judged. When they talk about temperament, they basically mean mental differences in people associated with the intensity, depth and stability of emotions, impressionability, and energy of actions.

There are several theories that define the basics of temperament. But with all the variety of approaches to this issue, most scientists recognize that this is a kind of biological foundation on which a person is formed as a social being.

Physiological basis of temperament

This term was first introduced by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who laid the foundation for the humoral theory. He explained the peculiarities of people's temperaments by various ratios of liquid substances in the body: blood, bile and lymph. If yellow bile predominates, it makes a person hot, impulsive or choleric. In mobile, cheerful people (sanguine people), blood predominates, and in calm and slow people (phlegmatic people) - lymph. Melancholic people are sad and fearful in nature, and, as Hippocrates claimed, black bile predominates in them.

According to the constitutional theory that Kretschmer and Zigo deduced, the natural basis of temperament is determined by the features of the general structure of the human body, as well as its individual organs. In turn, the physique of the individual depends on the course of endocrine processes in his body.

But the neurological theory proposed by Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was recognized as the most reasonable. In his opinion, the physiological basis of temperament is a set of acquired features and innate properties of the nervous system.

In this case, individual differences in nervous activity are manifested by the ratio of two main processes - excitation and inhibition, which have three important properties:

• The strength of processes, which is expressed in the ability of nerve cells to withstand prolonged or concentrated exposure to stimuli. This determines the endurance of the cell. The weakness of nervous processes is evidenced by high sensitivity or the transition of cells into a state of inhibition instead of excitation, when exposed to strong stimuli. This feature often forms the basis of temperament;
• The balance of nervous processes is characterized by an equal ratio of excitation and inhibition. In some people these two processes appear equally, in others one of them predominates;
• The mobility of nervous processes is a quick or slow change of excitation to inhibition and vice versa, when the conditions of life require it. Thus, with sudden and abrupt changes, mobility ensures the adaptation of the individual to the new environment.

Combinations of these properties, according to Pavlov, determine the type of nervous system and are the natural basis of temperament:

• Weak type, in which a person is not able to withstand strong, prolonged and concentrated excitation and inhibition. In a weak nervous system, cells have low efficiency. Although, when exposed to strong stimuli, high sensitivity is noted;
• A strong balanced type is characterized by an imbalance in the main nervous processes, the predominance of excitation over inhibition is different;
• Strong balanced mobile type - nervous processes are strong and balanced, however, their speed and mobility often lead to instability of connections;
• Strong balanced inert type, in which the processes of excitation and inhibition are strong and balanced, but are characterized by low mobility. Representatives of this type are always calm, it is difficult to piss them off.

Thus, the basis of temperament is the individual properties of the psyche, which reflect the dynamics of human mental activity. They manifest themselves regardless of his goals, motives, desires and remain practically unchanged throughout his life.

The doctrine of temperament

Speaking of temperament, they usually mean the dynamic side of the personality, expressed in impulsiveness and the pace of mental activity. It is in this sense that we usually say that such and such a person has a large or small temperament, given his impulsiveness, the swiftness with which his drives manifest themselves, etc. Temperament is a dynamic characteristic of the mental activity of an individual.

For temperament is indicative, firstly, the strength of mental processes. At the same time, not only their absolute strength at one moment or another is essential, but also how much it remains constant, that is, the degree of dynamic stability. With considerable stability, the strength of reactions in each individual case depends on the changing conditions in which the person finds himself, and is adequate to them: a stronger external irritation causes a stronger reaction, a weaker irritation - a weaker reaction. In individuals with greater instability, on the contrary, a strong irritation can - depending on the very variable state of the personality - cause either a very strong or a very weak reaction; in the same way, even the slightest irritation can sometimes cause a very strong reaction; a very significant event, fraught with the most serious consequences, can leave a person indifferent, and in another case, an insignificant occasion will give a violent outbreak: a “reaction” in this sense is not at all adequate to a “stimulus”.

The mental activity of one and the same force may differ in varying degrees of intensity, depending on the relationship between the force of the given process and the dynamic possibilities of the given individual. Mental processes of a certain intensity can be carried out easily, without any tension for one person at one moment and with great tension for another person or for the same person at another moment. These differences in tension will affect the nature of the smooth and smooth, then jerky flow of activity.

An essential expression of temperament is, further, the speed of mental processes. From the speed or speed of the flow of mental processes, one must also distinguish their pace (the number of acts in a certain period of time, depending not only on the speed of each act, but also on the size of the intervals between them) and rhythm (which can be not only temporary, but also forceful). ). When characterizing temperament, one must again keep in mind not only the average speed of mental processes. For temperament, the amplitude of fluctuations characteristic of a given person is also indicative, from the slowest to the most accelerated rates. Along with this, the way the transition is made from slower to faster rates and vice versa - from faster to slower ones is also essential: for some it happens, more or less evenly and smoothly increasing or decreasing, for others - as if by jerks. , uneven and jerky. These differences can intersect: significant transitions in speed can be made by a smooth and uniform increase, and on the other hand, relatively less significant changes in absolute speed can be made by jerky shocks. These features of temperament are reflected in all the activities of the individual, in the course of all mental processes.

The main manifestation of temperament is very often sought in the dynamic features of a person's "reactions" - in the force and speed with which he effectively responds to stimuli. Indeed, the central links in the diverse manifestations of temperament are those that express the dynamic features not of individual mental processes, but of a specific activity in the diverse interconnections of various aspects of its mental content. However, the sensorimotor reaction can in no way serve as either an exhaustive or adequate expression of a person's temperament. For temperament, the impressionability of a person and his impulsiveness are especially significant.

The temperament of a person is manifested primarily in his impressionability, which is characterized by the strength and stability of the impact that the impression has on a person. Depending on the characteristics of temperament, impressionability in some people is more, in others less significant; in some, it’s as if someone, in the words of A. M. Gorky, “ripped off all the skin from the heart,” they are so sensitive to every impression; others - "insensitive", "thick-skinned" - react very weakly to their surroundings. For some, the influence - strong or weak - that makes an impression on them spreads with great speed, for others with very little speed, into the deeper layers of the psyche. Finally, with different people, depending on the characteristics of their temperament, the stability of the impression is also different: for some, the impression - even a strong one - turns out to be very unstable, for others they cannot get rid of it for a long time. Impressibility is always individually different affective sensitivity in people of different temperaments. It is essentially connected with the emotional sphere and is expressed in the strength, speed and stability of the emotional reaction to impressions.

Temperament is reflected in emotional excitability - in the strength of emotional excitement, the speed with which it covers the personality - and the stability with which it persists. It depends on the temperament of a person how quickly and strongly it lights up and how quickly it then fades away. Emotional excitability manifests itself, in particular, in a mood elevated up to exaltation or lowered up to depression, and especially in more or less rapid mood changes directly related to impressionability.

Another central expression of temperament is impulsivity, which is characterized by the strength of impulses, the speed with which they take possession of the motor sphere and go into action, the stability with which they retain their effective force. Impulsivity includes the impressionability and emotional excitability that determines it in relation to the dynamic characteristics of those intellectual processes that mediate and control them. Impulsiveness is that side of temperament by which it is connected with striving, with the origins of will, with the dynamic force of needs as incentives for activity, with the speed of the transition of impulses into action.

Temperament manifests itself especially clearly in strength, as well as speed, rhythm and pace of a person's psychomotor - in his practical actions, speech, expressive movements. The gait of a person, his facial expressions and pantomimes, his movements, fast or slow, smooth or jerky, sometimes an unexpected turn or movement of the head, the manner of looking up or downcasting, viscous lethargy or slow smoothness, nervous haste or powerful impetuousness of speech reveal to us some kind of aspect of personality, that dynamic aspect of it, which constitutes its temperament. At the first meeting, with a short, sometimes even fleeting contact with a person, we often immediately get a more or less vivid impression of his temperament from these external manifestations.

Since ancient times, it has been customary to distinguish four main types of temperaments: choleric, sanguine, melancholic and phlegmatic. Each of these temperaments can be defined by the ratio of impressionability and impulsiveness as the main psychological properties of temperament. The choleric temperament is characterized by strong impressionability and great impulsiveness; sanguine - weak impressionability and great impulsiveness; melancholic - strong impressionability and little impulsiveness; phlegmatic - weak impressionability and low impulsiveness. Thus, this classical traditional scheme naturally follows from the correlation of the main features with which we endow temperament, while acquiring the corresponding psychological content. The differentiation of both impressionability and impulsiveness in terms of strength, speed and stability, outlined above, opens up possibilities for further differentiation of temperaments.

The physiological basis of temperament is the neurodynamics of the brain, that is, the neurodynamic ratio of the cortex and subcortex. The neurodynamics of the brain is in internal interaction with the system of humoral, endocrine factors. A number of researchers (Pende, Belov, partly E. Kretschmer and others) were inclined to make both temperament and even character dependent primarily on these latter. There is no doubt that the system of endocrine glands is included among the conditions affecting temperament.

It would be wrong, however, to isolate the endocrine system from the nervous system and turn it into an independent basis of temperament, since the very humoral activity of the endocrine glands is subject to central innervation. There is an internal interaction between the endocrine system and the nervous system, in which the leading role belongs to the nervous system.

For temperament, the excitability of the subcortical centers, with which the features of motility, statics and autonomics are associated, is undoubtedly essential. The tone of the subcortical centers and their dynamics influence both the tone of the cortex and its readiness for action. Because of the role they play in the neurodynamics of the brain, the subcortical centers undoubtedly influence temperament. But again, it would be completely wrong, emancipating the subcortex from the cortex, to turn the former into a self-sufficient factor, into the decisive basis of temperament, as tend to be done in modern foreign neurology by currents that recognize the decisive importance for the temperament of the gray matter of the ventricle and localize the "core" of the personality. in the subcortex, in the stem apparatus, in the subcortical ganglia. The subcortex and the cortex are inextricably linked with each other. Therefore, one cannot separate the first from the second. Ultimately, it is not the dynamics of the subcortex in itself that is of decisive importance, but the dynamic relationship between the subcortex and the cortex, as IP Pavlov emphasizes in his theory of the types of the nervous system.

I. P. Pavlov based his classification of the types of the nervous system on three main criteria, namely the strength, balance and lability of the cortex.

Based on these basic features, as a result of his research using the method of conditioned reflexes, he came to the definition of four main types of the nervous system:

1. Strong, balanced and mobile - a lively type.
2. Strong, balanced and inert - calm, slow type.
3. Strong, unbalanced with a predominance of excitation over inhibition - an excitable, unrestrained type.
4. Weak type.

The division of the types of the nervous system into strong and weak does not lead to a further symmetrical subdivision of the weak type, as well as the strong one, according to the remaining two signs of balance and mobility (lability), because these differences, which give significant differentiation in the case of a strong type, turn out to be practically insignificant and do not give a really significant differentiation.

I. P. Pavlov connects the types of nervous systems outlined by him with temperaments, comparing the four groups of nervous systems, to which he arrived in a laboratory way, with the ancient classification of temperaments, from Hippocrates. He is inclined to identify his excitable type with choleric, melancholic with inhibitory, two forms of the central type - calm and lively - with phlegmatic and sanguine.

The main evidence in favor of the differentiation of the types of the nervous system that he establishes, Pavlov considers different reactions with strong counteractions of the irritable and inhibitory processes.

Pavlov's doctrine of the types of nervous activity is essential for understanding the physiological basis of temperament. Its correct use involves taking into account the fact that the type of the nervous system is a strictly physiological concept, and temperament is a psychophysiological concept and it is expressed not only in motor skills, in the nature of reactions, their strength, speed, etc., but also in impressionability, in emotional excitability, etc.

The mental properties of temperament are undoubtedly closely related to the bodily properties of the body - both the innate features of the structure of the nervous system (neuroconstitution) and the functional features (muscle, vascular) of the tone of organic life. However, the dynamic properties of human activity are not reducible to the dynamic features of organic life activity; for all the importance of the innate features of the body, in particular its nervous system, for temperament they are only the starting point of its development, inseparable from the development of the personality as a whole.

Temperament is not a property of the nervous system or neuroconstitution as such; it is a dynamic aspect of personality, characterizing the dynamics of its mental activity. This dynamic side of temperament is interconnected with other aspects of a person's life and is mediated by the specific content of her life and activities; therefore, the dynamics of a person's activity cannot be reduced to the dynamic features of his life activity, since it is itself conditioned by the relationship of the individual with the environment. This is clearly revealed in the analysis of any side, any manifestation of temperament.

So, no matter how significant a role the organic bases of sensitivity, the properties of the peripheral receptor and central apparatus play in the susceptibility of a person, nevertheless, susceptibility cannot be reduced to them. Impressions that are perceived by a person are usually caused not by isolated sensory stimuli, but by phenomena, objects, persons that have a certain objective meaning and cause on the part of a person one or another attitude towards themselves, due to his tastes, affections, beliefs, character, worldview. Because of this, sensitivity or impressionability itself turns out to be mediated and selective.

Impressibility is mediated and transformed by needs, interests, tastes, inclinations, etc. - the whole attitude of a person to the environment and depends on the life path of the individual.

In the same way, a change in emotions and moods, states of emotional upsurge or decline in a person depends not only on the tone of the body's vital activity. Changes in tone, of course, also affect the emotional state, but the tone of life activity is mediated and conditioned by the relationship of the individual with the environment and, therefore, by the entire content of her conscious life. All that has been said about the mediation of impressionability and emotionality by the conscious life of a person applies even more to impulsivity, since impulsivity includes both impressionability and emotional excitability and is determined by their relationship with the power and complexity of the intellectual processes that mediate and control them.

Human actions are also irreducible to organic life activity, since they are not just motor reactions of the body, but acts that are aimed at certain objects and pursue certain goals. Therefore, they are mediated and conditioned in all their mental properties, including dynamic ones that characterize temperament, a person’s attitude to the environment, the goals that he sets for himself, the needs, tastes, inclinations, beliefs that determine these goals. Therefore, it is in no way possible to reduce the dynamic features of a person's actions to the dynamic features of his organic life activity, taken in itself; the very tone of his organic life activity can be conditioned by the course of his activity and the turnover that it receives for him. The dynamic features of activity inevitably depend on the specific relationship of the individual with his environment; they will be one in conditions adequate for him and others in inadequate ones. Therefore, it is fundamentally unjustified to attempt to give a doctrine of temperaments based only on a physiological analysis of nervous mechanisms out of proportion in animals with the biological conditions of their existence, in man with the historically developing conditions of his social existence and practical activity.

The dynamic characteristic of mental activity does not have a self-sufficient, formal character; it depends on the content and specific conditions of activity, on the attitude of the individual to what he does, and to the conditions in which he finds himself. The pace of my activity will obviously be different in the case when its direction is forced to go against my inclinations, interests, skills and abilities, with the peculiarities of my character, when I feel myself in an environment alien to me, and in the case when I am captured I am passionate about the content of my work and am in an environment consonant with me.

Liveliness, turning into playful playfulness or swagger, and regularity, even slowness of movements, taking on the character of sedateness or majesty in facial expressions, in pantomime, in posture, gait, habits of a person, are due to a variety of reasons, up to the mores of the social environment in which a person lives and the social position he occupies. The style of an epoch, the way of life of certain social strata determines, to a certain extent, the pace and, in general, the dynamic features of the behavior of the representatives of this epoch and the corresponding social strata.

Coming from the epoch, from social conditions, the dynamic features of behavior do not, of course, remove individual differences in the temperament of different people and do not abolish the significance of their organic features. But, reflected in the psyche, in the minds of people, social moments themselves are included in their internal individual characteristics and enter into an internal relationship with all their other individual characteristics, including organic and functional ones. In the real way of life of a particular person, in the dynamic features of his individual behavior, the tone of his life activity and the regulation of these features, which comes from social conditions (the pace of social and industrial life, mores, way of life, decency, etc.), form an indecomposable unity of sometimes opposite , but always interconnected moments. The regulation of the dynamics of behavior, proceeding from the social conditions of a person's life and activity, can, of course, sometimes affect only external behavior, without affecting the personality itself, its temperament; at the same time, the internal features of a person’s temperament may also be in conflict with the dynamic features of the behavior that he externally adheres to. But, ultimately, the features of behavior that a person adheres to for a long time cannot but leave their imprint sooner or later - although not mechanical, not mirror, and sometimes even compensatory-antagonistic - on the inner structure of the personality, on its temperament.

Thus, in all its manifestations, temperament is mediated and conditioned by real conditions and the specific content of human life. Speaking about the conditions under which the temperament in the acting of an actor can be convincing, E. B. Vakhtangov wrote: roles have become his tasks - then the temperament will speak "from the essence." This temperament from the essence is the most valuable, because it is the only one that is convincing and without deceit. Temperament "from the essence" is the only convincing on the stage because such is the temperament in reality: the dynamics of mental processes is not something self-sufficient; it depends on the specific content of the personality, on the tasks that a person sets for himself, on his needs, interests, inclinations, character, on his “essence”, which is revealed in the variety of the most important relationships for him with others. Temperament is an empty abstraction outside the personality, which is formed by making its life path.

Being a dynamic characteristic of all manifestations of personality, temperament in its qualitative properties of impressionability, emotional excitability and impulsiveness is at the same time the sensual basis of character.

Forming the basis of character properties, temperament properties, however, do not predetermine them. Being included in the development of character, the properties of temperament undergo changes, due to which the same initial properties can lead to different properties of character, depending on what they are subordinated to - on behavior, beliefs, volitional and intellectual qualities of a person. So, on the basis of impulsivity as a property of temperament, depending on the conditions of upbringing and the whole life path, various volitional qualities can be developed in a person who has not learned to control his actions by thinking about their consequences, thoughtlessness, unrestraint, the habit of chopping from the shoulder, act under the influence of affect; in other cases, on the basis of the same impulsiveness, determination will develop, the ability to go towards the goal without unnecessary delay and hesitation. Depending on the life path of a person, on the whole course of his socio-moral, intellectual and aesthetic development, impressionability as a property of temperament can in one case lead to significant vulnerability, painful vulnerability, hence to timidity and shyness; in the other, on the basis of the same impressionability, greater spiritual sensitivity, responsiveness and aesthetic susceptibility can develop; in the third, sensitivity in the sense of sentimentality. The formation of character on the basis of the properties of temperament is significantly related to the orientation of the personality.

So, temperament is a dynamic characteristic of the personality in all its active manifestations and the sensual basis of character. Being transformed in the process of character formation, the properties of temperament turn into character traits, the content of which is inextricably linked with the orientation of the personality.

Influence of temperament

The dynamic features of a person's character depend on temperament - the style of his behavior. Temperament is the “natural soil” on which the process of formation of individual character traits, the development of individual human abilities takes place.

People achieve the same success in different ways, replacing their "weak" sides with a system of mental compensation.

Under the influence of living conditions, a choleric person can develop inertia, slowness, lack of initiative, while a melancholic person can develop energy and determination. Life experience and upbringing of a person mask the manifestations of his temperament. But under unusual superstrong influences, in dangerous situations, previously formed inhibitory reactions can be disinhibited. Cholerics and melancholics are more prone to a neuropsychic breakdown. Along with this, the scientific approach to understanding the behavior of an individual is incompatible with the rigid binding of people's actions to their natural characteristics.

Depending on the conditions of life and human activity, individual properties of his temperament can be strengthened or weakened. Temperament, despite its natural conditionality, can be attributed to personality traits, since it combines the natural and socially acquired qualities of a person.

Foreign psychologists divide temperamental features mainly into two groups - extraversion and introversion. These concepts, introduced by the Swiss psychologist C. G. Jung, mean the primary focus of individuals on the external (extrovert) or internal (introvert) world. Extroverts are distinguished by a predominant appeal to the outside world, increased social adaptability, they are more conformal and suggestive (subject to suggestion). Introverts, on the other hand, attach the greatest importance to the phenomena of the inner world, they are uncommunicative, prone to increased introspection, have difficulty entering a new social environment, are nonconformal and suggestive.

Among the qualities of temperament, rigidity and plasticity also stand out. Rigidity - inertness, conservatism, difficulty in switching mental activity. There are several types of rigidity: sensory - prolongation of sensation after the cessation of the stimulus; motor - the difficulty of restructuring habitual movements; emotional - the continuation of the emotional state after the termination of the emotional impact; memory - reserving, obsession with memory images; thinking - the inertia of judgments, attitudes, ways of solving problems. The quality opposite to rigidity is plasticity, flexibility, mobility, adequacy.

The features of temperament also include such a mental phenomenon as anxiety - tension, increased emotional excitability in situations interpreted by the individual as threatening. Individuals with a high level of anxiety are prone to behavior that is inadequate to the degree of threat. An increased level of anxiety causes a desire to escape from the perception of threatening events, involuntarily narrowing the field of perception in a stressful situation.

So, the temperament of a person determines the dynamics of his behavior, the originality of the course of his mental processes. Temperament determines the way a person sees and experiences events and their verbal relaying. Analyzing human behavior, one cannot ignore the "biological background" of human behavior, which affects the degree of intensity of individual personality traits.

The temperamental characteristics of a person act as the psychophysiological possibilities of his behavior. For example, the mobility of nervous processes determines the dynamic qualities of the intellect, the flexibility of associative processes; excitability - ease of occurrence and intensity of sensations, stability of attention, the power of imprinting memory images.

However, temperament is not a value criterion of a person, it does not determine the needs, interests, views of a person. In the same type of activity, people with different temperaments can achieve outstanding success due to their compensatory abilities.

Not the temperament, but the orientation of the personality, the predominance of her higher motives over the lower ones, self-control and self-control, suppression of the motives of the lower level in order to achieve socially significant goals determine the quality of human behavior.

Temperament structure

Temperament is a term derived from the Latin temperamentum (proper ratio of features) and tempero (mix in the proper ratio). To date, the problem of temperament has been studied in sufficient detail, and therefore in science there is a wide variety of definitions of this personality trait.

B.M. Teplov gave the following definition: “Temperament is a set of mental characteristics characteristic of a given person associated with emotional excitability, that is, the speed of the emergence of feelings, on the one hand, and their strength, on the other.”

Thus, it can be argued that temperament is a set of psychodynamic properties of the nervous system, the biological foundation on which personality is formed.

Since the psyche is a property of the nervous system, the individual properties of the psyche, including the properties of temperament, are determined by the individual properties of the nervous system. Therefore, the first main feature of the properties of temperament is their conditionality by the properties of the nervous system, which constitute the physiological basis of temperament. Moreover, only one type of temperament depends on each type of nervous system (with its specific properties).

The same dynamic features of mental activity depend on the ratio of emotional and volitional features. This ratio is the characteristic feature that since the time of Hippocrates underlies the concept of temperament. Consequently, there are objective reasons to believe that the individual characteristics of the emotional-volitional sphere are properties of temperament. This, however, does not mean that all the individual characteristics of the emotional-volitional sphere, and only they, are associated with temperament.

As a result of attempts at such an analysis, three main, leading, components of temperament were identified, related to the areas of the individual's general activity, his motor skills and his emotionality. Each of these components, in turn, has a very complex multidimensional structure and various forms of psychological manifestations.

The greatest importance in the structure of temperament is the overall mental activity of the individual. The essence of this component lies in the personality's tendency to self-expression, effective assimilation and transformation of external reality.

In terms of content, the second component is especially closely related to the first component of temperament - the motor, or motor, in which the leading role is played by qualities associated with the function of the motor (and especially the speech-motor) apparatus. Among the dynamic qualities of the motor component, one should single out such as speed, strength, sharpness, rhythm, amplitude and a number of other signs of muscle movement (some of them also characterize speech motor skills).

The third main component of temperament is emotionality, which is an extensive complex of properties that characterize the features of the emergence, course and cessation of various feelings, affects and moods. Compared with other components of temperament, this component is the most complex and has a branched own structure. The main characteristics of emotionality are impressionability, impulsiveness and emotional stability.

Impressibility expresses the sensitivity of the subject to emotionally significant influences.

Impulsivity refers to the speed with which an emotion prompts action without prior thought and conscious planning. Emotional lability is usually understood as the rate at which one experience changes to another.

The main components of temperament form a single structure in human behavior, which makes it possible to limit temperament from other mental formations of the personality - its orientation, character, abilities, etc.

The manifestation of temperament

The difference in temperament of people is manifested in their activities. To achieve success in it, it is important that a person master his temperament, be able to adapt it to the conditions and requirements of activity, relying on its strong properties and compensating for its weak ones. This adaptation is expressed in the individual style of activity.

An individual style of activity is an expedient system of methods and techniques for performing an activity, corresponding to the characteristics of temperament, ensuring its best results.

The formation of an individual style of activity is carried out in the process of training and education. In this case, the self-interest of the subject is necessary.

Conditions for the formation of an individual style of activity:

1. determination of temperament with an assessment of the severity of its psychological properties;
2. finding a set of strengths and weaknesses;
3. creating a positive attitude towards mastering one's temperament;
4. an exercise in improving strong properties and possibly compensating for weak ones.

Temperament is also important for choosing the type of activity. Choleric people prefer its emotional types (sports games, discussions, public speaking) and are reluctant to engage in monotonous work. Melancholic people willingly engage in individual activities.

It is known that in the process of training sessions, sanguine people, when studying new material, quickly grasp the basis, perform new actions, although with errors, and do not like long and thorough work in mastering and improving skills. Phlegmatic people will not perform new actions, exercises, if something is unclear in the content or technique, they are prone to painstaking, lengthy work when mastering it.

For example, for athletes, there are temperamental differences in pre-start conditions. Sanguine and phlegmatic before the start are predominantly in a state of combat readiness, choleric - in a state of starting fever, and melancholic - in a state of starting apathy. In competitions, sanguine and phlegmatic people show stable results and even higher than in training, in choleric and melancholic they are not stable enough.

Equally differentiated, in particular, taking into account the strength and balance of the nervous system of students, it is necessary to approach the use of various forms of pedagogical influences - praise, censure. Praise has a positive effect on the process of skill formation in all students, but the greatest effect is on the “weak” and “unbalanced” ones. Reprimand works most effectively on the "strong" and "balanced", the least - on the "weak" and "unbalanced". Expecting a grade for completing tasks has a positive effect on the “weak” and “balanced”, but less significant for the “strong” and “unbalanced”.

Thus, temperament, being dependent on the innate properties of the nervous system, manifests itself in the individual style of human activity, therefore it is important to take into account its features in training and education.

Taking into account the characteristics of temperament is necessary when solving mainly two important pedagogical problems: when choosing methodological tactics of teaching and the style of communication with students. In the first case, you need to help a sanguine person see sources of diversity and creative elements in monotonous work, a choleric person - to instill skills of special careful self-control, a phlegmatic person - to purposefully develop the skills of quickly switching attention, a melancholic person - to overcome fear and self-doubt. Accounting for temperament is necessary when choosing a style of communication with students. So, with choleric and melancholic, such methods of influence as individual conversation and indirect types of demand (advice, hint, etc.) are preferable. A censure in front of the class will cause a conflict explosion in a choleric person, a reaction of resentment, depression, and self-doubt in a melancholic person. When dealing with a phlegmatic, it is inappropriate to insist on the immediate fulfillment of the requirement, it is necessary to give time to mature the student's own decision. A sanguine person will easily and gladly accept a remark in the form of a joke.

Temperament is the natural basis for the manifestation of the psychological qualities of a person. However, with any temperament, it is possible to form in a person qualities that are not characteristic of this temperament. Self-education is of particular importance here. In a letter to O. L. Knipper-Chekhova, A. P. Chekhov wrote: “You ... envy my character. I must say that by nature I have a sharp character, I am quick-tempered, etc., etc., but I’m used to keeping myself, because it’s not befitting for a decent person to dismiss himself.