Character traits – how are they formed? Character traits and personality disorders

Proven content

Character traits are a set of traits that distinguish a person from others. They manifest themselves through behavior, actions and also the way of thinking. They create a person’s personality and give him his individual character.

Character traits – how are they formed?

Character traits begin to form from early childhood and continue to develop throughout life. They are influenced by virtually all elements – starting from external stimuli, through family relations and social ties, ending with one’s own activity. Character is strongly emphasized by biophysical features and a person’s social role.

1. See more: Personality – definition, personality types

All these factors affect a person’s ability to process information, on the basis of which he builds an image of himself and the world around him. They influence his approach to life, other people, situations, objects, as well as his own activity. When personality development is inhibited, it most often manifests itself in neurosis.

Character traits and personality

In medicine and psychology, there are many views on the factors influencing the development of personality. These are the so-called “personality theories”. Each emphasizes other elements as the main source of character traits and behavior. There are as many as several hundred of them, and the most developed are:

1. Freudian theory – in this theory the main emphasis is placed on biological drive, relations with parents and experience gained in the early years of life;

2. neopsychoanalytical theory – here the emphasis is primarily on drives and social interactions;

3. field theory – in this view, the main drive is considered not biological, but self-realization, and the goal of life is to achieve it;

4. factor theory – one of the most complex psychological theories. It is based on constructs operationally linked to data covering all factors that may influence human responses;

5. learning theory – here the emphasis is on the factors and conditions that trigger certain behaviors;

6. social learning theory – similar to learning theory, but takes into account the strong influence of social stimuli;

7. humanistic theory – the development of personality traits as a result of adaptation to the surrounding world, which in turn comes from the knowledge acquired about it;

8. system theory – mainly used in family psychotherapy. It assumes the influence of the development of character traits on the basis of interactions between members of a given family.

Character traits and personality disorders

Have you ever known a person who suddenly started to act completely different than before? If so, there could be a personality disorder. They have various causes, ranging from experienced stress to serious diseases. Distribution of disturbances is classified in several systems, but the most common cases are:

1. paranoid disorders – such a person is oversensitive and suspicious of selected elements or the entire environment;

2. schizoid disorders – most often manifested as asociality, and their characteristic feature is a strong individualism;

3. avoidance disorders – manifested by withdrawal from social life;

4. passive-aggressive disorder – low self-esteem and withdrawal from social contacts;

5. asocial disorder – lack of adaptation to life in society, struggle with patterns and generally accepted norms;

6. asthenic disorder – such a person has a low ability to feel pleasure, feels exhausted, passive and seeks care from other people.

Personality disorders can be treated. The basis is psychotherapy. Its duration depends on the individual case and may last from several weeks to several months. In rarer cases, the therapy is supported pharmacologically. The type and amount of drugs are determined based on the patient’s condition.

Positive Character Traits

There are positive and negative character traits in psychology and society. Of course, the former are desirable, and they include, among others, such as: disinterestedness, creativity, loyalty, communicativeness, independence, honesty, tolerance, diligence, pragmatism, conscientiousness, sensitivity, discipline and kindness.

Negative Character Traits

The negative traits include: aggressiveness, arrogance, insolence, shamelessness, selfishness, fanaticism, laziness, credulity, conformism, extravagance, insensitivity, pride, audacity, hypocrisy, greed.

What character traits will bring us closer to achieving success?

To be successful, you need character traits such as:

1. activity – makes us full of life, gives us energy, increases the level of endorphins that affect our personality. Training in the fresh air works best;
2. ambition – it cannot be satisfied. It makes us set goals for ourselves, which we then pursue. With the feeling of ambition, the concept of failure often appears, without which it would not be possible to fully enjoy success;
3. assertiveness – another important feature that allows you to get to know yourself and your abilities. The ability to express one’s opinion helps to find oneself in a specific environment and, paradoxically, find friends who have views on reality similar to us;
4. curiosity – thanks to it we are able to discover our personality. It determines us to act;
5. trust – building trust is not an easy task. Usually you have to build them in small steps.