The character we choose

Character in the narrow sense of the word (and in everyday speech) is the natural features of a person’s behavior that make him situationally easy or difficult for others.

If you are warned: “This is a person with character!”, You should be prepared for the fact that it may not be easy for you with him. Character is the «sharp corners» of a person.

Strong character is the ability of a person to show his strength: to insist on his position, to defend his point of view, his interests.

«Rested … Character!» «He has character!» — means «I have a strong, tough character.» «Mild character» is a synonym for «no character.» See Strong temperament and Normal temperament

In a broader sense, the word «character» is used as a synonym for the term «psychotype». In this case, the character is called the totality of sustainable ways of behavior and the natural response of a person in a certain situation.

Accordingly, as a character trait, they say that there are people who are calm and nervous, reasonable and impulsive, decisive and doubtful, people-sprinters and stayers — there are countless options.

Character can also be defined as a set of behavioral traits and characteristics that make it possible to predict a person’s behavior. All character traits can be divided into three groups — good character traits, problematic character traits and traits that cannot be confidently attributed to either good or problematic ones. It is more accurate to call them — character traits.

Character traits say something about a person as an organism, and not about a person as a person. Character traits reflect as a person acts in a given situation (natural ways of behavior for him), and personality traits are what for what he acts (motives and direction of behavior)↑.

A person can have several characters for different situations. Sometimes this is reflected in the concept of mood: in one mood we have one character, in another mood — another. Any perfect person in different situations behaves either more openly and cheerfully, or more harshly, or more confidently. Another thing is that this often happens instinctively (read the pattern) and is not very conscious.

The basis of character (character traits) are dynamics, will and habits. Dynamics is a pattern of actions drawn by involuntary situational motivation. How will a person react in an attack situation: will he be confused and cry? Drapanet what is urine? Go towards the offender? Depending on the dynamics that have worked in a person, people will define his character in different ways: “fighter”, “coward”, “woman” … Will is the ability to gather strength in order to achieve one’s goals. A strong-willed person is a person with character. A weak-willed person and a spineless person are practically synonyms. Habits are patterns of behavior that have developed over time, ossified turns of a living character. «Sow a habit, reap a character.»

Expressiveness of character is a special characteristic. According to the level of manifestation of character traits, characters are divided into average (“normal”, with one or another accentuation of character) and beyond the norm (the character of a Psychopath). Typologies of characters were made by K. Jung, E. Kretschmer, P. B. Gannushkin, K. Leonhard, A. E. Lichko, A. P. Egides and others. See →

What character do you have and can it be corrected? Here, at Psychologos, you can pass the unique test “What is your character?” in 12 minutes. and get a detailed description of 120 traits of your character. It is curious: the more developed a person is, the more similar he is in his strengths to other developed people. In his character, such features as positive, constructive, responsibility, will and energy are necessarily expressed — and further down the list, all the standard strengths of character. Just like other developed people, he lacks problematic features, and in this sense all developed people are similar to each other. Developed people differ only in features — traits that can not be classified as either strong or problematic. Is competitiveness really a good thing or a bad thing? It depends…

Where does character come from?

Character is formed (or forged, consciously built) in the process of a person’s life from four sources: genetics, upbringing, the influence of the environment — and a person’s own choice. With regard to genetics and everything that is called innate, the character can indeed have a genetic basis and be inherited. However, it is important to remember that genes determine only a person’s propensity for something, and not the predestination of his behavior. Character is not only innate, but also acquired. The most important thing in the formation of character is education, and a person begins to acquire character traits already as a child — but at first unconsciously. Children form their own character, choosing from infancy the means of influencing their parents. Parents shape the character of their children by reinforcing certain behaviors. As a rule — unconsciously reinforcing. At an older age, the acquisition and renewal of character traits can occur both consciously and not. It is useful to consider that character is primarily our habits, and then an adult person himself can and should be responsible for his character.

There is a good phrase: «After thirty years, each person is responsible for his face.» True, to an even greater extent, each adult is responsible for his own character. That character cannot be changed is a myth. Character is not a rigid system, it determines only the inclination to act one way or another. You can correct your character, you can change your character, you can control your character. and sometimes — and just choose your character according to the requirements of a particular situation.

We emphasize: for a strong and developed person, for a person-personality, his character is his choice.

An academic perspective on character is presented here

Character in practical psychology

How to respond to the request to «fix a difficult character»? Can a counselor help a client correct someone’s difficult temper? See →