Internal and external as a psychological problem. I ammon structural test

Ammon's I-structural test (German: Ich-Struktur-Test nach Ammon, abbr. ISTA) is a clinical test method developed by G. Ammon in 1997 based on the concept of dynamic psychiatry (1976) and adapted by NIPNI. Bekhtereva Yu.A. Tupitsyn and his staff. Also, based on the test, the Mental Health Assessment Methodology was subsequently developed.

Theoretical basis

According to Ammon's personality structure theory, mental processes are based on relationships, and personality structure is a reflection of this set of relationships. The structure of the personality and the psyche is determined by a set of “I-functions” expressed to one degree or another, which together make up the identity. Therefore, according to Ammon, "mental disorders are essentially illnesses of identity." The central, core structures of the "I" are not realized, they are complex elements that are in constant interaction with each other and the environment. It follows from this that a change in one I-function always entails a change in another I-function.

According to the same theory, mental disorders are a spectrum of pathological conditions, which correspond to the existing type of organization of the personality structure. Within this framework, mental disorders are ranked as follows: endogenous mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are considered the most severe, followed by personality disorders, then neuroses, up to healthy, adequately structured personalities. For the same symptoms: addiction, obsessions, etc. - there can be various types of personality damage.

The cause of identity disorders and predisposition to the development of disorders, according to Ammon, are disturbed interpersonal relationships in significant social groups, primarily in the parental family, as a result of which there is no adequate integrative development of self-functions and general harmonization of the personality. Thus, Ammon's theory is an attempt to explain the etiology and pathogenesis of mental disorders from the point of view of psychodynamic concepts subjected to rational processing.

The main task in developing the test was the operationalization of how predominantly unconscious personality structures find their phenomenological expression in attitudes, attitudes, and behaviors. Test items describe the situations that could arise in group interpersonal interaction. The unconscious part of the "I" manifests itself in self-assessment of experience and behavior in such situations.

Internal structure

The test consists of 220 statements, with each of which the subject must express his agreement or disagreement. Statements are grouped into 18 scales, questions between the scales do not intersect.

The scales, in turn, are grouped according to the six main self-functions, which they are aimed at diagnosing. These are Aggression, Anxiety/Fear, Outer Self Delimitation, Inner Self Delimitation, Narcissism and Sexuality. Each of these functions, according to Ammon, can be constructive, destructive and deficient - which is measured by the corresponding scales (for example, constructive Aggression, destructive Sexuality, deficient Narcissism).

Brief description of R-functions

Aggression within the concept of dynamic psychiatry, it is understood as an active appeal to things and people, as a primary focus on the surrounding world and openness to it, necessary to satisfy its needs for communication and novelty. This includes the ability to make contacts, healthy curiosity, active exploration of the outside world, and perseverance in pursuit of a goal. The concept of aggressiveness also includes the potential of human activity and its ability to realize it. Aggression is formed within the framework of primary symbiotic relationships within the primary group. As a result of the indifferent or hostile attitude of the primary group towards the child, a corresponding experience of aggression is formed in him - destructive or deficient.
Anxiety / Fear is a self-function that preserves personal identity in crisis situations, integrating new experience into the personality structure. As a regulatory function, in its moderate intensity it ensures creativity, i.e. change and flexible ordering of the integrity of the "I". In pathological forms, it can completely block the activity of the individual, or deprive him of feedback on the consequences of actions. Anxiety develops normally when the golden mean between protecting the child from danger and stimulating risk is observed. In the case of the overprotective position of the primary society, the child is deprived of the opportunity to independently enrich his life experience; in an indifferent environment, a real assessment of the consequences of action and/or inaction is not formed.
Outer self-delimitation is a function that allows the individual to realize his separateness, uniqueness, first of all - from the primary object. As a result, true interpersonal interaction becomes possible, the perception of others as separate individuals. With the underdevelopment of this function, the entire "I" remains weakly differentiated, since in fact, the person is deprived of the ability for true relationships.
Inner self-delimitation is a function that regulates intrapsychic processes, differentiating logic and emotionality, the conscious and unconscious parts of the personality, actual experiences from traces of existing experience. Thus, the inner self-delimitation provides the possibility of the existence of a complexly organized personality.
narcissism determines the attitude of a person to himself, the feeling of independence of value and significance, on the basis of which interaction with the outside world is built. This applies both to the feeling of the value of oneself as a whole, and to individual parts of the body (for example, hands), mental functions (for example, emotional experiences), social roles, etc. In the case of pathological relationships in significant social groups, narcissism acquires a pathological expression, as a result of which a person, for example, can flee from reality in the world of his own fantasies.

Brief description of the content of the scales

constructive	destructive	Deficit
Aggression
Purposeful and communicative activity concerning oneself, others, objects and spiritual aspects. The ability to maintain relationships and solve problems, to form one's point of view. Actively building your own life	Misdirected, interrupting communication. destructive activity in relation to oneself, other people, objects and spiritual tasks. Disturbed regulation of aggression, destructive outbursts, devaluation of other people, cynicism, revenge	In general, lack of activity, contact with oneself, other people, things and spiritual aspects. Passivity, withdrawal into oneself, indifference, spiritual emptiness. Avoiding Rivalry and Constructive Argument
Anxiety/Fear
The ability to feel anxiety, process it, act adequately to the situation. General activation of personality, realistic assessment of danger	Overwhelming psyche fear of death or being abandoned, paralyzing behavior and communication. Avoidance of new life experiences, developmental delay	Inability to perceive fear in oneself and others, lack of a protective function and regulation of behavior in case of a danger signal
External demarcation I
Flexible access to the feelings and interests of others, the ability to distinguish between "I" and "Not-I". Regulation of relations between oneself and the outside world, between distance and proximity	Rigid closeness to the feelings and interests of others. Lack of emotional involvement, willingness to compromise. Emotionlessness, self-isolation	Inability to deny others, to differentiate oneself from others. Chameleon-like adjustment to the feelings and points of view of other people, social hyperadaptiveness
Internal demarcation I
Flexible, situationally adequate access to one's unconscious sphere, to one's feelings, needs. The ability to dream. Fantasies do not completely leave the soil of reality. The ability to distinguish between the present and the past	Lack of access to the sphere of one's own unconscious, a rigid barrier regarding one's feelings, needs. Inability to dream, poverty of fantasies and emotions, lack of connection with the history of one's life	The absence of a boundary between the conscious and unconscious spheres, the influx of unconscious experiences. Staying in the power of feelings, dreams and fantasies. Concentration and sleep disorders.
narcissism
A positive and adequate attitude towards oneself to reality, a positive assessment of one's value, abilities, interests, one's appearance, recognition of the desirability of satisfying one's significant needs, acceptance of one's weaknesses	Unrealistic self-esteem, withdrawal into one's inner world, negativism, frequent resentment and feeling misunderstood by others. Inability to accept criticism and emotional support from others	Lack of contact with oneself, a positive attitude towards oneself, recognition of one's own value. Rejection of own interests and needs. Often overlooked and forgotten
Sexuality
The ability to enjoy sexual contacts while simultaneously being able to give pleasure to a sexual partner, freedom from the fixation of sexual roles, the absence of rigid sexual stereotypes, the ability to flexible agreement based on a felt understanding of the partner.	Inability to have deep, intimate relationships. Intimacy is perceived as a burdensome duty or a threat to the loss of autistic autonomy and is therefore avoided or terminated by substitution. Sexual relationships are retrospectively perceived as traumatic, harmful, or degrading.	It is expressed by the absence of sexual desires, the poverty of erotic fantasy, the perception of sexual relations as unworthy of a person and deserving of disgust. Characterized by a low assessment of their body image and their sexual attractiveness, as well as a tendency to devalue the sexual attractiveness of others.

Detailed description of scale content

Aggression

Constructive aggression is understood as an active, active approach to life, curiosity and healthy curiosity, the ability to establish productive interpersonal contacts and maintain them, despite possible contradictions, the ability to form one's own life goals and objectives and realize them even in adverse life circumstances, to have and defend their ideas, opinions, points of view, thereby engaging in constructive discussions. Constructive aggression presupposes the presence of a developed empathic ability, a wide range of interests, a rich fantasy world. Constructive aggression is associated with the ability to openly express one's emotional experiences; it is a prerequisite for the creative transformation of the environment, one's own development and learning.

Persons showing high rates on the scale of constructive aggression are characterized by activity, initiative, openness, sociability, and creativity. They are capable of constructively overcoming difficulties and interpersonal conflicts, sufficiently identify their own main goals and interests and fearlessly defend them in constructive interaction with others. Their activity, even in confrontational situations, takes into account the interests of partners, so they, as a rule, are able to reach compromise solutions without prejudice to personally significant goals, that is, without prejudice to their own identity.

With low scores on the scale, there may be a decrease in activity, a lack of the ability to conduct a productive dialogue and a constructive discussion, no need to change living conditions, the formation of one's own personally significant goals, a tendency to avoid any confrontation due to fear of breaking symbiotic relationships or due to the lack of necessary skills in conflict resolution. They are also characterized by an unwillingness to "experiment", an undeveloped ability to adequately respond to emotional experiences in interpersonal situations. With low scores on the scale of constructive aggression, the severity of scale scores on the other two "aggressive" scales is of particular importance for interpretation. It is the ratio of the scales of "destructive" and "deficit" aggression that gives the key to understanding the nature of the "constructive" deficit.

Destructive aggression is understood as a reactive re-formation of initially constructive aggression due to special unfavorable conditions in the primary group, the parental family, in other words, destructiveness is a certain deformation of the normal ability for active, active interaction with the outside world, people and objects. Arising from the hostile, rejected attitude of the primary group and, above all, the mother to the needs of the child in gaining new life experience, i.e. psychological mastery of the gradually opening reality, which is possible only under the protection of the primary symbiosis, the destruction of aggression expresses an internalized ban on one's own autonomy. and identity. Thus, the primary potential of activity cannot be realized in the existing objective world, otherwise, aggression does not find an adequate human relationship in which it could be used. Subsequently, this is manifested by destruction directed against oneself (one's goals, plans, etc.) or the environment. At the same time, the actual situational inadequacy of aggression (in terms of intensity, direction, method or circumstances of manifestation) to the complex interpersonal space of human relations becomes the most significant feature.

In behavior, destructive aggression is manifested by a tendency to destroy contacts and relationships, in destructive actions up to unexpected breakthroughs of violence, a tendency to verbal expression of anger and rage, destructive actions or fantasies, a desire for forceful problem solving, adherence to destructive ideologies, a tendency to devalue (emotional and mental) of other people and interpersonal relationships, vindictiveness, cynicism. In cases where aggression does not find an external object for its expression, it can be directed at one's own personality, manifesting itself as suicidal tendencies, social neglect, tendencies to self-harm, or a predisposition to accidents.

Persons who show high rates on this scale are characterized by hostility, conflict, aggressiveness. As a rule, they are not able to maintain friendly relations for a long time, they are prone to confrontations for the sake of confrontation itself, they reveal excessive rigidity in discussions, in conflict situations they strive for the “symbolic” destruction of the enemy, they enjoy contemplating an insulted or humiliated “enemy”, they are distinguished by vindictiveness and vindictiveness and cruelty. Aggressiveness can manifest itself both in open outbursts of anger, impulsiveness and explosiveness, as well as expressed in excessive demands, irony or sarcasm. The energy that needs to be realized manifests itself in destructive fantasies or nightmares. Typical for such persons are also violations of emotional and, especially, volitional control, which are of a temporary or relatively permanent nature. Even in cases where the observed behavior of persons with high scores on this scale reveals an exclusively heteroaggressive orientation, a real decrease in social adaptation is clearly visible, since the described character traits usually create a negative atmosphere around the individual, objectively preventing the “normal” implementation of his conscious goals and plans. .

Deficiency aggression is understood as an early prohibition on the realization of the existing activity potential, the search for an object and interaction with it. In fact, we are talking about a deeper disorder of the central I-function. This disorder manifests itself in the form of underdevelopment of the I-function of aggression, i.e., in the unusedness of the initially given constructive predisposition to active, playful manipulation of the objective world. Such underdevelopment is associated with a severe violation of the nature of the relationship between mother and child in the preoedipal stage, when in fact the child is not supported in any way in his attempts to master the “object” in the game, thereby initially feeling the insurmountable complexity of the environment, gradually losing the desire for autonomization, exit from symbiosis and building their own identity. In contrast to the previously described situation in the development of a destructive deformation of the I-function of aggression, when pathologically modified symbiosis manifests itself in parental "prohibitions", in the formation of deficient aggression we are talking about a deficiency of the symbiosis itself, associated either with the emotional rejection of the child, or with excessive identification with him.

In behavior, deficiency aggression manifests itself in the inability to establish interpersonal contacts, warm human relations, in a decrease in objective activity, in narrowing the circle of interests, in avoiding any confrontation, conflicts, discussions and situations of “rivalry”, in a tendency to sacrifice one’s own interests, goals and plans, as well as the inability to take any responsibility and make decisions. With severe deficient aggression, the ability to openly express one's emotions, feelings and experiences, claims and preferences is significantly hindered. The lack of activity to some extent is usually subjectively compensated by unrealistic fantasies, unrealizable plans and dreams. In emotional experiences, feelings of powerlessness, incompetence and uselessness, a feeling of emptiness and loneliness, abandonment and boredom come to the fore.

Individuals showing high rates on the scale of deficient aggression are characterized by a passive life position, alienation of their own plans, interests and needs. They tend to delay making decisions and are incapable of making any significant effort to achieve their goals. In interpersonal situations, as a rule, compliance, dependence and the desire to avoid any contradictions, situations of clashes of interests and needs are observed. They often have substitutive fantasies that are little connected with reality and do not imply a real embodiment. Along with this, complaints are often noted about a feeling of inner emptiness, indifference, "chronic" dissatisfaction with everything that happens, the lack of "joy of life", a feeling of the futility of existence and the insurmountability of life's difficulties.

Anxiety

Constructive anxiety is understood as the ability of a person to withstand anxiety-related experiences; without loss of integration, integrity, identity, use anxiety to solve adaptive problems, i.e. to act in the real world, feeling its real dangers, accidents, unpredictability and the possibility of unfavorable circumstances. In this regard, constructive anxiety implies the ability to differentiate between real threats and "objectively" unfounded fears and fears, acts as a mobilizing mechanism that flexibly coordinates the level of internal activity with the real complexity of the situation that is currently being experienced, or as an inhibitory factor that warns of the probable impossibility of coping with existing difficulties. . Constructive anxiety controls the level of permissible curiosity, healthy curiosity, the limits of possible "experimentation" (active change in the situation). Being formed in a productive symbiosis, such anxiety forever retains its interpersonal character and, thus, provides an opportunity in threatening situations to seek help and accept it from others, and also, as necessary, provide all possible assistance to those who really need it.

Individuals with high scores on the scale of constructive anxiety are characterized by the ability to soberly assess the dangers of a real life situation, overcome their fear in order to realize vital tasks, goals and plans, and expand life experience. As a rule, they are able to make reasonable, balanced decisions in extreme situations, they have sufficient tolerance for disturbing experiences, which allows them to maintain integrity even in difficult situations that require a responsible choice, i.e. confirmation of identity. Anxiety in these people contributes to increased productivity and overall performance. They are communicative and can actively engage others to resolve their own doubts, fears, and fears and, in turn, can sense the distressing experiences of others and contribute to the resolution of those experiences.

At low rates on this scale, there may be an inability to differentiate between various dangers and one's own experience of experiencing threatening situations. For such people, a weakening or even a violation of the flexible emotional regulation of behavior is characteristic. The level of their activity often does not coincide with the existing difficulties of the real life situation. Depending on the indicators of the other two fear scales, either an “overwhelming”, disintegrating overestimation of the degree of danger, or its complete subjective denial, can be noted.

Destructive fear is understood as a deformation of constructive anxiety, manifested in the loss of the last function of flexible regulation of the level of activity necessary for the integration of the mental life of the individual. The roots of destructive fear as a function of the "I" lie in the preoedipal phase of ontogenesis and are associated with a violation of the nature of the relationship between mother and child. Under adverse conditions, caused, for example, by an atmosphere of "hostile symbiosis", the threat can be perceived in a generalized way, "flooding" the still weak "I" of the child, preventing the normal integration of his life experience. Thus, conditions can be created that impede the development of the ability to endure a certain level of anxiety, which is necessary for a differentiated assessment of the degree of real danger. The most significant here is the deformation of the mechanism of interpersonal interaction as the most important way to overcome the endangered threat. Anxiety in this case cannot be sufficiently "shared" and shared in symbiotic contact with the mother or the primary group, as a result of which there is an excessive frustration of a sense of security that unconsciously accompanies the person in all his relations with reality, reflecting the lack of basic trust.

In behavior, destructive fear is manifested primarily by an inadequate reassessment of real threats, difficulties, problems; excessive severity of bodily vegetative components of emotional reactions; poorly organized activity in a situation of danger, up to panic manifestations; fear of establishing new contacts and close, trusting human relationships; fear of authority; fear of any surprises; difficulty concentrating; expressed fears of one's own personal future; inability to seek help and support in difficult life situations. In cases of excessive intensity, destructive fear reveals itself in obsessions or phobias, expressed "free-floating" anxiety or "panic stupor".

Individuals with high scores on the scale of destructive fear are characterized by increased anxiety, a tendency to worry and unrest even for the most insignificant reasons, difficulties in organizing their own activity, a frequent feeling of lack of control over the situation, indecision, timidity, shyness, spontaneousness, and the severity of vegetative stigmas of anxiety ( sweating, dizziness, palpitations, etc.). As a rule, they experience serious difficulties in self-realization, expanding their often limited life experience, feel helpless in situations that require mobilization and identity confirmation, are overwhelmed with all sorts of fears about their future, and are not able to truly trust either themselves or the people around them.

Deficiency fear is understood as a significant underdevelopment of the self-function of anxiety. In contrast to the previously described destructive fear, which is mainly associated with the loss of the regulatory component of anxiety, in a deficient state of the self-function of fear, not only the regulatory, but also the most important existential signaling component of anxiety suffers. This usually manifests itself in the complete impossibility of coexisting with anxiety, that is, in the complete intolerance of experiences associated with a mental reflection of danger. In the formation of such a dysfunction, apparently, the time of occurrence of the traumatic experience is of particular importance. Here we are talking about a violation of group-dynamic relations associated with a very early period of personality development. If, during the formation of a destructive deformation of anxiety, a modified development of a constructive premise, primarily intended for alerting about danger, occurs, then with the development of the described dysfunction, this premise not only does not develop, but is often completely excluded from the arsenal of emerging adaptation mechanisms. The most important point here, as in the previously described case of the formation of destructive fear, is the interpersonal basis of the process of impaired development of the function. The specificity lies in the fact that in the "indifferent", "cold" primary symbiosis, there is no translation to the child of the fears and fears experienced by the mother related to him. The mechanism of indirect “mastery of danger”, as the perception of the changing emotional states of the mother, in an atmosphere of parental indifference turns out to be blocked, forcing sooner or later to face fear face to face. The traumatic consequences of such a collision subsequently determine the pathogenic dynamics of the development of the described function.

In behavior, deficient fear is manifested by the inability to "feel" fear in general. Often this is expressed in the fact that the objective danger is underestimated or completely ignored, not perceived by consciousness as a reality. Absent fear manifests itself intrapsychically in feelings of fatigue, boredom and spiritual emptiness. An unconscious deficit of fear experiences, as a rule, reveals itself in a pronounced desire to search for extreme situations that make it possible to feel real life with its emotional fullness at all costs, that is, to get rid of "emotional non-existence". Just as little as one's own fear, the fear of other people is perceived, which leads to a smoothing of relations and emotional non-participation, inadequacy in assessing the actions and actions of others. The acquired new life experience does not lead to development, new contacts are not mutually enriching.

Individuals with high scores on the scale of deficient fear are characterized by the absence of an anxiety reaction in both unusual and potentially dangerous situations, a tendency to take risky actions, ignoring the assessment of their likely consequences, a tendency to emotionally devalue important events, objects and relationships, for example, situations of parting with significant others, loss of loved ones, etc. Unlike people with high scores on the scale of destructive fear, people with increases on this scale usually do not experience difficulties in interpersonal contacts, however, the relationships that are established do not have sufficient emotional depth. In fact, true complicity and empathy are not available to them. With a significant severity on the scale of deficient fear, there is likely to be a substitutional tendency to use alcohol, psychotropic substances or drugs and / or associated with this stay in a criminal environment.

Outer self-delimitation

Constructive external I-delimitation is a successful attempt to build a flexible communicative border with the environment. Being formed in the process of resolving symbiotic relationships, this boundary allows for the isolation of a developing identity while maintaining the ability and opportunity for a vital exchange and productive interpersonal interaction. Symbiotic fusion is being replaced by constructive autonomy. Thus, the “I” takes shape as “a place of continuous mental experience, that is, a feeling of “I”” (Federn P.), the true existence of which is possible only with the formation of a “movable border of the “I””, separating the “I” from the “Not -I". The most important consequences of this process are the possibility of further development of identity, enrichment of life experience, regulation and control of interpersonal distance. Thus, a good “sense of reality” is formed, the ability to enter into contacts, including symbiotic ones, without the threat of reidentification and to leave them without a subsequent feeling of guilt.

High marks on the scale of constructive external I-delimitation reflect openness, sociability, sociability, good integration of internal experience associated with interpersonal activity, sufficient ability to set one's own goals and objectives, as a rule, consistent with the requirements of others, good emotional contact with external reality, maturity of emotional experiences, the ability to rationally allocate one's time and efforts, the choice of an adequate strategy of behavior in accordance with the changing current situation and one's own life plans. In situations requiring participation, people with high scores on this scale show themselves capable of helping and supporting others.

With low results on this scale, one can observe a violation of the ability to control interpersonal distance, problems of establishing optimal interpersonal contacts, a decrease in the ability to rationally use available forces, resources and time, difficulties in setting and upholding personally significant goals, tasks that are consistent with the current context of interpersonal relationships , lack of consistency of emotional experience associated with object interactions, difficulties in expanding and integrating new experiences. Depending on the indicators of other scales of the external self-delimitation, the described difficulties, problems, lack of abilities or lack of opportunities reflect the specifics of the nature of violations of the external border of the "I", whether it is excessive rigidity that prevents productive communication and exchange, or "super-permeability", which reduces autonomy and contributing to the "overflow" of external impressions and hyper-adaptation to the requirements of the outside world.

Destructive external I-delimitation is understood as a disorder of the “external” regulation of the relationship of the individual with reality, that is, interaction with the surrounding group and events of the outside world. This is expressed in “building a barrier” that prevents productive communication with the objective world. The deformation of the function of self-delimitation is formed in the preoedipal period due to the special nature of symbiotic relationships and, in turn, causes disturbances in the development and differentiation of the self, in other words, the formation of self-identity. The most important prerequisite for the formation of the outer boundaries of the "I" is the normal functioning of constructive aggression, which plays a decisive role in the study of the external world and thus allows the developing personality to learn to separate it from their own experiences. A destructive environment with its "hostile" atmosphere and a generalized ban on manifestations of activity requires "separation without communication." Activity here not only ceases to be an interpersonal connection, but also becomes a factor producing a “break” in relations. Thus, an impenetrable border is formed, which implements the “primary ban” on one's own identity. In other words, the destructive environment - otherwise the mother and / or the primary group - force the "I" of the child to develop not in their own, but in strictly prescribed, rigid boundaries prescribed by her.

In behavior, destructive external I-delimitation is expressed by the desire to avoid contacts, unwillingness to enter into a “dialogue” and conduct a constructive discussion, a tendency to hypercontrol of the manifestations of one’s own experiences and feelings, an inability to jointly search for compromises; reactive hostility to someone else's emotional expression, rejection of the problems of others and unwillingness to "let" them into their own problems; insufficient orientation in complex interpersonal reality; a feeling of emotional emptiness and a general decrease in objective activity.

Individuals with high scores on this scale are characterized by severe emotional distancing, inability to flexibly regulate interpersonal relationships, affective stiffness and closeness, emotional introversion, indifference to the difficulties, problems and needs of other people, focus on overcontrol of expressiveness, lack of initiative, uncertainty in situations requiring skills interpersonal communication, inability to accept help, passive life position.

The deficient external I-delimitation in the most general sense is understood as the insufficiency of the external border of the "I". As with the previously described destructive external I-delimitation, the functional insufficiency of the external border of the "I" reflects a violation of the process of regulating the relationship of the individual with external reality. However, here we are not talking about "hard" closure, but, on the contrary, about the superpermeability of this border. The roots of the deficiency of the external self-delimitation, as well as the deficiency states of other previously considered functions, arise in the preoedipal period. At the same time, compared with destructive states, they are associated with a more "malignant" violation of the nature of early symbiosis, which causes not so much a deformation of the process of formation of a function as a complete stop in its development. As a rule, this reflects a halt in the internal dynamics and development of the symbiotic relationship itself. The most important consequences of such "stasis" is not only the continuation of symbiosis beyond the normally necessary period - "protracted symbiosis", but also a permanent violation of the essence of symbiotic relationships. The child is absolutely not supported in his “search” for his own identity, being rigidly perceived by the mother as an unchanging “part” of herself. Of the two most important functions of the boundary: isolation and connection, in the case of a deficient external I-delimitation, the main one, which provides the possibility of internal shaping, suffers to a greater extent .

In behavior, the underdevelopment of the outer boundary is manifested by a tendency to hyper-adaptation to the external environment, the inability to establish and control interpersonal distance, excessive dependence on the requirements, attitudes and norms of others, orientation to external criteria and assessments, the inability to adequately reflect, monitor and defend one's own interests, needs, goals, the inability to clearly separate one’s feelings and experiences from the feelings and experiences of others, the inability to limit the needs of others - “the inability to say no”, doubts about the correctness of one’s own decisions and actions taken, in general, a “chameleon-like” life style.

High scores on this scale are characteristic of people who are obedient, dependent, conforming, dependent, seeking constant support and approval, protection and recognition, usually rigidly oriented towards group norms and values, identifying themselves with group interests and needs, and therefore not able to form their own, different point of view. These people are prone to symbiotic fusion, rather than equal mature partnerships, and in this regard, they, as a rule, experience significant difficulties in maintaining sustainable productive contacts and, especially, in situations where they need to be interrupted. Typical for them is the feeling of their own weakness, openness, helplessness and insecurity.

Inner self-delimitation

Constructive internal I-delimitation is a communicating barrier that separates and connects the conscious "I" and the internal environment of the individual with its unconscious feelings, instinctive urges, images of internalized objects, relationships and emotional states. Being formed as a “condensate” of a predominantly ontogenetic interpersonal experience, a constructive internal self-delimitation not only reflects the lifetime dynamics of primary group-dynamic relations (primarily the relationship between mother and child), but also separates the “stage” on which subsequently all significant soul movements. The functional significance of the inner boundary is determined both by the need to protect the developing "I" from the overwhelming inevitability of internal needs, and by the importance of the representation of the latter in the integral mental life of the individual. For an integrated identity, it is extremely important that the unconscious, however it is understood, whether it be a mentally reflected bodily process, an archaic instinctive impulse or a repressed interpersonal conflict, can communicate itself without disturbing the actual interaction with reality. Operationally, this implies the ability to have fantasies and dreams, to recognize them as such, that is, to separate them from real events and actions; it is good to differentiate objects of the external world and one's own ideas about them; the ability to allow feelings into consciousness and manifest them, separating the real and unreal aspects of feeling and not allowing emotions to undividedly determine personal activity; accurately distinguish between different states of consciousness, such as sleep and wakefulness, differentiate various bodily states (fatigue, exhaustion, hunger, pain, etc.), commensurate them with the actual situation. One of the most important manifestations of the constructiveness of the internal I-delimitation is also the possibility of separating the temporal aspects of experience while maintaining the continuity of the sense of "I", as well as the ability to distinguish thoughts and feelings, attitudes and actions while maintaining a sense of their integral subject belonging.

Persons with high scores on this scale are characterized by a good ability to distinguish between external and internal, differentiation of perception of internal experiences, bodily sensations and their own activity, the ability to flexibly use the possibilities of sensory and emotional comprehension of reality, as well as intuitive decisions without losing control over reality, good controllability of bodily states, the generally positive nature of inner experience, the ability for sufficient mental concentration, a high overall orderliness of mental activity.

At low rates on the scale of constructive internal I-delimitation, there may be a mismatch of emotional experience, an imbalance of internal and external, thoughts and feelings, emotions and actions; violations of the experience of a sense of time, the inability to flexibly control emotional and bodily processes, to consistently articulate one's own needs; non-differentiation of perception and description of different mental states; deficiency of the ability to productive mental concentration. The functional insufficiency of the inner border is manifested in a violation of interaction with unconscious processes, which, depending on the indicators on other scales of the internal I-delimitation, reflects either a “hard” suppression of the unconscious, or the absence of a sufficient intrapsychic barrier.

Destructive internal I-delimitation is understood as the presence of a rigidly fixed “barrier” that separates the “I”, otherwise the center of conscious experiences, from other intrapsychic structures. Decisive here, as well as with a destructive external self-delimitation, is the violation of the "permeability" of the border. The boundary in this case does not so much delimit the autonomized "I" as delimit it, depriving it of a natural connection with the unconscious. Instead of a functional differentiation of a single mental space, there is an actual isolation of its individual parts, hyper-adapted to various requirements - the claims of the external world and internal instinctive urges. If the constructive internal I-delimitation is an internalized experience of the gradual resolution of the preoedipal symbiosis, i.e., the experience of harmonious interpersonal interaction that flexibly takes into account the changing structure of the needs of the growing child, then the destructive internal I-delimitation, in fact, is the internalization of the rigid protection of the mother and family from his (child's) natural requirements. Thus, the boundary as an “organ” for displaying the child’s internal needs, based on a libidinal attitude towards him and narcissistic support, as a guarantee of mandatory acceptance and future satisfaction of his needs, is transformed into its opposite.

In behavior, the destructive inner self-delimitation is manifested by the dissociation of the conscious and the unconscious, the past, present and future, the actual and potentially present, the imbalance of thoughts and feelings, emotions and actions, a rigid orientation towards a purely rational comprehension of reality, which does not allow intuitive and sensual decisions, mismatch bodily and mental life, inability to fantasies, dreams, a certain impoverishment of emotional experiences and impressions due to the often hypertrophied tendency to rationalize and verbalize sensory images; desensitization of bodily sensations, i.e. insensitivity to the essential needs of the body (sleep, thirst, hunger, fatigue, etc.); the rigidity of the defense mechanisms used, separating the emotional components of impressions and projecting them into the external world.

Persons with high scores on this scale give the impression of formal, dry, overly businesslike, rational, pedantic, insensitive. They dream little and almost do not fantasize, do not strive for warm partnerships, are not capable of deep empathy. The inability to adequately perceive their own feelings and needs makes these people insensitive to the emotions and needs of others, the real world of the living people around them can be replaced by a set of their own projections. In intellectual activity, they tend to systematize and classify. In general, an overly rationalized consciousness is complemented by an overly irrationalized unconscious, which often manifests itself in inappropriate actions and deeds, accidents, and accidental injuries.

Deficient internal I-delimitation is understood as insufficient formation of the internal border of the "I". This boundary arises in the process of structural differentiation of the mental and marks the possibility of the formation of a truly autonomous "I". In this regard, the insufficiency of the inner boundary is, in a certain sense, a basic underdevelopment of personality structures that hinders the formation of other intrapsychic formations. Like the destructive inner self-delimitation, the deficiency of the inner boundary reflects the interpersonal dynamics of the preoedipal period, but here the “pathology” of relationships is deeper, less likely to be realized by the mother, and, apparently, refers to the earliest stages of the ontogeny of the child. In fact, such relationships can be of a different nature, exist, for example, in the form of a clichéd reproduction of normatively assigned roles, or, on the contrary, be characterized by extreme inconsistency of behavior. In any case, the mother is unable to perform the most important function of the developing symbiosis, associated with the constant "training" of the child in the skills of coping with her own needs. Since in this period the external world exists for the child only as changing internal sensations, it is extremely important to teach him to differentiate his own various states and to distinguish the latter from external objects. In this regard, the stoppage of the internal dynamics of the development of the symbiotic relationship itself, described above (the scale of deficient external I-delimitation), is especially unfavorable, which, combined with the inability of the mother to correctly identify the actual needs and needs of the child, leads to the formation of a functional insufficiency of the internal border, i.e. deficit inner self-delimitation. In contrast to the destructive internal self-delimitation, during the formation of which the formation of a “false” identity nevertheless occurs, in the case under consideration, the interpersonal dynamics of the primary group prevents the development of any kind of identity.

In behavior, the weakness of the inner boundary of the "I" is expressed by a tendency to excessive fantasizing, unbridled daydreaming, in which the imaginary can hardly be separated from reality. Consciousness is often "flooded" with poorly controlled images, feelings, emotions, the experience of which is not able to differentiate them from external objects, situations and relationships associated with them. Poorly structured inner experience, as a rule, can only be mechanically replenished, remaining almost always too closely connected with specific situations and the emotions and affects experienced in them. The experience of time is practically absent, since the experience of the present, as a rule, absorbs both the past - due to a certain weakness in the ability to distinguish the previously experienced affect from the momentary - and the future - due to the difficulties of differentiating the imaginary and the real. The possibilities of realistic perception and regulation of one's own bodily processes are noticeably reduced. On the one hand, actualized needs are subject to immediate satisfaction and practically cannot be postponed; on the other hand, many real “bodily needs” can remain without any attention for a long time. Behavior as a whole is inconsistent, often chaotic and disproportionate to the current life situation.

Persons with high scores on the scale of deficient internal I-delimitation are characterized by impulsiveness, weakness of emotional control, a tendency to exalted states, insufficient balance of actions and decisions, “overcrowding” with disparate, diverse feelings, images or thoughts, extreme inconsistency in interpersonal relationships, inability to to sufficient concentration of efforts, poor regulation of bodily processes. Very high scores on this scale may indicate a prepsychotic or psychotic state. In behavior then, inadequacy, disorganization and disintegration, often perceived as pretentiousness and absurdity, come to the fore.

narcissism

Constructive narcissism is understood as a positive self-image of the individual, based on a sense of self-worth and based on the positive experience of interpersonal contacts. The main attributes of such a perception of oneself and self-image are both the realism of assessments, in which the most important, in a good sense, unbiased, friendly, "participating" relations of a significant environment are internalized, and integrity, which includes a general positive attitude towards oneself as a person, to individual areas. their existence, their own actions, feelings, thoughts, bodily processes, sexual experiences. Such a holistic realistic acceptance of oneself in its various manifestations allows one to freely give oneself to the power of other people's assessments, without trying, either consciously or unconsciously, to form a positive idea of oneself, carefully covering up one's own weaknesses. In other words, constructive narcissism means a marked convergence of such integrations as "I" for myself" and "I" for others. No matter how one understands the nature of narcissism in general, constructive narcissism characterizes the sufficient maturity of the individual's interpersonal potentials and "healthy" self-sufficiency. These are not “fantasies of omnipotence” and not the delight of sensual pleasure, but a feeling of joy from the growing possibilities of self-realization in the complex world of human relations.

In behavior, constructive narcissism manifests itself as the ability to adequately evaluate oneself, truly fully perceive one’s capabilities and realize them, feel one’s strength and competence, forgive oneself for mistakes and mistakes, learning the necessary lessons and thereby increasing one’s life potential. Constructive narcissism reveals itself in the ability to enjoy one's own thoughts, feelings, fantasies, insights, intuitive decisions and actions, correctly perceiving their real value, it allows the individual to fully experience his bodily life and provides the opportunity to establish various interpersonal relationships in accordance with his inner motivations. . Constructive narcissism makes it possible to painlessly experience temporary loneliness, without experiencing feelings of longing or boredom. Constructive narcissism allows a person to sincerely forgive others for their mistakes and delusions, to love and be loved, while maintaining internal integrity, independence and autonomy.

Individuals with high scores on this scale are characterized by high self-esteem, self-esteem, healthy ambition, realism in the perception of themselves and others, openness in interpersonal contacts, a variety of interests and motivations, the ability to enjoy life in its various manifestations, emotional and spiritual maturity, the ability to resist the unfavorable development of events, unfriendly assessments and actions of others without harming oneself and the need to use defensive forms that seriously distort reality.

With low scores on the scale of constructive narcissism, as a rule, we are talking about insecure, dependent, dependent people who react painfully to other people's assessments and criticism, intolerant of their own weaknesses and the shortcomings of others. For such people, communication difficulties are typical, they are not able to maintain warm trusting relationships in general, or, establishing and maintaining them, they cannot maintain their own goals and preferences. The sensory life of people with low scores on this scale is often impoverished or too "unusual", the range of interests is narrow and specific. The weakness of emotional control and the lack of a full-fledged communicative experience do not allow these people to sufficiently feel the fullness of life.

Destructive narcissism is understood as a distortion or impairment of a person's ability to realistically feel, perceive and evaluate himself. Being formed in the process of deformed symbiotic relationships, destructive narcissism absorbs the preoedipal experience of negative interpersonal interactions and actually represents a reactive protective experience of the insufficiency of a tender and caring attitude towards the growing "I" of the child. Thus, destructive narcissism is, as it were, “woven” from insults, fears, aggressive feelings, prejudices, prejudices, refusals, prohibitions, disappointments and frustrations that arise in the interaction of the child and mother, i.e., reflects the unconscious destructive dynamics of the primary group-dynamic field and subsequent reference groups. The most important feature of destructive narcissism is the temporary and intense instability of the attitude towards oneself, which manifests itself in underestimation or overestimation of oneself, while the range of fluctuations is determined by fantasies of grandeur, on the one hand, and ideas of low value, on the other. Attitude towards oneself cannot be stabilized due to the impossibility of objectifying it in the "mirror" of interpersonal interaction. The previous negative symbiotic experience of demonstrating one's true weak undifferentiated "I" makes one avoid mutual contacts in a wide range of situations that require confirmation of one's own identity. Communication with the environment acquires an accentuated one-sided character, in this regard, as a rule, the mismatch between internal self-esteem and the unconsciously assumed assessment of oneself by others deepens. The degree of this mismatch determines the intensity of the need for narcissistic validation and narcissistic support from outside. The main problem with this is the impossibility of obtaining such a "narcissistic nutrition". Constantly controlling the communicative process, the destructively narcissistic "I" is fenced off from the subjective activity of the Other, the other ceases to be the Other, the necessary dialogue turns into an ongoing monologue.

At the behavioral level, destructive narcissism is manifested by an inadequate assessment of oneself, one’s actions, abilities and capabilities, a distorted perception of others, excessive alertness in communication, intolerance to criticism, low tolerance for frustrations, fear of close, warm, trusting relationships and the inability to establish them, the need for public confirmation of their significance and value, as well as a tendency to build an autistic world that fences off from real interpersonal interactions. Often there is also a feeling of inseparability and incomprehension by others of subjectively important experiences and feelings, interests and thoughts, a feeling of hostility of others, up to paranoid reactions, a feeling of boredom and joylessness of existence.

High scores on this scale reflect the pronounced inconsistency of self-esteem, the inconsistency of its individual components, instability of attitude towards oneself, difficulties in interpersonal contacts, extreme resentment, excessive caution, closeness in communication, a tendency to constantly control one's own expression, restraint, spontaneousness, "super insight" up to suspicion. Facade impeccability is often accompanied by excessive demands and intransigence towards the shortcomings and weaknesses of others; a high need to be in the center of attention, to receive recognition from others, is combined with intolerance to criticism and a tendency to avoid situations in which a real external assessment of one's own properties can occur, and the inferiority of interpersonal communication is compensated by a pronounced tendency to manipulate.

Deficiency narcissism is understood as the insufficiency of the ability to form a holistic attitude towards oneself, to develop a differentiated idea of one's own personality, one's abilities and capabilities, as well as to realistically evaluate oneself. Deficit narcissism is a rudimentary state of self-sufficiency and autonomy. Compared with destructive narcissism, here we are talking about a deeper violation of the central self-function, leading to an almost complete inability to perceive the uniqueness and uniqueness of one’s own existence, to attach importance to one’s desires, goals, motives and actions, to defend one’s own interests and to have independent views, opinions and points of view. Like the previously described deficient states of other self-functions, deficient narcissism is primarily associated with the atmosphere and the nature of the preoedipal interaction. At the same time, unlike, for example, destructive narcissism, it reflects a significantly different mode of interactional processes. If the environment that causes the destructive deformation of narcissism is characterized by “too human” relationships with their inconsistency, inconsistency, fears, resentments, feelings of being bypassed and injustice, then the atmosphere of deficient narcissism is coldness, indifference and indifference. Thus, instead of the "distorting mirror" of destruction, there is only the "emptiness" of scarcity. It should be noted that physical care and care for a growing child can be impeccable, but they are formal, focused on purely external conventional norms and do not reflect personal, subjective participation. In fact, it is precisely this lack of love, tenderness and proper human care that prevents the child from forming his own boundaries, separating himself and becoming a primary I-identity and, in the future, almost fatally predetermines a deep “narcissistic hunger”.

In behavior, deficit narcissism is manifested by low self-esteem, pronounced dependence on others, the inability to establish and maintain “full-fledged” interpersonal contacts and relationships without prejudice to one’s interests, needs, life plans, difficulties in identifying one’s own motives and desires, views and principles, and the associated excessive identification with the norms, values, needs and goals of the immediate environment, as well as the poverty of emotional experiences, the general background of which is joylessness, emptiness, boredom and forgetfulness. Intolerance to loneliness and a pronounced unconscious desire for warm, symbiotic contacts in which one can completely "dissolve", thereby sheltering oneself from unbearable fears of real life, personal responsibility and one's own identity.

High marks on this scale characterize people who are unsure of themselves, their capabilities, strength and competence, hiding from life, passive, pessimistic, dependent, overly conforming, incapable of genuine human contacts, striving for symbiotic fusion, feeling their uselessness and inferiority, constantly needing in narcissistic "nutrition" and incapable of constructive interaction with life and always content only with the role of passive recipients.

Sexuality

Constructive sexuality is understood as a purely human opportunity to receive mutual pleasure from physical, bodily sexual interaction, which is experienced as a mature unity of personalities free from fears and feelings of guilt. It is especially important in this case that such unity is not burdened by any role fixations, social obligations or aspirations and is not determined solely by biological needs. His only self-sufficient goal is unconditional bodily, mental and spiritual fusion. Constructive sexuality involves genuine acceptance of a partner and confirmation of one's own I-identity, in other words, it is the ability to enter into sexual contact, feeling the living reality of this unique partner and maintaining a sense of inner authenticity. Another important aspect of constructive sexuality is the ability to emerge from sexual symbiosis without a destructive sense of guilt and loss, but, on the contrary, experiencing the joy of mutual enrichment. Being formed in the process of resolving childhood symbiosis, constructive sexuality presupposes the successful overcoming of not only the preoedipal, but also subsequent oedipal and pubertal age crises. As a self-function, constructive sexuality has a basic, fundamental meaning, however, in its development, it itself needs a certain, necessary minimum of constructiveness. For its successful formation, along with the integration of polymorphic infantile sexuality, there must be sufficiently developed constructive functions of the "I", primarily constructive aggression, constructive fear, stable communicating boundaries of the "I".

In behavior, constructive sexuality is manifested by the ability to enjoy sexual contacts while simultaneously being able to please a sexual partner, freedom from fixed sexual roles, the absence of rigid sexual stereotypes, a tendency to erotic play and erotic fantasy, the ability to enjoy the variety and richness of experiences that arise in a sexual situation, the absence of sexual prejudices and openness to new sexual experiences, the ability to communicate their sexual desires to a partner and understand his feelings and desires, the ability to feel responsible and show warmth, care and devotion in sexual partnerships. Constructive sexuality is not so much a wide range of acceptable forms of sexual activity as the ability for flexible negotiation based on a felt understanding of the partner. High rates on this scale are typical for sensitive, mature people who are able to establish close partnerships, who understand their needs well and feel the needs of another, who are able to communicate and realize their own sexual desires without exploitation and impersonal manipulation of others, who are capable of mutually enriching the exchange of sensory experiences and sensory experience. , not fixed on any clichéd ways of sexual behavior; as a rule, they have a fairly developed sexual repertoire with a variety and differentiation of erotic components, which, however, are well integrated and reflect the integral, natural activity of the individual.

At low rates on the scale of constructive sexuality, there is an insufficient ability for partner sexual interaction, sexual activity is either too instrumentalized, stereotyped, or depleted. In any case, there is an inability to sexual "play", the partner is perceived and acts only as an object to satisfy their own sexual desires. Erotic fantasies acquire a clearly egocentric character or are absent altogether. Sexual activity almost always takes place outside the here and now situation. The specific nature of the violation of the function of sexuality is reflected by the predominant increase in indicators on one of the two subsequent scales.

Destructive sexuality is a deformation of the development of the function of sexuality, manifested in a violation of the process of integration of sexual activity in the holistic behavior of the individual. In fact, sexuality turns out to be split off from I-identity and, thereby, pursues its own autonomous goals, often inconsistent with other manifestations of the “I”. Such goals may, for example, be an actualized desire for purely sexual satisfaction associated with the excitation of one or another erogenous zone, the need for recognition and admiration, the desire to prove sexual superiority, following a socially prescribed role, aggressive urge, etc. Central here is distortion internalized unconscious group dynamics that turns sexuality from a means of deepening communication, achieving intimacy, trust and intimacy into a way of avoiding truly human contact. The place of partner symbiosis, unity of feelings, thoughts and experiences is occupied by selfish isolation. Both the partner and the individual components of one's own sexual activity are instrumentalized and used manipulatively to achieve sexual pleasure. Feelings experienced by others are ignored or object exploited. The relationship is closed and is not at all aimed at any “discovery” of the partner, the desire to feel his uniqueness and uniqueness, “... the boundaries of the other either do not cross at all, there is no opening of the other, or they intersect, but in a way that offends the dignity partner physically, mentally or spiritually. The source and core of destructive sexuality is the deformed, mostly unconscious, dynamics of symbiotic relationships. The cornerstone of this deformation is a misunderstanding or ignorance of the bodily needs and developing sensitivity of the child. Specific forms of symbiotic interaction distortion can range from primary group hostility to polymorphic manifestations of infantile sexuality to excessive insularity of relationships in which all interactions associated with the child are eroticized regardless of his real desires. Thus, the mother's primary lack of ability to deal with proximity and distance in accordance with the needs of the other, her lack of freedom from sexual prejudices and/or even the general unconscious rejection of the child create the prerequisites for developmental disorders of the "healthy" mode of the primary experience of the developing "I", i.e. e. the process of formation of psychosexual identification.

In behavior, destructive sexuality is manifested by unwillingness or inability for deep, intimate relationships. Human intimacy is often perceived as a burdensome duty or a threat to autistic autonomy, and is therefore avoided or cut short by substitution. Instead of a holistic personality, only its separate fragments participate in the contact. The sexual activity thus split off insultingly ignores the integrity of the other, giving the sexual relationship the character of impersonality, anonymity, alienation. Sexual interest turns out to be fetishized in a broad sense and strictly connected only with certain qualities of the partner. Erotic fantasies and sexual games are exclusively autistic in nature. The sexual repertoire is usually rigid and may not fit within the partner's acceptability range. Destructive sexuality is also characterized by the presence of pronounced negative emotions after sexual excesses. Sexual relationships are retrospectively perceived as traumatic, harmful, or degrading. In this regard, feelings of guilt, a sense of degradation or an experience of being “used” are often noted. The extreme manifestations of destructive sexuality include diverse sexual perversions: various types of sexual abuse, including child abuse, sadomasochism, exhibitionism, voyeurism, fetishism, pedophilia, gerontophilia, necrophilia, sodomy, etc. to spiritually filled, emotionally rich sexual experiences; avoiding emotional intimacy, trust and warmth. The place of true interest in a sexual partner is usually occupied by some particular exciting element, for example, novelty, unusualness, features of secondary sexual characteristics, etc. Destructive sexuality can manifest itself in various forms of aggressive behavior: from scandalousness to open manifestations of physical violence and/or self-destructive tendencies. Sexual excess is rarely experienced by them as genuine "here and now."

Deficiency sexuality is understood as a delayed in its development I-function of sexuality. It means a generalized prohibition in the manifestation of sexual activity. Unlike destructive deformation, deficient sexuality implies the maximum possible rejection of real sexual contacts, which can occur only under strong pressure from external circumstances. In fact, we are talking about the rejection of one's own and others' physicality. Physical contact is perceived as an unacceptable intrusion, the subjective meaninglessness of which is predetermined by the perception of what is happening as only a mechanistic interaction. The main thing here is the loss of the ability to feel the interhuman, intersubjective basis of sexual actions. Thus, the meaning of any erotic or sexual situation turns out to be sharply depleted and, often, is presented as an “indecent” manifestation of a purely “animal” nature. In other words, sexuality is not perceived as a necessary component of purely human communication and, as a result, cannot be adequately integrated into interpersonal communications. Deficient sexuality does not allow interpersonal contacts to reach any depth and, thus, in many respects really determines the “threshold value” of interactions. Like other deficient functions, deficient sexuality begins to form in the preoedipal period, but a specific condition for its development is a pronounced lack of a positive, bodily pleasure experience of interaction with the mother. If deficient aggression arises due to an indifferent attitude to manifestations, primarily of the child’s motor activity, the mother’s lack of fantasies that create a “playing field of symbiosis”, then deficient sexuality is a consequence of the environment’s indifference to the child’s bodily manifestations and the extreme insufficiency of gentle tactile contact with him. The result of this "non-interaction" is a strong archaic fear of abandonment and a lack of narcissistic confirmation, which, as a generalized fear of contact and a feeling of rejection of one's own corporeality, determine par exelens all subsequent mental dynamics of sexual activity.

In behavior, deficient sexuality is expressed primarily by the absence of sexual desires, the poverty of erotic fantasizing, the perception of sexual relations as "dirty", sinful, unworthy of a person and deserving of disgust. Own sexual activity is most often associated with fear. At the same time, fear colors the entire sphere of gender relations and can manifest itself as fear of infection or moral decline, fear of touch or sexual dependence. Often there is an unformed sexual repertoire, a complete inability to sexual "game", the presence of a large number of prejudices. Behavioral manifestations of deficient sexuality are characterized by a low assessment of one's body image and one's sexual attractiveness, as well as a tendency to devalue the sexual attractiveness of others. In general, interpersonal relationships are rarely truly full-blooded, they prefer fictitious "princes" or "princesses" to real potential sexual partners. Often deficient sexuality accompanies impotence in men and frigidity in women.

Persons with high scores on the scale of deficient sexuality are characterized by low sexual activity, the desire to avoid sexual contacts up to their complete rejection, and the tendency to replace real sexual relations with fantasies. Such people are not able to experience joy from their own body, communicate their desires and needs to others, and are easily lost in situations that require sexual identification. Sexual desires and claims of others are perceived by them as threatening their own identity. They are characterized by insufficient emotional fullness even of significant interpersonal relationships. The lack of sexual experience usually causes a "too serious" attitude towards life, a poor understanding of people, as well as life in general.

Validation

This version of the ISTA is the Russian equivalent of the last author's version of the questionnaire, revised in 1997. As part of the adaptation procedures, a double (German-Russian and Russian-German) translation of the text of the test statements was carried out, the psychological meaning of individual questions was compared and agreed upon, the validity and reliability indicators of the scales were studied, and test scores were re-standardized.

The validity of the test is primarily based on Gunther Ammon's theoretical ideas about the structural and dynamic features of the central self-functions. In accordance with the human-structural concept of personality, a number of statements have been selected that allow registering behavioral manifestations that display a predominantly unconscious I-structure. Thus, ISTA is built on a rational principle, based on conceptual validity and implicitly contains the experience of psychoanalytically oriented observation.

In the present version of the questionnaire, the coordination of the psychological meaning of the proposed items with German counterparts was carried out on the basis of an expert opinion developed by a group of expert psychologists, who, in turn, relied on the operationalization definitions of the studied central personality formations of G. Ammon's human-structural concept.

In particular, in full accordance with theoretical concepts, groups of scales that evaluate the constructive destructive and deficient components of R-functions show a high positive correlation within the group. At the same time, “constructive” scales strongly negatively correlate with “destructive” and “deficient” scales.

The questionnaire was restandardized on a group of 1,000 subjects aged 18 to 53, mostly with secondary or secondary specialized education.

Psychometric characteristics of the test

Construct validity

The reliability of the test lies in its ability to identify the desired trait, and according to this characteristic, the I-structural test distinguishes traits much better in a population of patients, rather than healthy people. This is due to the fact that in the test there are statements that are extremely rare for healthy people.

Internal correlation

As expected, the indicators of all constructive scales correlate with each other, just as the indicators of all destructive and deficient scales correlate with each other, forming a common "health factor" and "pathology factor".

External validity

ISTA predictably and significantly correlates with the scales of the Giessen Personality Inventory, Life Style Index, Symptomatic SCL-90-R Questionnaire, MMPI.

Interpretation

Scoring

Only affirmative answers are taken into account - "Yes" (True)

Scale	constructive	destructive	Deficit
Aggression	1, 8, 26, 30, 51, 74, 112, 126, 157, 173, 184, 195, 210	2, 4, 6, 63, 92, 97, 104, 118, 132, 145, 168, 175, 180, 203	25, 28, 39, 61, 66, 72, 100, 102, 150, 153, 161, 215
Anxiety/Fear	11, 35, 50, 94, 127, 136, 143, 160, 171, 191, 213, 220	32, 47, 54, 59, 91, 109, 128, 163, 178, 179, 188	69, 75, 76, 108, 116, 131, 149, 155, 170, 177, 181, 196, 207, 219
External demarcation I	23, 36, 58, 89, 90, 95, 99, 137, 138, 140, 176	3, 14, 37, 38, 46, 82, 88, 148, 154, 158, 209	7, 17, 57, 71, 84, 86, 120, 123, 164, 166, 218
Internal demarcation I	5, 13, 21, 29, 42, 98, 107, 130, 147, 167, 192, 201	10, 16, 55, 80, 117, 169, 185, 187, 193, 200, 202, 208	12, 41, 45, 49, 52, 56, 77, 119, 122, 125, 172, 190, 211
narcissism	18, 34, 44, 73, 85, 96, 106, 115, 141, 183, 189, 198	19, 31, 53, 68, 87, 113, 162, 174, 199, 204, 206, 214	9, 24, 27, 64, 79, 101, 103, 111, 124, 134, 146, 156, 216
Sexuality	15, 33, 40, 43, 48, 65, 78, 83, 105, 133, 139, 151, 217	20, 22, 62, 67, 70, 93, 110, 129, 142, 159, 186, 194, 197	60, 81, 114, 121, 135, 144, 152, 165, 182, 205, 212

Convert to T-points

Raw points are converted to T-points using the following formula:

T = 50 + \frac(10(X - M))(\sigma)

where X is the raw score, and M and δ are the values taken from the table:

Scale	Median	Deviation
A1	9,12	2,22
A2	6,35	3,00
A3	4,56	2,06
C1	7,78	2,21
C2	3,42	1,98
C3	4,53	2,20
O1	7,78	2,23
O2	3,40	1,65
O3	7,90	2,23
O//1	9,14	2,06
O//2	3,97	1,65
O//3	6,78	2,49
H1	8,91	2,08
H2	4,17	1,98
H3	2,56	2,03
Ce1	9,26	2,86
Ce2	5,00	2,58
Ce3	2,79	2,14

Scale interpretation

The scales are not interpreted separately, their combination is much more important. A certain idea about the meaning of the characteristics measured by each scale, and the self-functions of the personality can be obtained from the description of the test

Interpretation of scale combinations

Constructive aggression correlates well with constructive narcissism, which reveals a person who is constructively directed to the world around him, with adequate self-esteem.

Destructive aggression correlates positively with constructive aggression and other constructive scales. This is consistent with the concept underlying the test, according to which a healthy person must have a certain destructive potential in order to brush aside outdated norms and rules from you in time, to reevaluate the existing experience in time. However, when combined with deficient aggression, auto-aggressive tendencies can be expected. The combination of destructive aggression with deficient anxiety deprives the individual of the opportunity to correct his behavior, foreseeing the consequences of aggression. The combination of destructive aggression with deficient anxiety and destructive narcissism supports the assumption that the ease of narcissistic frustration finds its outlet simultaneously in increased aggressiveness and repressed anxiety.

Deficiency Aggression often combined with destructive anxiety, deficient external I-delimitation, destructive internal self-delimitation and deficit narcissism. This combination is characteristic of the depressive spectrum of mental disorders.

Frequent combination destructive anxiety and deficiency anxiety is consistent with the psychoanalytic view that psychological defenses of the type of avoidance and repression are interrelated. In addition, destructive anxiety is strongly correlated with destructive internal self-delimitation, which is also consistent with the idea that expressed anxiety reduces sensitivity to oneself, and with deficient external self-delimitation, which may indicate a regression mechanism and the search for an object for protection. myself.

In the same time constructive anxiety correlates with constructive inner self-delimitation, which also confirms the hypothesis of the mental function of anxiety as part of the personality.

Clinical Significance

The test is not a clinical psychodiagnostic tool in the full sense of the word. It has no nosological specification, and is based on psychoanalytic views.

On the other hand, the test was developed, validated and adapted on groups of mentally ill patients, and is intended for clinical use. It is focused on diagnosing the development of the personality structure in mentally ill patients, which is of great importance in the development of a mental disorder model and a psychotherapeutic treatment scheme.

According to Ammon, each person has constructive, destructive (destructive) and deficient (undeveloped) personal inclinations, which have a strictly individual expression. A correct assessment of the personality structure of each patient - often without taking into account the nosological and symptomatic specification - is an important step towards a deep understanding of intrapsychic processes. This, in turn, is the main component of the psychotherapeutic process, including the psychoanalysis of the mentally ill. In addition, a certain personality structure determines certain response styles in the group process, which should also be used by the psychotherapist.

The final goal of psychotherapy is to fill the deficit of the "I", restore a healthy core of the personality and the full development of a person's identity. It is also possible to assess the degree of change in this process using a test.

Thus, Ammon's I-structural test is recommended for psychological testing at the beginning of therapy (individual, group), tracking personal changes during treatment and evaluating the final result.

Stimulus material

Questionnaire form

Answer form

Literature

Kabanov M.M., Neznanov N.G. Essays on dynamic psychiatry. St. Petersburg: NIPNI im. Bekhtereva, 2003.

Many people ask this question and try to answer it in their own way. I also decided to answer this particular question in my own way.

I externally asked myself internally:

- Who am I?

- At the moment, I am not who I want to become, but who I have already become at the moment here and now.

I am not someone at the moment who wants to play a role in the future, I am someone who is already playing a specific role in the here and now. If now, at the moment, I write and print. So, I am a writer typing this text on a computer and no one else.

The person who cognizes his outer space, and not himself, is far from the correct answer to this question, because he cognizes the outer space in a divided and disunited state from himself, as something concrete and separate in the form of a thing, phenomenon, concept or their definitions.

For him, everything exists, namely, only there, outside of him, separately from him, and he abstracts from his inner self, considering that his outer space is his real and real world of life and everything that surrounds him. For him, the knowledge of external objects, phenomena, concepts and their definitions is the meaning of life, the reality of being.

It is easier to understand the essence of the outer self and answer the question:

WHO AM I OUTSIDE?

The outer self is known easily and is mainly limited to playing a specific role in cohabitation with and in relation to its own kind in the moment here and now, for example:

In the family I am a husband, father, son, brother, at work I am a third-class specialist in the installation of boilers and units, a first-class confectioner, shoemaker, pilot, etc. In transport, I am either a driver or a passenger, or a controller, among friends I am a friend, and with a mistress, a lover, etc.

In external space, there is a point of a specific role-playing game, which a person falls into, based on conventions, causes and circumstances, and can easily explain what role he plays at this point.

In what convention a person is, how the point of a role-playing game is, that and the role he will play, badly or well, this is another question. Roles change very quickly and actions, thoughts and words of a person change too.

Outwardly, a person is always many-sided, although he has only one face.

It is interesting that a person who is constantly changing externally depending on conventions and circumstances, internally always remains the same. It is the inner self that makes it the way it is. The inner self does not want to change, under any external conditions and circumstances, although the outer self is constantly changing. It always seems to a person that he is constantly different, but this is an illusion of a mirror image of role-playing games. The Inner Self always accepts itself as it is for itself, because it is so comfortable, cozy, convenient to cohabit with itself. And when you have to change based on external role-playing games, then the inner Self begins to feel discomfort, because the roles are nasty, humiliating, bad, not prestigious, not respected by people, etc.

The manifestation of variability in external space should more often be considered as the need to adapt to the conditions in which the external Self falls in the moment here and now, otherwise a person simply cannot survive. But the inner self, as it were, adapts only to itself and to no one else.

The outer self is in a state of separation and dissociation from the inner self, they constantly quarrel, cannot find a common language, constantly sort things out, contradict each other, argue, etc.

The external and internal I do not exist on their own, because they have one common I of a person, as I am the self of myself, I am the personality of myself. One common I has an inner ESSENCE, which is the mistress of all I in a person.

The Inner Self is the inner Self-ESSENCE.

For almost all people, it is a very serious problem to answer the question: Who am I - inner?

There are a lot of assumptions, conjectures, theories, conjectures, hypotheses, etc., which none of them has a truly correct answer.

To be honest, no one knows exactly who I am - INNER.

Inside each of us lives a cult of his personality. This cult is cultivated by every person through ego, egocentrism, inner self.

A person's subjective assessment of his internal self is projected into his external self through a mirror image and manifests itself in the action, deed, behavior of a person, creating around himself a circle of communication or alienation, interaction or inaction with his own kind in the moment here and now, depending on the point of his own being in the situation in which he is forced to be what the situation of the moment here and now forces him to be.

A person always acts in two states: in a state of ignorance or knowledge.

Actions in a state of ignorance always backfire, to put it mildly.

Through his outer self, a person cognizes external matter, its external manifestations, through the inner self, a person tries to cognize his inner essence.

Because the inner self never changes, then there is no reason to know it, and it is so clear that the inner self is what it is.

But it is difficult to answer what or who I am in essence, without dividing the I into internal and external.

The knowledge of the outer Self by a person is a natural necessity, concluded in his survival in the harsh conditions of reality. But this is the instinct of self-preservation in us.

If a person plays his role very naturally and competently, then other people begin to believe him and in some cases play along. Trust is based on faith. Fraudsters, adventurers, swindlers, know this and try to play their roles very talentedly, they easily enter the trust of gullible people and deceive them.

During his life, in the external, a person becomes an old man, a pensioner, goes on a well-deserved rest and turns into something that, in fact, no one needs, if he is very sick, then all the more so, only a burden and general tension of all his loved ones.

It is a great blessing for a person that he still has not known his inner self, he has only learned to imagine about it, to build theories and hypotheses.

And this suggests the idea that a person with his inner self can be known endlessly in any of his life. Knowing your inner self makes it possible to know yourself ETERNALLY, and this is very beautiful. Live yourself in any situation and any conditionality and know yourself every second. Here you have a permanent job, creativity, self-realization.

Many complain of boredom, they say, there is nothing to do, but I found a job for everyone.

Know yourself constantly, then you can answer the question:

WHO AM I?

Answer:

I AM KNOWN!

More. Descartes, and after him other thinkers, interpreted external influences as the cause of the sensory image. From this position, conclusions were drawn that a person cognizes not the objective world, but only the effect that arises as a result of the influence of external things on his senses. Thus, the external was recognized as the cause and as the "initiator" of the generating process. Mentally.

Clarifying the question of the "external", the external world, one should consider some concepts, one way or another reveal its essence. So, often to refer to what surrounds a person, the term "sir dy" is used. Environment is a set of all conditions that surround an object (thing, plant, animal, person), and directly or indirectly affect it. Those conditions that do not affect the object do not enter into its midst.

To designate what exists, existed and exists in space-time outside the inhuman, which can be interpreted as real, possible and impossible in its environment, the concept of an objective real is used. Alnist, reality.

The concept that allows you to separate the objectively existing from the objectively existing and most fully generalizes all that exists in its material and spiritual definitions is the concept of "being". cognitive and transformative activity.

Being, with which a person actively interacts, is denoted by the concept of "world". That in the world that is created by man and becomes a reality (subjective or objective), in which it is objectified and to which it can be put as a subject, is defined by the concept of "life world".

In the reality of the life world, the internal and external can seem to dissolve, disappear. These are those happy and at the same time tragic moments when the subject-object confrontation in cognition is replaced by the nth, there comes a feeling of existence as such, existence, presence in being, unity with the world, a heightened experience of the reality of non-existence, one’s finiteness.

It is the last contradiction that actualizes the inner activity of a person in its duel with non-existence as "external" and at the same time requiring reflection, searching for the meaning of one's existence in the world.

If "internal" is identified with the spiritual, spiritual, then "external" for him can be bodily. If the "internal" is considered in a structural aspect, or from the point of view of the levels of determination of mental activity, then here, too, one can reach a division into deep (immanent) and storey (reactive) causality, considering them, again, as internal and external.

Typical for psychology is also the interpretation of mental activity as internal, and what can be observed and objectively fixed in the form of behavior, deed, productivity of activity - as external.

However, the main reason for including these concepts in the system of psychology is the need to explain the nature of the mental, the driving forces of its development.

Is there such a psychic cause? they demand to decide on the problem of "internal and external" And it is not surprising that the most heated discussions in Russian psychology went precisely around this problem.

Fundamentally, the relationship between internal and external researched. SLRubinshtein. Any influence of one phenomenon on another, he noted, is refracted through the internal properties of the phenomenon that this object is. See carried out. The result of any influence on a phenomenon or object depends not only on the phenomenon or body that affects it, but also on nature, on its own internal properties of the object or phenomenon on which this influence copes. Everything in the world is interconnected and interdependent. In this sense, everything is determined, but this does not mean that everything can be unambiguously deduced from causes that act as an external impulse, separated from the internal properties and interconnection of the declaration of manifestations.

The patterns of formation and development of the internal process of transition from the external to the internal, the objective to the subjective as a process of "interiorization" into "stage-by-stage formation of mental actions" became the subject of research. LSVigotsky. OMLeonteva,. PJ. Gal-Perin and others.

Internal (subject), for. Leontiev, acts through the external and thereby changes itself. This position has real meaning. After all, initially the subject of life in general appears only as possessing an "independent force of reaction", but this force can act only through the external. It is in this external that the transition from possibility to reality takes place: its concretization, development and enrichment, i.e. its transformation, from the transformation of the subject itself, its bearer. Now, in the form of a transformed subject, he acts as such that changes, refracts external influences in his current affairs.

Formulas. Rubinstein "external through internal" and. Leontiev's "internal through external" from different positions, in some ways complementing, and in some ways denying each other, aimed at revealing the complex mechanism of functioning and development of the human psyche.

Realizing the possibility of a narrowed or biased interpretation of his formula,. Rubinshtein, in particular, notes that mental phenomena do not arise as a result of passive reception of external influences that act mechanically, but as a result of the brain’s reflective activity due to these influences, which serves to implement the interaction of a person as a subject with them.

Ukrainian psychologist. OMTkachenko is trying to find a way to integrate, to synthesize approaches. Rubinshtein and. Leontiev to the solution of the psychological problem of external and internal. Instead of two. Antiterra of ethical formulas, he offers a working formulation of the principle of determinism: the psyche of the subject is determined by the products of actual and post-actual interaction with the object and itself acts as an important determinant of human behavior and activity.

The problem of external and internal can receive a positive solution when, from these rather abstract concepts, a movement is made in the direction of clarifying the specific features of each of the "worlds" - "macrocosm mosu" and "microcosmos" that are hidden behind it.

The external can be considered relative to the internal as being reflected in it. The psyche, consciousness from the point of view of the ontological approach, in this case, acquire the meaning of "inside-being" (Rubin-stein), a kind of native living "inner mirror", with the help of which being is aware of itself as such. Ontologization of the mental, according to. VARomence, makes it a real phenomenon of being, an active force that forms the time of peace.

The external, from another point of view, is that which is generated by the internal, is its manifestation or product, fixed in signs or material objects.

External and internal can be differentiated not as static "worlds", but as forms of activity that have different sources. So,. DMUznadze proposes to distinguish between "introgenous" behavior, which is determined by interests. ESAM, motives, and "extragenic", determined by external necessity.

On this occasion, SLRubinstein emphasized that the mental is not only internal, subjective, meaning that the psyche acts as a determinant of behavior, the cause of bodily changes: not recognition, but objections, ignoring the role of mental phenomena in determining people's behavior leads to indeterminism.

An essential addition to the above definition gives. KOAbulkhanova-Slavskaya. Under the internal, she understands not "physiological" or "mental", but a specific nature, its own properties, its own logic of development, specialists and the nature of the movement of a given body or phenomenon, which is subject to external influence. This internal provides a way of "refraction" of external influences, specific for the given phenomenon, which becomes more and more complex in the phenomena of the highest level of development of the itku.

Under the external is understood not a private, random influence, but all those external conditions that correlate in their qualitative certainty with the internal, since the action of an external influence is not indifferent to its development. ITK.

Thus, the need to introduce the "external-internal" paradigm into the circulation of psychological science is determined by significant factors. It is within the framework of this paradigm that the problems of determination and self-determination of the mental, its autonomy from biological and social factors, the problems of mental causality, the mental not only as a reflection, but also as an active, initiative transforming force, are solved.

The "border" between the internal and external is rather conditional, and at the same time, the existing non-identity, non-coincidence, inconsistency of the subjective and objective are unconditional.

As a rule, harmony, integrity are inherent in those expressive signs that correspond to natural experiences. The deliberately feigned facial expression is disharmonic. The mismatch of facial movements (upper and lower parts of the face - a disharmonious "mask") indicates the insincerity of a person's feelings, his relationship to other people. Such a "disharmonious mask" can very accurately characterize a person, reflect his leading attitudes to the world. The harmony of expression, the synchronicity of the elements of facial expressions is a kind of visual sign of a true relationship to another person, it is a sign of the inner harmony of a person. Mimicry, facial expression is inseparable from personality, it expresses not just states, but states experienced by a particular person. From here come individual differences in the expression of the same emotion, attitude and, accordingly, the difficulty of their unambiguous understanding.

For centuries, in the process of socialization, mankind has developed methods for the formation of the external self of the individual and ideas about it. Such techniques are the sociocultural development of "expressive masks", the selection of a set of movements that make human behavior socially acceptable, successful, attractive. "Cultivation of expression" is one of the mechanisms of control not so much over the human body as over his personality. From the point of view of one of the well-known researchers of non-verbal communications A. Sheflen, any element of expression (from posture to eye contact) exists in order to establish, maintain, limit relationships between interacting people. Therefore, interested public institutions are not just developing requirements for expressive human behavior, but using it to translate the socially desired spectrum of traits, states, relationships that should have a clear external expression. For example, for a long time, a person who has a simple face with large features, large hands, broad shoulders, a massive figure, a white-toothed smile, a direct look, a clear gesture, etc. and is distinguished by efficiency, perseverance, stamina, courage . All those who, due to natural circumstances or conditions of upbringing, did not correspond to this behavioral model, risked being branded as "rotten intellectuals."

Despite the obvious predominance of little conscious nonverbal patterns of behavior in the structure of expression, the subject uses expressive movements not only in accordance with their main function to express, but also in order to mask his real experiences and relationships, which becomes the subject of special efforts, leading to the development of control and control over the outer self of the person. Techniques for purposefully changing the expressive external self, its disguise were developed by representatives of the psychology of stagecraft. They associated these skills with the expressive giftedness of the individual, which, within the framework of the problem of the formation of the expressive I of the individual, can be interpreted as a set of abilities to "build" one's external I, "to reveal the inner "I" through the external "I". This process of "alignment" includes both cognitive-emotional and behavioral mechanisms, among which a special place is occupied by the idea of one's external self and its correspondence to the real, actual self of the individual.

In the process of O. of people, their inner, essential aspects are revealed, expressed externally, and become, to one degree or another, accessible to others. This is due to the relationship between the external and internal in a person. In the most general consideration of such a relationship, it is necessary to proceed from a number of philosophical postulates relating not only to such concepts as "external" and "internal", but also "essence", "phenomenon", "form", "content". The external expresses the properties of an object as a whole and the ways of its interaction with the environment, the internal expresses the structure of the object itself, its composition, structure and connections between elements. At the same time, the external is given directly in the process of cognition, while the cognition of the internal requires theories. research, during which the so-called "unobservable entities" are introduced - idealized objects, laws, etc. Since the internal is revealed through the external, the movement of knowledge is considered as a movement from the external to the internal, from what is available for observation which is unobservable. The content determines the form, and its changes cause its changes, on the other hand. - the form affects the content, accelerates or inhibits its development. Thus, the content is constantly changing, while the form remains stable and unchanged for some time, until the conflict between content and form destroys the old form and creates a new one. At the same time, the content is usually associated with quantitative changes, and the form - with qualitative, spasmodic ones. Essence is internal, which is inseparable from a thing, must be present in it, spatially located inside it. The phenomenon is a form of expression of the essence. It coincides with the essence, differs, distorts it, which is due to the interaction of the object with other objects. In order to reflect such a distortion in the perception of a person, the category of “appearance” is introduced as a unity of the subjective and the objective, in contrast to the phenomenon, which is completely objective. The problem of external and internal acquires its specificity and particular complexity if the object of knowledge is a person (especially when such concepts as “body” and “soul” are used to explain the relationship between external and internal). Early researchers of this problem were interested in: 1) the relationship between the external and internal in a person, his bodily and spiritual, body and soul; 2) the ability to judge internal, personal qualities, based on external, bodily manifestations; 3) the connection of certain internal, mental disorders with external. manifestations, that is, the influence of the mental on the bodily and vice versa. Even Aristotle in his work "Physiognomy" tried to find the relationship between the external and the internal, both in general, philosophical terms, and specifically - in the study of man. He believed that the body and soul are merged in a person to such an extent that they become the cause of most states for each other. But their relationship and interdependence is relative: for any internal. state, it is possible to achieve an external expression, which will not at all correspond to it. There may also exist such an external, to which the internal no longer corresponds (fully or partially), and vice versa, there may exist an internal, to which any external does not correspond. Much later, the specific “filling”, recognition and further development of the postulate of the unity of the external and internal in a person, his soul and body, the desire to understand their complex, multifaceted interaction served as a fruitful basis for the development of many modern. areas of psychology. Among them: the psychology of non-verbal behavior, studies of human expression, the psychology of lies, the holistic approach of psychosomatic medicine, etc. Since one of the sides of O. is the perception of each other by people, in the fatherland. In social psychology, the problem of the relationship between external and internal in a person was most intensively developed in social perception. In practical and theoretical terms, research in this area is focused on finding possible patterns of perception by one person of another, identifying interdependence and stable relationships between external. manifestations and internal the content of a person as a person, individual, individuality, his understanding. Most of the research in this area was carried out in the beginning. 1970s are works devoted to the problem of reflection by people of each other in the process of their interaction (A. A. Bodalev and his scientific school). To ext. The (mental) content of a person includes his beliefs, needs, interests, feelings, character, states, abilities, etc., that is, everything that is not directly given to a person in his perception of another. Physical refers to the external. the appearance of a person, his anatomical and functional features (posture, gait, gestures, facial expressions, speech, voice, behavior). This also includes all signs and signals that are informative or regulatory in nature, to-rye are perceived by the subject of knowledge. According to A. A. Bodalev, internal (mental processes, mental states) is associated with specific neurophysiol. and biochemical characteristics of the organism. In the course of a person's life, his complex mental formations, which are ensembles of processes and states that are continuously rebuilt in the course of activity, are dynamically expressed in the external. appearance and behavior in the form of a set of specific features organized into spatio-temporal structures. Ideas regarding the interaction of external and internal were developed in the works of V. N. Panferov. He draws attention to the appearance of a person and once again emphasizes that when another person is perceived, his personal properties (as opposed to physical properties) are not given to the subject of cognition directly, their cognition requires the work of thinking, imagination, intuition. The problem of external and internal is considered by him as the problem of the correlation of object (appearance) and subjective properties (personal characteristics) of a person. In this case, appearance appears as sign system of psychology. personality traits, on the basis of a cut in the process of cognition, psychol is actualized. personality content. The question of the relationship between internal and external is resolved in favor of their unity, since appearance is perceived as a quality. characteristics inseparable from personality. When solving the problem of internal content and external expressions VN Panferov distinguishes 2 sides of a person's appearance: physical. beauty and charm (expression). Expression, in his opinion, is functionally related to personality traits. Due to the constant repetition of the same mimic patterns on the face of a person, an expression typical of him (expression) is formed, which reflects his most frequent internal expression. condition. The most informative elements of a person's appearance for the subject of perception are the expression of the face and eyes. At the same time, the author notes the ambiguity of the interpretation of facial elements, its dependence on the expressive properties of appearance. Further appeal to the problem of expression, non-verbal behavior also enriched the understanding of the relationship between external and internal in a person in the process of O. Expressed at the beginning of the 20th century. theater researcher S. Volkonsky ideas concerning aesthetic and psychol. analysis of the external expression of the inner self of a person on stage, "self-sculpture", his search for the optimum expressiveness, external. harmony, the search for ways to educate an “expressive person”, an actor who is able to convey the most subtle experiences and meanings with his gesture, movement and word, to return to the body the function of an expression of the soul that he has lost, - turned out to be relevant and received their further comprehension in the works of V. A. Labunskaya, where expression is considered in quality. external I of the personality and correlates with different personal structures. Lit .: Aseev VG Categories of form and content in psychology // Categories of materialistic dialectics in psychology. M., 1988; Bodalev A. A. Personality and communication. M., 1995; Losev A.F. History of ancient aesthetics. M., 1975; Panferov VN Appearance and personality // Social psychology of personality. L., 1974; Sheptulin A.P. The system of categories of dialectics. M., 1967. G. V. Serikov