Character and character accentuations. Accented personalities, who is it

Accentuations are overly pronounced character traits related to the extreme version of the norm, bordering on psychopathy. With this feature, some traits of a person's character are pointed, disproportionate in relation to the general personality type, leading to a certain disharmony.

The term "personality accentuation" was introduced in 1968 by a German psychiatrist K. Leonhard, who described this phenomenon as overly pronounced individual personality traits that tended to go into a pathological state under the influence of adverse factors. Later, this issue was considered by A.E. Lichko, who, on the basis of the works of Leongrad, developed his own classification and introduced the term “character accentuation” into everyday life.

And although the accentuated character is by no means identified with a mental illness, it is important to understand that it can contribute to the formation of psychopathologies (neurosis, psychosis, etc.). In practice, it is very difficult to find the line to separate "normal" from accentuated personalities. However, psychologists recommend identifying such people in teams, because accentuation almost always determines special abilities and psychological disposition to specific activities.

Classifications

Accentuations of character in terms of severity can be explicit and hidden. Explicit accentuation is an extreme version of the norm, when certain character traits are expressed throughout life. The manifestation of hidden accentuations is usually associated with some kind of traumatic circumstances, which, in principle, is the usual version of the norm. During a person's life, the forms of accentuations can change from one to another under the influence of various external and internal factors.

Lichko classification

The most common and understandable classifications of character types include the aforementioned systems developed by Leonhard and Lichko. Lichko studied character accentuations that can be observed in adolescence to a greater extent, and the following types are distinguished in his classification:

View	Characteristics
Hyperthymic	This type is characterized as "overactive", with its inherent increased vitality and mood. Personalities with such accentuations cannot endure any monotony and loneliness, crave communication, are prone to frequent changes in hobbies and activities, as a result of which they rarely finish what they started
Cycloid	Hyperthymia alternates with a subdepressive phase with characteristic cyclic mood changes
Labile	Emotional lability is expressed in frequent and causeless mood swings. People with this character trait are extremely sensitive, tend to openly demonstrate positive emotions in relation to others, are distinguished by social responsiveness and sociability.
sensitive	Often, sensitive accentuations are manifested in an inferiority complex, shyness, and increased impressionability. The interests of such personalities often lie in the intellectual and aesthetic spheres.
Astheno-neurotic	Manifested in capriciousness, suspiciousness, increased irritability, fatigue during any mental work
Schizoid	Individuals of the schizoid type are usually very reserved, preferring solitude. If we talk about teenagers, then they may not be drawn to their peers at all, preferring to be in the company of adults. With external indifference, the inner world of such individuals is often filled with various fantasies and hobbies.
Psychasthenic	People with a psychasthenic type accentuation are prone to introspection, long-term hesitation when it is necessary to make a decision, fear of responsibility, self-criticism
epileptoid	The characteristic features of the individual are determined by authoritarianism, increased excitability, tension, irritability with bouts of anger.
hysterical	Hysteroid personalities always want to be in the center of everyone's attention, they are self-centered, afraid of becoming the object of ridicule, prone to demonstrative suicide
Conformal	The individual tends to mindlessly obey any more authoritarian person, strives not to differ from others in any way, in fact, being an opportunist
Unstable	People of this type often have a craving for various kinds of entertainment, laziness, lack of reflection on the future and professional interests.

Classification of Leongrad

In many ways, the classification of character types proposed by Leongrad, who studied character accentuations mainly in adults, is similar and identified the following types:

View	Characteristic
Hyperthymic	Talkativeness, readiness to always make contact, pronounced facial expressions and gestures, energy and initiative, sometimes conflict, frivolity and irritability
distymny	The opposite of the previous type, characterized by low contact and a generally pessimistic attitude and passivity
Cycloid	Frequent mood swings, which affect the behavior and manner of communication with other people
Excitable.	It is characterized by delayed non-verbal and verbal reactions, however, in a state of emotional arousal, irritability and even aggression are possible.
stuck.	Boredom, a tendency to instruct, touchy, and sometimes even vindictive
Pedantic	In conflicts, such an individual usually participates as a passive observer, is distinguished by conscientiousness and accuracy, but is prone to formalism and tediousness.
alarming	Depression, self-doubt, performance
emotive	Such individuals feel comfortable only in the circle of selected close people, are able to empathize and sincerely rejoice in someone else's happiness, are tearful and hypersensitive.
Demonstrative	There is a pronounced desire for leadership, artistry, non-standard thinking, selfishness, hypocrisy, a tendency to boast
Exalted	Talkativeness, altruism, a tendency to commit impulsive acts
extroverted	Personalities of this type usually make contact easily, have many friends, are non-conflict, but quite easily succumb to other people's influence, sometimes commit rash actions, have a tendency to spread gossip
introverted	This type differs from the previous one in low contact. Introverted personalities show a tendency to philosophize, loneliness, adherence to principles, restraint, stubbornness

One of the modifications of the Leongarad classification is the Shmishek system, which proposed to divide the types of accentuations into accentuations of temperament and character. So, he attributed hyperthymia, distimism, cyclothymia, anxiety, exaltation and emotiveness to accentuations of temperament. But the author ranked excitability, stuckness, demonstrativeness and pedantry directly as accentuations of character.

Examples

The most striking examples of types of character accentuations can be popular heroes of modern animated films and literary works, endowed with pronounced personal characteristics. Thus, an unstable or dysthymic type of personality is well illustrated in the hero of the famous children's work "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Pierrot, whose mood is usually bleak and depressed, and his attitude to surrounding events is pessimistic.

The donkey Eeyore from the cartoon about Winnie the Pooh is best suited to the asthenic or pedantic type. This character is distinguished by unsociableness, fear of disappointment, concern for one's own health. But the White Knight from the famous work "Alice in Wonderland" can be safely attributed to an extroverted schizoid type, characterized by intellectual development and unsociableness. Alice herself belongs rather to the cycloid type, which is characterized by alternating increased and decreased activity with corresponding mood swings. The character of Don Quixote Cervantes is revealed in a similar way.

The accentuation of the character of the demonstrative type is clearly manifested in Carlson - narcissistic a character who loves to show off, striving to always be the object of everyone's attention. Winnie the Pooh from the children's book of the same name and the cat Matroskin can be safely attributed to the excitable type. These two characters are similar in many ways, as both are distinguished by an optimistic warehouse, activity and immunity to criticism. An exalted character can be observed in the hero of the modern cartoon "Madagascar" King Julian - he is eccentric, inclined to exaggerate his own emotions, does not tolerate inattention to himself.

The labile (emotional) type of character accentuation is revealed in Tsarevna-Nesmeyana, but the fisherman from A.S. Pushkin "On the Fisherman and the Fish" is a characteristic representative of the conformal (extroverted) type, who finds it easier to adapt to the opinions of others than to defend his own point of view. The paranoid (stuck) type is characteristic of most purposeful and self-confident super-heroes (Spider-Man, Superman, etc.), whose life is a constant struggle.

Formation factors

The accentuated character is formed, as a rule, under the influence of a combination of various factors. There is no doubt that one of the key roles in this is played by heredity, that is, some innate personality traits. In addition, the following circumstances may influence the appearance of accentuations:

Appropriate social environment. Since character is formed from early childhood, the people around the child have the greatest influence on personality development. He unconsciously copies their behavior and adopts their features;
Destructive upbringing. Lack of attention from parents and other people around, excessive guardianship or severity, lack of emotional closeness with the child, excessive or conflicting demands, etc.;
Dissatisfaction of personal needs. With an authoritarian type of management in the family or school;
Lack of communication in adolescence;
Inferiority complex, high self-esteem or other forms of disharmonious self-image;
Chronic diseases, especially those affecting the nervous system, physical disabilities;
Profession. According to statistics, character accentuations are more often observed in representatives of such professions as actors, teachers, medical workers, military personnel, etc.

According to scientists, the accentuation of character is more often manifested in the puberty period, but as they grow older, it turns into a latent form. As for the genesis of the phenomenon under consideration, a number of previous studies show that, in general, education itself cannot create conditions in which, for example, a schizoid or cycloid personality type could be formed. However, with certain relationships in the family (excessive indulgence of the child, etc.), it is quite possible that the child will develop a hysterical character accentuation, etc. Very often, people with a hereditary predisposition have mixed types of accentuations.

Peculiarities

Accentuations of character are found not only in their "pure" form, easily classifiable, but in a mixed form. These are the so-called intermediate types, which are the result of the simultaneous development of several different features. Taking into account such personality traits is very important when raising children and building communication with adolescents. It is also necessary to take into account the features of an accentuated character when choosing a profession, when identifying a predisposition to a particular type of activity.

Very often, an accentuated character is compared with psychopathy. It is important to take into account the obvious difference here - the manifestation of accentuations is not permanent, since over time they can change their severity, smooth out or even disappear. Under favorable life circumstances, individuals with an accentuated character are even able to reveal special abilities and talents in themselves. For example, a person with an exalted type can discover the talent of an artist, actor, etc. in himself.

As for the manifestations of accentuations in adolescence, this problem is very relevant today. According to statistics, almost 80% of adolescents have character accentuations. And although these features are considered temporary, psychologists talk about the importance of their timely recognition and correction. The fact is that some of the pronounced accentuations under the influence of certain adverse factors can transform a mental illness already in adulthood.

Treatment

Excessively pronounced accentuation of character, leading to a clear personality disharmony, may indeed require some treatment. It is important to emphasize that therapy for the problem under consideration should be inextricably linked with the underlying disease. For example, it has been proven that with repeated craniocerebral injuries against the background of an accentuated character, the formation of psychopathic disorders is possible. Despite the fact that character accentuations themselves are not considered pathologies in psychology, they are quite close to mental disorders in a number of ways. In particular, an accentuated character is one of the psychological problems in which it is not always possible to maintain normal behavior in society.

Explicit and hidden character accentuations are diagnosed during special psychological tests using appropriate questionnaires. Treatment is always prescribed individually, depending on the specific type of accentuation, its causes, etc. As a rule, correction is carried out with the help of psychotherapy in an individual, family or group form, but sometimes additional drug therapy may be prescribed.

The concept of "Accentuation of character" in psychology. Description of the main types of accentuations according to K. Leonhard

Accentuations of character are extreme variants of the mental norm, in which individual character traits are most pronounced, in connection with which selective vulnerability is found in relation to a certain number of psychogenic influences with good resistance to other psychogenic influences.

Character accentuations are most pronounced in adolescence; in adults, they can be relatively compensated.

Description of personality accentuations according to K. Leonhard

1. Hyperthymic type. The hyperthymic personality is easily recognized in ordinary conversation. Talkativeness and cheerful mood immediately attract attention. Mental mobility is reflected in facial expressions.

Hyperthymic natures always look at life optimistically, overcome sadness without much difficulty, in general it is not difficult for them to live in the world. Thanks to the increased thirst for activity, they achieve industrial and creative success. The thirst for activity stimulates their initiative, constantly pushes them to search for something new. In society, hyperthymic individuals are brilliant interlocutors, they are constantly in the spotlight, they entertain everyone. They are able to talk and tell endlessly, if only they would be listened to. Such people cannot get bored, it is interesting with them, they sprinkle their speech with jokes, witticisms and never linger on one topic for a long time. Such people like to dominate society. Here they stand out for their increased tone, fun, resourcefulness and witty antics. In their work activity, their distinctive qualities are ingenuity and a wealth of ideas. Sometimes they are irritable, which is especially noticeable in the family circle, where there is neither a distracting busy society, nor the restraining influence of superiors. All this is accompanied by a frequent change of job, and sometimes profession. Cloudless gaiety, excessive liveliness are fraught with danger, because such people jokingly pass by events that should be taken seriously. They constantly violate ethical norms, because at certain moments they seem to lose both a sense of duty and the ability to repent. A person takes on a lot and does not bring anything to the end. Positive traits of the hyperthymic type: sociability, energy, optimism, initiative, easy attitude to life problems, erudition, blooming appearance, excellent appetite. Negative features of the hyperthymic type: impulsiveness, thoughtlessness of behavior, statements, optionality, laziness, frivolity, irritability, a tendency to pose for a phrase. Positive situations favorable for this type: labor communication, many superficial contacts, the need for prompt decisions without their deep study. Negative (unfavorable) situations: the need for calm analysis, responsible decisions, work in a leisurely rhythm, forced loneliness, monotony of the situation, boredom, competition for the role of leader, control.

2. Dysthymic type. The distimist personality is serious by nature and usually focuses on the dark, sad sides of life to a much greater extent than on the joyful ones. A dysthymic person can also be easily recognized in an ordinary conversation by one shy and joyless look. The facial expressions of such people are inexpressive. When questioned, they usually confirm that they are always serious, and that they have never really experienced feelings of free and pleasant cheerfulness. If the severity reaches a pathological degree, this can lead to a complete loss of cheerfulness and a general slowness of reaction. A serious attitude brings to the fore subtle, lofty feelings that are incompatible with human egoism. A serious attitude leads to the formation of a serious ethical position. Passivity in actions and slow thinking, in cases where they go beyond the norm, are among the negative properties of this temperament. Positive (favorable) features of the dysthymic type: seriousness, responsibility, conscientiousness, punctuality, a sense of justice. Negative traits: inertia, slowness, passivity, pessimism, hermitism, inability to rejoice with others, to support the group. Positive (favorable for the dysthymic type) situations: professions such as "Man - sign systems", "Man - nature", which do not require work for speed. Negative (unfavorable for the type) situations: the need to quickly respond to changes in the situation, change the way you work, make decisions quickly, meet new employees, get to know people.

3. Cyclothymic type. Affectively labile, or (with pronounced manifestations) cyclothymic, personalities are people who are characterized by a change in hyperthymic and dysthymic states. Now one or the other of these two poles comes to the fore, sometimes without any visible external motives, and sometimes in connection with one or another specific event. It is curious that joyful events evoke not only joyful emotions in such people, but are also accompanied by a general picture of hyperthymia: a thirst for activity, increased talkativeness, a jump in ideas. Sad events cause depression, as well as slowness of reactions and thinking. The reason for the change of poles is not always external stimuli, sometimes a subtle turn in the general mood is enough. If a cheerful society gathers, then affectively labile individuals can be in the center of attention, be "ringleaders", amuse all those gathered. In a serious, strict environment, they can be the most withdrawn and silent. Positive features of the cyclothymic type: a non-standard attitude to the world, a combination of seriousness and romance, normativity, commitment, responsibility, not prone to criminal and delinquent behavior. Negative features: immersion in one's inner world, subjectivity of assessments. Positive (favorable for the cyclothymic type) situations: individual pace of work, hermit's way of life. Negative (unfavorable) situations: situations of deprivation of the familiar environment, breaking the stereotype of life, work on assignment and on time, the need for extensive communication with people on working conditions.

4. Emotive type. Emotivity is characterized by sensitivity and deep reactions in the field of subtle emotions. Emotive personalities are extremely soft-hearted. By this they mean that difficult experiences touch the subject too deeply, that he cannot “turn off”, he is easily touched, the events taking place in a novel or in a film often cause him to cry. Such people are extremely compassionate, they cannot stand children's tears and often begin to cry along with the offended child. Men are embarrassed to admit to excessive tearfulness, but they know their weakness and admit that they easily succumb to deep emotion. It is also necessary to ask people of an emotive temperament about what impression pleasant experiences have on them: whether joyful events, happy experiences, family happiness, the beauty of nature evoke a deep reaction, whether they feel awe before great works of art. Emotional reactions are stronger in such subjects when it comes to sad events, but they are also unusually strong in joyful ones. One has only to talk about events that are more or less connected with emotive experiences, the facial expressions of such people always express kindness or pity. Positive features of the type: kindness, emotionality, diligence, sense of duty, goodwill and tact. Negative traits: extreme impressionability, need for a special style of relationship, forgiveness, inability to see the main thing, getting bogged down in 6 details. Positive (favorable for the emotive type) situations: communication in the field of arts, the need for subjective penetration into the experiences of others, the absence of formal restrictions on communication and work and objective control. Negative (unfavorable for the emotive type) situations: problems and illnesses of the family, rude relationships, conflicts, injustice on the part of loved ones and management.

5. Demonstrative type. Demonstrative personalities seize every opportunity to present themselves from the best side and use it with pleasure. Demonstrative personalities are generally inclined to ascribe to themselves various very positive qualities, even when they are not asked about. Such people, as a rule, give out their hysterical essence with all their behavior: everything is exaggerated with them - the expression of feelings, facial expressions, gestures, tone. The absence of a real inner background of all these manifestations is always felt. They show themselves not as they really are, but as it is beneficial for them to show themselves in the given circumstances. Demonstrative personalities, if questioned carefully, readily admit to their acting talent. They emphasize with satisfaction that they always felt confident in society, that even at school they expressively recited poetry, successfully participated in children's theater productions, and later in amateur performances. The ability to play is also affected by the positive nature of this accentuation: just as they play to put themselves in a favorable light, they also play very successfully on the stage. Demonstrative personalities in general are often gifted with fantasy, which is so important in other areas of art. For the most part, they readily admit to flights of fancy. Since such people have a pronounced tendency to avoid difficulties, they often change not only their place of work, but also their profession. In stressful situations, there is a flight into illness and abnormal repression abilities. Positive features of the demonstrative type: emotionality, looseness, ability to captivate, acting data, brightness of expression of feelings, sociability. Negative features: selfishness in the mask of participation, fantasy, insincerity, the ability to evade the solution of urgent issues, go into illness. Positive (favorable for the demonstrative type) situations: the opportunity to arrange a "show", to be on stage in the broad sense of the word, to trade, to dispose, to "take care" of others. Negative (unfavorable) situations: the possibility of revealing the game and deceit, underestimation by the “spectators”, infringement of the right to be a “star”, indifference.

6. Stuck type. The basis of the stuck, paranoid type of personality accentuation is the pathological persistence of affect. The action of the affect stops much more slowly, and as soon as the thought returns to what happened, the emotions that accompanied the stress immediately come to life. The affect of such a person lasts for a very long time, although no new experiences activate it. In addition, they are called sensitive, painfully touchy, vulnerable, vindictive people. Resentments in such cases primarily relate to self-esteem, the sphere of hurt pride, honor. "I can forgive an offense, but not forget it." Usually they are strongly offended by injustice towards themselves. The faces of this warehouse are very ambitious. There may be a desire to assert oneself, to achieve a high position. Such people often reach a very high official position, although it does not always correspond to their education. In case of success, we often observe manifestations of arrogance, arrogance. Due recognition, due assessment of such people are constantly hampered by their conflicts with others, because of which they not only do not move up the career ladder, but very often they are demoted. Such people usually blame others for this, but sometimes they realize their own guilt. They are wayward and do not tolerate objections, they are so tactless in their ambitious plans that they cause sincere indignation of colleagues with their behavior. A person constantly suffering from an imaginary "bad attitude" towards himself. Positive features of the stuck type: adherence to principles, inflexibility, restraint, thriftiness, a sense of idea and duty, self-sacrifice. Negative traits: spontaneity of attachments and resentments, suspicion, vindictiveness, arrogance, exorbitant demands on others. Positive (favorable for the stuck type) situations: situations of recognition of merit, encouragement of affection, following his example. Negative (unfavorable) situations: doubt about the value of ideas and attachments, exposure to an unfair attitude towards the world.

7. Pedantic type. Representatives of this type take some work processes too seriously, double-check themselves many times, although this is not necessary. On the way home from work, they may mentally return to the working day, asking themselves if they did everything right. We learn that they check themselves 2-3 times before handing in their work. They also talk about the fact that at the end of the working day, their official worries do not end at all, that, having gone to bed, they think for a long time “how everything turned out today”, and sometimes, looking ahead, they begin to “experience” tomorrow as well. . It also happens that such people return halfway to the institution: it seemed to them that they forgot to do something important, although this is almost never confirmed. These people are incredibly scrupulous, you can rely on them like no other. Perhaps it is for these reasons that they are entrusted with such work, in the performance of which errors are unacceptable. True, they often take longer than other people to complete the work. Such people, therefore, quite often work overtime without demanding any payment. Pedants "drag" with the decision even when the stage of preliminary reflection is finally completed. They want to make sure that a better solution cannot be found, that there are no better options before they take action. Anancast is not able to displace doubts, and this slows down his actions. For pedantic personalities, difficulties begin where special accuracy proves to be a known hindrance in the work, since there are situations when, in the interests of the work as a whole, it is possible not to strive for perfection in individual details. These people, due to their nature, can even reach conflicts in such cases. In general, such persons suffer very seriously under the burden of responsibility: the impossibility of doing everything as required by their conscientiousness makes them unhappy. As a result, they not only do not seek promotion, but even refuse when they are offered a more responsible, high-paying position. At the same time, we often establish that pedantry does not apply to all areas of life. Men who are concerned that everything goes perfectly clearly at work often turn out to be not very neat in everyday life. It is curious that for pedantic personalities it is often more acceptable to completely relieve oneself of responsibility for the task entrusted than to try to cope with it imperfectly. Positive traits of the pedantic type: commitment, even mood, reliability, decency. Negative features: "tediousness", "literalism", formalism, unnecessary meticulous re-checking of oneself and others, indecision in uncertain situations. Positive (favorable for the pedantic type) situations: the ability to implement tasks in accordance with instructions or certain requirements of the situation, the stability of relations. Negative (unfavorable for the pedantic type) situations: demands for independent and non-standard solutions in an uncertain environment.

8. Alarm type. Anxiety, timidity can be both the result of affective exaltation, and the primary property of the personality of an anxious person. In children, personality accentuation is partially noted in terms of anxiety, timidity; in adults, this distinctive feature is more often inherent in women. Children of this type, who have an anxious and timid temperament, are afraid, for example, to fall asleep in the dark or when there is no one in the room, to enter unlit rooms and corridors. They are afraid of dogs. Tremble before the storm. Finally, they are afraid of other children, so they are often harassed and teased. They do not dare to defend themselves from attacks, which, as it were, provokes other, stronger and more courageous children, to mock their fearful comrade, to hit him. They are "scapegoats," as they are usually called, or "targets," as I would suggest calling them, for they are constantly "calling fire upon themselves." It is curious that peers immediately recognize their weak point. Such children experience a strong fear of teachers, who, unfortunately, often do not notice this, exacerbating the child's fear with their severity. Sometimes children at the next prank shift the blame on a fearful child, who really becomes a "scapegoat". In adults, the picture is somewhat different; fear does not completely absorb an adult as a child. The people around them do not seem threatening to them, as in childhood, and therefore their anxiety is not so conspicuous. However, the inability to defend one's position in the dispute remains. It is enough for the enemy to act more energetically, as people with an anxious and timid temperament fade into the background. Therefore, such people are distinguished by timidity, in which an element of humility and humiliation is felt. Along with this, anankastic timidity is also distinguished, the specificity of which is internal self-doubt. In the first case, a person is constantly on guard against external stimuli, in the second, the source of timidity is the person’s own behavior, it is this that is always in the center of his attention. These two types of shyness can be differentiated by simple observation. In both cases, overcompensation in the form of self-confident or even impudent behavior is possible, but its unnaturalness is immediately evident. Fearful shyness can sometimes turn into gullibility, in which the request comes through: "Be friendly with me." At times, fearfulness joins timidity, which may be purely reflex in nature, but may also be a manifestation of sudden fear. The more pronounced the shyness, the more likely the increased excitability of the autonomic nervous system that accompanies it, which intensifies the somatic reaction of fear, which, through the system of innervation of the heart, can make the fear even more intense. Positive traits of the anxious type: commitment, impressionability, self-criticism, emotionality, interest, friendliness, reliability and constancy of attachments. Negative traits of an anxious type: a tendency to “stick” to circumstances and people, inability to fight back, confusion in front of a new one, lack of initiative, lack of independence, tacit consent to an unfair, but familiar course of events. Positive (favorable for the anxious type) situations: unambiguous relationships with other people, mostly favorable; precisely defined rights and obligations, the uselessness of initiative, leadership and additional communication. Negative (unfavorable) situations: unfair accusations from others, ridicule, the need to define relationships, especially with new people.

9. Excitable type. Character traits that are developed in connection with the lack of controllability are very significant. They are expressed in the fact that it is not prudence, not the logical weighing of one's actions, but inclinations, instincts, uncontrollable impulses that are often decisive for a person's lifestyle and behavior. The reactions of excitable personalities are impulsive. If they do not like something, they do not look for an opportunity to reconcile, tolerance is alien to them. On the contrary, both in facial expressions and in words, they give vent to irritation, openly declare their demands, or angrily leave. As a result, such individuals, on the most trifling occasion, get into a quarrel with superiors and employees, are rude, aggressively throw away work, apply for dismissal, without realizing the possible consequences. The reasons for dissatisfaction can be very different: either they do not like the way they are treated at this enterprise, or the salary is low, or the work process does not suit them. Only in rare cases is it about the severity of the work itself, because excitable individuals, as a rule, have a tendency to engage in physical labor and can boast of higher indicators than other people. They are more often irritated not so much by the intensity of labor as by organizational moments. As a result of systematic friction, there is a frequent change of place of work. Excitable personalities also often have a very uneven course of life, but not because they constantly avoid difficulties, but because they often express dissatisfaction, show irritability and a tendency to impulsive actions. It is enough that they do not like something, as they immediately turn away and, without bothering to weigh the consequences, take up a new one. Especially clearly their excitability is manifested with deep affects. As anger increases, individuals with increased excitability usually move from words to “deeds”, i.e. to manhandling. Unpleasant events, upset feelings can lead these people to rash acts, sometimes to a suicide attempt. But especially characteristic of them is unbridled excitability with outbursts of rage. Excitable personalities often give the impression of primitive people, i.e. already by their facial expressions one can judge the low intellectual mobility, they notice only what immediately catches the eye. In a conversation, such people are gloomy in appearance, they answer questions extremely sparingly. In a word, even here they do not know how to control themselves; Lack of self-management often leads to conflicts in communication with people. Often in these individuals we are faced with chronic alcoholism, since both in high spirits and in depressed mood they willingly resort to alcohol as an aphrodisiac. Girls also have a strong sexual attraction. Positive features of the excitable type: vigor, efficiency, initiative, housekeeping, thriftiness, conscientiousness. Negative features: irritability, a tendency to anger, intolerance of contradiction and independence of others, the ability to "raise a hand", unrestrained hobbies. Positive (favorable for the excitable type) situations: situations of mental and physical activity, work alone. Negative situations: situations of accusation, opposition, moral and material damage.

10. Exalted type. Such personalities tend to be deeply responsive to individual events, but also to depressive or euphoric states in a broader general sense. Affectively-exalted people react to life more violently than others. The rate of growth of reactions, their external manifestations are very intense. Affectively exalted individuals are equally easily delighted with joyful events and despair with sad ones. From "passionate jubilation to mortal anguish", in the words of the poet, they have one step. Exaltation has little to do with gross, selfish stimuli, much more often it is motivated by subtle, altruistic urges. Attachment to loved ones, friends, joy for them, for their success can be extremely strong. There are enthusiastic impulses that are not associated with a purely personal relationship. Love for music, art, nature, passion for sports, religious experiences, the search for a worldview - all this can capture an exalted person to the core. The other pole of his reactions is his extreme sensitivity to sad facts. Pity, compassion for unfortunate people, for sick animals can bring such a person to despair. Regarding an easily correctable failure, a slight disappointment that others would have forgotten tomorrow, an exalted person may experience sincere and deep grief. He feels some ordinary trouble of a friend more painfully than the victim himself. Fear in people with such a temperament, apparently, has the property of a sharp increase, since already with a slight fear that embraces an exalted nature, physiological manifestations (trembling, cold sweat) are noticeable, and hence the intensification of mental reactions. The fact that exaltation is associated with subtle and very human emotions explains why this temperament is especially often possessed by artistic natures - artists, poets. Artistic talent is something fundamentally different than scientific ability in a particular field, such as mathematics. Positive features of the exalted type: emotionality, expressiveness of assessments and actions. Negative traits: incontinence of feelings, anger or tearfulness, selfishness. Positive (favorable for the exalted type) situations: the opportunity to have “food” for feelings, work “to wear out”. Negative (unfavorable for the type) situations: monotonous work, the requirement of balanced assessments of the environment, restriction by instructions, rejection of feelings and "depth" of the situation.

They are hypertrophied and manifest themselves in the form of "weak points" in the psyche of the individual - its selective vulnerability to certain influences with good and even increased resistance to other influences. Separate accentuated character traits are usually quite compensatory. However, in difficult situations, a person with an accentuated character may experience a violation of behavior. Accentuations of character, his "weak points" can be obvious and hidden, manifested in extreme situations. Persons with personal accentuations are more malleable to the influences of the environment, more prone to mental trauma. And if an unfavorable situation strikes at a “weak spot”, then the entire behavior of such persons changes dramatically - accentuation features begin to dominate (Fig. 95).

The types of accentuated personalities have not yet been definitively determined. They are described by K. Leonhard and A. E. Lichko. However, these authors give an overly fractional classification of accentuations. We distinguish only four types of accentuated personalities: excitable, affective, unstable, anxious (Table 12).

Rice. 95. Structure of character

Unlike accentuation of character, they do not cause a general social maladjustment of the individual.

Intensively manifesting in adolescence, character accentuations can be compensated over time, and under adverse conditions, develop and transform into "marginal" psychopathy.

Types of character accentuations

The main types of character accentuation include:

excitable;
affective;
unstable;
anxious;

Sometimes accentuation borders on various types of psychopathy, therefore, in its characterization, typology, psychopathological schemes and terms are used. Psychodiagnostics of the types and severity of accentuations is carried out using the "Pathocharacteristic Diagnostic Questionnaire" (developed by A. E. Lichko and N. Ya. Ivanov) and the MMPI personality questionnaire (the scales of which include zones of accentuated and pathological manifestations of character).

Accentuation of character according to A. Lichko

According to the level of manifestation of character traits, characters are divided into medium (normal), pronounced (accentuated) and beyond the norm (psychopathy).

The central, or pivotal, relations of the individual are the relation of the individual to those around him (the team) and the relation of the individual to work. The existence of central, core relationships and the properties conditioned by them in the structure of character is of great practical importance in the upbringing of a person.

It is impossible to overcome individual character flaws (for example, rudeness and deceit) and cultivate individual positive qualities (for example, politeness and truthfulness), ignoring the central, core relationships of the personality, namely, the attitude towards people. In other words, it is impossible to form only a certain property, it is possible to educate only a whole system of interrelated properties, while paying the main attention to the formation of the central, pivotal relations of the individual, namely, relations to others and work.

The integrity of character, however, is not absolute. It's related to that. that the central, core relationships do not always completely and completely determine the rest. In addition, the degree of integrity of character is individually peculiar. There are people with a more holistic and less holistic or contradictory character. At the same time, it should be noted that when the quantitative expression of one or another character trait reaches the limit values and turns out to be at the border of norms, the so-called accentuation of character arises.

character accentuation- these are extreme variants of the norm as a result of strengthening individual features. Accentuation of character under very unfavorable circumstances can lead to pathological disorders and changes in personality behavior, to psychopathy, but it is wrong to identify it with pathology. Character properties are determined not by biological laws (hereditary factors), but by social (social factors).

The physiological basis of character is an alloy of traits such as higher nervous activity and complex stable systems of temporary connections developed as a result of individual life experience. In this alloy, the systems of temporary connections play a more important role, since the type of the nervous system can form all the social qualities of the personality. But, firstly, the systems of connections are formed differently in representatives of different types of the nervous system and, secondly, these systems of connections manifest themselves in a peculiar way depending on the types. For example, decisiveness of character can be brought up both in a representative of a strong, excitable type of nervous system, and in a representative of a weak type. But it will be brought up and manifested differently depending on the type.

Attempts to construct a typology of characters have been repeatedly made throughout the history of psychology.

All typologies of human characters have proceeded and proceed from a number of general ideas.

The main ones are the following:

the character of a person is formed quite early in ontogenesis and manifests itself as more or less stable throughout the rest of his life;
those combinations of personality traits that enter into a person's character are not accidental. They form clearly distinguishable types that make it possible to identify and build a typology of characters.

Most of the people in accordance with this typology can be divided into groups.

One of the curious character classifications belongs to the famous Russian scientist A.E. Lichko. This classification is based on observations of adolescents.

Accentuation of character, according to Lichko, is an excessive strengthening of individual character traits (Fig. 6), in which deviations in the psychology and behavior of a person that do not go beyond the norm, bordering on pathology, are observed. Such accentuations as temporary states of the psyche are most often observed in adolescence and early adolescence. The author of the classification explains this factor as follows: “... under the action of psychogenic factors addressing “the place of least resistance, temporary disturbances in adaptation, deviations in behavior may occur.” As the child grows up, the features of his character that manifest themselves in childhood remain quite pronounced, lose their sharpness, but with age they can again appear clearly (especially if a disease occurs).

In today's psychology, from 10 to 14 types (typologies) of character are distinguished.

They can be defined as harmonious and disharmonious.

Harmonious character types are characterized by a sufficient development of the main character traits without isolation, isolation, without exaggeration in the development of any one trait.

Disharmonious ones are manifested with the identification of different character traits and are called accentuated or accentuated.

In 20-50% of people, some character traits are so sharp that there is a “skew” of character - as a result, interaction with people worsens, difficulties and conflicts appear.

The severity of accentuation can be rachtic: from mild, noticeable only to the immediate environment, to extreme options, when you have to think about whether there is no illness - psychopathy. Psychopathy is a painful deformity of character (while maintaining the intellect of a person), as a result of which relationships with other people are sharply violated. But, unlike psychopathy, character accentuations appear inconsistently, over the years they can completely smooth out, approach the norm. Accentuations of character are most often found in adolescents and young men (50-80%), since it is these periods of life that are most critical for the formation of character, the manifestation of originality, and individuality. Then accentuations can be smoothed out or, on the contrary, intensified, developing into neuroses or psychopathy.

Rice. 6. Character accentuation scheme according to E. Filatova and A.E. Testicle

We can consider twelve disharmonious (accentuated) types of character (according to K. Leonhard's typology) and describe their positive and negative qualities that can affect a person's professional activity - we need this to confirm the foundations of personality differentiation in terms of a person's characterological properties.

Hyperthymic type

It is almost always distinguished by a good mood, high vitality, splashing energy, unstoppable activity. Strives for leadership, adventures. It is necessary to be reserved about his unreasonable optimism and overestimation of his capabilities. Features attractive to interlocutors: energy, thirst for activity, initiative, a sense of the new, optimism.

For the people around him, it is unacceptable: frivolity, a tendency to immoral acts, a frivolous attitude to the duties assigned to him, irritability in the circle of close people.

The conflict is possible with monotonous work, loneliness, in conditions of strict discipline, constant moralizing. This causes the person to become angry. Such a person shows himself well in work related to constant communication. These are organizational activities, household services, sports, theater. It is typical for him to often change professions and jobs.

Dysthymic type

The opposite of the first type: serious. pessimist. Constantly low mood, sadness, isolation, reticence. These people are burdened by noisy societies, they do not closely converge with colleagues. They rarely enter into conflicts, more often they are a passive side in them. They greatly appreciate those people who are friends with them and tend to obey them.

People around like their seriousness, high morality, conscientiousness and justice. But such traits as passivity, pessimism, sadness, slowness of thinking, "separation from the team" repel others from acquaintance and friendship with them.

Conflicts are observed in situations that require violent activity. For these people, a change in their usual way of life has a negative impact. They are good at jobs that do not require a wide range of communication. Under unfavorable conditions, they tend to neurotic depression. This accentuation occurs most often in persons of melancholic temperament.

Cycloid type

The accentuation of character is manifested in cyclically changing periods of ups and downs in mood. During the period of upsurge, they manifest themselves as people with hyperthymic accentuation, during the period of decline - with dysthymic accentuation. During the recession, they perceive troubles more acutely. These frequent changes in mental state tire a person, make his behavior unpredictable, contradictory, prone to changing profession, place of work, interests.

excitable type

This type of people have increased irritability, a tendency to aggression, intemperance, gloom, boredom, but flattery, helpfulness, a tendency to rudeness and obscene language or silence, slowness in conversation are possible. They actively and often conflict, do not avoid quarrels with superiors, are quarrelsome in a team, are despotic and cruel in a family. Outside of fits of anger, these people are conscientious, accurate and show love for children.

People around do not like their irritability, irascibility, inadequate outbursts of rage and anger with assault, cruelty, weakened control over attraction. These people are well affected by physical labor, athletic sports. They need to develop endurance, self-control. Because of their quarrelsomeness, they often change jobs.

stuck type

People with this type of accentuation "get stuck" on their feelings, thoughts. They cannot forget insults and "settle scores" with their offenders. They have official and domestic intractability, a tendency to protracted squabbles. In the conflict, they are most often the active side and clearly define the circle of friends and enemies for the day. They show dominance.

The interlocutors like their desire to achieve high performance in any business, the manifestation of high demands on themselves, the thirst for justice, adherence to principles, strong, stable views. But at the same time, these people have features that repel others: resentment, suspicion, vindictiveness, arrogance, jealousy, ambition.

A conflict is possible with hurt pride, unfair resentment, an obstacle to achieving ambitious goals.

Pedantic type

These people have a pronounced "tediousness" in the form of experiencing the details, in the service they are able to torture them with formal requirements, exhaust the household with excessive accuracy.

For others, they are attractive conscientiousness, accuracy. seriousness, reliability in deeds and feelings. But such people have a number of repulsive character traits: formalism, "chicanery", "boring", the desire to shift decision-making to others.

Conflicts are possible in a situation of personal responsibility for an important matter, with an underestimation of their merits. They are prone to obsession, psychasthenia.

For these people, professions that are not associated with great responsibility, “paperwork”, are preferred. They are not inclined to change jobs.

alarm type

People of this type of accentuation are characterized by low mood, timidity, timidity, self-doubt. They constantly fear for themselves, their loved ones, experience failure for a long time and doubt the correctness of their actions. They rarely enter into conflicts and play a passive role.

Conflicts are possible in situations of fear, threats, ridicule, unfair accusations.

People around like their friendliness, self-criticism and diligence. But timidity, suspiciousness sometimes serve as a target for jokes.

Such people cannot be leaders, make responsible decisions, as they are characterized by endless experience, weighing.

emotive type

A person of this type of character is overly sensitive, vulnerable and deeply worried about the slightest trouble. He is sensitive to comments, failures, so he most often has a sad mood. He prefers a narrow circle of friends and relatives who would understand him perfectly.

Rarely enters into conflicts and plays a passive role in them. Resentment does not splash out, but prefers to keep them in himself. Those around him like his compassion, pity, expression of joy about other people's successes. He is very executive and has a high sense of duty.

Such a person is usually a good family man. But extreme sensitivity, tearfulness repel others from him.

Conflicts with a loved one, death or illness, he perceives tragically. Injustice, rudeness, being surrounded by rude people are contraindicated for him. He achieves the most significant results in the field of art, medicine, raising children, caring for animals and plants.

Demonstrative type

This person strives to be in the spotlight and achieves his goals at any cost: tears, fainting, scandals, illnesses, boasting, outfits, unusual hobbies, lies. He easily forgets about his unseemly deeds. He has a high adaptability to people.

This person is attractive to others with courtesy, perseverance, purposefulness, acting talent, the ability to captivate others, as well as his originality. He has traits that repel people from him, these traits contribute to conflict: selfishness, unbridled actions, deceit, boastfulness, a tendency to intrigue, shirking from work. A conflict by such a person occurs when his interests are infringed, his merits are underestimated, he is overthrown from the “pedestal”. These situations cause him hysterical reactions.

exalted type

People with this type of accentuation have a very changeable mood, talkativeness, increased distractibility to external events. Their emotions are pronounced and are reflected in amorousness.

Such traits as altruism, artistic taste, artistic talent, brightness of feelings and attachment to friends are liked by interlocutors. But excessive impressionability, pathos, alarmism, susceptibility to despair are not their best features. Failures and sad events are perceived tragically, such people are prone to neurotic depression.

Their environment of existence is the sphere of arts, artistic sports, professions associated with proximity to nature.

introverted type

People of this type of accentuation are characterized by low sociability, isolation. They are aloof from everyone and enter into communication with other people only if necessary, most often immersed in themselves and their thoughts. They are characterized by increased vulnerability, but they do not tell anything about themselves and do not share their experiences. Even to their loved ones, they are cold and reserved. Their behavior and logic are often not understood by others.

These people love solitude and prefer to be alone rather than in noisy company. They rarely enter into conflicts, only when trying to invade their inner world.

They are picky in choosing a spouse and are busy searching for their ideal.

They have a strong emotional coldness and weak attachment to loved ones.

The people around them like them for restraint, degree, deliberateness of actions, the presence of strong convictions and adherence to principles. But the stubborn upholding of their unrealistic interests, views and the presence of their own point of view, which differs sharply from the opinion of the majority, repel people from them.

Such people prefer work that does not require a large circle of communication. They are prone to theoretical sciences, philosophical reflections, collecting, chess, science fiction, music.

Conformal type

People of this type are highly sociable, talkative to the point of talkativeness. Usually they do not have their own opinions and do not strive to stand out from the crowd.

These people are not organized and tend to obey others. In communication with friends and family, they give way to leadership to others. Surrounding in these people like their willingness to listen to another, diligence. But at the same time, these are people "without a king in their heads", subject to someone else's influence. They do not think about their actions and have a great passion for entertainment. Conflicts are possible in a situation of forced loneliness, lack of control.

These people have easy adaptability to a new job and do an excellent job with their job responsibilities when tasks and rules of conduct are clearly defined.

character accentuation or personality accentuation- excessive strengthening of individual character traits. This feature of a person determines behavior and actions, leaves an imprint on all spheres of her activity: attitude towards herself, towards others, towards the world. Accentuation is an extreme version of the norm and is not considered a mental disorder or disease.

Prevalence. Personality accentuations are widespread, especially among adolescents. Among young people, explicit or hidden accentuations are found in 95% of those surveyed. With age, people will be able to smooth out unwanted features, and the number of accentuations is reduced to 50-60%.

The benefits and harms of accentuations. On the one hand, an accentuated trait makes a person more stable and successful in some situations. For example, people with hysterical accentuation are talented actors, and people with hyperthymic accentuation are positive, sociable and can find an approach to any person.

On the other hand, an accentuated character trait becomes a vulnerable spot of a person, complicates life for himself and those around him. Situations that are not significant for other people turn into a test for the psyche. For example, people with a hypothymic type of accentuation experience difficulties if it is necessary to get to know each other and make contact.

There is a danger that in difficult situations these enhanced character traits can develop into psychopathy, cause neurosis, become the cause of alcoholism, illegal behavior.

In what cases can accentuations develop into pathology

Unfavorable environmental conditions that hit the accentuated feature as the weakest point, for example, for conformal accentuation, is the rejection of a person in a team.
Long-term impact of this factor.
The impact of an unfavorable factor during the period when a person is most vulnerable. Most often it is junior classes and adolescence.

If these conditions are met, the accentuation is aggravated and turns into psychopathy, which is already a mental disorder.

How do accentuations differ from psychopathy?

Reasons for the formation of accentuations. It is believed that the formation of accentuations is influenced by the innate properties of temperament. So a person born choleric is prone to developing excitable accentuation, and a sanguine person to hyperthymic. The strengthening of certain character traits occurs in childhood and adolescence under the influence of chronic psycho-traumatic situations (constant humiliation by peers) and the peculiarities of education.
Degrees of personality accentuations

Explicit- manifests itself in a person's behavior in most situations, but does not violate his ability to adapt to various social situations (acquaintance, conflict, communication with friends).
Hidden- does not manifest itself in life, can be detected only in critical situations that affect accentuated character traits.

Types of personality accentuations. Each scientist who dealt with character accentuations singled out his own types. To date, several dozen have been described. This article will describe the main ones.
Psychologists began to deal with the problem of personality accentuations in the second half of the twentieth century. Therefore, in matters of classification, diagnosis and correction, many controversial issues remain.

Types of accentuation

There are many character traits, and each of them can be overly enhanced. It is the accentuated features that determine the type of personality and character traits, make a person different from others. We give short descriptions of the main types of personality.

hysteroid type

In other classifications demonstrative type. Widespread among women. It is especially pronounced in adolescence and young age. Distinctive features:

Eagerness to get attention surrounding to his person. They seek attention by all means - actions, manner of dressing and speaking, appearance. They demand from others respect, surprise, sympathy, in extreme cases, anger. Appearance bright, attractive. Even in the absence of outstanding external data, they know how to look spectacular.
Increased emotionality. They are highly sensitive and responsive. At the same time, they easily endure mental pain, grief and resentment, although they demonstrate strong emotions. Some emotions are quickly replaced by others. There is a tendency to envy and jealousy. They do not tolerate if the attention of others switches to another person.
Artistry manifests itself in all life situations. Easily get used to any role, which facilitates adaptation to new situations. They differ in arrogant facial expressions and mannered postures.
developed imagination and figurative thinking. They believe in what they have imagined. Suggestible. They are fond of applied magic, they believe in horoscopes. They tend to advertise and exaggerate their victories in their personal lives.
fearful. They tend to exaggerate the danger.
Positive features: open to communication, easily establish contact with a new person. They adapt well to new situations. They have an active life position. The desire for fame becomes a powerful motivator, which contributes to success in creative professions (actors, singers, dancers, artists).
Flaws: excessive emotionality, an overly sharp reaction to all events relating to one's own personality, while indifference to the problems of others. Difficulties that have arisen along the way make you abandon your plan. Do not tolerate routine work. They can easily get sick on a nervous basis - psychosomatic diseases develop. Loss of authority can lead to suicidal thoughts. They provoke conflicts, based on the desire to be in the spotlight.

epileptoid type

In other classifications excitable personality type. People with this accentuation, just like hysteroids, seek to attract attention to themselves. But they do it not so defiantly, but with the help of stuttering, coughing, complaints. Distinctive features:

Discontent and irritability. prone to negative emotions. Constantly grumbling, complaining. They fixate on the bad and think about the problem for a long time, while dissatisfaction grows until it spills out in the form of a major quarrel. The behavior model of such people is compared to a steam boiler, the temperature of which increases until an explosion occurs. After discharge, they cannot calm down for a long time. This feature distinguishes them from other types. In family life, they show despotism, arrange frequent scandals over trifles.
Tendency towards the established order in things, deeds and relationships. They do not like changes, permutations. They keep order themselves and force others, especially family members and subordinates. Clutter can lead to a big fight. Emphasis is placed on rationality, not purity.
Easy attitude to moral standards. In actions, they are guided only by their own opinion, therefore they can cross the norms of morality, especially in a fit of anger. They can be rude, show disrespect for elders, physical violence towards children and animals. At the same time, they will not even notice the misconduct, and will not be tormented by remorse.
Structured thinking. When making decisions, they are guided by common sense and logic. However, this does not prevent them from reaching fits of rage if their desires are not fulfilled. They don't consider alternatives. They believe that their point of view is the only correct one.
incredulity, based on critical thinking. They don't take their word for it, they demand proof. Do not trust strangers. They do not believe in horoscopes and predictions.
It is difficult to adapt to a new situation.
Positive features: scrupulousness, increased accuracy, taking care of one's health, the ability to receive benefits, the ability to defend one's interests. In a calm state, they show extreme kindness and care for family members and animals. Energetic and active in matters of maintaining order, which can become part of the profession - managers, managers, caretakers.
Flaws violent fits of anger, after which they cool down for a long time, gloom, intolerance to contradictions, lack of respect for other people's opinions. These aspects of character provoke dissatisfaction with others, frequent conflicts in the family and at work. Possible addiction to alcohol, sexual perversion, sadistic inclinations.

Schizoid type

People with a schizoid accentuation are secretive, uncommunicative and outwardly cold. However, this accentuation rarely leads to adaptation disorders. Distinctive features:

Closure. They do not know how and do not want to communicate with others. Strive for loneliness. After trying to make an acquaintance, they note that they have nothing to talk about with a person, which causes disappointment and withdrawal into themselves.
Combination of conflicting properties: shyness and tactlessness, sensitivity and indifference, compliance and stubbornness.
Lack of intuition about feelings other people. They cannot understand whether the interlocutor treats them well or badly, how he reacted to their words.
The inability to empathize. Indifferent, do not show emotions in communication.
Secretive do not show their inner world. Open only to like-minded people.
Unusual interests and hobbies. Reading literature of a certain genre, drawing churches, calligraphy, sometimes collecting (for example, only flower stamps).
Positive features: developed fantasy, creativity, creativity, passion for non-team sports to improve your body (cycling, yoga), playing musical instruments (guitar, violin).
Flaws. Sometimes there may be a penchant for peeping or exhibitionism, they may take small doses of alcohol or soft drugs to overcome shyness in communication.

Cycloid type. Accentuation causes a periodic change in mood (duration of periods from several days to 2 weeks). Distinctive features:

undulating mood swings. Each phase can last 1-2 weeks. Sometimes there are breaks in "balance" between them. Cycloid accentuation is common in adolescents and smoothes out with age.
Rise periods The person is full of energy and desire to work. At this time, the cycloids are cheerful and sociable, striving for leadership, achieving success in school and at work. They do not tolerate loneliness, boredom, monotony.
Recession periods or subdepression- mood and performance are sharply reduced. There is no desire to communicate, do anything, drowsiness develops. They strive for loneliness, entertainment loses its appeal. Become too sensitive to criticism and vulnerable. Self-esteem is sharply reduced, thoughts about their uselessness, inferiority appear.
Positive features: in the lifting phase, a person is full of strength and desire to work and communicate.
Flaws. Low activity in the decline phase. In the event that the subdepressive phase is prolonged, thoughts of suicide may arise. Under adverse circumstances, accentuation can develop into bipolar disorder.

paranoid type. Formed late - by the age of 30. Its main characteristics are perseverance and perseverance in achieving goals. People with a paranoid accent feel bad and are afraid of what others will think of them if they find out about their nature. As a result, they often experience fear and shame. Two personalities coexist in them, they consider one worthless and despise it. The second is perceived as ideal and omnipotent. Between these two poles there is an exhausting internal conflict. Distinctive features:

Projection of one's own character traits onto other people. They attribute their thoughts and intentions to them. This leads to the fact that they see in others anger, envy. Constantly trying to recognize the malevolence in the behavior of others.
Focus on self. Selfish, constantly thinking about themselves, experiencing their own internal conflict.
Over-sensitivity to comments criticism, rejection.
grumpiness and the constant desire to defend their rights, even if they were not infringed.
Unreasonable jealousy, suspicions of conspiracies.
Failure to refuse. They do not know how to say "no", but prefer to make promises and not keep them.
A penchant for exclusivity and uniqueness in clothes and hobbies.
Positive features: persistent and purposeful. They have non-standard thinking, are smart, well-read. They are able to analyze and foresee the result of their own and others' actions. They have a sense of style. They can deny themselves excesses for the sake of an idea.
Flaws: a tendency to hypercontrol over loved ones, suspicion, disgust for people.

Unstable (rampant) type. People with an unstable type are distinguished by a desire to have fun. Distinctive features:

Laziness and weakness. It's hard to force yourself to do something that isn't enjoyable. Under any pretext, they shirk from work or imitate labor activity.
The instability of emotions. Any event causes a short burst of emotions. Therefore, they need frequent changes of impressions.
The need for strict control. Only the knowledge that the result of their work will be controlled can force them to complete the task. However, strict control makes them want to run away or quit.
Tendency to obey an informal leader. They show lack of independence even in the search for entertainment. They follow the lead of others, do what they are offered.
Positive features. Carelessness, curiosity, an optimistic view of the future.
Flaws. The constant search for thrills increases the risk of developing drug addiction and alcoholism. They love speed, which increases the risk of accidents when driving a car or motorcycle. prone to gambling.

labile type

People have frequent unpredictable mood swings that occur on any insignificant occasion (did not like the tone or look of the interlocutor). Distinctive features:

mood swings. Mood swings are sharp and deep. People are not just upset, they fall into despair, and after half an hour they can experience sincere joy. Their well-being and performance, their idea of their own future and the structure of the world largely depend on these differences. So, if a person is in high spirits, then he feels great, is friendly even to unfamiliar people, and looks to the future with optimism. If the mood has fallen, then everything becomes negative.
High sensitivity to praise and criticism. Praise causes joy and stimulates new achievements, but criticism can cause discouragement and abandonment of activity.
Sociability. They are drawn to their peers, in dire need of communication. They become attached to people and suffer greatly from the breakdown of relationships.
Positive features: sincere, direct, positive, devoted. This accentuation rarely passes into the phase of psychopathy.
Flaws. It is difficult to endure losses, have extremely low stress resistance. Not ready to deal with difficulties, they may abandon the goal.

Conformal type

People with a conformal type accentuation tend to trust and follow their surroundings. Distinctive features:

Obedience to the opinion of the majority. They tend to agree with the opinion of the majority in the group to which they belong. There is no critical thinking, they do not analyze how the group decision correlates with the norms of morality, law.
fashion following. Adhere to fashion trends in clothing, choosing a hobby or profession.
The desire to be "like everyone else." The unwillingness to stand out from the group stimulates to be no worse than others in study and work. At the same time, they do not have a desire to take the place of a leader, to become better than the majority.
Conservatism. Tend to adhere to the established order imposed by the majority.
It's hard to break up with the group. Expulsion from the group, conflict with its leaders and loss of authority cause serious psychological trauma.
Positive features. Successful in a positive environment. This accentuation rarely becomes the basis of mental disorders.
Flaws. They do not show independence, independence, initiative. Feel hostility to people of other nationalities, to strangers in the group. Once in a bad company, they follow the lead, consume drugs and alcohol, and break the law.

Astheno-neurotic type

People with an astheno-neurotic type of accentuation are characterized by fatigue, irritability and a tendency to hypochondria. Distinctive features:

Difficulty with mental and physical stress(exams, dissertation defense, competitions). Severe fatigue causes mental and emotional stress. They also experience fatigue from noisy companies, outdoor activities. Try to avoid stress as much as possible.
Irritability, appearing on the background of fatigue. Its manifestations are short-term and not too strong outbursts of anger, which are associated with increased fatigue of the nervous system. Against this background, sleep worsens and appetite disappears.
Tendency to hypochondria is characteristic of this type of accentuation. They like to be treated, they are happy to observe bed rest, listen to bodily sensations. They note the connection - the higher the state of health, the better the state of the nervous system. And against the background of a nervous shock, a real, and not far-fetched, disease can develop.
Positive features. Attachment to loved ones, kindness, good intellectual development, conscientiousness.
Flaws. The risk of developing neurosis and neurasthenia, they react painfully to jokes addressed to them, high fatigue prevents them from studying well and working productively.

Psychasthenic type

People with psychasthenic accentuation are prone to introspection. Distinctive features:

Reflection- attention is directed inward. They tend to analyze their feelings, actions, emotions.
indecisiveness. Avoid situations in which you have to make a choice.
Striving to live up to expectations, which lays on them family, friends, superiors. A developed sense of responsibility, combined with increased fatigue, causes a constant internal conflict between “should” and “can”, which depletes mental strength.
The development of obsessions. Obsessive thoughts, memories, fears, actions, rituals, superstitions that appear regardless of a person’s desire and cause negative emotions.
Feelings towards the future. They fear that misfortune may happen to them or their loved ones in the future.
Pedantry. Strictly follow the rules. These rules can be generally accepted (traffic rules, fire safety) or invented by them. The goal is to keep yourself out of trouble.
Positive features: kindness, affection for loved ones, adherence to moral principles, high intelligence, developed imagination.
Flaws: indecision, tendency to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Hyperthymic type. The main feature of people with a hyperthymic type of accentuation is optimism, and short-term outbursts of anger are very rare. Distinctive features:

A good mood often without good reason - a hallmark of hyperthyms, which makes them the soul of the company.
Energetic, active, hardy. Everything is done quickly. Sometimes the quality of work can suffer.
chatty. They like to tell, exaggerate, sometimes embellish the truth.
Sociable. They love to chat and make new friends. Strive to command. They love jokes and pranks.
Positive features: high vitality, optimism, endurance to physical and mental stress, stress resistance.
Flaws: illegibility when choosing acquaintances, the risk of regular consumption of alcoholic beverages. Restless, do not like work that requires accuracy. Wasteful, can borrow and not give back. Among people with hyperthymic accentuation, there is an addiction to petty theft.

sensitive type

Very sensitive, yet reliable, serious and silent. Mostly depressed mood.

Impressionability. Even in adulthood, they remain extremely susceptible to all external stimuli. They endure stress and conflicts very hard, they endure them for a long time.
Difficulties in managing yourself in stressful situations. If this situation drags on, they can flare up a lot. Which they later regret. In critical situations, they are capable of courageous deeds.
Diffidence. In their imagination they draw a strict “I-ideal”, they worry that they do not correspond to it in real life.
Pessimism. They see the future in gloomy colors.
Anxiety about the attitude of others around them. They worry about what other people will think of them. They are afraid of criticism and ridicule.
Positive features: conscientiousness, diligence, fidelity.
Flaws: passivity, unpredictability in a stressful situation.

Combinations of types of accentuations

ABOUT mixed accentuations they say when not one, but several traits are enhanced in a person’s character. It is these options that are found in the vast majority of cases of accentuations.
The most common mixed character accentuations:

Hyperthymic + conformal;
Labile + cycloid;
Sensitive + schizoid;
Sensitive + astheno-neurotic + psychasthenic;
Hysteroid + epileptoid.

Classification of accentuations according to Leonhard

The German psychologist Karl Leonhard divided all character traits into basic and additional. The main ones are the core of the personality. They are responsible for her mental health. If one of these features is strengthened (accentuated), then it determines the behavior of a person. When exposed to adverse factors, pathology can develop.

Group	Type of accentuation	Characteristic
temperament like a natural formation	emotive	Kind, compassionate, humane, appreciates close friends, peace-loving, executive, has a heightened sense of duty. But at the same time it is distinguished by timidity, tearfulness and shyness.
	Affectively exalted	Sociable, amorous, distinguished by good taste, attentive to loved ones, altruistic, capable of high feelings. But at the same time, he is prone to panic, gets lost under stress, and is prone to mood swings.
	Affectively labile	Soft, vulnerable, capable of empathy, has high moral principles. But he is prone to sharp cyclic mood swings that determine his relationship with people. Does not tolerate loneliness, indifference, rudeness.
	alarming	Friendly, loyal, executive, self-critical. The mood is often lowered, timid, does not defend his interests, needs support.
	Dysthymic (hypothymic)	Conscientious, serious, laconic, appreciates friends. But at the same time, an individualist, closed, prone to pessimism, passive.
	Hyperthymic	Sociable, optimistic, active, hardy, hardworking, does not lose control in stressful situations. Frivolous, rarely brings what he started to the end. Does not tolerate loneliness and strict control.
Types of accentuations related to character how to social education	Excitable	It is characterized by mood swings and violent outbursts of anger. In a calm state, caring, conscientious, accurate. During outbursts of anger, he does not control his condition well, is irritable.
	stuck	Responsible, stress-resistant, stubborn, hardy, makes high demands on himself and others. But at the same time suspicious, touchy, boring, jealous, somewhat conflicted. He does not tolerate when someone else claims to be in his place.
	Pedantic	Neat, strictly adheres to the rules, reliable, conscientious, peaceful. But boredom, grumbling, not work - bureaucracy are often noted.
	Demonstrative	Artistic, charismatic, sociable, has a developed imagination, strives for leadership. But at the same time, he is vain and prone to lies, selfish. He does not tolerate when he is not paid attention, suffers if his authority is undermined.
Types of accentuations related to personalities generally	extroverted	Sociable, friendly, attentive, executive, always ready to listen, does not pretend to be a leader. But at the same time, he is talkative, frivolous, easily falls under the influence of others, prone to rash impulsive actions.
	introverted	Principled, restrained, immersed in his inner world, morally developed, distinguished by a rich imagination. But at the same time, closed, stubborn, defends his point of view, even if it turns out to be wrong. He does not tolerate interference in his personal life.

Classification of accentuations according to Lichko

Soviet psychiatrist Andrey Lichko considered accentuations as temporary enhancements of character traits that can appear and disappear in childhood and adolescence. At the same time, he recognized the possibility of preserving accentuations for life and their transition to psychopathy. Since Lichko considered accentuations to be a borderline option between the norm and psychopathy, his classification is based on the types of psychopathy.

Type of accentuation	Characteristic
Hyperthymic	Cheerful, active, optimistic, self-confident, striving for leadership, resourceful, enterprising. Cons: frivolous, restless, inattentive, not responsible enough for his duties, sometimes irritable.
Labile	Empathy is well developed, feels the emotions of others and their attitude towards themselves. Experiencing severe mood swings on minor occasions. Needs the support of loved ones.
Cycloid	Cyclical ups and downs in mood. The frequency is several weeks. In periods of upswing, sociable, energetic, joyful, energetic. During the recession - apathetic, irritable, sad.
Astheno-neurotic	Disciplined, meticulous. Increased mental fatigue is noted, which makes a person irritable and overly concerned about his health.
Psychasthenic (anxious and suspicious)	Intellectually developed. He is prone to reflection, introspection, evaluation of his actions and the actions of others. Inflated self-esteem is combined with indecision. In times of crisis, he can make rash acts. Cons: petty, despotic, prone to the development of obsessive actions.
sensitive (sensitive)	High sensitivity to joyful and frightening moments. Obedient, assiduous, responsible, calm, makes high moral demands on himself and others. Cons: unsociable, suspicious, whiny, hard to adapt to a new team.
Epileptoid (inert-impulsive)	Strives for leadership, loves to set the rules, enjoys authority with management and among peers. It tolerates harsh discipline well. Cons: can offend the weak, establishes cruel orders, irritable.
Schizoid (introverted)	Closed, prefers loneliness or communication with elders. Cons: indifferent, incapable of showing sympathy and empathy.
Unstable	Sociable, open, courteous, eager to have fun. Cons: laziness, unwillingness to work and study. Prone to alcohol, drugs, gambling.
Hysteroid (demonstrative)	Artistic, impulsive, enterprising, sociable, loves attention, seeks to take a leading position, but is not able to achieve authority. Cons: self-centered, prone to lies. Behavior is unnatural and pretentious.
Conformal	There is no criticality and initiative, he is inclined to obey the opinion from the outside. Strives to be different from the rest of the group. For the sake of the group, he can commit unseemly acts, while he is inclined to justify himself.
Paranoid	Characteristic features develop by the age of 30. In childhood, he manifests himself as a teenager with an epileptoid or schizoid accentuation. Self-esteem is significantly overestimated, ideas about their exclusivity and genius appear.
Emotionally labile	Suffers from frequent and severe mood swings, needs support, feels the attitude of people towards him well. Cons: emotionally unstable.

Character accentuation test according to Shmishek

The personality questionnaire, developed by G. Shmishek, is designed to identify character accentuations. It is based on the classification of accentuations developed by Leonhard. The adult character accentuation test according to Shmishek consists of 88 questions. Each of them must be answered yes (+) or no (-). It is not recommended to think about questions for a long time, but to answer as it seems at the moment. The children's version of the test is similar and differs only in the wording of the questions.

Each of the 88 questions characterizes some accentuated feature.

Hyperthymia
distimity
Cyclothymicity
Excitability
Jam
emotivity
Exaltation
Pedantry
demonstrativeness

The results obtained are processed using the key. For each feature, the points are summed up and multiplied by the coefficient corresponding to this feature.

Scale	1 point is awarded for		Coefficient
Scale	Answer "yes"	The answer is "no"	Coefficient
Hyperthymia	1, 11, 23, 33, 45, 55, 67, 77		3
distimity	9, 21, 43, 74, 87	31, 53, 65	3
Cyclothymicity	6, 18, 28, 40, 50, 62, 72, 84		3
Excitability	20, 30, 42, 52, 64, 75, 86		3
Jam	2, 15, 24, 34, 37, 56, 68, 78, 81	12, 46, 59	2
emotivity	3, 13, 35, 47, 57, 69, 79	25	3
Exaltation	10, 32, 54, 76		6
Anxiety	6, 27, 38, 49, 60, 71, 82	5	3
Pedantry	4, 14, 17, 26, 36, 48, 58, 61, 70, 80, 83	39	2
demonstrativeness	7, 19, 22, 29, 41, 44, 63, 66, 73, 85, 88	51	2

Each scale is assigned a score, from 0 to 24.

0-6 - the trait is not expressed.
7-12 - the trait is moderately expressed;
13-18 - the severity is above average;
19-24 - accentuated feature.

Based on the points obtained, a graph is built, which is also very important, since it makes it possible to characterize the personality in general terms.

Features of accentuation in adolescents

Personality accentuations are formed in adolescence. In the same period, they appear especially brightly. The reason for this is the impulsiveness of adolescents, the inability to control their emotions and actions. These or other personality accentuations are present in 90-95% of adolescents.

The very presence of an enhanced character trait is not dangerous, but it makes a teenager extremely sensitive to external situations and internal conflicts, and affects relationships with parents and peers. The same accentuations under adverse conditions can cause offenses, and with the right approach and the right choice of profession, they will help to achieve success in life.

It is important for parents to know about the presence of character accentuation in a teenager in order to help him adapt to life, to build a parenting style that will be as effective as possible. The task of parents is to develop qualities and skills in a teenager that will smooth out an accentuated character trait.

hysteroid type

"Stars of the class", activists, participate in all events. They differ in artistry and desire to stand out from the background of others. They don't like it if the praise goes to someone else. They exaggerate emotionally react to all events (they sob sobbing in front of the audience).
Distinguishing feature. Playing for the public, a constant need for attention, recognition or sympathy.

Characteristic
As long as they feel loved and all the attention is on them, there are no behavioral problems. In everyday life, they attract attention in all possible ways. This is a defiant behavior, an expressive manner of speaking and bright clothes. Take credit for accomplishments. They can boast that they drank a lot, ran away from home. They often lie, mostly fantasies concern their own person. They can’t stand it when the attention of others switches to others (a newcomer to the class, a newborn, a stepfather). They can take actions to get rid of a competitor, “out of spite” to do things that their parents will obviously not like. In words, they defend independence, sometimes with scandals, but they need guardianship and do not seek to get rid of it.

Problems
Often, behavioral problems are an attempt to get the attention of parents. They have suicidal tendencies, but the goal is not to commit suicide, but to avoid punishment or achieve sympathy. Suicide attempts are demonstrative and not dangerous. Easily amenable to suggestion, they run the risk of falling into a "bad" company. They can drink alcohol, but in small quantities. There are cases of minor offenses (fraud, absenteeism, petty theft). Demonstrative and frivolous behavior, revealing clothing and a desire to show one's adulthood can provoke sexual violence.

Positive sides. If they are set as an example, they become very diligent. They study well, especially in the lower grades. Artistic, successful in dancing, vocals, conversational genre.

How to interact

Encourage only good things to say about others.
Praise only for real achievements.
Give a task - help a peer to be in the spotlight. For example, prepare a number in which someone else will be the soloist.

epileptoid type

Personality properties are due to the passivity of the processes occurring in the nervous system. Adolescents with such an accentuation are touchy and get stuck on offense for a long time.

Distinctive feature. Periods of intense irritability and hostility to others, lasting up to several days.

Characteristic
Adolescents with epileptoid accentuation are stubborn and uncompromising in nature. They are vindictive and do not forget insults. In the first place put personal interests, do not take into account the opinions of others. The company tries to become leaders by uniting the younger and the weak around them. Since they are despotic, their power rests on fear. The process of growing up is problematic. Teenagers can demand not only freedom, but also their share of property. Sometimes they get angry and cry for hours. Strong emotions provoke bouts of anger and aggression. During seizures, teenagers are looking for a “victim” on whom they can pour out their emotions. During these attacks, they can reach sadism.

Problems.
Suicidal attempts as a reaction to "unfair" punishment. They tend to drink alcohol in large quantities "before memory loss." They do not remember the actions that they perform in this state. But rarely consume other toxic drugs. During puberty, they experience a strong sexual desire, which can lead to the development of perversions. There is a predilection for setting firecrackers and making fires.

Positive sides.
Discipline, accuracy. They know how to win over teachers. They feel comfortable in conditions of strict discipline (boarding school, camp). They love and know how to make things.
How to interact

Provide security and peace of mind to reduce irritability and aggression.
Require strict adherence to the rules established at home (do not give unsolicited advice, do not interrupt). This will allow parents to get the status of "strong" in the eyes of a teenager.

Schizoid type

This type of accentuation manifests itself even at preschool age: children prefer playing alone to communicating with peers.

Distinctive feature isolation, immersion in the world of fantasy.
Characteristic
They prefer to fantasize, to engage in their own hobby, as a rule, highly specialized (they mold soldiers from plasticine, embroider birds). They do not know how and do not want to establish emotional contact and communicate. They do not express their emotions. Closed, do not share their experiences, do not reveal their inner world. Consciously choose loneliness and do not suffer from the absence of friends. Difficulties in communication are associated with a lack of understanding of the feelings of others: “I don’t know if this person likes me, how he reacted to my words.” At the same time, they are not interested in the opinion of others. Not able to rejoice with friends or empathize with someone else's grief. They are not tactful, they do not understand when to remain silent, and when to insist on their own. Speech is florid, statements are often with subtext, which further complicates communication.
Problems. A tendency to take narcotic drugs may develop to enhance fantasies and immersion in their invented world. Occasionally they can commit illegal acts (theft, damage to property, sexual violence), and they think through their actions to the smallest detail.
Positive sides. Developed fantasy, rich inner world, stable interests.
How to interact

Encourage classes in a theater studio - this will help a teenager learn to express emotions, actively use facial expressions. Encourage dance and martial arts or other sports that train plasticity. They will teach you to control your body, make movements less sharp and angular.
Encourage you to be in the center. A teenager should periodically feel like an animator in charge of entertaining others. For example, by entertaining his younger brother and his friends, he will learn to speak loudly and emotionally. Learn to read the reaction to your actions.
Instill a sense of style. It is necessary to teach a teenager to take care of his appearance and fashion.

Cycloid. In adolescence, cheerful, sociable and active children have long (1-2 weeks) periods of low mood, loss of strength, and irritability. They are called the subdepressive phase. During these periods, adolescents are no longer interested in past hobbies and communication with peers. Problems begin in studies due to a decrease in working capacity.

Distinctive feature- Alternating cycles of high spirits with apathy and loss of energy.
Characteristic
A lack of perseverance, patience and attention leads to the fact that adolescents with cycloid accentuation do poorly in monotonous scrupulous work. In the subdepressive phase, changes in the usual way of life are poorly tolerated. Become very sensitive to failure and criticism. Their self-esteem drops significantly. They look for and find shortcomings in themselves, they are very upset about this. During periods of recovery, they do not like loneliness - they are open, friendly and need to communicate. The mood rises, there is a thirst for activity. Against this backdrop, performance improves. During periods of recovery, they try to catch up with the lost time in studies and hobbies.
Problems.
Serious problems in a teenager in the subdepressive stage can cause an emotional breakdown or even provoke a suicide attempt. They do not tolerate total control, they can escape in protest. Absences from home can be both short and long. During periods of recovery, they become promiscuous in acquaintances.
Positive sides: during the recovery period, conscientiousness, accuracy, reliability, high productivity.

How to interact
It is necessary to be as tolerant and tactful as possible, especially when a teenager is going through a subdepressive phase.

Protect from emotional overload.
Avoid rudeness and insults, as this can provoke a serious nervous breakdown.
During periods of recovery, you need to help direct the energy in the right direction. Support a teenager in his hobby, teach him to plan his time and finish what he started.
Support in the negative phase, increase his self-esteem, cheer him up. Convince that the bad period will end soon.

paranoid ( steam-burning ) or stuck the type of accentuation in adolescents is not distinguished, since its features are formed later by the age of 25-30.
Distinctive feature- high purposefulness.
Characteristic
Sets a goal and looks for means to achieve it. In adolescence, hostility towards others, as the main feature of this accentuation, does not manifest itself in any way. Future accentuation can give out an exaggerated sense of self-worth, ambition and perseverance. Also characteristic is "stuck", when a teenager cannot move away from a state of affect (strong negative emotions) for a long time.

Unstable or unrestrained.

Such teenagers from childhood are distinguished by disobedience and unwillingness to learn. They need strict control. Fear of punishment is the main incentive to study and fulfill duties.

Distinguishing feature - weak will, laziness and desire to have fun.
Characteristic
They love pleasure, need frequent changes of impressions. Avoid any work under various pretexts. This is especially noticeable when it is necessary to study or fulfill instructions from parents. Only communication with friends seems attractive to them. On this basis, they run the risk of falling into an asocial company. Easily succumbed to negative influences.
Problems associated with the desire to have fun. On this basis, they begin to drink early and use various intoxicants. The risk of developing drug addiction and alcoholism is quite high. “For fun” they can skip school, steal cars, break into other people’s apartments, commit theft, etc. They have a tendency to wander.

Positive sides. Striving for positive emotions, cheerfulness.

How to interact

They need strict control. This applies to everything from homework to the quality of errands.
Management by the "carrot and stick" method. Decide in advance what penalties will be imposed for failure to complete tasks, and what bonuses the teenager will receive for quality work.
Encourage active sports and other ways to release energy.

Labile

Frequent and rapid mood swings from delight and wild fun to despondency and tears. Often the reasons for changing the mood are the most insignificant (bad weather, tangled headphones).

Distinctive feature- Mood volatility for minor reasons.
Characteristic
During periods of good mood, adolescents are talkative, active, and set to communicate. But any little thing can ruin their mood and piss them off. At the same time, they can burst into tears, easily go into conflict, become lethargic and withdrawn.
Problems.
Very dependent on people they value (close friends, parents). The loss of a loved one or his location, separation from him, causes affect, neurosis or depression. A bad mood can cause a deterioration in well-being up to the development of real diseases (bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus, migraine, nervous tics). Very badly endure criticism and reproaches from teachers, parents, close friends. They become withdrawn, react with tears.

Positive sides. Often talented. They have deep inner peace. Capable of strong affection and sincere friendship. Appreciate people for being kind to them. During periods of good mood, they are full of energy, desire to communicate, learn and engage in hobbies. Empathy is developed - they accurately feel the attitude of others towards them.

How to interact

Show empathy and openness in communication. Let your teenager know that you share his feelings.
Give the opportunity to take care of the weaker, take care of younger family members, volunteer.
Encourage to expand the circle of communication, get acquainted with peers in extracurricular activities.

Conformal

Extremely susceptible to outside influences. Change their opinions and behavior to please others. Afraid to stand out from the crowd.
Distinctive feature conformity, the desire to please others.
Characteristic
The main desire to "be like everyone else" is manifested in clothes, demeanor, interests. If all friends are into breakdancing, such a teenager will also do it. If the immediate environment (parents, friends) is prosperous, then such teenagers are no different from the rest and the accentuation is practically not noticeable. If they fall under bad influence, they can break the rules and the law. The loss of friends is hard to bear, but they can betray a friend for the sake of someone more authoritative. Conservative, do not like changes in all areas. They rarely show initiative.

Problems
Having contacted a bad company, they can become drunk, addicted to taking drugs. To avoid being accused of cowardice, they may commit acts that endanger their health or harm other people. The prohibition to communicate with the company can provoke a scandal with parents or an escape from home.

Positive sides. Appreciate their surroundings. Attached to friends. They love stability and order.

How to interact

Offer to make your own choice, without relying on someone else's opinion.
Make sure that the teenager is involved in various teams, has the opportunity to communicate with peers at school, in sports sections, circles. This reduces the likelihood that he will be in bad company.
To help choose authorities who are truly worthy of emulation.

Astheno-neurotic

Teenagers with such an accentuation are characterized by increased fatigue and irritability.
Distinctive feature- fears for their health, increased fatigue.
Characteristic
Mental and emotional stress quickly tire them. The result is irritability when teenagers vent their anger at whoever is at hand. Immediately after this, they become ashamed of their behavior, they sincerely repent, ask for forgiveness. Outbursts of anger are short and not strong, which is associated with low activity of the nervous system. Prone to hypochondria - listen to bodily sensations, perceiving them as signs of illness. They like to be examined and treated. Get attention with complaints.

Problems- high fatigue, the risk of developing neurosis.

Positive sides. Kindness, sympathy, high intelligence. Such teenagers do not run away from home, hooliganism and other illegal actions.

How to interact

Ignore outbursts of anger that occur against the background of nervous exhaustion.
Praise for success and notice even minor achievements, which will become a serious motivation.
Encourage to play sports, do morning exercises, take a contrast shower to increase the efficiency of the nervous system.
Use peak productivity periods (from 10 to 13) to complete the most difficult tasks.

Psychasthenic

Such adolescents are characterized by: suspiciousness, a tendency to introspection and fear of the future.
Distinctive feature high demands on oneself and the fear of not living up to the expectations of others.

Characteristic
This type of accentuation is formed if parents place too high hopes on their child in school or sports. Failure to meet their expectations leaves an imprint on the character. These teenagers have low self-esteem, they are tormented by guilt and fear of failure, which can further disappoint their parents. Teenagers suffer from increased anxiety. They are afraid, no matter how something terrible and irreparable happens to them or their loved ones. Pedantry develops as a defense mechanism. Adolescents draw up a detailed action plan, believe in omens, develop rituals that should ensure success (not washing your hair before an exam).

Problem. The risk of developing anxiety, obsessive thoughts and actions that are prone to complications.

Positive sides. In critical situations, they quickly find the right solution, are capable of a bold act. Obedient, non-confrontational, as a rule, they are quite successful in their studies, they become good friends.

How to interact

Model frightening situations and offer to find a solution on your own. For example: “Let’s say you got lost in a strange city. What will you do?"
Teach a constructive approach to problem solving. What to do? Who to turn to for help? What should I do to prevent what happened from happening again?

Hyperthymic

They are characterized as cheerful, noisy, restless. It is difficult for them to focus on their studies and maintain discipline at school. Often become informal leaders among peers. They do not tolerate strict control by adults, they constantly fight for independence.

Distinctive feature- optimism and high spirits, which often pushes them to pranks.

Characteristic
Very sociable, quickly become the center of any company. They do not bring the matter to the end, they are not constant in their hobbies. It is easy to make and break promises. Despite good abilities, they study mediocrely. They easily provoke conflicts, but they themselves can make amends for them. They quickly find peace of mind after failures and quarrels. Outbursts of anger are short lived.

Problems- unable to perform routine work that requires perseverance and intense attention. Illegible in the choice of acquaintances. If such teenagers find themselves in an unfavorable situation, they may develop an addiction to alcohol and soft drugs. They can commit illegal and antisocial acts (vandalism, hooliganism, petty theft). They are characterized by early sexual relations. Prone to risk, extreme hobbies and gambling. Once in conditions of control and strict discipline (hospital, summer camp) they can escape.

Positive sides. Energetic and tireless. They are distinguished by fun, do not lose optimism in difficult circumstances. They find a way out in any situation.

How to interact
The task of adults is to teach a teenager with hyperthymic accentuation to discipline and self-organization.

Avoid total control.
Advise the teenager to keep a diary in which it is necessary to write down their plans for the day and independently control their implementation.
Come up with a punishment for each unfinished business.
Teach to maintain order on the table, in the closet, in the room. This will stimulate the teenager to systematize and analyze everything that happens.

sensitive type

Signs of this accentuation can be seen in childhood. The sensitive type is manifested by numerous fears that replace each other.

Distinctive feature- hypersensitivity.

Characteristic
Teenagers deeply and for a long time experience everything that happens. Praise and criticism are deeply embedded in their memory, and have a significant impact on their self-esteem, behavior and actions. Very shy and for this reason uncommunicative. It is difficult to get used to the new team. They quickly get tired of mental work. Tests and exams cause them considerable stress. They are also very worried about ridicule from their peers. Dreamy, introspective. Conscientious, have a developed sense of duty. Be sure to finish what you started. They are very worried about the result of their actions (control, actions).

Problems. Tendency to self-flagellation and the development of phobias. Tearfulness. Excessive demands on oneself can cause neurosis. A chain of failures can trigger a suicide attempt.

Positive sides. Diligent in studies, responsible attitude to all tasks. Strive to become a good friend, value loved ones.

How to interact

Increase self-esteem and self-confidence. To do this, it is important to give feasible tasks that will not be too simple, otherwise their solution will not cause self-respect.
Conduct long conversations to establish contact with a teenager.
Deserved praise and thanks. Keep criticism to a minimum. Do not criticize qualities, do not hang labels - "lazy", "sloppy". Instead, indicate what needs to be done.
Encourage auto-training. Repeat formulas to increase self-esteem: “I feel calm and confident”, “I am brave and confident”, “I am a great speaker.”

Most teenagers have several accentuated character traits at once. Therefore, to determine the accentuation, it is necessary to use the Schmishek test, and not be guided only by the presented description of the accentuation.

Factors influencing the formation of personality accentuations

In the vast majority of cases, accentuation is formed in childhood or adolescence. Her appearance is significantly influenced by inharmonious relationships with parents and conflicts with peers.

Overprotection and control by parents and teachers. Promotes the appearance and aggravation of psychasthenic, sensitive, asthenic accentuation;
Lack of care and parental attention increases the risk of developing hysterical, unstable and conformal personality traits:
Cruel attitude excessive severity and authoritarian style of communication provokes an increase in epileptoid features;
Excessive demands on the child leads to psychasthenic character accentuation;
Lack of emotional contact can cause an increase in labile, sensitive and asthenic features;
Over-emphasis on well-being And chronic diseases disrupting the normal way of life. Physical defects, defects in appearance and diseases of the nervous system play an important role. The result may be hysteroid or astheno-neurotic accentuations;
Serious conflicts with peers in adolescence, when communication is most significant, can cause the development of conformal or schizoid accentuation.

The development of any type of accentuation can be facilitated by:

Inability to satisfy basic needs for love, care, security, communication;
Lack of concepts about moral and cultural norms, interests and hobbies;
Wrong self-image inferiority complex, high self-esteem;
Professional factors. Accentuations associated with work often occur among actors, teachers, doctors of some specialties, law enforcement officers and the military;
genetic predisposition. Features of the functioning of the nervous system are transmitted from parents to children. This is especially true for hyperthymic, cycloid and schizoid accentuation. Therefore, if parents have an accentuated character trait, then it is highly likely that it will be found in the child. Improper upbringing and parental behavior can significantly enhance innate accentuated features.

Techniques for the treatment of accentuations of various types

Treatment of accentuation is based on the smoothing of enhanced features. Correction is necessary if the accentuation of the personality violates its social adaptation. If normally a person changes his behavior depending on the situation and the goals of the activity, then people with a pronounced accentuation constantly demonstrate an enhanced character trait that interferes with themselves and those around them. Although the character cannot be changed, a person can learn to restrain its negative manifestations. This can help work on yourself and psychocorrection.

Work on yourself

People with character accentuation rarely seek help from a psychologist, preferring independent work.
To correct accentuated traits, training is needed that develops character traits opposite to the accentuated one. At the same time, new models of behavior are mastered and the personality is harmonized.
To correct pronounced character accentuations, exercises have been developed that must be performed daily.

hysteroid type

"Calm Quiet Speech". Adopt a phlegmatic conversational style (quiet speech, a minimum of facial expressions and gestures). Think about what you want to say. State the facts, not your emotions about what is happening.
"Good deeds". Try to do them discreetly and not tell anyone about what you have done. Watch the person's reaction without showing yourself.
"Invisible". While in company for an hour, try to sit silently, watching others. Don't give in to attempts to draw you into a conversation.
Do auto-training daily. The goal is to love yourself for who you are and increase your self-esteem. When you achieve this, the praise and attention of others will not seem vital.

epileptoid type.

Forgive and let go of grudges. Realize that resentment is harmful to the mental and physical health of the one who is offended.
Practice tolerance and kindness to people. Smile at acquaintances when you meet, or try to read the willingness to smile on your face.
Be generous take part in charity events.
"Active Listening". Listen to the other kindly, without interrupting or arguing. Encourage the speaker with the phrases: “I understand you”, “I know this”.
Put yourself in the place of others. This exercise must be done daily. It is important to put yourself in the place of the person with whom you want to enter into an argument.

Schizoid type.

Learn to copy the facial expressions of another person and determine his emotion. For this exercise, you will need the help of someone close to you.
"Calm kindness" will be the best way to communicate with others. Such an even attitude towards the interlocutor must be practiced daily in communication with loved ones. Avoid being overly friendly or hostile.
« Game of choleric". Try to speak louder, faster, more impulsively. Express your opinion during the conversation. Do it kindly with a smile on your face.

Cycloid type.

Keep a diary. It is necessary for planning and describing your emotions and experiences. During periods of decline, it is useful to reread how the same people and events were perceived during a period of emotional upsurge. It helps to realize that difficulties are temporary.
Ask yourself a question, “What can I change in myself so that my negative qualities do not interfere with me and others?”

paranoid type.

Check your motives don't trust other people's first impressions.
"Hour without remarks." For a while, completely abandon criticism and moralizing.
Attend communication training. Read relevant literature and apply knowledge in life.
Learn practices that make you be "here and now"- meditation, yoga, zen.
"Compliment". Develop the habit of saying something nice to your loved ones every day.

unstable type.

"I can + want." This exercise will help to cope with laziness and force yourself to do the necessary things. If you don’t want to do something, you need to ask yourself the question: “Can I do it? Can I do it?" Second question: Do I want to? Moreover, you can want long-term consequences - I want a salary, so I get a job; I want a slim healthy body, so I go to the gym.
Increase motivation. Think about what you really want. Write down the goal. Break the path to it into stages and act. A strong desire (car, vacation) will make you move forward.

Labile type.

Rational approach to problem solving. In any unpleasant situation, answer the questions: why did this happen? (what is the reason) what can be done now? (where to start), how to fix the situation? (long-term plans), what can be done to prevent this from happening again?
Mood Diary. Keep a diary in which you indicate when and for what reason the change of mood occurred.
Separate the rational and the emotional. It is important to accept and love both sides of yourself. Treat your "emotional" self with indulgence, but don't let your emotions rule your actions.
Autotraining, which will help balance the processes in the nervous system. This will make you less sensitive to situations that piss you off, help control your emotions.

Conformal type.

Develop critical thinking. Consider whether this statement could be false. What are the consequences if you do what you are offered.
Suggest. Try not to immediately agree with what is offered to you. Make a counter offer. When they tell you, let's go to the cinema - offer to go to a cafe.
Try something new. Try new foods, buy clothes in a new style for you, visit places you have not been to, communicate with people not from your circle.

Astheno-neurotic type.

"Superman". Imagine that you have superpowers. Feel how your inner state changes. The purpose of the exercise is to look, move, talk, feeling your importance and exclusivity. The goal is to keep the image as long as possible.
Meeting new people. Set a goal - to meet a new person and start a short conversation with him.
Add some humor. Do not silently swallow ridicule. Learn to answer them with humor, self-irony is also acceptable. To develop a sense of humor, read more humorous literature and watch comedy shows.

psychasthenic type.

Imagine that what you fear has happened. Calmly think over the plan of your actions in this situation.
Deviate from the established order. Do not follow your usual rituals (walk on the left side of the street, do not step on cracks) to make sure that nothing bad happens;
"Charging for the face." In people with psychasthenic accentuation, the muscles of the forehead and the muscles that lower the corners of the mouth are constantly tense. It is necessary to make grimaces depicting positive emotions (surprise, joy, delight).

Hyperthymic type.

Put things in order. Take 15 minutes a day to clean up your desk and closet. It helps to organize thoughts.
Get the job done. Make a promise to yourself to finish what you started, no matter what happens. Be sure to complete it, and then move on to other activities.
diary. Planning will help you systematize tasks, prioritize and complete what you started on time. Be sure to include precise deadlines for completing each task. Test yourself and reward your progress.

sensitive type.

"Winner". Praise yourself for every success. Break large tasks into stages and do not forget to thank yourself for each successfully completed period.
"My Dignity" You need to make a poster that lists all the virtues that you value in yourself or that people pay attention to. It is advisable to put it in a conspicuous place.
Play the joker. Learn funny stories and anecdotes to share with others. Gradually, this will cause less and less psychological discomfort when speaking to the public.

The main principle of correction is that you need to do a little, but every day what you are not used to, what the accented line opposes. Such exercises allow you to smooth out the roughness of character and make you a harmoniously developed personality.

Help from a psychologist

Psychological correction of personality accentuations usually takes from 3 months to several years. It includes work with a psychologist and independent performance of tasks. Main directions:

Individual conversations- the psychologist points out the accentuated character traits and the most vulnerable places of the personality. Tells how to effectively use the strengths of character. Teaches how to change the way you react and behave in different social situations.
Group lessons. They select a group of people with similar accentuations or choose a topic that would be useful to everyone. The psychologist teaches productive models of behavior in various situations, the rules of communication with others, the intricacies of relationships with family members. The conversation is illustrated with examples from life, the lesson includes practical tasks for each type of accentuation.
Family Therapy - conversation with family members. It is aimed at establishing relationships with loved ones and improving the psychological atmosphere in the family. One of the main methods when working with teenagers.
Psychological trainings - active training that teaches the correct behavior in various situations.
Method of psychodrama- a group method of psychotherapy based on playing an exciting situation (invented or real events). It helps to develop the correct model of behavior and communication in people in various situations.

It is important to remember that character accentuation is not a predisease. This is the strengthening of certain character traits that make a person more vulnerable to certain influences, but these same traits provide increased resilience.

To start a conversation about such a psychological concept as character accentuation, you must first decide what character is. In psychology, this term refers to a set of basic, well-established personality traits of a person that not only distinguish him from others, but also leave a certain imprint on his life.

Character is manifested in everything - in relation to life, work, oneself, the opposite sex, etc. We can say that it is thanks to the character that people are interesting to each other. Imagine that people have no character, then they are likely to be like robots.

Sharpening or aggravation

Character traits make people unique or even unique. But sometimes it happens that during the course of life certain character traits in people begin to manifest themselves most intensively, i.e. sharpen or sharpen. Moreover, this usually happens unexpectedly, under the influence of any external factors.

It is precisely this sharpening that is commonly called accentuation. It turns out that the concept of character accentuation means excessive saturation of personality traits, which manifests itself in the originality of a person’s behavior in a given situation, his attitude to life, himself and those around him.

Let us give an example of such a personality trait as anxiety. In people without "sharpening" it manifests itself as some concern in unexpected situations. But in the case of accentuation, it is presented as nervousness, anxiety, or even persecution mania. Thus, accentuation is not a pathology, but it is no longer the norm, it is, as it were, a borderline condition, which, if measures are not taken in time, can become a psychopathy and require treatment.

Translated from Latin, the word "accentus", from which the term we are considering is derived, means "strengthening". Although it is generally accepted that this is not an excess of certain norms, but in some specific situations it happens that accentuations prevent a person from living an ordinary life, violate the value orientations of the individual.

The fact is that accentuations go beyond the usual and accepted behavior in society, in connection with which many people perceive such a person as not quite normal and, of course, have a negative attitude towards this kind of personality manifestations. The particular danger of this psychological phenomenon is that it intensifies over time and under the influence of external factors, and this can lead to serious mental deviations.

Various classifications

The concept of “personality accentuation” was introduced by a German psychologist named Leonhard. He divided overly pronounced character traits into 12 main types. So, here are the main character accentuations according to Leonhard:

1. Hyperthymic type - manifests itself in the form of excessive optimism and activity. People with this type are constantly striving for activity throughout their lives and are aimed only at good luck, they have a tendency, or rather even a need, for experiences.

2. Dysthymic is, first of all, silence, inhibition of reactions and behavior, some slowness. People with this accentuation always experience a heightened sense of justice and try to find the truth everywhere and in everything. This is the so-called fighter for the truth.

3. Affectively labile - this variety is expressed in the constant orientation of a person to the standards that he strives to strictly comply with.

4. Affectively exalted - manifested by increased excitability, inspiration and emotionality. Such people are always prone to contacts, and the value of communication is excessive for them, and they also strive to elevate feelings - both their own and those of others.

5. Anxious type of accentuation is shyness, humility, fearfulness, diligence, but at the same time self-doubt and excessive self-criticism.

6. Emotive type - expressed as kindness, impressionability, diligence, fearfulness, as well as the desire to help everyone and always and a tendency to compassion.

7. The demonstrative type of accentuation is excessive boastfulness, ambition, turning into vanity. People with this type are almost always guided in life by their "I" and put themselves much higher than others, considering themselves a standard. However, they are characterized as deceitful and hypocritical.

8. Pedantic type of accentuation - the name speaks for itself. Such a person is extremely punctual, demanding, outrageously clean and neat to the point of unbearability. On the other hand, this type is indecisive and non-conflict, and also often not self-confident.

9. A stuck type of accentuation - people with this type of accentuation are often vain, touchy, suspicious, stubborn and conflicted. It is difficult to build a relationship with them, because they are maniacally jealous, and also because their mood can change at a catastrophic rate - from depression to uncontrollable joy.

10. Excitable - manifested by temper and pedantry. Such people are heavy on their feet and live mainly by instincts.

11. Extroverted - the attitudes of such a person are, first of all, contact and openness, as well as extreme sociability, sometimes reaching frivolity. Such people often commit spontaneous, rash acts.

12. Introverted is the opposite of the previous accentuation, and, therefore, it manifests itself as isolation, silence, gloom and restraint.

Typology according to Lichko

There is also a slightly different typology of accentuations. Its author was the Soviet psychiatrist A.E. Lichko. He was sure that character accentuation was an extreme version of the norm, and argued that this could not be considered a psychological pathology.

Lichko in psychology is known for the most detailed study of character accentuations in adolescents. He divided the types of this concept into two large groups - explicit and hidden. And if the first group has a pronounced severity and manifests itself throughout a person’s life, then the second most often begins to appear only after some kind of mental trauma.

It is worth noting that Lichko was the first psychologist who traced the development of character accentuations throughout a person's life. According to his research, this phenomenon occurs in people when they are in puberty.

Over time, accentuations can be smoothed out or compensated, and then, under the influence of external traumatic factors, one or another accentuation develops. Against their background, a person’s behavior changes, and then this can completely cause psychopathy.

So, here are the character accentuations according to Lichko:

sensitive the type of accentuation is often expressed as hyperresponsibility and sensitivity. Such people usually have unstable self-esteem, they are very impressionable, but at the same time shy and timid.
Hyperthymic type - its owners are often in a good mood, sometimes they are irritable and quick-tempered, but they are constantly active, feel good and have high efficiency.
Cycloid- expressed in frequent mood swings, from complete calm to excessive irritability and depression. Moreover, this change occurs cyclically, by alternating phases. These people often have such a character trait as exaltation - an elevated mood that reaches incredible enthusiasm.
Labile the type of character accentuation is manifested by fragility and some infantilism, as well as the need for friendship and support.
Asthenoneurotic- it is characterized by capriciousness, low concentration of attention, high fatigue, weakness and irritability.
Schizoid the type of accentuation manifests itself as isolation, low emotionality, digging in oneself, dryness in relation to even close people.
Psychasthenic type - primarily characterized by increased suspiciousness. At the same time, the psychasthenic type is expressed in pedantry and excessive prudence.
epileptoid type combines suspicion, accuracy, hostility, irritability. Also, epileptoid accentuation is manifested by purposefulness and painstakingness.
hysteroid accentuation is expressed in the form of excessive emotionality and instability of self-esteem. People who are characterized by hysteroid accentuation often require increased attention from others. And this applies to both close people and unfamiliar people.
Conformal type is, first of all, a high ability to adapt to the types of behavior characteristic of a particular social group into which an individual falls.
Unstable- usually expressed by the weak will of a person and the fact that he is not able to resist negative influences.

Note that Lichko studied such a thing as character accentuation in adolescence, but, despite this, the types of character accentuation he identified can also be applied to adults.

Testing

In order to determine what accentuation of character traits is characteristic of a particular person, psychologists use a special test called MMPI. It can be used to identify, for example, paranoid accentuation. It is expressed in the form of painful resentment, increased suspicion, high conflict and the desire to dominate a large number of people.

The same test can determine an excitable type of accentuation, which is characterized by increased impulsivity, lack of self-control, especially in relation to one's drives and urges, and also a lack of ability to control oneself.

There is also such a type of accentuation in the above test as expansive, which in psychology is sometimes called schizoid in a different way. Such people usually have a bad temper, are often cruel and heartless. They are practically unable to empathize with others, in relations even with the closest ones they show coldness and do not consider anyone's opinion.

However, under the guise of such a tough person, self-doubt and dissatisfaction with life are often hidden. If you do not start working on such accentuation in time, it can lead to the development of psychopathy.

Only a professional psychologist can determine what type of accentuation a person has. If you carefully read what the typology of character accentuations is and found that you have similar features, then contact a specialist who will not only conduct testing, but also tell you what to do so that the pronounced features do not develop into a psychological pathology.

Parents of adolescents should pay special attention to this issue, because their accentuations often violate value orientations and can be the causes of deviant behavior. Author: Elena Ragozina