The human person is the object of study of many humanities, such as psychology, philosophy, sociology. The concept of "man", "individual", "personality" is often found in both scientific and everyday language. In everyday life, these words are considered synonyms, but in fact, each has its own semantic connotation. Let's try to figure it out in more detail.
Concept - man, individual, personality
The word "man" sounds when designating abilities and traits inherent in all. It emphasizes the existence of a special community - the human race, different from the others in its only way of life. It is thanks to him that at all stages of his development, everywhere and always he retains a certain status.
The definition of "individual man" means the existence of a separate concrete representative of humanity. Who is that? A human individual is a unit of the human race, a certain carrier of psychological and social traits inherent in the entire human community. They mean will, reason, self-interest and needs. In this sense, the individual is a specific person.
In this context, biological factors (gender, age, physical characteristics, temperament), as well as social differences, are not considered. But, of course, this data cannot be completely ignored. After all, the differences between a child and an adult, a primitive savage and our contemporary are quite obvious.
Thus, the definition of "individual" includes a set of characteristics and traits by which each person differs from another. This implies differences of completely different levels - from neurophysiological and biochemical to socio-psychological.
And what is a personality
The dynamics of human development at various points (historical and own) is characterized by the concept of "personality". In this case, the individual is the starting point of personality development, its initial state. Thus, a person is the most complete embodiment of all human qualities.
As a social subject, an individual is characterized by autonomy, the desire to a certain extent to oppose himself to society and gain independence from society. This implies the presence of self-awareness, mental control skills, the ability to analyze and evaluate oneself.
All these qualities form the basis of a life position. This is the basic principle of behavior, based on social and worldviews, values ​​and ideals. The significance of these regulatory factors in life is explained by the theory of self-regulation of human behavior in society.
Fundamentals of personality development
Each author has his own interpretation of personality. But almost any definition of "personality", "individual", "individuality" is based on one of two polar views. One of them says that a personality is formed and undergoes further changes depending on the innate qualities and data, while the influence of the social environment is minimized.
Representatives of the opposite position almost completely reject the inborn factor and prefer to consider the individual as a product of social development. Perhaps both points of view are extremes.
The classical definition of personality implies that a person, individual, person has specific qualities that are necessary for him as a product of social development. He is expected to enter social relations through communication and conscious activity. According to this approach, a biological organism becomes a person only through social and cultural experience. Moreover, it is allowed to influence the formation of individual traits - a combination of temperament, innate abilities and predisposition.
How do we grow up
Consider how a person, individual, personality is formed. What directly affects the growth process? There are several such prerequisites.
- Biological factor. Human heredity is the very material that will later be formed in the human individual. This factor in itself does not create a personality, since social experience and cultural heritage cannot be transmitted with genes. But it must be taken into account as a source of an infinite variety of characters, temperaments, inclinations and the reason for possible social restrictions.
- Physical environmental conditions. Some researchers give them paramount importance. But, as you know, in the same geographical conditions there are completely different types of personalities, and similar general group characteristics are observed in completely different.
- Social culture, forming a certain number of basic personality types corresponding to it. A certain cultural experience serves the common heritage of mankind.
- Experience, both group and unique (subjective). This is the most important factor in its formation, arising in the process of socialization.
What is socialization of personality
A person achieves a complex of values, attitudes, likes and dislikes, goals and patterns of behavior due to the phenomenon of socialization. This is the process of assimilation by an individual of norms and patterns of behavior of his group, necessary for functioning in society.
Socialization applies to all aspects of education, training and familiarization with culture. It involves everyone with whom an individual encounters in a family, everyday life, kindergarten and school, sees on TV, etc. Moreover, the process of personality formation passes through three successive stages:
1. Children imitate adults and copy their behavior.
2. Children play and try on various roles.
3. In group activity, they begin to understand the expectations addressed to them by others.
When she happens
Most psychologists believe that the process of socialization is not limited to childhood and lasts a lifetime. The socialization of children lays the foundation for personal values. And as applied to adults, this process involves a change in external behavior and the acquisition of the necessary skills.
According to one theory, children's myths become obsolete in the process of socialization of adults, for example, about the inviolability of authority or one's own super-value. Gradually, on the basis of the experience gained, that individual is formed, the definition of which is given above.
Communication in the group and relevant experience makes it possible to adjust the unique internal attitudes of the personality with the general qualities characteristic of her social environment.
How does it happen
At the beginning of life, a person does not yet realize that he is an individual, and his individuality is in its infancy. Separation from the physical and social world continues throughout life. Accumulating social experience, he forms the image of his “I” by comparing himself with others.
The proof that a person is not just an automatically developing set of natural inclinations is served by the cases of educating a person in social isolation known to science, for example, among animals. Studies of the psyche of such "Mowgli" showed that they have no idea of ​​their own "I" as a separate being in a series of similar ones.
Can such an individual be considered a person? The definition of the concept itself runs counter to the data presented, so the answer is clearly negative.
What is personal experience based on?
The “social mirror” is constantly in front of each of us. In childhood, when assessing one’s own abilities, a person is based on the opinion of his inner circle, with age, on the assessments of competent specialists. A mature person understands that he is an individual, and his individuality is unique.
Do not underestimate the impact of personal experience. That is why children raised in the same family are very different. They have similar group experience (but not identical). In addition to the family, children communicate in the external environment and with different people. Even twins with one set of genes cannot constantly be in exactly the same conditions, meet the same people and experience identical emotions.
That is why every personal experience is unique. According to psychoanalysts, certain incidents that have occurred with people may well be critical, setting the tone for subsequent emotional reactions.
What is a social role?
This concept means a person’s behavior in accordance with generally accepted norms of interpersonal relations, depending on the status in the system. The process of socialization of an individual implies an indispensable condition for the development of social roles as a way of integrating a person into society.
The concept of a social role implies role expectations — what exactly is expected of an individual according to the “rules” of a particular role. Another basic concept here is role-based behavior. This is all that a person exercises according to his role. The company in this case takes on the control function.
The individual and society are connected by the existence of a variety of institutions - from law enforcement to public opinion. The “disobedient” system of social sanctions is applied. The most insignificant of them are condemnation and public censure, the more severe are measures of violent restraint.
The individual - determination of social status
Under the social status refers to the position (rank) of the individual in the structure of the group or the group itself among other entities. The behavior that is expected from the bearer of a certain social status is the essence of his social role. Different statuses have children and adults, women and men, military personnel and civilians. Each person is a carrier of many different statuses, in accordance with which he builds his behavior in certain situations.
Through role learning, cultural norms are assimilated. Acceptable for one status may become completely inappropriate for another. That is, socialization is the most important process of learning the methods and methods of interaction accepted in society, as a result of which society receives its adequate member.
The ability to play the most important roles is acquired, begins in childhood. Most of this process occurs on an unconscious level rather painlessly. Children participate in games, help parents, listen to family conversations, read and watch various stories. Their "playing" roles in the future help the role to take on the present and understand the reactions of others.
About prescribed statuses
Society is very complex, and the coordinated functioning of all its institutions is possible only in the case of strict observance by people of their own duties regulated by intra-group relations. The easiest way to achieve this is to classify all the diverse human activities according to the huge number of prescribed roles and to teach each individual from an early age to perform a specific set of them that is “laid down” by status.
Having passed primary role-based education in childhood, a person assigns himself the prescribed roles according to the chosen criterion. Its code name is the "rules for success." The universal basis for the development of such a criterion in society is the gender and age of a person. Other determining factors are nationality, race, religious or class affiliation.
Despite the unconscious nature of role-based learning, this is a powerful and real factor in socialization. For example, the separate education of boys and girls for many years leads to large differences between them in maturity in terms of abilities, preferences and ways of expressing emotions.
What is attainable status?
This is a social position, reinforced by individual choice and competition. If a part of the statuses is assigned by a group or society, while the individual qualities of an individual or his ability are not taken into account, then the achieved status is the result of abilities, perseverance, hard work, diligence of the personality, as well as a certain amount of luck.
In primitive (or traditional) societies, statuses are almost always prescribed, and social status directly depends on birth. In modern society, a person has a greater degree of freedom.
People with the greatest abilities and flexibility have a win. Those who did not manage to “find themselves” and adapt to new roles are uncompetitive.
How do they differ
The achieved and prescribed statuses have a fundamental difference, however, they intersect and interact. It is almost impossible for an individual to improve or somehow change his position in a society where most of the statuses are prescribed. Socialization is not connected with the expectation of a change in status. But if hereditary factors do not play a fundamental role, it is difficult for a person to put up with a low status, having the opportunity to show personal abilities
When there is a struggle for status and opportunities are conditionally equal, the reasons for the lack of success are exclusively personal incompetence and lack of ability. In a society of "equal opportunities," this postulate is adopted by any individual. The definition of failure as one's own insolvency hurts a person’s self-esteem. But even in this case, the individual finds ways to improve his status using various privileges and preemptive rights.
If the role is the behavior expected from the individual in the case of a specific status, then the role behavior is actual. It differs from that which is expected in most characteristics - from role interpretation to possible conflicts with others. That is why there are no two individuals equally playing the same role.