Structure and features of the portrait of a social personality

“Social” is an adjective derived from the noun “socium” - “society”. In the modern Russian language there are many terms that are somehow related to the word “social”: social status, social responsibility, social security, social psychology... The list goes on. Most of its elements are firmly integrated into the everyday life of modern people, but it is impossible to understand what they mean if you do not know the meaning of the concept “social” itself.

Concept

A person cannot exist outside of society .

This is its main difference from animals.

A social personality is any individual who belongs to social groups, enters into social relations, and is an independent member of society with certain rights and responsibilities.

Each person has many social personalities, since his life in society, as a rule, is quite multifaceted . The same person can be perceived differently from a social point of view by different people in his environment.

For example, the social personality seen by colleagues may have nothing in common with the personality familiar to friends or relatives.

The socio-psychological side of any personality includes a complex of specific individual parameters. Each personality is a separate person, with an inherent set of social and psychological traits.

The formation of a socio-psychological portrait of an individual is influenced by many factors: anatomical features, mental properties, immediate environment, social groups, education, sphere of professional activity, ideology, religion, etc.

Each person is initially a “blank slate” , which, in the process of socialization, under the influence of the above factors, begins to form into a specific personality with its own individual set of psychological and social traits.

Alternative meaning

Social is not only related to public life. Sometimes this term characterizes something that radically changes this life, makes significant amendments to it, and sharp and radical ones.

A revolution or a revolution can be social. The meaning of the word “social” in this case is changing social life. The most striking examples of such changes are the English Revolution in the seventeenth century and the Great French Revolution in the eighteenth.

Types

In modern science, it is customary to distinguish the following social personality types from the point of view of value orientations inherent in individuals:

1. Traditionalists . For them, law-abidingness, diligence, discipline and responsibility come first. Similar traits are observed against the background of a lack of desire for self-realization and independence.
2. Idealists . They are the exact opposite of traditionalists. They strive to prove themselves and act in accordance with their own attitudes and principles. They do not recognize authorities and traditional views on issues.
3. Frustrated type . These people do not feel involved in public life or in making important public decisions. They are characterized by low self-esteem, a constant state of depression and passivity.
4. Realists .
   Such individuals competently combine the desire for self-realization with an awareness of a sense of duty. They are able to rationally approach problems and objectively assess the proposed circumstances.
5. Hedonistic materialists. They are typical consumers who strive for immediate pleasures without thinking about the future. Their own desires always come first for them.

Personality types:

How to achieve a high place in society?

Only a person who has gone through a long and difficult path can understand what a high-level social status is and how to use its privileges. It also happens that the acquired position subsequently obliges the individual to make changes not only in work activity, but also in everyday life, place of residence, circle of acquaintances and friends. When a person has to come face to face with difficulties that are significantly removed from the experience of his ancestors due to significant differences between his social status and the social position of his parents, the process of accepting new roles is predetermined by the emerging status.

An ideal society is considered to be one where the predominant number of social statuses are acquired. Isn't it fair if every person finds his place in the sun and strives for it, proving it with his abilities, work or talent? In addition, the opportunity to successfully prove oneself provides a chance to justify any significant shortcomings.

The absolutely opposite picture is in a society where in most cases a position in society is prescribed, but a person does not expect an increase in his status and does not make even the slightest effort to do so. People who earn little money doing low-prestige work do not feel guilty about having a low social status. Without comparing the current state of affairs with the situation of other, more ambitious and impetuous people, such an individual is not oppressed by a feeling of dissatisfaction, insecurity or fear of losing something.

Socio-psychological portrait

Each person has a bright individuality, consisting of natural, social, and psychological characteristics.

A socio-psychological portrait of any individual can be drawn up based on an analysis of the following components:

• temperament;
• character;
• skills and abilities;
• level of intelligence;
• emotionality;
• strong-willed qualities;
• communication skills;
• level of self-esteem;
• degree of self-control.

In the process of socialization of a person in society, these components constantly change and develop. This occurs as a result of assimilating social experience , obtaining new ideas about the surrounding reality, acquiring knowledge, mastering behavioral patterns, etc.

For this reason, the socio-psychological portrait of a person is formed throughout his life.

Abstract on the topic: The social essence of man

§ 4. Social essence of man

How do the natural and the social combine in a person? How are social qualities formed, what contributes to this?

One of the central problems of philosophy is the problem of man. This riddle worried sages, artists, thinkers of all eras. The debate about man has not yet been completed, and it is unlikely that it will ever be completed. Moreover, in order to emphasize the philosophical aspect of the problem, the question about a person sounds exactly like this: what is a person?
The German philosopher I. Fichte (1762-1814) believed that the concept of “man” does not refer to an individual person, but only to a species: it is impossible to analyze the properties of an individual person, taken by himself, outside of relationships with other people, i.e. outside society.
Biological and social in man

As you know, human nature is dual. Man is not only the result of biological evolution, but also a product of the development of society. At the same time, society significantly influences human behavior.

Some researchers consider the natural and the social in man to be opposites that oppose each other. Others argue that in man the natural and the social coexist in an indissoluble unity. Proponents of this point of view believe that

birth in a person, the natural predominates, and the formation of a person is associated with the acquisition of social traits and characteristics. At the same time, a person loses some of his natural traits, or rather, these traits weaken in their manifestations. However, the social rules of human behavior have a biological basis in the form of an internal inhibition mechanism.

And yet, in modern scientific discussions, extreme points of view on the relationship between the biological and the social in human behavior are rejected. Thus, today there is no doubt that the social environment plays an important role in a person’s acquisition of humanity. At the same time, data from genetics, neurophysiology and neuropsychology indicate a significant influence of genetic factors on the formation of the human psyche, his abilities and inclinations. Genes for “love” and “pleasure” have already been identified

and others on which the manifestation of purely human signs of behavior depends. The influence of physiological and psychological characteristics on the formation of abilities and even talent has been established.

However, it should be emphasized: any natural predisposition of a person is realized in social circumstances

. Actually, human existence is the manifestation and development of sociality. It is known that even identical twins, who are almost indistinguishable at birth, over time, under the influence of society, acquire individually special features (habits, tastes, interests, etc.). Consequently, for the formation of a person as a member of society, the conditions in which it takes place are not indifferent.

Social personality traits

Usually the concept of “personality” defines the social properties of a person.

The Philosophical Encyclopedia defines personality as follows: it is a human individual as a subject of relationships and conscious activity

. Another definition is a stable system of socially significant traits that characterize an individual as a member of a particular society.

Both definitions emphasize the connections of man as a representative of the human race and society. Let's try to understand these connections.

There are two approaches to personality in science. The first considers the individual as an active participant in free actions, as a subject of cognition and change of the world

. In this case, personal qualities are recognized as those that determine the lifestyle and self-esteem of individual characteristics. People certainly evaluate a person through comparison with the norms established in society. And a person who has reason constantly evaluates himself. At the same time, self-esteem can change depending on the manifestations of the individual and the social conditions in which it operates.

The second approach views personality through a set of functions , or roles .

A person can simultaneously perform different roles - worker, family man, citizen, etc. He performs actions, manifests himself in social actions. So, he can be a more or less skilled worker, a caring or indifferent family member, etc.

The study of personality through role characteristics certainly presupposes a person’s connection with social relations and dependence on them. It is clear that both the set of roles and their performance (so to speak, the repertoire and pattern of the role) are connected with the social structure and with the individual qualities of the performer. So, say, in a clan system, relationships in a family require certain actions from its members (unquestioning submission to elders, a strict division of economic functions, closely related to customs, traditions, etc.), in modern society - others (readiness for equal cooperation, mutual understanding, care based on love, etc.).

Or compare, for example, the roles of a worker, ruler, warrior, scientist in different eras. In his role manifestations, the personality develops, improves, and changes. It is not the personality itself that acts, loves, hates, struggles, and yearns, but the person who has the personality. Through it, in a special way, unique to him, organizing his activities and relationships, the individual appears as a Man. Personality manifests itself in behavior and active interaction with society.

Self-awareness and self-realization

In addition to the external conditions of human behavior in society, the implementation of his numerous social connections and the formation of social qualities, self-awareness and self-realization of the individual are important.

Usually, self-awareness is understood as a person’s definition of himself as an individual capable of making independent decisions and entering into certain relationships with other people and nature. One of the important signs of self-awareness is a person’s willingness to take responsibility for the decisions he makes and the actions he takes.

Personality manifests itself not only through self-awareness, but also in the process of self-realization . This term defines the process of the most complete realization by an individual of his capabilities, the achievement of intended goals in solving personally significant problems, which makes it possible to realize the creative potential of the individual to the fullest extent possible.

American scientist A. Maslow (1908-1970) considered the need for self-realization to be the highest human needs. He defined it as the fullest use of talents, abilities, and opportunities; this need is fulfilled through the individual’s purposeful influence on himself. An individual’s ability for self-realization is a synthesis of abilities for purposeful, personally significant activities, during which the individual maximizes his potential.

Dictionary

Personality

- a person with his own socially conditioned and individually expressed qualities.

Human

- a biosocial being with the gift of thinking and speech, the ability to create tools and use them in the process of social production.

Practical conclusions

1. In the modern world there is a lot of inhumane, cruel, and terrible things. It is all the more important to realize the significance of the human in a person, to understand for yourself what the meaning of life is, what goals are worthy of a person and what are not. Think about which position is closer to you: to be or to have? What is worth living for, and what should you try to avoid in order to preserve the person within you?

2. Remember that man is an open system, many questions do not have an unambiguous answer, but the very search for answers to the mysteries of human nature is an exciting activity for a thinking being. If you are interested in the problems of the essence of man, the meaning of his life, refer to the works of philosophers.

3. Reflecting on eternal philosophical mysteries, do not forget about personal responsibility for the preservation, development and increase of the human in yourself.

Document

From the work of the Russian philosopher S. L. Frank (1877-1950) “The Meaning of Life.”

The question “about the meaning of life” worries and torments deep in the soul of every person. A person can for a while, and even for a very long time, completely forget about it, plunge headlong either into the everyday interests of today, into material concerns about preserving life, about wealth, contentment and earthly success, or into any super-personal passions and “affairs” - in politics, the struggle of parties, etc., but life is already so arranged that even the dumbest, fattest or spiritually sleeping person cannot completely and forever brush it aside: the irreducible fact of the approach of death and its inevitable harbingers - aging and illness, the fact of dying, transient disappearance, immersion in the irrevocable past of our entire life with all the illusory significance of its interests - this fact is for every person a formidable and persistent reminder of the unresolved, put aside question about the meaning of life. This question is not a “theoretical question”, not a subject of idle mental games; this question is a question of life itself, it is just as terrible - and, in fact, even much more terrible than, in dire need, the question of a piece of bread to satisfy hunger. Truly, this is a question of bread that would nourish us and water that would quench our thirst. Chekhov describes somewhere a man who, all his life living with everyday interests in a provincial town, like all other people, lied and pretended, “played a role” in “society”, was busy with “affairs”, immersed in petty intrigues and worries - and suddenly, unexpectedly, one night, he wakes up with a heavy heartbeat and in a cold sweat. What's happened? Something terrible happened - life passed, and there was no life, because there was and is no meaning in it!

And yet, the vast majority of people consider it necessary to brush aside this issue, hide from it, and find the greatest wisdom in life in such “ostrich politics.”

Questions and tasks for the document

1. Why does the question of the meaning of life, according to the philosopher, “excites” and “torments” a person? 2. What human properties are associated with the desire to find meaning in life? 3. How are the question of the meaning of life and the fact that a person is mortal related? Why is this question “non-theoretical” in nature? What do you see as its practical purpose? 4. Do you know the story by A.P. Chekhov, to which the author of the above fragment refers? 5. Why do many people still consider it necessary to “brush aside” the eternal question about the meaning of life? What are the limitations of the “ostrich policy”?

Self-test questions

1. Why is the question about the essence of man formulated “What is a person?”, and not “Who is a person?” 2. What is the essence of man as a “culture-creating” being? 3. What are the main (essential) distinctive features that characterize a person as a social being? 4. How does self-realization reveal the social qualities of an individual?

Tasks

1. How do you understand the meaning of the judgment of the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus: “What am I? Human. If I look at myself as an object separate and independent from other objects, then it follows that I should live long, that I should be rich, happy, healthy; but if I look at myself as a person, as a part of a whole, then it may sometimes happen that in relation to this whole I must submit to illness, need, or even die a premature death. What right do I have to complain in this case? Don’t I know that when I complain, I cease to be a person, just as a leg ceases to be an organ of the body when it refuses to walk?”

2. What is the philosophical meaning of the statement of the Russian biologist I. I. Mechnikov: “A gardener or cattle breeder does not stop at the given nature of the plants or animals that occupy them, but modify them according to need. In the same way, a scientist-philosopher should not look at modern human nature as something unshakable, but should change it for the benefit of people”? What is your attitude to this point of view?

3. Make a diagram of “Social qualities of a person.”

4. Prepare a project on the topic “Strong Personality.”

Thoughts of the wise

“Man is the only animal that blushes or, under certain circumstances, should blush.”

M. Twain (1835-1910), American writer

Properties and qualities

Socio-psychological properties are stable, individual traits of a particular individual that allow him to be characterized from a social and psychological point of view.

These properties are divided into four groups:

• properties associated with the development and use of social abilities (intellectual level, imagination, networking, etc.);
• properties formed under the influence of the group and as a result of intragroup interaction (knowledge, skills, behavior patterns, etc.);
• properties associated with social behavior, the position of the individual (activity, responsibility, sense of duty, desire to cooperate, etc.);
• properties based on the psychological characteristics of the individual (openness of thinking, mental agility, model of response to critical situations, etc.).

Socio-psychological qualities are personality characteristics that are formed in the process of interaction with other people, during communication.

Depending on his qualities, a person can perform certain social roles and occupy a specific social position. The standard classification provides for the division of people into three types in accordance with their inherent qualities:

1. Athletics . People with an active lifestyle who always strive to dominate and manage.
2. Picnics . People with well-developed adaptive mechanisms that allow them to easily enter into communications and successfully avoid conflict situations.
3. Asthenics . Classic introverts who prefer solitude.

What does an antisocial person mean?

In order to understand who an antisocial person is and not to confuse this concept with antisocial, misanthropic and others, it is necessary to analyze the psychological root causes of the characteristics of this type of character, which does not belong to pathological disorders, but to the sociopathic spectrum. Initially, this is associated with disorders of the emotional spectrum; for such people it is not only difficult to actively and violently demonstrate their emotions, but even to express them verbally; some states remain closed to description, and only psychotechnicians help to understand what is happening inside. Since others demonstrate their feelings more clearly and talk about them more often, the antisocial type becomes uncomfortable and incomprehensible in their company.

Values ​​and importance are dominated by one's own views and priorities, so social rules and norms will be ignored. For example, if an antisocial person becomes bored, then he will not withstand a cultural pause, wait for goodbye, but will simply leave (performance, guests - it doesn’t matter). He will also not smile at someone in order to make a pleasant impression; a smile will appear only in a good mood, and polite communication only if there is respect for the interlocutor.

Due to reduced sensitivity in the emotional area, a common reaction to any intrusion or attempt to impose social norms is aggression. It is the only way to respond to any irritants, while in order to achieve what he wants from other people, an antisocial personality easily uses manipulation, lies, and puts on any role. It turns out that asocial human behavior does not exclude adaptation, but uses it only in those situations when it is necessary for him, otherwise a cruel confrontation simply turns on.

A high level of impulsiveness does not allow an antisocial person to find adequate ways to satisfy his desires, but the need to realize them becomes extremely acute and requires fulfillment the second they arise. This leads to the fact that people carry out not very good actions just to get what they want faster, and it is difficult to explain to them the unworthiness of such a choice, since they are not able to understand the feelings of others and their suffering or pain, there is no shame and guilt, as the main regulators of social behavior.

Asocial people are also in no hurry to correct unworthy actions, because even when they see the tears, pain and grief of others, they are completely confident that they are right, and the undesirable behavior of others is considered as manipulation and attempts to exert pressure. They do not analyze their negative actions and do not use them as experience, i.e. once they apologize to someone, they can continue to do the same things.

Many patterns of behavior can emerge from such personality traits, so it is impossible to describe sociopathicity or asociality as a manifestation of one thing in a limited set. There will be no instructions with quotes, but only an understanding of a person’s internal motivation and his social isolation. Even towards their partners, who may be the center of the universe and truly loved, an antisocial person will not show feelings, especially sensitivity. This is difficult to believe for those who are not in close contact with them, because in superficial relationships, antisocial individuals are very charismatic and attract the interest of almost everyone.

Peculiarities

From a socio-psychological point of view, the personality has the following characteristic features:

• is not only an object, but also a subject of social relations, since it has freedom of choice;
• is unique because it has an individual set of social and psychological characteristics;
• formed under the influence of society (socialization process);
• understands his attitude to various events, phenomena, social attitudes;
• understands his needs, desires and goals;
• strives for self-realization;
• independently forms an opinion about members of society with whom he enters into various communications;
• fully involved in relations with the surrounding reality;
• engages in specific activities that allow one to satisfy material needs and occupy a certain place in society.

Rating of cities with low social responsibility

The marketing agency Zoom Market conducted a study in Russia, the purpose of which was to find out in which cities live more men who use the services of representatives of the “most ancient profession”.

The result is the following list:

1. Ekaterinburg 2. Krasnodar 3. Moscow 4. Novosibirsk 5. Samara 6. Vladivostok 7. Rostov-on-Don 8. Chelyabinsk 9. St. Petersburg 10. Voronezh 11. Ufa 12. Krasnoyarsk 13. Sochi 14. Omsk 15. Perm 16. Tambov 17. Kazan 18. Nizhny Novgorod 19. Chita 20. Simferopol 21. Bryansk 22. Saratov 23. Volgograd 24. Saransk 25. Ivanovo

Analysis Options

The socio-psychological parameters of personality analysis are as follows:

1. Maturity . The highest level of maturity is the presence of certain life attitudes and views. A mature person is guided in his actions by an individual value system. He occupies a respected position in society and is an object to be emulated; he does not give up his views even under the threat of violence. Such a person can contribute to the development of other members of society who take their example from him. An immature personality is characterized by the absence of a clear value system and a low level of social responsibility.
2. Adaptation .
   This is the degree of adaptation of a person to the life of society. With conflict adaptation, non-acceptance of social norms occurs, which leads to psychological tension and difficulties with self-realization. With average adaptation, a person fully gets used to the surrounding reality and functions more or less successfully in society. With a high level of adaptation, the individual not only adapts to the surrounding reality, but also successfully develops in the proposed conditions.
3. Adequacy . This is the acceptance and assimilation by a person of the norms and principles existing in society. An individual does not simply externally adjust his behavior to generally accepted models, but internally transforms himself in the process of socialization. People who are adequate from a social point of view are distinguished by a high level of morality and ethics.
4. Identity . This is the result of a person's self-identification. Having realized his “I”, an individual can compare the demands put forward by society and the opportunities provided with his abilities and desires. As a result, a mechanism for regulating behavior in society is developed, taking into account ideas about oneself.

Possible reasons

Growing up in a dysfunctional family can lead to the development of antisocial behavior

Antisocial behavior does not arise out of nowhere; it is a consequence of the influence of certain factors that may have pedagogical, medical or social roots.

Medical reasons include:

• presence of psychosomatic abnormalities;
• infantilism;
• ADHD;
• infection of a child during intrauterine development;
• schizotypal disorder;
• schizophrenia;
• brain injury or infection.

Pedagogical reasons include:

• excessive demands on the child;
• reliability in satisfying all the baby’s whims;
• having a negative role model (parents or other family members);
• frequent, and most importantly, unfair punishments;
• complete disregard for the baby's needs;
• the presence of hypo- or hyperprotection;
• lack of trust in the family.

Social reasons include:

• the desire to assert oneself at the expense of another person;
• social or material inequality;
• influence of subcultures, religious sects;
• growing up in a dysfunctional family;
• experience of sexual or physical violence;
• bullying, harassment, ridicule;
• problems in communicating with peers in adolescents and children;
• the presence of addictions that provoke the development of deviant behavior.

Maturity

Social maturity is the ability of a person living in society to take responsibility and make decisions.

A mature person is characterized by integrity of character, predictability, and positive behavior.

A mature person is always clearly aware of his goals and strives to achieve them, without violating the interests of other members of society. Such people evaluate themselves and the people around them extremely objectively and make decisions in accordance with the circumstances.

Achieving social maturity does not eliminate the need for other people . A mature person continues to learn new experiences, reconsider his views and work on himself throughout his life. But other people for him are advisers and interlocutors, and not teachers and mentors.

Varieties of position in society

When trying to recognize what social status is, you should familiarize yourself with its classification. Any position of an individual in the life of society can be classified into two fundamental types. The first type is performances prescribed to a person regardless of his desires, capabilities and financial components. These include gender, place of birth, national characteristics, ethnic origin. The second type is achieved social status or acquired, as they often talk about it. The achievement of his goals and peaks directly depends on the desire and abilities of a person. After all, husbands, leaders, doctors of science, football players, writers or engineers are not born, they are made.

The relationship between biological and social

Man is a biological organism that appeared as a result of evolution. Various natural processes occur in the body of each person, which to some extent determine his behavior.

But it is impossible to evaluate a person from a biological point of view alone, since he is at the same time a social being.

As a product of society , a person undergoes a process of socialization, as a result of which certain norms, principles of behavior, rules, views, etc. are adopted.

Moreover, during socialization, the individual traits of a particular individual have a great influence on the assimilation of all these principles, since he passes all the information transmitted by society through the prism of his own consciousness .

Thus, information stored at the genetic level distinguishes a person from other living organisms and forms his biological nature. And the education and upbringing received in the process of socialization forms the social component .

E. Erikson's theory of psychosocial development

E. Erikson argued that a person develops throughout his life.

From birth to death, it goes through 8 stages, each of which is accompanied by a certain crisis :

• infancy (0-1 year);
• early childhood (1-3 years);
• childhood (3-6 years);
• school age (6-12 years);
• adolescence and youth (12-20 years);
• early maturity (20-25 years);
• middle age (25-65 years);
• late maturity (after 65 years).

Every crisis can end well or negatively .

If a person successfully overcomes it, then he moves on to the next stage of life with good prerequisites for further personal development.

If the crisis is not overcome, then the transition to the next level still occurs, but unresolved problems at the new level remain with the person.

How to communicate with antisocial people

1. If there are such individuals in your circle of friends, then, if possible, reduce communication with them to a minimum.
2. If an antisocial individual is capable of showing aggression, do not enter into an argument with him, it will cost you more.
3. Try to set an example for others to follow with your behavior.
4. If you want to help such a person, if possible, find out what exactly led to the development of asociality. And, if you have any influence on this individual, advise him to seek help from a psychologist.