Who is an individual: signs, behavior, difference from personality

Who is a person - definition

A person is a biosocial being who manifests his psychological traits in interaction with others.

Philosophy, revealing the essence of the concept of “man,” puts the comparison of people and animals at the forefront. Philosophers consider the main difference between a person and an animal to be his consciousness and the ability to subordinate his instincts to willpower.

A person receives his biological essence through hereditary means. A newborn baby has these biological properties of the human species.

A person can be characterized in accordance with the following scientific approaches:

1. An objectivist approach that characterizes man as a being dependent on nature.
2. Subjectivist approach. Representatives of this concept give brief definitions in which the emphasis is placed on the fact that an individual is a representative of the human race with freedom.
3. Synthesis approach. Representatives of this approach based their definition of a person on a combination of natural (biological) and public (social) characteristics.

Despite the obvious differences between beast and man, some philosophers did not draw a clear line between these definitions. But the line between personality and man is clearly drawn by all researchers: a biological being (individual) is capable of performing actions characteristic of a person, but is not able to relate its needs to the needs of other individuals. Therefore, many authors’ definition of personality is based precisely on those qualities that characterize the characteristics of interpersonal communication and collective activity of people.

Comparison of terms

So, despite the external similarity in spelling and reading, the terms individual and individuality are completely different.

An individual is a class and a member of a species. Individuality is a characteristic or attribute that distinguishes a person from his species. All people are individuals, but individuality still needs to be acquired and not everyone succeeds. In addition, individuality says about a person that he is to some extent “above” others, because he is not like everyone else.

Despite their differences, the concepts of individuality, individual, person, personality are interconnected and to some extent stem from each other

. So, a person is automatically an individual, but in order to gain individuality he must stand out from all individuals, for example, by his judgments, view of things, presence of a point of view, worldview. If an individual has these, then he receives individuality, which means he becomes a personality. In essence, a person without individuality is not a person, but at the same time they are not synonymous.

Personality is the characteristics that distinguish a person from other people, but to some extent they are innate. It is not for nothing that the epithets bright, creative and others can be applied to this word. These are not acquired, but innate qualities, but at the same time they can and should be developed. Personality is also the difference between a person and others, but it contains the work that a person does on himself and this is where the main difference lies.

An interesting point is that in psychology there are two uses of the term individuality:

• Individual psychological differences - here individuality is considered as the difference between a person and others at the mental level.
• Hierarchy of psychological properties - here individuality is a category, and it is at a higher level than a personality or an individual.

There is an interesting expression that gives an excellent understanding of these terms: “One is born as an individual, one becomes an individual, and one defends individuality.”

In psychology, there is an opinion that a person’s individuality is formed depending on his environment, upbringing, treatment of a child, and the experiences he received in childhood. Although opinions on this matter may differ and some psychologists are inclined to believe that individuality can be formed under the influence of other factors and not necessarily in childhood, although from the point of view that an adult cannot be remade, it is difficult to imagine a situation in which a person lived until a certain age without any distinct individual characteristics, and then suddenly acquired them.

Such cases occur only after major changes in a person's life, such as a traumatic experience or under the influence of a strong influence. But the reverse process is quite real. A person could have a certain individuality, but under the influence of the people around him or a hostile environment, he can abandon these characteristics and become like everyone else.

Who is the individual

The concept of “individual” comes from the Latin word “individuum”, which translates as “whole, indivisible”. This concept is used to describe the socio-psychological characteristics of a particular person.

A social individual is a person as a representative of society, a certain social group.

The term "individual" is used in various sciences.

1. In social psychology, the individual is the basic definition around which concepts and theories of interpersonal interaction, communication, conflict resolution, and social management are built.
2. In sociology, this term is used to study public opinion and the behavior of large groups. When conducting sociological surveys, researchers use the concept of “individual” to create typical characteristics of a particular age group of subjects and study the individual characteristics of representatives of a particular profession or category of the population.
3. Physiologists use this term to study processes occurring in a particular organism. This concept allows physiologists to study the human body.
4. In medicine, this term is used to choose treatment tactics for a particular disease in a particular patient. The causative agents of the infection may be the same, but the nature of the course of the disease in two different people will be different. Therefore, doctors take into account the individual characteristics of the patient when prescribing certain medications.
5. In pedagogy, this term helps the educator or teacher implement a person-oriented approach to the child. In kindergarten, teachers create a developmental subject environment in which every child can satisfy his needs for knowledge of the world around him, in engaging in activities that he likes. A teacher at school must not only provide students with material on one or another discipline of the curriculum, but also create conditions for the creative self-realization of each of them.
6. In geography, the concept of an individual is used as a unit for measuring population density and studying the ethnocultural characteristics of a particular people.
7. In history, with the help of the term “individual”, an idea of ​​a particular era or historical event is formed. Thanks to this concept, historians have been able to create psychological portraits of outstanding figures.
8. In art, the concept of the individual formed the basis of different directions. The features of a particular genre in literature, music, and painting did not appear spontaneously. They are the result of the activities of brave individuals who were able to successfully realize their creative potential.

Myers-Briggs developed a concept according to which all people can be divided into the following types:

• sensory extrovert (vividly expresses himself, self-confident, socially active);
• sensory introvert (friendly, sociable, charming);
• intuitive extrovert (they talk a lot, but do little, live in dreams and discussions about possibilities, like to make grandiose plans, but do not implement them);
• intuitive introvert (makes decisions based on his own feelings);
• thinking extrovert (loves clarity, algorithms, logic, rationality in everything);
• thinking introvert (socially passive, uncommunicative, but generates brilliant ideas);
• feeling extrovert (tends to give advice, criticize);
• feeling introvert (prone to vivid experiences and emotional outbursts);
• decisive extrovert (impulsive, speaks first, thinks later);
• decisive introvert (calm, reserved, reasonable);
• perceiving extrovert (overflowing with vital energy, easy-going);
• a perceptive introvert (a creative person who draws inspiration from the world around him).

Concept of biological being

The term “human” is used in society as a general concept that characterizes a biological being. This is the highest stage of evolutionary development, which is the result of socio-historical processes, activity and communication. The definition is used to display and characterize the universal qualities and characteristics inherent in all people without exception.

The concept of “human being” used in psychology combines the characteristics of both a biological and a social being that is capable of influencing the environment in the course of its life activities. Belonging to the class of mammals and the species Homo sapiens determines the presence of certain characteristics:

• special physiological structure;
• ability to engage in various activities;
• the presence of consciousness and understanding of ongoing processes in the surrounding world;
• the ability to create the fruits of one’s own labor or the tools to obtain them.

Proponents of philosophy call a person a single organism, an integral system, the main elements of which are the physical and mental principles, the genetically inherent and subsequently formed unity of natural, spiritual, and social qualities.

It is common for a person to be aware of the structure of his own activities. This is called the goals and motives of work. Each subject in society has his own personal motives, reasons and intentions. Any human activity is assessed by the degree of motivation and specific focus. In addition, a creature representing the highest stage of evolution is characterized by all muscular movements and conscious use of the speech apparatus.

Unlike other representatives of the class of mammals, humans tend to acquire the ability to perform certain movements, and not use only innate ones. In addition, human movements and actions are performed using means of communication: facial expressions, gestures, speech.

Due to the development of abilities different from those given at birth, a person becomes an individual and a personality, and therefore ceases to be a primitive creature identified with primates. At the same time, one should distinguish the concept of “individual”, which characterizes outstanding people who demonstrate a high degree of socialization (the desire to stand out and be out of the crowd).

Signs of an individual

In psychology, the main distinguishing feature of the concept “individual” is the opposition of the characteristic social features of the subject of social life to the instinctive model of animal behavior. In simple terms, the difference between an animal and a single representative of the human race lies in the latter’s ability to adapt to the specific conditions of social interaction.

A person becomes an individual in the process of interaction with other people. The characteristics of an individual are:

• consciousness;
• intelligence;
• speech;
• upright posture.

Archetypes of the collective unconscious according to Jung

By archetypes, Jung means universal mental structures that are in a person from birth; they are part of the collective unconscious.

There may be countless archetypes, but Jung identifies only a few of the most significant: mask, shadow, anime and animus, self:

1. A mask is a mask, a public face that a person puts on when going out into society and interacting with other people. The function of a mask is to hide one's true face, in some cases to achieve certain goals. The danger of wearing a mask often lies in the alienation from true emotional experience and characterizes a person as stupid and narrow-minded.
2. The shadow is the complete opposite of the previous archetype. It includes everything secret, dark hidden, animal component that cannot be pulled out due to the subsequent negative reaction from the public. However, the shadow also has a positive component - it contains a person’s creativity, an element of spontaneity and passion.
3. Anime and animus refer to the androgynous predisposition in all people. In other words, it speaks of the presence of the feminine principle (anima) in a man, and the masculine principle (animus) in a woman. Jung came to this conclusion based on observations of the production of hormones of the opposite sex in men and women.
4. The Self is the most important archetype around which the others revolve. When the integration of all parts of the human soul occurs, the individual feels completeness and harmony with himself.

Development of the individual

The development of the individual occurs constantly. The prerequisites for this process are:

• quantitative and qualitative changes occurring in the tissues and organs of the body during the growth and maturation of the individual;
• formation of personality consciousness;
• human cognitive interest;
• natural curiosity;
• communication with other representatives of a small social group in particular and society in general;
• genetic predisposition of a person to master new types of activities;
• genetically determined human ability to imitate.

Factors influencing the individual and group

What does “outstanding personality” mean in social studies?

We come across all the terminology listed above at school. But the basis for everything is human predispositions. The structure of human development can be presented sequentially as follows:

1. Congenital prerequisites - physical and genetic characteristics.
2. Upbringing, communication, political situation, cultural influence or lack thereof.
3. Perception of social taboos, prohibitions, requirements, norms, traditions, rituals.
4. Self-adjustment of behavior.
5. Active exploration of the world through books, textbooks, films and communication with people.
6. Forming your own opinions, beliefs, postulates.

Points 5 and 6 can alternate endlessly. This is a normal tendency for a mature personality. With the progress of knowledge, changes occur. If they have not been there for 30-40 years or more, we can talk about orthodoxy and rigidity of thinking.

An “outstanding personality,” according to a social studies textbook, has the following qualities:

• strength of will;
• determination;
• extraordinary abilities, including mental and physical.

Group and individual

Since man is a social being, it is impossible to imagine his full life outside of society. Life in society is so organized that each individual is a representative of a variety of social groups. The most significant social groups for an individual are:

• family;
• kindergarten group;
• a group of peers in the yard;
• classroom;
• student group;
• production team;
• clubs and interest groups.

In order to feel comfortable, an individual needs to be accepted into the group. To do this, he must follow the rules established in this group:

• recognize the authority of the group leader;
• have appropriate external attributes (specific clothing style, accessories, gadgets);
• share the group’s opinion, beliefs and value orientations;
• identify with this group.

As a member of a group, an individual is constantly in a situation of choice: agree with the group or show his true colors. If an individual has charisma and leadership abilities, he feels confident even in those moments when his personal position does not coincide with the opinion of the majority of group members. He is not afraid to voice his opinion. Since he backs up his thoughts and beliefs with arguments, group members listen to him, and sometimes even take his side, changing their views.

If an individual has low self-esteem, he is afraid to express his disagreement with the opinion of the majority in the group. He is forced to pretend, wear a mask, flatter, wanting to impress the leader of the group. His behavior will remain insincere as long as it is beneficial for a person to be a member of a given social group.

The influence of a group on an individual can be seen in some professions:

1. Salesman. There are certain standards for customer service, according to which the seller must be friendly, polite, and smiling. This professional standard does not allow a salesperson on the job to demonstrate his bad mood or negative attitude towards an unkempt customer.
2. Teacher. There may be completely different children in a school class. Some of them have high learning motivation, while others have low motivation. The teacher, as a rule, sees children who are interested in acquiring knowledge, but he cannot teach only them. In accordance with the job description, the teacher must treat all students equally. Professional standards prohibit a teacher from picking favorites in the class. The teacher’s personal attitude towards a particular child should not leave an imprint on his teaching.
3. Conveyor worker. This procession does not imply the manifestation of individuality. An employee of a factory or factory must perform certain operations in the required sequence. The group for this employee will be the production workshop. If an individual copes well with his duties, then other assembly line workers are loyal to him. If he makes a mistake, he will face sanctions from other workers, because his mistake will certainly affect their work.

The group influences the individual, shaping his system of life values ​​and principles. But the individual also influences the group if he has sufficient personal potential. It turns out that not only the group forms certain personal characteristics of its members, but also each individual who is a member of the group influences its socio-psychological characteristics.

Individuality in psychology

Individuality is a unique personality property that is of interest to study by psychologists. This phenomenon has long been studied both in our country and by foreign psychologists. In psychology, individuality is considered as a complex of interactions between temperament, character, interpersonal relationships, intelligence, interests and hobbies of an individual.

Analyzing the relationships between a person's distinctive features plays an important role. It helps to understand the extent of the influence of society and the environment on the development of the individual and his individuality. Helps to learn about a person’s possibilities for self-realization, to be original and different from others thanks to his efforts. A person is a member of society, and not an isolated subject, which arouses interest in the study. Particularly interesting from a psychological point of view is the study of interpersonal relationships between people in society. This makes it possible to correct mistakes at the stages of development and personality formation.

What is human individuality

Individuality is a unique set of personal characteristics of a person, which ensures his natural harmony and versatility. Individuality determines a person’s attitude towards himself, towards the people and things around him, towards his own and other people’s activities.

The socio-psychological paradox lies in the fact that every person wants to be different from others, to express themselves through creativity. But at the same time, everyone fears that others will not be able to understand and accept his self-expression. Therefore, people, as a rule, try to be like everyone else.

The structure of individuality consists of:

• type of temperament;
• a person's appearance;
• personality communication style;
• person's character;
• intellectual abilities of the individual;
• interests and inclinations of a person

A person’s individuality emerges in the course of his life. Everyone has this personality characteristic. It is difficult to find two people who have the same personality characteristics. Even twins have opposite personalities, which indicates the unique individuality of each person.

A person’s individuality is noticeable from infancy. Kids have differences in appearance and temperament. Even children's crying is different.

What is the difference between an individual and an individual?

Although these two words have the same root, they have completely different meanings. The first term can be applied to virtually any person who lives among people, has adapted to society and is not only a biological species, but also a representative of society. But the second definition involves the development of the individual. You can develop natural, innate properties (never cut your hair, they will grow to incredible sizes), or you can get acquired ones.

Often people consider themselves individuals only because they try to go against the general opinion. Such informals really differ from the crowd, but the problem is that there are a lot of them, they are already creating their own informal mass. Among her, tattoos, ripped jeans, green hair and ear tunnels become commonplace. Thus, only one that is invented independently and not copied from another can be considered an individual solution.

Personality structure

The personality structure is formed by the characteristics of an individual acquired in the process of social interaction. These include:

• developed willpower;
• willingness to take responsibility for your words and actions;
• independence;
• self-discipline;
• self-organization;
• high level of self-control:
• high level of morality.

Psychologists have combined the characteristics of personality, creating its socio-psychological structure:

Social and psychological structure of personality

When does it happen

Most psychologists believe that the process of socialization is not limited to childhood and lasts throughout life. lays the foundations of personal values. And in relation to adults, this process involves changing external behavior and acquiring the necessary skills.

According to one theory, in the process of socialization of adults, children's myths, for example, about the inviolability of authority or one's own super-value, become obsolete. Gradually, on the basis of the experience gained, the individual whose definition is given above is formed.

Communication in a group and relevant experience makes it possible to adjust the unique internal attitudes of an individual with the general qualities characteristic of his social environment.

Personality qualities

An individual who is a person has come a long way from a person as a representative of a biological species to an individual endowed with social properties. An individual as a person is characterized by such qualities as:

• energy;
• uniqueness;
• creativity;
• initiative, enterprise;
• social activity;
• responsibility;
• high motivation to achieve goals;
• ability to control emotions;
• independence from the majority opinion;
• the ability to protect one's individuality.

Asya Rakhovich

Psychologist with more than 8 years of experience. Consultant on interpersonal and marital relationships, self-discovery.

Ask a Question

How does personality differ from individuality or individual?

The main difference is maximum self-awareness and the ability to control one’s own actions, take responsibility for them, and make decisions. The peculiarity is in willpower, which is expressed not in the desire to be different from others, but in the desire to become better than oneself. Usually, personal qualities, although they are manifested in comparison with others, are assessed by the person himself in relation to himself. That is, for example, the abstract “I” stole and has pangs of conscience not because a neighbor/friend or a policeman said that this should not be done. The reason is the awareness of values ​​and their violation. The individual will be ashamed first of all of himself.

Personal development

According to teachers and psychologists, the process of personality formation begins when a child turns 3 years old. The baby develops a need to do everything on his own. However, in his quest for independence, he encounters some difficulties: it turns out that he cannot yet perform most of the activities that are so interesting to him on his own. This contradiction between the baby’s desires and his helplessness causes violent negative behavioral reactions. The child is often capricious, cries, and refuses to comply with the parents’ demands.

Adults need to treat the child with understanding and patience during this period, since contradictions are the driving force of development. Several months will pass, and the baby will find the right ways to master new activities. This will be his first step towards personal development.

For an individual to become a person, special conditions are needed. Personal development occurs if:

1. Parents are interested in the development of the child, so from early childhood they create a developmental environment at home. Children need to read fairy tales, sing lullabies at night, and take part in children's games. All this forms the child’s moral and ethical basis for personal development.
2. The child must attend a preschool educational institution.

The degree of success of personal development is manifested in critical situations when a person faces a moral choice. A person who has been able to become a strong personality is able to overcome different life situations with dignity. He places spiritual values ​​above material ones. He is capable of:

• refuse dubious proposals from comrades;
• show willpower;
• be purposeful in your work;
• treat your loved ones carefully.

It is impossible to justify a person’s illegal and criminal actions by the fact that he was unable to socialize and express himself in socially encouraged activities. To commit a crime or not is a choice that not an individual is capable of, but a personality. The criminals made their choice consciously. This means they are individuals.

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 opinions of those closest to him, and with age, on the assessments of competent specialists. A mature person understands that he is an individual, and his individuality is unique.

The influence of personal experience cannot be underestimated. That is why children raised in the same family are very different. They have similar group experiences (but not identical ones). In addition to the family, children communicate in the external environment and with different people. Even twins with the same set of genes cannot constantly be in exactly the same conditions, meet the same people and experience identical emotions.

This is why every personal experience is unique. According to psychoanalysts, certain incidents that happen to people may well turn out to be critical, setting the tone for subsequent emotional reactions.

The influence of society on personality

Being in society, a person experiences pressure from others. Society influences the formation of a person’s system of value orientations and influences his actions.

The behavior of an individual is regulated not only by his own volitional efforts, but also by public opinion.

A person feels happy only in those moments when he can do what he really likes, while feeling understanding and support from loved ones.

So, the concept of man and personality: what is the difference

At the dawn of our civilization, despite the fact that all people had different bodies, they had no division into personalities in their sensations. They felt like one.

As society developed, the sense of oneself as a body separate from others also grew. At first it was only at the level of sensations. Then it moved to the level of the mind. People began not only to feel that they were different, but they also began to understand that they were different.

Along with this, selfishness also grew. That is, the feeling and understanding are mine, not mine. Since selfishness was just in its infancy, in order to prevent people from killing each other, a law was created and rules of behavior in society were invented.

Each person in society was called a separate individual. Although in reality this is an illusion. At the deepest level, we are all one consciousness.

Think for yourself, the animal does not consider itself a separate person. It was one of the rules of society to call each person an individual, a person.

Before a person’s egoism began to grow and there was first a feeling and then an understanding of himself as separate from others, a person was simply a “living being,” just another manifestation of nature.

Today there is no single view of human nature. But I am a supporter of the new views of quantum physics scientists and a systematic approach to nature. The essence of the systems approach is that the whole world is a fractal. We live in a holographic Universe. This means that everything is one and created according to one principle, “in the image and likeness,” as the Bible says.

From Wikipedia:

Personality is a concept developed to consider a person as a subject of social and cultural life, defining him as a bearer of an individual principle, self-revealing in the contexts of social relations and communication.

“Personality” can be understood either as a human individual as a subject of relationships (“person” in the broad sense of the word), or as a stable system of socially significant traits that characterize an individual as a member of a particular society.

If personality is a conventionally invented social person, then a person is expressed by the psyche. And what is included in the concept of “man”, what is human nature, we’ll talk next time.

To summarize.

A person is a consciousness manifested in the form of a psyche/soul in a specific body. That is, one identifies oneself NOT with the body and the corresponding social masks and roles, but with the consciousness/soul. The answer to the question “Who am I?” will be: “I am the soul manifested in this body.”

Personality is the identification of oneself with the body and the social masks and roles corresponding to it. The answer to the question: “Who am I?” will be: “I am a woman, mother, wife, teacher.”

In the video I will talk about my experience, which proved to me that I am not the body.

Human personality is the object of study in many humanities, such as psychology, philosophy, and sociology. The concept of “person”, “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 understand this in more detail.

And yet it’s good to be an individual

From a psychological point of view, this is undoubtedly true. A person who has a pronounced individuality is independent. He does not depend on the opinion of the majority, he has his own view of the world, his own attitude to reality. In addition, he has a developed motivational sphere. That is, such a person always knows what he wants to achieve in life, and, moreover, he does everything to achieve his goal.

Thus, we can conclude that a person who has individuality is a mature person.

However, the everyday understanding of a scientific term sometimes plays its own special role, and then a different meaning is assigned to this concept. For example, they talk about individuality, meaning some kind of media personality. However, on television screens, as a rule, we see an image carefully thought out by professional image makers. Is it possible to say, for example, about a child who has become a “star” that he is an individual? After all, he actually cannot be considered a mature person.

Individuality is also spoken of in cases where a person tries to stand out from the crowd and does everything to have a bright appearance. But such a person will not always be a mature person, because the reasons that forced him to become noticeable are not always obvious or disclosed honestly. Sometimes such a “bright personality” has a heavy burden of psychological problems.