Accentuation of personality traits with disturbance of emotions. The main types of accentuations and their impact on personality

“Accented Personalities” - a book by Karl Leonhard, translated and published in Russia in 1983, was originally intended for psychiatrists. However, as K. Leonhard himself believed: «… a person without a hint of accentuation is not inclined to develop either in a negative or, apparently, in a socially positive direction.” Thus, at the moment, the concept of accentuation does not define pathological phenomena. Accentuations are overly expressed character traits and temperament.

Since, when expressed beyond measure, they can create favorable conditions for the development of neuroses and various psychosomatic disorders, their role in this regard is being actively studied by domestic and foreign experts. In particular, here are some general provisions on which the opinions of scientists coincide:

1. Firstly, accentuations are not given at birth, personality changes throughout life and these changes affect the development of personality traits.
2. Secondly, test results can only give a very approximate direction in the development of accentuation. Moreover, there is a high probability of erroneous identification if we adhere to the idea of ​​​​the uniformity of accentuation, which contain a large number of transitional, mixed forms, characterized by extreme polymorphism of manifestations and a richness of shades;
3. Thirdly, it is possible that certain aspects may be emphasized, especially depending on the conditions in which the person is, in particular, at the time of the study.
4. Fourthly, the dynamics of combined personality accentuation can develop both in the direction of psychopathy and in a positive direction, which does not lead to phenomena of social maladjustment.

This is important to know for specialists working with people, in particular, ensuring a favorable psychological climate in the team, both for children and adults.

The author of the methodology, K. Leongard, valued observation, the attentiveness of the researcher and clinical-psychological research above any questionnaires or questionnaires.“I attach great importance to the initial definition of my topic: this work is devoted to individuals not pathological, but normal, albeit accentuated,” he wrote in the preface to the Russian edition of his book.

This technique can be used for both diagnostic and corrective purposes.

Šmishek Questionnaire - a personality questionnaire, which is intended to diagnose the type of personality accentuation, published by G. Shmishek in 1970 and is a modification of the “Methods for studying personality accentuations by K. Leonhard.” It differs from K. Leonhard’s method only in the wording of the questions. The keys, scales, processing and principles for interpreting the results are the same. If K. Leonhard divided accentuations into accentuations of character and accentuations of temperament, then Shmishek divided all personality traits into basic and additional. The main ones, in his opinion, determine the personality as a whole, its adaptive capabilities and character traits. They can acquire a pathological character, destroying the structure of the personality. Smišek test explores character types and is used to study character accentuations.

K. Leonhard 10 types of accentuated personalities have been identified, which are quite arbitrarily divided into two groups: character accentuations (demonstrative, pedantic, stuck, excitable) and temperament accentuations (hyperthymic, dysthymic, anxious-fearful, cyclothymic, affective-exalted, emotive). K Leongard warned researchers to be careful in applying the technique. “Even if we are finally convinced of the presence of this trait, it should be confirmed not by the general phrases of the subject, not by an affirmative “yes,” but by facts from life, actions. The subject can introduce himself as a diligent, purposeful, serious, lively person, etc., but all these statements are worthless if he cannot tell how exactly his diligence or seriousness is manifested. Examples should be expressive and vivid, because we are talking about the qualities that distinguish a given person from the background of average people. Examples should indicate that in a similar situation the behavior of the subject is significantly different from the behavior of others.”

Often in the literature you can find a double name for the technique:

Instructions:

“You are asked to answer 88 questions relating to various aspects of your personality. Next to the question number, put a “+” (yes) sign if you agree, or “-” (no) if you disagree. Answer quickly, don’t hesitate.”

1. Is your mood generally cheerful and carefree?
2. Are you susceptible to insults?
3. Have you ever cried quickly?
4. Do you always consider yourself to be right in what you do, and will you not rest until you are convinced of this?
5. Do you consider yourself more courageous than when you were a child?
6. Can your mood change from deep joy to deep sadness?
7. Are you the center of attention in the company?
8. Do you ever have days when you are in a sullen and irritable mood for no good reason and don't want to talk to anyone?
9. Are you a serious person?
10. Can you get very excited?
11. Are you entrepreneurial?
12. Do you quickly forget if someone offends you?
13. Are you a kind-hearted person?
14. Do you try to check after putting a letter in the mailbox to see if it is still hanging in the slot?
15. Do you always try to be conscientious at work?
16. Were you afraid of thunderstorms or dogs as a child?
17. Do you think other people are not demanding enough of each other?
18. Does your mood depend greatly on life events and experiences?
19. Are you always straightforward with your friends?
20. Is your mood often depressed?
21. Have you had a hysterical attack or nervous system exhaustion before?
22. Are you prone to states of intense inner restlessness or craving?
23. Do you find it difficult to sit in a chair for a long time?
24. Do you fight for your interests if someone treats you unfairly?
25. Could you kill a person?
26. Does a curtain hanging askew or an uneven tablecloth really bother you, so much so that you want to immediately eliminate these shortcomings?
27. Did you experience fear as a child when you were alone in the apartment?
28. Do you often change your mood for no reason?
29. Are you always diligent in your activities?
30. Are you quick to get angry?
31. Can you be recklessly cheerful?
32. Can you sometimes be completely imbued with a feeling of joy?
33. Are you suitable for hosting entertainment events?
34. Do you usually express your frank opinion to people on a particular issue?
35. Does the type of blood affect you?
36. Are you willing to engage in activities that involve great responsibility?
37. Are you inclined to stand up for a person who has been treated unfairly?
38. Do you find it difficult to enter a dark basement?
39. Do you perform painstaking menial tasks as slowly and carefully as you do the work you love?
40. Are you a sociable person?
41. Were you willing to recite poetry at school?
42. Did you run away from home as a child?
43. Do you find life difficult?
44. Have you ever had conflicts and troubles that got on your nerves so much that you didn’t go to work?
45. Can you say that when you fail, you don’t lose your sense of humor?
46. Will you take the first step towards reconciliation if someone offends you?
47. Do you love animals?
48. Will you leave work or home if something is wrong with you?
49. Are you tormented by vague thoughts that some misfortune will happen to you or your relatives?
50. Do you think that your mood depends on the weather?
51. Would it be difficult for you to perform on stage in front of a large crowd?
52. Can you lose your temper and let loose if someone deliberately rudely angers you?
53. Do you communicate a lot?
54. If you are disappointed with something, will you despair?
55. Do you like organizational work?
56. Do you persistently strive for your goal, even if there are many obstacles along the way?
57. Can you be so captivated by a movie that tears come to your eyes?
58. Will it be difficult for you to fall asleep if you have been thinking about your future or some problem all day?
59. During your school years, did you have to use hints or copy homework from your friends?
60. Is it difficult for you to go to a cemetery at night?
61. Do you take great care to ensure that every item in the house is in its place?
62. Have you ever gone to bed in a good mood, but woke up in a dejected mood and remained in that mood for several hours?
63. Can you easily adapt to a new situation?
64. Are you prone to headaches?
65. Do you laugh often?
66. Can you be friendly to people without revealing your true feelings towards them?
67. Can you be called a lively and lively person?
68. Do you suffer greatly due to injustice?
69. Can you be called a passionate nature lover?
70. Do you have a habit of checking before going to bed or before leaving that the gas and lights are turned off and the door is closed?
71. Are you fearful?
72. Does it happen that you feel in seventh heaven, although there are no objective reasons for this?
73. In your youth, were you willing to participate in amateur art groups and a theater group?
74. Do you sometimes feel drawn to look into the distance?
75. Are you pessimistic about the future?
76. Can your mood change from extreme joy to deep sadness in a short period of time?
77. Is it easy for you to lift your spirits in a friendly company?
78. Do you carry anger for a long time?
79. Do you worry a lot if grief happens to another person?
80. At school, did you have the habit of rewriting a piece of paper in your notebook if you put a blot on it?
81. Can we say that you are more distrustful and cautious than trusting?
82. Do you often have scary dreams?
83. Have you ever thought about throwing yourself out of a window against your will, under an approaching train?
84. Do you become joyful in a cheerful environment?
85. Can you easily distract yourself from burdensome issues and not think about them?
86. Do you find it difficult to control yourself when you get angry?
87. Do you prefer to be silent (yes), or are you talkative (no)?
88. Could you, if you had to take part in a theatrical performance, enter into the role with complete penetration and transformation and forget about yourself?

Processing the results:

If the answer to a question matches the key, the answer is assigned one point.

When interpreting, they proceed from consideration Total profile. Assumptions about the accentuation of character traits can be made Only then, when the sum is more than 12 points. The maximum score for each type of accentuation is 24 points.

Key

1.Demonstrativeness/demonstrative type:

«+»: 7, 19, 22, 29, 41, 44, 63, 66, 73, 85, 88.

«-»: 51.

Multiply the sum of the answers by 2.

2.Stuck/Stuck type:

«+»: 2, 15, 24, 34, 37, 56, 68, 78, 81.

«-»: 12, 46, 59.

Multiply the sum of the answers by 2.

3.Pedantic/pedantic type:

«+»: 4, 14, 17, 26, 39, 48, 58, 61, 70, 80, 83.

«-»: 36.

Multiply the sum of the answers by 2.

4.Excitability/excitable type:

«+»: 8, 20, 30, 42, 52, 64, 74, 86.

Multiply the sum of the answers by 3.

5.Hyperthymia/hyperthymic type:

«+»: 1, 11, 23, 33, 45, 55, 67, 77.

Multiply the sum of the answers by 3.

6.Dysthymic/dysthymic type:

«+»: 9, 21, 43, 75, 87.

«-»: 31, 53, 65.

Multiply the sum of the answers by 3.

7.Anxiety/anxious-fearful type:

«+»: 16, 27, 38, 49, 60, 71, 82.

«-»: 5.

Multiply the sum of the answers by 3.

8.Exaltation/affectively exalted type:

«+»: 10, 32, 54, 76.

Multiply the sum of the answers by 6.

9.Emotivity/emotive type:

«+»: 3, 13, 35, 47, 57, 69, 79.

«-»: 25.

Multiply the sum of the answers by 3.

10.Cyclothymic/cyclothymic type:

«+»: 6, 18,28,40,50,62,72,84.

Multiply the sum of the answers by 3.

Interpretation of the result:

Types of accentuation

1. Demonstrative type

Characterized by an increased ability to repress, demonstrative behavior, liveliness, mobility, and ease of establishing contacts. He is prone to fantasy, deceit and pretense, aimed at embellishing his person, to adventurism, artistry, and posturing. He is driven by the desire for leadership, the need for recognition, the thirst for constant attention to his person, the thirst for power, praise; the prospect of being undetected weighs him down. He demonstrates high adaptability to people, emotional lability (easy mood swings) in the absence of truly deep feelings, and a tendency to intrigue (with an externally soft manner of communication). There is boundless egocentrism, a thirst for admiration, sympathy, veneration, and surprise. Usually the praise of others in his presence causes him a particularly unpleasant feeling; he cannot stand it. The desire of a company is usually associated with the need to feel like a leader, to occupy an exceptional position. Self-esteem is very far from objectivity. He can irritate with his self-confidence and high claims; he systematically provokes conflicts, but at the same time actively defends himself. Possessing a pathological ability to repress, he can completely forget what he does not want to know about. This unchains him in his lies. Usually lies with an innocent face, because what he says is true for him at the moment; Apparently, he is not internally aware of his lie, or he is aware of it very shallowly, without noticeable remorse. Able to captivate others with his originality of thinking and actions.

2. Stuck type

He is characterized by moderate sociability, tediousness, a penchant for moralizing, and taciturnity. Often suffers from imaginary injustice towards him. In this regard, he shows wariness and distrust towards people, is sensitive to insults and grief, is vulnerable, suspicious, vindictive, worries about what happened for a long time, and is not able to easily move on from insults. He is characterized by arrogance and often initiates conflicts. Arrogance, rigidity of attitudes and views, and highly developed ambition often lead to persistent assertion of his interests, which he defends with particular vigor. He strives to achieve high results in any business he undertakes and shows great persistence in achieving his goals. The main feature is a tendency to affect (love of truth, resentment, jealousy, suspicion), inertia in the manifestation of affects, in thinking, in motor skills.

3. Pedantic type

It is characterized by rigidity, inertia of mental processes, heaviness to rise, and long experience of traumatic events. He rarely enters into conflicts, acting as a passive rather than an active party. At the same time, he reacts very strongly to any manifestation of disorder. At work he behaves like a bureaucrat, making many formal demands on others. Punctual, neat, pays special attention to cleanliness and order, scrupulous, conscientious, inclined to strictly follow the plan, unhurried in carrying out actions, diligent, focused on high quality work and special accuracy, prone to frequent self-examinations, doubts about the correctness of the work performed, grumbling, formalism . Willingly cedes leadership to other people.

4. Excitable type

Insufficient controllability, weakening of control over drives and impulses are combined in people of this type with the power of physiological drives. He is characterized by increased impulsiveness, instinctiveness, rudeness, tediousness, gloominess, anger, a tendency to rudeness and abuse, to friction and conflicts, in which he himself is an active, provoking party. Irritable, quick-tempered, often changes jobs, and is difficult to get along with in a team. There is low contact in communication, slowness of verbal and non-verbal reactions, heaviness of actions. For him, no work becomes attractive, he works only when necessary, and shows the same reluctance to learn. Indifferent to the future, he lives entirely in the present, wanting to extract a lot of entertainment from it. Increased impulsiveness or the resulting arousal reaction is difficult to suppress and can be dangerous to others. He can be domineering, choosing the weakest for communication.

5. Hyperthymic type

People of this type are distinguished by great mobility, sociability, talkativeness, expressiveness of gestures, facial expressions, pantomimes, excessive independence, a tendency to mischief, and a lack of a sense of distance in relationships with others. They often spontaneously deviate from the original topic of conversation. They make a lot of noise everywhere, love the company of their peers, and strive to boss them around. They almost always have a very good mood, good health, high vitality, often a flourishing appearance, good appetite, healthy sleep, a tendency towards gluttony and other joys of life. These are people with high self-esteem, cheerful, frivolous, superficial and at the same time businesslike, inventive, brilliant interlocutors; people who know how to entertain others, are energetic, active, and proactive. A great desire for independence can be a source of conflict. They are characterized by outbursts of anger and irritation, especially when they encounter strong opposition and fail. They are prone to immoral acts, increased irritability, and projectism. They do not take their responsibilities seriously enough. They find it difficult to endure the conditions of strict discipline, monotonous activity, and forced loneliness.

6. Dysthymic type

People of this type are distinguished by seriousness, even depressed mood, slowness and weakness of volitional efforts. They are characterized by a pessimistic attitude towards the future, low self-esteem, as well as low contact, reticence in conversation, even silence. Such people are homebodies, individualists; They usually avoid society and noisy company and lead a secluded lifestyle. They are often gloomy, inhibited, and tend to fixate on the shadow sides of life. They are conscientious, value those who are friends with them, and are ready to obey them; they have a heightened sense of justice, as well as slow thinking.

7. Anxious type

People of this type are characterized by low communication, minor mood, timidity, timidity, and lack of self-confidence. Children of the anxious type are often afraid of the dark, animals, and are afraid to be alone. They avoid noisy and lively peers, do not like excessively noisy games, experience a feeling of timidity and shyness, and have a hard time with tests, exams, and inspections. They are often embarrassed to answer in front of the class. They willingly submit to the tutelage of their elders; adult lectures can cause them remorse, guilt, tears, and despair. They early develop a sense of duty, responsibility, and high moral and ethical requirements. They try to disguise the feeling of their own inferiority in self-affirmation through those types of activities where they can reveal their abilities to a greater extent. The touchiness, sensitivity, and shyness characteristic of them since childhood prevent them from getting close to those with whom they want; a particularly weak link is the reaction to the attitude of others towards them. Intolerance to ridicule and suspicion are accompanied by the inability to stand up for oneself, to defend the truth in the face of unfair accusations. They rarely enter into conflicts with others, playing a mainly passive role in them; in conflict situations, they seek support and support. They are friendly, self-critical, and diligent. Due to their defenselessness, they often serve as scapegoats, targets for jokes,

8. Exalted type

A striking feature of this type is the ability to admire, admire, as well as smiling, a feeling of happiness, joy, and pleasure. These feelings can often arise in them for a reason that does not cause much excitement in others; they easily become delighted with joyful events and in complete despair with sad ones. They are characterized by high contact, talkativeness, and amorousness. Such people often argue, but do not lead to open conflicts. In conflict situations, they are both active and passive parties. They are attached to friends and loved ones, altruistic, have a sense of compassion, good taste, and show brightness and sincerity of feelings. They can be alarmists, subject to momentary moods, impulsive, easily move from a state of delight to a state of sadness, and have mental lability.

9. Emotive type

This type is related to the exalted one, but its manifestations are not so violent. They are characterized by emotionality, sensitivity, anxiety, talkativeness, timidity, and deep reactions in the area of ​​subtle feelings. Their most strongly expressed feature is humanity, empathy for other people or animals, responsiveness, kindness, they rejoice at the successes of others. They are impressionable, tearful, and take any life events more seriously than other people. Teenagers react sharply to scenes from films where someone is in danger; scenes of violence can cause them a strong shock that will not be forgotten for a long time and can disturb their sleep. They rarely enter into conflicts; they carry grievances within themselves without spilling them out. They are characterized by a heightened sense of duty and diligence. They take care of nature, love to grow plants and care for animals.

10. Cyclothymic type

Characterized by alternating hyperthymic and dysthymic states. They are characterized by frequent periodic mood swings, as well as dependence on external events. Joyful events cause pictures of hyperthymia in them: thirst for activity, increased talkativeness, racing ideas; sad ones - depression, slowness of reactions and thinking, their manner of communication with people around them also often changes.

In adolescence, two variants of cyclothymic accentuation can be found: typical and labile cycloids. Typical cycloids in childhood usually give the impression of being hyperthymic, but then lethargy and loss of strength appear; what was previously easy to achieve now requires exorbitant effort. Previously noisy and lively, they become lethargic homebodies, there is a decrease in appetite, insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness. They react to comments with irritation, even rudeness and anger, in the depths of their souls, however, at the same time falling into despondency, deep depression, suicidal attempts are not excluded. They study unevenly, make up for any omissions with difficulty, and create in themselves an aversion to studying. In labile cycloids, the phases of mood changes are usually shorter than in typical cycloids. Bad days are marked by more bad mood than lethargy. During the period of recovery, the desire to have friends and be in company is expressed. Mood affects self-esteem.

Interpretation based on materials from the site psylab.info

36.CHARACTER ACCENTUATIONS.TYPES OF ACCENTUATIONS

Accentuationcharacter- this is an extreme variant of the norm, in which certain character traits are excessively strengthened, as a result of which selective vulnerability is revealed in relation to a certain kind of psychogenic influences with good resistance to others. In other words, accentuation is a variant of mental health (norm), which is characterized by particular severity, sharpness, and disproportion of certain character traits to the entire personality and leads to a certain disharmony.

The author of the concept of accentuation is German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard; he coined the term “accented personality.” A.E. Lichko clarified this term, changing it to the term “accentuation of character”, since personality, in his opinion, is too complex a concept, rather suitable for psychopathy.

According to A.E. Lichko, according to the degree of severity, two types (two stages) of accentuations can be distinguished:

Explicit accentuation is an extreme variant of the norm. Problematic character traits are quite pronounced throughout life, in both problematic and prosperous situations. Obvious accentuation in everyday life is called a Psychopath (not to be confused with Psychopathy as a personality disorder).

Hidden accentuation is a common variant of the norm. Problematic character traits of this type manifest themselves mainly in difficult life situations, stress and conflicts, although in favorable circumstances we may have a completely nice person in front of us.

Accentuation is personality traits that are more pronounced than the personality pattern, but not as prominent as in psychopathy. Accentuation of character is a consequence of both hereditary factors and one or another type of child upbringing. The factors of upbringing that provoke and perpetuate accentuations include overprotection, indulgent upbringing, emotional rejection, cruel or contradictory upbringing, upbringing in conditions of the “cult of illness”

Different researchers identify different accentuations. The most widespread classifications are those of K. Leonhard and A.E. Lichko, other classifications can be found in A.P. Egides, E.A. Nekrasova and V.V. Ponomarenko, N.I. Kozlov and other authors.

In his work “Accented Personalities,” Karl Leonhard identified ten pure types and a number of intermediate ones.

Pure types:

1.Demonstrative(self-confidence, vanity, boasting, lies, flattery, focus on one’s own self as a standard). An analogue of the hysteroid type according to Lichko.

2.Emotive(kindness, timidity, compassion). - Analogue of the labile type according to Lichko.

3.Hyperthymic(desire for activity, pursuit of experiences, optimism, focus on success);

4.Dysthymic(inhibition, emphasizing ethical aspects, worries and fears, focus on failure);

5. Labile(mutual compensation of traits, focus on different standards);

6.Anxious(fearfulness, timidity, humility);

7.Exalted(inspiration, sublime feelings, raising emotions to a cult). Analogue of the labile type according to Lichko.

8.Pedantic(indecisiveness, conscientiousness, hypochondria, fear of self-inconsistency with ideals). An analogue of the psychasthenic type according to Lichko.

9.Stuck(suspicion, resentment, vanity, transition from elation to despair); - an analogue of Ixotim, Viscous character according to Kretschmer. Another analogy is the epileptoid.

10.Excitable(hot temper, ponderousness, pedantry, focus on instincts). Analogue of the epileptoid type according to Lichko.

The other two types are extroverted And introverted type, were described by K. Leonhard as intermediate types, since they relate not so much to character, but to the personal level.

Karl Leonhard is primarily a psychiatrist, and his classification of accentuation types is closest not to healthy people, but to psychiatric practice. A.E. Lichko described mostly mentally intact people and younger people, namely teenagers and young men.

According to the classification of A.E. Lichko, the following types of character accentuations can be distinguished:

Hyperthymic type- a constant sign is a good mood. Energetic, hyperactive. Friendship is superficial, the soul of the company. Unforgettable. Conformist. Romantic. Loves sex. Straightforward. Fair. Family are entertainment partners. Get along easily with others. I'm a sucker with money. Doesn't have a career. The organizer is not bad, but temporary. Hardworking as part of a team. Working professions. They drink. A non-domestic person. Speech is fast and slurred. Memory and erudition are mediocre. Reflection is weak or absent. Thinks in terms of axioms. Adventurer. Creativity is primitive, unsophisticated. Self-taught. The will is strong. Easily influenced. Dare. Angry. Authentic, does not seek to impress. The level of claims is low. The humor is greasy and rude. Not religious. Empathy is not very developed. Anarchy is characteristic.

Cycloid type- with the cycloid type of character accentuation, the presence of two phases is observed - hyperthymia and subdepression. They are not expressed sharply, are usually short-term (1-2 weeks) and can be interspersed with long breaks. A person with cycloid accentuation experiences cyclical mood changes, when depression is replaced by elevated mood. When their mood declines, such people show increased sensitivity to reproaches and do not tolerate public humiliation well. However, they are proactive, cheerful and sociable. Their hobbies are unstable; during periods of recession, they tend to give up on things. Sex life is highly dependent on the rise and fall of their general condition. In the elevated, hyperthymic phase, such people are extremely similar to hyperthymic people.

​Labile type- The main feature of the labile type is extreme mood variability, rapid and little predictable switching of the emotional state... A rich sensory sphere, high sensitivity to signs of attention. Severe mental pain from emotional rejection from loved ones, loss of loved ones and separation from those to whom they are attached. Sociability, good nature, sincere affection, social responsiveness. They are interested in communication, are drawn to their peers, and are content with the role of a ward.

Astheno-neurotic type- the overall picture is of a thin person with narrow shoulders, thin arms and hands, a long and narrow chest, and a belly devoid of fat. The face of an asthenic person is usually long, narrow and pale; in the profile there is a sharp discrepancy between the elongated nose and the small lower jaw, and therefore it is called angular in shape. The corresponding character type is schizotim. Closed (so-called autism), serious, prone to fluctuations in emotions from irritation to dryness, stubborn, difficult to change attitudes and views. Has difficulty adapting to a new environment and is prone to abstraction.

Sensitive type- excessive sensitivity, impressionability, high moral demands primarily on oneself, low self-esteem, timidity and shyness. Under the blows of fate, they easily become extremely cautious, suspicious and withdrawn. Dressed tastefully, moderately. Good-natured and attentive facial expression. Attentive, monitors the reactions of others. Efficient and dedicated. Capable of showing kindness and mutual assistance. Very sociable and sociable. Social recognition is important. Interests in the intellectual and aesthetic sphere.

Psychasthenic type- determines the tendency to introspection and reflection. Psychasthenics often hesitate when making decisions and cannot bear high demands and the burden of responsibility for themselves and others. Such subjects demonstrate accuracy and prudence; their characteristic feature is self-criticism and reliability. They usually have an even mood without sudden changes. In sex, they are often afraid of making a mistake, but in general their sex life is uneventful.

Schizoid type- Speech: “There is porridge in my mouth.” Not plastic. This is a formula man. Original thinking, but inconsistent. In creativity, the process is important, not the result. In science, it is a generator of ideas. In religion - a theologian. Ideas are paradoxical and often premature. Schizoids are the mind of the earth. Intellectual aggression. Doesn't feel good about the other person. Creators of meaningful humor (including black). Wooden face mask. Lack of image. Sex is speculative. Family is an application to intellectual existence. There is a creative mess on the table. He gravitates towards theoretical research and calculations.

Epileptoid type- speech is intelligible. Standard thinking. Restrained, but explosive. Loves order. Ultimate. Lawyer. Moralizer. Stingy. Conservative. Esprit de corps. Conductor of ideology. Inquisitor. Progressive career. Brings justice. Reliable. Sex is normal. Family man. My home is my castle. "Trench" friendship. He is an officer, a teacher, a doctor.

Hysterical type - hysterical personality, hysteroid - consists of the following traits. Firstly, this is the desire to stand out, attract the attention of others, and be the center of attention. Secondly, artistry, imagination, ease of getting used to any role and any invented truth. And thirdly, a lack of objectivity in relation to others and to oneself. Characterized by ease of self-justification, natural self-deception. You probably found out that these are the most characteristic female traits. That's right, hysteroids are more often women.

Unstable type- An unstable type of character accentuation determines a person’s laziness and reluctance to work or study. These people have a pronounced craving for entertainment, idle pastime, and idleness. Their ideal is to remain without outside control and be left to their own devices. They are sociable, open, helpful. They talk a lot. Sex for them is a source of entertainment, sexual life begins early, the feeling of love is often unfamiliar to them. Prone to consuming alcohol and drugs.

Conformal type- the conformist type is characterized by conformity to the environment; such people strive to “think like everyone else.” They cannot tolerate drastic changes, breaking a life pattern, or being deprived of their usual environment. Their perception is extremely rigid and severely limited by their expectations. People with this type of accentuation are friendly, disciplined and non-conflicting. Their hobbies and sex life are determined by their social environment. Bad habits depend on the attitude towards them in the immediate social circle, which they are guided by when forming their values.

Lichko’s system found further development as a typology of characters or psychotypes. They are described in the books of A.P. Egides, E.A. Nekrasova and V.V. Ponomarenko. A.P. Egides described healthy people and adults, and his classification identified paranoid, epileptoid, hysteroid, hyperthymic and schizoid. Let us emphasize once again that these psychotypes have nothing in common with diseases such as paranoia, epilepsy, hysteria and schizophrenia. We are talking about terms that define a normal “personality pattern.”

Types of character accentuations describe not only the character itself, but also the personality. Personality is a broader concept than character; it includes intelligence, abilities, worldview...

As in the case of psychopathy, different types can be combined, or mixed, in one person, although these combinations are not arbitrary.

Leonhard's theory of accentuated personalities quickly proved its validity and usefulness. However, its use was limited by the age of the subjects - the questionnaire for determining accentuation was designed for adult subjects. Children and adolescents, lacking relevant life experience, could not answer a number of test questions, so their accentuations turned out to be difficult to determine.

The domestic psychiatrist Andrei Evgenievich Lichko took up the solution to this problem. He modified it for use in childhood and adolescence, reworked the descriptions of the types of accentuation, changed the names for some of them and introduced new types. A.E. Lichko considered it more appropriate to study accentuations in adolescents, since most of them are formed before adolescence and are most clearly manifested during this period. He expanded the descriptions of accentuated characters with information about the manifestations of accentuations in children and adolescents, and the changes in these manifestations as they grow older. Peru A. E. Lichko owns the fundamental monographs “Adolescent Psychiatry”, “Psychopathy and Character Accentuations in Adolescents”, “Adolescent Narcology”.

Accentuations of character from the point of view of A. E. Lichko

A. E. Lichko was the first to propose replacing the term “personality accentuation” with “character accentuation,” citing the fact that it is impossible to unite all a person’s personal characteristics by defining only accentuation. Personality is a much broader concept, including worldview, characteristics of upbringing, education, and response to external events. Character, being an external reflection of the type of nervous system, serves as a narrow characteristic of the characteristics of human behavior.

Accentuations of character according to Lichko are temporary changes in character that change or disappear in the process of growth and development of the child. However, many of them can turn into psychopathy or persist for life. The path of development of accentuation is determined by its severity, social environment and type (hidden or obvious) of accentuation.

Like Karl Leonhard, A.E. Lichko considered accentuation a variant of character deformation, in which individual traits become excessively pronounced. This increases the sensitivity of the individual to certain types of influences and makes adaptation difficult in some cases. At the same time, in general, the ability to adapt remains at a high level, and with some types of influences (that do not touch the “place of least resistance”), accentuated individuals cope more easily than ordinary ones.

A. E. Lichko considered accentuations as borderline states between normality and psychopathy. Accordingly, their classification is based on the typology of psychopathy.

A. E. Lichko identified the following types of accentuations: hyperthymic, cycloid, sensitive, schizoid, hysteroid, conmorphic, psychasthenic, paranoid, unstable, emotionally labile, epileptoid.

Hyperthymic type

People with this accentuation are excellent tacticians and poor strategists. Resourceful, enterprising, active, easy to navigate in rapidly changing situations. Thanks to this, they can quickly improve their professional and social position. However, in the long term, they often lose their position due to the inability to think through the consequences of their actions, participation in adventures and the wrong choice of comrades.

Active, sociable, enterprising, always in a good mood. Children of this type are active, restless, and often play pranks. Inattentive and poorly disciplined, teenagers of this type are unstable students. Conflicts with adults often arise. They have many superficial hobbies. They often overestimate themselves, strive to stand out and earn praise.

Cycloid accentuation of character according to Lichko is characterized by high irritability and apathy. Children prefer to be alone at home instead of playing in the company of peers. They experience any troubles hard and become irritated in response to comments. The mood changes from good, elated, to depressed at intervals of several weeks.

With growing up, the manifestations of this accentuation usually smooth out, but in some people they can persist or remain stuck for a long time in one stage, often a depressed-melancholic one. Sometimes there is a connection between mood changes and the seasons.

Sensitive type

It is highly sensitive to both joyful and frightening or sad events. Teenagers do not like active, active games, do not play pranks, and avoid large companies. They are timid and bashful with strangers and give the impression of being withdrawn. They can be good friends with close friends. They prefer to communicate with people younger or older than them. Obedient, love their parents.

It is possible to develop an inferiority complex or difficulty adapting to a team. They place high moral demands on themselves and the team. They have a developed sense of responsibility. They are assiduous and prefer complex activities. They are very careful in choosing friends, preferring older ones.

Schizoid type

Teenagers of this type are withdrawn, preferring loneliness or the company of elders to communicating with peers. They are demonstratively indifferent and not interested in communicating with other people. They do not understand the feelings, experiences, condition of others, and do not show sympathy. They also prefer not to show their own feelings. Peers often do not understand them, and therefore are hostile towards schizoids.

Hysteroids are distinguished by a high need for attention to themselves and egocentrism. Demonstrative, artistic. They do not like it when someone else pays attention to them or praises others. There is a high need for admiration from others. Teenagers of the hysterical type strive to occupy an exceptional position among their peers, attract attention to themselves, and influence others. They often become the initiators of various events. At the same time, hysterics are unable to organize those around them, cannot become an informal leader, or earn authority among their peers.

Conmorphic type

Children and adolescents of the conforming type are characterized by a lack of their own opinion, initiative, and criticality. They willingly submit to groups or authorities. Their attitude in life can be characterized by the words “be like everyone else.” At the same time, such teenagers are prone to moralizing and are very conservative. In order to protect their interests, representatives of this type are ready to do the most unseemly actions, and all these actions find explanation and justification in the eyes of a conforming personality.

Psychasthenic type

Adolescents of this type are characterized by a tendency to reflect, introspect, and evaluate the behavior of others. Their intellectual development is ahead of their peers. Their indecision is combined with self-confidence; their judgments and views are categorical. At moments when special caution and attentiveness are needed, they are prone to impulsive actions. This type changes little with age. They often have obsessions that serve as a means of overcoming anxiety. It is also possible to use alcohol or drugs. In relationships they are petty and despotic, which interferes with normal communication.

Paranoid type

The types of character accentuation according to Lichko do not always include this variant of accentuation due to its late development. The main manifestations of the paranoid type appear by the age of 30-40. In childhood and adolescence, such individuals are characterized by epileptoid or schizoid accentuation. Their main feature is an overestimation of their personality, and, accordingly, the presence of overvalued ideas about their exclusivity. These ideas differ from delusional ones in that they are perceived by others as real, although exaggerated.

Teenagers show an increased craving for entertainment and idleness. There are no interests, no life goals, they do not care about the future. They are often characterized as “going with the flow.”

Emotionally labile type

Children are unpredictable, with frequent and severe mood swings. The reasons for these differences are minor little things (a sideways glance or an unfriendly phrase). During periods of bad mood, they require the support of loved ones. They feel good about how others treat them.

Epileptoid type

At an early age, such children are often whiny. In the older ones, they offend the younger ones, torture animals, mock those who cannot fight back. They are characterized by power, cruelty, and pride. In the company of other children, they strive to be not just the boss, but the ruler. In the groups they control, they establish cruel, autocratic orders. However, their power rests largely on the voluntary submission of other children. They prefer conditions of strict discipline, know how to please management, take over prestigious positions that provide the opportunity to exercise power, and establish their own rules.

In order to understand what is meant by character accentuations, it is necessary to analyze the concept of “character”. In psychology, this term is understood as a set (or set) of the most stable human traits that leave an imprint on a person’s entire life activity and determine his relationship to people, to himself and to business. Character finds its manifestation both in a person’s activities and in his interpersonal contacts and, of course, it gives his behavior a peculiar, characteristic shade only for him.

The term character itself was proposed Theophrastus, who was the first to give a broad description of the 31st type of human character ( read about), among which he identified boring, boastful, insincere, talkative, etc. Subsequently, many different classifications of character were proposed, but all of them were built on the basis of typical traits inherent in a certain group of people. But there are times when typical character traits manifest themselves in a more vivid and original way, which makes them unique and original. Sometimes these traits can “sharpen”, and most often they appear spontaneously, under the influence of certain factors and in appropriate conditions. Such sharpening (or rather the intensity of traits) in psychology is called character accentuation.

The concept of character accentuation: definition, essence and degree of expression

Accentuation of character– excessive intensity (or intensification) of a person’s individual character traits, which emphasizes the uniqueness of a person’s reactions to influencing factors or a specific situation. For example, anxiety as a character trait in its usual degree of manifestation is reflected in the behavior of most people who find themselves in extraordinary situations. But if anxiety acquires the characteristics of accentuation of a person’s character, then the person’s behavior and actions will be distinguished by the predominance of inadequate anxiety and nervousness. Such manifestations of traits are, as it were, on the border of normality and pathology, but, under the influence of negative factors, certain accentuations can turn into psychopathy or other deviations in a person’s mental activity.

So, accentuation of a person’s character traits ( in the lane from lat. accentus means emphasis, intensification) inherently do not go beyond the boundaries of the norm, but in some situations they quite often prevent a person from building normal relationships with people around him. This is due to the fact that each type of accentuation has its own “Achilles heel” (the most vulnerable spot) and most often the impact of negative factors (or a traumatic situation) falls on it, which can subsequently lead to mental disorders and inappropriate behavior person. But it is necessary to clarify that accentuations themselves are not mental abnormalities or disorders, although in the current International Classification of Diseases (10th revision), accentuations are all included and are included in class 21/item Z73 as a problem that is associated with certain difficulties in maintaining normal for a person's lifestyle.

Despite the fact that the accentuation of certain character traits, in their strength and characteristics of manifestation, quite often go beyond the boundaries of normal human behavior, they cannot in themselves be classified as pathological manifestations. But it must be remembered that under the influence of difficult life circumstances, traumatic factors and other stimuli that destroy the human psyche, the manifestation of accentuations intensifies and the frequency of their repetitions increases. And this can lead to various neurotic and hysterical reactions.

Self concept of “character accentuation” was introduced by a German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard(or rather, he used the terms “accentuated personality” and “accentuated personality trait”). He also made the first attempt at their classification (it was presented to the scientific community in the second half of the last century). The term was later clarified A.E. Lichko, who by accentuations understood extreme variants of the norm of character, when some of his traits are excessively strengthened.

According to the scientist, there is a selective vulnerability that relates to certain psychogenic influences (even in the case of good and high resistance). A.E. Lichko emphasized that, regardless of the fact that any accentuation, although it is an extreme option, is still the norm, and therefore it cannot be presented as a psychiatric diagnosis.

Andrei Lichko identified two degrees of manifestation of accentuated traits, namely: explicit (the presence of clearly defined traits of a certain accentuated type) and hidden (under standard conditions, traits of a particular type appear very weakly or are not visible at all). The table below provides a more detailed description of these degrees.

Degrees of severity of accentuations

Dynamics of personality character accentuation

In psychology, unfortunately, today problems related to the development and dynamics of accentuations have not yet been sufficiently studied. The most significant contribution to the development of this issue was made by A.E. Lichko, who emphasized the following phenomena in the dynamics of types of accentuations (stage by stage):

• the formation of accentuations and sharpening of their features in a person (this happens during puberty), and later they can be smoothed out and compensated (explicit accentuations are replaced by hidden ones);
• with hidden accentuations, the features of a particular accentuated type are revealed under the influence of psychotraumatic factors (the blow is applied to the most vulnerable place, that is, where there is the least resistance);
• against the background of a certain accentuation, certain disorders and deviations arise (deviant behavior, neurosis, acute affective reaction, etc.);
• types of accentuations undergo a certain transformation under the influence of the environment or due to mechanisms that were constitutionally laid down;
• the formation of acquired psychopathy occurs (accentuations were the basis for this, creating a vulnerability that is selective to the adverse effects of external factors).

Typology of character accentuations

As soon as scientists turned their attention to the peculiarities of human character and the presence of some similarities, various typologies and classifications immediately began to appear. In the last century, the scientific research of psychologists was focused on the peculiarities of the manifestation of accentuations - this is how the first typology of character accentuations in psychology appeared, which was proposed back in 1968 by Karl Leonhard. His typology became widely known, but the classification of types of accentuations developed by Andrei Lichko, who, when creating it, relied on the work of K. Leonhard and P. Gannushkin (he developed a classification of psychopathy), became even more popular. Each of these classifications is designed to describe certain types of character accentuation, some of which (both in Leonhard’s typology and Lichko’s typology) have common features of their manifestations.

Character accentuations according to Leonard

K. Leongard divided his classification of character accentuations into three groups, which he identified depending on the origin of the accentuations, or more precisely, where they are localized (related to temperament, character or personal level). In total, K. Leonhard identified 12 types and they were distributed as follows:

• temperament (natural formation) included hyperthymic, dysthymic, affectively-labile, affectively-exalted, anxious and emotive types;
• The scientist classified demonstrative, pedantic, stuck and excitable types as character (socially determined education);
• At the personal level there were two types – extra- and introverted.

Character accentuations according to Leonard

K. Leonhard developed his typology of character accentuations based on an assessment of people’s interpersonal communication. Its classification is aimed primarily at adults. Based on Leonhard’s concept, a characterological questionnaire was developed, authored by H. Smišek. This questionnaire allows you to determine the dominant type of accentuation in a person.

The types of accentuation of Shmishek's character are as follows: hyperthymic, anxious-fearful, dysthymic, pedantic, excitable, emotive, stuck, demonstrative, cyclomitic and affectively exalted. In the Shmishek questionnaire, the characteristics of these types are presented according to Leonhard's classification.

Accentuations of character according to Lichko

Basis of classification A. Lichko were accentuations of character in adolescents, because he directed all his research on studying the characteristics of character manifestation in adolescence and the reasons for the appearance of psychopathy in this period. As Lichko argued, in adolescence, pathological character traits manifest themselves most clearly and find their expression in all areas of a teenager’s life (in family, school, interpersonal contacts, etc.). Adolescent character accentuations manifest themselves in a similar way, for example, a teenager with a hyperthymic type of accentuation splashes his energy everywhere, with a hysterical type he attracts as much attention as possible, and with a schizoid type, on the contrary, he tries to protect himself from others.

According to Lichko, they are relatively stable during puberty, but when talking about this, it is necessary to remember the following features:

• most types become more acute during adolescence, and this period is the most critical for the emergence of psychopathy;
• all types of psychopathy are formed at a certain age (the schizoid type is determined from an early age, the traits of a psychosthenic appear in elementary school, the hyperthymic type is most clearly noticeable in a teenager, the cycloid type is mainly in youth (although in girls it can manifest itself at the beginning of puberty), and the sensitive mainly formed by the age of 19);
• the presence of a pattern of transformation of types in adolescence (for example, hyperthymic features can change to cycloid), under the influence of biological and social factors.

Many psychologists, including Lichko himself, argue that for the puberty period the term “character accentuations” is most ideally suited, because it is teenage character accentuations that manifest themselves most clearly. By the time the puberty period comes to an end, accentuations are mostly smoothed out or compensated, and some move from obvious to hidden. But it should be remembered that adolescents who have obvious accentuations constitute a special risk group, since under the influence of negative factors or traumatic situations these traits can develop into psychopathy and affect their behavior (deviation, delinquency, suicidal behavior, etc.). ).

Character accentuations according to Lichko were identified on the basis of the classification of accentuated personalities by K. Leonhard and psychopathy by P. Gannushkin. Lichko’s classification describes the following 11 types of character accentuations in adolescents: hyperthymic, cycloid, labile, asthenoneurotic, sensitive (or sensitive), psychasthenic (or anxious-hypochondriac), schizoid (or introverted), epileptoid (or inert-impulsive), hysterical ( or demonstrative), unstable and conformal types. In addition, the scientist also called a mixed type, which combined some features of various types of accentuations.

Accentuations of character according to Lichko

Although A.E. Lichko studied mainly teenage accentuations of character; his typology is widely used to identify accentuations in adults.

Character accentuations are strongly expressed character traits that are on the border with. With accentuations, certain traits are so pronounced in relation to other characteristics that they appear disproportionate to the overall picture of the personality.

For the first time, the concept of accentuations was discussed by Leonhard K, a German psychiatrist, who by this term understood the excessive expression of personality traits, which under unfavorable conditions take on pathological forms. In domestic practice, the successor of the German school was A.E. Lichko, who, based on the works of Leonhard, developed his own classification of accentuations and introduced into practice the very concept of “character accentuation.”

Of course, any type of accentuation should not be considered a disorder, but it is worth considering that accentuation is fertile ground for the development of psychoses, neuroses and psychosomatic disorders.

In truth, the line between “norm” and pathology is so thin that it is extremely difficult to squeeze borderline accentuations between it. It takes a long time to diagnose accentuation.

Accentuations can be divided into hidden and explicit. The obvious form is precisely a borderline state that runs like a red thread through a person’s entire life.

The latent form manifests itself only in conditions of a traumatic or stressful situation and, in general, is a normal phenomenon. It is important to note that accentuations are dynamic; they change throughout life, but the basis remains the same factor.

Now let’s look at personality accentuations according to A.E. Lichko:

It is worth noting that Lichko based his classification on teenagers, while his German teacher worked with a wider population. Therefore, it seems necessary to provide a classification according to Leonhard:

There is another modification of the Leonhard model, which we will touch upon briefly. Shmishek proposed dividing character accentuations into subtypes: in fact, characteristics of character and temperament.

He classified as temperamental:

• hyperthymia;
• dystimacy;
• anxiety;
• emotiveness;
• cyclothymic;
• exaltation.

And to character accentuations:

• getting stuck;
• pedantry;
• excitability;
• demonstrativeness.

Now let's move on to the reasons for the formation of these changes in character.

Reasons for development

Accentuations develop due to the influence of many factors, the key role among which is most likely played by heredity. The manifestation of such hereditary burden is facilitated by:

Character accentuations manifest themselves most clearly at puberty, when the whole world of a teenager changes. Over time, they often turn into a latent form.

For the most part, it has been shown that heredity plays a leading role in the formation of such character. Social conditions themselves cannot turn a person into a hysteroid, although they can teach an overprotected child to use hysterical behavior as a means of achieving goals. In addition, most people with character traits exhibit mixed and dynamic complexes of manifestations, which suggests that accentuations tend to change.

Important Notes

It is worth understanding that the above classifications are only a supporting structure, an abstraction that extremely rarely actually works in practice. Of course, all these character accentuations exist, but their “pure” forms do not occur - except in the case of gross pathologies.

For children whose behavior clearly shows signs of changes in character, it is extremely important to create special educational conditions that neutralize the readiness to develop obvious forms. Moreover, a clear understanding of character traits is extremely important when determining a person’s professional affiliation. After all, pronounced accentuations automatically exclude certain types of professions from consideration.

Often, character accentuations are close to psychopathy, so it is extremely important to take into account the only difference: the manifestations of accentuations are not permanent, they are situational and, in principle, predictable. Moreover, most people are aware of their characteristics and strive to control them.

Psychopathy constantly affects a person’s life, negatively affecting his social contacts, roles in society and close relationships. Psychopathy practically does not smooth out or change over time, much less disappear. They are beyond human control.

Accented people have the opportunity to reveal the strengths of their character; psychopathic changes are negative in nature and, in principle, have a destructive effect on the individual and the social environment.

When it comes to the topic of prevalence among adolescents, this is a very pressing problem. Approximately 82% of children aged 12 to 18 years have problems of this kind. Of course, such characteristics are assessed as related to age, but an inadequate response to them on the part of adults and the education system can “reinforce” such behavior.

At the same time, the problem of character accentuations can be corrected during this period. Left uncontrolled, the characteristic features of a teenager’s behavior, on the contrary, can evolve into serious psychological problems in the future.

Treatment

In principle, unexpressed accentuations do not require treatment. However, character accentuation that interferes with leading a full social life may require some correction.

It is especially worth paying attention to people with character accentuations who have suffered head injuries. After a TBI, a serious exacerbation of the severity of certain character traits may follow.

If exacerbations are associated with some other diseases (infections, injuries, paralysis), then first of all it is worth treating the primary disease, and then starting psychotherapeutic work.

We also note that accentuations are not considered by psychiatrists as pathologies, but their closeness to psychopathy requires psychotherapeutic treatment. The usual course of therapy is aimed at teaching a person greater control over their conditions and literally enlightening them about their own characteristics. As a rule, people who better understand their behavior are more successful in controlling it.

Character accentuations are diagnosed through filling out a battery of tests and talking with a doctor, and sometimes through additional medical history collection. Treatment is psychocorrective in nature and is carried out in a group, individual or family form.

Pharmacological agents are used extremely rarely, but their use may indicate an incorrect diagnosis - probably it concerns psychopathy.

In general, character accentuations are amenable to psychological correction and are overcome by people.