Before we talk about the formation of personality, we need to understand what “personality” is. Traditionally in psychology, this term describes a model of role behavior that is formed under the influence of social expectations. Thus, a person acquires socially approved habits and skills: he becomes well-mannered, educated, receives a profession necessary for society and realizes himself in it.
A later and, therefore, more modern approach describes personality as an independent and unique entity, the development of which is not subject to social expectations, but to personal growth and self-improvement. A person develops as if in opposition to society, trying to stand out from the masses.
At first glance, the described points of view seem mutually exclusive. Nevertheless, the theses they postulate are confirmed in the life of every person, as we will show below.
The process of personality development
A person becomes a personality in the process of evolutionary, that is, gradual, development. This is a multifactorial process that includes not only upbringing and education, but also the overall formation of an individual system of interaction with the world in all its aspects - interpersonal, intimate, professional.
The process of personality formation includes the following mechanisms, or phases:
- Adaptation.
- Personalization.
- Integration.
During the adaptation phase, a person learns the rules and norms of behavior dictated by the outside world. This mechanism is also called socialization. It is basic for the development of personality and leading until adolescence.
During the individualization phase, motivation changes. By this time, a person has already become “like everyone else” and now it becomes important for him to develop qualities that would distinguish him from other people. The mechanism of individualization becomes of great importance in adolescence and young adulthood.
During the integration phase, the individual finds a compromise form of existence in which his individual characteristics find support in society or from a separate group, allowing the person to integrate into the system.
Crises of the second half of life
The Divine Comedy was written by Dante when he was 33 years old, a sacred age in many religions and myths. The autobiographical hero of the poem finds himself in a dark forest, metaphorically denoting the middle of life. Since life expectancy has increased, this crisis is now called the “40-year crisis.” This is the longest and most powerful psychological crisis. His energy is enough to destroy the life of someone who is afraid of a crisis. It is also enough for creation - but only for those who are not afraid of change and are ready to meet them face to face.
The age-related development of personality of this period is best reflected by the image of a jester, or a fool. He holds a rose in his hand - it denotes purity of thoughts. Behind his back he has a bundle of belongings - everything that could be taken from his past life. On tarot cards, the jester is often depicted with his leg raised over an abyss, with the sunset sun behind him. Below is the sea. The image of the jester symbolizes the opportunity to start over.
The most difficult crisis to comprehend is the crisis of post-retirement age, or 60-70 years. If earlier it was possible to hide from thoughts about the finitude of life, now death, figuratively speaking, “looks you in the eye.” If earlier it was possible to ask other people for help, now you will have to face the crisis on your own - no one alive has ever been “in the next world.”
It is easier for believers, since for them there is the Kingdom of Heaven, eternal life. It’s more difficult for materialists. The main idea of the crisis is “all people are mortal.” In the modern world, people try not to attach importance to this fear. They stay away from anything that is in any way connected with death - these are rituals, objects associated with funerals, the bodies of the deceased. Everything that brings the unknown is scary. The fear of death breaks into everyday life only in the form of phobias, fears, and nightmares. They either try to deny death or strive towards it. However, Freud's Thanatos alone cannot fully explain it.
Many people become more religious during this period of life. Some choose to believe in a new birth after death, reincarnation. The Tibetan Book of the Dead speaks about this.
How does personality formation occur?
A person becomes an individual as a result of overcoming intrapersonal age-related conflicts. Intrapersonal conflict is understood as a contradiction that arises between the “I” and the outside world. In psychology, it is believed that each age period is characterized by one leading conflict. The way an individual emerges from it affects how he will develop in the future:
- Resolution of the age contradiction leads to a leap in development and transition to the next stage of personality development.
- Failure to resolve the age-related contradiction or its negative resolution leads to the appearance of internal complexes, mental disorders and disorders in the future.
Despite the fact that the formation of personality occurs sequentially, a person can - consciously, under the influence of circumstances or with the help of a psychologist - return to unresolved conflicts in the past in order to correct his development.
BBC films about personality development up to 2 years of age
In the first part, scientists tried to understand how people become individuals, how individuality, abilities and worldviews are formed, where prejudices and preferences come from.
The second series explored how the first social connections with other people are built in childhood.
The final part of the experiment examines how, in a couple of years, a helpless newborn turns into a small adult who walks, talks and has his own opinion.
Stages and conflicts
American psychologist Erik Erikson (1902-1994) formulated the most complete concept of the psychosocial development of the individual. He identified eight stages, of which the first six are important for the theme of personality formation. At each of them, a person resolves the contradictions that arise before him, which can be formulated in the form of simple questions.
Does the world around you inspire trust?
Two needs - safety and care - are the most important for the development of personality. They are the basis of the pyramid of the American psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970). They are also postulated by E. Erikson as the basic needs of the infant stage of development:
- If a mother takes care of the baby, feeds him on time and creates a comfortable environment for him, then the individual develops the rudiments of a positive attitude towards the world around him.
- If the baby often screams, feels bad and lacks attention, then this creates internal tension in him, and the conflict of infancy is resolved with a negative result.
In the first case, the formation of personality will occur under the banner of optimism and joy. In the second option, the constant stress experienced by the infant leads to the fact that in adulthood such a person will most likely not trust the world around him and be afraid of it.
Can I?
In the second year of life, the child begins to actively interact with the world. The new possibility of independent movement opens up amazing prospects: now you can act on your own or by yourself. “Can I climb on this chair?”, “can I touch the cat?”, “can I run?” and thousands more similar questions are solved by the personality in the process of its formation at this stage.
- If the child responds positively to the questions that arise, then he comes to the next stage of development with the beginnings of such important qualities as independence and the ability to exert volition.
- If parents limit a child in his desire to expand the limits of his independent activities and hinder his initiatives, then this leads to the formation of low self-esteem.
With a negative resolution of the conflict of this age, the individual becomes characterized by a feeling of shame, doubt in himself and in his capabilities.
Will I do something?
If at the previous stage of development a person realized that she could act independently, then during preschool age (from 3 to 6 years old) she will need to answer the question: will she do something. The child’s activities become more complex; this is the “age of play”, when he tries various forms of complex activity. The nature and outcomes of the age conflict are similar to the previous one:
- If games are not interrupted and are supported by adults, then such important qualities as initiative and determination are strengthened in the individual.
- With a negative outcome, a feeling of guilt is formed (“I’m doing everything wrong”) and passivity (“I’d rather not do anything”), which is a defense mechanism - a way to avoid the overwhelming feeling of guilt.
Am I capable?
The further you go, the more difficult it becomes. At school age you will need to master complex knowledge and skills. For the success of this process, it is vital to be independent, proactive and purposeful - that is, to have qualities that were formed as a result of the positive resolution of two previous age-related conflicts. Conversely, passive children with low self-esteem experience difficulties in further personality development, including mastering new knowledge.
Poor academic performance, lack of will, low social status in the group - all this leads to the fact that the child does not feel capable to the same extent as his peers. There is a possibility of developing an inferiority complex. There is a hormonal “explosion” and high turbulence on the horizon.
Who am I and who will I be?
A person whose development took place in a positive way is likely to continue his development in adolescence in the same way. All difficulties will be overcome, and the result of the local age crisis will be the discovery of oneself as a holistic and consistent personality. In adolescence, a person self-determines his future path, forming the basis of his future adult life.
If a teenager cannot answer the questions “who is he” and “who will he be” or the answers to them do not suit him (that is, his image of the ideal does not correspond to real opportunities and circumstances), then such a person develops a feeling of meaninglessness and purposelessness of life. This leads to the emergence of various forms of deviant behavior: hooliganism, drinking and drug use, engaging in promiscuous relationships, suicide attempts, etc.
The teenage stage is the last opportunity to correct the negative trend of personality development to a more positive one. The task of adults is to try to normalize the teenager: to offer him an alternative goal, to fill his life with meaning, to help him perceive reality as it is.
Will there be someone next to me?
By the age of 20, a person is determined with the basic existential questions, and he has the time and need to realize himself in a less vital, but nevertheless necessary area - in an intimate relationship with another person. The young man practices building them - and this is normal: searching for his “half”.
The contradiction of the situation lies in the fact that close relationships imply a limitation of one’s own independence and will - properties that are dominant from the time of positive resolution of the conflict in early childhood, that is, almost all life.
As in other stages that a personality goes through in the process of formation, the result of this period can be expressed in two polar options:
- With a positive resolution, a person acquires the habit of having a partner.
- If none of the attempts at close relationships could develop in a way satisfactory for the person, then independence will win.
A strong need for independence makes it difficult to establish close, harmonious relationships.
Age crises
Without turning points - crises - it is impossible to become an adult. Age-related characteristics of personality development are different for each of the crises: youth is characterized by a crisis of loneliness, at 30 years old - a feeling of the meaninglessness of life. At the age of 40, a person realizes his freedom, sums up the intermediate results of life, and returns to the true “I”. 60-70 years is “the time to collect stones.”
In adolescence, a person solves the problem of separation from his parents. He either takes a step into independent life and finds a mate, or remains alone and dependent. But society usually places emphasis not on psychological separation from the parental family, but on the choice of profession. A good solution to get out of the crisis is to start earning money on your own and go abroad to study. A metaphor for adolescence can be the image of a ripe apple falling from an apple tree.
The crisis of 30 years is characterized by the fact that a person ceases to bring joy to everything that was previously its source - work, family, hobbies. The person may suffer from severe depression. He has the last chance to separate from his parents, if this has not been done before. The main task is to understand whether the previously chosen path is suitable. A metaphor could be Sisyphus rolling a stone uphill. A person wonders: is there a difference in how to live life if everyone is equal before the gates of eternity. But after some time, he realizes that the meaning of life is to gain his own unique experience, to live an authentic life.
Factors in personality development
Factors that help develop personality include:
- Level of development of the social environment and its values.
- Access to material and spiritual benefits (including education).
- Wealthy family.
Traditionally, family is put first. However, even the most prosperous family, which gave the child an excellent upbringing, will not be able to help in his further development if the individual is not respected in society, and his values are reduced exclusively to an archaic religious worldview and to the factor of population reproduction.
We draw a conclusion
Many people are interested in whether it is possible to prevent age-related crises and somehow circumvent them? Each period has its own age-related characteristics of personality development, and, fortunately, no one can avoid these stages. The presence of a crisis indicates a transition to a new stage - the development of personality at different age stages pushes a person to a new level. Everyone experiences stages of development in their own way and at their own time - science does not tie them to a specific age, all dates are arbitrary.
Topics: Personal growth, Self-realization, Child psychology, Child development, For schoolchildren
