What distinctive features does a person have? This question interests many. After all, people are not animals at all. They are somehow different. Humans have a variety of skills and abilities, as well as traits that primates do not and will not have. You need to know about them. What points should you pay attention to? What characteristics do people have? All this is not as difficult to understand as it seems. It is enough to simply compare humans with ordinary animals. You will be able to see the differences immediately.
Speech
The first trait is intelligible speech. That is, a person knows how to talk. And with words, and not just sounds. This is due to the structure of the larynx. In primates it is located higher in the throat. This makes it impossible to talk.
Yes, animals also communicate with each other. And they even try with people. For example, through meowing - this is what cats do. Nevertheless, this is still not speech, although such sounds have a communicative function. Only a person knows how to speak meaningfully, clearly, in separate words and sentences. What other distinctive features are there?
Upright walking
The next distinguishing factor that occurs is upright posture. A person walks upright and straight. Primates and animals cannot do this. Usually they still rely on their forelimbs or do not hold their body quite straight.
Walking on two legs is typical primarily for humans. In the animal world, there are also some species that walk on two legs. But, as already mentioned, the body is not completely straightened. Only man is capable of walking perpendicular to the earth.
The unity of biological and social in the development of man
The strong relationship and correlation between the social and the biological in a person makes him not just a living organism with a number of biological needs, but also a personality with his own character and worldview.
There is a special biosocial concept about human development, which has two methods of study:
- Naturalistic
- extols the importance of the natural principle in human life. - Sociological
- considers the social component to be the main one in a person, denying the influence of the natural one.
The biological in man precedes the social, creating natural and historical prerequisites for it. Thus, the social becomes secondary and goes beyond the natural principle, being its opposite.
Thanks to this interaction, a person is a universal and holistic being, combining spiritual, psychological and physical foundations.
Wool
A person has distinctive features in terms of hair. Even with the naked eye you can see that many representatives of the animal world are covered with fur or feathers/scales. This was designed by nature for protection from enemies, cold and for camouflage.
For people, things are a little different. A person does not need wool to protect himself from the cold, so the hairline is preserved only in some places. For example, in the armpits and on the head. In men, hair appears on the face and chest, but the entire body is not completely covered with a continuous layer of fur or fluff.
A person has distinctive characteristics. But which ones exactly? What else can distinguish it on Earth?
Brain
The brain is the next point to consider when considering the differences between humans and animals. And this is quite obvious. It's no secret that a typical representative of Homo sapiens has a fairly large, developed brain. But this is not the only trait that people have.
The point is that a person’s brain is designed and developed in such a way that it can be used to the maximum. This allows creativity and reasoning. Yes, in animals and primates the brain is also designed in such a way as to ensure the safety of life. Only his level of development is much lower. What other distinctive features of humans can be distinguished from the inhabitants of the animal world? There are quite a few items that have not yet been listed.
Manifestation of individual psychological characteristics.
Individual psychological properties of a person are formed in the process of integration of biological characteristics and qualities acquired as the individual develops. They arise as a result of interaction with society, mastery of knowledge and skills. A person’s psychological characteristics form his uniqueness and difference from other people.
The development of the psyche and the formation of personality are significantly influenced by the biological properties of the individual:
- somatic hereditary;
- gender;
- age;
- biochemical;
- physiological;
- anthropological.
The dependence of the individual psychological characteristics of a person’s activity and behavior on typological differences in the functioning of the brain is studied by differential psychology.
The patterns of functioning of the nervous mechanisms of mental activity are considered within the framework of psychophysiology in two aspects.
The first pays close attention to the mechanisms of implementation of individual mental functions and processes - feelings, perception, attention, emotions, speech, voluntary actions. In the second aspect, the focus of psychophysiology is the higher nervous activity of the brain. It ensures the integrity of the psyche and behavioral manifestations of the individual.
Things
Clothes and shoes are two more features that make a person stand out. It is with their help that people provide themselves with warmth and comfort. This is a replacement for wool. No one else in the living world wears clothes or shoes. They became distinctive features only for humans.
True, at the moment they even create special clothes for animals. Fortunately, such innovations take place only in relation to pets - dogs and cats mainly. But animals can do without clothes. But people don’t. Therefore, you should not neglect this point. A person makes his own shoes and things, and then wears them.
Blush
A characteristic distinguishing feature of humans from animals was the presence of blush. It's hard to believe, but only in humans does it occur. Animals, birds and other living creatures cannot blush. This is a feature that only humans have.
However, the appearance of blush still remains a mystery to the world. It is not clear why people blush when they are embarrassed, for example. Scientists explain this phenomenon by a sharp rush of blood.
Childhood
The distinctive characteristics of people are varied. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the childhood period in humans lasts longer than in primates or any other animals. Human babies depend on their parents for a long time and are not able to provide for themselves.
But in animals everything is somewhat different. Childhood for most of them lasts no more than a year. Moreover, during this period, parents usually manage to teach their cubs to survive and live. Learn the basics - childhood is over. A person is considered a child under 18 years of age. This is how long this period lasts. True, you can provide for yourself from about 13-14 years of age.
If we talk about babies, then human cubs, compared to baby animals, are dependent on their parents for a longer period of time. It takes approximately 2 years for a person to learn to walk and communicate with his own kind. For animals this takes no more than a few months. So it's worth paying attention to this.
How can a person develop personality traits?
Personality formation begins from the first years of life. Subsequently, the quality can only be adjusted. Work should be carried out in several directions: from establishing body language to developing individual abilities that are a priority in the chosen profession.
Without an active life position, way of existence, direction of actions, control of emotions and desires, it is impossible to achieve the desired level of development. The formation of positive personality traits should be based on the development of intelligence and increasing the level of culture.
We need to start with self-analysis
There are several methods, the first step is always the same - analyzing your own state. It helps you decide on the qualities that should be developed. An adequate assessment of personal significance will help set a goal, decide on a role model and develop ways to achieve results.
You can’t do this without self-discipline and self-confidence. Forming yourself as an individual is a long process, but it is worth putting in the effort.
Reproduction
The distinctive features of a person from an animal consist of a whole list of factors. What can you pay attention to after all of the above? People have a lot of things that can distinguish them from the inhabitants of the animal world.
For example, you can take into account reproduction. The period of gestation of human cubs has significant characteristics, as does puberty. But this is not the most important thing. It's no secret that animals reproduce until they lose reproductive function. This helps to continue the race. In nature, no one just stops reproducing; this desire to procreate is instinctive.
But for people everything is a little different. The point is that a person is able to continue leading his usual lifestyle, even if he does not feel the desire to reproduce. That is, this process is selective in nature. There is no instinct that calls for obligatory reproduction. People are generally able to completely refuse to have children, and this is done consciously, or to postpone childbearing “until better times.” In animals, as already mentioned, this feature is determined by instincts, so there can be no “delays”.
Will
Will is a person’s ability to consciously regulate his behavior and activities. The presence of will presupposes overcoming external and internal obstacles on the path to the goal. The will is formed by the age of 5-6 years. Until this moment, the child has only involuntary activity. But gradually the child learns to structure his motives and desires, overcome difficulties, and analyze his thoughts and actions.
Will is manifested in such character traits as perseverance, determination, dedication, independence, courage, endurance, diligence, and discipline. The presence of these qualities is noticeable at the cognitive, emotional and behavioral level.
Work
A characteristic distinguishing feature of a person is work. Only people are capable of creating consciously. Society develops a culture that includes material values created with its own hands. Not a single animal in the world is capable of working and inventing. A person has everything for this: a brain, special thinking, and hands that are ideal for using a variety of tools. A completely understandable phenomenon. Animals simply have a body structure unsuitable for work.
People also have abstract thinking. In other words, you can imagine without any problems what this or that object looks like, which does not exist in nature. Animals are not capable of this. Plus, a person strives for cultural development. He is able to create, create a variety of cultural values. As they say, work distinguishes man from animal. And indeed it is.
What kind of temperament is there?
Temperament is one of the key concepts of psychophysiology. It reflects the dynamic features of an individual’s mental activity:
- pace;
- speed;
- rhythm;
- intensity;
- energy;
- emotionality.
Temperament is determined by the strength of the nervous system and is an innate feature. Temperament manifests itself already in the first years of life in play activities.
| property of temperament | characteristics |
| anxiety | expressed in speed, quality, depth, content and intensity of emotional processes |
| impressionability | manifests itself in a tendency to act on the first impulse, spontaneous actions under the influence of sudden emotions |
| emotionality | characterized by the degree of exposure of a person to stimuli of different nature, the strength of the reaction in response to them and the duration of retention of stimuli in memory |
| impulsiveness | a person’s tendency to worry under any circumstances, even those that do not favor him. |
Based on psychophysiological analysis (according to Nebylitsyn), there are 3 main components of an individual’s temperament:
general activity - the tendency of the individual to express himself, master and transform external reality. The degree of activity can vary from lethargy, inertia to a high level of energy, decisive action;
dynamics of mental states - this component is updated through motor skills. The dynamic qualities of the motor component include speed, sharpness, amplitude, strength, and rhythm of muscle movements. The combination of features of muscle and speech motor skills is easy to observe, therefore these indicators are most often used to assess temperament;
emotionality is a complex of properties that characterize the peculiarities of the emergence, course and extinction of feelings, affects, and moods. The main characteristics of emotionality are sensitivity, impulsiveness, emotional instability (lability).
There are several theories of temperament. The most famous of them:
- humoral theory of I. Kant;
- P. Lesgaft, based on the characteristics of the circulatory system;
- E. Kretschmer, V. Sheldon, based on the types of morphological structure of the human body.
The most famous and most often used by modern specialists theory of temperament is based on the typological properties of the nervous system. It was developed by I. Pavlov. The physiologist identified 3 main properties of the nervous system:
- strength;
- equilibrium;
- mobility of inhibition and excitation processes.
Combinations of these characteristics form 4 possible types of nervous activity, which coincide with the ancient interpretation of temperaments:
- choleric - characterized by a high level of neuropsychic activity and energy of action, sudden movements, strength, impulsiveness, expressive emotional experiences. Provided that a person has not received an adequate upbringing, the behavior of a choleric person may become characterized by incontinence, ardor, and an insufficiently high level of self-control in emotionally stressful situations;
- sanguine - it is characterized by a high level of neuropsychic activity, variety and richness of facial expressions, movements, high sensitivity and emotionality. The experiences of sanguine people are superficial, and a high degree of mobility in tense situations prevents them from concentrating and leads to haste;
- melancholic - this type of temperament is associated with low neuropsychic activity. A melancholic person has restrained movements and speech combined with a high level of emotional reactivity, a tendency to deep and persistent feelings against the background of their weak external manifestations. The lack of adequate upbringing can cause a person with a melancholic temperament to become withdrawn and alienated, prone to difficult experiences that are inadequate to the real situation;
- phlegmatic - this type of temperament is characterized by a low level of activity, inability to switch quickly, calm, slow movements and facial expressions, speech. The peculiarity of a phlegmatic person is the ability to experience even, deep emotions and maintain a stable mood. Inadequate upbringing leads to the formation in a person with a phlegmatic temperament of lethargy, emotional poverty, and a tendency to perform only habitual actions.
The described characteristics are inherent in people with a “pure” type of temperament. In real life there are only a few of them; most people have temperaments mixed in varying proportions. It is often very difficult to accurately establish the predominant types of individual psychological characteristics of a person. The dominant type of temperament can be masked by character traits that have been formed in accordance with the requirements of the society in which a person finds himself.
Character
Each person has distinctive character traits. But this point applies even to animals. Everyone has character. It just manifests itself differently in people and animals.
People are more perfect in this regard. They demonstrate their emotions and experiences more richly, and know how to hide certain qualities. Their characters can be called more detailed than those of animals and primates.
Every living creature reacts in some way to certain stimuli. This is precisely the manifestation of character. It is established at birth and cannot be corrected in any way. Only people know how to restrain themselves in some cases. But animals are not used to this. A person knows how to control himself and understands where he can show character and where he should hold back. As you can see, people and animals are somewhat similar. But they have a lot of differences.
Moral properties of personality
At the genetic level, moral programs inherent in distant ancestors are laid in a person. These properties are adjusted by life under the influence of such factors:
- family education;
- the influence of the school and the yard company;
- social and personal relations;
- life experience.
Each aspect is subject to certain rules of moral behavior. They form the individual’s attitude towards himself and other people. Based on what values were embedded in the inner world, moral qualities are divided into categories: humanistic, nationalistic, racial, religious-fanatical.
Morality is established in childhood
Only the first category refers to positive characteristics. It is based on respect for all people, regardless of their religion, nationality and race.
