In fact, the notion of a national character is a form of manifestation of the same typological thinking that has already been mentioned. Certain minimal differences that actually exist (e.g., temperament of southern peoples) and which are less significant than similarities are taken as the basis for a certain type. Typological thinking, as mentioned above, is characterized by categorically (or one or the other), the absence of gradation, the isolation of something special and the blowing it up by ignoring everything else. Thus, there appears a worldview monster under the sonic name of "national character".
There is also a so-called social character, i.e. some invariant features of character inherent in certain social groups. It was fashionable for us to talk about class character in our time, and there is indeed some reality behind it. It was also fashionable to talk about some characteristic features of bureaucrats, managers, etc. Behind this, too, there is a certain reality connected with the fact that the character is formed in the real life of a person, and to the extent of commonality of those conditions in which representatives of the same classes, social groups, etc., they form some common traits. After all, the character plays the role of a shock absorber, a kind of buffer between a person and environment, so it is largely determined by this environment. In many ways, but not in all. The main thing depends on the person. If the person is aimed at adaptation, adaptation to the world, the character helps to do it. If, on the contrary, the personality is aimed at overcoming the environment or at transforming it, the character helps it to overcome the environment or transform it.
According to the observations of E. R. Kaliteevskaya, adaptability and lack of roughness, difficulties in the so-called "difficult age" fixes adaptive character and then leads to the fact that a person experiences many difficulties in life. Conversely, the outwardly turbulent manifestations of "difficult age" help a person to form certain elements of independence, self-determination, which will give him the opportunity in the future to live normally, to actively influence reality, and not only to adapt to it. At the same time, the character cannot be considered as a simple sum of separate qualities or features of a person. Some of its features will always be leading, and it is possible to characterize a person, otherwise, the task of representing the character would be impossible, because each individual may have a large number of individual characteristics, and the number of shades of each of these features is even greater. For example, accuracy may have shades: punctuality, pedantry, cleanliness, tightness, etc. The individual character traits are classified much more easily and clearly than the types of characters in general. Character traits are understood as certain features of a person's personality, which are systematically manifested in various types of his activities and by which one can judge about his possible actions in certain conditions. Б. M. Teplov suggested dividing character traits into several groups. The first group includes the most common traits of character, which form the main psychic personality. These include integrity, purposefulness, honesty, courage, etc. It is clear that the opposite, i.e. negative, qualities can also act in the features of character, for example, unscrupulousness, passivity, falsehood, etc.
The second group consists of character traits in which a person's attitude to other people is expressed. It is sociability, which can be wide and superficial or selective and opposite to it trait - isolation, which can be the result of indifference or distrust to people, but can be a consequence of deep internal concentration, frankness and opposite to it - secrecy, sensitivity, tactfulness, responsiveness, justice, caring, politeness or, on the contrary, rudeness. The third group of character traits expresses the attitude of a person to himself. Such is the sense of self-esteem, properly understood pride and related self-criticism, modesty and opposing them - vanity, arrogance, self-importance, sometimes turning into impudence, resentfulness, shyness, self-centeredness (the tendency to be constantly in the spotlight, along with their own experiences), selfishness (care mainly about their personal good), etc. The fourth group of character traits expresses the attitude of a person to work, his business. This includes initiative, perseverance, hard work, and the opposite - laziness, the desire to overcome difficulties and opposite it - fear of difficulties, activity, integrity, accuracy, etc.
Thank you for reading to the end! If you like the article, subscribe to the channel!