Factors influencing the formation of a person. The formation of human personality: how it happens and what is determined by it

The formation of human personality is influenced by external and internal, biological and social factors. Factor (from Latin factor - doing, producing) is the driving force, the cause of any process, phenomenon (S.I. Ozhegov).

TO internal factors refers to the individual’s own activity, generated by contradictions, interests and other motives, realized in self-education, as well as in activity and communication.

TO external factors include the macro-, meso- and micro-environment, natural and social, education in the broad and narrow, social and pedagogical sense.

Environment and upbringing are social factors, whereas heredity is biological factor.

There have long been discussions among philosophers, sociologists, psychologists and teachers about the relationship between biological social factors, about the priority importance of one or another in the development of a person’s personality.

Some of them argue that a person, his consciousness, abilities, interests and needs are determined by heredity (E. Thorndike, D. Dewey, A. Kobe, etc.). Representatives of this trend elevate hereditary factors (biological) to an absolute and deny the role of environment and upbringing (social factors) in the development of personality. They mistakenly transfer the achievements of biological science about the heredity of plants and animals to human body. We are talking about the priority of innate abilities.

Other scientists believe that development depends entirely on the influence of social factors (J. Locke, J.-J. Rousseau, C. A. Helvetius, etc.). They deny the genetic predisposition of a person and argue that a child from birth is “pure a board on which you can write everything,” i.e. Development depends on upbringing and environment.

Particularly significant is the question of the inheritance of moral qualities and psyche. For a long time the prevailing assertion was that mental qualities are not inherited, but acquired in the process of interaction of the organism with external environment. The social essence of personality, its moral principles are formed only during life.

It was believed that a person is born neither evil nor kind, neither stingy nor generous. Children do not inherit the moral qualities of their parents; human genetic programs do not contain information about social behavior. What a person becomes depends on his environment and upbringing.

At the same time, such prominent scientists as M. Montessori, K. Lorenz, E. Fromm argue that human morality is biologically determined. Moral qualities, behavior, habits and even actions, both positive and negative, are passed on from generation to generation (“the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”). The basis for such conclusions are data obtained from studying the behavior of humans and animals. According to the teachings of I.P. Pavlova, both animals and humans have instincts and reflexes that are inherited. The behavior of highly organized living beings in some cases is instinctive, reflexive, based not on higher consciousness, but on the simplest biological reflexes. This means that moral qualities and behavior can be inherited.

This question is very complex and responsible. Recently, the position on the genetic determination of human morality and social behavior has been taken by domestic scientists (P.K. Anokhin, N.M. Amosov, etc.).

In addition to heredity, the determining factor in personality development is the environment. Wednesday - this is the real reality in which human development occurs. The formation of personality is influenced by the geographical, national, school, family, and social environment. The latter includes such characteristics as the social system, the system of production relations, material living conditions, the nature of production and social processes, etc.

The question of whether environment or heredity has a greater influence on human development remains debatable. The French philosopher C. A. Helvetius believed that all people from birth have the same potential for mental and moral development, and differences in mental characteristics are explained solely by environmental and educational influences. Real reality is understood in this case metaphysically; it fatally predetermines the fate of a person. The individual is viewed as a passive object of influence of circumstances.

Thus, all scientists recognize the influence of the environment on the formation of a person. Only their assessment of the degree of such influence on the formation of personality does not coincide. This is due to the fact that there is no abstract medium. There is a specific social system, a person’s specific immediate and distant surroundings, specific living conditions. It is clear that more high level development is achieved in an environment where favorable conditions are created.

An important factor influencing human development is communication. Communication- this is one of the universal forms personal activity (along with cognition, work, play), manifested in the establishment and development of contacts between people, in the formation of interpersonal relationships.

Personality is formed only in communication and interaction with other people. Outside human society, spiritual, social, mental development cannot happen.

In addition to those listed above important factor, which influences the formation of personality, is upbringing. In a broad social sense, it is often identified with socialization, although the logic of their relationship could be characterized as the relationship of the whole to the particular. Socialization is a process social development human as a result of spontaneous and organized influences of the entire set of factors of social existence.

Most researchers consider education as one of the factors of human development, which is a system of purposeful formative influences, interactions and relationships carried out in various fields social existence. Education is a process of purposeful and consciously controlled socialization (family, religious, school education), it acts as a kind of mechanism for managing socialization processes.

Education allows you to overcome or mitigate the consequences negative influences on socialization, give it a humanistic orientation, attract scientific potential for forecasting and designing pedagogical strategy and tactics. The social environment can influence unintentionally, spontaneously, but the educator purposefully guides development in the conditions of a specially organized educational system.

Personal development is possible only in activities. In the process of life, a person constantly participates in a wide variety of activities: gaming, educational, cognitive, labor, social, political, artistic, creative, sports, etc.

Acting as a form of being and a way of existence of a person, activity:

Ensures the creation of material conditions for human life;

Contributes to the satisfaction of natural human needs;

Promotes knowledge and transformation of the surrounding world;

It is a factor in the development of a person’s spiritual world, a form and condition for the realization of his cultural needs;

Enables a person to realize his personal potential and achieve life goals;

Creates conditions for human self-realization in the system of social relations.

It should be borne in mind that the development of personality under the same external conditions largely depends on a person's own efforts, from the energy and efficiency that he displays in various activities.

The development of personal qualities is greatly influenced by collective activity. Scientists admit that, on the one hand, when certain conditions the collective neutralizes the individual, and, on the other hand, the development and manifestation of individuality is possible only in the collective. Such activities contribute to the manifestation of the creative potential of the individual; the role of the team is irreplaceable in the formation of the ideological and moral orientation of the individual, his civic position, and emotional development.

A great role in the formation of personality self-education. It starts with awareness and objective acceptance! goals as a subjective, desirable motive for one’s actions. Subjective setting of behavioral goals generates conscious tension of will and determination of a plan of activity. The implementation of this goal ensures the development of personality.

Thus, the process and results of human development are determined by both biological and social factors, which act not in isolation, but in combination. Under different circumstances various factors may have a greater or lesser influence on the formation of personality. According to most authors, in the system of factors, if not the decisive, then the leading role belongs to education.

How is each person's personality formed? Does upbringing influence it or is it mainly heredity? Is art really necessary or can we do without it? Below we will consider all the main factors influencing personality development.

From birth to death we develop:
, morally, spiritually,
. Five factors influence our formation. Among them, according to Zenkovsky (teacher, culturologist):

  • heredity,
  • upbringing,
  • Wednesday.

Some scientists add culture and individual human experiences. These factors influencing personality development have been debated for decades: what is more important, genetics or learning? What is the influence of art on a person? There is no exact answer to these questions yet, like many others related to society. The influence of the environment on personality development is undeniable. But let’s try to set priorities, at least for ourselves.

Heredity and environment in the development and formation of personality

The formation of personality traits is influenced by biological and social factors. The influence of heredity and environment is undeniable, since they are external and internal factors development. They can also be called natural and social. Professors all over the world are struggling over which of them is the leading factor in personal development.

Heredity as a factor in personality development

What do we inherit from our parents, besides the color of our eyes, skin and hair? Is there a gene responsible for a child's future intelligence? Yes and no. We inherit only abilities for some type of activity (sports, languages, creativity), but not ready-made data with the help of which we can immediately turn from the cradle into a talented artist or a brilliant writer. These inclinations should be developed, the child should be provided with the right educational environment, then they will bear fruit. Otherwise, they will remain deeply hidden even from the owner of the abilities. The need for education and development is determined by the conditions for personal development.

Geneticist N.P. Dubinin insists that
not transmitted from parents to children. This may upset academics, but it will give hope to those who didn't even make it through school curriculum. However, the type of thinking is transmitted, without reference to the quality of thinking abilities.

Bad habits of mothers and fathers always affect their offspring: alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness make their own negative adjustments to the inheritance of abilities and intelligence.

Environment as a factor in personality development

In addition to heredity, there are other factors that are important in the formation of a person. The influence of society on personal development is colossal. Everyone knows stories about “Mowgli” children who were accidentally found, living for years outside of society, far in the forests, fed by wolves and monkeys. They are not adapted to normal life, the degree of maturity remains at the level of 4-5 year old children even after for long years rehabilitation with correctional teachers, psychologists.

Family and education in matters of personality development

The influence of upbringing on personality development is as important as heredity and environment. Sometimes, it is upbringing that can correct the formation of a person with bad heredity or who grew up in a bad environment.

Education as a factor in personality development manifests itself in childhood. Initially main role Parents play a role in this process, teaching the baby to eat, sleep, and dress independently. Then comes the turn of kindergartens and schools, in which educational rights are transferred to educators and teachers. But at the same time it is important not to stop educational process at home, revealing to the child the norms of morality, honor, and dignity. Not all school teachers are able to weave ethical and aesthetic aspects into a purely educational subject process.

The influence of upbringing on the development of personality by parents will always be more important than any other. The attitude of parents towards the child, the chosen vector of interaction with the child, the amount of time and attention devoted to him is reflected throughout later life person, forming the fundamental basis.

Incorporation into culture is the key to success

Sociologists, educators and cultural scientists are actively researching the question of what factors influence human development, in addition to those already mentioned. It turned out that the influence of culture on personality development is invaluable. The artistic representation of reality shapes a person’s intellect, moral principles, attitudes, and feelings.

The spiritual influence of art on a person is specific; it enlightens, purifies the senses, sometimes causing so-called “catharsis”. In addition to the cleansing function of art on personality development, there is a compensatory function, that is, promoting the spiritual harmony of a person.

The influence of culture on personal development lies in gaining the ability to see the beauty around oneself, in the formation of emotional intelligence, in cultivating the skill of coherent and figurative expression of one’s thoughts. It broadens your horizons and enriches your inner world.

“The emotions of art are intelligent emotions,” - L. S. Vygotsky, psychologist, founder of cultural-historical theory.

The feelings and experiences gained when contemplating masterpieces confirm the influence of art on enriching a person’s relationship with the outside world, spiritually elevating a person. But for the correct perception of works of art and music, it is necessary to have an artistic and aesthetic understanding, that is, from childhood, constantly gain knowledge about culture and art, developing an aesthetic sense.

The influence of music on the development of a sense of beauty, especially classical music, which forms a vivid perception of harmonious sound, is important. People who create masterpieces of art also confirm with their talent that activity as a factor in personal development is very important, especially in what they love.

Instead of output

Knowing what influences the development of an individual, you can try to grow an intelligent, capable, creative society. If everyone, from childhood, feels the influence of music on human development and the influence of art on his perception of the world as a whole, he will be born from
parents with good heredity, who are ready to give the child a favorable family environment and competent upbringing, then the world will become a little better.

What is the process of personality formation?

Personality and the process of its formation is a phenomenon that is rarely interpreted in the same way by different researchers in this area.

Personality formation is a process that does not end at a certain stage of human life, but continues constantly. The term “personality” is a rather multifaceted concept and therefore there are no two identical interpretations of this term. Despite the fact that personality is mainly formed in the course of communication with other people, the factors influencing the formation of personality appear in the process of its formation.

There are two radically different professional views on the phenomenon of human personality. From one point of view, the formation and development of personality is determined by its innate qualities and abilities, and the social environment has little influence on this process. From another point of view, personality is formed and developed in the course of social experience, and the internal traits and abilities of the individual play a small role in this. But despite the difference in views, everything psychological theories personalities agree on one thing: a person’s personality begins to form already in early childhood and continues throughout life.

What factors influence a person's personality?

There are many aspects that change personality. Scientists have been studying them for a long time and come to the conclusion that the entire environment, down to the climate and geographical location. The formation of personality is influenced by internal (biological) and external (social) factors.

Factor(from Latin factor - doing - producing) - the reason, the driving force of any process, phenomenon, determining its character or its individual features.

Internal (biological) factors

Of the biological factors, the main influence is exerted by the genetic characteristics of the individual received at birth. Hereditary traits are the basis for the formation of personality. An individual's hereditary qualities, such as abilities or physical qualities, leave an imprint on his character, the way he perceives the world around him and evaluates other people. Biological heredity largely explains the individuality of a person, his difference from other individuals, since there are no two identical individuals in terms of their biological heredity.

Biological factors mean the transfer from parents to children of certain qualities and characteristics inherent in their genetic program. Genetic data make it possible to assert that the properties of an organism are encrypted in a peculiar genetic code, storing and transmitting this information about the properties of the organism.
The hereditary program of human development ensures, first of all, the continuation of the human race, as well as the development of systems that help the human body adapt to changing conditions of its existence.

Heredity- the ability of organisms to transmit certain qualities and characteristics from parents to children.

The following are inherited from parents to children:

1) anatomical and physiological structure

Reflects the specific characteristics of an individual as a representative of the human race (speech abilities, upright walking, thinking, labor activity).

2) physical data

External racial characteristics, body features, constitution, facial features, hair, eye, skin color.

3) physiological characteristics

Metabolism, arterial pressure and blood group, Rh factor, stages of maturation of the body.

4) features nervous system

The structure of the cerebral cortex and its peripheral apparatus (visual, auditory, olfactory, etc.), the uniqueness of nervous processes, which determines the nature and certain type of higher nervous activity.

5) abnormalities in the development of the body

Color blindness (partial color blindness), cleft lip, cleft palate.

6) predisposition to certain hereditary diseases

Hemophilia (blood disease), diabetes, schizophrenia, endocrine disorders (dwarfism, etc.).

7) congenital features person

Associated with a change in genotype, acquired as a result of unfavorable living conditions (complications after illness, physical injuries or oversights during the development of a child, violation of diet, labor, hardening of the body, etc.).

Makings of- these are anatomical and physiological characteristics of the body, which are prerequisites for the development of abilities. Inclinations provide a predisposition to a particular activity.

1) universal (structure of the brain, central nervous system, receptors)

2) individual (typological properties of the nervous system, on which the speed of formation of temporary connections, their strength, the strength of concentrated attention depends, mental performance; structural features of analyzers, individual areas of the cerebral cortex, organs, etc.)

3) special (musical, artistic, mathematical, linguistic, sports and other inclinations)

External (social) factors

Human development is influenced not only by heredity, but also by environment.

Wednesday- this real reality in the conditions of which human development occurs (geographical, national, school, family; social environment - social system, system of production relations”, material living conditions, the nature of production and social processes, etc.)

All scientists recognize the influence of the environment on the formation of a person. Only their assessments of the degree of such influence on the formation of personality do not coincide. This is due to the fact that there is no abstract medium. There is a specific social system, a person’s specific immediate and distant surroundings, specific living conditions. It is clear that a higher level of development is achieved in an environment where favorable conditions are created.

Communication is an important factor influencing human development.

Communication- this is one of the universal forms of personality activity (along with cognition, work, play), manifested in the establishment and development of contacts between people, in the formation of interpersonal relationships. Personality is formed only in communication and interaction with other people. Outside human society, spiritual, social, and mental development cannot occur.

In addition to the above, an important factor influencing the formation of personality is upbringing.

Upbringing- this is a process of purposeful and consciously controlled socialization (family, religious, school education), which acts as a kind of mechanism for managing socialization processes.

The development of personal qualities is greatly influenced by collective activity.

Activity- a form of being and a way of existence of a person, his activity aimed at changing and transforming the world around him and himself. Scientists recognize that, on the one hand, under certain conditions, the collective neutralizes the individual, and on the other hand, the development and manifestation of individuality is possible only in the collective. Such activities contribute to the manifestation, the indispensable role of the team in the formation of the ideological and moral orientation of the individual, his civic position, and emotional development.

Self-education plays a great role in the formation of personality.

Self-education- educating yourself, working on your personality. It begins with awareness and acceptance of an objective goal as a subjective, desirable motive for one’s actions. Subjective setting of behavioral goals generates conscious tension of will and determination of a plan of activity. The implementation of this goal ensures personal development.

We organize the educational process

Education plays a decisive role in the development of a person’s personality. From experiments it follows that the development of a child is determined by various types activities. Therefore, for the successful development of a child’s personality, a reasonable organization of his activities is necessary, right choice its types and forms, implementation, systematic control over it and results.

Activities

1. A game- It has great importance for the development of a child, it acts as the first source of knowledge of the surrounding world. The game evolves Creative skills child, the skills and habits of his behavior are formed, his horizons expand, his knowledge and skills are enriched.

1.1 Subject games- are carried out with bright, attractive objects (toys), during which the development of motor, sensory and other skills occurs.

1.2 Story and role-playing games- in them the child acts as a certain actor(manager, executor, partner, etc.). These games act as conditions for children to demonstrate the role and relationships they want to have in adult society.

1.3 Sport games (mobile, military sports) - aimed at physical development, development of will, character, endurance.

1.4 Didactic games - are an important tool mental development children.

2. Studies

As a type of activity, it has a great influence on the development of a child’s personality. It develops thinking, enriches memory, develops the child’s creative abilities, forms motives for behavior, and prepares for work.

3. Work

When properly organized, it contributes to the comprehensive development of the individual.

3.1 Socially useful work- this is self-service work, work on the school site for landscaping the school, city, village, etc.

3.2 Labor training- aimed at equipping schoolchildren with skills and abilities in handling various tools, instruments, machines and mechanisms that are used in various industries.

3.3 Productive work- this is labor associated with the creation of material wealth, organized according to production principle in student production teams, industrial complexes, school forestries, etc.

Conclusion

Thus, the process and results of human development are determined by both biological and social factors, which act not separately, but in combination. Under different circumstances, different factors may have a greater or lesser influence on the formation of personality. According to most authors, education plays a leading role in the system of factors.

Today in psychology there are about fifty theories of personality. Each of them examines and interprets in its own way how personality is formed. But they all agree that a person goes through the stages of personality development in a way that no one has lived before him, and no one will live after him.

Why is one person loved, respected, successful in all spheres of life, while another degrades and becomes unhappy? To answer this question, you need to know the personality formation factors that influenced the life of a particular person. It is important how the stages of personality formation went through, what new traits, qualities, properties and abilities appeared during life, and to take into account the role of the family in the formation of personality.

In psychology there are several definitions of this concept. The definition in a philosophical sense is a value for the sake of and thanks to which society develops.

Stages of development

An active and active person is capable of development. For each age period, one of the activities is leading.

The concept of leading activity was developed by the Soviet psychologist A.N. Leontyev, he also identified the main stages of personality formation. Later his ideas were developed by D.B. Elkonin and other scientists.

The leading type of activity is a development factor and activity that determines the formation of the individual’s basic psychological formations at the next stage of his development.

"According to D. B. Elkonin"

Stages of personality formation according to D. B. Elkonin and the leading type of activity in each of them:

  • Infancy – direct communication with adults.
  • Early childhood is an object-manipulative activity. The child learns to handle simple objects.
  • Before school age- role-playing game. child in game form tries on adult social roles.
  • Primary school age - educational activities.
  • Adolescence – intimate communication with peers.

"According to E. Erickson"

Psychological periodizations of individuality development were also developed by foreign psychologists. The most famous is the periodization proposed by E. Erikson. According to Erikson, personality formation occurs not only in youth, but also in old age.

Psychosocial stages of development are crisis stages in the formation of an individual’s personality. Personality formation is the passage of one after another psychological stages development. At each stage, a qualitative transformation of the individual’s inner world occurs. New formations at each stage are a consequence of the development of the individual at the previous stage.

Neoplasms can be either positive or negative. Their combination determines the individuality of each person. Erikson described two lines of development: normal and abnormal, in each of which he identified and contrasted psychological new formations.

Crisis stages of personality formation according to E. Erikson:

  • The first year of a person’s life is a crisis of confidence

During this period, the role of the family in the formation of personality is especially important. Through the mother and father, the child learns whether the world is kind to him or not. In the best case, basic trust in the world appears; if the formation of personality is anomalous, distrust is formed.

  • From one year to three years

Independence and self-confidence, if the process of personality formation occurs normally, or self-doubt and hypertrophied shame, if it is abnormal.

  • Three to five years

Activity or passivity, initiative or guilt, curiosity or indifference to the world and people.

  • From five to eleven years

The child learns to set and achieve goals, independently solve life problems, strives for success, develops cognitive and communication skills, as well as hard work. If the formation of personality during this period deviates from the normal line, the new formations will be an inferiority complex, conformity, a feeling of meaninglessness, futility of efforts when solving problems.

  • From twelve to eighteen years old

Teenagers are going through a stage of life self-determination. Young people make plans, choose a profession, and decide on a worldview. If the process of personality formation is disrupted, the teenager is immersed in his inner world to the detriment of the outer world, but he is unable to understand himself. Confusion in thoughts and feelings leads to decreased activity, inability to plan for the future, and difficulties with self-determination. The teenager chooses the path “like everyone else”, becomes a conformist, and does not have his own personal worldview.

  • From twenty to forty-five years

This is early adulthood. A person develops a desire to be a useful member of society. He works, starts a family, has children and at the same time feels satisfied with life. Early adulthood is a period when the role of the family in the formation of personality again comes to the fore, only this family is no longer parental, but created independently.

Positive new developments of the period: intimacy and sociability. Negative neoplasms: isolation, avoidance of close relationships and promiscuity. Character difficulties at this time can develop into mental disorders.

  • Average maturity: forty-five to sixty years

A wonderful stage when the process of personality formation continues in conditions of a full, creative, varied life. A person raises and teaches children, achieves certain heights in the profession, respected and loved by family, colleagues, friends.

If the formation of a personality is successful, a person actively and productively works on himself; if not, “immersion into himself” occurs in order to escape from reality. Such “stagnation” threatens with loss of ability to work, early disability, and embitterment.

  • After sixty years of age, late adulthood begins

The time when a person takes stock of life. Extreme lines of development in old age:

  1. wisdom and spiritual harmony, satisfaction with life lived, a feeling of its completeness and usefulness, lack of fear of death;
  2. tragic despair, the feeling that life has been lived in vain, and that it is no longer possible to live it again, fear of death.

When the stages of personality formation are experienced successfully, a person learns to accept himself and life in all its diversity, lives in harmony with himself and the world around him.

Formation theories

Each direction in psychology has its own answer to how personality is formed. There are psychodynamic, humanistic theories, trait theory, social learning theory and others.

Some theories emerged as a result of numerous experiments, others are non-experimental. Not all theories cover the age range from birth to death; some “allocate” only the first years of life (usually until adulthood) to the formation of personality.

  • The most holistic theory, combining several points of view, is the theory of the American psychologist Erik Erikson. According to Erikson, personality formation occurs according to the epigenetic principle: from birth to death, a person lives through eight stages of development, genetically predetermined, but depending on social factors and the individual himself.

In psychoanalysis, the process of personality formation is the adaptation of natural, biological essence person to the social environment.

  • According to the founder of psychoanalysis, Z. Fred, a person is formed when he learns to satisfy needs in a socially acceptable form and develops defense mechanisms psyche.
  • In contrast to psychoanalysis, the humanistic theories of A. Maslow and C. Rogers concentrate on a person’s ability to express themselves and improve themselves. The main idea of ​​humanistic theories is self-actualization, which is also the basic human need. Human development is driven not by instincts, but by higher spiritual and social needs and values.

The formation of personality is the gradual discovery of one’s “I”, the disclosure of inner potential. A self-actualizing person is active, creative, spontaneous, honest, responsible, free from thought patterns, wise, able to accept himself and others as they are.

The components of personality are the following properties:

  1. abilities – individual properties that determine the success of a particular activity;
  2. temperament – ​​innate characteristics of higher nervous activity that determine social reactions;
  3. character - a set of cultivated qualities that determine behavior in relation to other people and oneself;
  4. will – the ability to achieve a goal;
  5. emotions - emotional disturbances and experiences;
  6. motives – motivations for activity, incentives;
  7. attitudes – beliefs, views, orientation.

Personality and the process of its formation is a phenomenon that is rarely interpreted in the same way by different researchers in this area.

Personality formation is a process that does not end at a certain stage of human life, but continues constantly. The term “personality” is a rather multifaceted concept and therefore there are no two identical interpretations of this term. Despite the fact that personality is mainly formed in the course of communication with other people, the factors influencing the formation of personality are in the process of its formation.

For the first time, the factors of human formation became the subject of philosophical and pedagogical research in the 17th century. At this time, scientific pedagogy was born, the founder of which was Ya.A. Comenius. He proceeded from the idea of ​​the natural equality of people and the presence of natural talents in them that needed development. Upbringing and education, according to Comenius, should precisely contribute to the improvement of human nature. J. Locke tried to comprehend the multidimensionality and complexity of the problem of personality development factors. In his philosophical and pedagogical essay “On the Control of the Mind,” he recognized the presence of various natural abilities in people. By the most important means He considered their development to be exercise and experience. “We are born with abilities and powers that allow us to do almost everything,” Locke wrote on this occasion, “but only the exercise of these forces can give us skill and art in anything and lead us to perfection.” Of course, you can disagree with this opinion, even based on the idea that if you don’t have a voice, you’re unlikely to become a singer.

Based on this, we can identify one of the factors influencing the formation of personality. This is a biological factor. Many teachings assign it a primary role.

Indeed, the influence of the biological factor on the formation of personality cannot be ignored simply because a person is a living organism, whose life is subject to both the general laws of biology and the special laws of anatomy and physiology. But it is not personality traits that are inherited, but certain inclinations. Inclinations are a natural disposition to a particular activity. There are two types of inclinations: universal (structure of the brain, central nervous system, receptors); individual differences in natural data (features of the type of nervous system, analyzers, etc.). A child's hereditary qualities, such as abilities or physical qualities, leave an imprint on his character, the way he perceives the world around him and evaluates other people. Biological heredity largely explains the individuality of a person, his difference from others, since there are no two identical children from the point of view of their biological heredity. Even twins have differences.

Domestic pedagogy does not deny the influence biological factor on the formation of personality, but does not assign a decisive role to it, as behaviorists do. Whether the inclinations will develop and become abilities depends on social conditions, training and upbringing, i.e. the influence of heredity is always mediated by training, upbringing and social conditions. This thesis is also true with regard to the individual differences that underlie individual abilities.

Thus, natural characteristics are important prerequisites, factors, but not driving forces in the formation of personality. The brain as a biological formation is a prerequisite for the emergence of consciousness, but consciousness is a product of human social existence. The more complex an education is in its mental structure, the less it depends on natural characteristics.

Thus, we can highlight the next factor in personality formation – social. Natural data alone is not enough to become an educated and well-mannered person.

Aristotle also wrote that “the soul is an unwritten book of nature; experience writes its writings on its pages.” D. Locke believed that a person is born with a pure soul, like a board covered with wax. Education writes on this board whatever it pleases (tabula rasa). The French philosopher C. A. Helvetius taught that all people from birth have the same potential for mental and moral development, and differences in mental characteristics are explained exclusively by different environmental influences and different educational influences. The social environment is understood in this case metaphysically, as something unchangeable, fatally predetermining the fate of a person, and a person is considered as a passive object of environmental influence.

In the process of interaction with the external environment, the inner essence of a person changes, new relationships are formed, which in turn leads to another change. From an early age, a child is greatly influenced by upbringing, education, parents, and society.

The importance of the social environment as a factor in personality formation was emphasized by D. Toland. In his opinion, no person can live well, happily, or in general without the help and assistance of other people. Toland believed in the power of education and upbringing and proposed providing all people with the same opportunities for education, travel, and communication. The relationship between personality formation factors caused controversy among the French philosophers K.A. Helvetius and D. Diderot. In his treatise “On the Mind,” Helvetius found out what nature and education can do to develop the mind. He viewed nature as a force that endowed man with all the senses. Differences in the natural organization of people exist only in the sense that their sense organs are organized differently. In people whom Helvetius called normally organized, mental superiority is not associated with greater or lesser superiority of feelings. More subtle feelings, in his opinion, can influence not the vastness of the mind, but its kind and make one a botanist and another a historian. What actually causes the mental inequality of people who are “normally organized on average”? Helvetius is inclined to explain the existing differences by reasons of a spiritual nature and, above all, education and the form of government. The result of the philosopher’s thoughts on this topic was the well-known formula: “We owe what we are to upbringing.” J. J. Rousseau identified three main factors in the formation of personality: nature, people and surrounding things. Nature develops the child’s abilities and feelings, people teach how to use them, and the surrounding things contribute to enriching the experience.

As a result, one more factor can be identified that influences the formation of personality - this is activity and self-development.

Recognition of the activity of the individual as the leading factor in its formation raises the question of purposeful activity, self-development of the individual, i.e. continuous work on oneself, on one’s own spiritual growth. Self-development provides the opportunity to consistently complicate the tasks and content of education, implement age-specific and individual approaches, form the creative individuality of the student and at the same time carry out collective education and stimulate self-government of the individual with his further development.

A person develops to the extent that he “appropriates human reality”, to the extent that he masters the accumulated experience. This position is of great importance for pedagogy. The formative influences of the environment, training and upbringing, and natural inclinations become factors in the development of the individual only through his active activity. “A person,” writes G.S. Batishchev, “cannot be “made,” “produced,” “fashioned” as a thing, as a product, as a passive result of influence from the outside - but one can only determine his inclusion in activity, cause his own activity and exclusively through the mechanism of his own activity, joint with other people, he is formed into what this (social, essentially collective) activity (labor) makes him..."

The nature of the development of each individual, the breadth and depth of this development under the same conditions of training and upbringing depend mainly on her own efforts, on the energy and efficiency that she displays in various types of activity, of course, with appropriate adjustments for natural inclinations. This is what in many cases explains the differences in development individuals, including schoolchildren who live and are brought up in the same environmental conditions and experience approximately the same educational influences.

We can conclude that all these factors are interconnected. If we exclude even one, then we will not get an educated and well-mannered person.

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