Contents 
 

 

Basic concepts, personality and main problems of sociological theory

 

Man - a creature, embodying the highest stage of life, the subject of the socio-historical activity.

     Mankind - a set of human individuals.

     Individual - a single representative of the human race, the concrete support of all social and psychological traits of humanity: mind, will, needs, interests, etc.

      Personality - this is, at first, the system quality of individual, explained his involvement in social relations and is showing up in the joint activity and communication; secondly, the subject and the product of social relations. A just born baby - not a person. He - the individual. To become a person, a man must pass a certain way of development. The necessary condition of this development are biological, genetically defined conditions and availability of social environment, with which the child interacts.

     Personality is the object of study in a number of humanities, especially philosophy, psychology and sociology. Philosophy considers the individual in terms of its position in the world as a subject of activity, cognition and creation. Psychology studies personality as a stable integrity of the mental processes, properties and relations: the temperament, character, ability, strong-willed qualities, etc.

     The main problems of sociological theory of personality associated with the process of personality formation and development of its needs in inextricable connection with the operation and development of social communities, learning regular relationship of personality and society, individuals and groups, regulation  and self-regulation of social behavior of the individual. Sociology as a whole contains a lot of personality theories, which differ from each other cardinal methodological attitudes.

     Personality as a subject of social relationships, primarily characterized by autonomy, a certain degree of independence from society, able to oppose themselves to the society. Personal independence involves the ability to rule over them, and this, in turn, presupposes that the individual consciousness, i.e., not just consciousness, thought and will, but the ability to self-analysis, self-esteem, self-control.

     Consciousness of the individual is transformed into a life position. Life position is a principle of conduct, based on the worldview attitudes, social values, ideals and norms of individual, readiness for action. Social structure of personality  is unstable, changeable, because of lifelong personality receives new information, knowledge, change their behavior, motivation, behavior.

Relation between the personality and individuality

     The writings of many scientists, often referred to individuals, but they understand it very well or under the person has in mind the individuality of man. But still, S.L. Rubenstein argued that "the individual personality traits - it is not the same thing, that personal property of the individual, that is, properties that characterize him as a person."

     People living in the community, so subordinate to the culture, customs and traditions are so socialized, that, as a person, he often loses its human face - losing individuality. Individuality and personality are not the same thing - the two sides of the person.

     Personality is determined by how the individual activities included in the social world of relationships. Personality is a complex system of socially significant acts, demonstrated ability in the social world. Therefore, the main function of the individual - the development of their abilities.

     Personality - the unique identity of the psyche of every person exercising his activity as the subject of the development of socio-historical culture. Man is multifaceted: it includes the animal (body) and social (personality), but it is a purely human qualities (personality). Individuality - is what distinguishes man from beast, and the social world.

     Personality makes it possible to appear to man as free, independent merits. In the human personality is hidden source of his actions. An individual who has developed a personality, fully supported and looked forward to his strength, he not only free, but an independent person. The human personality is regarded as a high level of human development in ontogenesis.

     Consideration of the relation of individuality and personality can specify the connection between man and society (the collective and individual). If the person and the team are in harmony with each other, then we can say that the personal qualities of the man with the objectives of this group. The man in this case is a person. But in another society (the collective), this same person may not be the person because of his views cannot meet the goals of another company. Consequently, depending on the social values that constitute morality and culture of the society, and conformity to these values and worldview of human actions, he may be a person, but it can not be, that is, a person is a relative characteristic of the man.

     At the same time, individuality is largely independent from that in which society (the collective) is a person. His experience, intelligence, formed spheres at a given moment is not dependent on the circumstances, therefore, is largely personality traits of persistence, in some degree of absoluteness. Therefore, when we speak of the subordination of personal (or rather, individual) interests of the public, it will not stand the test of life. Is destroyed and the personality (destruction of certain areas) and personality (conformism). In general, there is crushing both of them: the hypocrisy, duplicity, double standards, the discrepancy between words and deeds. But such investigation is not needed neither society nor the individual.

     Individuality of a person is born, and it becomes in the course of his life, as a result of education and self. About personality can say when a person is aware of the uniqueness of themselves and their lives, and feeling his originality, he realizes his future in order to make the fullest of their abilities. This requires both an understanding of himself and active attitude towards life and society, providing opportunities for self-selection of goals and means of life.

     In fact, developed a holistic personality itself provides personal and social harmony. In this case, people can really realize himself, he choose a particular ideology or religion, to realize their human nature. Development of personal qualities is committed in the process of education through the establishment of individual qualities.

The main approaches to the study of personality

     There are so many theories of personality. Among them it is possible to select  two most common approach – social-psychological and functional.

     The founder of social-psychological approach in the study of personality think for Z.Freud. Freud believed that personality is constantly in conflict with society. According to his theory, biological motivations (especially sexual), contrary to the norms of culture and socialization is the process socialization is process of restraining of these motives. He singled in the psyche of the individual three levels - It, I , Super-ego.

     "It" - is a source of energy, aimed at having fun. With the release of energy is attenuated strain and the person feels a sense of fun. "It" encourages the person send the natural needs of the body.

     "I" - help "It" guided by controlling the selection of a suitable facility, which allows to overcome the constraints of "It". Operates on the principle of reality. For example, the "It" feels hungry, "I" forbids him to have pens, paper, rags, etc.

     "Super-ego" - an idealized parent, regulative the conduct of personality and aspiring to perfect him in accordance with the standards of task force and all of society.

     According to Freud, the development of the personality structure of the psyche occurs gradually. For example, a newborn baby - it's "It",  does not know how to identify their needs and satisfy  them. Whether he wants to eat, drink, whether he feels uncomfortable - all indicated the same - a cry. Since its development under the guidance of parents formed  "I" - based on the reality principle with the restriction of "It", a sense of responsibility for the actions, etc. In the period of childhood, parents act as "super-ego, punishing or encouraging a child for his behavior . As you get older the person, in his mind is made the level of "Super-I", which guides the rest of his life.

     Functional approach instrumental in development of status-role theory of personality. From the positions of studying social functions performed by a person, it is defined as a set of social statuses and social roles characteristic of a given society.

     Social status - is correlative position of the individual in society, defined roles, responsibilities and rights. Status of teachers has meaning only in relation to the positions of the pupil and the school principal, and the last - in connection with the position of Minister of Education, head of the city department of education, etc.

     Everyone in society has certain responsibilities. To serve on the person in accordance with the status imposed certain duties. As higher status, then greater the responsibilities imposed on the person, the more stringent requirements for a status and responsibilities of the more punished violations. Imposing certain duties on man and society "pays" his rights. To them we can refer to income, benefits and prestige. The higher a person's status, the higher its prestige, the better its financial situation. Position of the individual in the social hierarchy of status is called a rank. Rank generates status worldview. Status and rank is determined by external marks of distinction - the symbols. These include skin color, facial expressions, gestures, clothing, language, manners, titles and ranks. Each status has its own image (persona). Image - is an idea of how should look and behave a certain identity status. One of the most important elements of the status of a social role - the behavior expected of a person with a certain status. As a standard, but perform its people - personality. Each of them in their own way explains his role in different ways it performs.

     So, having considered the basic theory of sociology of personality, it should be noted that no theory can  explain fully the identity, since it does not take into account the individuality, uniqueness of the individual. Real personality is formed as a synthesis, the unity of social and individual.

Socialization of personality

     Man person is not born, he had it become. The process of formation and development of personality is called socialization. It begins in infancy and ends at the ripe old age. During his people internalize cultural norms and social roles of master, in other words, get your social self.

     In humans, the socialization is bidirectional. Not only the older generation passes younger norms and values, but also young people, easily adapting to changing social conditions, teaches seniors. A person becomes a person, not because he is born a man, but only because he was trained and worked with their own kind. If a human child gets into a flock of animals, it becomes an animal. Such children are called feralnymi (wild) men. In human society, they cannot get in, fit in, because they are not one who had to learn the language, rules of conduct, customs, skills, abstract thinking, and much more.

     Purpose of the process of becoming a social "I" - man's search for his social place in the social division of labor.

     Newborn no personality, no "I". He cannot distinguish the boundary between itself and not itself. as learning to walk, speek, development of thinking, consciousness, the child begins to devote his "I" from the concept of others. N. Smelser has identified four main mechanisms of socialization of children - an imitation, identification, shame and guilt. Children in the making "I" try different behaviors, according to the reaction of others decide what to do is permissible and what is not. In what almost all his life, we reckon with the reaction to our conduct of others, taking into account their views and assessments We correct their actions. Thus, our "I" inhabits the same time and in our body and outside it. "I" in our body - the sum of mental processes. "I" outside the body - the social relations.

Main stages of socialization

     Socialization - the process is not amenable to manipulation, it can neither speed up nor slow down. It passes through two stages - primary covers the first two life cycle - childhood and adolescence; secondary - covers the last two life-cycle - maturity and old age.

     Consider the main features of life cycles or stages of socialization.

Childhood

     Lasts for the first thirteen years of life. No living creature has such a long stage of maturation. The human child is born more helpless, compared with young animals, in addition, he has to live in an extremely complex and changing environment - the society, hence a long-term development. As a boy about 5 years, the identity is formed by 70%. Stands late in socialization, as start irreversible processes.

Youth

      Begins with the age of 13. During this period there have been significant physiological changes and mental changes - a tendency toward the opposite sex, increased aggressiveness, risk appetite, the desire for independence and autonomy. If children are obedient, evaluate the world through the eyes of parents, teachers, teenagers eager to build their own system of values. As a youth completes the social "I" is formed worldview. The main difficulty - role conflict. Legally, teenagers are treated as children, the psychological - are ripe for making important decisions. Role powerlessness and lack of experience pushing the young to extreme forms of behavior: crime, drugs, sexual freedom, etc.

Maturity

      Signs of maturity are the economic, political and social autonomy rights. A very important indicator is the marriage, because for the first time a young man from the object of socialization becomes her agent - first to his wife (husband), then - to the child.

     Socialization of adults has its own specifics. American sociologist O.Brim Jr. has shown that it is expressed mainly in the change in their external behavior, and in the socialization of children is the formation of value orientations. Socialization of adults seeks to help people learn certain skills and pass in the form of retraining. AI Kravchenko said that the process is divided into two stages: I stage - desocialization - weaning from the old norms, values, roles; II stage - re-socialization - learning new norms, values, roles. Sometimes a person finds himself in such extreme conditions that desocialization goes too deep, destroying the moral foundations of personality, and re-socialization can never recover lost or give something new. This happens to people who end up in jail, prison, concentration camps, psychiatric hospitals, sometimes - in the army.

Old age

      Adapting to old age does not necessarily represent the growth process. Personality development may be stopped or even reversed due to the weakening of physical and psychological capabilities and rights, which often occurs in old age. With retirement is changing status - from the worker and provider to the consumer. In modern society, even the role of older people is not clearly defined. The widow is no longer a wife, an officer, who retired not vice president. If a traditional society, the elderly serve as advisors, sages, mentors, in today's society they do not enjoy a special prestige or honor. They have a growing sense of isolation and dependence on others, disappearing life plans. By the age of seventy people, usually begins the socialization of death - the preparation of material and moral - to the end of life.

Conclusion

     Sociology of personality - the branch of sociology that studies personality as a social phenomenon and its interaction with various social groups and society.

     In my paper I have tried to define "person" to consider the relation concept of "personality" and "individuality", presented the main approaches to the study of sociology of personality, considered this issue as a "socialization of personality." Socialization is the process of personality formation, the gradual assimilation with the requirements of society, the acquisition of socially significant characteristics of mind and conduct which govern its relations with society. Personality socialization begins in the first years of life and ends with the period of maturity of civil rights, although, of course, the powers, rights and obligations acquired by him, do not say that the socialization process is fully completed: in some respects it continues throughout life.

     Socialization of personality can be regarded as "the totality of all social and psychological processes by which an individual learns the system of values, norms and values that enable it to operate as a full member of society. It includes not only conscious, controlled, targeted exposure, but also natural, spontaneous process, one way or another affect the formation of personality.

     Thus, in the socialization process inherent in human psychological and biological capabilities, not just implemented, and are translated into socially significant properties of the human person through education, training, initiation of the individual to culture and with the active participation of it. In this case, the person creates his self-image based on the perception of how to think about it, evaluate it as others. In order for this perception to be successful, a person assumes the role of others and the eyes of others looking at their behavior and their inner world. Forming their self - image, identity socialized.

     Based on this learning in the course of socialization is the formation of social qualities, properties, actions, abilities by which a person becomes a party capable of social interaction, a full and active member of society.

 

Ufa State Aviation Technical University 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Abstract on theme

« Sociology of personality»

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Performed by:

Kazban O.A.

                           student of gr.

MO-422a 

Checked by:

L. T. Mazitova

docent of department

of sociology 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ufa 2010

Ufa State Aviation Technical University