Emotional type of character accentuation. Accentuations of character in adolescents. The distinction between psychopathy and accentuation. How accentuations differ from psychopathy

Character accentuations are extreme variants of the norm, in which individual character traits are excessively enhanced, as a result of which selective vulnerability to a certain kind of psychogenic influences is found with good and even increased resistance to other character accentuations as an etiopathogenetic factor.

Hyperthymic type. Adolescents belonging to the hyperthymic type, from childhood, are distinguished by great noisiness, sociability, excessive independence, even courage, and a tendency to mischief. They have neither shyness nor shyness in front of strangers, but they lack a sense of distance in relation to adults. In games, they like to command their peers. Educators complain about their restlessness. At school, despite good abilities, a lively mind, the ability to grasp everything on the fly, they study unevenly due to restlessness, distractibility, indiscipline. In adolescence, the main feature is almost always a good, even somewhat elated mood. It is combined with good health, often blooming appearance, high vitality, activity and splashing energy, always a great appetite and a sound refreshing sleep. Only occasionally is the sunny mood overshadowed by outbursts of irritation and anger caused by the opposition of others, their desire to suppress too violent energy, to subordinate to their will. The reaction of emancipation has a strong effect on behavior: such adolescents show autonomy and independence early.

They react extremely violently to hyperprotection from parents and educators with its petty control, daily guardianship, instructions and moralizing, “studying” for minor misconduct at home and at meetings; do not tolerate strict discipline and a strictly regulated regime; in unusual situations they are not lost, they show resourcefulness, they know how to dodge and dodge. Representatives of this type treat rules and laws lightly, they can imperceptibly overlook the line between what is allowed and what is prohibited. They are always drawn to the company, they are burdened and badly distort loneliness, among their peers they strive for leadership, and not for the formal, but for the actual role of leader and ringleader; when sociability in the choice of acquaintances, they are illegible and can easily find themselves in a dubious company. They love risk and adventure.

Characterized by a good sense of the new. New people, places, objects vividly attract. Easily inspired, such teenagers often do not finish what they started, constantly change their “hobbies”; do not cope well with work that requires great perseverance, thoroughness, painstaking work; they do not differ in accuracy either in fulfilling promises or in money matters, they easily get into debt, they like to show off, brag; tend to see their future in iridescent colors. Failures can cause a violent reaction, but are unable to unsettle for a long time. They are easy-going, quickly put up and even make friends with those with whom they used to quarrel.

Sexual feeling often awakens early and is strong. Therefore, an early sexual life is possible. However, adolescent sexual deviance is fleeting; there is no tendency to fixation here. Their abilities and capabilities are usually overestimated. Although hyperthymic adolescents are well aware of most of their character traits and do not hide them, they usually try to present themselves as more conforming than they really are.

The hyperthymic type occurs, as a rule, in the form of a clear accentuation. Against its background, acute affective reactions and situationally caused pathological behavioral disorders (early alcoholization, substance abuse behavior, emancipatory escapes, etc.) can occur. Hyperthymic accentuation can also be the basis for psychopathic developments in hyperthymic-unstable and hyperthymic-hysteroid types. Under the influence of repeated traumatic brain injuries, a hyperthymic-explosive type of psychopathy can form. The hyperthymic type of accentuation occurs as a frequent premorbid background in manic-depressive and schizoaffective psychoses.

cycloid type. In childhood, they do not differ from their peers or give the impression of hyperthyms. With the onset of puberty, the first subdepressive phase may occur. In the future, these phases alternate with phases of recovery and with periods of even mood. The duration of the phases varies - first days, 1-2 weeks, with age they can lengthen or, conversely, smooth out.

In the subdepressive phase, lethargy, loss of strength are noted, everything falls out of hand. What used to be easy and simple, now requires a lot of effort. It becomes harder to learn. The company of surrounding people begins to burden, companies are avoided, adventure and risk lose their appeal. Teenagers these days are becoming lethargic stay-at-homes. Minor troubles and failures, which are not uncommon during this period due to a drop in working capacity, are experienced hard. Although remarks and reproaches are often answered with irritation, rudeness, but deep down they fall into even greater despondency. Feelings of hopeless longing or unreasonable anxiety, as with psychotic depression, do not happen. More complain about boredom. It is also not necessary to hear ideas of self-abasement. However, if serious complaints or big failures fall out these days, especially if they humiliate self-esteem, thoughts about one's own lack of will, inferiority, worthlessness can easily arise and acute affective reactions with suicidal attempts can be provoked. Appetite decreases. Even favorite foods do not deliver the same pleasure. Insomnia in teenagers usually does not happen. Sometimes they complain that it has become difficult to fall asleep and almost always that they are lethargic and tired in the morning.

During the period of rise, cycloid adolescents look like hyperthymes. The risky jokes on elders, which are not usually characteristic of them, and the desire to make jokes everywhere and everywhere are striking.

The place of least resistance is a radical break in the stereotype of life (for example, the transition from patronized school studies to the relative freedom of a higher educational institution). Such withdrawal can prolong the subdepressive phase. In this phase, selective sensitivity to reproaches, reproaches, accusations appears - to everything that contributes to the emergence of the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bself-accusation and self-abasement; emancipatory aspirations and grouping with peers are noted during upsurges, and fade in the subdepressive phase. Hobbies are also unstable: in the subdepressive phase they are abandoned, and during the recovery period they return to them or find new ones. Sexual activity increases during periods of recovery, but in the subdepressive phase, onanism may increase. Delinquency, running away from home, substance abuse behavior are unusual. Alcoholize in companies and only during periods of recovery. Self-esteem is formed gradually, as the experience of “good” and “bad” periods is accumulated. With a lack of such experience, it can be very inaccurate. Labile cycloids are a form of accentuation, intermediate between typical cycloids and labile adolescents, [Lichko A.E. "Ozeretskovsky. S. D., 1972]. The phases here are very short - one or two days. On “bad” days, a bad mood is usually not combined with a breakdown or unsatisfactory well-being. Within one period, short mood swings are possible, caused by relevant events or news. But unlike the labile type of accentuation described below, there is no excessive emotional reactivity, the constant readiness of the mood to change abruptly from minor causes.

Cycloid psychopathy does not exist. With a pronounced cycloidity, cyclothymia occurs, which can be legitimately considered as a mild form of manic-depressive psychosis. The cycloid accentuation itself can be a background for the development of both this and schizoaffective psychoses.

Labile type. In childhood, they do not differ from their peers or show a tendency to neurotic reactions. The main feature in adolescence is the extreme lability of mood, which changes too often and immensely abruptly from insignificant and even imperceptible reasons for others. An unflattering word spoken by someone, an unfriendly glance of a casual interlocutor can suddenly plunge into a gloomy mood without any serious troubles and failures. And vice versa, an interesting conversation, a fleeting compliment, tempting but unrealistic prospects heard from someone can inspire gaiety and cheerfulness and even distract from real troubles until they somehow remind of themselves. During frank and exciting conversations, one can see either tears ready to well up in the eyes, or a joyful smile.

Everything depends on the mood at the moment: well-being, and sleep, and appetite, and working capacity, and sociability. According to the mood, the future is either colored with iridescent colors, or it seems dull and hopeless, and the past appears either as a chain of pleasant memories, or entirely consisting of failures and injustices. And everyday surroundings sometimes seem cute and interesting, sometimes ugly and boring.

Unmotivated mood swings can give the impression of superficiality and frivolity. However, the lability of adolescents is distinguished by deep feelings, sincere affection for those from whom they see love, care and attention. Attachments persist despite the ease and frequency of fleeting quarrels. Losses are hard to bear. No less characteristic is the devoted friendship. They prefer to be friends with those who, in moments of sadness and discontent, are able to console, distract, protect when attacked, and in moments of upsurge, share joy and fun, satisfy the need for empathy. They love companies, a change of scenery, but unlike hyperthymic teenagers, they are not looking for a field of activity in them, but only new impressions. Sensitivity to all kinds of signs of attention, gratitude, praise and encouragement, which bring sincere joy, is not combined with either arrogance or conceit.

Emancipatory aspirations are moderately expressed. They intensify if they are fueled by an unfavorable family environment. The craving for grouping with peers depends entirely on mood. In good times they look for companies, in bad times they avoid communication. In a group of peers, they do not pretend to be the leader, willingly content with the position of a pet and darling patronized and protected by others. Hobbies are limited to the informative and communicative type, sometimes amateur art, and even some pets (especially attractive is your own dog, which serves as a lightning rod for emotions during mood swings). Sexual activity is usually limited to flirting and courtship. Attraction remains undifferentiated for a long time and it is easy to deviate to the path of transient teenage homosexuality. But sexual excesses are always avoided. A kind of selective intuition allows such teenagers to immediately feel how others treat them, at the first contact determining who is disposed towards them, who is indifferent, and in whom there is at least a drop of hostility or hostility. The reciprocal attitude arises immediately and without attempts to conceal it. Self-esteem is distinguished by sincerity and the ability to correctly note the traits of one's character. The “weak link” of this type is rejection by emotionally significant persons, loss of loved ones, separation from them, accentuation, in a labile type, it is often combined with harmonious psychophysical infantilism, as well as with vegetative lability and a tendency to allergic diseases. This type of accentuation serves as a breeding ground for acute affective reactions, neuroses, especially neurasthenia, reactive depression and psychopathic developments.

Astheno-neurotic type. Since childhood, signs of neuropathy are often revealed: poor sleep and appetite, capriciousness, fearfulness, tearfulness, sometimes night terrors, nocturnal enuresis, stuttering, etc. In other cases, childhood goes well, and the first signs of astheno-neurotic accentuation appear only in adolescence, the main features are fatigue, irritability and a tendency to hypochondria. Fatigue is especially evident during mental activities or during physical and emotional stress, for example, in a competitive environment. Irritability leads to sudden affective outbursts, which often occur on an insignificant occasion. Irritation, often poured out on those who accidentally fell under the arm, is easily replaced by repentance and tears. The tendency to hypochondriasis can be especially strong. Such adolescents listen attentively to the slightest bodily sensations, willingly undergo treatment, go to bed, and undergo medical examinations. The most common source of hypochondriacal experiences in boys is the heart.

Adolescent behavioral disorders such as delinquency, alcoholism are not characteristic of this type. The reaction of emancipation is usually limited to unmotivated outbursts of irritation in relation to parents, educators, elders in general. They are drawn to peers, looking for company, but they quickly get tired of it and prefer loneliness or communication with a close friend. Self-esteem usually primarily reflects concern for health.

This type of accentuation is the basis for the development of neurasthenia, acute affective reactions, reactive depressions, and hypochondriacal developments.

Breakdowns often occur when a teenager realizes the impossibility of cherished plans, the unreality of hopes and desires. The susceptibility to iatrogenics is also great. Severe illnesses among relatives and friends increase hypochondria.

In today's post about the character psycho-correction program, we will combine two polar accentuations, only (according to K. Leonhard), these are accentuations not of character (although they are often called that), but of temperament. (see character accentuation).
Consider hyperthymic accentuation and hypothymic accentuation, i.e. hyperthymic and hypothymic character.

Greetings, dear visitors of the site of psychological assistance, I wish you all mental health.

Hyperthymic and hypothymic character accentuation

In previous posts, we examined character accentuations: stuck, demonstrative, pedantic, excitable.

Next, we will analyze the remaining six accentuations, which I decided to combine two in a post: today it is hyperthymic and, opposite to it, hypothymic (distymic) accentuation of character (or, more precisely, temperament).
(Types of human temperament) (Eysenck's personality questionnaire: Temperament)

Hyperthymic character (accentuation)

People of a hyperthymic nature are distinguished by great mobility, sociability, talkativeness, expressiveness of gestures, facial expressions, pantomimes, excessive independence, a tendency to mischief, and a lack of a sense of distance in relations with others.

Often spontaneously deviate from the original topic in conversation. Everywhere they make a lot of noise, they love the companies of their peers, they strive to command them. They almost always have a very good mood, good health, high vitality, often blooming appearance, good appetite, healthy sleep, a tendency to gluttony and other joys of life.

These are people with high self-esteem, cheerful, frivolous, superficial and at the same time businesslike, inventive, brilliant interlocutors; people who know how to entertain others, energetic, active, enterprising. A strong desire for independence can serve as a source of conflict.

They are characterized by outbursts of anger, irritation, especially when they meet with strong opposition, fail. Prone to immoral acts, increased irritability, projectionism.
They do not take their duties seriously enough. They hardly endure the conditions of strict discipline, monotonous activity, forced loneliness.

Psychotraining exercises for hyperthymia:

1) Complete order
Make it a rule to periodically put in order your things, books, textbooks, records.

To get started, put things in order on your desk. Determine a specific place for each item and in the future try to put it there.

You can “put things in order in your thoughts” with the help of a diary or a weekly journal, in which you should write down the main things for the coming day and in the evening check whether you have completed everything you planned.

Strive to accomplish everything you set out to do.

2) The end is the crown of business
Let's learn to do one thing, even a small thing, but to the end.

Set the order and get started. Remember: business is time, fun is an hour.

Until you finish the job, no entertainment, guests, delicious meals, pleasant activities.

Let it be only once a week, but be sure to finish one thing.

3) Planning
On a piece of paper, write down all your plans for the day ahead. Now think and cross out what you are unlikely to be able to do.

Look at the rest of the paragraphs again. If there is no desire to cross out something, then leave everything unchanged.

And now the main thing - everything else needs to be done!

Train yourself to do what you set out to do. Better to plan less, but do everything.

Hypothymic character (accentuation):

People of this character are distinguished by seriousness, even depression of mood, slowness and weakness of strong-willed efforts. They are characterized by a pessimistic attitude towards the future, low self-esteem, as well as low contact, reticence in conversation, even silence.

Such people are homebodies, individualists; society, a noisy company is usually avoided, lead a secluded life. Often gloomy, inhibited, tend to be fixed on the shady sides of life.

They are conscientious, appreciate those who are friends with them, and are ready to obey them, have a heightened sense of justice, as well as slow thinking.

Psychotraining exercises for hypothym:

1) Winner
Try to perceive the world around you from the position of a winner who succeeds in everything in this life, who never loses, is happy with everything, and is set for active action.
In this role, you need to "live" first for a few minutes, then an hour or more.
Bring this time up to two or three hours a day. At the same time, try to realize the real advantages that a person who feels like a winner has.

2) Jester
Consciously play the role of a jester in any company where you have to be.
Tell funny stories (they will have to be memorized or invented), learn funny songs with friends, tell jokes (although this is difficult for you).
At the same time, you need to try to feel comfortable, although at first it will be difficult.
But you need to use every opportunity to play the role of a jester again.
This role will help you see the world not so gloomy, and people not so bad.

3) Praise, or I am very good
When planning the upcoming work, try to break it down into small steps.

After you complete the next step, praise yourself for every little thing.

And so every time: the stage is completed - "I'm good, I'm very good."

4) My virtues
On a large piece of paper, make a list of "My Strengths" and post it in a prominent place.

Regularly (at first once a day, then less often) supplement the list of your virtues. To do this, you need to carefully study yourself, your characteristics, inquisitively peer into your habits, actions.

If you yourself cannot find another advantage in yourself, first turn to the closest people, those whom you trust and whose opinion is significant to you, and after a while - to a variety of people. They will help you find your strengths.

All that kind and good that they will say about you, include in the list "My virtues".

Two opposite accentuations, two polarities of behavior, and how they can negatively affect the whole life, being strongly pronounced (accentuated).

Performing simple exercises of the program of psycho-correction of character, you will be able to overcome the accentuation of character, and live not for it, but for yourself and your personal, career growth and success.
I wish you all mental health!

Character accentuations - these are extreme variants of the norm, in which certain character traits are excessively strengthened, as a result of which selective vulnerability is found in relation to a certain kind of psychogenic influences with good and even increased resistance to others.

In the classification of K. Leonhard, developed on the basis of a psychological analysis of personality, the following types of character accentuations are proposed: hyperthymic, dysthymic, emotive, anxious, introverted, excitable, demonstrative, unstable, affective-labile, pedantic, etc. (Leongard, 1981).

The types of character accentuations are very similar and partially coincide with the types of psychopathy. the most famous term was K. Leongard (1968) - “accentuated, personality”. However, it is more correct to speak of “character accentuations” [Lichko a. E., 1977]. Personality is a much more complex concept than character. It includes intellect, abilities, inclinations, outlook, etc. In the descriptions of K. Leonhard, we are talking about types of character. In addition, in countries with the German language, the term “accentuated personality” began to be used as a clinical diagnosis instead of the term “psychopathy”, which is legitimate, if we consider accentuations as extreme variants of the norm, the differences between character accentuations and psychopathy are based on the diagnostic criteria of P. B. Gannushkin ( 1933)

In general, character accentuations are extreme variants of the norm, in which certain character traits are excessively strengthened, as a result of which selective vulnerability is found in relation to a certain kind of psychogenic influences with good and even increased resistance to others.

Being extreme variants of the norm, character accentuations in themselves cannot be a clinical diagnosis. They are only a soil, a premorbid background, a predisposing factor for the development of psychogenic disorders (acute affective reactions, neuroses, situationally caused pathological behavioral disorders, psychopathic developments, reactive and endoreactive psychoses). In these cases, both selective sensitivity to a certain kind of psychogenic factors and the features of the clinical picture depend on the type of accentuation. in endogenous psychoses, some types of accentuations, apparently, can also play the role of a predisposing or risk-increasing factor

The types of accentuations, as already mentioned, are very similar and partially coincide with the types of psychopathy. The differences between character accentuations and psychopathy are based on diagnostic criteria developed in the works of P. B. Gannushkin (1998) and O. V. Kebrikov (1971). Usually accentuations develop during the formation of character and smooth out with the maturation of the individual. Character traits with accentuations may not appear constantly, but only in certain situations, in a certain situation, and are almost not found under normal conditions. Social maladaptation with accentuations is either completely absent or is short-lived.

As we have already discussed above, K. Leonhard identifies 12 main character accentuations: hyperthymic, dysthymic, cycloid, emotive, demonstrative, excitable, stuck, pedantic, anxious, exalted, introverted, extroverted. Consider the content characteristics of individual types of character accentuations, presented in the classification of Leonhard (1981).

Hyperthymic type

The main characteristics of this type of character accentuation are optimism, increased thirst for activity, and high activity in adolescents. With a mild accentuation, a teenager has such features as sociability, a stable, good mood, self-confidence, an active desire for activity, and organizational skills. With a pronounced accentuation of character according to the hyperthymic type, a teenager may manifest such maladaptive qualities as frivolity, underdevelopment of ethical norms and rules, irresponsibility, a tendency to gambling, escapes, early alcoholism and early sexual relations.

Adolescents belonging to the hyperthymic type, from childhood, are distinguished by great noisiness, sociability, excessive independence, even courage, and a tendency to mischief. They have neither shyness nor shyness in front of strangers, but they lack a sense of distance in relation to adults. In games, they like to command their peers. Educators complain about their restlessness. At school, despite good abilities, a lively mind, the ability to grasp everything on the fly, they study unevenly due to restlessness, distractibility, indiscipline. In adolescence, the main feature is almost always a good, even somewhat elated mood. It is combined with good health, often blooming appearance, high vitality and splashing energy, always a great appetite and a sound refreshing sleep. Only occasionally is the sunny mood overshadowed by Outbursts of irritation and anger caused by the opposition of others, their desire to suppress too violent energy, Subdue to their will. The reaction of emancipation has a strong effect on behavior: such adolescents early show independence and Independence.

On hyperprotection from parents and educators with its petty control, daily guardianship, instructions. And with moralizing, “studying” for minor misconduct at home and at meetings, they react extremely violently; do not tolerate strict discipline and a strictly regulated regime; in unusual situations they are not lost, they show resourcefulness, they know how to dodge and dodge. Representatives of this type treat the Rules and laws lightly, they can imperceptibly overlook the line between what is allowed and what is prohibited. They are always drawn to the company, they are burdened and do not tolerate loneliness, among their peers they strive for leadership, and not for the formal, but for the actual role of leader and ringleader; when sociability in the choice of acquaintances, they are illegible and can easily find themselves in a dubious company. They love risk and adventure.

Characterized by a good sense of the new. New people, places, objects vividly attract. Easily inspired, such teenagers often do not finish what they started, constantly change their “hobbies”; do not cope well with work that requires great perseverance, thoroughness, painstaking work; they do not differ in accuracy either in fulfilling promises or in money matters, they easily get into debt, they like to show off, brag; tend to see their future in iridescent colors. Failures can cause a violent reaction, but they are unable to unsettle for a long time: they are quick-witted, quickly put up and even make friends with those with whom they used to quarrel.

Sexual feeling often awakens early and is strong. Therefore, an early sexual life is possible. However, adolescent sexual deviance is fleeting; there is no tendency to fixation here.

Their abilities and capabilities are usually overestimated. Although hyperthymic adolescents are well aware of most of their character traits and do not hide them, they usually try to present themselves as more conforming than they really are.

The hyperthymic type occurs, as a rule, in the form of a clear accentuation. Against its background, acute affective reactions and situationally caused pathological behavioral disorders (early alcoholization, substance abuse behavior, emancipatory escapes, etc.) can occur. Hyperthymic accentuation can also be the basis for psychopathic developments in hyperthymic-unstable and hyperthymic-hysteroid types. Under the influence of repeated traumatic brain injuries, a hyperthymic-explosive type of psychopathy can form.

Dysthymic type of character accentuation .

This type is directly opposite to hyperthymic. Its representatives look at the world through "dark glasses", pessimistically. A serious attitude and responsibility for their actions prevails, they rejoice a little. Vital activity is weakened, thought is slowed down. They do not have the ability to communicate with others, they are taciturn in communication, in conversation they are limited to individual comments. There is a constantly lowered mood, sadness, isolation. In work activity, an adult with a similar accentuation is burdened by a noisy, large team, preferring to work alone, does not closely converge with colleagues.

Adolescents of this type of accentuation feel comfortable only among a small circle of close people who understand, accept and support them. Important for them is the presence of long-term, stable attachments.

Example: Vadim A. 16 years old. Studying in the 10th grade. Head of the class. He treats his duties very responsibly. With teachers and classmates, he is tactful, attentive, not selfish. The guys treat him well, considering him a smart and fair person. But he does not like his position, because he must command. He considers the lived, generally prosperous period of life as a chain of troubles and failures, he remembers the bad best of all .. He does not see a joyful personal prospect in the future. Parents consider him a whiner, a biryuk, they try to inspire him with optimism, to draw him into a cheerful company. But he strongly resists going to visit, sits there silently and aloofly. In his free time he prefers solitude: he reads books, works as a carpenter. However, he painfully experiences his isolation, considering it an anomaly. He loves symphonic music, fiction with a tragic plot, while rejecting operetta and comedy, considering them empty and uninteresting.

Anxious type.

The main feature of this type of accentuation is anxious suspiciousness, constant fear for oneself and one's loved ones. During childhood, they often have a symbiotic relationship with their mother or other relatives. Adolescents are afraid of new people (teachers, neighbors, etc.) They need warm, caring relationships. The confidence of a teenager that he will be supported, helped in an unexpected, non-standard situation, contributes to the development of his initiative, activity.

Such children are afraid of the dark, an empty apartment, animals, thunderstorms. Boys avoid the company of their peers, considering her rude. More time is spent among girls and younger children. Anxious children are afraid to get into conflict situations, but that is why they often find themselves in such situations: surrounding children, noticing their timidity, often offend them and even beat them. In order to correct this situation, they need to educate the will and courageous, courageous character, the ability to stand up for themselves, to repulse the offenders. The teacher, when such anxiety appears in children, should not address them too categorically and demandingly. It is necessary to switch their attention to a deep understanding of academic work, to encourage and inspire confidence in success.

Example: Fedya N. 13 years old. As a child, he was quiet. Entering the room in the evening, he turned on the light and examined the empty space under the bed, in the closet with apprehension, looking for a possible intruder. In communication, he showed timidity, humility, uncertainty and, to some extent, even humiliation. The increased excitability of the boy is also characteristic. He was mostly friends with girls his own age. The boys treated him like a scapegoat, openly made fun of his shortcomings. Several times he moved with his parents from city to city. It was difficult to adapt to the new school, all the time expecting a dirty trick and bullying from classmates. That's how it happened. I was afraid of strict teachers. To get rid of fear, he began to jump with a parachute and temper his will in other ways. Once he rebuffed the offenders, after which they did not touch him. Subsequently, he received recognition from the guys as a good draftsman.

In general, anxious children are characterized by a lowered background of mood, fear for themselves, loved ones, timidity, self-doubt, extreme indecision. He experiences failure for a long time, is unsure of his own actions.

Emotive type of accentuation.

Adolescents of this type are characterized by mood variability, depth of experience, increased sensitivity. Emotive people have a developed intuition, are sensitive to the assessment of others. They feel comfortable in the family circle, understanding and caring adults, constantly striving for confidential communication with significant adults and peers.

Since childhood, they are sensitive and soft-hearted. Sad events cause them very deep, unpleasant experiences. But their joyful emotions are also much stronger. These people have philanthropic feelings, they are very responsive. Emotive personalities are similar to exalted ones, but differ from them in the lesser extreme of their emotions and not in such a high speed of their occurrence. They are characterized primarily as sensitive and impressionable. The feelings of these people find a noticeable manifestation outside, especially in facial expressions.

Example: Yuri G. 15 years old. From childhood, he was distinguished by impressionability and pity. So, in the fifth grade, he found a sick sparrow and wanted to cure it, but he did not succeed, so he, shedding tears, buried him in the garden.

As a teenager, he was friends with guys who preferred walking in nature and reading to the rough entertainment of their peers. He recites poetry at school evenings, and this reading is often with tears in his eyes, although he is very ashamed of these tears.

Thus, the emotive type is characterized by excessive sensitivity, vulnerability, deep experience of the slightest troubles, they are overly sensitive to comments, failures, so they often have a sad mood.

Accentuations are overly pronounced character traits. Depending on the level of expression, two degrees of character accentuation are distinguished: explicit and hidden. Explicit accentuation refers to the extreme variants of the norm, it is distinguished by the constancy of the features of a certain type of character.

With hidden accentuation, the features of a certain type of character are weakly expressed or do not appear at all, but they can be clearly manifested under the influence of specific situations. Character accentuations can contribute to the development of psychogenic disorders, situationally caused pathological behavioral disorders, neuroses, psychoses.

However, it should be noted that character accentuation should by no means be identified with the concept of mental pathology.

There is no rigid boundary between conditionally normal, “average” people and accentuated personalities. Identification of accentuated personalities in a team is necessary to develop an individual approach to them, for professional orientation, to assign a certain range of duties to them, with which they are able to cope better than others (due to their psychological predisposition).

The main types of accentuation of characters and their combinations:

The hysteroid or demonstrative type, its main features are egocentrism, extreme selfishness, an insatiable thirst for attention, a need for veneration, approval and recognition of actions and personal abilities.

Hyperthymic type - a high degree of sociability, noisiness, mobility, excessive independence, a tendency to mischief.

Asthenoneurotic - increased fatigue during communication, irritability, a tendency to anxious fears for one's fate.

Psychosthenic - indecision, a tendency to endless reasoning, love of introspection, suspiciousness.

Schizoid - isolation, secrecy, detachment from what is happening around, inability to establish deep contacts with others, lack of sociability.

Sensitive - shyness, shyness, resentment, excessive sensitivity, impressionability, a sense of inferiority.

Epileptoid (excitable) - a tendency to recurring periods of dreary-evil mood with accumulating irritation and the search for an object on which to vent anger. Thoroughness, low speed of thinking, emotional inertness, pedantry and scrupulousness in personal life, conservatism.

Emotionally labile - an extremely changeable mood, fluctuating too sharply and often from insignificant reasons.

Infantile-dependent - people who constantly play the role of an "eternal child", avoid taking responsibility for their actions and prefer to delegate it to others.

Unstable type - a constant craving for entertainment, pleasure, idleness, idleness, lack of will in study, work and the performance of one's duties, weakness and cowardice.

character accentuation

Usually, when trying to evaluate or characterize a particular person, they talk about his character (from the Greek. charakter - printing, chasing). In psychology, the concept of "character" means a set of individual mental properties that develop in activity and manifest themselves in modes of activity and behavior typical for a given person.

The main feature of character as a mental phenomenon is that character is always manifested in activity, in relation to a person to the surrounding reality and people.

Character is a lifetime formation and can be trans-formed throughout life. The formation of character is closely connected with the thoughts, feelings and motives of a person. Therefore, as a certain way of life of a person is formed, his character is also formed. Therefore, lifestyle, social conditions and specific life circumstances play an important role in the formation of character.

The formation of character takes place in groups that are different in their characteristics and level of development (family, friendly company, class, sports team, work team, etc.). Depending on which group is the reference group for the individual and what values ​​this group supports and cultivates, a person develops appropriate character traits. Character traits are understood as the mental properties of a person that determine his behavior in typical circumstances.

There are many classifications of character traits. In the domestic psychological literature, two approaches are most often encountered. In one case, all character traits are associated with mental processes, and therefore volitional, emotional and intellectual traits are distinguished. At the same time, decisiveness, perseverance, self-control, independence, activity, organization, etc. are referred to volitional character traits. Impulsiveness, impressionability, ardor, inertia, indifference, responsiveness, etc. curiosity, etc.

In another case, character traits are considered in accordance with the orientation of the personality. Moreover, the content of the orientation of the personality is manifested in relation to people, activities, the surrounding world and oneself. For example, a person's attitude to the world around him can manifest itself either in the presence of certain beliefs, or in unscrupulousness. This category of traits characterizes the life orientation of the individual, i.e., its material and spiritual needs, interests, beliefs, ideals, etc. The orientation of the personality determines the goals, life plans of a person, the degree of his life activity. In the formed character, the leading component is the system of beliefs. Conviction determines the long-term direction of a person's behavior, his inflexibility in achieving his goals, confidence in the justice and importance of the work that he performs.

Another group of character traits are those that characterize a person's attitude to activity. This refers not only to the attitude of a person to a specific type of work performed, but also to activities in general.

In addition, a manifestation of a person's character is his attitude towards people. At the same time, such character traits as honesty, truthfulness, justice, sociability, politeness, sensitivity, responsiveness, etc.

No less indicative is the group of character traits that determine a person's attitude towards himself. From this point of view, people most often speak of egoism or altruism. The egoist always puts personal interests above the interests of other people. An altruist, on the other hand, puts the interests of other people above his own.

All personality traits of a person can be conditionally divided into motivational and instrumental. Motivational ones encourage and direct activity, while instrumental ones give it a certain style. However, when the goal is defined, the character acts more in its instrumental role, that is, it determines the means to achieve the goal.

It must also be emphasized that character is one of the main manifestations of personality. Therefore, personality traits may well be considered as character traits. Among such traits, firstly, it is necessary to include those personality traits that determine the choice of goals of activity (more or less difficult). Here, as certain characterological traits, rationality, prudence, or qualities opposite to them can appear. Secondly, the character structure includes traits that are manifested in actions aimed at achieving the set goals: perseverance, purposefulness, consistency, etc. In this case, the character approaches the will of a person. Thirdly, the composition of the character includes instrumental traits that are directly related to temperament, for example, extraversion - introversion, calmness - anxiety, restraint - impulsiveness, switchability - rigidity, etc.

The concept of "accentuation" was introduced into psychology by K. Leonhard. His concept of "accentuated personalities" was based on the assumption of the presence of basic and additional personality traits. There are much fewer main features, but they are the core of the personality, determine its development, adaptation and mental health. With a significant expression of the main features, they leave an imprint on the personality as a whole, and under adverse circumstances they can destroy the entire structure of the personality.

According to Leonhard, personality accentuations are primarily manifested in communication with other people. Therefore, evaluating communication styles, certain types of accentuations can be distinguished.

Later, the classification of characters based on the description of accentuations was proposed by A. E. Lichko. This classification is based on observations of adolescents. Accentuation of character, according to Lichko, is an excessive strengthening of individual character traits, in which deviations in human behavior that do not go beyond the norm, bordering on pathology, are observed. Such accentuations as temporary states of the psyche are most often observed in adolescence and early adolescence. Lichko explains this fact as follows: "Under the action of psychogenic factors that address the" place of least resistance ", temporary disturbances in adaptation, deviations in behavior may occur." When a child grows up, the features of his character that manifested themselves in childhood, while remaining quite pronounced, lose their sharpness, but over time they can again appear clearly (especially if a disease occurs).

The classification of character accentuations in adolescents, which was proposed by Lichko, is as follows:

1. Hyperthymic type. Adolescents of this type are distinguished by mobility, sociability, and a tendency to mischief. They always make a lot of noise in the events taking place around them, they love the restless companies of their peers. With good general abilities, they show restlessness, lack of discipline, and study unevenly. Their mood is always good and upbeat. With adults - parents and teachers - they often have conflicts. Such teenagers have many different hobbies, but these hobbies, as a rule, are superficial and pass quickly. Adolescents of the hyperthymic type often overestimate their abilities, are too self-confident, strive to show themselves, brag, and impress others.

2. Cycloid type. It is characterized by increased irritability and a tendency to apathy. Adolescents with an accentuation of this type of character prefer to be at home alone, instead of going somewhere with their peers. They are hard going through even minor troubles, they react extremely irritably to comments. Their mood periodically changes from elated to depressed (hence the name of this type). Periods of mood swings are approximately two to three weeks.

3. Labile type. This type is characterized by extreme variability of mood, and often it is unpredictable. The reasons for an unexpected change in mood can be the most insignificant, for example, someone accidentally dropped a word, someone's unfriendly look. All of them are capable of sinking into despondency and a gloomy mood in the absence of any serious annoyances and failures. The behavior of these teenagers largely depends on the momentary mood. The present and the future, according to the mood, can be perceived either in bright or in gloomy colors. Such teenagers, being in a depressed mood, are in dire need of help and support from those who can improve their mood, who can distract, cheer up. They well understand and feel the attitude towards them of the people around them.

4. Asthenoneurotic type. This type is characterized by increased suspiciousness and capriciousness, fatigue and irritability. Especially often fatigue is manifested during intellectual activity.

5. Sensitive type. He is characterized by increased sensitivity to everything: to what pleases, and to what upsets or frightens. These teenagers do not like big companies, outdoor games. They are usually shy and timid in front of strangers and therefore are often perceived by others as closed.

They are open and sociable only with those who are familiar to them; they prefer communication with children and adults to communication with peers. They are distinguished by obedience and show great affection for their parents. In adolescence, such adolescents may have difficulty adapting to the circle of peers, as well as an "inferiority complex". At the same time, a sense of duty is formed quite early in these same adolescents, and high moral demands are made on themselves and on those around them. What they lack in ability, they often make up for in challenging activities and increased diligence. These teenagers are choosy in finding friends and buddies for themselves, find great affection in friendship, adore friends who are older than them.

6. Psychasthenic type. Such adolescents are characterized by accelerated and early intellectual development, a tendency to reflection and reasoning, to introspection and evaluation of the behavior of other people. However, they are often stronger in words than in deeds. Their self-confidence is combined with indecision, and peremptory judgments with haste of actions taken just at those moments when caution and prudence are required.

7. Schizoid type. The most essential feature of this type is isolation. These teenagers are not very attracted to their peers, they prefer to be alone, to be in the company of adults. They often demonstrate outward indifference to the people around them, lack of interest in them, they poorly understand the state of other people, their experiences, they do not know how to sympathize. Their inner world is often filled with various fantasies, some special hobbies. In the external manifestations of their feelings, they are quite restrained, not always understandable to others, especially to their peers, who, as a rule, do not like them very much.

8. Epileptoid type. These teenagers often cry, harass others, especially in early childhood. Such children, as noted by Lichko, love to torture animals, tease the younger ones, and mock the helpless. In children's companies, they behave like dictators. Their typical features are cruelty, dominance, selfishness. In the group of children they control, such adolescents establish their own rigid, almost terrorist orders, and their personal power in such groups rests mainly on the voluntary obedience of other children or on fear. In the conditions of a tough disciplinary regime, they often feel at their best, try to please their superiors, achieve certain advantages over their peers, gain power, establish their dictate over others.

9. Hysteroid type. The main feature of this type is egocentrism, a thirst for constant attention to one's own person. Adolescents of this type often have a tendency to theatricality, posturing, and panache. Such children with great difficulty endure when in their presence someone praises their own comrade, when others are given more attention than themselves. For them, an urgent need is the desire to attract the attention of others, to listen to admiration and praise in their address. These adolescents are characterized by claims to an exclusive position among their peers, and in order to influence others, to attract their attention, they often act in groups as instigators and ringleaders. At the same time, being unable to become real leaders and organizers of the business, to gain informal authority for themselves, they often and quickly fail.

10. Unstable type. He is sometimes mischaracterized as the type of weak-willed, drifting person. Adolescents of this type show an increased inclination and craving for entertainment, and indiscriminately, as well as for idleness and idleness. They do not have any serious, including professional, interests, they almost do not think about their future at all.

11. Conformal type. Adolescents of this type demonstrate opportunistic, and often simply thoughtless, submission to any authorities, to the majority in the group. They are usually prone to moralizing and conservatism, and their main life credo is "to be like everyone else." This is a type of opportunist who, for the sake of his own interests, is ready to betray a comrade, to leave him at a difficult moment, but no matter what he does, he will always find a “moral” justification for his act, and often not even one.

Types of accentuation

Different researchers distinguish different accentuations. The classifications of K. Leonhard and A.E. Lichko, other classifications can be found in A.P. Egides, E.A. Nekrasova and V.V. Ponomarenko, N.I. Kozlov and other authors.

In his work Accentuated Personalities, Karl Leonhard singled out ten pure types and a number of intermediate ones. Pure types:

Demonstrative (self-confidence, vanity, boasting, lies, flattery, focus on one's own Self as a standard). An analogue of the hysteroid type according to Lichko;
Emotive (kindness of heart, fearfulness, compassion). - An analogue of the labile type according to Lichko;
Hyperthymic (desire for activity, pursuit of experiences, optimism, focus on good luck);
Dysthymic (lethargy, emphasizing ethical aspects, worries and fears, focus on failure);
Labile (mutual compensation of traits, focus on various standards);
Anxious (fearfulness, timidity, humility);
Exalted (inspiration, elevated feelings, erection of emotions into a cult). Analogue of the labile type according to Lichko;
Pedantic (indecision, conscientiousness, hypochondria, fear of inconsistency with ideals). An analogue of the psychasthenic type according to Lichko;
Stuck (suspiciousness, resentment, vanity, transition from rise to despair); - an analogue of Ixotim, Viscous character according to Kretschmer. Another analogy is an epileptoid;
Excitable (temper, heaviness, pedantry, focus on instincts). An analogue of the epileptoid type according to Lichko.

The other two types - the extraverted and introverted type, were described by K. Leonhard as intermediate types, since they no longer refer so much to character as to the personal level.

Karl Leonhard is primarily a psychiatrist, and his classification of types of accentuation is closest not to healthy people, but to psychiatric practice. A.E. Lichko described to a greater extent mentally safe people and younger people, namely adolescents and young men.

According to the classification of A.E. Lichko, the following types of character accentuations can be distinguished:

Hyperthymic type;
Cycloid type;
Labile type;
Astheno-neurotic type;
sensitive type;
Psychasthenic type;
schizoid type;
epileptoid type;
hysterical type;
Unstable type;
Conformal type.

The Lichko system found further development as a typology of characters or psychotypes. They are described in the books of A.P. Egides, E.A. Nekrasova and V.V. Ponomarenko. A.P. Egides described healthy people and adults, and in his classification are paranoid, epileptoid, hysteroid, hyperthym and schizoid. We emphasize once again that these psychotypes have nothing in common with such diseases as paranoia, epilepsy, hysteria and schizophrenia. We are talking about terms that define the normal "personality pattern".

Types of character accentuations describe not only the character itself, but also the personality. Personality is a broader concept than character, it includes intellect, abilities, worldview... See Personality and character. As in the case of psychopathy, different types can be combined, or mixed, in one person, although these combinations are not arbitrary.

Adolescent accentuations

The relative stability of character traits is a less accessible reference point for assessment at this age; the life path is still too short. Any abrupt changes in adolescence should be understood as unexpected transformations of character, sudden and radical changes in type. If a very cheerful, sociable, noisy, restless child suddenly turns into a gloomy, withdrawn, fenced-off teenager from everyone or a gentle, affectionate, very sensitive and emotional child becomes sophisticatedly cruel, coldly calculating, callous to close young men, then all this is more likely just does not meet the criterion of relative stability, and no matter how expressed psychopathic traits, these cases are often beyond the scope of psychopathy.

Usually accentuations develop during the formation of character and smooth out with growing up. Character traits with accentuations may not appear constantly, but only in certain situations, in a certain situation, and almost not be detected under normal conditions. Social maladaptation with accentuations is either completely absent or is short-lived.

Accentuations of character are extreme variants of the norm, in which certain character traits are excessively strengthened, as a result of which selective vulnerability is found in relation to a certain kind of psychogenic influences with good and even increased resistance to others.

Depending on the degree of severity, two degrees of character accentuation are distinguished: explicit and hidden.

obvious accentuation. This degree of accentuation refers to the extreme variants of the norm. It is distinguished by the presence of fairly constant traits of a certain type of character.

In adolescence, character traits are often sharpened, and under the influence of psychogenic factors that address the “place of least resistance”, temporary adaptation disorders and behavioral deviations may occur. When growing up, character traits remain quite pronounced, but they are compensated and usually do not interfere with adaptation.

hidden accent. This degree, apparently, should be attributed not to the extreme, but to the usual variants of the norm. In ordinary, habitual conditions, the features of a certain type of character are weakly expressed or do not appear at all. Even with prolonged observation, versatile contacts and detailed acquaintance with the biography, it is difficult to get a clear picture of a certain type of character. However, traits of this type can clearly, sometimes unexpectedly, come to light under the influence of those situations and mental traumas that place increased demands on the “place of least resistance”. Psychogenic factors of a different kind, even severe ones, not only do not cause mental disorders, but may not even reveal the type of character. If such features are revealed, this, as a rule, does not lead to noticeable social maladjustment ...

Accentuations according to Leonhard

Leohard distinguished the following types of accentuation of character, temperament, personality:

Demonstrative type. It is characterized by demonstrative behavior, liveliness, mobility, ease in establishing contacts, artistry. Prone to fantasy, posturing and pretense. It has an increased ability to repress, it can completely forget what it does not want to know about, which unchains it in a lie. Usually lies with an innocent face, because what he says, at the moment, is the truth for him; apparently, internally he is not aware of his lie, or he is aware without remorse. Lies, pretense are aimed at embellishing oneself. He is driven by a thirst for constant attention (even if negative) to his person. This type demonstrates high adaptability to people, emotional lability in the absence of really deep feelings, a tendency to intrigue (with an outwardly mild manner of communication).

Pedantic type. It is characterized by rigidity, inertness of mental processes, a long experience of traumatic events. Rarely enters into conflicts, at the same time it reacts strongly to any manifestations of a violation of order. Punctual, accurate, scrupulous, clean, conscientious. Assiduous, focused on high quality work and special accuracy, prone to frequent self-checks, doubts about the correctness of the work, formalism.

Stuck (affectively stagnant) type. This type is characterized by a high level of delay of affects - "gets stuck" on their feelings, thoughts, cannot forget insults, is inert in motor skills. Prone to protracted conflicts, clearly defines the circle of enemies and friends. Suspicious, vindictive. Shows great perseverance in achieving his goals.

Excitable type. This type is characterized by insufficient controllability, weakening of control over drives and impulses, increased impulsivity. This type is characterized by instinctiveness, anger, intolerance, and a tendency to conflict. There is low contact in communication, heaviness of actions, slowness of mental processes. Work and study are not attractive to him, he is indifferent to the future. Lives entirely in the present. Increased impulsivity is extinguished with difficulty and can be dangerous to others. Can be imperious, choosing the weakest for communication.

Hyperthymic type. High spirits are combined with a thirst for activity, increased talkativeness, a tendency to constantly deviate from the topic of conversation. It is characterized by great mobility, sociability, and the severity of non-verbal components of communication. Everywhere they make a lot of noise, they strive for leadership. They have a high vitality, good appetite and healthy sleep. Self-esteem is increased, they are characterized by insufficiently serious attitude to their duties.

It is difficult to endure the conditions of strict discipline, monotonous activity, forced loneliness.

Dysthymic type. Differs in seriousness, depression of mood, slowness, weakness of strong-willed efforts. They are characterized by a pessimistic attitude towards the future, low self-esteem, low contact, and reticence. Often gloomy, inhibited, tend to be fixed on the shady sides of life. Conscientious, have a heightened sense of justice.

Affectively labile type. These are people who are characterized by a change in hyperthymic and dysthymic states, sometimes without visible external causes.

exalted type. Representatives of this type are characterized by a high intensity of the rate of increase in reactions, their external intensity; react more violently than others, and are easily delighted with joyful events and despair with sad ones. Exaltation is most often motivated by subtle, altruistic urges. Attached to family and friends. Joy for them, for their good fortune can be extremely strong. To the depths of their souls, they can be captured by love for art, nature, experiences of a religious nature.

Anxious type. Representatives of this type are characterized by low contact, minor mood, fearfulness, self-doubt, touchiness. Anxious children are often afraid of the dark, animals, afraid to be alone. They shun active peers, feel a sense of timidity and shyness. Adult representatives of this type have a sense of duty and responsibility, high moral and ethical requirements. They are characterized by timidity, humility, inability to defend their position in a dispute.

Emotive type. It is characterized by sensitivity and deep reactions in the field of subtle emotions. This type is related to exalted, but its manifestations are not so violent. They are characterized by emotionality, sensitivity, empathy for people, responsiveness, kindness, impressionability. They rarely come into conflict, they carry grievances in themselves without splashing out. This type is characterized by a heightened sense of duty, diligence.

Extrovert type. It is characterized by an appeal to what comes from outside, the orientation of reactions to external stimuli. They are characterized by impulsive actions, the joy of communicating with people, the search for new experiences. Subject to other people's influence, their own opinions are not stable.

introverted type. Lives not so much with perceptions and sensations as with ideas. External events as such affect the life of such a person relatively little, much more important is what he thinks about them. If a reasonable degree of introversion contributes to the development of independent judgment, then a highly introverted person lives mostly in a world of unrealistic ideas. The favorite food for the thinking of introverts is the problems of religion, politics, philosophy. Unsociable, keeps aloof, communicates out of necessity, loves loneliness; immersed in himself, tells little about himself, does not reveal his experiences. Slow and indecisive in actions.

Accentuations according to Lichko

Leonhard's theory of accentuated personalities quickly proved its validity and usefulness. However, its use was limited by the age of the subjects - the questionnaire for determining accentuation is designed for adult subjects. Children and adolescents, having no relevant life experience, could not answer a number of test questions, so it turned out to be difficult to determine their accentuations.

The solution of this problem was taken up by the domestic psychiatrist Andrey Evgenievich Lichko. He modified the Leonhard test for determining accentuations in order to use it in childhood and adolescence, revised the descriptions of types of accentuation, changed the names for some of them and introduced new types. A.E. Lichko considered it more appropriate to study accentuations in adolescents, since most of them are formed before adolescence and are most clearly manifested during this period. He expanded the descriptions of accentuated characters with information about the manifestations of accentuations in children and adolescents, and the change in these manifestations as they grow up. Peru A.E. Lichko owns the fundamental monographs "Adolescent Psychiatry", "Psychopathies and Character Accentuations in Adolescents", "Adolescent Narcology".

A.E. Lichko was the first to suggest replacing the term “personality accentuations” with “character accentuations”, arguing that it is impossible to combine all the personal characteristics of a person with the definition of only accentuation. Personality is a much broader concept, including worldview, features of upbringing, education, and response to external events. The character, being an external reflection of the type of the nervous system, serves as a narrow characteristic of the characteristics of human behavior.

Accentuations of character according to Lichko are temporary changes in character that change or disappear in the process of growth and development of the child. However, many of them can turn into psychopathy or persist for life. The path of development of accentuation is determined by its severity, the social environment and the type (hidden or explicit) of accentuation.

Like Karl Leonhard, A.E. Lichko considered accentuations to be a variant of character deformation, in which some of its features become excessively pronounced. This increases the sensitivity of the individual to certain types of influences and makes it difficult to adapt in some cases. At the same time, in general, the ability to adapt remains at a high level, and with certain types of influences (which do not affect the “places of least resistance”), accentuated personalities cope more easily with ordinary ones.

A.E. Lichko considered accentuations as borderline states between the norm and psychopathy. Accordingly, their classification is based on the typology of psychopathy.

A. E. Lichko identified the following types of accentuations: hyperthymic, cycloid, sensitive, schizoid, hysteroid, conformal, psychasthenic, paranoid, unstable, emotionally labile, epileptoid.

Hyperthymic type

People with this accentuation are great tacticians and bad strategists. Resourceful, enterprising, active, easily oriented in rapidly changing situations. Thanks to this, they can quickly improve their official and social position. However, in a distant time, they often lose their position due to the inability to think through the consequences of their actions, participation in adventures and the wrong choice of comrades.

Active, sociable, enterprising, the mood is always good. Children of this type are mobile, restless, often play pranks. Inattentive and poorly disciplined, teenagers of this type learn in an unstable way. Often there are conflicts with adults. They have many superficial hobbies. They often overestimate themselves, strive to stand out, earn praise.

Cycloid type

Cycloid character accentuation according to Lichko is characterized by high irritability and apathy. Children prefer to be alone at home instead of playing with their peers. Hardly experiencing any troubles, irritated in response to comments. The mood changes from good, upbeat, to depressed with a frequency of several weeks.

When growing up, the manifestations of this accentuation usually smooth out, but in a number of individuals they may persist or get stuck for a long time in one stage, more often oppressed melancholy. Sometimes there is a connection of mood changes with the seasons.

sensitive type

It is highly sensitive to both joyful and frightening or sad events. Teenagers do not like active, outdoor games, they do not play pranks, they avoid big companies. They are timid and bashful with strangers, give the impression of being closed. With close friends can be good comrades. They prefer to communicate with people younger or older than them. Obedient, love parents.

Perhaps the development of an inferiority complex or difficulty with adaptation in a team. They make high moral demands on themselves and the team. They have a developed sense of responsibility. Assiduous, prefer complex activities. They are very careful in choosing friends, they prefer older ones.

Schizoid type

Adolescents of this type are closed, they prefer loneliness or the company of elders to communicate with their peers. Defiantly indifferent and not interested in communicating with other people. They do not understand the feelings, experiences, the state of others, do not show sympathy. They also prefer not to show their own feelings. Peers often do not understand them, and therefore are hostile to schizoids.

hysteroid type

Hysteroids are distinguished by a high need for attention to themselves, egocentrism. Demonstrative, artistic. They do not like it when in their presence they pay attention to someone else or praise others. There is a high need for admiration from others. Adolescents of the hysterical type tend to occupy an exceptional position among their peers, draw attention to themselves, and influence others. Often they become the initiators of various events. At the same time, hysteroids are unable to organize those around them, cannot become an informal leader, or earn authority from their peers.

Conmorphic type

Children and adolescents of the conformal type are distinguished by the lack of their own opinion, initiative, and criticality. They willingly submit to a group or authority. Their attitude to life can be characterized by the words "be like everyone else." At the same time, such teenagers are prone to moralizing and are very conservative. In order to protect their interests, representatives of this type are ready for the most unseemly acts, and all these acts find an explanation and justification in the eyes of a conforming personality.

Psychasthenic type

Adolescents of this type are characterized by a tendency to reflection, introspection, evaluation of the behavior of others. Their intellectual development is ahead of their peers. Their indecisiveness is combined with self-confidence, judgments and views are categorical. In moments when special care and attention are needed, they are prone to impulsive actions. With age, this type changes little. Often they have obsessions that serve as a means of overcoming anxiety. It is also possible to use alcohol or drugs. In relationships, they are petty and despotic, which interferes with normal communication.

paranoid type

The types of character accentuation according to Lichko do not always include this variant of accentuation due to its late development. The main manifestations of the paranoid type appear by the age of 30-40. In childhood and adolescence, such individuals are characterized by epileptoid or schizoid accentuation. Their main feature is an overestimation of their personality, and, accordingly, the presence of overvalued ideas about their exclusivity. These ideas differ from delusional ones in that they are perceived by others as real, albeit exaggerated.

Unstable type

Adolescents show an increased craving for entertainment, idleness. There are no interests, life goals, they do not care about the future. Often they are characterized as "going with the flow".

Emotionally labile type

Children are unpredictable, with frequent and violent mood swings. The reasons for these differences are minor trifles (an oblique look or an unfriendly phrase). During periods of bad mood, they require the support of loved ones. They feel good about themselves around them.

epileptoid type

At an early age, such children are often whiny. In the older one, they offend the younger ones, torture animals, mock those who cannot fight back. They are characterized by dominance, cruelty, pride. In the company of other children, they strive to be not just the main, but the ruler. The groups they govern are brutal, autocratic. However, their power rests to a large extent on the voluntary submission of other children. They prefer the conditions of strict discipline, they know how to please the leadership, to seize prestigious positions that make it possible to exercise power, to establish their own rules.

Diagnosis of accentuations

The most modern method for diagnosing accentuation is the Lichko questionnaire. It is called MPDO (Modified Pathocharacterological Diagnostic Questionnaire) and consists of 143 statements. The questionnaire is a modification of Lichko's methodology for identifying character accentuations; Initially, the technique was used in clinical practice, and the examination procedure was a complex time-consuming process (from half an hour to an hour and a half - for the examination of one subject). The questionnaire is a lightweight form of the methodology; when filling out the questionnaire, the subject is asked to mark the most appropriate out of 143 statements. Each of the statements corresponds to a particular type of accentuation. Subsequently, based on the answers, a graph is built that reveals which of the types of accentuation is the main one and which are additional.

Using the Lichko questionnaire, it should be remembered that its main task is to identify accentuations in adolescents. The application of this technique to adults is obviously incorrect and can hardly claim reliable results.

Special attention deserves such a concept as "the place of least resistance." It represents a weak point that is present in every type of character accentuation. Hidden accentuation, which does not manifest itself continuously, very clearly makes itself felt when a person finds himself in situations that actualize the “place of least resistance” in character.

For example, the place of least resistance for the unstable type will be the need to perform routine painstaking work for an extended period of time. It is at such moments that accentuations appear brightly, and according to the picture of manifestations, they can even look like a pathology of character.

In general, we can say that accentuation is a double-edged sword, this phenomenon has both its positive and its negative sides. In fact, a person with an accentuation of character has pronounced abilities in some areas at the expense of vulnerability in others.

Schizoid accentuation

How to recognize a schizoid-accented person? Such people, first of all, are distinguished by a lack of desire and inability to communicate with others. People with this character simply do not feel the need for social contacts, they prefer loneliness, fence themselves off from the outside world, withdraw into themselves. Their behavior and personality traits are full of contradictions. The rich inner world of such people is not outwardly manifested in any way; with rational thinking, illogical behavior can be detected. The schizoid is able to simultaneously show unreasonable antipathy and excessive affection, tactlessness and shyness, importunity and unsociableness, perseverance and apathy. Emotionally, such people, against the background of external coldness, may show increased sensitivity, stubbornness is often combined with pliability. An important characteristic feature of schizoid accentuation is the lack of intuition, the ability to use unconscious experience. Such people are not able to empathize, feel the mood of other people and the attitude of others around them. There are two subtypes of schizoid accentuation.

sensitive type

These are people with a very fragile inner world, with painful sensitivity. They do not tolerate criticism in their address, a rude attitude, they remember for a long time and replay insults in their heads. Such people are extremely wary of the world around them, therefore they have a limited circle of attachments. They are distinguished by painful pride, daydreaming, they are acutely experiencing their own misdeeds and failures. This type of people is characterized by limiting the number of daily duties, a conscientious and thorough attitude to work. Sensitive schizoids quickly get out of balance under the influence of external factors. At the same time, they are even more fenced off from the surrounding reality, they show distrust, a depressed mood, and become lethargic.

Expansive type

It is difficult for an expansive schizoid to win the sympathy of others, these are people with a bad temper, cruel, heartless, incapable of empathy, absolutely indifferent to the lives of other people. This type of person in a relationship shows coldness, determination, demanding adherence to principles, behaves dryly, officially. He does not particularly consider the opinions of others, is not inclined to hesitate and doubt when making decisions. However, under the mask of arrogance lies self-doubt, dissatisfaction and vulnerability. In critical situations, people of the expansive-schizoid type are prone to impulsive actions, angry outbursts, violent behavior, sometimes even to the manifestation of delusional experiences. In communication, such a person often falls into lengthy discussions, interferes in other people's business, gives advice to the left and right, as he does not feel the boundaries of morality well and always puts his “I” in the foreground. The extreme degree of expansive schizoidness is manifested by despotic inclinations.

This type was described under different names: "emotionally labile", "reactively labile", or "emotively labile" [Gannushkin P. B., 1933], "emotive", "overactive". In the systematics of psychopathy in children, given by G. E. Sukhareva (1959), this type is absent, however, in the described picture of “general” or “harmonious” infantilism, almost all the signs characteristic of the labile type are contained. At the same time, it is added that with age, “childish infantilism” can smooth out, but “reactive lability” remains. As you know, the problem of the relationship between infantilism and psychopathy has long attracted attention [Buyanov M.I., 1971]. We consider the most rational point of view on infantilism, including general (harmonious), as the basis on which different types of psychopathy [Kovalev VV, 1973]. In childhood, labile adolescents, as a rule, do not particularly stand out among their peers. Only a few show a tendency to neurotic reactions. However, in almost everyone in childhood, a chain of infectious diseases caused by opportunistic flora can be traced. Continuous "colds", frequent tonsillitis, chronic pneumonia, rheumatism, pyelocystitis, cholecystitis and other diseases occur, although not in severe forms, but they tend to take a protracted and recurrent course. It is possible that the factor of "somatic infantilization" plays a significant role in many cases of the formation of a labile type. The main feature of the labile type is the extreme variability of mood. This is its essential difference from the type of "unstable" similar in name, where the main defect falls on the volitional sphere, where instability concerns behavior, actions. As you know, mood volatility is generally inherent in adolescents. To some extent, almost all of them are endowed with emotional lability. Therefore, the diagnosis of this type in adolescence is a difficult, but still feasible task. We can talk about the formation of a labile type when the mood changes too often and too abruptly, and the reasons for these radical changes are negligible. An unflattering word spoken by someone, an unfriendly glance of a casual interlocutor, an inopportune rain, a button torn off a suit can plunge you into a dull and gloomy mood in the absence of any serious troubles and failures. At the same time, a pleasant conversation, interesting news, a fleeting compliment, a well-fitted suit, heard from someone, although unrealistic, but tempting prospects can cheer you up, even distract from real troubles, until they again remind you of something about yourself. When talking with a psychiatrist, during frank and exciting conversations, when you have to touch on various aspects of life, for half an hour you can see tears ready to well up more than once and soon a joyful smile. The mood is characterized not only by frequent and abrupt changes, but also by their significant depth. The state of health, and sleep, and appetite, and ability to work, and the desire to be alone or only with a loved one, or to rush into a noisy society, into a company, into people depend on the mood of a given moment. According to the mood, the attitude towards one's future also changes - it is either colored with the most iridescent colors, or it seems gray and dull. And the past either appears as a chain of pleasant memories, or it seems entirely consisting of failures, mistakes and injustices. The same environment, the same people are perceived either as cute, interesting and attractive, or as boring, boring and ugly, endowed with all sorts of shortcomings. An unmotivated change of mood sometimes gives the impression of superficiality and frivolity. In fact, adolescents of this type are capable of deep feelings, of great and sincere affection. This primarily affects their attitude towards relatives and friends, but only to those from whom they themselves feel love, care and participation. Attachment to them persists, despite the ease and frequency of fleeting quarrels. Loyal friendship is no less characteristic of labile teenagers. In a friend, they unconsciously look for a psychotherapist. They are looking for friendship with someone who, in moments of sadness and discontent, is able to distract, console, tell something interesting, cheer up, convince that “everything is not so scary”, but at the same time, in moments of emotional upsurge, be able to respond to joy and fun to satisfy the need for empathy. Labile adolescents are very sensitive to all kinds of signs of attention, gratitude, praise and encouragement - all this gives them sincere joy, but does not at all induce arrogance or conceit. Reproaches, condemnations, reprimands, lectures are deeply experienced and can plunge into hopeless despondency. Labile adolescents endure real troubles, losses, and misfortunes extremely hard, showing a tendency to acute affective reactions, reactive depressions, and severe neurotic breakdowns. The reaction of emancipation is expressed very moderately. They feel good in the family if they feel love, warmth and comfort there. Emancipatory activity manifests itself in short bursts due to mood swings, which are usually interpreted by adults as simple stubbornness or whims. However, the reaction of emancipation becomes more pronounced and stable if it is fueled by an unfavorable family situation; labile adolescents often want to break out of such a family. The craving for grouping with peers is also subject to mood changes: in good times, labile adolescents seek company, in bad times they avoid communication. In a group of peers, they do not pretend to be the leader, but are more looking for emotional contacts. They are willingly content with the position of a pet and a darling, who is guarded and protected by more wall-like friends. The hobby reaction is usually limited to the types of hobbies that we have designated as informative-communicative and egocentric (see Chapter II). They are alien to the intoxicating excitement of games, and the scrupulous meticulousness of collecting, and the persistent improvement of strength, dexterity, skills, and the height of refined intellectual and aesthetic pleasures. Moreover, they do not claim leadership anywhere. Communication with comrades, amateur art, and even some pets (especially attractive own dog) belong to the kind of hobbies that give a slight outflow of emotional energy that fills in moments of mood swings. None of the hobbies last long and are soon replaced by others. Sexual activity is usually limited to flirting and courtship, and attraction remains undifferentiated, as a result of which deviation into the path of transient adolescent homosexuality is possible (see chapter III.) But excessive sexual excesses are always avoided. Self-esteem is sincere. Labile teenagers are well aware of the peculiarities of their character, they know that they are “mood people” and that everything depends on their mood. Being aware of the weaknesses of their nature, they do not try to hide or obscure anything, but, as it were, offer others to accept them as they are. In the way others treat them, they discover good intuition - immediately at the first contact they feel who is disposed towards them, who is indifferent, and in whom there is at least a drop of hostility or hostility. The reciprocal attitude arises immediately and without attempts to conceal it. The severity of emotional lability in adolescence usually does not exceed the level of explicit accentuation. Psychopathies are relatively rare. The "weak point" of this type is the rejection by emotionally significant persons, the loss of loved ones, forced separation from them. This type of accentuation is often combined with autonomic lability and a tendency to allergic reactions. Labile accentuation can serve as a breeding ground for acute affective reactions (usually impunity or intrapunitive), neurosis, especially neurasthenia, reactive depression, and for psychopathic development, often of the labile-hysteroid type. It is only in these cases that labile adolescents come under the supervision of a psychiatrist. The focus of attention is on the violations that have arisen and the mental trauma that caused them, and the character traits that make such breakdowns easy often remain in the shadows. That is why, it seems to us, the “emotionally labile type” of Schneider-Gannushkin has not gained popularity as a working term in psychiatric practice, despite the vividness of the descriptions and the frequency with which this r type occurs. Sergey G., 14 years old. As a child, he suffered from “colds” a lot, since his school years he has been suffering from chronic cholecystitis. He grew up cheerful, sociable, but very touchy. The mother has a severe kidney disease, she often and for a long time lay in hospitals. He was brought up by his father, who played with him, fed and clothed him. I went to school willingly, studied well until the age of 11. When he was 11 years old, his father died. After his death, for several months he was extremely lethargic, did not play, did nothing, after school all the days he sat at home alone and waited for his mother to return from work. He complained of a headache, poor sleep, "eyelid twitching." That same year, teachers changed at the school. The new class teacher considered him a lazy person, convinced other teachers of this, and scolded him in front of the whole class. He was very worried about his failures and reprimands from teachers. He began to run away from lessons, one wandered around the city. At home, he reacted to his mother's reproaches with tears, left the house, sat alone on the stairs. Leyu spent the past in a sanatorium. He remembers him very warmly, he was disciplined there, calmly treated the remarks of his elders. At the beginning of the new school year at school, one high school student, passing by him, suddenly spat in his face. In anger, having contrived, he pushed him down the stairs. In response to the punishment, he categorically refused to go to school and was rude to teachers. At home, in response to his mother's reproaches, he had a violent emotional outburst, ran away from home, spent the night somewhere in the front door. At first, he reacted to the placement in a children's psychiatric hospital with incessant crying. But then, feeling a warm attitude towards him, he calmed down. He began to study at the school at the hospital, made friends with disciplined boys. During a conversation, depending on the content of the conversation, it easily switches from sadness to a smile and vice versa. At the mention of his father, who died three years ago, he immediately burst into tears, but quickly succumbed to consolation. He said that in the mornings on some days he gets up cheerful and cheerful, on other days he feels lethargic and bored in the morning. Complains of headaches, especially after conflicts at school. If something unpleasant happens during the day, he cannot sleep for a long time in the evening. He loves to study, especially drawing and English - teachers in these subjects treat him warmly. He agreed that he behaved incorrectly at school and at home. He wants to continue his studies at his former school, despite former conflicts with teachers. He explains this by the fact that he is used to his comrades. He is attached to his mother, treats her very tenderly. Survey using PDO. The labile type was diagnosed on the objective assessment scale. No signs indicating the possibility of psychopathy were found. Moderate conformity. The reaction of emancipation, the tendency to delinquency and alcoholism are not expressed. According to the scale of subjective assessment, self-esteem is insufficient: neither recognized nor rejected traits of any type stand out. Diagnosis. Protracted reactive depression against the background of a clear accentuation of the labile type. Follow-up after 3 years. Healthy. Continues his studies. Still very emotional. In psychopathy of this type, emotional lability itself can reach such a degree that it turns into affective explosiveness. However, more often the core of emotional lability is overlaid with traits of another type—hysterical, sensitive, unstable. Labile-affective psychopathy. This type of psychopathy is usually considered in the collective group of excitable psychopathy. Although affective outbursts arise for an insignificant reason, they are quickly exhausted. Anger is easily replaced by tears. In affect, there is no tendency to rude aggression towards others. Usually the affect is limited to violent emotional manifestations, sometimes there are reactions of an auto-aggressive type. A constant change of mood leads to extreme restlessness, lack of concentration, distractibility, and a rapid change of interests. Studying suffers from all this, there are constant conflicts both with elders and with peers. Usually there is no correctness of self-assessment inherent in labile accentuation, there is no criticism of one's behavior. Alexander M., 15 years old. He grew up without a father in a friendly family with his mother, aunt and grandmother. As a child, he often suffered from “colds”, and was distinguished by “nervousness”. From the first school years, with quite satisfactory abilities, he studied with difficulty, was restless, absent-minded, quickly got bored of everything. He reacted to remarks with violent affective outbursts, shouting,; he began to play the role of a jester, made faces, made the guys laugh. Easily fell under the influence of his comrades, played naughty, but avoided participating in fights. He was fond of playing the piano, then the guitar, tried to play tennis, hockey - at first he warmly took on everything, but quickly abandoned it. Most of all he likes to “walk with the guys”, wanders the streets until late at night. For noisy night walks, he was repeatedly detained by the police. Has no close friend, loves company. He does not drink wine - he is afraid of vomiting After several conflicts with teachers, he left school, did nothing, "walked", exchanged chewing gum with foreigners for badges. Once in a psychiatric hospital, at first he was frightened, but quickly calmed down and got used to it, became mobile, fussy, distracted, prone to affective outbursts at the slightest provocation Very afraid of injections - at the sight of a syringe he fainted During the conversation, he discovered pronounced emotional lability - for half an hour several once the mood changed. He is attached to his mother, he is not burdened by her guardianship. Criticism of his behavior is extremely superficial - he easily agrees with the accusations, makes promises to improve and immediately forgets these promises He does not think about his future I would like to work as a postman - I like to walk the streets. Tall, but graceful physique, feminine, has a high timbre of voice, a somewhat childish facial expression, but sexual development by age. Neurological examination and EEG showed no abnormalities. Examination with the help of PDO According to the scale of objective assessment, a more labile type was diagnosed. Signs indicating the possibility of psychopathy have not been established. Moderate conformity, weak emancipation reaction. Psychological inclination to delinquency and alcoholism was not revealed. According to the scale of subjective assessment, self-esteem is insufficient: neither traits of any type, nor the most rejected traits were identified. Diagnosis: Psychopathy of moderate degree of labile-affective type. Labile-hysteroid type. It can be observed within the framework of both psychopathy and character accentuations. Psychopathy of this type can be either constitutional, that is, an endogenous combination of two types, or a consequence of psychopathic development during the upbringing of a labile teenager in a system of indulgent hyperprotection (see Chapter V). Hysterical egocentrism here turns into a more selfish demand for boundless love for oneself and cares on the part of emotionally significant persons than a thirst to attract the eyes of the entire environment. Fantasies are usually devoid of an intoxicatingly adventurous vein. They have a more romantic coloring, they are rather idyllic dreams of the fulfillment of hopes, of serene happiness and bliss. There is no intention by their inventions to show the exclusivity of their person. Nevertheless, under the influence of mental trauma, especially when rejected by emotionally significant persons, and in difficult situations, acute affective reactions and reactive states acquire a distinct hysterical coloration. Vladimir B., 15 years old Since childhood, mobile, restless, quick-tempered In the early years, repeated pneumonia Then he grew up physically healthy When he was 7 years old, his father left the family. He experienced it hard. At the age of 10, he began to protest violently when his stepfather appeared in the family, he quarreled with him over the slightest trifle, his mother was jealous of him. In response to punishment from his mother, he began to run away from home. He arranged the shoots in such a way that they would look for him and return him. For example, when he was leaving for another city to visit his aunt, he previously “secretly” told about his intention to a peer from a neighboring apartment in the hope that he would tell his mother. When his mother did not come for him for a long time, he himself gave her a telegram on behalf of his aunt. Another time, he defiantly went to look for his own father, who showed no interest in him. During the escapes, he never spent the night either in the front doors or in the basements - he was afraid of rats. When on his birthday he didn’t receive a gift from his mother as punishment, he opened the piggy bank without asking and bought himself carrier pigeons for 25 rubles. He began to spend time in street companies, but at the same time he did not smoke, he refused to drink wine. His mother placed him in a boarding school - he was offended by her for this. He also escaped from the boarding school. Then he became friends there with one fellow practitioner, he became very attached to him. He was the leader among the pupils, and he enjoyed his patronage. Jealous of his other comrades. When he defiantly “betrayed” him, he ran away from the boarding school, leaving him, after his return, in front of his comrades, he played an attempt at self-hanging, but easily allowed himself to be restrained. In the teenage department of a psychiatric hospital, he quickly got used to it. He tried to claim leadership, but failed to gain authority even among the younger and weaker ones. In the conversation, I found great emotional lability. He blushed easily, depending on the topic of conversation, a dull expression on his face and a cheerful smile quickly replaced each other. Willingly talked, looking for contact. He spoke with restraint about his stepfather, about his mother - without hiding his resentment. When asked about a friend, he became very agitated, tried to get away from this topic, quietly muttered: “I have already told everything.” Then he admitted that they were connected with a friend by a “terrible oath”, the essence of which he refused to tell, but added that the friend had violated this oath and his comrades mocked him. He condemned the attempt to hang himself as a stupid act, but refused to recognize its demonstrative nature. He assured me that he was ready to die. With a pronounced acceleration of physical and sexual development, he discovers children's interests - he loves fairy tales, games, a childish facial expression is preserved. Survey using PDO. The labile type was diagnosed on the objective assessment scale. There were no signs of possible psychopathy. Conformity and reaction of emancipation are moderate. Tendencies to delinquency and alcoholism were not found. According to the scale of subjective assessment, self-esteem is insufficient: neither features of any type, nor reliably rejected features have been established. Diagnosis. Psychopathy of a moderate degree of a labile-hysteroid type. Follow-up after 2 years. For complicity in theft, he was sent to a special school for difficult teenagers. Labile-unstable type. As a rule, it occurs against the background of labile accentuation due to upbringing that combines emotional rejection with hypoprotection. Often reaches psychopathic development. Outwardly, there is a “syndrome of unstable behavior” - a resemblance to psychopathy of an unstable type due to delinquency, running away from home, etc. However, such adolescents are distinguished from unstable psychopathy not only by great emotionality, but also by the ability to warm attachments and the desire to avoid all sorts of excesses - and delinquent, and alcoholic, and sexual. Pavel 3., 16 years old Father suffers from epilepsy and alcoholism, mother suffers from severe polyarthritis and is disabled. He grew up in a large family as the eldest of five children. From childhood to the present he suffers from nocturnal enuresis. Until the age of 11, he did not differ from his peers, he was very attached to his mother. It was difficult for him to experience scandals in the family. Studied mediocre. From the age of 11, due to scandals at home, he reached out into the street, fell under the influence of an asocial company of teenagers, began to smoke, occasionally drink, at the instigation of his friends, he stole money at school from a teacher. He was sent to a special school for the difficult. There he began to be severely persecuted by fellow practitioners. Made an escape. Returned to a special school, began to threaten suicide. In the teenage psychiatric clinic, at first he was tense, embittered, suspicious. Later, he gave a violent emotional reaction to a warm and affectionate attitude - he burst into tears, confessed to misconduct that were not previously known: under the influence of his street company, he stole from his pockets, climbed into abandoned cars and unscrewed what they ordered, stole bicycles. He kept to this company because he was “his own” there and he was protected from other hooligans. During conversations, he found pronounced emotional reactions, depending on the memories, he easily moved from tears to a smile, from anger to tears. Interests - children, loves games, fairy tales In the clinic, he did not break the regimen, reached out to the elders, sought empathy On examination - pronounced physical infantilism, height 154 cm body weight 40 kg (lower limit of the age norm 167 cm, 53 kg) first pubertal phase, childish facial expression. Neurological examination showed no abnormalities. Survey using PDO. According to the scale of objective assessment, the type "labile cycloid" was diagnosed. There are signs that indicate the likelihood of psychopathy. Increased frankness in assessing character traits and personal relationships was noted. Conformity and reaction of emancipation are moderate. A psychological tendency to delinquency has been established. Attitude towards alcoholization is indefinite According to the scale of subjective assessment, self-assessment is incorrect: conformal traits are reliably distinguished, traits of an unstable type are rejected, ambivalence in relation to sensitive traits is noted Diagnosis. Protracted reactive state (delinquent equivalent) against the background of psychophysical infantilism and psychopathic development of a labile-unstable type. Catamnesis in six months. He was released from training in a special school and placed in a regular boarding school, where the labile-sensitive type continues to study. It can be both an endogenous combination of both types, and a consequence of psychopathic development from a labile accentuation in conditions of upbringing according to the type of emotional rejection, and especially in the position of "Cinderella". at a reminder of former troubles, but with a quick succumbing to consolation and reassurance. The rest is dominated by sensitive traits. Pavel P., 15 years old. He grew up without a father, lives with his mother and older sister. Since childhood, he was sensitive, impressionable, touchy, easily upset, but succumbed to consolation and persuasion. Very attached to mother. He went to school reluctantly - he studied averagely, the guys teased him, called him a "girl". He experienced even minor troubles hard: for example, at the age of 10 he accidentally broke his mother’s favorite vase - he cried for three days. At the age of 12, he fell ill with acute appendicitis and was hospitalized, in the hospital he cried all the time - he could not bear the separation from his mother. Six months ago, having been ill for a week, he came to school without a certificate from the clinic, but only with a note from his mother. A new teacher appeared in the class, who became their class teacher. In front of all the fellow practitioners, she called him a "truant" and a "simulator", the guys began to mock him. He burst into tears in front of everyone, ran away from school, dropped out of school, refused to go to final exams. His mother took him to a pioneer camp for the summer, where she worked herself. He almost did not communicate with his peers there, did not leave his mother, played only with the kids. He hoped that in the fall he would be allowed to take exams - he wanted to answer alone, and not in front of the whole class. But unexpectedly for him, he was left for the second year. Then he flatly refused to go to school, considering repetition as a shame. Sydnam sat at home, played with the dog, read books, became interested in studying the brands of cars and types of ships - he talks about them competently. He did not go out into the street - he was afraid of meeting with the guys he knew and their questions. When the mother returned from work, he joyfully met her, did not leave her side. In connection with the refusal to go out into the street, to go to school, the mother turned to a psychiatrist for advice. During a conversation with him, he was closed, gloomy, wept, without revealing the reasons for the tears. He was sent for examination to a teenage psychiatric clinic. Here, having met the warm and caring attitude of the staff, he quickly got used to it. He began to enjoy the patronage of a more sthenic teenager, almost did not leave him. During the conversation, he is very worried, when asked about unpleasant events, tears begin to flow in a hail. But it is easy to be comforted. Having entered into contact, he frankly spoke about his school failures. After several psychotherapeutic conversations, he agreed to go to another school. Marked psychophysical infantilism. Childish facial expression. Sexual development corresponds to 12-13 years of age. Vegetative lability. Neurological examination and EEG showed no abnormalities. Survey using PDO. According to the objective assessment scale, a pronounced sensitive-labile type was diagnosed. There are signs indicating the possibility of the formation of a sensitive type of psychopathy. Medium conformity, moderate emancipation reaction. No tendency to delinquency was found, there is a pronounced negative attitude towards alcoholism, which is characteristic of sensitive adolescents. According to the scale of subjective assessment, self-esteem is good: traits of sensitive and labile types stand out, hyperthymic traits are reliably rejected (a sign of a tendency to subdepressive states). Diagnosis. Psychopathy of a pronounced degree of labile-sensitive type against the background of psychophysical infantilism. Catamnesis in a year. I couldn't study in a regular school. He graduated from the 8th grade of an evening school, which he attended irregularly, but managed to do it while studying at home. It should be emphasized that the labile-affective type occurs only in the form of psychopathy - this is, in fact, an extreme sharpening of the labile type. The last three varieties (labile-hysteroid, labile-unstable, labile-sensitive types) are found not only in psychopathy, but also as character accentuations and are even more often observed as the latter. In the general population of adolescents, the labile type of character accentuation occurs in 8% of male adolescents (see Table 3) and 12% of female adolescents [Patocharacterological research.., 1981].