The child comes into this world already unique, with a set of typological and genetic features inherent only to him, and in the process of socialization becomes a personality with an individuality, which, according to the Russian psychologist A.G. Asmolov must be defended in society.

What is individuality?

Humanity as a species, as a whole, has many unifying characteristic features: gender, race, eye and hair color, etc., but there are parameters that distinguish a particular person and are fully manifested in the process of socialization of the individual. Individuality (from lat. individual- individual) is distinctive features each person manifesting themselves in uniqueness and originality:

• mental processes;
• temperament
• thinking;
• appearance;
• patterns of behavior;
• personal interests.

Individuality in sociology

The personality of a person is an integral link in the development of society as a whole. The social structure, with its norms and rules, has a direct impact on the formation of the individual and unites people as carriers of this society. The manifestation of individuality in sociology can be expressed by variations in life strategies in the course of self-realization - they are different for everyone due to the experience gained.

Individuality in psychology

Scientific psychology divides the development of a person into certain stages, during which a person acquires certain neoplasms (abilities, skills,). From childhood, going through crises (1, 3 and seven years old), the child learns many vital things, and reveals the first talents. Individuality is - in psychology, three integrated forms of development:

• ontogeny - the individual development of the organism;
• disclosure of personal properties -;
• formation of professional realization and competence.

Modern psychology considers the individuality of a person as a complex multidimensional system with its inherent laws. The most important indicator of the successful manifestation of individuality is the creative energy of the individual, which is based on a creative basis. The formed individuality can be tracked by the contribution (spiritual, material) that a person makes to social development.

Signs of individuality

A person is born with his own tasks, aspirations and mission. Environment, starting with the parental family and ending with society, introduces its own restrictions in the form of prohibitions, norms, attitudes and traditions. As an element of society, people carry these correspondences in themselves and are similar in this. Then how is the formation of the uniqueness of the individual? The concept of individuality has many levels, the integrity of which can only be measured with the help of mathematical statistics. Factor personality includes signs:

• features of the cognitive sphere (non-trivial thinking, imagination, memory);
• extraordinary abilities;
• the rich "inner" world of a person, which is formed in the course of personality development;
• intrinsic value;
• integration and activity in society: the establishment of unique interpersonal relationships that are peculiar only to a particular person;
• creativity arising from the personal unique perception of the world;
• self-realization through personal contribution to culture and spiritual development cities, countries, world;

Is individuality good or bad?

People are used to dividing things, events, phenomena into "black" and "white". Everything has its polarity. The qualities that characterize a person can be in excess, becoming sharply negative by the standards of society, and a person's individuality is no exception. Individual style the artist and the individual "handwriting" of the criminal are colored with different shades of moral attitude. Individuality, turning into eccentricity, causes people, at least, bewilderment.

Does the collective suppress individuality?

Human individuality at a certain stage of the path needs a group where it can flourish and be realized. A person begins to grow professionally, to excel in the results of activities or in the quality of work of the "middle peasants" of the team - a conflict is formed between the group and the individual. A pronounced individuality irritates the rest of the team members, who are mediocre in their duties. Another development of the scenario takes place in creative teams, where the individuality of the individual is only welcome.

What is the difference between an individual and an individual?

The concepts of individuality and the individual are in the same row in relation to the descriptive characteristics of people. The individual is the first definition that can be attributed to born human, is used as a biological term. highlights the differences between seemingly similar concepts:

Individual (lat. - whole, indivisible):

• an individual, a member of society.
• a broader definition that includes a given given by nature - a set of genes, phenotypic features, gender, age, physique.

Individuality:

• a unique set of qualities of a particular individual.
• develops over time: a life-long path of a person with stages of personality formation, self-determination, awareness of one's place in life.

What is the difference between personality and individuality?

The uniqueness of a personality is expressed in its individuality. These two concepts are often synonymously linked. It is impossible to find individuality outside of personality. Psychologists say that it is much more difficult to become a person, individuality is already inherent in every person, and only a fully formed personality can fully reveal its individuality to society. In the psychological context of the definition, individuality and personality have differences:

Personality:

• formation occurs throughout life during interaction with society;
• a mature person with established views and opinions on life;
• has stable characteristics of qualities that remain even under changing environmental conditions.

Individuality:

• a person receives with birth and each has its own;
• helps a person stand out from the crowd, but at the same time he himself may not be a person;
• often changes under the influence of society.

a term denoting the uniqueness of a human being. If the definition of an individual emphasizes that an individual is a representative of the genus, then the concept of individuality, on the contrary, reveals the specificity, originality of this representative of universality, in which he is not similar to others.

Great Definition

Incomplete definition ↓

INDIVIDUALITY

1) originality, a set of qualities and distinctive properties that express the essence of a special, separate individual; used inaccurately to refer to an individual, as opposed to an indistinguishable mass of people (each of which, however, has its own individuality). 2) In contrast to the personality, it is specific, unique in the individual. Individuality as such has an ideal value character, i.e. individual value is independent of the real person. The ethical value of a person consists in maintaining fidelity to oneself, in the authenticity and positivity of its essence. In a broad sense, it is equivalent to Kant's intelligible character. The implementation of this ethical value, i.e. self-fulfillment of the individual is virtue. But this virtue as such is unattainable, it can be achieved only through the individual implementation of fundamental values ​​(goodness, nobility, perfection, purity). The responsibility of the individual for his self-realization as a person coincides with the responsibility for everything that is in the sphere of his freedom and power. In particular, the individual "ethos" (Ethos - the moral value of the individual) consists in the main direction chosen in the process of self-realization of fundamental values, i.e. it is characterized by the form in which an action is performed in the presence of single-order values ​​(see Ethics). In accordance with this, a person is axiologically autonomous (see Imperative, Man). Historically, the "great individuality" should by no means be particularly virtuous, but should always clothe its main direction in the realization of values ​​in a particularly striking and spectacular form. The greatness of individuality lies in the specific attitude to the realm of values. The attraction of true individuality lies in the fact that, on the one hand, it opens up a new realm of values ​​to the person living with it, and on the other hand, a stable and clear structure.

Great Definition

Incomplete definition ↓

from lat. individuum - indivisible, individual) - the pinnacle of human development both as an individual, and as a person, and as a subject of activity. A person as an individual reaches the real heights of his development, realizing his physical, mental and spiritual potential, as a result of which he approaches the unique, integral, genuine state that is relevant to him. Among them: moral significance and unconditional value for the community of people, the ability to creative solution problems, the formation of an internal picture of health, self-sufficiency. Individuality can also be defined as a self-actualizing person, a spiritualized individual, a concrete personality. In the Russian psychology of individuality, the names of B. G. Ananiev, V. S. Merlin, B. F. Lomov, L. I. Antsyferova, M. K. Tutushkina and others are the first.

Individuality is the unique originality of the psyche of each person who carries out his life activity as a subject of the development of socio-historical culture.

The uniqueness of his psyche is determined by the organic unity and integrity of the process of development of his needs and abilities, which are formed only in active communication with living, unique carriers of this culture. The necessary mediators (means) of this communication are the subject forms, methods and means of culture; tools and products of all types of socio-historical activity (labor), language, knowledge, skills, abilities, etc. In communication, the human content of the goal of developing the entire set of abilities and needs of the individual is also determined.

The individuality of a person is formed on the basis of inherited inclinations in the process of education, then - in the process of conscious self-education.

All this should be borne in mind, since in empirical natural science (and after it in psychology and pedagogy), the term "individuality" is often used as a synonym for the term "individual", which, in turn, is only a designation of a unique set of features inherent in an individual organism and distinguish this organism from all others belonging to the same species (to the same population). In the same way, empirical natural science determined the essence of the species (including man), reducing it to the totality of properties common to all individuals, that is, to the totality of abstract definitions. Therefore, each isolated Homo sapiens individual is an individuality insofar as his very human essence was formed as a purposeful realization of his own relations, i.e., as his own, created by him, unique biography, as the history of his life.

professor at Kuban State University
Vera Bederkhanova

Making sense

What is a person's individuality?

Radical transformations in psychology, the expansion and deepening of personality-oriented and developing paradigms of psychology influence the development of pedagogical theories and create the foundation for a completely new pedagogical practice.

The humanization of the pedagogical reality of the school involves the assertion of the subjective position of students and teachers in the educational process, the development of their individuality. Still, as in the nineties, when we implemented the project " Summer house”(one of the tasks of which was the development of the individuality of the child), I believe that the measure of human development, the measure of the development of the child should become a measure of the quality of the work of the teacher and the entire educational system as a whole. To help a growing person find his personal meaning in life, to create favorable conditions so that from childhood his life and communication with other people, interaction with the outside world are worthy of a person - this means fulfilling the main mission of a teacher.
It seems to me that the development of the problem requires understanding the concept of "human individuality" and understanding the psychological formation of this phenomenon. In this case, we can talk about pedagogical support for the processes of individualization in education.

Individuality is a meeting with oneself
“The concept of individuality (like the concept of personality) refers to the spiritual dimensions of human reality. At the same time, personality and individuality are two ways of being a person, two different definitions of him. The discrepancy between these concepts is manifested, in particular, in the fact that there are two different processes of the formation of personality and individuality.
If the formation of a personality is a process of socialization of a person, which consists in mastering his tribal, public entity, and this development always takes place in the specific historical circumstances of a person’s life and is associated with the acceptance by the individual of the ideas developed in society social functions and roles, social norms and rules of behavior, with the formation of skills to build relationships with others, then the formation of individuality is a process of individualization of subjective reality. "Individualization is the self-determination and isolation of the individual, its isolation from the community, the formalization of its separateness, uniqueness and originality." A formed personality is a subject of free, independent and responsible behavior in social communities. The individuality that has become is an original personality, actively and creatively manifesting itself in life. Individuality is a breakthrough beyond the boundaries of the self, an exit to the boundaries of the eternal, universal, universal.
In our opinion, V. Slobodchikov and E. Isaev rightly emphasize that “individuality is not only and not so much the inclusion of an individual in the system public relations, their integration as personally significant, as far as its isolation from these relations. “If personality is the certainty of a person’s position in relations with others, then individuality is the definition of one’s own position in life, the very certainty within one’s own life. If a person arises in a person’s meeting with other people, then individuality is a meeting with oneself, with oneself as with the Other, which now no longer coincides with oneself or with others in the main content of the former life. Therefore, individuality presupposes a total reflection of one's entire life, conversion, inversion into oneself, the development of a critical attitude towards the way of one's life. Therefore, individuality is always internal dialogue with oneself, an exit into the unique authenticity of oneself.

Individuality is uniqueness
A. Asmolov, in the key of the historical and evolutionary approach to personality, understands individuality as “the totality of semantic relations and attitudes of a person in the world, which are generated during a person’s life in society in the presence of the necessary anthropogenetic prerequisites, provide orientation in the hierarchy of values ​​and mastery of behavior in a situation of struggle of motives and are embodied through activity and communication in the products of culture, in other people, in oneself for the sake of continuing the lifestyle that is valuable for this person. “The individual is born. They become a person. Individuality is upheld."
B.G. Ananiev, whose point of view is especially close to me, believed that in the set of features that characterize a person, four subsets can be distinguished, corresponding to individual, personal, subjective and individual properties. Based on the analysis of a large array of data obtained in studies of various methods and directions, and tracing the correlations between them, he grouped the corresponding features in the model, which makes it possible to single out homogeneous (one subset) and heterogeneous (different subsets) features.
If the first three groups of signs (individual, personal, subjective) characterize a person in terms of belonging to a certain type, then individuality focuses on the uniqueness, originality of each person.
The general is inseparable from the individual, and individuality can be described only on the basis of common features that form a unique combination in each individual case. From the point of view of B.G. Ananiev, if "personality is the pinnacle of a person, then individuality is his depth." The uniqueness of the individuality of a particular person is not that he is (can be described as) a unique combination of a certain set of characteristics, but that he, as an individuality, is a product and measure of the realization of freedom, the choice of his life path in certain natural and sociocultural conditions.

Individuality is freedom
The differentiation of the system of individual, personal, subjective, individual properties makes it possible to consider the traditional problem of the relationship between freedom and predetermination in a slightly different plane and more meaningfully. human life. Natural and social conditions determine the specific forms and levels of realization of human freedom, but at the same time they outline the range within which a free individuality can be formed on the basis of a variety of means and methods.
Selected B.G. Ananiev, signs of individuality can be the basis for determining the content of the teacher's activity aimed at developing a person's individuality, and pedagogical activity can be described as a system of tasks aimed at creating conditions for the development of a person's self-awareness, his self-determination, self-identification, the formation of an adequate self-esteem, self-regulation, self-realization, and well-being.
The true perspective and worthy goal of education is its development as a free individuality, understood not as self-sufficiency, independence of each from any others, but, on the contrary, as such freedom, which is realized through responsible service to others, is found in relationships with other people and social communities and only in this way is formed and receives an adequate form of its existence.
Ensuring the right of the child to development seems to me as the creation for a child, a teenager, a young man, a person of the opportunity to search for his own questions to the world and his own answers.
Setting the task (as a priority) of the development of the child, one cannot bypass such a category as freedom. The need for freedom is deeply rooted in man, connected with the innermost essence of his nature. The human in a person is formed in the process of gaining more and more spiritual freedom and in connection with the ability to independently choose life goals and projects.
Freedom is felt by the individual primarily as a personal feeling, as a subjective phenomenon, consisting in the ability to independently make a choice and be responsible for it. Freedom of choice - freedom of decision - freedom of action - freedom of creativity and self-expression. Maybe this is not the whole chain, but the sequence, apparently, is this.
inner freedom- this is a specifically human selective creative activity of consciousness, intuition, the unconscious, will and moral forces, which, as a result of an internal struggle of motives, are mobilized for independent selection, decision-making and its implementation.
Thus, individualization is the activity of an adult (teacher) and the student himself to support and develop that single, special, original thing that is inherent in this individual by nature or that he has acquired in individual experience.

Individuality is self-determination
O.S. Gazman believed that individualization implies: firstly, individually oriented assistance to children in the realization of primary basic needs - without which a sense of natural "self" and human dignity is impossible; secondly, the creation of conditions for the most free realization of the (hereditary) physical, intellectual, emotional abilities and capabilities given by nature, which are characteristic of this particular individual. And, finally, the third - the core feature of individualization - support for a person in autonomous spiritual self-construction, in creative self-embodiment ("non-adaptive activity", according to V.P. Petrovsky), in the development of the ability for life self-determination (existential choice).
In his opinion, the individualization of the individual, the development of his "self" is, in a broad sense, the content of the "pedagogy of freedom". The goal of this pedagogy can be defined as helping children construct their autonomous inner world (“subjective reality,” according to V.I. Slobodchikov); the subject of this pedagogical branch is the means that help a person in self-development - self-determination and self-realization. The result is “freedom of the individual”. The problem of personality education appears in the pedagogy of freedom as a problem of individual self-development, and the pedagogical process as a subject-subject relationship, cooperation, co-creation of an adult and a child, in which an equal, mutually beneficial exchange of personal meanings and experience dominates.
Education in the humanistic paradigm is adequate to the expanding idea of ​​a person and fits into a continuously changing society in which a person, while maintaining his "self", lives and realizes himself. The process of development of individuality requires specific conditions and pedagogical means. That is why it became necessary to develop the theory and practice of pedagogical support for children.

Pedagogical support and individual approach
Under the "pedagogical support" O.S. Gazman, who practically introduced this concept into scientific use in domestic pedagogy, understood “the process of jointly with the child determining his own interests, goals, opportunities and ways to overcome obstacles (problems) that prevent him from maintaining his human dignity and independently achieving the desired results in learning, self-education, communication, lifestyle.
It is fundamental to distinguish between the concepts of "pedagogical support" and "individual approach". "Individual approach", "differentiated approach" involve taking into account the individual differences of students. Pedagogical support, in contrast to these approaches, aims to develop the uniqueness of the individual, while an individual approach involves bringing it into line with certain requirements.
My pedagogical experience convinces me that when solving the problem of individualization in the development of a child and an adult, it is necessary to have a "space of different meanings and activities." The peculiarity of this space is that there must always be niches in it to fill in a situation of uncertainty (“empty space”). In addition, the frame for limiting this space must be movable. It is set by the overall development goal of each participant, but this development should not come at the expense of others. Then life activity is provided by the research process of understanding and posing problematic questions, determined by a group capable of “hearing everyone”. The main thing for the teacher is interaction based on openness and sincerity, strong initiative, careful work with information, effective flow of individual and common goals, open expression of views, constructive approach to conflict resolution, rational work on oneself.

Slobodchikov V.I., Isaev E.I. Human's psychology. M, 1995. S. 353.
Slobodchikov V.I., Isaev E.I. Human's psychology. M., 1995. S. 354–355.
Asmolov A.G. Cultural-historical psychology and construction of worlds. M.; Voronezh, 1996. S. 437, 439.
Ananiev B.G. Selected psychological works: In 2 vols. T. 1. M, 1980. S. 124–178.
Ginetsinsky V.I. Fundamentals of theoretical pedagogy. St. Petersburg, 1992.
Care - Support - Counseling // New values ​​of education (ed. N.B. Krylov), M., 1996. No. 6. P. 14–15.
There. P.15.
Gazman O.S. Losses and gains in education after 10 years of perestroika // First of September. 1995. November 21.

In most dictionaries and textbooks on psychology, individuality is defined as a set of features that distinguish a given person from other people and determine the originality of his psyche and personality. This definition leaves a number of questions unanswered. For example, can any characteristic of a person be attributed to his individuality? Is it possible to attribute the features of the course of mental processes or abilities to the properties of individuality? What if the same personality trait is the subject of similarity for some people and difference for others?

Obviously, the concept of individuality requires a more meaningful analysis. It was made by domestic psychologists. B.C. Merlin developed the theory of integral individuality, according to which the individuality of a person is made up of individual characteristics relating to different levels of its organization - from biochemical to social. In particular, he singled out three hierarchical levels. The lower level of individuality consists of the biochemical, general somatic and neurodynamic properties of the organism. The average level is represented by individual mental properties (features of temperament and personality traits). The highest level of individuality is occupied by socio-psychological properties, the components of which are social roles a given person in small (family, collective) and large (class, people) groups.

Such an understanding of individuality removes the question of at what age a person becomes an individuality. When a child is born, his individuality is limited only by the properties of his body, but as his temperamental features are manifested, personality traits are formed, his individuality expands and extends to more and more high levels. When a mature person takes a certain status, the entire hierarchy of levels of his individuality is already present in his behavior, but this does not mean that it will no longer change. A person will acquire new experience, perform new roles, and his personality will also partly change.

Individuality is characterized not only by the totality of individual properties, but also by the peculiarity of the relationships between them. Thus, if two people have two identical sets of properties (which is very unlikely), then they will still be dissimilar in behavior, since the relationships between properties will be different. It must be said that not all psychologists agree with such a worldview of individuality. A.G. Asmolov localizes individuality at the level of personality traits and connects it with semantic relationships and attitudes of a person. “An individual is born, a person becomes, and individuality is defended,” says A.G. Asmolov. By this he emphasized that individuality is responsible for solving everyday issues related to the meaning of life, value orientations, life position person. When solving these issues, conflicts usually arise, both internal (intrapersonal) and external (between the person and others). In the process of this struggle, individuality is created and its persistence and scale are determined.

In the 90s. the concept of "individuality" has gone beyond the Limits of personality. B.C. Merlin introduced the concept of "meta individuality", by which he understood "the psychological characteristics of the attitudes of surrounding people to this particular situation." In other words, meta-individuality is the individuality of a person in the eyes of the people around him. L.Ya. Dorfman, developing the ideas of B.C. Merlin, introduces new concepts of "trans-individuality" and "eco-individuality". Trans-individuality covers all phenomena related to the realization of individuality in the surrounding world: in creativity, in influencing other people, in specific deeds, etc. Eco-individuality describes processes that originate outside of individuality, but lead to its change, which is reflected in interaction with the environment.

How do the concepts of “personality” and “individuality” correlate, which of them is broader? Graphically, they can be depicted as two circles. Let's superimpose them on each other in such a way that they do not coincide completely, but have some common area. This area is those personality traits that form the basis of her individuality. The remaining area of ​​the circle, symbolizing the personality, corresponds to those of its properties that are socially typical and characterize it as a representative of many large and small groups. The “residue” of individuality is represented by biochemical, general somatic and neurodynamic properties that are not included in the personality structure. Thus, we can say that both concepts are equal and do not coincide in content.

LITERATURE
1. Asmolov A.G. Psychology of Personality. M., 1990. S. 307 - 364. Dorfman L.Ya. Metaindividual world. M., 1993. S, 79-120; 198-209; 252256.
3. Individuality in modern world. At 3 hours: Smolensk, 1995.
4. Individuality as subject and object modern life: In 2 volumes: Smolensk, 1996.
5. Merlin V.S. Essay on integral research of individuality. M., 1 986. S. 2251; 110-139.