Methodology for diagnosing personality

Unfortunately, we do not yet have a list of mandatory questions with which to determine accentuated personality traits. This is because, whenever we ask questions, we must apply individual approach, checking whether the subject understood us correctly, constantly observing him closely, controlling the usefulness of his answers. Under these conditions, a schematic game of questions and answers is meaningless, and gestures can be used only with great reservations.

Schmishek and Muller compiled a list of questions, many of which I use in diagnosing personality. However, it is necessary to make allowances for possible errors, since the concepts associated with the establishment of personality accentuation can be interpreted in completely different ways. So, for example, to a certain question asked twice, the same subject gives opposite answers, depending on how he perceived this concept. It is possible, of course, to gradually reduce such misunderstandings to a minimum by a large number of leading and clarifying questions, but it is impossible to draw an unambiguous conclusion, because it is impossible to foresee in advance the facial expressions accompanying the answer, which can give different meanings to two identical answers. In another work, I covered in detail the important role played by observations of the facial expressions of the subject in the diagnosis of personality. I will have to touch on this issue later.

The most important means of diagnosing personality are observation and examination. If a doctor has the opportunity to observe a person directly, to study his behavior at work and at home, in the family, among friends and acquaintances, in a narrow circle and with a large number of people gathered, then, undoubtedly, one can get an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhis personality. However, much in this case remains hidden and is known only through prolonged close contact with the observed. However, it is hardly possible to conduct careful observation of patients even in a hospital, because here people are not in the environment in which their personality traits usually manifest themselves.

The situation is different with sick children who are not bound by bed rest. As soon as such a child gets used to the environment, he begins to "show himself" much more expressively than an adult patient. At first, the child is also embarrassed by the new environment, believing that it obliges him to unusual behavior, and also experiencing a certain fear. But only a few days pass, and the child begins to feel at home in a hospital setting. The child looks at his ward mates not as patients with whom he is undergoing treatment, but simply as other children with whom he has come across both at home, and on the street, and at school, with whom he can play, quarrel and again put up. General play in the setting of a children's psychiatric ward is hardly different from any other children's play. Routine in the clinic exact time getting up, eating, going to bed is regarded by young patients not as a hospital environment, but as a somewhat modified home regimen. Therefore, clinical observations of children provide much richer material than those of adults. In addition, if the doctor cannot himself take up observations of small patients, he can obtain information from a psychologist or nurse-nurse who are constantly with the children. Observation gives even more in those cases where there is a school directly at the department, since it is very important to observe children in a school setting. The attitude of an adult to work, to labor activity, which is so important for judging the personality as a whole, naturally cannot be revealed during a stay in the clinic; the labor activity of the child is his attitude to schoolwork, his work on homework. Thus, it is possible to determine how the child copes with the task assigned to him, how he relates to duties, how important the competition is for him.

But if a lot of data can be obtained from a child through observation, then the second side of the diagnosis, i.e. examination, an adult is certainly more successful than a child: children have not yet developed the ability to introspection, so they are able to give only very superficial information about themselves, about their inner experiences. In such cases, asking parents and caregivers can help.

One type of observation is equally important in both children and adults - the observation of facial expressions, gestures and intonations of the subject. If, for example, we want to establish whether the subject is really experiencing a feeling of sadness, joy, inspiration, hope, fear, disappointment, etc., as he assures us of this, then his words alone cannot serve as a guarantee. But by facial expressions, you can determine whether what is being said is true. An expressionless face indicates the indifference of the subject, despite his statements that he is full of sadness or hope. Even in those cases when, during an interview, they talk about seemingly long-forgotten feelings, this topic is necessarily reflected in facial expressions, because feelings come to life again when they are remembered. Even if there can be no doubt about the veracity of the patient’s story, even then, by facial expressions, one can determine how deeply the feeling described by him affected the person, for example, whether the loss of a close relative really shocked him as much as he claims. Or vice versa, a person wants to hide grief or annoyance and declares that "all this has long been forgotten." In such cases, it is often possible to determine by facial expressions that the chagrin has not passed, that it torments a person to this day.

Intonation also often makes it possible to judge what is being said more accurately than the words themselves. The expression with which phrases are pronounced, voice modulations play a significant role. Sometimes it is possible to "overhear" a sigh or even a groan, which betray what they do not want to show in words. Of great importance is the emphasis by facial expressions and voice of a particular word (words). Sometimes we extract much less from the subject's story than from the facial expressions accompanying the story. Whatever was said, facial expressions and intonation can strengthen or weaken what was said. They can also help to understand whether the subject is completely sure of what is being reported or doubts something. Any “yes”, any “no” in terms of purely verbal material seem to be unambiguous, but the tone and facial expressions allow us to assume another meaning, even the opposite. If a person speaks a little hesitantly, if he draws out his words almost imperceptibly, then this may serve as a sign that doubt about what was said lives deep in his mind. Uncertainty is also expressed mimicry - we see an inquiring, searching look, sometimes a half-open mouth, indicating that the question or statement has not yet been completed. It does not even require a special preliminary study of facial expressions, as if it itself declares its diagnostic power, and we include the information obtained in the general judgment about the subject.

Thus, observations of the mimic, gestural and phonic systems means of expression can be considered an important aid in the diagnosis of personality. There will, of course, be doctors who find this technique unreliable. On the contrary, I would like to emphasize that observation of facial expressions is the most reliable of all methods that can be used to diagnose a human personality, because here a purely spiritual content finds a direct external expression, which can also be directly perceived by another person, about which I have already wrote in his monograph. If, for example, a person in any situation shows fear, then this will not find such a clear expression in anything as in his facial expressions. Even if he tries to suppress the expression of fear, but mimicry, he will succeed much worse than trying to hide fear with words or any actions. If the reason for fear is insignificant, then by facial expressions it is almost unmistakably possible to draw a conclusion about anxiety, timidity of the subject. Of course, it is impossible to accurately establish and mathematically prove that a certain facial expression of a person testifies to the experience of moments of joy, sadness, doubt, etc., but nevertheless this sign is more reliable than any other manifestation.

We know well from everyday experience that a person can be accepted exactly as he is known to us by facial expressions and gestures: a person with a sad expression hardly thinks of something cheerful, and a person whose expression reveals irritation will never be in a peaceful and pleasant mood. Since in such cases we come to conclusions directly and sometimes very quickly, it happens that much more can be learned about the personality of a person who has sat opposite the doctor for only two minutes than after a thorough examination using tests and questionnaires. It should, however, be taken into account that even after passing through an excellent mental "exercisment", the mental alertness becomes more and more pale (decreases) over time, if the stimuli - albeit in a different form - do not continue to flow.

We can say the following: in a unit of time, a person who is accustomed to actively thinking generates more thoughts than another who is not accustomed to thinking, regardless of which of the two has higher intelligence.

It is enough to look at a person's face to make a judgment about how mentally mobile he is. In an interview aimed at analyzing a person, this point is very important, because, no matter what questions we ask and what answers we get, we need to clearly understand the internal position of a person. It plays a special role in determining the extra- or introverted personality. For example, a person with higher education, accustomed to constantly evaluate the objects around him, a pronounced tendency to produce his own ideas may indicate introversion. In a person who has not gone through a sufficient intellectual school, the features of extroversion are especially striking.

And yet it must be admitted that facial expressions, when examined in detail, are nothing more than excellent. auxiliary means. Specific statements are perfectly confirmed by facial expressions, but a more complete picture of the personality is revealed when determining the various reactions of the subject.

First of all, you can ask the subject express one's own attitude towards one's character. We invite him to sketch his psychological picture, we ask how he looks at life, how he copes with its difficulties. Already with one such self-description, important points can be revealed: some cannot look at life simply, others are characterized by excessive sensitivity and excitability, for others, life goes on calmly, they love society, fun. If, by facial expressions and voice modulation, we notice that the subject is not saying something, we can stop there and ask in more detail. If it seems to us that we are faced with a certain personality trait, then we can deepen this topic. Even if we are finally convinced of the presence of this trait, it must not be confirmed. common phrases examined, not with an affirmative "yes", but facts from life. Everyone will gladly answer in the affirmative to the question posed (with the exception of those cases when installation behavior is possible), if the position is true, but such an answer acquires value only when it is confirmed by objective facts. The subject can present himself as a diligent, purposeful, serious, lively person, etc., but all these statements are worthless if he cannot tell what exactly his diligence or seriousness is manifested in. Examples should be expressive, vivid, because we are talking about qualities that distinguish this person against the backdrop of middle class people. Examples should show that in a similar situation, the behavior of the subject is significantly different from the behavior of others. It is possible to assert something that is not objectively true, but no one can cite specific cases and facts in support if they were not in reality, except perhaps an imaginative actor, but the actor can be immediately recognized. So, the statements of the subject can only serve as a guide, while the criterion for determining personality is the features of human behavior in specific situations. I would say that this is perhaps the most important methodological point in the analysis of personality.

Let us consider how, in a conversation with the subject, one or another accentuated feature, which determines the structure of the accentuated personality, stands out with sufficient clarity.

If we assume that we have a person stuck, then first of all we clarify the question of its sensitivity. Some people do not quite correctly approach the concept of "sensitivity", they interpret it as "sensibility". In such cases, it should be explained to the patient that sensitivity to personal offense is meant. The subject is asked how he feels when he is treated unfairly, whether he can accept it calmly. Many do not want to admit to sensitivity of this kind, fearing accusations of intolerance, quarrelsomeness; perhaps they had already heard reproaches of this kind. The reaction will immediately be reflected in facial expressions, and the subject must immediately explain that they do not mean aggressive manifestations, but how he internally endures the insult inflicted on him, - in other words, to remove a negative plaque from this quality. In this case, stuck people usually admit that they are easily offended and offended. But curious what is the property like vindictiveness, many continue to deny to the end. However, by denying, such people mean only one thing: that outwardly they no longer show hostility at a certain moment, since “they have already won back their own”. This is true only to the extent that what happened has ceased to be relevant to them; the evil done they continue to remember. Some subjects directly say so: "I can forgive an insult, but not forget it." In terms of personality accentuation, it is quite evident that the once inflicted injustice constantly remains in the memory, although other features of the same personality can inhibit the manifestations of this long-standing insult.

We hear from many that they internally suffer deeply from resentment and injustice, although they do not show it outwardly.

With more high degree sensitivity external manifestations (reactions) of resentment are rarely absent. A good result is given by the following questions to the subject: did he have conflicts due to the fact that he cannot stand injustice? Did it happen that he had to quit his job because he could not come to terms with the circumstances there? Or maybe the subject was fired at the initiative of the administration, because he showed harshness and intransigence in any dispute?

If the question is not about sensitivity, but about the tendency to stand up for others when they are unfair, then the stuck individuals immediately answer in the affirmative. They consider such a trait to be a valuable quality and see no reason to hide it. However, usually they are still more offended by injustice towards themselves.

If conflicts are piling up more and more, if we are faced with ever-growing absurdity and quarrelsomeness, then here we have to state (if, of course, we exclude an extremely unfavorable situation) not an accentuated personality trait, but paranoid psychopathy, at which the jam passes into the pathological stage.

However, sticking is manifested not only in sensitivity, the faces of this warehouse are very ambitious. The interrelation of both traits is especially noticeable in cases where the offense is caused by the infringement of personal prestige. One who has suffered injustice by mistake, due to a combination of circumstances, but at the same time his personal authority has not suffered, is unlikely to be particularly affected by this. The desire to assert oneself, to achieve a high position can manifest itself without connection with sensitivity. Professional activity stuck person confirms what was said. Such people often reach a very high official position, although it does not always correspond to their education. If the insufficient intellectual data of these people prevent them from taking such a post, all the same, even within the narrow framework of their activities, one feels an unceasing desire to advance. With a significant degree of personality accentuation, ambitious aspirations often undergo breakdowns. Due recognition, due evaluation of such people are constantly hampered by their conflicts with others, because of which they not only do not move up the career ladder, but very often they are demoted.

Such people usually blame others for this, but sometimes they realize their own guilt. They are wayward and do not tolerate objections, they are so tactless in their ambitious plans that they cause sincere indignation of colleagues with their behavior. It is sometimes necessary to interrogate colleagues, since the subjects themselves cannot objectively reflect the events. The development of sensitivity and ambition, taken in combination, is unfavorable, but actually threatening only in those cases when the obsession acquires the character of paranoid psychopathy. If the accentuation does not cross certain boundaries, then the achievements of stuck individuals are usually above average.

If we assume that we are examining pedantic personality, it is best to start the survey with questions about the profession patient. We ask how he relates to his official duties, whether he is diligent. Since no one can be pleased to accuse himself of a careless attitude to work, we get a positive answer from most people. However, if an affirmative answer is more or less formal, then, as a rule, this can already be determined by facial expressions and intonation. Through further questioning, we find out whether the subject takes some work processes too seriously, whether he checks himself many times, although this is not necessary, whether it happens that on the way home from work he mentally returns to the working day, asking themselves, whether they did everything right. Most people answer this question in the negative. However, pedantic personalities here nod their heads knowingly and make it clear that we have touched them. Achilles heel. We learn that they check themselves 2-3 times before handing in their work. They also talk about the fact that at the end of the working day, official worries do not end for them at all, that, having gone to bed, they think for a long time “how everything turned out today”, and sometimes, looking ahead, they begin to “experience” tomorrow as well. .

It also happens that such people return halfway to the institution: it seemed to them that they forgot to do something important, although this is almost never confirmed.

If such a person is asked specifically, is he conscientious in his work, can you rely on him, then in most cases he will answer that he considers it inconvenient to praise himself. But if we continue to insist on an answer, then we will find out what is well known to the entire production or institution: this person is incredibly meticulous, you can rely on him like no one else. Perhaps it is for these reasons that he is entrusted with such work, in the performance of which errors are unacceptable. True, it often takes him more time than other people to complete the work. Such people therefore quite often work overtime without demanding any payment.

For pedantic personalities, difficulties begin where special accuracy proves to be a known hindrance in the work, since there are situations when, in the interests of the work as a whole, it is possible not to strive for perfection in individual details. These people, due to their nature, can even reach conflicts in such cases. In general, such persons suffer very seriously under the burden of responsibility: the impossibility of doing everything as required by their conscientiousness makes them unhappy. As a result, they not only do not seek promotion, but even refuse when they are offered a more responsible, high-paying position.

In the following conversation, we will home life examined, we will find out whether thoroughness and punctuality reign there too. At the same time, we often establish that pedantry does not apply to all areas of life. Men who are concerned that everything goes perfectly clearly at work often turn out to be not very neat in everyday life. This can be attributed to a certain internal attitude, for example, that the wife is responsible for the order in the house. It is curious that for pedantic personalities it is often more acceptable to completely relieve oneself of responsibility for the task entrusted than to try to cope with it imperfectly.

Women feel more responsible for the house. But since their pedantry makes itself felt at work, they prefer to work in positions of minimal responsibility. If in women excessive accuracy is expressed only in everyday life, then one has to be more careful with conclusions, because often women observe exemplary cleanliness and excessive order in the house only because they are proud of their hearth and always want to see and show it in perfect condition. Ordinary love of order - this should be borne in mind - does not apply to painful manifestations of pedantic accentuation.

Finally, having determined the pedantry of the individual, we propose a set of standard questions, to which we do not receive an affirmative answer in all cases (not all areas of the psyche are involved in the corresponding manifestations), but nevertheless, the subject often nods his head embarrassedly in response. By standard, I mean questions about constant rechecking, whether the gas taps are closed, whether the door is well locked, whether a light has been left somewhere unturned, whether an important letter has really been dropped into the mailbox, etc.

As long as pedantry does not go beyond the personality accentuation, it should be assessed as positive trait character, although pedantic people often waste a lot of energy in vain on unnecessary rechecks. But if the accentuation reaches a degree characteristic of anankastic psychopathy, the negative begins to emerge more and more clearly. Constant uncertainty, constant follow-up can reach a point where all work moves forward at a snail's pace. Prudent weighing turns into fruitless reflections. Some ideas may become obsessive. This is already a signal of obsessions, which are not the subject of this study.

On examination demonstrative personality you need to act very carefully, because in a conversation with such people it is very easy to "fall for the bait." The answers received in most cases cannot be trusted: the subjects do not draw themselves as they really are, but as they would like to appear. Many demonstrative personalities, for example, characterize themselves as conscientious and even super-conscientious, while sometimes being absolutely unreliable people. They seize every opportunity to present themselves with the best side and enjoy using it. So here it is especially important to require confirmation of answers with specific examples. In this case, demonstrative personalities do not have factual illustrations in store, as is observed in pedantic personalities, who here, as in everything, are distinguished by accuracy. Demonstrative personalities are generally inclined to ascribe to themselves very different positive traits even when they are not asked about.

In addition, in the process of diagnosing demonstrative personalities, there is one very characteristic moment: one should take into account not only the reported factual data, but also the manner of the subject to behave during the conversation. My hysterical essence such people are usually betray with all their behavior, everything they have is exaggerated - the expression of feelings, facial expressions, gestures, tone. The absence of a real inner background of all these manifestations is always felt. This is where the ability to directly perceive and appropriately interpret facial expressions and gestures can be especially useful. With this ability, one can always distinguish the ostentatious from the sincere. However, it should be emphasized again and again what a big role experience plays here: young doctors are constantly misled by such personalities. Young colleagues consider their answers and statements to be objective, although it can be immediately determined from the picture as a whole that the subject is being cunning. In these cases, doctors also do not always do correct conclusions from self-praise and self-pity these people are often so deceptive. We believe that in real life, demonstrative personalities, due to their perseverance, have considerable success, because they would have long ago weaned from their manners if everyone could see through these cunning people.

Some demonstrative personalities behave differently with a doctor than with people around them. It happens that, according to objective descriptions of family members or colleagues, such people appear to be very stubborn, but during a medical examination they turn out to be so restrained that everything they say you begin to believe involuntarily. However, all this only once again testifies to the adaptability of such people: they show themselves not as they really are, but as it is beneficial for them to show themselves in given circumstances. For example, many pathological swindlers deliberately hide the annoying manners of a demonstrative personality, for they know well that with the help of a calm behavior one can gain more confidence.

Demonstrative personalities, if questioned carefully, willingly admit to his acting talent. They emphasize with satisfaction that they always felt confident in society, that even at school they expressively recited poems, successfully participated in children's theatrical performances, and later - in amateur performances. It is easy for them to draw quite specific examples from this area of ​​their lives.

The ability to play affects and positive character this accentuation: just as they play to put themselves in a favorable light, they also play very successfully on the stage. Demonstrative personalities in general are often gifted with fantasy, so important in other areas of art. For the most part, they readily admit to flights of fancy. For example, I repeatedly heard that the subject "doesn't have to come up with nice stories." With tactful conduct of the examination, it is possible to achieve in the patient and confirmation that he easy to "get out" with the help of cleverly invented fiction.

When examining a demonstrative personality, it is more important than with other types of accentuation, cover her entire life path. Since such people have a pronounced tendency to avoid difficulties, they often change not only their place of work, but also their profession. The closer the accentuation approaches hysterical psychopathy, the more there are breakdowns at work, sudden refusals from work that is supposedly too difficult; there is also a flight into disease. "Exhaustion nervous system”, which in fact is nothing more than a demonstration, and “overwork”, which is objectively out of the question, play a significant role in such cases. Many patients who, in an inaccurate analysis, are classified as weak character are actually tantrums. The story of his life hysterical psychopaths usually pour self-praise and self-pity. With a certain degree of accentuation, these psychopaths lie and cheat unconsciously, which should always be considered in the examination. The matter may come to pathological deceitfulness to pseudologiaphantastica. Along with this, demonstrative personalities also have such features that are able to compensate for the hysterical tendency to shirk work.

At excitable personalities is also often stated very uneven course of life, however, not because they constantly avoid difficulties, but because they often express dissatisfaction, show irritability and a tendency to impulsive actions. It is enough that they do not like something, as they immediately turn away and, without bothering to weigh the consequences, take up a new one. If you ask such people about the reasons for changing jobs or professions, you will rarely hear an answer about the difficulty of the job itself, but other motives are put forward: the boss did not want to make concessions, a colleague treated the wrong way, low wages, etc. Work as such, in particular physical labor, brings joy to these accentuated personalities, so they achieve success here. Especially clearly their excitability is manifested with deep affects. Unpleasant events, upset feelings can lead these people to rash acts, sometimes to a suicide attempt. But especially characteristic of them unbridled excitability with outbursts of rage. Many of the surveyed directly confirm that in a state of passion they are not able to restrain themselves, others do not speak about it so frankly, but they do not deny the facts themselves. To determine the degree of excitability, it is advisable to interview relatives.

Excitable personalities often give the impression of primitive people, i.e. already by their facial expressions one can judge the low intellectual mobility, they notice only what immediately catches the eye. In a conversation such people gloomy looking, the questions are answered very sparingly. In fact, as some remarks show, they do not at all want to show unfriendliness, they simply do not like that they have to give so many answers and therefore react very irritably. In a word, here they do not know how to control themselves; maybe they would like to show educated people, but facial expressions and mannerisms give them away.

However, obvious gloom and discontent during the examination are found only when the development of accentuation progresses and we can already talk about epileptoid psychopathy or about moving to it. Lack of self-management often leads to conflicts in communication with people. Often in these individuals we encounter chronic alcoholism, because both in high spirits and in a depressed mood, they willingly resort to alcohol as an aphrodisiac. Girls also have strong sexual attraction

Hyperthymic personality easily recognized in normal conversation. Talkativeness and cheerful mood immediately attract attention. Mental mobility is reflected in facial expressions. Such people like to dominate society. Here they stand out for their increased tone, fun, resourcefulness and witty antics. In their work activity, their distinctive qualities are ingenuity and a wealth of ideas. Sometimes they are irritable, which is especially noticeable in the family circle, where there is neither a distracting busy society, nor the restraining influence of superiors. If we set out to determine whether violations are something more serious than just an accentuated personality structure, then first of all we should think about hypomanic psychopathy. We find out whether a person’s attitude to life is too carefree, whether his thoughts “hover”, whether they deviate from accepted norms. Or perhaps, in connection with the liveliness of such a person, there is also a dispersion of his activity? A manifestation of hypomanic psychopathy may be general anxiety, fussiness. All this is accompanied by a frequent change of job, and sometimes profession.

dysthymic personality can also be easily recognized in ordinary conversation by one shy and joyless look. The facial expressions of such people are inexpressive. When questioned, they usually confirm that they are always serious, and that they have never really experienced feelings of free and accepted gaiety. If the severity reaches a pathological degree, i.e. at subdepressive psychopathy, this can lead to a complete loss of cheerfulness and a general slowness of the reaction.

Both with hyperthymic and dysthymic behavior, you must first make sure that this behavior is inherent in the subject all the time. If one of them is periodically replaced by another, then we have affective-labile temperament. People of this type, depending on the direction and general tone of the conversation, can appear in one case as lively and cheerful, in the other - quiet and modest, and an average position of temperament is also possible.

It should be noted that many hyperthymic individuals in a difficult situation can show signs of deep depression, so, in fact, their temperament should be attributed to the affective-labile type.

If at the time of the examination a person shows himself to be even and self-possessed, nevertheless, during a survey, one can sometimes quite quickly be convinced of the lability of his temperament. To do this, you can bring in a conversation Goethe's well-known antithesis about moods - "sometimes ascending, rejoicing, to heaven, then mortally saddened" - and fix the reaction. In such cases, when establishing a diagnosis, it is also necessary to exclude the affective-exalted type of temperament, to which we will move on below. Not easy to define; what exactly causes fluctuations in the mood of people with an affectively labile temperament - external or internal causes, therefore, often, despite this specificity of temperament, external stimulating moments should be excluded. However, external causes can sometimes cause such mood swings. And only when the affective-labile temperament is pronounced, fluctuations associated with purely internal motivations predominate, but in such cases we no longer have an affective-labile temperament, but cyclothymia as a type of psychopathy.

Since fluctuations in behavior in affective-labile temperament can also be caused by external causes, it is necessary to exclude emotive temperament. Differentiation should be carried out on the following grounds: emotive personalities are deeply shocked by the event itself, and people of an affectively labile temperament continue to “vibrate” on the string of joyful excitement or seriousness for some time after the stimulus event, although the event itself has long been “removed from the agenda” .

The easiest way to verify the emotivity of the temperament of a given subject is to receive an affirmative answer to the question of whether he is too kind-hearted. By this they mean that difficult experiences touch the subject too deeply, that he cannot “turn off”, he is easily touched, the events taking place in a novel or in a film often cause him to cry. Such people are extremely compassionate, they cannot stand children's tears and often begin to cry along with the offended child. Men are embarrassed to admit to excessive tearfulness, but they know their weakness and admit that they easily succumb to deep emotion. It is also necessary to ask people of an emotive temperament about what impression pleasant experiences have on them: whether joyful events, happy experiences, family happiness, the beauty of nature evoke a deep reaction, whether they feel awe before great works of art. Emotional reactions are stronger in such subjects when it comes to sad events, but they are also unusually strong in joyful ones. One has only to talk about events that are more or less connected with emotive experiences, and the facial expressions of such people always express kindness or pity.

On a pathological scale, the emotive temperament develops into reactive labile psychopathy. Often these individuals are faced with reactive depression sometimes suicidal.

Turning to affectively exalted temperament, we note, first of all, that in part it is akin to an affective-labile temperament, and in part to an emotive one. Such individuals tend to be deeply responsive to individual events, but also to depressive or euphoric states in a broader general sense. From persons who have these types of temperament, they differ excess emotional fluctuations. They fall into inconsolable despair just as easily as they plunge into rapturous bliss. A person in whom we assume this type of temperament should be asked approximately the following questions: is he inclined to be inspired, can he deeply and passionately devote himself to some business, experience a particularly high spirits in connection with this; whether he feels overwhelmed by unpleasant experiences, whether he is inclined to immediately believe in such cases that “everything is lost”, whether he looks at the future with hopelessness.

In the course of the conversation itself, the subjects can also take an enthusiastic-joyful position about what touches them, or express sorrowful reactions about sad events in excited words. Since the reactions shown are very pathetic, it is easy to conclude that there are hysterical character traits. In the course of the conversation, we gradually become convinced that there are not only bright external manifestations, but also an undoubted sincerity of feelings, i.e. about the game, so characteristic of hysterics, there can be no question. The feelings shown by an exalted personality touch us inwardly, while in a conversation with a hysterical personality we constantly feel that things do not go beyond the “facade”. It is the nature of the expression of feelings that leads to these thoughts. If in such cases the profession of the subject is not related to artistic activity, then you should always specifically ask him about his attitude to art, since artistic taste, aestheticism is often feature these people.

An excessive manifestation of feelings is possible in the direction of both joyful and sad emotions, but it may also be that emotional experiences mainly concern one of the poles, and a bias in the other direction is possible only as a result of a particularly strong stimulus. With a bias predominantly in the euphoric direction, we observe easily inspired individuals, into the depressive individuals who are constantly ready to fall into despair, - I would suggest calling them that.

With an excessive degree and pace of affective-exalted reactions, i.e. in cases where we have affective-exalted cyclothymia, there is a pathological dependence on emotions with a tendency to short-circuit type reactions. In psychopathy, patients may also show predominantly opposite biases, either towards mild enthusiasm or despair.

Anxiety, timidity can be both the result of affective exaltation, and the primary property of the personality. In children, personality accentuation is partially noted in terms of anxiety, timidity, in adults this distinguishing feature more common in women. With the assumption of accentuated anxiety, it is recommended to ask if in childhood there was a fear of darkness, thunderstorms, animals, especially dogs, older children and teachers. In this way, you can get the required data. If we do not receive an affirmative answer to such questions, although fear is confirmed in the anamnesis, then this means that its origin is associated with obsessive neurosis. Such differentiation in the presence of obsessive fear in a person is usually not carried out, but it is essential for a more accurate diagnosis of personality. The emergence of a phobia is usually associated not with primary timidity, anxiety, but with anankastic features. Accentuated timidity in a child can reach a pathological degree, while in adults this is observed only in cases of a threat from something outside.

Finally, it is extremely important not to overlook the distinct extra- or introversion. Suppose we are determining whether the subject is extraverted personality. In this case, you should set questions related to the contact of this person: whether he is well arranged in life, whether he has good adaptability to circumstances, whether he easily makes acquaintances, enters into friendships. Contact also includes the question of relationships with the opposite sex. Answers to all these questions do not yet lead to an unambiguous assessment. A more unambiguous assessment can be given only by checking whether the subject's opinion about social, political, religious views, family relations corresponds to the generally accepted opinion. Next, we ask how he conducts free time whether he communicates with other people (conversation, common activities with friends), and if the subject is a collector, whether he shares information about new acquisitions with other collectors. If the subject reads a lot, we ask what kind of books he prefers, whether he accepts what he reads thoughtlessly or reflects on the work, what exactly interests the subject when reading a book, watching a television program, whether his attention is focused on specific facts. If the questions are not too suggestive, then quite reliable answers can be obtained, since the subjects do not consider it shameful for themselves to be enrolled in the category of extroverted people.

If we assume introverted personality, the questioning must also first of all begin with questions about contact with people. You can, for example, ask if it is not difficult for the subject to establish relationships with others, especially with persons of the opposite sex. But even here other questions are more important: does the subject like to be alone in order to think, to reflect intently; whether he loved collective children's games in childhood or preferred to make something by himself. It is interesting to have conversations with such a person on social, socio-political and aesthetic topics in order to establish whether he has his own opinion on these issues. Sometimes you can ask if he has any original ideas. It is also advisable to ask how the subject spends his free time - with his family, with friends, or perhaps reading or hobbies in which he invests a lot of creative imagination, whether he likes lonely walks, during which he indulges in thoughts and reflections.

If you put these, and possibly other questions that arise during the survey, you can reliably determine extra- or introverted accentuation. This is also confirmed by the behavior of the subject during the reception.

Extroverts are always ready to answer questions and willingly provide information about themselves. At the same time, they do not think for a long time, “give out” information about themselves very quickly, and sometimes they answer with grace, in the same tone and rhythm in which the question was asked. If, judging by the question, a positive answer is expected, then they answer "yes"; if the doctor unwittingly anticipates a negative answer, then he gets it. You need to be very careful not to let the subject feel what kind of response is expected from him. In this respect introverted personalities are more independent always lead their own line. If any advice or medical recommendation is given to an extroverted patient, he is immediately ready to follow everything. If this quality is expressed very clearly, the subject penetrates trust to the doctor and is ready to fulfill all his prescriptions with childlike readiness. He immediately begins to see a friend in the doctor and feel in him an indisputable authority.

Introverted Personalities in a conversation they are distinguished by restraint, they become talkative only when they report their ideas or preferences. In general, the answers of such people are often characterized by indecision: they have not yet given themselves an account of their own attitude.