Functional aspects of the personality. The contents of the personality cannot be separated from its functional aspects, they form a dialectical unit. That is why it is not possible to explain the behavior of people, from the study of the psychological contents of their personality. It is necessary to study how these contents participate in behavioral regulation, that is, how said contents work.
Summary
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- 1 Flexibility
- 2 Use of cognitive operations
- 3 Future projection
- 4 Ability to restructure the field of action
- 5 Conscious effort to explain its interrelationships with reality
- 6 Volitional efforts in the achievement of the objectives
- 7 Sources
Flexibility
This indicator expresses the subject’s ability to change and reorganize decisions, projects and adapt them to new demands and situations that may arise, as well as change alternatives and strategies for specific behaviors, without clinging to the same path or course of action. Its opposite is stiffness.
It is evident that when the subject is flexible, he has a superior capacity to face contingencies and obstacles that may appear in his life, in a more effective way, since he has resources that allow him to modify the initial decision, project or strategy, for another more convenient, according to the circumstances or situations that arise. The rigid individual tends to stick to what is planned and not vary the initial decision or project, which results in inappropriate or inefficient behavior, which can create difficulties with others, and frustrations and negative experiences when not achieving their purposes and persisting in a inadequate path, where it does not succeed. This type of subject tends to cling to his ideas and criteria. The ideas or criteria that do not coincide with being little tolerant of others and rejecting anyone who is different from him. It tends to make black and white evaluations, that is, it is good, or it is bad, without taking into account other nuances in other people.
Use of cognitive operations
This indicator shows the ability to actively and consciously use cognitive operations (analysis, synthesis, comparison, abstraction and generalization) in the regulation of behavior. The subject actively seeks the information he needs, is capable of reflecting, assessing, personally elaborating the information he obtains and integrating it to the one he already has. In the same way, it uses intellectual operations in choosing behavioral alternatives and in structuring responses to different situations and demands of the environment.
This guarantees a correct choice of modes of action and effective decision-making, based on deep reflection and maximum use of the subject’s intellectual potential and cognitive resources .
It is known that if the individual is not able to analyze and generalize adequately, he reaches the wrong conclusions, or is simply incapable of reaching conclusions. If the subject does not make good use of the information he receives, this information does not provide him or he does not know how to do it, he cannot solve the problems that life poses.
This indicator is one of the most important for the achievement of an effective regulatory function. Many of the problems in personal relationships are based on the absence of deep reflections on the events that occurred or the mishandling of the information received.
Future projection
This indicator refers to the existence of a future perspective that is expressed in a system of mediate objectives that regulate the current behavior of the subject. The subject is capable of projecting, setting aspirations, long-term goals and regulating his present behavior based on these objectives or future aspirations.
One of the most important implications of this indicator resides in the fact that the subject with a high future projection is capable of assimilating the setbacks or failures of the present as something temporary, which must be overcome in order to achieve their future goals, and works with effort towards these goals and optimizes everyday achievements based on long-term goals.
When the individual acts for immediate objectives and does not have mediate aspirations, setbacks affect him significantly, failures discourage him significantly and generally does not have sufficient forces to encourage him to move forward and overcome difficulties. In addition, he misses aspects of the present activity that are important for his future, because he is unable to realize its value.
Ability to restructure the field of action
It refers to the ability of the subject to restructure his life, his performance, his future, in the event that situations require it.
The individual is able to effectively use the information at his disposal, reflect on the internal and external elements of the field of action (situation in which he finds himself) and organize diverse alternatives of behavior that vary his behavior or his life.
It manifests itself in very significant new situations in people’s lives, which they had never faced.
The individual who possesses this ability has internal resources that help him to explain what happened, to consider all the external and internal factors that have had an impact on the event and to assess its implications with rationality and depth. He does not allow himself to be defeated by affective experiences and tries to find various future alternatives, choose the one he considers most convenient and restructure his present life based on new objectives and mediate perspectives.
On the contrary, the absence of this indicator is an indication that the subject has to face the critical contingencies of his life, with very limited resources. Affective experiences cloud his understanding, the absence of reflection does not allow him to understand the causes of what happened and rigidity prevents him from finding a new path, new goals and objectives, new ways of life in which to fulfill himself, different from those he had known and lived up to that moment. In general, this type of subject suffers a lot, becomes unbalanced and recovers from the blows of life with great difficulty. Sometimes you have to go to a psychologist or psychiatrist for help, because you are unable to solve your problems yourself. This indicator is closely linked to the previous ones.
Conscious effort to explain their interrelationships with reality
It reflects the stable and conscious effort of the subject to understand and explain their interrelationships with the environment, that is, their experiences, ideas, criteria, motives. (internal conditions) and their interrelation with situations, people, and environmental demands. (external conditions). This study of its interrelation with reality allows it to better structure and regulate its behavior.
The individual who does not try to be aware of these mutual relationships, gropes, cannot explain with absolute certainty what is happening and why it occurs, which will affect the decision to be made, which in many cases is taken without reflection or deep analysis, even without knowing why it is chosen. The consequences of all this can affect the subject, especially if the decision taken is not correct and is related to matters relevant to him.
The individual in whom this indicator is manifested has the opportunity to raise awareness of their relationships with others and discern what part corresponds to them in the events that occurred. From there you can explain the causes of the events and decide with knowledge of them.
The effort to understand himself, to be aware of his defects and virtues, of his aspirations and experiences, notably helps to better interrelate with reality and explain his own behavior.
Volitional efforts in the achievement of the objectives
It indicates the systematic efforts to overcome the obstacles that may appear in the way and hinder the achievement of the proposed objectives.
The individual fights in a stable way to achieve what he wants, and manifests a behavior directed to the achievement of his purposes. This indicator shows not only the will of the subject to achieve his goals in life, but also the strength and significance that these goals have for him.
When the individual does not manifest a behavior consistent with his aspirations, this may indicate that he is not really that interested in achieving them, or that he does not have enough willpower , or both. In all these cases, those aspirations or objectives do not effectively regulate the behavior of the subject.
