The concept of negativism: symptoms and features of manifestation in children and adults. Childhood and adolescent negativism. Correction methods Negativism treatment

In public places, we can hear unfriendly remarks: “Don’t sit down with me: you stink”, “You are so fat that two seats are not enough for you”, “This is not your case!”, “What a schmuck!”. All this is pronounced without sympathy and empathy - these are the consequences of unkind, bad behavior and even rudeness.
Yes, we often hear unfriendly remarks from others during speeches, speeches, and conversations. You need to understand for yourself their cause, and this will prompt the correct speech actions. They may be due to hooliganism, fundamental disagreement. You can try to overcome this with a good joke. Do not stray into reciprocal hostility of tone and statements. With a very intense and prolonged manifestation of hostility, it is advisable to leave silently.
Let's look at synonyms for the word hostility: hostility, enmity, coldness, aggressiveness, dislike, hostility, malice, hostility, hostility, hostility, spitefulness, hostility, malevolence, disposition, hostility, strained relations. All these synonyms express not good, sometimes arrogant behavior of a person.

Negativism is an antagonistic or oppositional behavior or attitude. Active or command negativism, expressed in the commission of actions opposite to those required or expected.
In the book "Personnel Management. Encyclopedic Dictionary" it is written: "Negativism (lat. egatio - negation) is a negative, negative attitude towards reality. Negativism is due to the subject's need for self-affirmation, is a consequence of a person's selfishness, his indifference to the interests of other people.
In a large psychological dictionary, a distinction is made between negativism in general and children's negativism.
"Children's negativism is a form of a child's protest against a really existing (or perceived as real) unfavorable attitude towards him from peers or adults. Children's negativism can manifest itself in different ways: in increased rudeness, stubbornness, in isolation, alienation.
The psychological basis of negative reactions in all cases is the dissatisfaction of some extremely significant social needs for the child: the need for communication, approval, respect, the need for emotional contact - emotional consonance with a significant other (peer or close adult).
Blocking the need (frustration) becomes a source of deep feelings, which, as they are realized by the child, more and more contribute to the emergence of negative behavioral tendencies in him.
As a reaction to failure (in achieving the desired), a negative reaction is compensatory, protective. It helps the child to endure in a difficult, conflicting life situation for him: in some cases due to external provision of an essential need for him, in another - by asserting himself "at any cost" - deliberate indiscipline, buffoonery, etc.
Negative reactions with prolonged emotional distress of the child can become qualities of his personality.
Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky highlighted the problem of negativism in a very interesting way. He gave a detailed analysis of negativism in adolescent girls and adolescent boys.
“Noting further that the period of negativism in girls usually takes place before the first menstruation and ends with its onset, S. Buhler tends to consider the whole complex of negative symptoms as a direct onset of puberty. (Note that in this case we have one of the finest illustrations of how the development of the mechanisms of behavior, skills and abilities does not go in parallel with the development of interests and what a deep divergence between one and the other process we observe in negative phase.) Further, along with this decline, internal discontent, anxiety, a desire for loneliness, self-isolation are observed, sometimes accompanied by a hostile attitude towards others. PS in general. The teenager, as it were, is repelled by the environment, he manifests a negative attitude towards the environment, towards what until recently was the subject of his interest; sometimes negativism proceeds more gently, sometimes it manifests itself in the form of destructive activity. Along with subjective experiences (oppressed state, depression, melancholy, which manifests itself in entries in diaries and other documents that reveal the inner, intimate life of a teenager), this phase is characterized by hostility, a tendency to quarrel, and violations of discipline.
The whole phase could be called the phase of the second negativism, since such a negative attitude usually first manifests itself in early childhood, about 3 years old. This gives S. Buhler a reason to draw, as we have already noted, a far-reaching analogy between the first and second phases of denial. But this similarity, of course, is limited to a purely formal similarity between one and another period; apparently, a negative attitude characterizes every change, every turning point, every transition of the child from one stage to another, being a necessary bridge along which the child rises to a new stage of development. According to S. Buhler, this phase occurs in girls on average at the age of 13 years 2 months. and lasts for several months.
Similar observations have been made by other researchers. For example, O. Sterzinger drew attention to the fact that teachers have long complained about the decline in student performance and productivity, about the difficulties that are encountered in school work, usually in the fifth grade, among teenagers of 14 and 15 years old. The same circumstance is also noted by O. Kro: in the first phase of puberty, there is, as it were, a decrease in the ability and productivity in the mental work of the student. Kro points out that the strikingly poor school performance, which in secondary school is usually observed in the fifth grade, even among previously good students, is due to the fact that here the attitude changes from visibility and knowledge to understanding and deduction. The transition to a new, higher form of intellectual activity is accompanied by a temporary decrease in efficiency.
With good reason, Kro characterizes the whole stage as a stage of disorientation in internal and external relations. At the moment of transition, when the features of the dying past and the beginning of the future are mixed in the adolescent's personality, there is some change in the main lines, direction, some temporary state of disorientation. It is during this period that there is some discrepancy between the child and his environment. Cro considers that during the entire process of development, the human "I" and the world are hardly ever more separated than during this period.
O. Tumlirts (1931) gives a similar description of this phase in the development of interests. For him, the period of puberty also begins with a phase, the central moment of which is the breaking of previously established interests. This is a period of collision of various psychological attitudes, a period of anxiety, internal and external denial and protest. An oppositional, negative attitude characterizes this period of the absence of positive and stable interests. The first phase of denial is replaced by another, positive phase, which Tumlirts calls the time of cultural interests.
We see that the most diverse researchers, despite the divergence in individual definitions, agree to establish the presence of a negative phase at the beginning of the transitional age. On the actual side, we find a valuable addition to this position from various authors. So. A. Busemann, who studied the problem of reflecting the main features of youth in his own judgments of youth, notes, especially in girls, the onset of a symptom of discontent at about 13, in boys at about 16 years.
E. Lau. the study of which attracts our attention primarily because it is dedicated to a working teenager, notes about the age of 15-16 a decline in the teenager's interest in his work, often a sudden negative attitude towards the profession. This attitude usually passes soon, giving way to a positive one.
Studies by other authors helped to clarify the differences in the course of the phase in boys and girls and to clarify the individual symptoms of this phase. Thus, a study by K. Reininger showed that the negative phase was observed in girls usually between 11 years 8 months and 13 years. The phase lasts from 8 to 9 months. Reininger concludes that the negative phase is a normal and necessary period through which an adolescent must go. The absence of this phase, according to Reininger, is observed only when the development of the adolescent deviates from the norm in one way or another, or when prematurely early maturity sets in.
The end of the phase is characterized by the main symptom - an increase in academic performance and productivity of mental activity. Among the symptoms that characterize this stage, the researcher notes instability, anxiety and lowering of mood, its negative coloration, passivity and decline in interests. In girls of unsecured classes, the same phase is observed, proceeding basically the same way, but coming a little later - about 13-14 years.
A similar study of this phase in girls was carried out by L. Vecherka, who studied the development of social relations between adolescents, their relations with adults, and various forms of children's social life. According to her data, the evolution of social relations and related interests clearly reveals two polar phases, of which the first is characterized by the collapse of collective ties, the rupture of previously established relations between children, a sharp change in attitudes towards other people, and the second, which the researcher calls the phase of unions, is characterized by opposite features, expansion and strengthening, first of all, social ties.
G. Getzer observed the course of the same phase in boys. The phase usually began somewhat later than in girls, between 14 and 16 years of age. The symptoms are the same as in girls: a decline in productivity, a pessimistic mood. A significantly different feature is the more stormy and prolonged course of the negative phase and the more active nature of negativism, a slight decrease in apathy and passivity compared to girls in the same phase, a somewhat greater manifestation of destructive activity in various forms.
P. L. Zagorovsky considers the first feature that is observed in adolescents of the negative phase to be reduced academic performance and working capacity. After a period of normal performance and performance, suddenly there is a failure to complete tasks, absenteeism; students who carried out a certain work with enthusiasm suddenly lose interest in it; to the questions of the teacher, why this or that work has not been prepared, the answers are not uncommon: there is no desire to study. Progress is declining, in some cases it is especially noticeable. In adolescents, violations of discipline are noticed (and this applies mainly to boys); opposition to a comradely environment, "speech negativism" and negativism in actions, breaking friendly ties, neglecting the rules established by the team, striving for loneliness - these are the most often combined features of adolescent behavior in this phase. In girls, a passive, apathetic, drowsy state is more often observed.
In some cases (in 8 adolescents) there was a keen interest in reading, and adolescents turn to books of a different content, namely to works where there is an erotic moment. In a number of cases, one can assume the presence of an acute sexual interest, but Zagorovsky's observations could not clearly illuminate this side of a teenager's life.
A decrease in working capacity and academic performance equally characterizes both boys and girls in the negative phase. Especially, Zagorovsky says, efficiency decreases during tasks of a creative nature (composing, solving problems). Meanwhile, mechanical deterioration is sometimes not observed in works.
What is essentially new in this study by Zagorovsky is the description of the behavior of adolescents in the negative phase of development in the family. The general conclusion that can be drawn on the basis of these data is that the adolescent's negativism manifests itself in the family not as clearly as at school, and, conversely, in individual adolescents, negative phenomena are sharply revealed in the family, being almost imperceptible in the school environment.
Thus, two points draw our attention in this study: firstly, a decrease in working capacity mainly in tasks of a creative nature, which becomes clear in connection with the transition of a teenager to new, not yet strengthened forms of intellectual activity, and also due to the fact that these works, more than works of a mechanical nature, should be based on the creative interests of a teenager and suffer more in an era of breaking interests; secondly, the closest dependence of negative attitudes on environmental conditions (negative attitudes did not manifest themselves to the same extent in all children and revealed various forms of flow in the family and school).
The second study, covering 104 adolescents who entered puberty, allowed the author to clarify a number of issues related to this problem and to provide a highly valuable and important qualitative analysis of the observed phenomena. The average age of girls covered by the study is 13 years 3 months (from 12 years to 13 years 9 months), the average age of boys is 14 years 4 months (from 13 years 6 months to 15 years 8 months).
The data obtained were subjected to a qualitative analysis, which made it possible to identify the types of schoolchildren in relation to their experience of the negative phase of development. The author proposes instead of "types" to call "forms of behavior of the Soviet schoolchild", since the concept of "type" implies something stable, unchangeable, which cannot be said about children according to Zagorovsky's data. The forms of the course of the negative phase in adolescents are reduced to three main options: in the first case, pronounced negativism manifests itself in all areas of the child's life, the old interests of the student fall sharply, take on a new direction, for example, on issues of sexual life; the behavior of a teenager in some cases changes in just a few weeks.
In a number of cases, negativism is strikingly stable. The student completely drops out of the family, he is inaccessible to the persuasions of his elders, he is highly excitable at school or, conversely, he is stupid, that is, he can easily establish traits of a schizoid character. There were 16 such children (9 boys and 7 girls), among them 4 from working families. In girls, the mitigation of sharp negative traits was marked out prudently earlier than in boys. Describing these children, the author
says that the initial period of puberty is difficult and acute for them.
The second variant of the course of the negative phase is distinguished by more softened features of denial. A teenager, according to Zagorovsky, is a potential negativist, one can say about him that a negative attitude manifests itself in him only in certain life situations, in certain environmental conditions, his negativism arises mainly as a reaction to the negative influences of the environment (oppressive actions of the school environment, family conflicts), but these reactions are unstable and short-lived. It is for these children that it is characteristic that they behave differently in different social situations, for example, at school and in the family. The vast majority of the studied schoolchildren belong to this type (68 out of 104).
Finally, in the third variant of the course of the first phase of puberty, negative phenomena cannot be established at all. Here, there is absolutely no decline in academic performance, severance of friendships, falling out of the team, changes in attitudes towards the teacher and family. Meanwhile, Zagorovsky states, a change in interests is striking: an interest in the other sex is revealed, other bookish interests are manifested, but interest in the school community is weakening. This group covers about 20% of observed children. The whole group has a certain positive orientation towards life situations, meanwhile, children go through the same biological phases of development as children who are obvious negativists. In the third group of children, according to the author, there seems to be no negative phase at all, their positive emotionality does not weaken over a long period. Most children without a negative phase belong to working families (11 out of 20).
On the basis of his research, Zagorovsky comes to the conclusion that a significant amendment should be made to the provisions of the authors describing the negative phase. In his opinion, there is no doubt that negativism as a well-known phase in the development of adolescent interests, characterized by the adolescent's repulsion from the environment, takes place in human development. But, Zagorovsky believes, it is necessary to reject the purely biological formula put forward by S. Buhler. The inconsistency of this formula lies, according to the author, in the fact that negative reflexes in relation to the environment, observed in higher mammals, in the social human environment can be inhibited, modified, take on peculiar forms of expression. Further, negativism can be revealed in relation to not all life situations. To a large extent, the sharp manifestation of these symptoms may be due to shortcomings in the pedagogical approach.
We do not know the pedagogy of adolescence well, Zagorovsky believes, we have not yet developed certain influences on negative adolescents, but the fact noted by all researchers is that the negative phase in a normal teenager is not so long that it can be detected in various forms of behavior, i.e. influences, speaks of a conclusion in favor of pedagogical optimism.
We think that in describing the negative phase, along with correctly noted symptoms that characterize the early onset of puberty, most authors greatly simplify the issue, due to which a contradictory picture arises of various forms of identifying the negative stage in various conditions of the social environment and upbringing.

The analysis of this phase cannot be limited to biological forms alone, as Zagorovsky correctly points out. However, it seems to us that his objection does not cover the whole issue as a whole: so, he is inclined to assign the environment in the development of the interests of the adolescent only the role of a factor that can slow down, moderate, give a different external expression, but not re-create and shape the interests of the adolescent. Meanwhile, the most essential feature of this period is that the epoch of puberty is at the same time the epoch of the social maturation of the individual. Along with the awakening of new inclinations that create a biological basis for the restructuring of the entire system of interests, there is a restructuring and formation of interests from above, on the part of the maturing personality and worldview of the adolescent.
The fact that the human adolescent is not only a biological, natural, but also a historical, social being is usually overlooked by biologizing authors, as well as the fact that, along with the social maturation and growing of the adolescent into the surrounding social life, his interests do not flow mechanically, like a liquid into an empty vessel, into the biological forms of his inclinations, but they themselves, in the process of internal development and restructuring of the personality, restructure the very forms of inclinations, raising them to a higher level and turning them into human interests, they themselves become internal components of the personality.
The ideas that surround the teenager and are outside him at the beginning of his maturation become his inner property, an integral part of his personality.
The second amendment that should be introduced into the doctrine of the negative phase is that it is equally wrong from the biological and from the socio-psychological side to depict this period as a homogeneous stage, to imagine the entire melody of the critical stage as consisting of one note. In fact, the processes of development in general and this process in particular are distinguished by an immeasurably more complex structure, an immeasurably finer structure.
A. B. Zalkind speaks of a deep pedagogical error, which is
the source of a number of absurdities in the methods of the educational approach to the critical period. The error is mainly due to the fact that the critical stage is imagined as a homogeneous stage, in which there are supposedly only processes of excitation, fermentation, explosions - in a word, such phenomena that it is incredibly difficult to cope with. In fact, the critical period, despite all the complexity and difficulty, does not at all differ in the tragedy that was usually attributed to it in the old pedology, it is completely heterogeneous, three types of processes take place simultaneously in it, and each of these types requires timely and integral consideration in communication with all others in the development of methods of education.
These three types of processes that make up the critical period in the development of an adolescent, according to Zalkind, are as follows: 1) increasing stabilization processes that reinforce the body's previous acquisitions, making them more fundamental, more and more stable; 2) the processes are really critical, completely new; moreover, very rapidly, rapidly growing changes; and 3) processes leading to the formation of the nascent elements of an adult, which are the basis for the further creative activity of a growing person. The internal heterogeneity and unity of the critical stage, according to Zalkind, are covered in the following formula: this stage ends and consolidates childhood, it creates a completely new one, and it also carries elements of maturation in the full sense of the word.
We think that it is precisely the consideration of the heterogeneity of the critical phase, along with the consideration of the transformation of drives into interests, i.e., the cultural shaping of drives, that presents the problem of the negative phase in a truly correct light.
The central point that determines the structure and dynamics of each phase are the interests of the adolescent.
AB Zalkind says that in the transitional age the problem of interests becomes extremely complicated. It is absolutely clear that if we do not create in adolescents vivid attitudes towards certain impressions that interest them, then we will not be able to cover with pedagogical influence the main part of those biological values ​​that are contained in the transitional age. It can be absolutely firmly pointed out that the problem of upbringing and teaching adolescence is the problem of the correct construction of age interests, age dominants, according to the author.
[Vygotsky L.S.: Volume IV. , S. 7862 (vgl. Vygotsky: Collected works. Vol. 4, S. 0)].
S.L. Rubinshtein writes about the negativism of adolescents:

“Negativism manifests itself in unmotivated volitional opposition to everything that comes from others. Negativism hides not strength, but weakness of will, when the subject is not able to maintain sufficient internal freedom in relation to the desires of others to weigh them in essence and on this basis to accept or reject them.<...>As with suggestibility, the subject accepts, so with negativism, he rejects, regardless of the objective content that justifies the decision. Phenomena of negativism are observed, as well as suggestion, in hysterical subjects.
Negativism is also spoken of as a characteristic phenomenon of the child's volitional sphere. But the genetic conditioning of these phenomena in both cases is different. A will that has not yet grown stronger sometimes creates a protective barrier for itself in the manifestations of negativism. However, even in the process of development, negativism is usually a symptom of the abnormally developing relations of the child or adolescent with his environment. What is interpreted by the adolescent as negativism is sometimes a manifestation of that discord between fathers and children, which was especially pronounced during periods of more or less significant social shifts in the history of society.
In this regard, another phenomenon of a characterological order is instructive - stubbornness. Although stubbornness and perseverance seem to be manifested in stubbornness, nevertheless stubbornness and willpower are not identical phenomena. With stubbornness, the subject persists in his decision only because this decision comes from him. Stubbornness differs from perseverance in its objective groundlessness. The decision in stubbornness is of a formal nature, since it is made without regard to the essence or objective content of the decision made.
Suggestibility, negativism and stubbornness clearly reveal the significance of the objective, substantiating content for a full-fledged volitional act. The relation to other people and to oneself plays an essential role in every normal act of will; with suggestion, negativism and stubbornness, they acquire pathological forms because they are not mediated by the objective content of the decision being made.
[Rubinshtein S. L.: Part five. , S. 24681 (vgl. Rubinstein: Fundamentals of General Psychology, S. 0).
Uznadze echoes him: “Thus, during puberty, negativism and stubbornness reappear. The adolescent feels a steady trend of sovereign independence and a merciless denial of everything that has previously existed.
This second time of stubbornness also quickly ends and gives way to a new, now higher stage in the development of human behavior. The fantasy and intellect of a growing person are already sufficiently developed so that he can take upon himself the regulation of his own behavior. His strengthened self-consciousness, constant emphasizing of his own "I" and his ideals prepare him enough for this very "I" to become the subject of his behavior. So, the growing person has finally reached the stage of volitional activity.
[Uznadze D.N.: Psychology of activity. impulsive behavior. , S. 29971 (vgl. Uznadze D. N. Psychological research, S. 424)]

L.I. Bozhovich believes that outwardly negativism is manifested in the seemingly causeless whims of the child, stubbornness, constant refusal to fulfill the requirements of adults, the desire to insist on one's own at all costs. Children actually become uncontrollable: neither demands, nor threats, nor even requests have any effect on them. They steadfastly refuse to do what until recently they performed unquestioningly.
The point here is not that children do not want to do what the adult suggests, but that they do not want to fulfill the requirements coming from the adult. The mother tells the child to go for a walk, but the child categorically refuses. They begin to dress him, he resists. But some time after he was left alone, he suddenly declares: "I want to go for a walk."
The reason for this behavior is that the child accumulates an emotionally negative attitude towards the demands of adults, which impede the satisfaction of the children's need for independence. And the need for independence arises in connection with the emergence of motivating ideas.
Some parents somehow intuitively catch the beginning of this new stage in the mental development of the child and change their approach to it. They begin to understand that a child over one year old cannot be treated in the same way as an infant, now it is necessary to reckon with his desire to act in accordance with his own impulses. For those parents who do not understand this, the conflict with their children will inevitably worsen. There have been cases when children refused to do even what they really wanted, if they saw that their parents wanted the same from them.
Thus, negativism is the result of improper upbringing, a consequence of the child's protest against violence committed against him by adults. And it should not be confused with perseverance. The child's persistent desire to achieve a goal, in contrast to negativism, is a positive phenomenon; this is the most important characteristic of volitional behavior. Indeed, with negativism, the motive for the child's behavior is an exceptionally stubborn desire to insist on one's own, and perseverance is determined by the child's genuine interest in achieving the goal.
From all that has been said, it is obvious that the appearance of negativism brings great damage to the process of development and upbringing of the child. Firstly, the contact between the child and the adult is disrupted, without which education generally becomes impossible. Secondly, the fact that adults constantly prevent the fulfillment of the child's own decisions and desires gradually leads to a weakening of these desires themselves, that is, to a weakening of his desire for independence. If parents do not have the patience to give their children the opportunity to show independence in a timely manner, then after a while the children stop striving to show independence and demand that they be dressed and fed by adults.
Consequently, violence against a child, imposing on him behavior that does not correspond to his internal needs, disfigures the psyche of a small person. It is necessary to avoid such violence, in every possible way to encourage the child's desire for independence.
In the same way as in early childhood, education at preschool age consists not so much in some special techniques, but in the correct organization of the entire life and activities of the child. After all, one cannot expect the manifestation of will from a person deprived of independence, who lacks certain goals that give rise to the desire to achieve them. That is why, speaking about the education of the will, one should talk about the correct organization of the entire life and activities of the child, which form his personality.
[Bozhovich L. I.: The development of will in ontogenesis. , S. 4531 (vgl. Bozovic: Problems of Personality Formation, S. 312)].
A.V. Brushlinsky believes that in the course of self-development, the child is very differently susceptible to various influences from outside and therefore is not defenseless. In this sense, even childhood and adolescent negativism, with all its negative properties, can also have some positive significance, providing, if necessary, temporary protection from unwanted external influences, in particular, from help from adults and peers.
Pedagogical, moral-psychological, etc. assistance is always necessary and useful for the child, but it can contribute to his self-development only under strictly defined conditions. In order to more fully reveal this general proposition, it is advisable to compare with each other precisely in this context the above-mentioned principle of determinism "external only through internal" and the concept of the zone of proximal development, which comes from L. S. Vygotsky and is now widely used by his followers.
[Brushlinsky A. V.: § 3. The integrity of the subject is the basis for the systemic nature of all his mental qualities. , S. 4689 (vgl. Brushlinsky: Problems in the Psychology of the Subject, S. 43)]

M. Borba offers four steps to get rid of malevolence.

Here are four steps to help your child get rid of ill will and develop empathy.

Step 1: Criticize the rude behavior, not the child.

As soon as you notice that the child is rude, immediately draw his attention to such behavior. Don't trap yourself into long sermons about the Golden Rule of Conduct (lecturing tends to turn kids off). Instead, take the time to identify and describe the child's unkind behavior. You should only focus on the child's unkind behavior and not on the child itself. Your task is to ensure that the child understands what kind of behavior you object to and why you do not approve of such behavior. Here are some examples of how to make unkind behavior an object of struggle.
"It's not good to call your cousin 'four-eyed'. Calling names is bad because it humiliates people. I just can't let you do that."
"It's not good to tell jokes about fat to your sister and call her fat. You're laughing at her, not with her. You can't tease a person, it hurts his feelings."
"You were careless by not asking your friend what show he wants to watch. You only watch what you want without even asking him what he wants. I want you to be a more considerate host."

Step 2: Help your child learn to understand the feelings of the person they hurt

In raising a child who demonstrates malevolence in his behavior, it is important to help him understand how much his actions hurt a person. Here are a few questions that will make the child think about how his rudeness affects the feelings of the one he offended.
"Do you see how upset your brother is? How does he feel because of what you did?"
"She burst into tears because of you. How do you think she feels?"
"Did you notice how your rudeness affected her? How would you feel if someone did this to you?"

Step 3. Teach your child to avoid rudeness

Now ask your child one very important question: "What will you do differently next time?" We very often skip this step because we assume that the child knows how to behave differently. Don't make that assumption! I have watched many children become hardened rude people because no one bothered to talk to them about behavior that replaces being rude. After all, the most effective parenting is the one that teaches children to do the right thing. Therefore, teach your child to behave in a new, kind way. To replace rude acts, for example, teach him to praise a friend, apologize, share, or express admiration. Then help your child practice the new behavior so that it becomes a habit.

Step 4. Give your child a chance to make amends

The final part of parenting is to help the child learn to take responsibility for being rude by making amends for what has been done. As a result of research conducted by Martin Hoffman, it was found that if parents draw the child's attention to the harmful consequences of his actions, prompting him to atone for his guilt, this contributes to the development of politeness and consideration in him. It is very important that the child understands that the committed rude act cannot be reversed, but you can soften the embarrassment and smooth out the resentment of the one who was offended by apologizing, replacing the damaged things, giving way or doing something kind to him. Require the child to make a plan of action to correct the consequences. Moreover, make sure that there are no ambiguities in this matter so that the child understands that you will not tolerate ill will.

A plan to gradually change a child's problem behavior

Research data show that the number of unfriendly children is increasing. What do you think is driving this trend? Experts say that they are not born unfriendly - they learn this. Where do children learn malevolence? Have you ever been unkind to them yourself? Have your children observed manifestations of your unkindness towards your spouse, family members or friends? How can parents reduce the factors that contribute to the development of ill will? How can you instill empathy in a child? Write down your thoughts and choose one to bring to life.
Now is the time to take action to change your child's behavior. Use the Child's Problem Behavior Step Change Diary to record your thoughts and make a change plan.
1. Think about what might be contributing to your child's ill will? When did you first notice the unfriendly behavior? What bothered you? Now, who is this behavior directed at (e.g., you, your parents, siblings, friends, adults, toddlers, animals, neighborhood kids)? Talk to other adults who care for your child, know him well and might observe similar behavior in a different setting. Take notes.
2. Review the list of top causes of ill will in children. Maybe for some of these reasons your child behaves unkindly? Once you've identified the cause of your child's unwanted behavior, make a plan to gradually change the problematic behavior.
Common causes of malevolence in children:

Lack of empathy. The child may not fully understand how the person who was treated unkindly feels.
Lack of self-respect. The child feels his inadequacy, so he wants to humiliate the other person.
The need for revenge. He himself was molested and teased; he wants to win back.
Desire to be accepted in the group. The child, wishing to be accepted in any group, suppresses its outsiders.
Lack of problem solving skills. Not knowing how to resolve the conflict, the child offends and calls names.
Envy. The child is jealous of someone, so he humiliates him in order to feel better.
Ill-will shown towards the child himself. The child is treated unkindly, so he copies this behavior.
Desire to rule. The child feels superior when teasing.
Lack of benevolence. No one explains to a child that ill will is bad.
Underdeveloped communication skills. The child does not have such communication skills with other children as joint activities, settling disputes, keeping promises, support, listening, so he resorts to suppressing the other child.
3. Reread the four steps to changing bad behavior. Recall the last time a child exhibited this behavior. How would you use these steps to correct a child's behavior?
4. Think about what you will do and say the next time your child is being mean. How will you use these steps to change your child's behavior? Make a few notes that help you remember how to parent your child more effectively to eradicate ill will.

Literature:
1. Big psychological dictionary / ed. B.G. Meshcheryakova, V.P. Zinchesko. / St. Petersburg: Prime-Eurosign, 2006.
2. Bozhovich L.I. Problems of personality formation, S. 312
3. Borba M. "No to bad behavior. 38 patterns of problem behavior in a child and how to deal with them." M.: Williams, 2005.
4. Personnel management. Encyclopedic Dictionary. / edited by A.Ya. Kibanova / M.: Infra-M, 1998.

Negativism
Material http://www.psychologos.ru/articles/view/negativizm
Author: N.I. Kozlov
Negativism is an attitude towards a person, people, and sometimes to life and the world as a whole with a negative prejudice. The opposite of negativism is understanding, cooperation, support.
Most often, negativism means behavioral negativism - the tendency to refuse or do everything in defiance, to do the opposite, contrary to requests and requirements. Passive negativism - ignoring requests and demands. Active negativism (protest behavior) - a person does the opposite, no matter what he is asked.
Negativism in children: “You stayed too long. Go for a walk!” “I don’t want to, I’m reading!” “You haven’t read today. It's time to start reading!" “I don’t want to, I’ll go for a walk!” - while, most likely, his desires will be directly opposite to the proposed one.
Negativism is more typical for children during age crises. It is typical for adolescents (teenage negativism) and for older (old) people (see the Emotional Tone Scale and Age Negativism about this). Negativism usually escalates during periods of personal failure.
When negativism is associated with general poor health or mood, it is more often of a total nature, manifesting itself in behavior, communication style, and outlook on life. In other cases, perhaps due to the peculiarities of upbringing, negativism can be very selective. For example, in words a person swears, objects and accuses, but in reality at the same time he loves and cares. On the contrary, a polite and well-mannered person with a completely positive vocabulary can actually be an asocial person with negative misanthropic attitudes.
Negativism can manifest itself in relation to certain people or a group of people. For example, it seems to a person that in this society his individuality is suppressed, and then he tries to do everything “not like others”. It is difficult for a negative person to live on his own, it is even more difficult to live next to him. It is difficult to do business with a person if a person has a negative worldview - the habit of seeing the negative in life: mistakes - not success, problems - not opportunities, shortcomings - not virtues. However, negative people may well be friends with each other, together pouring mud on those around them. Often they also speak ill of each other, but since it is customary for them to see negativity in the world, nasty things addressed to them are quite understandable for them. They are used to it.
It is more difficult to notice a deep negativism in a person. It happens that outwardly, seemingly positively relating to people, inside he treats people with a negative prejudice, not trusting people, seeing intent and sabotage, blaming and suspecting people, provoking negativism among others.
The reasons for negativism are varied, and one cannot deny genetic circumstances, the influence of the hormonal background, and the general cultural environment. Unfortunately, negativism is one of the characteristic features of the Russian mentality. In this regard, the majority of Russians more often see themselves as shortcomings, rather than virtues. Abroad, if a person on the street accidentally touched another person, the stereotyped reaction of almost anyone: "Sorry", an apology and a smile. They are so brought up. It's sad that in Russia such patterns are more negative, here you can hear "Well, where are you looking?", And something more harsh.
As for the psychological reasons, this is primarily 1) helplessness, lack of skills and knowledge of how to cope with the problem; 2) struggle for power, self-affirmation; 3) lack of attention, attracting attention; 4) expression of hostility, revenge. Sometimes this is a painful variant of a negative worldview.
How to deal with negativity?
Fighting negativism is a creative task. Pointing out the symptoms of negativism in others is dangerous, usually people with developing negativism react defensively to this, only strengthening themselves in their negativism. If you take care of yourself or ask others around you to tell you when you "fall into negativism", success is quite real.
How can you avoid falling into negativity? - It is not very wise to fight against negativism, since the struggle against is already a manifestation of negativism. It is more productive and more fun to develop a positive outlook and a positive attitude towards people. It's real. So, we remove the position of the Victim, the tendency to whine and worry "Oh, how terrible everything is!", We develop the position of the Author, self-confidence and the habit of cheerful support of others. We learn to see our successes and good luck, we learn to compliment people, we learn to thank people and we learn gratitude for life in general.
Attentive people take care that negativism does not take hold of them. The easiest way is to ask friends and family members to follow you, especially since such a game is useful for everyone. You can independently track your positive vocabulary and separately write out your typical expressions in which you splash out your negativity. Mat, of course, is excluded from normal communication
Age negativism
Material Perhaps age-related negativism is a consequence of a great life experience? Maybe even optimists would change their minds with age, just with the advent of real life experience?

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This is hardly the reason for age-related negativism. With age, not everyone gets smarter: if a person was stupid, it will remain so. A person is a set of prejudices, sometimes successful, sometimes not. In a good society, people, even if the school and parents failed to do this, gain a decent set of prejudices and become like intelligent people. But this is not their merit. These sensible thoughts were hammered into them. Therefore, some other mechanism is at work here. Most likely it is:
hormonal background,
health status.
As a child, your whole body sings, you want to move, the world is beautiful - all this happens due to the hormonal background. The child, as a healthy being, reacts to everything with interest. There are exceptions of the genus when children are already born cowardly and hostile, but this happens quite rarely.
If you buy a non-used car, what is it like? When I look at people, the simplest analogy that always comes up is the year the car was made. And now the car is holding up, MOT passes, but this is already a used version.
So in a person with age, the hormonal background changes and it becomes objectively difficult to live.
My head hurts, my legs hurt, I suffer from hemorrhoids, and for many years, not hours. Already the back is heavy, and it seems to live for so long. And since you didn’t raise children, children are bad, because you hoped for them, but did nothing to make the hope come true. You didn't care about your life.
How to deal with age negativism?
Marina and I agreed that if we notice traits of negativism in each other, we immediately signal this.
How do we do it? There are many options. If in a conversation with other people I went into the negative, Marina does not show it, she smiles: “Everything is in order.” After the conversation, he takes my hand and says: “Dear, remember, we talked about the negative.” I think, thank her and, as a rule, kiss her on the cheek. If this happens to Marina during a conversation with me, but about other people (which happens most often), I take her hand and say: “Marina, what do you want from me”?
Such a question will become an absolute stupor, because when a person talks about the negative, he, as a rule, does not have a constructive one. “I propose to close this topic, because it is negative.” Everything. A switch takes place.
Or another option: I refuse to continue the conversation with the words: "Let's wait 5 minutes and return to this topic, because it needs to be discussed in a different style and with a different intonation."
Yes, flags with good inscriptions will soon appear in Sinton, such as “I'm right” or “I love you”, and on one of the flags there will be - “softer, please. Thanks!". I will definitely use them, for example, instead of a flower that is always with you. You give the flag "I love you" and kiss. Nice. And then you check the box “softer, please. Thanks!".

Negative
http://www.psychologos.ru/articles/view/negativ
Negativity is something that people evaluate as something bad, unpleasant, difficult, negative, generated by psychological reasons. That is, sometimes intentional, but not intentional, born not from the mind.
Unkind criticism, swearing, accusations and self-accusations, creating pain for yourself and others, seeing everything in black - all this is negative.
Negativity can be conscious, intentional - and unconscious, random. Negativity can be a reaction, a response to the negative from outside and can be an action, action and deed. Negativity can be at the level of perception (seeing minuses in everything, negative worldview), at the level of communication - in words or intonations, negative can be in actions and deeds (negativism). We can talk about situational negativity and personal negativity. A common type of personality negativity is age negativity. Cm.;
Negativity is a frequently used way of influencing oneself and other people, justified in some cases and very harmful in others. It is easiest to manage people on the negative, although in the long run it turns out to be of little effect.
The negative is useful and justified when it follows from it that it is constructive: what to do with it. One of the rules of communication: you can always talk about good things and not necessarily on business. About the bad (about problems and someone's shortcomings) - only for real needs, when there is a desire to change it and a vision of how this can be done. If there is no need to talk about the bad - these topics are closed.
Negativity in family communication is under special control and is allowed only in great need. The negative is permitted and permissible only if it is impossible to do without talking about it, for example, if it is necessary to speak about it to substantiate one's thesis. If something can be said without being negative, it is correct to say it without being negative. In family communication, negativity cannot be used unnecessarily.
Once the negative pushes people to development, more often it slows them down. It is true that positivity in itself does not promise all other virtues, but only contributes to their achievement. But it is also true that the antipode of the positive, the negative, is (as a rule) a serious brake on the path to personal development and success in life. Developing yourself on the negative is not effective.
The best way to deal with your own negativity is not to deal with your negativity, but to develop the positive in yourself. Often the negative comes because we simply do not notice it, and then it turns into a bad habit. In this case, it is useful to turn to others so that they follow you and tell you when you have a harsh displeased intonation, when you raise negative topics, or simply speak badly about someone.
It is useful to agree when a couple in a family helps each other not to sink into negativity. Wife: "Change your intonation, please, you have a hard voice now" (option: check the box "Softer. Please! Thank you." Husband: if he was harsh, put your hand on his arm and say gently: "I think you were harsh . Do you think it could have been said somehow differently, softer?

Question #4

General concept of age crises and their characteristics

Age crises is a theoretical concept that denotes a transitional stage from one age period to another.

L.S. Vygotsky developed the concept according to which mental development is carried out by changing stable or as they are also called lytic periods and critical periods.

According to L.S. Vygotsky, age crises are caused, first of all, by the destruction of the usual social situation of development and the emergence of another, which is more consistent with a new level of psychological development of the child.

It is customary to distinguish the following age crises:

one year crisis

three year crisis

seven year crisis

teen crisis,

youth crisis.

Crisis of three years

The crisis of 3 years - the border between early and preschool childhood - is one of the most difficult moments in a child's life.

At the heart of the crisis is the contradiction of two tendencies: the desire to take part in adult life and the assertion of independence - myself!

L.S. Vygotsky, describes the characteristics of the crisis of 3 years.

1) negativism- the child gives a negative reaction not to the action itself, which he refuses to perform, but to the demand or request of an adult.

2) stubbornness- this is the reaction of a child who insists on something not because he really wants it, but because he himself demanded.

3) depreciation- depreciates what was familiar, interesting, expensive before. The old rules of behavior are depreciated, the old attachments to things are depreciated, and so on.

4) obstinacy close to negativism and stubbornness, but directed not against a specific adult, but against the norms of behavior (orders) accepted in the family;

5) willfulness- i.e. the child wants to do everything himself; but this is not a crisis of the 1st year, where the child strives for physical independence, but strives for independence of intention, design.

6) protest riot, which manifests itself in frequent quarrels with parents; according to L.S. Vygotsky "the child is at war with others, in constant conflict with them"

7) despotism- dictates his behavior (if there is 1 child in the family), shows despotic power in relation to everything around him. Jealousy for brothers.

Crisis 7 years

On the border of preschool and primary school age, the child goes through another age crisis. This fracture may begin at 7 years of age, or may shift to 6 or 8 years.

Causes of the crisis 7 years. The reason for the crisis is that the child has outgrown the system of relationships in which he is included.

The child comes to realize his place in the world of social relations. He discovers for himself the significance of a new social position - the position of a schoolchild associated with the performance of educational work highly valued by adults.

External manifestations crisis are:

1) loss of immediacy (between desire and action, the experience of what significance this action will have for the child is wedged);

2) mannerisms (the child builds something out of himself, hides something);

3) a symptom of "bitter candy" - the child feels bad, but he tries not to show it, cunning

4) demonstrative adulthood

The child becomes difficult to educate, ceases to follow well-known, habitual norms of behavior (especially when it comes to fulfilling everyday household requirements).

According to L.S. Vygotsky, the basis of these changes is loss of childish innocence.

The child loses his childlike innocence. Now, according to the behavior of the child, adults cannot unequivocally judge what he thinks, feels, experiences, what he really wants. The loss of immediacy is due to the fact that the child begins to think before acting, tries to evaluate his act in terms of its result, possible long-term consequences, etc.

The child's behavior ceases to be impulsive and becomes mediated and arbitrary. He already has the ability to control his behavior. The child can adequately evaluate the future act in terms of its results and more distant consequences. This eliminates the impulsiveness and immediacy of the child's behavior.

There are significant changes in the emotional and motivational sphere . Separate emotions and feelings that a child of four years old experienced were fleeting, situational, and did not leave a noticeable trace in his memory.

The fact that he periodically encountered failures in some of his affairs or sometimes received unflattering reviews about his appearance and experienced grief about this did not affect the formation of his personality.

First time generalization of experiences .

The successes and failures that a child experiences in any situations (study, productive activities, communication) lead to the formation of a sense of inferiority, hurt pride or, on the contrary, a sense of self-worth, skill, and competence.

According to L.I. Bozovic, the crisis of 7 years is the period of birth social "I".

Changing self-awareness leads to a reassessment of values. What was important before becomes secondary. Old interests, motives lose their motive power, they are replaced by new ones. Everything related to learning activities (first of all, marks) turns out to be valuable, what is connected with the game is less important. A small schoolboy plays with enthusiasm, but the game ceases to be the main content of his life.

This new level of development of self-consciousness is associated with the emergence internal position. This is the central personality formation, which is now beginning to determine the entire system of the child's relations: to himself, to other people, to the world as a whole.

Teen Crisis

Features of adolescence.

Adolescence is characterized by anxiety, anxiety, a teenager's tendency to sharp mood swings, negativism, conflict and inconsistency of feelings, aggressiveness.

Psychological features of adolescence:

mood swings;

Desire to be recognized and appreciated by others combined with ostentatious independence and bravado;

Selfishness is manifested along with devotion and self-sacrifice;

Rudeness and unceremoniousness are combined with incredible own vulnerability, fluctuations in expectations - from radiant optimism to the most gloomy pessimism;

Sensitivity to the assessment of others of his appearance, abilities, strength, skills is aggravated, and all this is combined with excessive self-confidence.

The crisis of adolescence is the most acute and prolonged. This is due to the impact on the teenager of a number of hormonal, psychological and social factors.

Crisis Symptoms

Observed decline in productivity and ability to learn activities even in the area in which the child is gifted.

The second symptom of the crisis is negativism.

In boys, negativism manifests itself brighter and more often than in girls, and begins later - at the age of 14-16.

There are two main paths for this crisis:

Crisis of independence. The child becomes obstinate, stubborn, self-willed. Negativism, depreciation of adults, a negative attitude towards previously fulfilled requirements, a protest-revolt, and jealousy of property are also noted. For a teenager, the requirement is not to touch anything on his table, not to enter his room, and most importantly - "not to climb into his soul." A keenly felt experience of one's own inner world is the main property that a teenager guards and jealously protects from others.

Crisis of addiction. Its symptoms are excessive obedience, dependence on the elders and the strong.

If the “crisis of independence” is a kind of leap forward, going beyond the old norms and rules, then the “crisis of dependence” is a return back to that one’s position, to that system of relations that guaranteed emotional well-being, a sense of confidence, security. In the first case it is: "I am no longer a child", in the second - "I am a child and I want to remain one."

“Dependency crisis” is a rather unfavorable development option.

As a rule, both tendencies are present in the symptoms of a crisis, but one of them dominates.

In psychology, negativism means a person’s resistance to any external influence, devoid of rational prerequisites, even contrary to his own well-being.

In a more general sense, this concept refers to a generally negative perception of the world, the desire to do everything in defiance of requests and expectations.

In pedagogy, the term "negativism" is applied to children who are characterized by an oppositional manner of behaving with people who should be authority for them (teachers, parents).

Active and passive form of resistance

It is customary to distinguish two main forms of negativism: active and passive. Passive negativism is expressed in the absolute disregard for demands and requests.

With an active form, a person shows aggression and sharply resists any attempts to influence him. As one of the subspecies of active negativism, one can single out the paradoxical one, when a person does everything intentionally the other way around, even if it diverges from his real desires.

Separately, there are purely physiological manifestations of this state, when a person refuses to eat, practically does not move, does not speak.

Related concepts

Negativism is included in the trio of manifestations of the child's protest behavior complex.

The second component is stubbornness, which can be considered a form of negativism, with the only amendment that stubbornness in any matter has its own specific reasons, while negativism is an unmotivated resistance. What unites these phenomena is that both one and the other arise on the basis of purely subjective sensations of a person.

One of the closest to negativism (as a psychiatric term) phenomenon is mutism. This is a condition in which a person avoids all communication, both through speech and through gestures. But, unlike negativism, mutism is mainly the result of a strong shock.

The third component is obstinacy, which differs from stubbornness in that it is not directed at a specific person, but in general at the system of education, the development of events, and so on.

Complex of causes and factors

As a psychiatric diagnosis, negativism is most often observed in the development (schizophrenia, agitation and stupor), autism (including senile) and some types of depression.

When negativism is meant in a broader context, then among the causes of its occurrence it is customary to name first of all frustration caused by a long and very strong dissatisfaction with life circumstances and the environment surrounding a person. In turn, this frustration creates strong psychological discomfort, to compensate for which a person resorts to negativistic behavior.

Another possible cause of resistance may be difficulties with communication in a person. In this case, such a state arises as a hypercompensatory reaction to one's own communication problems.

In the form of violent stubbornness, negativism arises as a response to attempts by external influences that are at odds with the personal needs and desires of a person. Such a reaction is due to a person's need for his own opinion, self-expression, control over his own life.

Relationship with age

Age crises that characterize the transition from one life period to another are often accompanied by changes in character and thinking, frequent mood swings.

At this time, a person becomes conflicted and even aggressive to a certain extent, a pessimistic view of the world around him prevails. Negativism is almost always a symptom of such a crisis, which manifests itself in stressful situations, when a person is as vulnerable and defenseless as possible.

Critical ages

Throughout life, a person experiences several age-related crises, most of which occur before the age of 20:

• crisis of the newborn;
• crisis of the 1st year of life;
• crisis 3 years;
• crisis of 6-7 years (“school crisis”);
• crisis of adolescence (from about 12 to 17 years).

In the adult life of a person, there are only two critical periods associated with the transition from one age to another:

• middle age crisis;
• stress associated with retirement.

Pathological resistance in children of 3 years

Naturally, negativity is not characteristic of the first two periods, but already at the age of three, when children begin to show a desire for independence, parents are faced with the first manifestations of children's stubbornness and categoricalness.

That is why this period is often called "I myself", since this name best describes the state of the child at three years old. The child wants to perform most of the actions on his own, but at the same time, the desires do not coincide with the possibilities, which leads to frustration, which, as already mentioned above, is one of the main causes of this state.

At the same time, one should not confuse negativism and simple disobedience of the child. When the baby refuses to do what he does not want, this is normal. Negativism, on the other hand, manifests itself in situations where the child refuses to perform some actions precisely in the event that adults have suggested this to him.

View from the outside

If we talk about a psychiatric term, then in this case, negativism itself acts as a symptom of a certain number of diseases. At the same time, depending on the form (active or passive), it can manifest itself both in defiant disobedience and in passive resistance to any doctor's requests, which in this case is his most important feature.

As for negativism from a pedagogical or general psychological point of view, the main external manifestations in this case will be speech and behavioral signs:

• difficulties with communication, interaction with others, even the closest people;
• conflict;
• refusal to compromise;
• skepticism and distrust bordering on paranoia.

In the case of adults, do not confuse negativism and nihilism. Nihilism is a worldview position, and, despite the fact that its external manifestations are similar to those of negativism, it is a conscious choice of a person, while people with pathological stubbornness behave in this way unconsciously.

How does it feel on the inside

The feelings of the person himself are quite difficult to describe, primarily because such people are rarely aware of their condition. like abnormal.

The internal state will be characterized by an extreme degree of confusion in one's own desires and needs, conflicts with oneself, and sometimes auto-aggression.

The passive form in this case can be felt as a lethargy of consciousness, an extreme degree of indifference in relation to all surrounding things and people.

What should you do if it affects your family?

If it seems to you that one of your loved ones has signs of negativity in behavior, then, first of all, you should contact a psychologist or psychotherapist to resolve the internal problems that caused this condition, since such pathological stubbornness in itself is only a consequence Therefore, in order to overcome it, it is necessary to work with the root cause.

Among the methods of psychotherapy for preschoolers and younger schoolchildren, game therapy, fairy tale therapy, etc. are most suitable.

For negative adolescents and adults, cognitive-behavioral therapy has proven to be the best. It is also important not to forget about your own attitude towards your loved ones. Psychotherapy will be most successful only if you work on this problem as a team.

In order to correct negative behavior and, if possible, to avoid any conflicts, it is necessary to show ingenuity. This is especially true for children.

It is necessary to exclude any psychological pressure on the child, in no case should there be threats or physical punishment - this will only aggravate the situation. You will have to use the so-called "soft power" - to negotiate, adjust, make compromises.

It is advisable to generally avoid situations in which conflict may arise.

Your main task is to ensure that the child begins to follow positive patterns of communication and interaction with others. Do not forget to praise him every time he does something good, makes concessions, helps you, communicates calmly with other people. In overcoming negativism, the mechanism of positive reinforcement plays a crucial role.

Avoiding is the best, but sometimes difficult way out

In order to prevent the development of such a condition in children and the elderly, it is first necessary to surround them with care and attention.

It is important to ensure that the socialization and integration of children into society takes place as successfully and smoothly as possible, and communication skills are not lost among the elderly.

You can’t put pressure on people (of any age) and impose your point of view on something, force them to do what they don’t want.

It is necessary to ensure that there is no feeling of frustration, especially carefully one must observe one's own state. Frustration is the first step towards negativism.

The most important thing to remember about all of the above is that negativism is not a cause, but a consequence. You can get rid of it only by getting rid of the problem that caused it.

It is also important to remember and not confuse the term, which in psychology and pedagogy denotes irrational resistance to any influence with simple stubbornness and disobedience characteristic of all children.

The behavior of a person with negativism can be successfully corrected. In this case, it is advisable to consult a professional doctor.

Life is painted with the colors that we tend to notice. However, some people get pleasant impressions from life, while others tend to notice only the bad. Attitude towards life, people and the world with a negative prejudice is called negativism.

Negativism can be behavioral in nature, that is, it manifests itself in a tendency to refuse requests, to perceive everything “with hostility”, to act contrary to or contrary to requirements.

Negativity is of two types:

• passive negativism - ignoring requests and demands;
• active negativism - a person loudly protests and does the opposite.

Negativism has age characteristics. It is mainly typical for children of crisis periods: three years old, adolescence. Often this phenomenon is observed in older (old) people, also during an age or professional (creative) crisis. Negativism is exacerbated during a period of personal failures or in stressful situations.

However, a situation is often observed in which negativism is not an age-related, but rather a personal feature. People with negativism behave in protest regardless of the situation and age.

If negativism is associated with poor health or poor mood, then it manifests itself in everything at once: in behavior, communication style, outlook on life. Sometimes negativity is associated with the upbringing of a person, so often negative words are at odds with deeds. Spouses can swear and scandal, but at the same time, in case of problems, they take care of each other. Also, some parents often behave towards children. There are also opposite manifestations. Polite nice people can be inherently misanthropic with antisocial attitudes.

Negativism can manifest itself in relation to certain people, or it can be directed to the whole world. It may seem to a person that his exclusivity is suppressed in society. A negative person tries to do things differently from what others do or what others expect from him.

It is difficult for a person with negativism to live on his own. But it's even harder to live next to him. Doing business with a negative person is very difficult or almost impossible. Such people are prone to a negative worldview. In all the details they tend to see the negative (trick, setup). A person from his activity expects mistakes, not successes; problems, not opportunities; disadvantages, not advantages.

Interestingly, negative people tend to be friends with each other. It is convenient for them to speak negatively about life, to “spill mud” on the people around them. Such people are not at all surprised that people treat them badly, since they themselves also treat others. Naturally, they do not expect good from people and the world, since they themselves do not wish good to those around them.

Deep negativism is very difficult to recognize. It is difficult to notice in a seemingly positive person a hateful attitude towards society. Such people do not trust others, constantly see intent and sabotage, provoking other people to negative actions.

Causes of negativism

Negativity can be caused by:

• genetic conditioning;
• hormonal surge in times of crisis;
• features of education;
• cultural environment.

It is worth saying that negativism is often a feature of the mentality. Many people tend to notice flaws first. A typical situation might be that people tend to swear rather than talk.

Negativism may be absent in a person initially. It can be caused by certain circumstances. Psychological reasons can be:

• helplessness in problem solving, lack of skills and knowledge;
• self-assertion or struggle for power;
• desire to attract attention;
• revenge, enmity.

Sometimes negativism can have psychiatric reasons.

The difficulty in the fight against negativism lies in the fact that a person cannot be directly pointed to its manifestations. This is dangerous, as people with negativism react aggressively to any activity in their direction. The fight against someone else's negativism is a complex and thankless phenomenon. It is only possible for a group of people with a creative attitude to life.

Close people of a negative person may simply not notice the manifestations of negativism, surrounding their loved one with warmth and attention. True, this requires tremendous patience and true love.

If you observe manifestations of negativism behind you, then you need to constantly monitor your own behavior and thoughts.

It is quite possible to develop a positive attitude towards the environment. It only takes a few steps to do this:

• Step 1: remove yourself from the position of the victim: do not whine, do not complain, do not feel sorry for yourself.
• Step 2: we take on the role of the author: the ability to build your life.
• Step 3: learn to thank the people around you and life in general.

Negativism is an unpleasant phenomenon, but quite amenable to correction if there are close positive people nearby.