The aspiration to understand itself and surrounding people is peculiar to the person. Today in this question such field of psychology as a characterology in which center of study there is all variety of characters can come to the rescue.
Accentuation and norm
The character is the individual set of strategy of behavior and emotional reaction peculiar to the specific person. It is obvious that traits of character can be expressed in different degree. For example, each person to some extent needs attention, but in some this requirement is strong so that the person is ready for everything that it was noticed.
When any traits of character are expressed significantly stronger than others, in modern psychological science it is accepted to speak about character aktsentuation. Thus, accentuation is a border area between norm and pathology. Accentuation will be counted by extreme option of norm.
Accentuation and pathology
But where border between accentuation and pathology? If the person whose difficult character is in limits of norm after all is capable to adapt to any given situations (for example, at work it does not allow some manifestations which quite is able to afford in the bosom of the family), the person with character pathology always and in any circumstances works equally. Besides psychopathic lines practically do not change eventually. That is, if defined accentuation in process of personal development can be leveled, psychopathic manifestations of correction almost do not give in. Thus, if accentuation are capable to bring to the person and his relatives certain inconveniences, psychopathic lines do not allow the person to adapt in society in principle.
From where all this undertakes also what to do?
The character and its features are formed under the influence of two major factors: influence of genetic data (heredity) and conditions of education. And the last factor has much bigger influence. Accentuation are quite often shown at teenage age and in process of growing weaken. But as existence of accentuation brings to the person the mass of difficulties, it is not always worth waiting that they I will pass by itself. In work on aktsentuation the good result is yielded by psychotherapy. However it makes sense to warn against interest in self-diagnostics: the behavior of the person is at the same time affected by a set of factors therefore if yesterday you did not want to remain alone at all, hung over the solution of some question today, and tomorrow the concern will seize you, it is not necessary to hurry to diagnose for itself accentuation. If it gives you an inconvenience, do not hesitate to address for support the expert.