Throughout life, a person goes through periods of crisis, during which behavior changes and inadequate protest reactions appear. Most complex manifestations and violent emotional reactions occur in childhood. Negativism in children is most pronounced in the three-year and teenage periods.

To cope with the situation, it is necessary to have an idea of ​​​​the characteristics of this phenomenon. Negativism is destructive behavior aimed at denying the recommendations, instructions, requests and wishes of adults (mainly parents and teachers). Often this behavior does not meet the child’s interests and needs. Any denial of rules and social norms is an example of methodological negativism.

Negativism in psychology is regarded as a manifestation that leads to conflict situations in the family and school.

In psychology there are passive and active negativism.

The passive type of denial is characterized by failure to comply with the demands and requests of others. Sometimes it seems that the child does not hear the speech addressed to him. Negativism can also manifest itself in completely opposite actions of the child in response to demands.

Manifestations of active negativism are associated with aggression in relations with others. In some cases, self-harm is possible as a manifestation of auto-aggression. In girls, verbal behavioral reactions predominate, manifested in rudeness towards family, peers and teachers. Boys are more aggressive by nature, so they are the instigators of fights and physical violence.

Children with negativism are distinguished by the fact that any external influence causes them to react with resistance.

Reasons for negativism

The main reasons for negativism are crisis periods of life, most of which occur in childhood. This part of a person’s life can be regarded as adaptation to the surrounding world, and this process in most cases is painful.

It manifests itself as a violent desire for independence and a desire to define the boundaries of one’s own personality. The behavior of a child at this age is capriciousness, which is usually of an unconscious nature, since the baby is not able to logically explain the reasons for his behavior. By denying, the baby begins to realize his personality and its value. Crisis manifestations of age are gradually smoothed out if the child is given the opportunity to demonstrate the strong-willed qualities of his character.

The crisis of negativism manifests itself with particular severity and irreconcilability in adolescence in active and passive forms. The period of physiological maturation (rapid growth of the musculoskeletal system, formation of hormonal levels) is accompanied by psychological problems, appearing in the form of a rejection mode. After adolescence has passed, in a favorable environment in the family, children's negativism is reduced. Errors in upbringing can lead to the transformation of a temporary phenomenon into negative character traits. Negativism, which has become a personality trait, is practically impossible to correct in adults.

Lead to children's negativism common mistakes that parents allow:

• a gap in education in the form of overprotection (leads to a lack of initiative and independence, the child is able to assert himself only with the help of negativism);
• lack of attention and love causes aggression and the desire to attract attention with the help of destructive behavior.

The sensitive and attentive attitude of adults can transform such negative experiences as negativism into positivism.

Signs of negativism

Personality psychology identifies the following manifestations of signs of negativism, which parents should pay attention to as early as possible: obstinacy, stubbornness, protest, rebellion. These character qualities, under the strict guidance of adults, must be transformed into perseverance and perseverance; in adolescence, they will help in achieving high results in school, sports, and social life.

Symptoms of the crisis also include:

• low mood, sometimes turning into depression;
• lack of interest in studies
• unstable emotional background;
• change in appetite (decrease or increase);
• the emergence of situations with social maladjustment when a child avoids the group.

Parents should closely monitor changes in the condition, as early diagnosis contributes to successful correction of negative symptoms.

Psychological correction of children's negativism

Parents who are attentive to their responsibilities are able to significantly smooth out the behavioral characteristics of their child. In order to survive the difficulties of transitional periods, you will have to be patient and work not only with the child’s shortcomings, but also with your own.

The first thing adults need to learn is to remain calm in any situation. Even with constant confrontation, balance will be required. The more aggressive parents and teachers behave, the more acute the problem of the child’s behavior becomes. In the most unfavorable situations, one can expect suicidal actions or open aggression directed at others.

No matter how difficult it is, you need to continue to love your child. Only that which is the opposite of negativism can give a positive result. The destructive type of behavior of an adult can only aggravate the current situation, which will lead to the inevitable desocialization of the child.

Any means of violence against the child’s personality should be strictly excluded. Physical and psychological suppression of negativism further worsens the situation. Even if for a while it was possible to break the resistance to the will of parents and teachers, in the future the situation will inevitably repeat itself and profound personality changes will occur.

In order to smooth out the negative manifestations of crisis periods in a child’s life, parents will have to spend enough time with their baby to establish friendly relations and mutual understanding. Acute conflict situations arise against the background of alienation, which sometimes develops due to the preoccupation of adults with their own problems.

In order for a child to feel psychological support and the presence of loved ones, you need to read fairy tales with your kids, while discussing the actions and deeds of your favorite characters. This way you can form positive stereotypes of behavior that will not allow you to commit unseemly acts during difficult periods of life. Joint attendance at concerts, theater productions, as well as walks and tourist trips will bring positive results.

From childhood, parents should be able to talk with their child about topics that concern him, so that he does not feel alone in the face of life’s difficulties.

We must learn to transform the disadvantages of conflicts and problems into positive ones. To do this, you need to analyze mistakes in behavior together with your child and learn lessons, even from the most unpleasant situations. In order for the child to become aware of his wrongness, he should teach him to imagine himself in the place of the one he offended.

It is very important to teach your child not to feel like a victim of the situation, but to take responsibility for their actions and their consequences.

To cope with manifestations of negativism, parents will have to show maximum ingenuity. In order to achieve the desired action, it is useless to put pressure on the child and force him. It is necessary to create a situation so that the initiative comes from him. In this case, his self-esteem will remain high and independence will manifest itself.

A situation often arises when a child or teenager does not want to dress for the weather; this can be a daily source of conflict. In order not to fruitlessly discuss this issue, it is worth allowing yourself to freeze once and get over it. Thus, you will experience an unpleasant situation that you are unlikely to want to experience again.

Situations where a child’s own point of view and model of behavior are imposed on a child with the help of parental authority should be avoided. An unresolved crisis at the age of three will certainly manifest itself acutely and irreconcilably in the child, therefore it is necessary to work on the child’s problems constantly in the process of upbringing, and not just at the moment of an explosive situation.

In difficult cases, when it is not possible to reach an agreement, you need to switch gears and divert attention. You should accept the truth that in a dispute it is not necessary for someone to become the winner. Sometimes it's better to avoid rough edges and maintain peace and calm. It is possible that after some time the controversial issue will be resolved without aggravating the situation.

Complex conflicts that cannot be resolved at home will require seeking help from a specialized specialist - a psychologist or psychotherapist. There are situations when wishes and recommendations for overcoming negativism are accepted if they come from an outsider with a high level of qualifications. You should not be afraid of interference from a stranger in your life, since hushing up the problem only aggravates it.

Correcting negativism and destructive behavior should not be delayed, as there is a risk of developing negative character traits that will further hinder the full development of the individual.

Summary: Child psychology. Negativism. Stubbornness. Development of independence.

Genuine homo sapiens is characterized by a constant desire to become even more human. And for this he needs not only to absorb into himself everything that an organic connection with the one who gave birth to him will give him. He needs many new connections outside the narrow circle of his family. And in them he should feel not like a sliver floating with the flow, not an organism reacting to stimuli, not a functionary, but a personality!

The personality asserts itself most intensively during adolescence.

In the meantime, the child still has to get to know himself, his “I”, isolate him from the environment, separate himself from it, be surprised by this, experience this and get used to this new stage. But even before this, before this, a kind of preparation takes place: unexpected for adults, spontaneous tests of independence most often take on negative forms (), that is, forms of refusal of expected actions. Often they take on a tone of play, when the child seems to tease adults, demonstratively and slyly doing what they forbade. These psychologically normal negative forms of behavior are more often observed during periods age crises when a child has a persistent need for independence and self-affirmation. He says “no” if they expect “yes” from him, violates prohibitions, protests against excessive care (“I myself!”) and generally does everything in defiance. Tough age period

There is no need to look for personality: at one and a half years, and even earlier, and at the age of two or three, such a need already makes itself felt through long periods of protest and self-will. The more energetic, active and proud the child is, the more active his protest!

How to behave in these cases? Remember: the most important thing - the future personality, the sphere of its relationships, including to people and to itself - depends on how we react to children's negativism.

This is where many young teachers immediately have unpleasant associations under the repulsive heading: “pamper”, “indulge”, etc. Neither one nor the other! Wherever possible, let the child do things for himself and at his own discretion. Wherever possible, he should be allowed to exercise his preference! Let him do as he wants! You should not create scandals because the child does not obey you. Don’t rush to “take action”, wait!

If there is no urgent need, do not insist on your own! And if you are forced to insist (for example, collect toys, get dressed to go somewhere, or, on the contrary, undress to go to bed, etc.), then do not focus on his refusal to obey.

You can almost always wait a minute or two.

If we do not resist, or, more precisely, if we do not meet the junior’s expectations with our resistance, then the counterposition weakens. After waiting, we can pretend that there was no “negativism”! Here is a quote taken from the diary of one young mother:

In the above example, the mother stood silently in front of her son out of confusion, but that was exactly what was needed! The baby opened his mouth himself!

Another example: a baby can methodically raise his hand to an open sore after each prohibitive movement of adults. Here it is - the most harmless example of a response to a ban! And these same episodes serve as a lesson in “what to do?”

Nice model of game resolution of protest here! Why not play for a minute the game that would satiate the baby's desires?..

I hear such a familiar, habitual grumbling: “Play!.. So you’ll play enough during the day at work...”

And yet you have nothing more valuable than your child! If he is physically ill, you rush to his aid without objection! There the danger for you is obvious. Why are you grumbling if we are talking about the development of his personality? If you suppress and stop all attempts at independence in your baby (what seems to you like stubbornness), this will inevitably delay the timely development of independence, and may even block its full development (the person will remain dependent). But at the same time, negativity can develop, which is not at all similar to tests and attempts at independence. This is already such negativism, in which emotional distress caused by suppression clearly makes itself felt. It will already be painful form of protest

! Sometimes with crying and screaming, sometimes with dull immobility - in different ways. But there is no expression of freedom, confidence, or internal independence here, as with “normal” negativism. Even if sometimes something similar to a game is noted, then this game is “painful”, there is an obvious desire to cause us pain! But no matter how such negativism manifests itself, it serves as a way of protecting and asserting one’s “I”, one’s right to independence. The method is very unpleasant for us and joyless, painful for the child, but the only one available to him.

In children who are less active and resilient, suppression of independence may not cause outwardly expressed negative forms of behavior. But sooner or later an acute lack of independence will affect itself, which will turn into a line that is called - personal dependence . But “addicts” often reveal belated manifestations of that same negativism, which is a fixed reaction of protest against the encroachment on their right to independence.

There is a serious pattern: that which did not have the opportunity to manifest itself in due time, at the appropriate age, will certainly manifest itself later and in a very unpleasant form. And it will last much longer than it could have in its time. Or it may persist for life - as one of the tendencies of an immature personality.

And it will make itself felt primarily in contact with elders, with those most significant who delayed this development...

But yesterday's youngest does not remain only the youngest for life. This position of his is preserved only in relation to his elders. Former teenagers receive passports, serve in the army, and get married.

And get their own little ones! Please note: if immature personality tendencies have persisted by this time, they do not go away on their own, automatically, with the birth of children. And they will inevitably appear - at the very first encounter with attempts at independence among the new juniors! The immature ways of self-affirmation of young parents will now give rise to outbreaks of negativism in communication with their elders and suppress the independence of the new younger ones, ultimately giving rise to the same conservation of immature tendencies already in the third generation. And so - until the “seventh generation”...

My friend told me about his former university classmate. He knew her as carefree, reckless, thoughtless, prone to immodest jokes... No one took her seriously... At a reunion of graduates 15 years later, he was amazed by the change: instead of the previous kestrel and talker, there was a smart and talkative person in front of him. beautiful person , with reserved and gentle manners, with that sense of self-esteem that inspires respect even before the first words spoken. And her speech was also beautiful, simple and intelligent. What is the reason for such a dramatic change? While still a student, she got married and became a mother. But after graduation, the family broke up. Left with her little son and experiencing the drama, she realized the full extent of her responsibility for his future. And for the sake of her son, she began to consciously build herself again - day after day! And therefore to adolescence

made her son her friend. I know of many families and single mothers who were able to reconsider their lifestyle, themselves, their attitude towards children - even in adulthood! And the changes that occurred with parents had a beneficial effect on both teenagers and already adult or almost adult children. This is the only one

the right way self-affirmation of the elder in front of his younger: constant, lifelong work on oneself. Both sides win here! This is a creative path! Until the end of your days, you will not stop growing, which means you will not lose importance for your children as a person. But this is a difficult path. At least it's difficult at first.

However, a negative form of behavior may also be characteristic of children as a psychological norm during periods of “crises” of age-related development. The first of them is observed at the age of two to three years, when the child develops a need for independence and self-affirmation. It manifests itself at a level accessible to him: he violates prohibitions, says “no” if a “yes” is expected from him, protests against excessive care (“I myself!”) and generally does everything in defiance. Active manifestations of protest and self-will are characteristic of children who are more energetic and proud.

In a teenager, negative forms of behavior express the need for self-affirmation even more acutely. And if the parents do not want to recognize his rights to independence and respect, they cannot rationally change their treatment of him, he will remain negativistic in relation to them for a long time, or may turn into habitual stubbornness, that is, unmotivated resistance to outside influences.

In some cases, negativism manifests itself as a protest against the injustice of adults or as a reaction to an insult. Most often this happens when a child is daily pampered, overly affectionate, and then suddenly strict demands are placed on him. Even fair and not very high demands in such cases cause resentment in the child, and his negative behavior acts as a psychological defense.

In less energetic children, negativism may be observed as a reaction to psychological difficulty. For example, the unusual attention of unfamiliar people is a very strong irritant for many children and causes a state of inhibition from which no requests, much less reproaches and threats, can bring them out until the situation changes. This inhibition is mistakenly called stubbornness. The negativism here is apparent: the child is temporarily deprived of the ability to perform the required action, even if it is familiar and desirable for him (singing, reading poetry, saying “thank you,” “sorry,” etc.). However, this situational reaction of inhibition can become the beginning of selective negativism, that is, cause a negative attitude towards certain persons, actions and phenomena associated with this situation, for example, towards the one who caused discomfort, with whom they compare unfavorably to the child, instilling in him the thought and feeling that he is worse.

The most common causes of negativism primarily include parents’ pedagogical mistakes and disrespectful attitude towards the child’s personality. When making demands on a child, parents do not always take into account his mental state: overload with impressions, fatigue, affective experiences that cause inhibition. In these cases, verbal influence loses its usual power: the child does not respond to words, especially to a shout, irritation, threat, etc. However, manifestations of negativism in a child should serve as a signal for parents about the need to change their previous attitude towards him - towards strengthening and developing its independence. However, adults often try to “correct” the child by brutally suppressing his attempts and punishing him. This leads to the consolidation of negative forms of behavior and gives rise to the formation of negativism as a character trait.

It should be borne in mind that a negative attitude always arises on the basis of emotional distress, therefore negativism cannot be eliminated by strict demands and punishments. It takes time for the trace of an adverse effect to weaken, and for nothing to reinforce it. In the future, it is necessary to change the direction and tactics of influence on the child (adolescent) taking into account his capabilities and age characteristics. The most pedagogically justified means of preventing and overcoming negativity include friendly relationships in the family, a sensitive, caring attitude towards the child’s experiences, elimination of cases of injustice, reasonable demands and a respectful form of addressing him in the process of interaction.

Compiled by teacher primary classes

Prodanova Anna Vladimirovna

2015

Problem childish disobedience is becoming more and more acute for parents and teachers who are asking questions: what is the reason for this child’s behavior? What prompts him, until recently an obedient and flexible baby, to so actively protest against the familiar and customary rules, requests and educational influences of adults. Negative reactions begin to appear at a very early stage of child development: from birth to 3 years. It is this age period that is characterized by the formation of the child’s personality and contains a number of age-related crises. Therefore, it is very important at an early age to promptly recognize the signs of a child’s negativism, realizing its causes, in order to overcome personal problems of communication between adults and children in behavior and personality manifestation in the future. The first acts of protest, according to L. S. Vygotsky, arise already during the crisis of the first year of life, when the child’s first ideas about himself are formed and the beginnings of self-awareness appear, as an intuitive feeling of the Image-I, when the child protests against forced socialization and the imposition of social attitudes and norms for which he may not yet be ready (and this is increasingly not felt or understood by parents and teachers), or when he feels his calling, and therefore manifests his desires and intentions in other, possibly related, areas activities, but not those offered to him by adults. And then the persistent demands of adults are most often a provocation of natural resistance to those actions that are not demanded by the child himself. Thus, by the end of the first year of life, the child first manifests “affects of his own personality” - the first stage in the development of will.

Analysis of modern psychological and pedagogical literature allows us to identify the scientific definition of the concept of “children’s negativism,” as well as descriptions of the features of its manifestation. Most authors define children's negativism as the unmotivated behavior of a child, manifested in actions that are contrary to the requirements, expectations, proposals of other subjects of interaction (close adults, educators, peers. Based on the analysis of the definitions that form the methodological basis for the study of children's negativism, it is possible to derive a deeper and more meaningful concept of children's negativism. By children's negativism we understand such a child’s well-being and behavior in which he unconsciously tries to resist the directive influences of adults or peers.

The reason for such opposition may be the unsatisfied need to take into account his desires in self-affirmation, to protect his Self from intrusion into the boundaries of individual claims, unfavorable (that is, inadequate to the characteristics of his growth, development and psycho-emotional inclinations) influence from a loved one. Signs of children's negativism, depending on the type of temperament, will be stubbornness, which, with an uncoordinated type of upbringing, develops into aggression, and capriciousness, which in this case transforms into despondency and depression. By capriciousness we mean this form of behavior in children, which is expressed in opposition and resistance to the demands, advice, instructions of adults, in disobedience. By stubbornness we understand a form of child behavior determined by the motive of self-affirmation.

Features of the manifestation of negativism are determined by the type of temperament. A weak type of temperament is characterized by less intense and affective negative manifestations of the child, such as whims: crying, withdrawal, alienation, avoidance. A strong type of temperament is characterized by stubbornness, that is, more intense and affective negative manifestations of the child: rudeness, impulsively active denial, the desire to act contrary, hysterical reactions, aggressiveness. Children's negativism will manifest itself not only in interactions with adults or peers, but also in ordinary socially normative regime situations.

Two main reasons for negative manifestations in a child’s activities can be identified: firstly, inconsistency in the ways of educating adults responsible for the pedagogical process; secondly, inattention to the constructive and creative needs of the child, including the psychological and pedagogical incompetence of adults as an obstacle to his self-affirmation and independence.

Let us take a closer look at the reasons for the occurrence of negative manifestations in a child’s behavior.

In each family, a certain complex of upbringing objectively develops, which is not always recognized by adult family members, which is manifested in the lack of conscious goal setting, formulation of tasks, adequacy and consistency in the use of specific methods and techniques of upbringing, taking into account the personal and typological psychological characteristics of the child.

The child himself, as a rule, is forced to maneuver, be cunning and adapt to the conflicting demands of adults, and, as a result, negative signs of the child’s personality development appear: negative emotional condition, which a child experiences during pointless and random communication with close adults; insufficient formation of social attitudes as a result of the incompetent psychological and pedagogical position of parents; negative behavior of the child as a means of attracting attention to one’s own person; the formation of stubbornness as a negative personality trait, which is a means of manipulation parental settings; protest behavior as a reaction to emotional trauma; somatic ailments, depression or aggression.

Another reason for the occurrence of negative manifestations in a child’s behavior is the inattention of those significant to the child (teachers and parents) to his constructive needs. The psychological and pedagogical incompetence of adults today becomes a real hidden obstacle to their self-affirmation and independence, which inevitably leads to unsatisfied needs of a social nature: the need for communication, emotionally warm, friendly contact, self-affirmation, and satisfaction of cognitive needs. As a reaction to failure (in achieving what is desired), a negative reaction here performs the function of compensation and defensive reaction. It helps the child overcome a difficult life situation but reinforces the destructive experience of socialization. The question is to understand the fundamental capabilities of a child of this age (from birth to 3 years), his potential to act motivatedly, that is, to be aware of his involuntary impulses, desires, needs, in which adults - parents and teachers - should help him. Our observations show that if the reflexive abilities of parents and the situational reflection of teachers in understanding the child’s experiences “here and now” are insufficient, the development of motivated actions of children is impossible or difficult. In other words, if an adult does not try to verbalize the situational experiences (as the basis of the desires and intentions) of the child, then the child is forced to react negatively when his needs and the demands of the adult collide, defending his true and still difficult to understand intentions and desires. At the same time, the adult most often does not even allow the thought that the child’s desires may be true due to his intuitive attraction to fulfilling his own destiny, and the social-normative requirements of an adult in such a situation may be alien, and in some cases even harmful (despite their social normativity) for the spiritual and intellectual development of the child.

For example, to this day, modern researchers, from the standpoint of traditional pedagogy and psychology, consider the actions of teachers as always unambiguously correct, which allows them to mislead the parent community that the child’s negativity must always be overcome, persistently demanding the fulfillment of social norms and rules of behavior . This approach, in essence, is behavioral, that is, focused only on behavioral, external reactions, without taking into account the internal mechanism of their manifestation. However, authoritarian methods of pedagogical work should not be excluded: they are appropriate, in our opinion, but only in cases where the life or health of the child is in danger. In all other cases, the child puts the adult in a creative situation, which was and is being discussed by outstanding Russian psychologists: D. I. Elkonin, V. V. Davydov, N. N. Poddyakov, M. I. Lisina, V. S. Mukhina, Yu. B. Gippenreiter, A. A. Nikolskaya. An adult is required to realize his creative potential in searching for original, non-traditional ways to solve problem situations, ensuring, on the basis of “child-adult reciprocity,” the solution of three problems:

1) providing social conditions for the child to realize his destiny;

2) accumulation of individual experience of self-creation (creative abilities) and, as a consequence;

3) promoting the constructive socialization of the individual.

In traditional educational practice, only the last task is pursued, neglecting the two previous ones, which require teachers and parents to have developed creative abilities.

At the same time, regardless of the reasons for its occurrence, a child’s negative behavior is a signal for adults to analyze their educational influences, since, having manifested itself in different situations several times, negativism can take hold and become a stable character trait. If manifestations of negativism are not constructively overcome by the younger school age, then they will accept an irreversible tendency to develop either into auto-aggression up to suicidal attempts, or into depression up to an asocial lifestyle as opposition for the long-term lack of love for them from their neighbors (parents, teachers, peers).

In the psychological and pedagogical literature one can find a significant number of definitions of child negativism, but the diagnostic tools are quite poor, and the choice of methods for determining child-parent relationships and child self-esteem is small early age and recording an analysis of the negative manifestations of such a child. Diagnostic techniques for studying children's negativism Interaction between parent and child (M. I. Markovskaya) Reveals style family education each parent Test to determine behavioral characteristics in conflict situations (K. Thomas) Reveals psychological characteristics parents and their relationships in conflict situations. Personality self-assessment technique (Budassi). Reveals the characteristics of the parent’s self-esteem and, as a result of imitation of the parent, the child’s self-esteem Test to determine the type of temperament. Reveals the child's leading temperament type

Thus, we can draw the following conclusions:

Firstly, by child negativism we understand such a child’s well-being and behavior in which he unconsciously tries to resist the directive influences of adults or peers. The reason for such opposition may be an unsatisfied need to take into account his desires and self-affirmation, to protect his Self from intrusion into the boundaries of individual claims, or to adverse influence from a close adult. Signs of child negativism, depending on the type of temperament, will be stubbornness and capriciousness.

Secondly, the reasons for the manifestation of negativism cannot be located inside the child, they always come from the outside: due to the psychological and pedagogical incompetence of the educational influences of the adults responsible for raising them. Thirdly, no special diagnostic tools for determining children's negativism have been found. We are developing a diagnostic set of techniques aimed at identifying signs of negativism. We believe that it is advisable to detect such signs in a timely manner - at an early age.

Sources

1. Large psychological dictionary / comp. and general ed. B. G. Meshcheryakova, V. P. Zinchenko – St. Petersburg: EUROZNAK, 2005. – 632 p.

2. The latest psychological and pedagogical dictionary / comp. E. S. Rapatsevich; under general ed. A. P. Astakhova. – Minsk: Modern School, 2010. – 928 p.

3. The newest psychological dictionary / V. B. Shapar, V. E. Rossokha, O. V. Shapar; under general ed. V. B. Shaparya. – Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2005. – 808 p.

4. Psychological dictionary / author.-comp. V. N. Korpulina, M. N. Smirnova, N. O. Gordeeva, L. M. Balabanova; under general editorship Yu. L. Neimer. – Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2003. – 640 p.

5. Psychological dictionary for parents / S. S. Stepanov. – Moscow: Academy, 1996. – 160 p.

6. Psychological encyclopedic dictionary / M. I. Enikeev – Moscow: TK Welby, Prospect, 2006. – 560 p.

Negativism is a specific behavior when a person speaks out or behaves demonstratively opposite to what is expected. Negativism can be situational or a personality trait. The psychological basis for the manifestation of the negativism pattern is a subjective attitude towards denial and disagreement with certain expectations, demands, worldviews of individuals and social groups. Negativism can be demonstrated or have hidden forms of manifestation. Children display similar behavior in stubbornness, conflict, resistance to authority, and deviant behavior.

Initially, negativism is a psychiatric term. Active negativism is expressed in actions that deliberately contradict requests, with a passive lack of reaction at all. Referred to as symptoms, possibly as a manifestation.

Negativism in psychology is a feature of behavior.

What is negativism

Negativism in psychology is resistance to influence. From lat. “negativus” - denial - was originally used to designate pathological psychiatric conditions, gradually the term moved into the context of behavioral characteristics with a normal psychiatric status, and is also used in a pedagogical context.

Negativism is a symptom of crisis. Characteristic feature This phenomenon is called unreasonableness and unreasonableness, the absence of obvious reasons. Everyday, negativism manifests itself when faced with an influence (verbal, non-verbal, physical, contextual) that contradicts the subject. In some situations, this is a defensive behavior to avoid direct confrontation.

By analogy with its original use, negativism is presented in two forms - active and passive.

The active form of negativism is expressed in actions opposite to those expected, the passive form is a refusal to perform an action at all. Negativism is usually considered a situational manifestation of an episodic nature, but when reinforced, this form of behavior can acquire a stable character and become a personality trait. Then they talk about a negative attitude towards the world, a negative assessment of people, events, constant confrontation even with damage to personal interests.

Negativism can be a sign of age-related crises, depression, the beginning mental illness, age-related changes, .

How a manifestation of a negative attitude can be transmitted at the verbal, behavioral or intrapersonal levels. Communicatively - verbal expression and disagreement, refusal to do the required or demonstrative doing of the opposite, in the case of a behavioral form. In the deep version, there is resistance that is not transmitted externally, when, for objective or subjective reasons, the protest is limited to internal experiences, for example, if a person is dependent on the object exerting the influence. This form can sometimes be expressed in demonstrative silence. Manifestations can relate to society in general, a separate group or individuals. It seems to a person that they suppress individuality and there is a desire to do the opposite.

Negativism is also possible in relation to life. The personality perceives life itself, its organization as such, as forcing the individual to obey its laws, to become a “typical representative.” Existence itself is characterized as a problem, a conflict, a lack. This manifests itself as constant criticism of the world order in different levels from global to everyday situations. In extreme terms, a complete rejection of social realization is possible as a way of resisting suppression.

Reasons for negativism

The basis for the appearance of negativism can be defects in upbringing, including the family scenario of attitudes towards life, formed periods of crisis, and traumatic situations. What is common to all factors is intrapersonal infantilism, when a person creates the illusion of denying the need for this with the resources to solve a problem, the ability to get out of a conflict, argue one’s position, or ignore an attempt to interfere with one’s boundaries. If this form of perception is episodic in nature, then this may be a stage of recognizing and overcoming the new, unknown and frightening. But if such behavior takes on a constant course, then we can talk about the formation of a character, a behavioral script. This is a form of pathological ego defense, a denial of the factor that attracts attention. The reasons include a feeling of internal uncertainty, helplessness, and lack of necessary knowledge and skills to overcome a problematic situation.

During periods of crisis, negativism as a frequent symptom is a reaction to a change in the social situation, as a result of which the individual cannot rely on previous experience and requires new knowledge. Since they don’t exist yet, failure to cope causes a reaction of resistance. Normally, having received the necessary knowledge and experience, the individual moves to new level self-development. Development requires a certain amount of work, a period of mastering and overcoming. If a person avoids this process, then he will grow old at the stage of resistance, refusing to develop and the accent that he cannot overcome is declared as undesirable. During periods of early childhood crises, the cause may be an overprotective upbringing scenario and parents do not allow the child to go through the overcoming stage on his own, trying to reduce his frustration (in fact, his own) from the unknown.

Signs of negativism

Signs of negativism include stubbornness, rudeness, isolation, demonstrative ignoring of communicative contact or individual requests. Verbally, this is expressed in constantly depressed, suffering, pitiful conversations, aggressive statements in relation to various things, especially valuable to society in general or the interlocutor in particular. Criticism towards people who speak positively or neutrally in relation to the emphasis of negativism. Reflections on the negative structure of the world, references to works confirming this thought, often distorting the meaning or ignoring the opposite opinion of a similar authority.

Often, a person’s assumption of negativism causes violent denial and a realistic, open-minded, unbiased view of the surrounding reality is declared. This position differs from a consciously pessimistic position in that negativism is not realized. The goal of negativistic perception usually becomes a desired, but subjectively inaccessible sphere, or an aspect that a person needs, but he does not want or is afraid to do wrong, to be condemned for a mistake. Therefore, instead of admitting his imperfection, he blames an external object.

The sign is an unreasonably aggressive reaction of resistance, emotionally charged and quite sharp, unexpectedly quickly gaining development. A person cannot calmly accept, ignore, or rationally discuss a request, topic, or situation. Sometimes the reaction may be aimed at arousing pity, in order to avoid further pressure, then stubbornness can be combined with tearfulness and a depressed state. IN childhood this is capriciousness and refusal to fulfill requests; in older people, this is supplemented by an attempt to justify their refusal by the unreasonableness or incorrectness of what is happening.

Negativism in children

For the first time, the crisis of negativism is attributed to the age of three years, the second is considered to be teenage negativism of 11-15 years. The crisis of three years of age implies a child’s strong desire to show independence. By this age, self-awareness is formed, an understanding of the Self arises, and in verbal expression this is manifested in the appearance of the construction “I myself.”

Negativism at this age is associated with a change in worldview. Previously, the child perceived himself as more inseparable from a significant adult. Now, awareness of one’s own autonomy and physical isolation arouses interest in learning about the surroundings in a new format, on one’s own. This news of awareness and the subjective shock of the difference between the current sensation and previous impressions, as well as some anxiety that accompanies each new knowledge, causes a somewhat sharp reaction in the perception of an adult. Often, this period is more psychotraumatic for parents; they are shocked by what they perceive as a sharp rejection of the child and, in fear of losing contact with him, try to return the previous, interdependent format of interaction. At the first stage, this provokes an increase in resistance, then it decreases due to the child’s personality suppressing its activity and, in the future, can lead to passivity, weak will, lack of independence and dependent behavior.

Adolescence is also a sensitive period in the formation of personality. Additionally, the crisis of negativism is aggravated by hormonal changes, which affect the general perception and behavior of the child. In girls, it may coincide with menarche and relate more to the formation of gender identification and its relationship with social role. For guys, this period is more associated with designating their position in the social hierarchy; there is a desire to group and build relationships within the team.

If it is associated with the separation of the self from parental figures, then adolescent negativism is associated with the differentiation of the self and society and, at the same time, an understanding of the need for adequate inclusion in society, a healthy merger with it for further development. If this period is pathological for the individual, then resistance to social norms can become a life scenario.