The process of educating a person is a difficult task. Of course, various theories developed both in our time and in ancient times can help in its solution. Not only psychologists of the past century, but also philosophers of antiquity, doctors, teachers and thinkers of the distant past were interested in the upbringing of the personality. For example, Socrates, Aristotle, Democritus, Plato thought about this.
Rousseau and Herbart devoted their work to the study of issues related to the education of a person’s personality. Of course, most pedagogical theories took shape over the past century. The most significant of them are considered to be the works of such authors as Anton Makarenko, John Dewey, Lawrence Kolberg. However, teachers and psychologists of the past century in their works were based on earlier theories, including the works of Rousseau and Herbart, in which completely opposite ideas were expressed.
What is a "personality"? The concept
Absolutely all existing basic theories of education and personal development proceed from the features of this concept. What is a "personality"? According to a generalized definition, this term refers to the social essence of a person, a combination of certain individual qualities of character and traits that correspond to the norms and traditions of society.
That is, the personality is not the physiological nature of the individual, but that which manifests itself in the framework of social relationships with other people. For example, a reaction to hunger or cold is not personality traits, but individual characteristics of a person, such as his manner of speaking, gait, and much more. But his ability to negotiate with others, take into account the specifics of the situation, show heroism, or, conversely, cowardice in extreme circumstances - these are characteristics that characterize a person.
Thus, the concept of personality combines a psychological, social and philosophical basis and is the subject of study in these disciplines.
How can theories of personality development be classified?
There are a lot of different theories about how to educate a person, and not just raise and educate a child. But among this abundance, three basic theories of the upbringing and development of the personality historically stand out. Briefly, their essence can be expressed as follows:
- humanism;
- authoritarianism;
- freedom of becoming.
These theses are not the names of any specific pedagogical or psychological methods. Rather, it is a designation of directions within which the existing basic theories of education and personal development have developed.
What are the main types of theories characterized by?
The main characterizing points are clear from the direction to which this or that theory of education belongs. In other words, a brief description of the basic theories of upbringing and personality development lies in their names.
For example, methods based on the principles of humanism are characterized by the fact that the development of such properties is a priority:
- harmony;
- ability to empathize;
- protection by society of the interests and needs of each of its members;
- kindness and stuff.
The ideas of humanism also imply the special care of the state about educational and educational structures. In general, in its pure form, the principles of humanism in practical pedagogy are not applied due to their isolation from reality and some utopianism.
Authoritarianism is a theory of the development of socialization and personal education, capable of adequately perceiving life circumstances and being able to take into account the interests, cultural characteristics and needs of others. Many experts attribute the theory of pragmatism in education to this direction. Makarenko’s methods are also referred to this direction.
Freedom of formation is the concept of the theories of the upbringing and development of personality without the use of special pedagogical techniques. That is, they are talking about the so-called natural education and training of the child. In many ways, these theories are related to the principles of humanism, therefore, as a rule, are considered in correlation. Leo Tolstoy and many other prominent thinkers of the past advocated natural education.
Principles of education
The education of personal qualities begins in early childhood. This converges all existing pedagogical and psychological theories. Each of them puts forward its own fundamental ideas regarding the education of man. But if we consider the existing methods not separately, but as a whole, then we can distinguish the main principles inherent in each of the theories to one degree or another.
The following theses can be considered as fundamental principles of the educational process:
- a clear understanding of what is required to "invest" in the child’s head, that is, the purpose of the process;
- correctly determine the acceptable and effective ways of conveying information and methods of exposure;
- correspond to what is being promoted, be authority in children's eyes;
- understand the consequences of their actions;
- not allow physical punishment and familiarity;
- respect and love the personality of the child, direct it, not suppress.
The consequence of their actions should be understood absolutely everything. For example, if a person explains to a child the need to show respect for older people, but does not consider it necessary to listen to his grandparents with attention, although he does not forget to give way to retirees in transport, then the child will become aware of the relativity of dogmas. The kid will learn that in certain situations, moral standards may well be neglected.
Another example of the consequences may be the interruption of classes with the baby for the sake of answering the phone. The child will learn that communication through the gadget is more important than direct contact. It is this type of behavior that can be observed almost everywhere these days.
When educating a child’s personality and its development, it is not so important which of the basic theories the teacher or parent will adhere to. It is much more important not to forget about following the main pedagogical principles of the educational process. If they are not taken into account, then no educational methodology or theory will bring the desired result, whatever they may be.
For example, wishing to raise a child in accordance with the ideas of free formation, which was first formulated by Rousseau, one must not forget that he himself will have to comply with them. You can’t say one thing to children, but do something else daily. This will lead to the development of duplicity, hypocrisy. For example, developing a child’s personality in accordance with the theory of free education, one should not force a child to learn the alphabet at three years old or go to a ballet school at five years old, unless the child himself wants to.
Who was Russo?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau is an outstanding thinker, philosopher, writer, who lived during the Enlightenment. He is considered a French figure, although this man was born in Geneva. He was born in 1712. Rousseau died near Paris, in one of the metropolitan suburbs in 1778.
In addition to philosophy, pedagogy and social issues, he was interested in musicology and botany. Contemporaries considered Rousseau a good composer, although the thinker treated his own musical experiences with a share of irony.
Among his legacy for pedagogy, the most valuable are the following works:
- "Eloise."
- "Emil or about education."
- "Confession".
Rousseau's ideas about the free education of the individual resonated in many outstanding minds, for example, Leo Tolstoy considered himself a follower of the French thinker.
The essence of the theory of free education Russo
No doubt, Russo's work leads all the basic theories of education and personal development. His ideas in subsequent generations, as supported by teachers, thinkers and psychologists, were rejected, but they invariably became a kind of foundation, a cornerstone for the development of other theories and methods.
The essence of Rousseau’s theory is that you need to follow the natural nature of things when educating a person. This is often dismissively called “naturalism” in psychology. The French thinker said: "Nature wants people to be children before they become adults." In other words, Rousseau opposed the artificial purposeful development of children, he believed that the process of becoming a person and gaining any qualities by it should proceed naturally.
Of course, this does not mean at all that children should not be taught or engaged in anything. However, these activities should fully comply with the desires of children, their inner needs and, of course, age. That is, if you adapt the main idea of Rousseau’s theory to the modern world, then it will sound like this: he opposed the early development and compilation of various universal or thematic pedagogical programs and techniques.
According to Russo's theory, a person is brought up by three sources:
- nature;
- society;
- objects and things.
That is, the formation of a personality is influenced by environmental conditions, relationships with people and the use of manufactured items, tools, furniture, toys and other things. In the presence of these three components, education becomes a natural process that does not require any artificial fortification.
Who is Herbart?
Johann Friedrich Herbart is the founder of pedagogy as a scientific discipline. Herbart was born in 1776, on the territory of German Oldenburg. The scientist died in 1841 in Gottingen.
He was engaged not only in pedagogy. Herbart devoted most of his life to psychology. He is considered one of the founders of the empirical direction in this science. The scientist himself considered himself a supporter of the ideas of associative psychology and did a lot for the development of this direction.
For pedagogy, the theory of authoritarian education matters. I.F. Herbart outlined in it the idea of the need for a moral, conscious upbringing of the individual, and to prevent this process from going on its own. These ideas, at first glance, contradict Rousseau's theory, but, on the other hand, they can be considered as its complement.
Of the scientist’s heritage, the following works are of the greatest value:
- "General pedagogy, derived from the goals of education."
- "Letters on the application of psychology to pedagogy."
- "An outline of lectures on pedagogy."
The essence of Herbart's theory
The vast majority of modern basic theories of upbringing and personality development are based on the ideas of a German teacher and psychologist.
The theory of a German scientist is a pedagogical system of moral education of the individual. His psychological and pedagogical theory of education is based on five main ideological theses:
- inner freedom necessary for the integrity of the person;
- the idea of perfection, allowing to achieve a sense of harmony;
- goodwill, expressed in the coordination of their desires, needs and actions with the needs and will of others;
- legal resolution of conflict situations;
- understanding of the principle of justice.
Adapting the ideas of the German teacher to modern realities, it can be argued that the essence of his theory of education is that the personality develops under the influence of society and directly within it. The traditions, needs and moral standards of society determine how exactly a person will be educated and trained.
Dewey: who was he?
John Dewey is one of the most famous American philosophers and educators. He was born in the middle of the XIX century, in 1859. He died in the middle of the last century, in 1952. Dewey received his education at the University of Vermont.
He was mainly engaged in philosophy, but he approached this discipline not only as a theoretician, but as a practitioner. The scientist paid special attention to social issues and the problems of personality formation and education.
The main merit of this American scientist is that he developed a methodology for applying pragmatist principles in the fields of logic and cognition. The pragmatic theory of education is also his brainchild. Dewey is one of the greatest philosophers and sociologists of the past century, not only for the United States, but for the rest of the world.
The essence of his theory
Probably, Dewey's ideas today are the most popular in practical pedagogical activity. The American philosopher saw the peculiarities of personality development and its upbringing in the need to cultivate skills of adaptation to life situations and circumstances.
According to the ideas of the American scientist, the goal of any pedagogical process is to educate a person who is able to adapt to all life circumstances, adapt to them and not break psychologically, to be able to find their own niche.
In the framework of this theory, Dewey formulated the theses of the so-called instrumental pedagogy. The main principle is that the formation of personality depends not so much on upbringing, but on the accumulation of one’s own life experience. In other words, the teacher can endlessly explain to the child that cheating is bad, but if the child has done so at least once and has only benefited from this action, he will still continue to play tricks.
According to the theory of pragmatism, education should take into account the direct life experience of the individual. This is often called in psychology the transformation of minuses into pluses. That is, if a child is prone to deception, there is no need to try to eradicate this quality, a niche should be found in which it becomes a dignity and will be necessary.
What are the modern views of educators and psychologists?
Modern theories of upbringing and personality development differ from past teachings in the flexibility of theses and concepts. That is, modern educators and psychologists today are trying to take the best from the work of their predecessors, synthesize, combine them, and not follow only one teaching.
This trend arose in the late 80s of the last century. At that time, the theory of personality education in a team that arose on the basis of works was especially popular:
- A.S. Makarenko.
- S.T. Shatsky.
- V.M. Korotova.
- I.P. Ivanova.
This theory continues to develop today. The influence of society, the impact of the collective on the upbringing and development of an individual is the basis of this pedagogical direction. But along with the role of society, modern experts pay attention to the disclosure of individual talents, qualities inherent in every person from birth.
The educational process, according to the views of modern specialists, consists of a child acquiring skills, experience and knowledge both in the family and in educational institutions. That is, the collective and individual influence on the development of a person’s personality is mutually supplemented.
Thus, at present, in practice, tutors and educators combine two approaches - collective and individual. Their combination allows you to achieve the most complete disclosure of the qualities of a person’s personality and to form a focus on the interests of society as a whole. That is, to summarize: a similar approach to education allows a person’s personality to develop comprehensively, in complete harmony with himself, the world, and society. And this, in turn, is a guarantee that a person will always be able to find his own niche in society and an occupation that suits the benefit of people and allows self-realization.