Characteristics of a labile type of human character

Type classification

For the first time, the classification of accentuations (specific character traits) was proposed by the German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard. He became the author of the concept of accentuated personality and described character traits that are within the normal range, but have some similarities with mental disorders.

Although the classification is based on the behavior of healthy people, Leonhard studied psychopathology and borderline disorders. Therefore, the famous Soviet psychiatrist Andrei Lichko most accurately described the 8 personality types of people without mental illness.

1. The schizoid type is an active person, but constantly in a state of anxiety. He is frightened by intimacy with others, so he often avoids love relationships, devaluing them.
2. Psychasthenic is a neat and reasonable person who constantly torments himself with excessive self-reflection. Internal analysis rarely produces tangible results, but it instills a feeling of uncertainty and constraint due to the fear of making a mistake.
3. Sensitive is a kind and sincere person who is distinguished by timidity and shyness. At some point, such people enter a period of overcompensation, when they strive to prove their courage, cheerfulness, and relevance.
4. Astheno-neurotic - a person who quickly gets tired and irritated for any reason, often suffers from hypochondria. It is important to distinguish representatives of this type from people with neurasthenia.
5. Cycloid - the mood of such people changes in waves, on average, one period lasts up to 2 weeks: subdepression is replaced by a joyful mood, and then the cycle repeats again and again.
6. A hyperthymic person is an active and productive person who easily takes on new things, but very rarely completes them. He does not feel any pangs of conscience about this.
7. Epileptoid is a type in which two emotions prevail: anger and melancholy.
8. Labile is a person of mood in whom one can detect traits from the description of each characteristic at different time intervals.

An emotionally labile personality type is difficult to identify with a superficial acquaintance. It is important to see the dynamics of mood changes.

Accentuation features

Negative manifestations of character include the following aspects:

• hot temper;
• high level of conflict;
• undeveloped self-control;
• hysterical attacks of crying or laughing;
• pugnacity;
• sudden attacks of apathy.

The relationship with the outside world and a person’s personal preferences depend on what mood a person experiences: sleep, appetite, concentration (see How to improve concentration), performance.

Despite a wide range of negative manifestations, a person with a labile personality type is often distinguished by good nature and sincerity. When choosing a friend, a person with such a character pays attention to his ability to create comfortable conditions during mood swings. Friendship for him is determined by a deep psychological attachment to those who are dear to him. A person reacts positively to flattery, gratitude, and praise without expressed complacency.

Mood

The characteristic of the labile type is based on a sudden change in mood, for which no good reason is needed. When communicating with such a person, you can see in a short period of time bitter tears and sincere laughter, and then a serious attitude.

Others may decide that their interlocutor is insincere or superficial. In fact, this impression is wrong. Representatives of the labile type are able to experience emotions very deeply.

Changes in mood among representatives of the labile type are always caused by external factors.

When such a person is upset, negative emotions consume him: he cannot eat, sleep, or work. The gloomy view of the world extends to his past, which is perceived as a series of failures, and to the future, which seems devoid of prospects. When the mood returns to normal, the past will cause pleasant nostalgia, and pleasant events will loom in the future.

Childhood

It is quite difficult to distinguish a child with this character accentuation from other types. For example, a schizoid or an extrovert is immediately visible, you cannot confuse them. You will have to be more attentive to recognize the main signs of lability.

Although such children often suffer from various infectious diseases. That is, they experience chronic tonsillitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis and even cholecystitis.

They love praise very much, so they are ready to literally move mountains for the sake of a kind word. At the same time, it is very difficult to live the moments when they are scolded and punished.

Yes, it’s so difficult that they can simply become despondent for a long period. So in the process of education, you should avoid an authoritarian and rigid style, as well as the use of the “carrot and stick” method.

Try to motivate such a child with pleasant words, thank him for his help, do not devalue his work and encourage even minor victories.

When a labile child is happy and well, he looks for company, but if the mood deteriorates, he will avoid communication, trying to retire and spend such an unpleasant period of time alone.

He does not strive for leadership, because the main thing is emotional fulfillment due to contact with another person. Why is competition, the struggle for power and first places not for him at all.

Since it implies aggressive actions and reactions if necessary to protect one’s own personality and the place that one managed to occupy in a certain group. And this is not at all about labile accentuation of character.

Hobbies are usually different, you can’t stay with one hobby for a long time, and you lose interest. In principle, such a child is usually not attracted to collecting, sports, gambling and the like. Preference is given to simple communication with friends and animals, whom they love very much.

Health

The statement that all diseases are caused by nerves is not an absolute truth, but an entrenched myth. But the emotional state does have a somatic reflection. That is why stress is included in the list of provoking factors for many diseases.

Representatives of the labile personality type often suffer from infections: sore throat, pneumonia, cystitis. They are often diagnosed with VSD - vegetative-vascular dystonia. However, serious illnesses are extremely rare.

The relationship between character type and physical health is conditional. There are many factors for the occurrence of diseases, but other things being equal, people with a labile personality type more often suffer from vegetative imbalance and a periodic decrease in the body’s defenses.

Causes

Typically, the appearance of such emotional problems is associated with the presence of somatic, neurological, mental disorders or physical ailments:

• benign and malignant tumors in the brain,
• traumatic brain injuries,
• encephalopathy,
• asthenic syndrome,
• affective states,
• depressive disorders,
• endocrine diseases,
• viral, bacterial diseases.

Predisposing factors are constant stressful situations and psychological trauma.

People with a hysterical, excitable character are more prone to display such behavior.

Love

Representatives of the labile type are capable of real deep feeling. However, not every person is able to withstand an emotional partner nearby. Labile people are not completely sure for a long time that they want to see this particular person next to them: depending on mood swings, they will perceive him either as an ideal or as unnecessary ballast.

Actuation is a term with a negative connotation, so you should not be inspired by the idea of ​​taking a test and figuring out which traits prevail: schizoid or epileptoid.

The period of flirting can drag on for a long time; labile people will not rush to move to a closer level. But if the connection becomes serious, they will be faithful and devoted partners. For emotionally unstable people, the family is a refuge in which they can restore inner balance. A partner for them is, first of all, a friend, an ally. Sexual contact is the last thing they are interested in, which may give the impression that these people are devoid of sensuality. This is not true, they just experience all emotions on a different, deeper level.

People with labile character traits experience separation and separation extremely difficult. They can spend years surviving the blow of fate. The more verbal support they receive from loved ones, the faster they will cope with the loss.

Friendship

A labile type of character makes a person a wonderful friend. The thing is that he chooses a patron as a friend who will instill him with self-confidence and lift his spirits. In return, he will give his admiration and devotion.

Often people of the labile type find a life partner from among their close friends. An outsider may be frightened by the emotionality and lack of restraint of a labile character, but with friendly communication one can see his deep inner world, the ability to empathize, love, be faithful and reliable. For someone who likes to play the role of a parent in a relationship and feel like a leader, living together with a labile person will seem very comfortable.

Society

In society, people with a labile type of character accentuation easily get along with everyone. Thanks to highly developed empathy - the ability to feel well the mood of others - such people develop intuition that allows them to accurately understand how others treat them.

Also, labilely unstable traits evoke sympathy due to good stable self-esteem. They are well aware of existing shortcomings, which disarms those around them. Moreover, they feel great gratitude towards those who help them get through periods of bad mood. Therefore, those around you who calmed a sobbing representative with labile features will not have the impression that they were used as a vest for tears. On the contrary, they will feel strong and noble.

Relationships with colleagues of labile people develop well, but a lot depends on how correctly a person chooses a profession. Work will be easy and pleasant if the activity is not associated with a clear algorithm of actions. Creativity or art will allow a person with labile traits to successfully fit into a team and achieve professional success.

Subspecies

In psychology, pure representatives of the types of certain classifications are extremely rare. Therefore, subspecies are distinguished that allow expanding the palette of classifications.

Labile-hysteroid type

A characteristic feature of this type is distorted self-esteem. If the pure labile type is able to clearly see his shortcomings, then hysterical traits make a person dependent on the opinions of others. This entails conflicts, because in any situation, representatives of this subtype try to attract attention and gain approval.

In childhood and adolescence, the labile-hysterical type is easily recognized by its irrepressible imagination. In his stories, the child will persistently present himself as a hero and winner. Labile people also often fantasize, but in their dreams the central position is occupied not by themselves, but by the atmosphere of happiness and fulfilled hopes.

Labile-affective type

This subtype often experiences outbursts of excitability. At the same time, the person does not show targeted aggression towards others.

Unlike the pure labile type, people with affective traits suffer from frequent changes not only in mood, but also in interests. They are unfocused, often distracted by trifles, which causes their studies and work to suffer.

Usually their self-esteem is distorted, they can hardly understand how others treat them, which makes effective interaction with society difficult.

Labile-cycloid type

The labile and cycloid types have similar characteristics, but representatives of the latter are distinguished by cyclicality, that is, the orderliness of mood changes, while labile people are characterized by sudden and sharp changes in mood.

The more evenly the cycles of bad and good moods change, the more reason there is to believe that this is not a labile type, but a labile-cycloid one.

Other

A labile personality type is not a pathology, but a character trait to which a person can adapt. But there are three types that can achieve psychopathization:

• labile-affective;
• labile-hysterical;
• labile-sensitive.

The more traits of the affective, hysterical and sensitive type are observed in a person’s behavior, and the less of the labile type, the higher the risk that the person will encounter a pathological condition. And he will need specialist help, including medication.

Labile type of character accentuation.

Labile type of character accentuation according to A.E. Personally (Emotive type of character accentuation according to Lengard-Smishek).

In childhood, adolescents with labile accentuation do not stand out in any way from other children, but in some, manifestations of neurotic reactions (fears, tics, enuresis, etc.) can be detected. At the same time, almost all labile children experience frequent colds, sore throats, bronchitis and other diseases that do not occur in an acute form, but are of an extended and recurring nature. There is an opinion that somatic infantilization (slow physical development) has a significant impact on the formation of this type of accentuation.

Extreme mood variability is the main feature of the labile type. Despite the fact that in adolescence the mood itself changes frequently, which makes it difficult to diagnose this type of accentuation, the mood of labile adolescents changes too often and dramatically, in the absence of good reasons. Such teenagers can become despondent just from an accidentally unflattering word spoken to them or from a small stain on their clothes or shoes. Likewise, an interesting conversation with a little praise or a promising idea can extremely inspire a teenager and distract him from heavy thoughts.

The mood of adolescents is distinguished not only by its variability, but also by its depth. All the teenager’s activities that he has planned for today, including general well-being, appetite, sleep, etc., are extremely dependent on his mood. Depending on your mood, self-esteem changes, as well as your attitude towards your actions, past, future and present. The same people will be perceived either as interesting and friendly or as boring and possibly negative.

Changes in mood, little dependent on objective external factors, create among others an opinion of the teenager as frivolous and superficial. At the same time, labile teenagers are capable of real and deep feelings. Despite the ability for devoted and true friendship, in a friend, labile teenagers look, first of all, for someone who could distract them and comfort them, understand and encourage them, and also share fun and joy.

Praise, signs of attention and encouragement can give a labile teenager real pleasure and joy, while condemnation and reproach make them dive into themselves and begin to worry deeply about this. Truly difficult events, losses or troubles are perceived so hard by them that they can lead a teenager to depression or a nervous breakdown.

Manifestations of leaving adult care are very moderate. Teenagers are comfortable in their family, they feel the care that their parents show. Most often, attempts to separate are explained by mood swings, and look like short emotional outbursts, reminiscent of teenage stubbornness and whims. If the family situation is dysfunctional or unstable, then emotional outbursts may become longer and more intense.

Like cycloids, labile adolescents are drawn to peers only in moments of good mood; in moments of anxiety or decline, they prefer to withdraw into themselves. They do not pretend to be a leader in a team; they are mainly focused on emotional contacts. Most often they occupy the position of a warded and protected member of the group.

Hobbies and hobbies also change frequently, just like with cycloids. Most often, such teenagers choose activities that allow them to be the center of attention, receive support and approval, as well as activities that allow them to receive superficial information from many sources and easily exchange it with a wide range of people.

The intimate life of a teenager is limited to flirting and courtship.

Self-esteem is characterized by objectivity, sincerity and adequacy. Knowing about their strengths and weaknesses, teenagers also have a good understanding of their character traits, in particular, frequent mood swings.

This type of accentuation can be divided into 4 subtypes.

Labile-affective personality type.

Emotional outbursts arise for any reason, even the most insignificant, but quickly stop due to exhaustion. Anger quickly gives way to sadness. In these outbursts it is almost never possible to notice aggression towards anyone. Constant changes in mood lead to absent-mindedness, distractibility, and frequent changes of interests. In this subtype, first of all, the adequacy of self-esteem and criticality in one’s own actions suffer.

Labile-hysteroid type.

Within this subtype, one can observe the ultimatum demands of boundless love and devotion to oneself in a teenager. Teenagers often indulge in illusory romantic dreams. In situations of psychological stress, hysterical reactions are observed.

Labile-unstable type.

It occurs against the background of emotional rejection combined with hyperprotection on the part of parents. It is typical for such teenagers to engage in illegal behavior, running away from home, etc.

Labile-sensitive type.

Arises against the background of emotional rejection on the part of parents. The basis of mood is created by lows of mood, rarely replaced by joy and uplift.

How to work on yourself?

It is impossible to radically change oneself; a person has the power to correct those traits of his personality that prevent him from being in harmony with himself and others. Partially, this correction occurs under the influence of the environment: in a society where it is not customary to show emotions clearly, a labile person will learn to manage his condition. The upbringing factor has a great influence.

But there is also self-education, which helps you become better and make your life more comfortable and happy.

Accentuation can be hidden, when problematic traits are revealed only in difficult life situations, and also explicit, when a person’s behavior is often assessed as the extreme limit of the norm.

First of all, you need to focus on your positive qualities. By working on them, a person receives pleasure, and therefore motivation to continue to engage in personal self-correction. As the experience of increasing your strengths becomes impressive, you will have the strength to cope with your weaknesses.

A labile person should focus on such qualities as sociability, the ability to make friends, come to the rescue, and love. The disadvantage is the inability to control one’s condition and cope with outbursts of apathy and sadness.

Therefore, his main goal is emotional stability. To achieve it, you need to learn to control your body - posture, facial expressions, voice. It is important to maintain discipline, make an effective plan for yourself and follow it carefully. The wrong environment can interfere with achieving a task. It is useful for the labile type to be friends with calm and positive people.

Useful tips

Correction of psychological type is a long process that requires deep study of one’s personality and introspection. But you can also use simple recommendations that will help maintain your mood at a consistently high level.

1. You need to give up self-criticism - it causes a feeling of guilt, which slows down the process of effectively working on your character. First you need to accept yourself, treat yourself with sincere sympathy and respect, and only then try to improve.
2. The labile type is an infantile individual who needs to consciously embark on the path of growing up. To do this, you need to learn to take responsibility for your actions. Psychologists advise every morning to draw up a plan for the day, which you need to follow, completing all its points.
3. To control yourself, it is important to gain control over your body. It is useful to play sports, dance, and exercise. This develops discipline and helps you feel powerful.
4. Labile people need to track the reason for their mood changes. To do this, you need to ask yourself questions: “why do I feel this?”, “should I react so violently?”, “what reaction would be beautiful and correct?”

A character with labile traits does not require serious correction, unlike other types of classification. Representatives of this type are cheerful, active and spontaneous people who inspire sympathy among others. You just need to gain self-confidence and cultivate a sense of responsibility for yourself and your life.

Correction

Recommendations from psychologists on how to work on yourself are as follows:

1. Give up self-criticism so as not to once again cultivate feelings of guilt. Learn to respect yourself.
2. Take responsibility for your actions.
3. In the evening, make yourself a plan for the whole next day and strictly follow it point by point.
4. To control emotions, you need to subjugate your body. To this end, take up dancing, exercise, and sports.
5. Learn to track the causes of mood deterioration and, if possible, avoid them.

You can take up psychotraining and perform several exercises on your own.

• Exercise "Analyst"

Imagine yourself as an analyst who always analyzes everything. Your task is to pick apart the factors that contribute to the deterioration of your mood. As soon as you feel that irritation or apathy is overwhelming you, start thinking about why this happened. Try not to miss a single little thing: maybe someone said something, elbowed you, didn’t call, etc. Think about why this upset you so much. Record your findings in a separate notebook. Make notes every time you get nervous. After a couple of weeks, re-read the results of your analytical work. Summarize what most often drives you crazy. Try to avoid these factors.

• Exercise “Getting into the Role”

Choose any positive role for yourself in the evening and try to get used to it as much as possible, starting in the morning, throughout the day. You do not have the right to deviate even one step from the designated character, no matter how much you would like to do so. For example, if you decide to be phlegmatic, you need to be calm and balanced, despite mood swings.

• Exercise "Alternative"

Your task is to learn to catch those moments when your mood begins to change for the worse. As soon as this happens, find an alternative activity that will help you release irritation and anger and give you moments of happiness and peace. For example, go for a walk in the park. Or eat ice cream. Or do some breathing exercises. Everyone will have their own method. The main thing is to learn to take control of emotions and promptly replace them with a worthy alternative.

If a person understands that he is not able to cope with emotions on his own, there is no need to hesitate to turn to psychotherapy, which has its own methods of working with such character accentuations:

• drug therapy: antidepressants, sedatives;
• psychotrainings aimed at improving concentration, family relationships and social contacts, and relieving emotional stress;
• treatment of somatic diseases;
• a strict daily routine with meals and walks in the fresh air by the hour and proper sleep;
• balanced diet;
• massotherapy;
• exercise therapy;
• hypnosis.

Despite the duration of the psychotherapeutic course of correction, the prognosis is usually favorable.