Many people cannot distinguish between some basic sociological concepts that are close in meaning, but still different in meaning. Of course, in order to understand and be able to explain the processes taking place in society, it is necessary to know what individuality is and what personality is, how it develops, and what impact the surrounding world has on it. We will understand the basic concepts from the section of sociology in this article.
When a person is born, he is considered an individual, that is, a representative of the species. He still does not have those qualities that would allow him to be called a personality. Very often, schoolchildren, and even adults, confuse the concepts of "personality", "individual", "individuality", although there is a significant difference between them. Each person should know the difference between these terms from each other in order to have an idea of what is given to him by nature, who he can become, and whathe needs to prove throughout his life.
The transition from an individual to a person with a bright individuality is carried out only in the process of socialization, under the influence of which is any member of society. Each person who is born is an individual who is not yet a person and does not have a pronounced individuality. Only in the process of development can he become a person. But this right must be constantly defended, otherwise individuality can turn into mediocrity.
But why can't a person be a person at birth? Because the individual is just a biological individual of the species Homo Sapiens. Personality is a set of socially significant features that characterize a person as a member of society. But at birth, the individual does not yet possess such features, therefore, for the time being, he cannot be considered a person. Let us now understand what individuality is. Every person has it, because it is a set of unique qualities of an individual. It is not as pronounced in him as in personality, so individuality, of course, must be defended.
One of the clearest examples of how an individual born in a poor family can become an incredibly developed person who not only knew perfectly well what individuality is, but fully defended it, is Mikhail Lomonosov, a brilliant Russian scientist. For this man, there were no barriers in the study of science, because he strove for self-improvement and reached incredible heights.
Such examples are known in the literature. From the first pages of Leo Tolstoy's ingenious epic novel War and Peace, readers get to know Natasha Rostova. At the beginning of the work, we have before us an ordinary child, an individual to whom the concept of "individuality" is not yet applicable. But by the end of the work, this is already an adult, formed personality, since Natasha has changed throughout the novel.
So, a person in the process of development goes through exactly three stages: the birth of an individual, the formation of a personality and the proof of one's own uniqueness. To control these stages, everyone must distinguish these concepts from each other, know what is individuality, what is a person, and what is an individual.
