Professional deformation psychology. For what reasons does professional personality deformation occur? Why personality deformation is a negative factor

Professional deformation is changes in personality, character, values, behavior and other qualities that occur under the influence professional activity. Those individuals whose work is closely connected with other people are most susceptible to deformation. These are leaders, officials, psychologists, teachers, doctors, human resources specialists, managers, military personnel, etc.

Most often, professional deformation is expressed in a formal attitude towards people, increased aggressiveness, inadequate perception of situations and people, and the disappearance of life and moral values. Such changes can be episodic or become a stable personality trait. Professional deformation manifests itself in a person’s behavior, speech, habits and even appearance.

Types of professional deformation

One of the special cases of professional deformation is administrative delight. This state is characterized by excessive enthusiasm for one’s power, intoxication with it. This deformation leads to an excess official powers, administrative arbitrariness, abuse of one’s position.

Managerial erosion is the second type of professional deformation. This condition is typical for representatives leadership positions. A long tenure in a managerial position often leads to a person beginning to make ineffective and unrational decisions. This is due to the fact that a leader reveling in power constantly strives to expand his powers and total control, and the interests of the business fade into the background for him. Proven leadership methods become ineffective, but the person continues to adhere to them, because... unable to learn new management methods. The “treatment” for this type of professional deformation is removal from management or transfer to another position.

The third type of professional deformation is emotional burnout. It is expressed in indifference, physical exhaustion, emotional exhaustion, a negative attitude towards people and a negative self-perception of oneself in the profession. Individuals who lack autonomy are most susceptible to emotional burnout (for example, women with low wages), as well as overly people-oriented idealists, soft, humane professionals obsessed with their idea. Emotionally cold people who prefer to restrain negative feelings within themselves are also prone to burnout. The risk of developing emotional burnout increases with prolonged and intense psycho-emotional activity, an unfavorable psychological atmosphere in the team, and the lack of clear organization and planning of work.

Activities and leading to the formation of a specific professional type of personality.

Initially, professional deformation was associated with the spread of professional stereotypes developed by a person to other areas of his life, including non-professional behavior (behavior outside the profession) and communication.

The term “professional deformation” was first introduced by Pitirim Sorokin as a designation of the negative impact of professional activity on a person. Professional deformation was described in their works by such scientists as S. G. Gellerstein (1930), A. K. Markova (1996), E. F. Zeer (1999, 2003), S. P. Beznosov (2004), R. M. Granovskaya (2010), S. A. Druzhilov (2013).

Researchers distinguish between professional deformation of personality, professional deformation of activity, and professional deformation of labor behavior. The term “professional destruction” is also used to denote negative changes in professional activity (E.F. Zeer, S.A. Druzhilov)

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  The most susceptible to occupational deformation are those who work with people, for example: law enforcement officers, military personnel, managers, deputies, officials, social workers, teachers, doctors, salespeople, and psychologists themselves. For them, professional deformation can be expressed in a formal, functional attitude towards people. Both in the sphere of socionomic professions and in technical professions, professional deformations are expressed differently depending on the specific profession: for teachers - in authoritarianism and categorical judgments; among psychologists and psychotherapists - in an effort to manipulate another person, to impose a certain picture of the world, without taking into account the motives and goals of the person himself; among programmers - a tendency to look for errors in various life situations, a tendency towards algorithmization.

  For managers, professional deformation can manifest itself as an increase in aggressiveness, inadequacy in the perception of people and situations, leading to a decrease (or loss) in the ability to communicate effectively, self-improvement, development, up to a loss of taste for life.

  Manifestations

  Special cases and ways of manifestation of professional deformation are: administrative delight, emotional “burnout” syndrome, managerial erosion.

  There are several ways to systematize the manifestations of personality deformation [ ] :

  Causes

  One of the most common causes of professional deformation, according to experts, is the specifics of the immediate environment with which a professional specialist is forced to communicate, as well as the specifics of his activities. Other no less important reason professional deformation is the division of labor and increasingly narrow specialization of professionals. Daily work, over many years, to solve standard problems not only improves professional knowledge, but also forms professional habits, stereotypes, determines the style of thinking and communication styles.

  IN psychological literature There are three groups of factors leading to the occurrence of professional deformation: factors determined by the specifics of the activity, factors of a personal nature, factors of a socio-psychological nature.

  Psychological mechanisms of professional deformations

  When considering professional deformations, one should proceed from the understanding that a professional is a person as a whole. Accordingly, all its levels (individual, personality, subject of activity and individuality) can be subject to deforming changes in the process of long-term performance of professional activity. These destructive changes will manifest themselves in professional activities, professional behavior(when entering and leaving professional activity), as well as in professional and non-professional communication.

  Professional deformation is considered as a “distortion” of psychological models of profession and activity, or their destructive construction.

  Professional destruction

  To a first approximation, we can talk about professional destruction as an extreme form of expression of professional deformations. But the differentiation (distinction) between the concepts of “professional deformation” and “professional destruction” is not in the degree of increase in negative manifestations. There are different psychological mechanisms at work here.

  With professional deformations are happening distortion, – the structure of activity or personality traits of a professional.

  And with professional destruction occurs destruction(or destructive construction) - the structure of the executed activities(changing its focus on other goals And results) or personalities(its orientation towards opposite values- work and life) of a professional.

  Stereotypes

  1. The stereotype “a boss must be tough-skinned, firm, persistent” changes the structure of managerial interaction, transferring it to a mode of threat of punishment for misconduct, command communication.
  2. The stereotype “the boss is always right” negatively affects the employee’s independence of decisions and judgments, creates lack of initiative, and expectation of orders and instructions from management.
  3. The stereotype of dogmatic adherence to orders gives rise to an attitude of mindlessly carrying out any order from the boss, often leading to intrapersonal conflicts, if there is any own opinion about the need to act differently.
  4. Stereotype " little man“leads to a decrease in professional self-esteem, the manifestation of conformism and the absence of one’s own judgments on one or another official issue.
  5. The stereotype of “optimal” role behavior often acts as a mechanism of adaptive behavior to certain work situations and specific professional actions. So, threatening and aggressive behavior is considered as optimal for obtaining testimony from a suspect, etc.
  6. The stereotype of “finding the culprit” justifies all actions to find the culprit, punish him, etc. At the same time, the work of identifying true reasons inefficiency of activity fades into the background, and its shortcomings are not revealed.

  In general, non-professional usage, the term professional deformation used in a weaker sense, indicating (often ironically) only a certain influence of professional habits on people’s behavior in privacy, transfer of specifically professional stereotypes and attitudes to behavior outside of work.

  Professional deformation is destruction that occurs during the performance of work and negatively affects its productivity. They give rise to professionally undesirable qualities and change a person’s professional and personal behavior.

  The phenomenon of professional deformation reflects the fundamental principle of Russian psychology - the principle of the inextricable unity of consciousness, personality and activity. It is generally accepted that labor and social activity is the leading characteristic of a mature personality. In the process of working, a person develops his inclinations, demonstrates his inherent abilities, forms his values, satisfies his needs and interests. It is professional activity that leaves its mark on personal characteristics person. It is also necessary to take into account that, on the one hand, the personality characteristics of the employee have an impact on significant influence on the process and results of professional activity, and on the other hand, the very formation of the human personality occurs in the course of professional activity and under its influence.

  One of the first who drew attention to the deforming role of professional activity was the famous sociologist P. A. Sorokin. He began by successfully filling the gaps in the study of the influence of professions on human behavior from a psychological and medical point of view. A detailed development of the program and methods for researching professional groups was carried out, professional selection and professional deformation, which served as a further starting point in studying the problems of professional deformation of the individual and searching for possible ways to overcome and resolve these problems.

  Considering professional deformation in general terms, E.F. Zeer notes: “Performing many years of the same professional activity leads to the appearance of professional fatigue, an impoverishment of the repertoire of ways to perform activities, loss of professional skills and abilities, and a decrease in performance.”

  Professional personality deformation - This is a change in personality qualities (stereotypes of perception, value orientations, character, methods of communication and behavior) that occur under the influence of long-term performance of professional activities. Professional deformation negatively affects both labor productivity and personal relationships in the professional and personal spheres.

  Mastery means achieving automation of typical movements and their consistent organization in space and time. Professional divided labor not only shapes or reshapes the personality of a specialist, but sometimes, in the most extreme forms, deforms the personality.

  Professional deformation of personality differs in its modality and direction. It can be positive or negative character. The beneficial influence of a profession on a person is manifested in the formation of a positive, responsible attitude towards work in a person, in the accumulation of work experience, in skills, abilities, knowledge, in deepening interests, in creativity, etc. For example, employees law enforcement They can very subtly notice signs of people’s unlawful commands; their attentiveness, vigilance, and readiness to resist tricks and tricks become more acute.

  A person engaged in professional activities develops a behavioral stereotype caused by the characteristics of his work, which can negatively affect his relationships with the outside world. The formation of professional stereotypes is an inevitable attribute of the professionalization of a specialist; the formation of automated professional skills and abilities, the formation of professional behavior are impossible without the accumulation of unconscious experience and attitudes. And there comes a moment when the professional unconscious turns into stereotypes of thinking, behavior and activity. Solving typical problems that a person encounters in the course of his work improves not only professional knowledge, but also forms professional habits, determines the style of thinking and style of communication. A person begins to plan his activities and build his behavior in accordance with by decision, no matter how effective this solution is to new problems.

  R. M. Granovskaya notes the influence of the professional role on the individual: “Professional communication is significantly influenced by a person’s self-esteem. Any deviation from adequate accelerates and intensifies professional deformation, which is found in the characteristics of attitudes and behavioral stereotypes, making communication difficult. Professional stereotypes, in general speaking, there is an integral reflection of the achieved high level of mastery, i.e. the manifestation of not only knowledge, but also completely automated skills and abilities, controlled by subconscious attitudes and not even loading consciousness. They develop, as a rule, from those qualities that are especially useful for. of a given profession, however, if too much behavior is based on such stereotypical actions or these specific attitudes begin to spread to non-professional areas, then this adversely affects both work and communication in everyday life.”

  The simplified attitudes that have been formed can lead to the fact that even a simple and obvious solution to a new problem is not noticed. One of the forms of professional deformation is manifested in the emergence of a false idea that, even without new knowledge, accumulated stereotypes provide the necessary speed, accuracy, and most importantly, the success of activities. Performing certain tasks every day, the specialist does not even notice how he begins to use stereotypical actions. Excessive stereotyped approaches and simplified views on work problems become established, which leads to a decrease in the level of the specialist and his degradation. The other side of the deformation is manifested in the transfer of professional habits that are useful at work to family and friendly interactions. During the automation of actions, the images that regulate the process of activity become more and more generalized, economical, fast and unconscious. At the same time, daily performance of stereotypical tasks develops rigidity of thinking and behavior. The individual does not pay attention to the negative signals from his non-professional environment and, accordingly, does not see the need to change his behavior. A striking manifestation of professional deformation in the military is the rigidity of behavior, thinking, values ​​and attitudes that develops with length of service. This makes it difficult for them to establish and maintain social connections, and their behavior is characterized by a poor role repertoire.

  Over time, professional fatigue, impoverishment of the repertoire of ways to perform activities, loss of professional skills and abilities, and decreased performance are also formed. Changes in the emotional and personal sphere negatively affect labor productivity, interaction with other people, as well as the development of the personality itself. A person develops a stereotype of behavior both in professional activities and personal life.

  Professional deformation has the greatest impact on the personal characteristics of representatives of those professions whose work is connected with people (officials, managers, personnel workers, teachers, psychologists, social workers, police). The extreme form of professional deformation of personality among them is expressed in a formal, purely functional attitude towards people, indifference and indifference.

  Professional deformations are expressed differently depending on the specific profession: for teachers - in authoritarian and categorical judgments, the desire to give instructions in any situation; among psychologists - in an effort to impose a certain picture of the world, without taking into account the desires of the person himself; among law enforcement officials - in suspicion and wariness; among programmers - in the tendency to algorithmize, in attempts to look for errors in various life situations; among managers - in the growth of aggressiveness, inadequacy in the perception of people and situations. Thus, professional deformation of personal characteristics can also arise due to the excessive development of one trait that is necessary for the successful performance of professional duties and has spread its influence to other areas of life.

  It should be noted that an overdeveloped professionally important quality turns into a professionally undesirable one. Thus, responsibility in decision making turns into authoritarianism, overestimation of one’s own capabilities, intolerance to criticism, imperiousness, the need to command other people, rudeness, lack of desire to take into account the feelings and interests of other people, the requirement for unconditional submission, which ultimately leads to despotism. Demonstrativeness becomes not just one of the personality traits, but a need for constant self-presentation, excessive emotionality, coloring of one’s external actions, and exaltation. It is demonstrativeness that begins to determine the style of behavior, becoming a means of self-affirmation.

  The desire to correspond in every way to the chosen profession is manifested in total immersion in professional activity, in fixation on one’s own professional problems and difficulties, in the inability and unwillingness to understand another person, in the predominance of edifying and accusatory statements, categorical judgments, in speech there are many professional jargons that are used and in Everyday life. Having mastered any technology, an individual considers it the only true and correct one. The professional worldview becomes decisive, displacing the philosophical, humanistic worldview, thereby limiting the ways of responding to various situations.

  Over the years, social desirability turns into a habit of moralizing, insincerity of feelings and relationships, and hypocritical propaganda. moral principles and norms of behavior. The need to control manifests itself in overcontrol, the need to control all one’s emotions, restraining feelings, excessive control of one’s activities, scrupulous adherence to instructions, suppression of spontaneity. The ability to competently and expressively express one’s thoughts, the ability to convey important information to the audience turns into monologue of speech, and an unwillingness to listen to the opinion of another person.

  Professional thinking becomes rigid, a person is unable to respond flexibly to changes in external and internal environment, make decisions appropriate to new circumstances, shows commitment to established technologies, denial of any innovations. He becomes comfortable only in those situations where previously developed methods and techniques work; stereotypical techniques turn into cliches both in thinking and in speech. From a rich arsenal of solution methods, only some cliched, template methods are selected without taking into account the specifics of the situation and the actors.

  The opposite of rigidity can be considered the so-called innovation neurosis, when something new becomes not a means to improve life, but an intrinsic value: innovation for the sake of innovation. A person begins to perceive any traditions as outdated, unnecessary and demands to “cancel” them; he sincerely believes in any theory that appears and tries to immediately translate it into professional activity.

  Reflexivity from the mechanisms of personality development and activity turns into an end in itself: a person constantly returns to the same situations, tries to constantly analyze them.

  Deformed activity is characterized by the following changes in its content. Firstly, the implementation of habitual work methods reduces the creative level of activity. The employee implements these techniques without deep understanding of their compliance with new conditions in the development of the situation, without taking into account the personal characteristics of the participants joint activities and other factors. Secondly, during the routine performance of professional actions or operations, the goals and motives of the activity undergo significant changes. The purpose of an activity is less clearly understood, and in extreme cases it loses its independent meaning; the purpose of an activity is replaced by the purpose of an action or operation, i.e. Only the performance of certain actions becomes important. For example, for a medical worker, the main thing is not treatment, but filling out a medical history.

  The consequences of professional and personal deformations are mental tension, conflicts, both in the professional and personal environment, decreased productivity in professional activities, dissatisfaction with life and the social environment.

  An inevitable attribute of professionalization of a specialist is the formation of stereotypes - the formation of automated professional skills and abilities, the formation of professional behavior are impossible without the accumulation of unconscious experience and attitudes. And there comes a moment when the professional unconscious turns into stereotypes of thinking, behavior and activity.

  Stereotyping is one of the advantages of our psyche, but at the same time it introduces great distortions into the reflection of professional reality and gives rise to different types psychological barriers. In addition to standard actions, professional activity is replete with non-standard situations, and then erroneous actions and inadequate reactions are possible.

  Stereotypes and stereotypical attitudes represent a certain level of achieved mastery and are manifested in knowledge, automated skills and abilities that have passed into the subconscious plane. The employee uses this knowledge, skills, abilities and believes that the existing cognitive level will be able to constantly ensure the effectiveness of activities. In a number of professions, such stereotypes and attitudes are very dangerous. An example of such a profession is the activity of an investigator. Suspicion as a type of deformation inevitably leads to bias in investigative activities. This phenomenon is called “accusatory bias” and is an unconscious belief that a person whose guilt has not yet been proven has definitely committed a crime. Research has revealed the presence of an attitude towards accusation in all specialties of the legal profession, from prosecutors to lawyers.

  To detect professional deformation, it is often enough to observe a person, analyzing his communication with other people, the stereotyping of tasks. Professional personality deformation can manifest itself in the use of professional jargon in everyday life, in behavior patterns, even in physical appearance (for example, curvature of the spine and myopia in employees who spend their day at the computer).

  The mechanism of occurrence of professional deformation has complex dynamics and affects various aspects of the psyche (motivational, cognitive, emotional and personal). Initially Not favorable conditions labor cause negative changes in professional activity and behavior. Then, as difficult situations are repeated, these negative changes can accumulate in the personality, leading to its restructuring, which is further manifested in everyday behavior and communication. It was found that first temporary negative mental states and attitudes arise, then positive qualities gradually begin to disappear. Later, in place of the lost positive properties, negative mental qualities arise, changing the personal profile of the employee.

  At the same time, in emotional and personal terms, professional deformation creates in a person a feeling of confidence and infallibility in his knowledge and assessments, thereby limiting cognitive functions. Continuing to engage in professional activities, the employee does not notice that he is trying to complete new tasks with the usual, but no longer effective way(for example, continues to use paper rather than electronic document management).

  Professional deformation of the motivational sphere can manifest itself in excessive enthusiasm for any professional field with a decrease in interest in others. A well-known example of such deformation is the phenomenon of workaholism, when a person spends most of his time at the workplace, talking and thinking only about work, losing interest in other areas of life, including personal life. In some cases, a person is so focused on his activities that he simply does not have time for other interests and entertainment. Sometimes such a “departure” from a profession may be a consequence of unresolved family problems. In addition, by devoting themselves completely to work, such people unconsciously count on their recognition from society. If non-professional space does not exist, then any failures and problems in the professional sphere become life tragedy, loss of meaning in life.

  According to the concept of E.F. Zeer, professional personality deformation can manifest itself in three types:

  • 1) own professional deformation. Under the influence of constant emotional and nervous stress on the psyche, a person strives to isolate himself from them and avoid them, automatically turning on psychological protection from various kinds of shocks, and to a certain extent this deforms the personality;
  • 2) acquired professional deformation. A specialist, in the process of his professional activities aimed at overcoming individual manifestations of deviant behavior, gains negative experience;
  • 3) developed professional deformation. Acquired professional deformation under the influence of ongoing professional activity and specific personality traits of a specialist is transformed into a different form, significantly different from the acquired one.

  E. F. Zeer highlights the following classification levels of professional deformation:

  • 1) general professional deformations, typical for workers of a certain profession, for example, for law enforcement officers - the syndrome of “asocial perception” (when each individual is perceived as a potential violator);
  • 2) special professional deformations that arise in the process of specialization, for example, in the legal and human rights professions - for an investigator - legal suspicion, for an operative worker - actual aggressiveness, for a lawyer - professional resourcefulness; the prosecutor has an indictment;
  • 3) professional-typological deformations caused by the imposition of individual psychological characteristics personality on the psychological structure of professional activity, when individual character traits are strengthened - some functionally neutral personality traits are transformed into professionally negative qualities. As a result, professional and personal complexes develop:
    • - deformations of the professional orientation of the individual (distortion of motives for activity, restructuring of value orientations, pessimism, skeptical attitude towards innovations);
    • - deformations that develop on the basis of any abilities - organizational, communicative, intellectual, etc. (superiority complex, hypertrophied level of aspirations, narcissism);
    • - deformations caused by character traits (role expansion, lust for power, “official intervention”, dominance, indifference);
  • 4) individual deformations due to the characteristics of workers of various professions, when individual professional important qualities, as well as undesirable qualities, develop extremely, which leads to the emergence of super-qualities, or accentuations, for example: hyper-responsibility, work fanaticism, professional enthusiasm, etc.

  Stereotypes and attitudes formed among professionals can interfere with the development of new professions, which is becoming especially relevant these days. For example, during demobilization from the army, many former military personnel are forced to look for new job. However, their rigidity, rigidity of position, difficulty in correcting old attitudes and behavioral stereotypes does not give them the opportunity to work effectively in new conditions, causing conflicts in new activities.

  The extreme degree of professional deformation is called professional degradation. In this case, a change in the value orientations of the individual occurs. Stereotypes of professional activity change, the individual begins to take a formal attitude to his duties, he is not interested in how effective his activities are now.

  Most of us spend the bulk of our lives at our workplace and, willy-nilly, we begin to transfer some professional habits into our personal lives. It is by these characteristics that one can determine in which field a particular person works. For example, an acquaintance who is constantly trying to solve your personal problems will most likely seem like a psychologist to you, and if you meet a person on your way who gives you instructions on what and how to do, you will probably think - this is a teacher. What are the causes of professional personality deformation? What are its types? Is there any way to avoid deformation?

  What is professional personality deformation?

  Personality deformation is change in personality traits(ways of behavior and communication, character, values, stereotypes of perception), which occurs under the influence of prolonged performance of professional duties.

  The professional type of personality is formed as a result of the inextricable unity of a person’s specific activity and consciousness. The personal characteristics of people whose activities involve constant communication(psychologists, teachers, personnel department workers, managers, officials, etc.).

  Their extreme form of deformation is expressed in a purely functional, formal attitude towards others. Increased level Personality deformation is observed among intelligence officers, military personnel and medical workers.

  Causes of professional deformation

  Many years of activity in one field or another is accompanied by professional development of the individual, however, this process cannot be continuous. Sooner or later, a period of stabilization begins, when a person practically does not move anywhere. At first, such suspensions are short-term, but then they become increasingly longer, reaching 12 months or more. In the language of psychologists, this phenomenon is called periods of personality stagnation.

  The onset of stagnation is possible even if the level of your professional activity is quite high, but your work is performed monotonously, using repetitive techniques. The result of prolonged stagnation is professional deformation of the individual: a person is no longer able to get out of his profession and is forced to play only this role in society.

  The following are distinguished: factors contributing to the development of professional deformation:

  

  The above factors are only prerequisites that at one or another stage of work activity can lead to deformation. Among main reasons development of professional deformation, the following should be noted:

  

  The reasons for professional deformation of personality may be other. After all, every person is individual.

  Types of professional personality deformation

  There are several types of transfer of professional knowledge, habits and skills into everyday life. Personality changes can be divided into the following types:

  • general professional;
  • professional topological;
  • individual;
  • special.

  General professional. This type of personality change is typical for workers in certain professions. For example, among police officers, personality deformations are manifested by asocial perversion syndrome, the development of which contributes to the perception of any citizen as a potential violator.

  For teachers, the deformation is manifested by the syndrome of edification (a constant desire to educate and teach). Managers have a permissiveness syndrome (violation of ethical and professional standards).

  Professional typological deformations are caused by the gradual imposition of certain psychological characteristics on personal qualities. For example, the ability to organize activities large quantity of people. This type of change includes deformation of the personality of a manager or boss.

  Individual deformities inherent in employees various professions and are often caused by too extensive and active development professional skills and qualities that lead to the emergence of labor fanaticism, as well as an increased sense of responsibility, even to the point of obsession.

  The result of all types of professional deformation are the following mental states:

  • Decrease in labor productivity;
  • crises, conflicts, psychological tension;
  • dissatisfaction with the social environment and life in general.

  The longer the work experience, the stronger the emotional burnout syndrome manifests itself., as a result of this, a feeling of anxiety, fatigue and moral exhaustion appears. Changes in the emotional sphere of the personality are observed. Psychological discomfort leads to decreased satisfaction from work and provokes the development of various diseases.

  Thus, we can conclude that professional activity has a huge impact on the human psyche and contributes to the development of personal changes that have a destructive effect on professional behavior and work activity.

  Professional personality deformation refers to one of the types of occupational diseases, the appearance of which is inevitable, but for some it leads to groundless aggressiveness and inflated self-esteem, for others it leads to indifference, and for others it leads to loss of qualifications.

  However, most people with such problems try to find means of professional rehabilitation.

  How to determine the approach of professional deformation?

  Approaching deforming changes in the psyche associated with labor activity can be determined by the following factors:

  

  How does professional deformation manifest itself?

  Each profession leaves a certain imprint on the character and personal qualities of the working person.

  Teacher. The deformation of the teacher’s personality consists of an artificial search for errors in students’ work and constant nagging. Even while at home, the teacher continues to evaluate the behavior of relatives, family members, and acquaintances, while giving each of them grades (mentally or out loud). It even reaches the point of absurdity when a representative of this profession begins to evaluate the actions of complete strangers whom he meets on the street: assesses the admissibility of their behavior, expresses indignation at the lack of education.

  Doctor. The deformation of a medical worker is manifested in the complete automaticity of his skills and qualities. The doctor automatically assesses a person’s health even with a simple handshake: he instantly notes the temperature, pulse, and moisture of the palm. Draws attention to appearance person and tries to find a connection with any disease, while advising the interlocutor to visit a clinic and undergo an examination (for some reason you look bad, you have bags under your eyes, etc.).

  Travel agency manager. For such people, the deformation is manifested in the fact that with any story about a completed trip or a planned trip, a representative of this profession becomes animated and shows purely professional interest, asking relevant questions and giving recommendations on the topic of tourism.

  In a similar way, deformation manifests itself in representatives of other professions. The programmer will try to derive certain algorithms for ongoing processes (even the simplest ones). The psychologist will strive to bring the interlocutor to a frank conversation in order to delve into his psychological problems and try to solve them (even if the interlocutor does not need it).

  Consequences of professional deformation

  The consequences of professional changes are different: some can be useful for the employee, while others, on the contrary, have Negative influence on character traits and personal qualities of a person.

  Benefit. In some cases, deformation can actually be useful. For example, a medical worker, being close to the scene of an accident, knows how to provide assistance to the victim. emergency assistance. The head of an enterprise (company, holding, etc.) is able to skillfully approach the organization of any family celebration. However, one should remember to distinguish between work and everyday life and exercise professional quality only if necessary and for a short period of time.

  Among negative The consequences of deformation can be noted as follows:

  • Managerial erosion. Under the influence of deforming changes, the leader’s activities become ineffective, and he himself turns into a tyrant.
  • A sense of administrative importance. An employee, having received even the most insignificant position, begins to imagine himself as a big boss and look down on those around him.
  • Reduced level of adaptability. A person is confident that he knows almost everything about his profession and stops searching for something new and unknown.
  • Emotional burnout. Work completely absorbs a person, destroying his protective psychological barrier. As a result, the employee burns out and does not lose the meaning of life.
  • Deterioration of relationships with other people - patterns of working relationships are transferred to everyday life.

  To avoid such consequences of deformation, you must try to notice its signs in time and begin to eliminate them.

  Professional personality deformation is accompanied by conflicts, a state of DC voltage, crises, psychological discomfort. Effective and timely resolution of professional difficulties that have arisen will allow each of you to further develop both professionally and personally. In addition, by preventing the manifestation of deformation, you can get rid of professional burnout in the workplace.

  Vocational rehabilitation

  There are several possible options rehabilitation, among which are the following:

  

  One of the most common causes of professional deformation, according to experts, is the specifics of the immediate environment with which a professional specialist is forced to communicate, as well as the specifics of his activities.

  Another equally important reason for professional deformation is the division of labor and the increasingly narrow specialization of professionals. Daily work over many years in solving standard problems improves not only professional knowledge, but also forms professional habits, stereotypes, determines the style of thinking and communication styles.

  Along with the influence of long-term implementation of special professional activities on the unique development of the personality of the subject of labor, which manifests itself in the majority of people involved in the profession (a variant of general professional deformation of personality, mental functions), the individual personal characteristics of the subject of labor can also play an important role. Special meaning is given to such qualities of individuality as: rigidity of nervous processes, a tendency to form rigid stereotypes of behavior, narrowness and overvaluation of professional motivation, defects in moral education, relatively low intelligence, self-criticism, reflection.

  In people prone to forming rigid stereotypes, thinking becomes less and less problematic over time, and the person turns out to be increasingly closed to new knowledge. The worldview of such a person is limited by the attitudes, values ​​and stereotypes of the professional circle, and also becomes narrowly professionally oriented.

  E.I. Rogov believes that professional deformations can be caused by the peculiarities of the motivational sphere of the subject of labor, consisting in the subjective over-importance of work activity with low functional and energetic capabilities, as well as with relatively low intelligence.

  Types of professional deformations

  There are several classifications of types of professional personality deformation. E.I. Rogov identifies the following deformations. 1. General professional deformations, which are typical for most people engaged in this profession. They are determined by the invariant features of the means of labor used, the subject of work, professional tasks, attitudes, habits, and forms of communication. Than in to a greater extent the subject and means of labor are specialized, the more the amateurism of the beginner and the professional limitations of the worker immersed only in the profession are manifested. Representatives of the socionomic type of profession perceive, distinguish and adequately understand the behavioral characteristics of individual people to a much greater extent compared to professionals of the technonomic type. And even within the framework of one profession, for example a teacher, one can distinguish typical “Russianists”, “physical educators”, “mathematicians”;

  2. Typological deformations formed by the fusion of personal characteristics and features of the functional structure of professional activity (this is how among teachers teachers-organizers and subject teachers are distinguished, depending on the degree of expression of their organizational abilities, leadership qualities, extroversion);

  3. Individual deformations, caused primarily by personal orientation, and not by the person’s work activity. A profession can probably create favorable conditions for the development of those personality qualities, the prerequisites for which existed even before the start of professionalization. For example, teachers primary school in their activities they act as an organizer, a leader, vested with authority over young children, who are often unable to protect themselves from unfair accusations and aggression. Among elementary school teachers, there are often people who remain in this profession because they have a strong need for power, suppression, and control over the activities of other people. If this need is not balanced by humanism, a high level of culture, self-criticism and self-control, such teachers turn out to be bright representatives of professional personality deformation.

  Zeer E.F. identifies the following classification of levels of professional deformation:

  1. General professional deformations, typical for workers in this profession. For example, for law enforcement officials - the syndrome of “asocial perception” (when everyone is perceived as a potential violator).

  2. Special professional deformations that arise in the process of specialization. For example, in the legal and human rights professions: the investigator has legal suspicion; the operational worker has actual aggressiveness; a lawyer has professional resourcefulness; the prosecutor has an indictment.

  3. Professional-typological deformations caused by the imposition of individual psychological characteristics of the individual on the psychological structure of professional activity. As a result, professionally and personally determined complexes develop:

  a) deformations of a person’s professional orientation (distortion of motives for activity, restructuring of value orientations, pessimism, skeptical attitude towards innovations);

  b) deformations that develop on the basis of any abilities - organizational, communicative, intellectual, etc. (superiority complex, hypertrophied level of aspirations, narcissism).

  c) deformations caused by character traits (role expansion, lust for power, “official intervention,” dominance, indifference).

  4. Individual deformations caused by the characteristics of workers in various professions, when certain professionally important qualities, as well as undesirable qualities, develop extremely, which leads to the emergence of super-qualities, or accentuations. For example: hyper-responsibility, work fanaticism, professional enthusiasm, etc.

  4. Manifestations and consequences of professional deformations

  Manifestations of professional deformation occur in external environment professional activity, interaction with the object of activity, in intrasystem communication, joint performance of official tasks with other employees, contacts with the manager, as well as in the environment of non-professional activity, it can even manifest itself in physical appearance.

  Professional deformation has the greatest impact on the personal characteristics of representatives of those professions whose work is connected with people (officials, managers, personnel workers, teachers, psychologists). The extreme form of professional deformation of personality among them is expressed in a formal, purely functional attitude towards people. A high level of professional strain is also observed among medical workers, military personnel and intelligence officers.

  According to the findings of psychologists, professional deformation among managers consists of psychological disorientation due to the constant pressure on them from both external and internal factors. It is expressed in high level aggressiveness, inadequacy in the perception of people and situations, and finally, loss of taste for life. All this gives rise to another common problem for many managers: the inability to effectively self-improvement and development.

  The accounting profession has become synonymous with meticulousness and tediousness. The professional deformation of accountants is manifested in a constant desire for order, clear planning of everything and everyone, pedantry, and dislike of change. IN family life this is expressed in a desire to maintain cleanliness and order. Such meticulousness can sometimes be annoying, but the family budget will always be in perfect order.

  Journalists are often overly curious. Also, this profession involves working with a huge amount of information, so the professional deformation of journalists is sometimes expressed in superficiality - they are simply not used to “digging deep.” Some experienced journalists like to attract attention to themselves, talk a lot and for a long time, and when communicating they “pull the blanket over themselves”, not allowing the interlocutor to get in two words.

  A psychologist is a kind of “shoemaker without boots”: he helps others, but is often unable to help himself. The professional deformation of psychologists can be expressed in the desire to delve into other people's problems (often far-fetched) and overwhelm a person with advice, or in the desire to manipulate other people, because a psychologist is better than others familiar with the mechanisms of manipulation and often tries to confirm the theory in practice.

  It is worth noting once again that professional deformation is not always a bad thing. Many useful professional qualities can and should be used in everyday life. Nose negative manifestations professional deformation should be combated.

  A.K. Markova, based on a generalization of studies of violations of professional development of the individual, identified the following consequences of professional deformations: a lag in professional development compared with age social norms(delayed professional self-determination, inappropriate choice of profession); lack of formation of professional activities, necessary moral ideas, insufficient professionalism and qualifications, etc.; simplification of professional activity, motivational insufficiency, poor job satisfaction; value disorientation and loss of moral guidelines in work; inconsistency of individual links of professional development; weakening of professional data (decreased professional abilities, decreased performance, etc.); loss of labor and professional skills, professionalism and qualifications, temporary loss of ability to work, a sharp decrease in labor efficiency and job satisfaction; deviation from social and individual norms of professional development, manifestations of personality deformation (emotional exhaustion, desire to manipulate people, deformation of professional consciousness, etc.); cessation of professional development due to occupational disease, long-term or permanent disability. These and other deviations in professional development lead to deprofessionalization.