What are degenerate people talking about? I feel like I'm degrading

Degradation is the process of deterioration of the characteristics of an object or phenomenon over time, a gradual decrease in quality, decline, destruction of matter due to external influences according to the laws of nature and time.

There is ecological, telecommunication, biogender, chemical degradation, degradation of personality, society, culture.

The phenomenon of personality degradation is studied in psychology. This is an urgent problem, closely related to the degradation of society as a whole.

As a psychological phenomenon, personality degradation includes the following processes:

• narrowing of intellectual abilities,
• deterioration of mental activity, the ability to think critically,
• decrease in the quality of mental processes and functions (problems with attention, perception, memory, speech),
• decrease in social and physical activity,
• disability,
• loss of acquired abilities and skills,
• lack of manifestation of positive properties and personality traits,
• the appearance of negative personality traits and qualities,
• impoverishment of the sphere of feelings and emotions, deterioration of the ability to understand others, to communicate.

Thus, the degradation of personality is the process of destruction of its structure, qualities and properties.

The people say about the degraded that he "sank", "lost his human appearance", "disappeared", "took a step back in development." Such definitions succinctly characterize the process of personality degradation.

Forms and causes of personality destruction

Degradation of personality is a process opposite to its growth and development, opposite to progress.

It is noticeable to the environment of a person more than to himself. Degradation is visible in the behavior and appearance of the individual. A person ceases to take care of himself, his speech becomes scarce, the circle of communication and interests narrows, emotional incontinence appears in combination with indifference to the feelings and opinions of loved ones.

Degradation can be expressed in the form:

• frivolity, carelessness, irresponsibility;
• infantilism, lack of will, cowardice, chronic laziness;
• indifference to society, loss of ties with the outside world;
• neglect of social requirements, rules of conduct, morality and ethics;
• addictions (alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc.);
• illegal behavior (misdemeanors and crimes);
• dementia, insanity, mental illness.

It becomes clear what degradation is, and why it is not uncommon in our time, when understanding the causes of its occurrence. The reasons are closely related to the forms of degradation:

• When life seems meaningless to a person, he neglects it. Apathy, boredom, laziness, lack of initiative appear.
• A person who does not know how to set and achieve goals, has no aspirations and desires, is passive and pessimistic. If there is a choice to act or not to act, he chooses the second: why do something if you can also relax?
• Work on oneself is everyday work, degradation of the personality is a consequence of a stop in development, refusal of self-realization.

Loneliness, depression, grief, psychological trauma, guilt and similar suffering can become the causes of personality degradation:

• In depression, a person does not accept life and himself in it, engages in psychological "suicide".
• When a person is alone and no one needs, his strongest need is not satisfied - the need for love and belonging. A person does not understand why, for what, for whom to try to be better and develop.
• Guilt pushes a person to realize his insignificance, gives rise to self-hatred and many other negative experiences that “corrode” the psyche.
• Feelings of powerlessness, self-doubt, low self-esteem can also be the causes of personality regression.
• Alcoholism, drug addiction and all other types of diviant behavior are, as well as forms and causes of degradation.

The degradation of the personality of an elderly person is often due to the peculiarities of age, age-related changes in the structure of the brain; retirement, deprivation of the opportunity to work and be an active member of society.

Reversibility of degradation and its prevention

To prevent the process of destruction of the personality, it is necessary to engage in self-education, self-development, self-affirmation. This is sometimes difficult, but interesting everyday work.

No matter how hard it is to overcome shortcomings, it is easier than reversing the process of "fading" of the personality. Those people who managed to do this deserve great respect. You should not be shy about asking for help and support from loved ones and contacting professional psychologists.

When a person copes with grief and suffering, does not forget about humanity in inhuman conditions and in other similar difficult situations, he fights for the right to be himself, for his "I", for the integrity and harmony of the personality and for the right to be a happy person. He chooses the path of development, not decline, life in every sense of the word, and not social death.

The degradation of the individual must be, at a minimum, stopped. It is necessary to recognize it as a problem in time and stop it by eliminating the causes of occurrence, correcting behavior, changing the worldview.

You need to be able to accept life as it is in cases where it is impossible to change it, in all other cases, a person is the creator of his own history and happiness.

Get rid of degradation

To regain a sense of the value of life, increase self-confidence, learn to set and achieve goals, regain the desire to develop, grow above oneself, can help:

• Cultural development

Talking about the benefits of cultural development is endless. Culture and art are the source of wisdom. There are many works that tell about the formation and development of personality.

The main characters of books and films often have to face and successfully overcome significant life difficulties, perform feats, change for the better as a result of working on themselves. There are many such outstanding people. A role model can be a relative or ancestor.

• Love and altruism

When a person helps others, takes care of them as of himself, does good deeds, makes selfless friends, he gets pleasure and joy from this, self-esteem grows, confidence in his abilities, in his value and importance for people is added.

Love is a healing, life-affirming feeling. It gives a sense of the fullness of life, fills it with meaning. True, priceless and selfless love gives happiness.

• Active life position and work

You need to love life, live actively, work, work for the good of society, strive to make the world a better place, benefit others, loved ones, help yourself become a Human.
All of the above at the same time and the prevention of personality degradation can stop its progression.

Each person is given the opportunity to become a holistic and harmonious personality. Take advantage of it or miss this one chance - the choice of each person.

The reason for the degradation or collapse of the personality can be mental disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction, old age. If the changes are not associated with illness or advanced age, the reasons for degradation are resentment towards life, guilt, loneliness, lack of interests.

What does the word "degradation" mean? The word "degradation" occurs quite often. It is used when talking about the gradual deterioration, decline, loss of valuable qualities and properties observed in various areas of life - culture, society, art, environment. This term is also used in relation to physical, chemical and biological processes: degradation of soils, proteins, etc.

Psychologists use it when they talk about the destruction of the personality - the narrowing and impoverishment of interests, feelings, talents and judgments, a decrease in mental activity and performance, up to complete indifference and loss of contact with the environment. The degradation of the personality is also called mental stupefaction. One of the severe forms of personality degradation is insanity, or profound dementia. The degradation of the personality is an integral part of the deeper disintegration of the human psyche: dementia, or dementia.

How does personality degradation manifest itself?

The first signs of degradation appear long before the complete disintegration of the personality. The range of interests of such people narrows, mainly in the general cultural aspect: they stop watching movies, reading books, attending concerts. They are characterized by frivolity, flat humor, carelessness along with capriciousness, discontent and grumbling. They become annoying and familiar. Their judgments are light-hearted and superficial, and in their behavior there is swagger, a tendency to cynicism, a decrease in feelings of shame and disgust. Such qualities as deceit, egocentrism develop.

As the disease progresses, mental disorders increase. The character changes for the worse: the person becomes irritable, quick-tempered. Its main features are a negative worldview - an attitude to all events with a negative prejudice, inner fear and. Memory deteriorates, interests narrow, and judgments and feelings become impoverished. It becomes difficult for a person to concentrate his attention on anything.

Another manifestation of personality degradation is lack of will, excessive complacency and carelessness. Carelessness and complete indifference to the outside world are observed in a severe form of degradation - insanity. The degradation of the personality also affects the external appearance of a person. Characteristic changes in appearance are visible, one might say, with the naked eye: slovenliness, stoop, an indifferent look, inadequate behavior. That's what they say about such people - downtrodden.

The American psychologist Maslow identified several qualities inherent in people with personality degradation:

• attitude towards oneself as a pawn, on which nothing depends either in public or in private life;
• the main thing in their life is the satisfaction of basic primary needs;
• they divide the world into “their own” and “strangers” and try to protect themselves from “strangers”;
• they believe that their opinion is unshakable and not subject to criticism and discussion;
• their language is poor, they use elementary turns of speech. Their brain does not want to expend effort on verbal functions.

Why does personality degradation occur?

A person degrades when he stops developing spiritually. His brain, as it were, begins to atrophy "as unnecessary." There can be many reasons why a person gives up and loses faith in himself, he becomes uninteresting in life, he stops following events, develops intellectually, forgets about his former hobbies - there can be many. This happens to someone with the loss of a loved one, someone loses the taste for life after the collapse of hopes or a series of failures. The most susceptible to personality degradation are lonely people who feel like losers and useless.

But these factors in most cases threaten degradation not by themselves, but by the fact that a person begins to seek solace and oblivion in alcohol and sooner or later goes into a binge. The concepts of alcoholism and personality degradation are inseparable. Moreover, alcoholism can be both a cause of degradation and its consequence.

Unfortunately, quite often personality degradation develops in older people after retirement. Psychologists even argue that retirement is very harmful. Lack of duties, responsibility, the need to load the brain lead to gradual spiritual death.

At the same time, there are many elderly people who have retained a lively and clear mind. If a person remains a versatile personality even in old age, does not sit idle, if retirement frees up time and energy for new activities, then the degradation of the personality does not threaten him. Personality degradation can be the result of mental illness or organic brain disease (schizophrenia, epilepsy, intoxication, trauma, etc.).

Senile insanity as a form of personality degradation

Senile insanity is a progressive disease that is an irreversible mental disorder. The reason for it is the atrophy of all processes that occur in the brain, and this happens mainly due to pathological changes in its blood vessels. Aggravates the situation and heredity.

The disease develops gradually, over the years, and others do not immediately notice oddities in behavior. The person just becomes distracted, forgetful, grouchy, stingy and self-centered. But as the symptoms progress, they become brighter, and it is already impossible not to notice them. Memory deteriorates, there are false memories of events that did not happen. In the end, a person ceases to recognize loved ones, loses self-care skills, and he needs constant monitoring and help.

Alcoholism and personality degradation

Another example of complete degradation of personality is alcoholism. Alcohol for an alcoholic is the main vital need, and his brain works with one goal - where and how to get alcohol. Thoughts of an alcoholic are superficial, phrases and words are simple and unpretentious.

Symptoms of personality degradation in alcoholics appear already in the first stages of alcoholism. They are emotionally unstable: tearfulness, resentment, pessimism can be abruptly replaced by excitability, irritation and anger. They lack a sense of guilt and understanding of their actions, but there is carelessness, euphoria, underestimation of life's difficulties. Their actions are inadequate and unpredictable. Alcoholics become rude, deceitful and selfish.

Unfortunately, no one is immune from the risk of spiritual degradation - it threatens any person who will "go with the flow" and not engage in self-development. If you do not improve, do not invest time and energy in your development, spiritual death can come before physical. Another poet N. Zabolotsky wrote:

"Don't let your soul be lazy!

So that the water in the mortar does not crush,

The soul must work

And day and night, and day and night!

If you want to give her an indulgence,

Releasing from work

She's the last shirt

It will rip you off without pity."

People who overcome their passivity, maintain an active physical state, are interested in everything that happens in the world, and take an active life position, are unlikely to face degradation of their personality. The immediate environment is also important: so that there are people nearby who would infect with their desire for new knowledge and skills.

As for senile insanity, it is completely impossible to cure it, but at an early stage it can be corrected. Therefore, when the first signs appear, it is worth being examined: if its cause is vascular diseases of the brain, such as atherosclerosis, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment. Vitamins of group B, in particular B6 and folic acid, and Ginkgo biloba extract or capsules will help to stop the development of senile insanity.

The term "degradation" is heard from all sides. And everyone has their own opinion on this matter. And there are a huge number of criteria that determine that a person is degrading. Yes, and they are not absolute. Everything is measured relative to other people. It is necessary to try to systematize everything related to this topic, and you will learn ways not to achieve personal degradation.

What does degradation mean?

This term can be viewed from different angles. The most universally describes the term "degradation" synonym - "deterioration". Degradation can manifest itself on different scales - at the level of a person, certain abilities, family, society and even the world. But because of the vague criteria that define degradation, development can be considered as such. For example, in Soviet times, people who opposed censorship, repression, and the totalitarian system were considered completely degraded.

Now they are considered people who were ahead of their time. And this is true, because scientists have found that the most effective are people who feel their autonomy in the work they do. This brings out their creativity and, therefore, they are able to create something fundamentally new.

Scientists at the time of the Inquisition were considered servants of the devil, that is, totally degraded. They were burned at the stake, and now we owe a lot to them modern science, because they laid foundation of the scientific worldview.

The word opposite in meaning is regradation, which means restoring oneself after a fall. For example, a drug addict who has not used drugs for several decades, got a prestigious job and does not engage in self-destruction.

Features of degradation

There are such characteristic features of this phenomenon:

Degradation can be classified in different ways. For example, based on the level in which it manifests itself.

• The level of social norms. If a person does not comply with the rules of society, he will be considered a degenerate. And often he will refer to those, even if the norms are outdated. Behavior that does not conform to social norms is called deviant. The structure of deviant behavior is as follows:
  • social stereotypes. If a person violates some social stereotype by his behavior, he is considered degenerate or degenerate. An example is a freak (like a well-known synthol addict, who has been talked about a lot lately).
  • Moral standards. If a person does not correspond to the moral ideas of certain people. There are many examples: teenagers who make noise under the windows, people addicted to alcohol drinking drinks on the street, and so on.
  • Religious norms. If a person does not profess any religion or violates the prescriptions of some religious cults, then he immediately becomes a deviant in their understanding. For example, totalitarian sects. In some aspect, this also applies to world religions, but only to that part of the population that is called fanatics. In the teachings themselves (for example, Christian) they are called to love sinners and not judge them. Therefore, to call them degraded according to religious canons is the same sin, since this is a value judgment, to which only God has the right.
  • Legal regulations. Here, deviant behavior is divided into two categories - tortious (minor offenses) and criminal (offenses with serious consequences). In society, they are considered the most condemned category, although they are not always degenerates. Some laws of the criminal code turn out to be irrelevant, and people who violate them actually keep up with the times, but in the society in which they live, are considered to have fallen.
• Skill level. A person cannot follow some social, moral and legal norms due to the lack of certain skills. For example, a person would be glad not to steal, but he cannot imagine life in a different way, he has undeveloped professional, social and other skills that would help him. Or an alcoholic who is condemned by society and would be happy to quit, but has no self-control skills, because of which he again and again breaks down. Smaller forms of degradation, such as a decrease in competence, also belong to this level (for example, due to insufficient attention paid to development in a certain area).
• character level. Character is a set of stable forms of human behavior, his habits. You know the saying "habit is second nature"? Now, it's wrong. Not the second, but the first. What in psychology is called the subconscious mind is a set of habits that are not realized. Habits can be formed consciously (in this case, development is most often referred to) or unconsciously (which is why a person often degrades). The habit of drinking in the evening is an example of an unconscious automatic behavior pattern. Alcoholism (as a form of degradation) is not one habit, but a whole combination of them: a stack on holidays, a glass of joy, a glass of grief, a glass for treatment, a glass for pleasant conversation. It is habits that determine whether a person degrades or develops.
• Society level. The degradation of society- so beloved term by various politicians, religious figures and grandmothers on the benches. From the standpoint of science, it is a change in social norms regarding the rules of behavior adopted in another society. The more striking the difference becomes, the more the society seems degraded. In Russia, homosexuality is condemned, while in the US they are tolerant. These are opposite social norms. And that is why Russia seems to be a degenerate in the eyes of the United States and vice versa. There may also be other correlations of the "individual - society" type (a vivid example is the condemnation of the younger generation by the older generation because of other norms of behavior). One of the possible reasons for this is the inability of the older generation to adapt to the realities of the current one.

This is one possible way to classify this phenomenon. But it is the most fundamental.

A very large number of reasons for degradation can be identified. Their set strongly depends on the level at which it manifests itself. In order not to delve into the wilds, one should give the reasons for the degradation of character, since it is this level that one has to deal with in life most of all:

And many others. You may have noticed that all these levels are interconnected. Yes this is true. Degradation is provoked not by one factor, but by a whole complex, and often all these, as well as many other reasons, act simultaneously on a person, which contributes to his lowering to ever greater social ranks.

How not to fall

There are some simple tips to help you prevent falling into the social ranks:

It all starts with willpower, but they must be applied wisely. Scientists have found that self-control is a resource that also needs to be replenished from time to time. So dispose of it correctly, forming legitimate habits.

In fact, it is easy not to become a degenerate. Just strong-willed efforts should be feasible. It would never occur to you to take 100 kilograms in the gym when you yourself weigh 50, right? You have to take on a lot of weight. It is much easier to implement a small habit than a large one. And when it already becomes a part of you, then it can be cultivated. The main thing - plant a seed and water it constantly. And then it will become a huge tree that will bear very tasty fruits. And remember - willpower is a muscle that can and should be trained.

In the world, a huge number of people die due to lack of self-control(drunk drunk, commit suicide, die of a heart attack due to eating cholesterol-rich foods), do not repeat their example. Indeed, the body will not thank you if you abuse anything. This is the first symptom of degradation.

Lately, do you feel like you've gone crazy? We invite you to familiarize yourself with the main signs of degradation and determine how justified your fears are.

This is how a person works - he must constantly develop and strive for new heights: personal, spiritual, intellectual and social. As soon as we stop developing, our brain turns on the program… no, not self-destruction, but degradation. Of course, it's nice to lie on the couch all day, looking at the ceiling, but degradation is too high a price for idleness!
Note that from time to time we still need some unloading. Soak up a month on the beach, sleep off for a week and not read any smart literature is useful if you have experienced a lot of stress or are tired to the point of exhaustion. But such rest should be alternated with vigorous activity.

Signs of personality degradation

The American psychologist Maslow identified several qualities inherent in people with personality degradation:
- Treat yourself like a screw. When a person believes that nothing depends on him, that he is just a pawn that cannot change anything: neither in his life, nor in the life of society.
- A minimum of desires. All actions come down to satisfying purely physiological needs - to eat, sleep, satisfy sexual hunger. Such people go to work only for money, and meet people of the opposite sex only for sex.
- Black and white world. The environment for such people is divided into "us" and "strangers". These people are trying in every way to protect themselves from "strangers", they have a very narrow circle of friends.
- Categorical. A degrading personality considers his opinion to be the only correct one and considers disputes and discussions a waste of time.

Poor vocabulary. A person uses only elementary speech turns, it is difficult for him to find words to describe something, it is especially difficult to find adjectives - it is this part of speech that expresses our emotions and feelings. In general, such people try not to speak, they do not want to spend extra effort on verbal functions.
- Dependencies. Alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling are very clear signs of degradation. It is difficult to say whether they are a cause or a consequence of degradation, but the fact remains that if a person has an addiction, there is a great risk that he will degrade.

How not to degrade?

The advice, on the one hand, is very simple, but on the other hand, it is difficult to implement. Especially if you're not used to making the effort. However, it's worth the effort!
- Read! This is universal advice to anyone who does not want to go down intellectually. Read not only fiction, but also books from a field that you have never been interested in. This allows our brain not to "stale".
- Take care of yourself! Yes, taking care of your appearance is not a whim, but one of the elements of self-respect. Make sure you look aesthetically pleasing.
- Discuss. Try not to take statements for granted. Argue, discuss, defend your point of view - and be able to change it if the opponent's arguments are convincing.
- Be moral. The norms of society are invented for a reason, they have a deep meaning. Therefore, the postulates that you cannot lie, steal, fornicate, and so on help you integrate into society. And do not become spiritually corrupt.
- Think high. What is the meaning of your life? What is your purpose? What are you striving for and what is valuable to you? From time to time think about such things, it is even more useful to look for answers to your questions in spiritual practices.
- Get creative. Creativity is the most effective way for self-development and self-realization. No matter in what area you manifest it, it will not let you degrade. Look for new ways to solve common problems, be creative at home and at work.
- Meet. Expand your social circle, try to meet and make friends with people who are engaged in an unfamiliar business for you.

Quite often you can hear from others accusations of degradation in someone's address. What does “degrade” mean, and are there any peculiarities in this process? Let's find out more.

What is "degenerate" and where did this word come from

This verb comes from a noun, which is called the gradual deterioration over time of the characteristics of an object, substance or person due to external or internal influences. In simpler terms, degradation is the gradual destruction of a person or something else.

This term is in most cases used as an antonym to the word "progress".

The noun "degradation" came into the Russian language during the time of Peter I. Then it had a slightly different meaning. In those years, every military or civil servant knew perfectly well what “degrading” meant, and was very afraid of this, since this noun marked dismissal from service or demotion with deprivation of ranks.

Although a similar term degradatio in the meaning of "degrading" or "lowering" existed in Latin, it came to Russian through the mediation of Polish - thanks to the word degradacja.

At the beginning of the XX century. the word took on a slightly different meaning from the French counterpart dégrader meaning "decline or deterioration", and thus it gradually assumed its modern meaning.

Types of degradation

Not only people can degrade, but also society, culture or its individual branches. There are many varieties of this concept.

Degrading man - who is it

Despite such a vast number of areas in which this word is actively used, most often it is attributed to the disintegration of the personality due to the use of alcohol or drugs. However, the degradation of a person is not always associated with addictions, sometimes it occurs due to natural causes, for example, a disease that gradually causes dementia.

To understand what it means to degrade for a person, one must imagine how a certain person gradually loses the ability to control his emotions and actions, loses clarity of judgment, begins to suffer from forgetfulness and loss of concentration. But its negative features only intensify during degradation: laziness, apathy, indifference and unreasonable carelessness increase. The interests of such a person gradually narrow and soon concentrate only on basic physiological needs or on the desire to receive a dose (with drug addiction and alcoholism).

If the degradation occurred as a result of senile dementia, then such a person begins to live like a vegetable: he has only reflexes aimed at maintaining minimal physiological needs.

From the foregoing, we can conclude that degradation is not only a problem for alcoholics and drug addicts, but also a quite possible natural outcome of the aging of each person.

Causes of degradation

Having dealt with what “degrading” is and with the features of this process, it is worth paying attention to its causes.

If we discard the natural prerequisites for degradation (aging and dementia), then we can safely say that the main causes of this state of the individual are psychological problems.

It is worth remembering that alcoholism or drug addiction are not the causes of degradation, but its symptoms, gradually turning into catalysts for the process of personality destruction.

Stages of personality degradation according to Maslow

According to the well-known American psychologist of Ukrainian origin Abraham Maslow, a person begins to degrade gradually, passing through several stages.

How to avoid degradation

As noted above, absolutely anyone can degrade, regardless of their lifestyle and class affiliation. Moreover, sometimes a person is not able to understand what is regressing. It is worth noting that in psychology there is no permanent state: either a person progresses and develops, or degrades. Therefore, in order to protect yourself from this, you need to constantly work on yourself and soberly analyze your achievements and failures.

You also need to carefully monitor relatives and friends and, at the slightest sign of regression, try to help them.

How to understand whether a certain person has begun to degrade? It's very simple - one of the first "bells" is depression and apathy. At the same time, they should not be confused with a banal attempt to relax and unwind.

Below are some tips on how to protect yourself and loved ones from degradation.

• You need to expand the range of your interests and not let life focus on any one goal. Since having lost or achieved it, the person will experience tremendous stress and, not finding a replacement, will begin to collapse.
• Communicate with different people - this will contribute to the formation of different points of view on the same situation.
• Develop a healthy response to criticism and self-criticism. Do not engage in self-digging, act according to the principle: first, the problem is recognized, then methods for solving it are sought, after which you need to move on to active actions.

And the very last advice: look at everything from a positive side, remembering that no matter how many times a person falls or makes mistakes, it is important that each time he gets up and continues to fight for his life and happiness.