Rigidity in psychology is... - definition, types and causes, examples

Rigidity [from lat. rigidus - hard, hard] - the inability and unwillingness of an individual to restructure the planned pattern of activity in circumstances when the previously planned program requires significant changes. At the same time, it is clear that the degree, measure or level of rigidity demonstrated by a person is directly related not only to the individual psychological characteristics of a particular individual, but also to the specifics of the current situation within which the activity is carried out (the degree of extremeness and danger of conditions, the level of complexity of the task and the motivation of the subject in its solution, monotony or arrhythmia of stimulation, etc.). Traditionally, in general psychology and personality psychology, cognitive, affective and motivational rigidity are distinguished. “Cognitive rigidity is revealed in the difficulties of restructuring perceptions and ideas in a changed situation. Affective rigidity is expressed in the rigidity of affective (emotional) responses to changing objects of emotions. Motivational rigidity manifests itself in a slow-moving restructuring of the system of motives in circumstances that require the subject to be flexible and change the nature of behavior” - (A. -U. -Kharash). In ordinary consciousness, manifestations of rigidity, as a rule, are viewed and assessed negatively, this concerns the personal characteristics of a particular individual or his situational manifestations of activity. At the same time, in a number of cases, the term “rigidity” denotes an individual’s ability to perform the same type of monotonous work for a long time, which is a necessary condition for success in certain professional activities (conveyor workers, dispatchers on the railway and aeroflot, excluding extraordinary situations , proofreaders in editorial offices, etc.). In addition, in social psychology and specifically in the psychology of groups, for example, the group boundaries of such communities that can be classified as closed groupings to one degree or another are designated as rigid. In this sense, the term “rigid boundaries” is synonymous with the terms “conservative boundaries”, “rigid boundaries”, “difficult boundaries”, etc.

It must be said that it is rigidity in the broad sense of the word that causes the real problems of both individual and group behavior. Any behavioral act, in itself, unless it is overtly antisocial and aggressive in nature, is usually not a serious personality problem for the simple reason that even if it turns out to be ineffective or leads to negative consequences, in most cases it can be compensated by changing the form of activity, technologies used, and goals of activity.

The real problem, both for the individual and for his social environment, arises when one or another behavioral model acquires a distinctly rigid character. In this case, even those types of personal activity that are traditionally considered as prosocial and altruistic (for example, willingness to help or take care of younger people) acquire signs of compulsive obsession and often cause irritation and rejection among others. Individuals who are highly rigid in such a situation, trying to achieve approval, instead of changing behavior with redoubled energy, again and again continue to implement the behavioral model that causes rejection.

This scheme is especially clearly visible in such a fairly universal and relevant phenomenon for a practical social psychologist as a problematic or, as it is often referred to in “professional jargon,” a “interfering” group member. Note that problematic in this context is understood, first of all, as the destructive, from the point of view of group dynamics, influence of such an individual on intragroup processes. There are many classifications of problematic types of behavior in a group, but all of them one way or another come down to six main categories designated by D. Lee as “talker-terrorist”, “great grumbler”, “non-believer Thomas”, “- flower”-, “-jester”-, “-conspirator”-.

It is quite understandable that the “terrorist talker” talks incessantly, trying to monopolize the attention and time of the group: “In its most tiresome form, it is a loudmouth who occupies a dominant position in the group and is the leader of any discussion. In his more peaceful, but no less dangerous form, he is a talker who, no matter what is being discussed, always claims that something similar has already happened to him” -445. The individual’s high sociability in itself, as well as the desire to play “first fiddle” in the process of communication, is usually quite rightly regarded as rather positive, both from the point of view of the realization of personal needs, in particular, the need to “be an individual”, as well as and from a social desirability perspective. These qualities become problematic and begin to cause rejection from others if, due to the rigidity of the individual, the need for dominance turns for him into the only motive, and endless chatter into the only way of social interaction.

“The Great Grumbler” and the similar type “Doubting Thomas” are characterized in the “professional jargon” of social psychologists specializing in group trainings as “negativists”, or “negatives”. Thus, the tendency of total devaluation of everything that happens in the group, which is the “core” of these behavioral models, is quite accurately indicated. Similar to the previous type, such individual attitudes significantly complicate the group process if, due to rigidity, they acquire a total character. Like o-446.

According to D. Lee, “the flower is so named because, separated from the group and similar to an ornamental plant, it makes very little contribution to the overall work, except that it gives it some color” -447. If the types of problem behavior discussed above in a group context are destructive, primarily in terms of interpersonal interaction, then this behavioral pattern, again with the indispensable condition that, due to its rigidity, it is total in nature, poses a real threat, first of all, to personal well-being , and in some cases, the mental health of the individual. Moreover, such self-isolation of one of the group members is also destructive from the point of view of group dynamics, since it increases intragroup tension, attracts attention, and provokes feelings of irrational anxiety and guilt.

The phenomenon of the “clown” in a group perhaps most clearly demonstrates how rigidity leads to the fact that a seemingly unconditionally valuable personality trait turns into its opposite. A good sense of humor is not only a useful quality, but also a necessary one for effective group activities. Therefore, the presence in the community of a person who is capable of seeing something funny in any situation, including an objectively difficult one, and presenting a serious problem in an ironic and comic form, is extremely desirable. The problem, as in previous cases, arises when, due to personal rigidity, a sense of humor turns into a dominant need to make fun of everyone and everything. In this case, genuine humor is often replaced by cynical mockery and vulgar “flat” jokes. According to D. Lee's figurative comparison, “... when jokes are drawn out or are often repeated, they can act like a lot of chocolate. When the novelty wears off, all that remains is a taste of nausea and disgust. Group members are constantly afraid to say something that might give rise to a joke, sound ambiguous, or turn into a hint” -448.

As for the “conspirators,” then, according to D. Lee, “despite the name, there is rarely anything negative in their actions. This type is so named because of the appearance of the Conspirators when they are united in their own private discussion, without paying any attention to those around them." -449 In our opinion, it is difficult to agree with the statement that there is “rarely something negative” in the actions of conspirators. Even if, in terms of content, the “infighting” initiated by the “conspirators” is not directed against other members of the community, this form of activity always objectively contributes to the formation of isolated subgroups, increasing intragroup tension and poses a real threat to the integrity of the group. Moreover, if a given behavioral model acquires a distinctly rigid character, it should be considered as the most destructive from the point of view of group development among all those listed.

As noted above, rigidity is the main cause of destructiveness not only of individual, but also of group behavior. This is true not only for small but also for large groups. For example, social stereotypes associated with interethnic, interfaith and other similar contradictions become truly dangerous in the sense of provoking aggressive behavior when they acquire and are extremely stable and, most importantly, global in nature, due to the rigidity of mass consciousness.

Another important aspect of the problem of rigidity from a practical point of view is the rigidity of the mental models of the organization. In the process of organizational development, mental models become firmly entrenched not only in the minds of managers, but also in the corporate culture, turning into a kind of “sacred cow” -450. It was the rigidity of mental models, according to R. Foster and S. Kaplan, that led in the late 70s. last century, the IBM company was on the brink of bankruptcy: “The reason for the collapse of the company lies, most likely, in the “collective failure” of mental processes or in the failure of the “consciousness” of the corporation. IBM's failure was its failure to understand what was happening and to see the rich possibilities that lay ahead in the future. This failure was a manifestation of hubris—the belief that the company was stronger than all the market forces combined. Thus, the company's inability to understand the context was evident in its decision-making processes. Top management made plans and decisions with full confidence that IBM, and IBM alone, was setting the pace of change in the computing industry. They could not realize that their ideas ... had become a delusion” -451.

A social psychologist specializing in the field of organizational consulting should give priority to assessing both the content and the degree of rigidity of the mental models that guide management and the organization as a whole, and, if necessary, develop and implement programs of interventions aimed at increasing their flexibility.

In a broader subject context, a practical social psychologist, planning his work with a specific group or organization and with equally specific members of these communities, must take into account the tendency of each individual to display rigid manifestations (there are a number of methodological techniques for diagnosing personal rigidity, including the well-known “proof-test” technique) in order to, if possible, build the conditions for solving problems organically for a particular performer.

445Lee -D. Group training practice. St. Petersburg, 2001. pp. 103-104.

446 Ibid. pp. 105-106.

447 Ibid. P. 107.

448Lee -D. Decree. Op. P. 108.

449 Ibid. P. 109.

450Foster -R., Kaplan -S. Creative destruction. M., 2005. P. 98.

451Foster -R., Kaplan -S. Decree. Op. P. 75.

Rigidity - what is it?

The term “rigidity” translated from Latin means inflexibility. In Russian, this definition is not always used for its intended purpose, confusing it with others with similar properties. In America, it is used exclusively in psychology and neurology. Rigidity is a person’s inability to adequately respond to changing circumstances.

Rigid people are often called stubborn, incapable of leaving their comfort zone, and zealously defending their positions in life. At the same time, defending your habits can take place not only in dialogue with your interlocutor, but also in various life situations, even contrary to common sense. People who have such a pronounced character trait as rigidity are pedantic, with high self-esteem, overly straightforward, stubbornly defending their own interests.

For your information. In fact, rigidity of thinking is present to one degree or another in every person. In some it is expressed moderately, in others this trait has a leading function in character.

A person with a moderately rigid character type has a flexible mind, he is inventive, rational, but is completely unable to adapt to different life situations. He is very punctual, precise in expressing thoughts, specific in requests and judgments. Rigid people are enraged by amorphous people, irresponsible, sloppy, who cannot clearly plan not only their immediate future, but even the coming day.

Rigidity is a sign of stress resistance in psychology, due primarily to the fact that people with this type of character are less subject to public opinion. They don’t care how their neighbors, friends or strangers live, the main thing is that nothing affects their sense of personal comfort. In some cases, they are able to begin to impose their opinion.

Benefits of cogeneration

Cogeneration (trigeneration) projects have a number of advantages. The main ones are the following:

• simultaneous production of several useful energy resources - electrical energy, heat, cold when burning the same volume of fuel;
• maximum overall installation efficiency (up to 90%);
• low cost of electricity production in cogeneration (trigeneration) mode;
• optimal cost of cogeneration units;
• a wide range of nominal capacities of the cogeneration plant;
• long service intervals and the maximum operating time before major overhaul among units of its class;
• compactness, possibility of block-modular design;
• environmental friendliness and safety that meet European standards;
• optimal costs for maintenance and operation;
• quick payback of projects.

Manifestations of mental rigidity in humans

What is charisma in a man - the definition of the word, how to become like that

Rigidity can be an innate character trait or an acquired one. In both the first and second cases, this is not a deviation from the norm of mental development, if the rigidity has not acquired a pathological character. This problem is not so much a public problem as an individual one. Nowadays, there are more and more people with pronounced manifestations of rigidity. People diagnosed with mental rigidity are not required to register with psychiatric hospitals. They exist calmly in society, but it is quite difficult for them to adapt to new living conditions, to a new team at work, to any acquaintances, etc.

Rigidity can be a congenital character trait or acquired

The first manifestations of rigidity in a person are aggression and a high level of anxiety. A person who is not able to quickly navigate non-standard life situations, who is not able to adequately perceive new circumstances, begins to enter a state of stress. At the same time, he experiences stress not because of his perception of the situation, but because this situation occurred in his life.

Examples of using the term

As an example of the use of the term “rigidity,” we can cite certain types of human behavior that psychologists identify:

1. "Talkers." These are individuals who try to direct attention in the company exclusively to themselves in order to become its leader. Individuals who are constantly dissatisfied with something and express and impose their point of view on others.
2. "Doubting Thomas". All characteristic features of the human psyche are aimed at specific ideas and situations.
3. "Flowers". For such individuals, life in society is a heavy burden. They try to remain alone with themselves and are not interested in the problems of others.
4. "Conspirator". A person tries to form small groups of “initiates” and only trusts them with his secrets. Persons he dislikes are subject to censure.
5. "Jester." He is inclined to make fun of other people, completely oblivious to the fact that, wittingly or unwittingly, he offends them.

There are many varieties and manifestations of rigidity. One can find one or another of its traits in almost every person. However, this does not cause any danger until such mental features begin to cause inconvenience to the person himself or his environment.

The main causes of rigidity

Reflection - what is it in psychology, definition

The causes of rigidity should be considered holistically. As a rule, its appearance is associated with many factors, some of which could have occurred in childhood. There are two types of causes of rigidity:

1. Psychophysiological;
2. Social.

Psychophysiological reasons

• structure of the central nervous system;
• congenital or acquired diseases of the central nervous system;
• genetics or hormonal imbalance;
• paranoia;
• psychosis, etc.

Social reasons

• poor nutrition;
• drug, chemical or alcohol poisoning of the body;
• injuries of the skull, especially the temporal and occipital parts;
• frequent personality conflicts;
• split personality;
• problems in personal life;
• inability to realize oneself in the professional sphere.

Alcoholism contributes to the emergence and development of rigidity

Operating mode

When a gas piston installation operates in cogeneration mode, the generation of electrical energy is the priority task of the installation. The generation (utilization) of thermal energy is proportional to the degree of load of the machine (the amount of electricity generated). When the thermal power generated by a power plant exceeds the power consumed, the unused or excess part of the associated heat of gas piston units is discharged into the atmosphere. In the opposite situation, when there is a shortage of heat recovered from a gas piston unit, when the required electrical load is less than the thermal load, the problem of heat shortage is solved by installing additional hot water or steam boilers in parallel with the heat recovery system of the cogeneration unit.

The cogeneration mode is the most economically feasible way to generate energy resources, increasing the overall efficiency of cogeneration plants by over 90%.

Types of psychological rigidity

Male abuser - signs and definition in psychology

There are 3 types of psychological rigidity:

1. Emotional;
2. Motivational;
3. Cognitive.

Affective or emotional

Affective appearance is associated with consistency in the emotional domain. Representatives of this variety are able to mentally experience for a long time the same situation that happened quite a long time ago, re-feeling the whole range of experienced feelings. After some time, the thought process becomes obsessive, and the situation is no longer adequately understood.

Often this psychotype includes monogamous people who are capable of carrying a deep emotional attachment to one object throughout their lives.

Motivational rigidity

In people with motivational rigidity, the most striking character trait is stubbornness. Such people are divided into 3 categories:

1. Disappointed. In most cases, people who have failed once in any area of ​​life stop believing in their own success and very quickly become uninitiated and driven, relying on the leadership qualities of the so-called mentor, whom they themselves idealized.
2. Stubborn. Such a person does not look around, does not listen to the advice of loved ones and relatives, goes towards his goal, “sweeping away” everything in his path, and is absolutely devoid of simple correct behavior and self-control.
3. Lazy. They say about such people that they “go with the flow.” From the first conscious years, these people do not strive not only to achieve goals, but even to form them in their heads. For them, any change in their usual way of life is akin to a disaster.

Cognitive rigidity

Cognitive rigidity in psychology deprives a person of creative flight of thought. For such people, solving non-standard problems leads to internal burnout. As a rule, individuals have certain patterns of behavior for various life situations, according to which they live for a long period. Any schemes that do not fit into the usual understanding of the world are considered risky and dangerous, not worth attention.

Disadvantages of Rigid Thinking

Rigid thinking is a patterned life.

Important! For a rigid personality type, it becomes difficult to respond to changes in life, and the learning process is complicated. Such people are rarely able to make the necessary contacts, since they try to avoid them due to their fanatical support of the only correct idea. A rigid psyche contributes to frequent neuroses.

A rigid psyche contributes to frequent neuroses

If rigidity has not caused pathological changes in the human body and psyche, then behavioral correction can be corrected by a psychologist or psychotherapist, and every year there are more and more methods that can be used to get rid of this disorder. In more difficult cases, for example, with chronic depression caused by a rigid type of thinking, a psychiatrist can help.

Not in every case, rigidity of thinking is a negative character trait. Moderate rigidity produces good leaders, diligent employees who are inclined to work for results.

Implementation of cogeneration projects

When implementing gas piston cogeneration power plant facilities, the main attention is paid to the quality and range of services provided, therefore, as a rule, such projects are implemented by engineering companies that perform the entire range of turnkey works - from design and survey work to the commissioning of the facility and its maintenance.

The diagram shows an enlarged block diagram of the process of completing work on the construction of a turnkey gas power plant by one of the leaders in launching such facilities in Russia on the basis of gas piston cogeneration units Group. Each stage of this technological chain is very important, is not possible without the others and requires the highest competence of the performers. Obviously, if all the work is performed by one company, then the final cost of such an object will be lower than if each stage was performed by different contractors. Also, a single contractor will control the quality of work at each stage, which cannot be said about several contractors, where each is responsible only for their specific scope, and not for the project as a whole.

Enlarged block diagram of turnkey works