The unique typology of personalities created by the Soviet psychiatrist A.E. Lichko describes 11 accentuations of character. From his point of view, lability in psychology is a quality that most fully reflects the behavior and interaction with the world of people who are distinguished by a similar property. There are other interpretations of this concept.

What is lability

Translated from Latin, the word lability means "instability." This concept applies to various areas of human life - physiology, psychology, medicine.
For example, from the point of view of physiology, lability is the rate of change of excitation cycles in muscle and nerve tissue. A characteristic of this quality is the time during which the tissue can restore working ability after the next excitement. The most labile in the human body axons are processes of nerve cells that generate up to 1 thousand impulses per second of time. The speed of the nervous processes reduces the body's oppression by cold, drugs, emotional shock, etc.

Definition of a term in psychology

In psychology, lability means an accentuation of character. With a pronounced form of such behavior, we can talk about the pathology of the psyche and the need for treatment. The labile type of character accentuation was described by A.E. Lichko.

The mood of such people (labiles) is unstable, they live in their hearts, emotionality is manifested in a quick change of feelings. Most often they have a positive mood, but sometimes they fall into a severe depression.Sometimes they remind capricious children - they are unpredictable, upset by trifles, they can cry and laugh right there.
Instability is inherent not only in emotions, but also in behavior and actions. Labile people are bright and active personalities, love creativity, periods of high rise are replaced by lull. Nature endowed them very generously, they have enormous potential for perceiving the world around them, their flexibility of thinking is characteristic. Such individuals can achieve success and fame, but are experiencing very severe recessions and depression. In this state, they not only need support and good attention, but also medication.

Women with a labile psyche are wonderful mothers, they see in each child a manifestation of talent and help development. The principles and moral principles affect education. Most labile people get along with epiliptoids. The latter help labiles to maintain order and accumulate money. Together, they are perfectly able to protect the family from extraneous intrusions and defend their opinion.

Labile people are cheerful, cheerful, sociable. They easily get along with any psychotype, correctly find common ground and style of communication with each person. Understanding all, often remain unperceived by the rest, they can constantly look for true love. Own existence may seem gray and boring, devoid of bright colors, because labies are always in search. They are best able to prove themselves in creativity - theater, painting, architecture, choreography, literary activity.

Types of concepts

A labile person cannot cope with depression alone, he wants to get rid of this serious condition, therefore he accepts help with gratitude. His brain is arranged in a special way, allowing you to control several processes simultaneously. Difficulties with the concentration of attention are associated with the fact that it can be directed immediately to several equally important objects, switching between them. With a lack of understanding from others and the occurrence of adverse circumstances, the instability of the psyche leads to nervous disorders.
Strong emotional lability is one of the stages in the formation of asthenic syndrome. It is characterized by increased excitability of the nervous system and its rapid exhaustion. That is, any stimulus gives an instant flash, a reaction up to aggression, screaming and tears, but such a state quickly disappears, as a person is deprived of strength. Such fluctuations occur throughout the day. Normally, any irritation gives a peak in response, creates a period of extinction from several minutes to days or weeks. From the maximum points of reactions and extinctions, a certain emotional background is formed. It is increased if positive incentives prevail, and lowered when there are many problems in life.

The gradual depletion of the nervous system leads a person with a painful form of lability to a lack of emotional reaction or transcendent inhibition. To improve the condition, it is necessary to exclude the influence of strong irritants, the psyche will calm down, return to normal, and return to its previous sensitivity.

Causes, symptoms and diagnosis

Emotions are the energy of action. It is the emotional background that gives strength to a person. Affective lability makes the response to any stimulus noticeable, accompanied by a higher peak of the reaction and instant exhaustion to zero. In this state, a person can neither think nor act, he needs a long time to recover. This is the so-called hyposthenic stage of asthenic syndrome, when acute responses predominate.
Then, when the asthenic syndrome will increase, the energy is completely depleted, and the person is no longer able to react strongly to anything, feeling constant fatigue. An experienced neurologist or psychiatrist can diagnose the first signs of the disease and prescribe treatment.

Manifestation with other people

The main personality traits with a labile character are extreme sensitivity, quick change of mood, mobility of emotions. He is characterized by a strong manifestation of joy and grief, a difficult experience of separation from loved ones. Intellectual lability gives a craving for knowledge and spirituality, arouses interest in music or esotericism.

A teenager with a moving psyche is very sensitive to the attention of adults, praise and encouragement, sincerity in relationships are important to him. Such stimulation gives the ability to live normally, realizing oneself in various fields. Without support from loved ones and those around him, a person cannot live.
People with a labile accentuation of character need sympathy and warmth. They become attached to those who care for them and love them, they are very sensitive, but when the mood changes, they become sharp, aggressive. Sometimes, to correct behavior in a difficult situation, they need the help of a specialist psychologist. There are special tests to determine character accentuation.

The positive and negative aspects of lability

With a labile severity, a person is prone to sharp mood swings on trifles. Emotional instability is accompanied by a sudden change in well-being. In severe cases, the development of a neurosis requiring medical treatment is possible.
A positive side of this nature is high sensitivity, creative talent, deep affection for loved ones. The approval and support from relatives and friends forms a socially oriented type of personality in a labile teenager.

In any case, do not be upset, having found the features of lability. The key that opens the way to character management is understanding and accepting one's own nature. The instability of emotions will not bring discomfort and close the door on the path to moving towards the goal, if you correctly prioritize.