Strong emotions bring to the fore the most hidden traits of character. In an extreme situation, a quiet person can behave like a hero, and the audience’s favorite is to hide in a corner from fear.
Instruction manual
one
The human psyche is practically not studied. Scientists can talk about basic reflexes, but nothing more. The psychological component is practically not yet available for study. For example, psychotherapists still find it difficult to say exactly why a person’s character changes so much in extreme situations.
2
Only a change of circumstances will really help to recognize a person. It is in conditions of stress that the true nature is manifested. Therefore, you can never say that a person is a coward, or, conversely, a daredevil, before they saw his behavior in an extreme situation.
3
It is also impossible to fully understand your character. You can be sure that you will never enter the water until you rush to save a drowning child. Or you’ll be sure that you can get along with anyone, until a loud snoring comrade who scatters his socks anywhere gets hooked into your room. Then you will understand that your usual behavior is quite superficial, but in reality you are a completely different person in your soul.
4
Usually, people in difficult circumstances will never be the same. They understand that the way they behaved before, and that they considered their character, is superficial. They acted on the basis of the perceptions of others about themselves, and tried to meet the requirements of relatives and friends. And only an extreme situation was able to pull out a true character, a person found out what he was really capable of. And he no longer wants to act on orders. He corrects further behavior based only on his own ideas about how to behave and how not to behave.
Useful advice
It is not necessary to wait for a critical situation to understand your true nature. The change of circumstances works great. Go on a trip alone, sign up for a squad of search engines, etc. Where responsibility and dedication are required, the real qualities of the psyche manifest themselves more quickly.