48 DIFFERENTIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Differential psychology (from the Latin. Differentia - "difference") is a branch of psychology that studies the psychological differences between individuals, between groups of people, as well as the causes and consequences of these differences. A prerequisite for the development of differential psychology (PD) was the introduction of experiment into psychology, as well as genetic and mathematical methods. DP formed under the direct influence of the practice - pedagogical, medical, engineering. The beginning of its development was laid by F. Galton, who created a number of methods and instruments for studying individual features, including for their static analysis.

The term “DP” was introduced by the German psychologist V. Stern in “On the Psychology of Individual Differences” (1900).

The first major representatives of the new direction were A. Binet, A. F. Lazursky, J. Cattel, and others.

Tests became the main method - initially individual and then group tests were used, which were used to determine mental differences, and with the invention of projective tests, to measure interests, attitudes on a particular object, emotional reactions.

In the process of processing tests by the methods of factor analysis, factors that signal the general properties of the intellect or personality are determined.

On this basis, quantitative variations in the psychological properties of various individuals are established. Two theories are best known for:

1) the theory of two factors of Ch. Spearman, according to which in any kind of activity both a common factor for each of them and a specific one are presented that is required individually for this kind of activity;

2) multifactor theories (L. Terson, J. Guilford, and others).

Previously, the decisive importance was attributed to heredity and maturation of the organism, and the relationship of individual psychological characteristics of a particular way of life of a person, the socio-economic conditions of their development was ignored. Recently, the DP is characterized by the intensive development of new approaches and methods, both experimental and mathematical. Together with the peculiarities of differences between individuals in the mental plane, differences in creative and organizational abilities, in the general structure of the personality, in the sphere of the personality motivation are widely investigated. Significant place is given to the identification of correlations between psychological properties, on the one hand, physiological and biochemical properties, on the other. The facts and conclusions obtained by the PD are of great importance for solving many practical problems (for example: the selection and training of personnel, the diagnosis and prediction of the development of certain properties, aptitudes, abilities of individuals, etc.).