We explain what a characteristic is and the differences between general, particular, essential, accessory, objective, subjective and more.
What is a characteristic?
The characteristics of an object, a person or any reference are those features, conditions or elements that are unique, recognizable and that serve to distinguish it from other similar references. Thus, for example, the characteristics of a dog include its color, size, breed, behavior, age and everything that helps us distinguish it from other animals.
The word characteristic comes from the union of the ancient Greek word Kharax (“mark”) with the suffix -ter, which attributes to it the quality of agent. That is to say, a characteristic is something that “marks” a reference, that allows us to distinguish it from others. You must read about Double Entry Table once.
The adjective characteristic or feature has the same meaning when we use it to say that something is characteristic of someone or something. For example, when we say that “the consumption of fried foods is characteristic of tropical gastronomy”, we are stating that the consumption of fried foods is a differential feature of tropical gastronomy, compared to the gastronomy of other regions of the world.
There are all kinds of characteristics, depending on what one is referring to. Some types can be:
General characteristics and particular characteristics
General characteristics are shared by the members of a group or a category, while particular characteristics are characteristic of an individual or a smaller category within the first.
For example, we can say that dogs have general characteristics such as four legs, a snout with teeth, a dark nose, a tail at the end of a body covered in hair, and also that they bark. These traits are general because any dog shares them with the rest of its species.
On the other hand, if I want to refer to a specific type of dog, I must refer to its particular characteristics, such as, for example, saying that poodles are small dogs, with curly white fur, with a high-pitched bark and a tendency to be playful. In this way, a poodle differs from the rest of the dogs that exist. Maybe you should definitely read about Secondary Colors once.
Essential characteristics and accessory characteristics
Essential characteristics are those that are fundamental or specific to a referent, that is, those that are related to its essence or natural features. On the other hand, accessory characteristics are those that may or may not occur, without thereby altering the nature of the referent, that is, those that are less determining.
For example, we can say that a ball is round, that it bounces off surfaces and that it is made of rubber, all essential or main characteristics that determine that it is a ball and not another object, for example, a brick. On the other hand, the colour of the ball is an accessory or secondary feature, which may perfectly coincide in the ball and the brick (orange) without both objects becoming part of the same category, that is, by the simple fact of being orange, neither the brick becomes a ball, nor the ball a brick.
Objective characteristics and subjective characteristics
Objective characteristics are those that do not depend on the point of view or opinion of the observer, while subjective characteristics vary depending on how each person sees it.
For example, we can say that a dog is big, that it is grey, that it barks loudly or that it is missing a hind leg, and any other observer will agree with us when observing the same dog, since these features have nothing to do with my personal opinion of the dog. These are objective characteristics. On the other hand, if I say that the same dog is beautiful, friendly or annoying, another observer may not agree with this assessment, since these are subjective characteristics.
External characteristics and internal characteristics
External characteristics are those that can be perceived with the naked eye, since they are superficial, while internal characteristics require an internal examination, since they are deep.
For example, we can say that a book is thick, that it has hard covers, that it has a colorful cover, or that it is from a certain author and/or publisher. These are its external characteristics. On the other hand, what typeface it has, how many pages it has, what genre it belongs to or how it is structured is something that we can find out only by opening the book and checking its content.
Physical characteristics and psychological characteristics
Physical characteristics are those that have to do with the tangible aspects of a person or an element. On the other hand, psychological characteristics describe only the way people think and react.
For example, we can say that a person is tall or short, fat or thin, muscular or not, blonde or redhead or brunette, and we will be paying attention to their physical characteristics, that is, to the shape of their body. However, if we talk about psychological, emotional or behavioural characteristics, we must refer to whether someone is kind or hostile, whether they are participative or apathetic, whether they are honest or a liar, among other traits related to the way of being and not to the physical.
These are just some examples of possible types of characteristics. Everything around us has notable characteristics, and the action of observing and determining the characteristics of an object or reference is called characterizing. Thus, when we characterize someone or something, what we are doing is determining their different types of traits.
Finally, the following are synonyms for characteristic: feature, aspect, element, attribute, profile, quality, particularity and property.
