Russian mentality and immigration: which countries are close to us in mentality? Russian mentality.

GOU VPO

"Voronezh State Medical Academy named after. N.N. Burdenko"

Abstract on the topic:

“Characteristics of the peculiarities of the Russian mentality.”

Completed by: student P-509

Lyamina O. S.

Voronezh 2009

Mentality is one of the basic concepts of modern humanitarian knowledge. It includes the main characteristics of an ethnic group and is one of the leading criteria when comparing nations with each other.

Mentality is the subject of consideration in several humanities, each of which brings its own feature to the definition of this concept.

The modern Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary interprets mentality as a way of thinking, the general spiritual disposition of a person or group, limiting itself only to the study of thinking. Encyclopedic Dictionary Terra Lexicon This concept means a certain way of thinking, a set of mental skills and spiritual attitudes inherent in an individual or a social group. In this interpretation, there is no mention of language as an important component of mentality, and among cultural characteristics, only behavioral characteristics are probably taken into account.

One-sided interpretation is not a feature of modern science alone. Mentality as an independent subject of research began to be considered in the 20-30s. XX century At the beginning of the 20th century, the term “mentality” appears to have been used in two ways. In ordinary speech, this somewhat fashionable term preferably denoted collective systems of attitude and behavior, “forms of the spirit.” At the same time, it also appears in the scientific lexicon, but again as a “way of thinking” or “peculiarities of attitude.”

There are many definitions of what mentality is, here are some of them:

The term mentality originated in France. It is found already in individual works of R. Emerson in 1856. In addition, W. Raulf, based on an analysis of French journalism turn of XIX-XX centuries came to the conclusion that the semantic charge of the word mentality was formed before [Raulf W. History of mentalities. Toward the reconstruction of spiritual processes. Digest of articles. - M., 1995. P. 14], as the term appeared in everyday speech.

It is generally accepted that the category of mentality was one of the first to be introduced into the scientific terminology apparatus by the French psychologist and ethnographer L. Lévy-Bruhl after the publication of his works. In its essence, mentality is historically processed archetypal ideas, through the prism of which the main aspects of reality are perceived: space, time, art, politics, economics, culture, civilization, religion. Consideration of the mental characteristics of the consciousness of a particular social group allows us to penetrate into the “hidden” layer of social consciousness, which more objectively and deeply conveys and reproduces the mentality of the era, to reveal a deeply rooted and hidden slice of reality - images, ideas, perceptions, which in most cases remains unchanged even when one ideology changes to another. This is explained by the greater stability of mental structures compared to ideology.

Even J. Le Goff noted that “mentalities change more slowly than anything else, and their study teaches how slowly history moves”[ Disputes about the main thing: Discussions about the present and future of historical science around the French school of “Annals”. - M., 1993.- P.149]. If ideology, with certain deviations, generally develops progressively, so to speak linearly, then within the framework of mentality, ideas change in the form of oscillations of various amplitudes and rotations around a certain central axis. The basis of such a movement and development of mentality is a certain way of life.

So, mentality is a concept very rich in content, reflecting the general spiritual mood, way of thinking, worldview of an individual or social group, which is not sufficiently conscious, in which the unconscious occupies a large place.

The mental characteristics of Russian culture are characterized by a number of specific features, which are due to the fact that any attempt to present Russian culture as an integral, historically continuously developing phenomenon, with its own logic and expressed national identity, encounters great internal difficulties and contradictions. Each time it turns out that at any stage of its formation and historical development, Russian culture seems to double, revealing at the same time two faces that are different from each other. European and Asian, sedentary and nomadic, Christian and pagan, secular and spiritual, official and oppositional, collective and individual - these and similar pairs of opposites have been characteristic of Russian culture since ancient times and have actually persisted to the present day. Dual faith, double-mindedness, dual power, schism are just a few of the concepts that are significant for understanding by the historian of Russian culture, identified already at the stage of ancient Russian culture. Such stable inconsistency of Russian culture generates, on the one hand, increased dynamism of its self-development, and on the other, periodically escalating conflict. inherent in the culture itself; constitutes its organic originality, typological feature and is called by researchers binary (from Lat. duality).

Binary nature in the structure of Russian culture is an undoubted result of the border geopolitical position of Rus'-Russia between East and West. Russia, throughout its history and geography, for centuries has been a Eurasian society, either striving to get closer to its European neighbors, or gravitating throughout its entire system of life towards the Asian world. [Semennikova L.I. Russia in the world community of civilizations. - M., 1994.]

It was (since the times of the Golden Horde) a country of border civilization. Western cultural figures perceived Russia as a country of a different, non-European order. Thus, G. Hegel did not even include Russians in his list of Christian peoples of Europe. Many observers have come to the conclusion that Russia is a kind of Eurasian hybrid, in which there are no clear signs of either part of the world. Oswald Spengler argued that Russia is a centaur with a European head and an Asian body. With the victory of Bolshevism, Asia reclaims Russia after Europe annexed it in the person of Peter the Great [Quote from the book Russia and the West: Dialogue of Cultures. M., 1994].

In addition, cultural and historical paradigms in Russian history were layered on top of each other: one stage has not yet ended, while the other has already begun. The future sought to come true when the conditions for this had not yet developed, and, on the contrary, the past was in no hurry to go away. historical scene, clinging to traditions, norms and values. A similar historical layering of stages, of course, is found in other world cultures - Eastern and Western, but in Russian culture it becomes a constant, typological feature: paganism coexists with Christianity, the traditions of Kievan Rus are intertwined with Mongol innovations in the Muscovite kingdom, in Peter's Russia there is a sharp modernization combined with the deep traditionalism of pre-Petrine Rus', etc. Russian Culture for centuries was at the historical crossroads, on the one hand, of the modernization paths of civilizational development characteristic of Western European culture, on the other, of the paths of organic traditionalism characteristic of the countries of the East. Russian culture has always strived for modernization, but modernization in Russia was slow, difficult, constantly weighed down by the unambiguousness and setness of traditions, every now and then rebelling against them and breaking them. Hence the numerous heretical mass movements, and the daring thirst for will (robbers, Cossacks), and the search for alternative forms of power (imposture), etc.

The mental characteristics of Russian culture historically naturally developed as a complex, disharmonious, unstable balance of forces of integration and differentiation of contradictory tendencies of the national-historical existence of the Russian people, such as a sociocultural balance (often on the verge of a national catastrophe or in connection with its approaching danger), which declared itself in the most decisive, crisis moments of the history of Russia and contributed to the survival of Russian culture in extremely difficult for it, and sometimes seemingly simply impossible socio-historical conditions and everyday circumstances as the high adaptability of Russian culture to any, including directly anti-cultural factors of its more than thousand years of history.

The Russian mentality is characterized by absolutism - which is reflected even in the Russian language: the frequency of words such as “absolutely”, “perfectly” - as well as synonymous words “terribly”, “terribly” - is more than ten times higher in the Russian language, than, say, in English. And the very synonymy of these and other concepts paints an image of global, stunning and extreme changes. Sometimes they go beyond the rational and reasonable, since the collective mind, like ideology, is the preservation of the existing - and for the sake of radical change it is necessary to overthrow it too.

The constant need for something fundamentally new gives rise to the desire to actively adopt someone else’s (just as quickly consigning one’s own to oblivion: neglecting it as outdated). Russian thought has often been accused of turning to foreign heritage for the lack of its own. However, they did not indicate the other side of the coin: the ability to assimilate and implement other people's ideas as universal ones. It is the constant desire for something fundamentally different, new, as well as the perception of the universalism (objectivity) of ideas that makes it possible to cultivate them on our own soil.

The second Russian trait is going beyond one’s own boundaries: not only at the level of society, but above all at the level of the individual, which manifests itself in overcoming interpersonal barriers. This trait is clearly visible to everyone who has been abroad: Russians strive to unite their own and others, organizing collective interaction in any conditions. They easily manage to do this, unlike representatives of other nations, and this is due to the lack of fear and the presence of the habit of invading the very essence of someone else's life, crossing the personal barrier and overcoming the isolation of individuality. This quality is usually referred to as “Russian soulfulness.” Foreigners often perceive it as aggression: an attack on a person. For the vast majority of nations, the boundaries of the individual are sacred, and the psychological barrier between souls is insurmountable.

The concept of morality is inextricably linked with the very significant concept of truth for the Russian mentality - which is confirmed by the Russian language. The Russian word “pravda” not only has a high frequency in the Russian language compared to others, but also the epithet “mother” (truth-uterus, truth-mother), depicting the blood closeness of truth to a person, his original womb and refuge. And also the synonym “truth”, meaning the highest truth: the truth in spiritual sense, which connects it with the concept of the source of morality and ideal.

We can safely say that the desire to unite people/nations with an ideal or some universal idea is typical of our character. By playing such a role, Russia (Russian people) has a face in front of other nations (people).

Also important for the Russian mentality are the concepts of the soul: as a special internal, meaningful world- and fate, which correlates with humility and the expression “nothing can be done.” Such concepts of soul and fate are unique: inherent only in the Russian language.

This character trait in physical terms is confirmed by more than six months of hibernation of nature and external passivity during this period - against the background of which there is an internal, unconscious fermentation of the psyche, predisposing to deep religious perception (in Lately Studies have emerged showing that short daylight hours promote meditation, but also depression). The consequence of this is the philosophical depth of mental life, manifested primarily not even in philosophers, but in writers whose works have gained worldwide fame (Tolstoy or Dostoevsky). When the clear mind is silent, images speak. The fact that Russian philosophy expresses itself in fiction more clearly than in rational-logical concepts has been repeatedly pointed out by historians of Russian philosophy, among them E.L. Radlov and A.F. Losev.

Nations deprived of such a long-term forced decline in physical activity (inevitable in our climate, no matter how it is influenced by the now intense, violent social rhythm of life), do not develop such emotional and spiritual philosophical depth.

Russian Orthodoxy also played a huge role in the formation of the mental characteristics of Russian culture. It has given internal certainty to the mentality of the Russian people and over the last millennium has determined the spiritual potential of the nation. The Orthodox faith plays the role of a spiritual core or spiritual substance for the Russian national mentality. Orthodoxy did not preach the idea of ​​predestination. And therefore, responsibility for sins committed of one’s own free will fell on the sinner. This was understandable and acceptable. Orthodoxy in this context is identical to the emotional and artistic structure of the Russian mentality: it reflects the Russian commitment to absolute spiritual values, maximalism, and the figurative and symbolic construction of the Russian national culture.

Historical conditions of existence, spatial environment, the Orthodox religion and the Russian Orthodox Church as a sociocultural institution left an indelible imprint on Russian national mentality.

The Orthodox faith is a special, independent and great word in the history and system of Christianity. The Russian national spirit and national morality, respect and love for all tribes and peoples are based on Orthodoxy.

The moral and religious dominant gives rise to a number of features of the Russian cultural mentality. Firstly, not a single people had a Christian idea at the national-state level, only the Russians. Secondly, the Russian people are capable of religious and philosophical thinking. Thirdly, only Russians tend to understand the world through religious intuition, unlike the West. Fourthly, of all European peoples The Slavs and especially the Russians are the most prone to religion, for in ancient times they believed in one God, and in our monotheistic paganism there was a premonition of Christ and the Mother of God, and Christian concepts such as God, heaven, hell, and demon were originally Slavic.

The mental characteristics of Russian culture, which were determined by Orthodoxy, are the peculiarities of the attitude towards private property, wealth and justice in the Russian mentality. The economic experience of the Russians was dominated not by economic interest, but by the established moral economy, which main goal has survival. Therefore, people abandoned economic success and the risk associated with it, those values ​​that seem natural in modern liberal civilization. Property relations for the bulk of the population were labor character, and achieving material well-being was not an end in itself. Hence, in the character of Russians, there is a relative indifference to material wealth and individual property. There is a lack of traditions of private property in Russia Orthodox view for wealth, which is not the result of labor, it is sent by God and is given not for accumulation and storage, but for beneficial use to others. The focus is on the righteous use of wealth rather than the acquisition of it. Wealth should serve a person, and not vice versa. Income was not an end in itself.

In Russia, the Orthodox ethics of entrepreneurship and commodity-money relations was created, while Western Christianity cultivated pragmatism, hoarding, and a passion for money and wealth in people. In the Russian mentality, the category of wealth acquires the greatest value, as a measure of spirituality in connection with wealth. Entrepreneurs looked at their activities differently than in the West, not so much as a source of profit, but as the fulfillment of a task assigned to them by God or fate. Entrepreneurship was seen as a certain type of creativity and self-affirmation.

Wealth in Orthodox ethics was perceived as a violation of fair mechanisms. And if a market economy is based on the principles of rationality and expediency, then in Russia they give priority to the ideas of justice. In the historical mentality, Russians have developed an egalitarian understanding of justice, associated with the harsh climatic conditions of Russia and the need for the physical survival of people. Here there was no objective possibility of ensuring the distribution of produced material goods in proportion to the merits of each person to society. Ideas about equality in the Russian mentality are predominantly moral, not legal, in nature.

Under the influence of Orthodoxy, a moral tradition of world development and management was formed in the Russian mentality, which persists even where conscious religiosity was lost. The Russian world development is characterized by the principles of a religious and ethical approach to the development of life.

Many researchers note the indifference of Russians to the organization of their earthly life, some strange disregard for the material layer, comfort, and ease of existence. When a culture is oriented towards eternity, then human existence in it is perceived as especially brief and ephemeral. In the “Cherubic Song” there are the words: “Put aside every care now of this life...”, which means pushing into the background all the troubles associated with ensuring material well-being and order in this world. At the same time, the world for such a person is only a temporary refuge, and the leading type of attitude is the “delicate patience of a guest.”

The focus of culture on eternity explains why it has a poorly developed time perspective and orientation towards the future. Therefore, it is incredibly difficult to reform anything in such cultures. They strongly resist any changes, and if they occur, they are revolutionary, or rather apocalyptic in nature.

Another mental characteristic of Russian culture is self-sacrifice. Self-sacrifice is an absolute value in our culture. Quite strange things have happened several times in history - on the eve and during terrible disasters that threatened humanity with destruction, many European countries, their unique, original cultures and peoples were saved by the voluntary bloody sacrifice of Russia.

Of course, the original Russian culture and its spiritual center - Orthodoxy - are difficult for representatives of other countries to understand. national cultures. Pushkin said this brilliantly: “the Greek religion, separate from all others, gives us a special national character.” It is not surprising that the West does not know or understand us; it is much more important that we ourselves know and understand our culture and mentality.

Bibliography

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2. Gurevich A.Ya. Medieval merchant // Odysseus. Man in history. (Personality and society. - M., 1990.

3. Goryunov E.V. The relationship between folk and scientific culture of the Middle Ages in the mirror of church rituals and sacred objects // Odyssey. Man in history. (Picture of the world in the popular and scientific consciousness). - M., 1994.

4. Culturology: theory and history of culture. - M.: Knowledge, 1998.

5. Raulf W. History of mentalities. Toward the reconstruction of spiritual processes. Digest of articles. - M., 1995.

6. Russia and the West: Dialogue of Cultures. M., 1994.

7. Stelmashuk G.V. Culture and values ​​// Current problems of philosophy, sociology and cultural studies. - SPb.: Leningrad State University named after. A.S. Pushkin.- 2000.

And indeed, it is the mentality of the population that primarily influences how well, in simple terms, the residents of a certain country live. The peculiarities of collective psychological consciousness explain why an ordinary citizen of a given country treats the state and its power this way and not differently, what he expects from life and what he does not accept, what he is ready to achieve on his own, and what he will not even undertake, what benefits and freedoms for him are higher priorities and what is the general level of his life aspirations. The list of words can take a long time, but to a greater or lesser extent we all fall under the influence of the collective mentality of the country of which we are residents or natives.

Does the national mentality influence the specific vision of a business? Of course. The main function of mentality, according to psychology, is the ordering and modeling of a certain world and surrounding reality in the collective consciousness - it is on the basis of this model, which is an alloy of rational and emotional-sensual characteristics, as well as archetypes, collective values, etc., that is formed behavior of people in certain sociocultural conditions. That is, to put it simply, mentality influences how a typical representative of his people will behave in a certain situation, and what he will base on when making this or that decision. This fully applies to the sphere of making money and making a profit.

What influenced the formation of the “mysterious Russian character”?

Nothing comes out of nowhere, and mentality is no exception. Its formation is a long process that begins even before the emergence of a certain people and continues throughout its existence. Before considering the peculiarities of the Russian mentality in the business environment and the working sphere, we will briefly describe what factors determine it.

“Unique geographical location”

Russia is located at the junction of Europe and Asia, between the West and the East. Actively contacting both European and Eastern peoples, the inhabitants of our country could not help but adopt character traits from both their neighbors. Moreover, due to the more warlike nature of the eastern peoples (Khazars, Pechenegs and, of course, Tatars), the influence of Asia on Russian state was much more significant, and for a long time in a more enlightened Europe, Russia was perceived precisely as Asian country. Some historians note that it was the neighborhood with Turkic peoples gave rise to the main contradictions of the Russian mentality - a mixture of meekness and cruelty, hospitality and expansiveness, the desire for unbridled fun and at the same time melancholy and depression.

Separately, it is worth noting the influence of the East on the attitude of the Russian person to power and to its more everyday manifestation - superiors and middle managers. A leader in the minds of our compatriots must be a strong and tough person, even despotic, by analogy with eastern rulers. They are more likely to expect deductions from bonuses and other “punitive” measures than positive encouragement. Having a negative attitude towards such a boss, the subordinate, nevertheless, recognizes his power, but if the manager changes the style of a “stern patron” to more democratic behavior, then this can become a reason for relaxation and disobedience of the subordinate employee.

"Orthodox culture"

It is no secret that in many respects the peculiarities of the mentality of the people are determined by the dominant religion - dogmas, instilled from childhood, are firmly rooted in the consciousness and determine later life. Since 988, Rus' has lived under the auspices of Orthodoxy, a special branch of Christianity. The religion brought to Rus' was distinguished from European Christianity primarily by big picture peace. In Europe, this picture was clearly divided into three spheres - the divine (heaven), the demonic (hell) and the human world (in which earthly life takes place). Thus, western man I understood that one must not only count on the Kingdom of Heaven, but also achieve something in this world. However, in the picture of the universe characteristic of Russia, earthly life was initially classified as the realm of the domain of dark forces, where imperfection and injustice rule, and Satan every day exposes people to temptations for which severe punishment is imposed.

This predetermination was reflected in the awareness of doom characteristic of the Russian mentality. The belief that “nothing can be changed anyway.” Unfortunately, this doom continues to this day. characteristic feature for many of our compatriots - they complain about the authorities and unfair bosses, about unloved work and about a banal lack of money. They complain, but they tolerate it because they believe that the risk will not lead to anything good, and the situation will result in some active actions will only get worse.

Russian mentality and how to deal with it

So, what features of the “mysterious Russian soul” determine the behavior of Russians in the work sphere? And most importantly, what should the manager do about it? We will tell you some management tricks using the example of real experience shared by Vasily Melnichenko, director of one of the Russian farms.

1. Laziness

“Until the thunder strikes, the Russian peasant will not cross himself.” The laziness of our compatriots has long been the talk of the town. It's a shame, but all over the world Russians are considered a lazy nation, which is even necessary for normal life performs actions reluctantly. Thus, among the young rural generation, it has become fashionable to choose not the job that will bring more income, but the one that requires less stress. There is an outflow of young people from the village to the city, where most young men get jobs as security guards, and girls go to work in beauty salons. Vasily Melnichenko notes that the age of the majority of workers on his farm is from 40 to 55 years, and it is the more industrious older generation that keeps the country’s agriculture going. To prevent the outflow of personnel, the farmer offers people decent pay - the salary on the farm ranges from 25 to 40 rubles. However, even “ruble stimulation” does not always bear fruit.

2. Inertia and lack of initiative

At all times, Russian people hoped for someone who was taller and smarter - for God, for the Tsar, for the state, for a boss, for a more responsible colleague. The proverb about a man who does not want to be baptized illustrates not only laziness, but also inertia - why take the initiative if it is not necessary? This type of Russian character is to blame for the various forms of suppression of individuality, of which there have been many in the history of our state - the Mongol-Tatar yoke, serfdom, Soviet collective farms and, of course, a destructive attitude towards manifestations human personality characteristic of Orthodoxy.

Lack of initiative leads to the fact that people are afraid to put forward entrepreneurial projects and take risks, preferring “office slavery.” Afraid of taking the initiative and losing what they already have, people continue to work for a fixed salary. wages, obeying the orders of the boss, because this means stability and some kind of guarantees. This is why support for small business initiatives is needed - it helps raise the head of those who are still ready to start their own business and rely on themselves, but do not have sufficient resources.

3.Irresponsibility

The hope for the Russian “maybe” is also known throughout the world. If many small businesses do not have a clear planning system and live one day at a time, then what about the employees? A common practice is to delay the completion of important tasks, or even cancel them altogether, hoping that you will be lucky and that your superiors will not notice the errors.

Vasily Melnichenko teaches his employees to be responsible, again using the ruble. His farm provides for a significant annual bonus of 50-60 thousand rubles, and if workers violate any production technologies, they are deprived of this amount. The farmer said that there was a time when their wives tried to stand up for negligent workers - women came to the head of the farm with a request not to deprive their spouses of a bonus. However, Melnichenko refused the petitioners, explaining that by leniently he himself would violate the farm charter and thus deprive his own family of the annual bonus.

4. Theft

Despite various industrial sanctions aimed at stopping theft from the state and employers, the statistics do not become optimistic - many Russians do not consider it shameful to encroach on someone else’s property if possible. Motivations can be very different, but they can be briefly described in one phrase: “because it’s not mine.” Some attribute the total Russian theft to the dictatorship of the banking system, others blame it all on the uneven distribution of material wealth during the privatization of collective property, but this does not stop the facts from being facts.

Farmer Melnichenko is greatly helped in the fight against theft by the cost accounting system, in which each farm keeps its own records of income and expenses, and profits are divided in a percentage ratio of “60/40”, where the majority goes to the brigade, and not to the management enterprise. Melnichenko proudly notes that the last case of theft on his farm was recorded in the late 1990s, and in 2006 he decided to give up security.

One thing that keeps many people from moving to another country or marrying a foreigner is the difference in mentality. The difference is in the little things and in the attitude towards life in general. What is mentality? How does it differ from mentality? And how does the mysterious Russian soul manifest itself? Some are proud of their origin and mentality, while others are trying with all their might to eradicate its manifestations. It is important to distinguish between what is genetic and what can still be changed.

What is mentality

Mentality is a historically and genetically formed set of socio-psychological qualities of a people. Etymologically comes from the Greek word mentis- mind, thinking, soul, reason, way of thinking. That is, one word unites many phenomena and processes, which gives rise to a large number of interpretations. If you describe the mentality in ordinary words- This historical experience reflected in culture, which is absorbed by a person brought up in this culture.

IN scientific literature Two concepts are often used: mentality and mentality. Some authors consider words to be synonyms, others try to draw a line between these concepts. According to the second theory of differences mentality- this is a historically and genetically developed spiritual constant that reflects the deep values ​​of a people and ethnic group. A mentality- a dynamic, private, concrete manifestation born of the era. There are as many types of mentalities as there are social groups. And the mentality characterizes the people as a whole.

On the one hand, mentality reflects the overall characteristics of people living in a particular culture, on the other hand, it characterizes psychological aspects differences between one nation and another. This allows us to separately consider the mentality of Americans, French, Germans or British.

The evolution of the concept of “mentality”

The origins of the national mentality of Russian people and representatives of other nations are at the dawn of humanity. The subject of analysis of emerging folk thinking is often oral evidence: epics, fairy tales, tales, legends, proverbs, myths. These ancient cultural monuments reflect all periods spiritual development peoples and ethnic groups.

Reflections on the topic of generalized socio-psychological characteristics of people are found in the works Herodotus, Pliny and many historians of antiquity. The most important cultural monuments that have survived to this day are the Bible and the Koran. The Bible, in the form of religious and artistic subjects, contains a certain code of worldview and attitude to reality. The Koran sets out the basic cultural and spiritual principles and values ​​of the Muslim world.

But in scientific practice this problem was first addressed in the 18th century by a Swedish physician Carl Linnaeus and French philosopher Charles de Montesquieu. At the same time it was born new science ethnopsychology. The object of study of ethnopsychology was the “soul of the people”, “ national character”, and the main attention was paid to Man in history, his emotions, worldview, and value system.

The English word Mentality came into use back in the 17th century, but as a scientific term it was first used by a classic of French ethnology Lucien Lévy-Bruhl. In his book “Primitive Mentality,” the author described the life of the indigenous people of Australia and New Guinea, and the term “mentality” described the personality traits and values ​​inherent in different tribes.

In the late 1920s, French scientists Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre founded the “Annals School” - a scientific historical movement that placed man above the events of political history. Since that time, the concept of mentality has become a scientific category that describes mass consciousness people or ethnic group. In psychology, mentality is represented by another concept - social or national character. The largest psychoanalysts of the 20th century were engaged in research in this area. Sigmund Freud, Erich Fromm, Carl Jung.

Today, many sciences are engaged in the study of mentality: philosophy, sociology, history, ethnology, social psychology, cultural studies. Besides scientific research Cultural figures and politicians talk about mentality. There is a branch of historical science - the history of mentalities, which studies history not from the point of view of events and wars, but as a socio-cultural phenomenon. The field of study of the history of mentalities is the totality of the material conditions of life, life and worldview of the people.

Russian mentality

While studying the peculiarities of the Russian mentality, culturologists and sociologists divide history into six historical periods: pagan, pre-Christian, pre-Petrine, imperial, Soviet, Novorossiysk. Each of these periods influenced the formation of the Russian mentality. But the influence of Orthodox Christianity turned out to be especially strong.

Throughout the history of the Russian people, there has been a particularly reverent attitude towards the motive of suffering. was perceived not in itself, but as a reward for suffering and misfortune. Initially, the connection is visible in proverbs and sayings: “ there would be no happiness, but misfortune would help», « He who has not known need does not know happiness" Truly folk songs are permeated with “sadness,” and in fairy tales the main character has to overcome many trials in anticipation of a reward. There are stories about the plight of the Russian people in the works of all Russian poets and writers.

In the 19th century, the ideologist of the official nationality, Count Sergei Uvarov, formulated the famous triad “Orthodoxy. Autocracy. Nationality." Later, Stalin reduced it to two components: “Simplicity and nationality.” But in literature, philosophy, and culture, debates about mentality have never subsided. The most extensive studies of national consciousness and Russian philosophy were conducted by the religious and political philosopher N. Berdyaev.

Modern research shows that the mentality of a Russian person is manifested by behavioral stereotypes, regardless of his place of residence:

• Fear of “what people will say.”
• The desire to “live in truth.”
• Choose feeling between reason and feeling.
• See your flaws more often than your strengths.
• Argue about anything.
• Smile only at people you know.
• Love in freebies and expectation of a miracle.
• Conservatism and pity.

And it doesn’t matter whether the Russian mentality is good or bad. In any case, it prevails in the life of the entire nation, symbolizing the superiority of the spiritual over the material. It is very difficult to change mentality even when it leads not to development, but to destruction.

But you shouldn’t exaggerate the power of mentality either. On the one hand, mentality moves a person to certain actions, on the other hand, it forces him to repel everything alien and unpleasant. But the word “mentality” comes from the word “thinking”. This means that changing your thinking and learning new skills will help you change your mentality.

Wealth mentality: is it possible to restructure your thinking?

Factors influencing mentality can be divided into 2 groups:

• Objective: genetics, place of birth and residence, cultural environment, a system of relations in society.
• Subjective: mental characteristics, worldview, values, relationships.

Every year, Forbes magazine publishes “honest” lists of rich people who earned their wealth rather than inheriting it. Many grew up in dysfunctional families or didn't receive higher education. Scientific experts analyzed the success stories of self-made millionaires and compiled a series of exercises to change mentality. If it is impossible to change genetics or place of birth, then it is possible to tune the mind to wealth if desired.

Successful people:

• Focus on quality, not quantity.
• They believe in their talent and their strength.
• Set clear short-term and realistic long-term goals.
• They know how to focus on the main thing, but regularly adjust their course.
• They take care of their health and do not forget about creativity.
• They create a financial “safety cushion”.
• They study all their lives.

But luck does not play as important a role in the life success of millionaires as it seems. It ranks only 13th in the list of success factors.

But the main thing to remember is that setting your mind to think like a millionaire does not guarantee wealth. But they're worth it.

conclusions

• From the point of view of an individual, mentality is a way of perceiving reality that is influenced by the environment and surroundings of a person.
• Mentality is a static “quantity” that changes very slowly. Mentality changes under the influence of the era.
• The Russian mentality is best described by the phrase: “the mysterious Russian soul.”
• Copying the habits of millionaires will not bring you wealth. But changing your mindset will help you achieve success.

National character and features of the Russian mentality belong to the ethno- and socio-psychological characteristics of Russia.

History of the question of national character

The question of national character has not received a generally accepted formulation, although it has significant historiography in world and Russian pre-revolutionary science. This problem was studied by Montesquieu, Kant, and Herder. And the thought that different nations has its own “national spirit”, formed in the philosophy of romanticism and pochvennichestvo both in the West and in Russia. In the German ten-volume “Psychology of Nations” the essence of man was analyzed in different cultural manifestations: everyday life, mythology, religion, etc. Social anthropologists of the last century also did not ignore this topic. In Soviet society, the humanities took as a basis the advantage of class over nationality, so national character, ethnic psychology and similar issues remained on the sidelines. They were not given due importance back then.

The concept of national character

On at this stage the concept of national character includes different schools and approaches. Of all the interpretations, two main ones can be distinguished:

• personal-psychological

• value-normative.

Personal psychological interpretation of national character

This interpretation implies that people of the same cultural values ​​have common personal and mental traits. A set of such qualities distinguishes representatives of this group from others. American psychiatrist A. Kardiner created the concept of “basic personality”, on the basis of which he concluded about the “basic personality type” that is inherent in every culture. The same idea is supported by N.O. Lossky. He highlights the main features of the Russian character, which is different:

• religiosity,
• receptivity to the highest examples of skills,
• spiritual openness,
• subtle understanding of someone else's condition,
• powerful willpower,
• ardor in religious life,
• ebullience in public affairs,
• adherence to extreme views,
• love of freedom, reaching the point of anarchy,
• love for the fatherland,
• contempt for the philistine.

Similar studies also reveal results that contradict each other. Absolutely polar traits can be found in any nation. Here it is necessary to conduct more in-depth research using new statistical techniques.

Value-normative approach to the problem of national character

This approach assumes that national character is not embodied in the individual qualities of a representative of the nation, but in the sociocultural functioning of his people. B.P. Vysheslavtsev in his work “Russian National Character” explains that human character is not obvious, on the contrary, it is something secret. Therefore, it is difficult to understand and unexpected things happen. The root of character is not in expressive ideas or in the essence of consciousness; it grows from unconscious forces, from the subconscious. In this underlying structure such cataclysms are ripening that cannot be predicted by looking at the outer shell. To a large extent this applies to the Russian people.

This social state of mind, based on the attitudes of group consciousness, is usually called mentality. In connection with this interpretation, the features of the Russian character appear as a reflection of the mentality of the people, that is, they are the property of the people, and not a set of traits inherent in their individual representatives.

Mentality

• reflected in people's actions, their way of thinking,
• leaves its mark in folklore, literature, art,
• gives rise to an original way of life and a special culture characteristic of a particular people.

Features of the Russian mentality

The study of Russian mentality began in the 19th century, first in the works of Slavophiles, research was continued at the turn of the next century. In the early nineties of the last century, interest in this issue arose again.

Most researchers note the most characteristics mentality of the Russian people. It is based on deep compositions of consciousness that help make choices in time and space. In the context of this, there is the concept of chronotope - i.e. connections of spatio-temporal relations in culture.

• Endless movement

Klyuchevsky, Berdyaev, Fedotov noted in their works the sense of Space characteristic of the Russian people. This is the vastness of the plains, their openness, the absence of borders. Many poets and writers reflected this model of the national Cosmos in their works.

• Openness, incompleteness, questioning

A significant value of Russian culture is its openness. She can comprehend another who is alien to her, and is subject to various influences from the outside. Some, for example, D. Likhachev, call this universalism, others, like, note universal understanding, call it, like G. Florovsky, universal responsiveness. G. Gachev noted that many domestic classic masterpieces literature remained unfinished, leaving the way for development. This is the whole culture of Russia.

• Discrepancy between the Space step and the Time step

The peculiarity of Russian landscapes and territories predetermines the experience of Space. The linearity of Christianity and the European pace determine the experience of Time. The vast territories of Russia, the endless expanses predetermine the colossal step of Space. For Time, European criteria are used, Western historical processes and formations are tried on.

According to Gachev, in Russia all processes should proceed more slowly. The Russian psyche is slower. The gap between the steps of Space and Time gives rise to tragedy and is fatal for the country.

Antinomy of Russian culture

The discrepancy in two coordinates - Time and Space - creates a constant tension in Russian culture. Another of its features is connected with this – antinomy. Many researchers consider this trait to be one of the most distinctive. Berdyaev noted the strong inconsistency of national life and self-awareness, where the deep abyss and boundless heights are combined with meanness, baseness, lack of pride, and servility. He wrote that in Russia, boundless philanthropy and compassion can coexist with misanthropy and fanaticism, and the desire for freedom coexists with slavish resignation. These polarities in Russian culture do not have halftones. Other nations also have opposites, but only in Russia can bureaucracy be born from anarchism, and slavery from freedom. This specificity of consciousness is reflected in philosophy, art, and literature. This dualism, both in culture and in personality, is best reflected in the works of Dostoevsky. Literature always provides great information for studying mentality. The binary principle, which is important in Russian culture, is reflected even in the works Russian writers. Here is the list selected by Gachev:

“War and Peace”, “Fathers and Sons”, “Crime and Punishment”, “Poet and the Crowd”, “Poet and Citizen”, “Christ and Antichrist”.

The names speak of the great inconsistency of thinking:

“Dead Souls”, “Living Corpse”, “Virgin Soil Upturned”, “Yawning Heights”.

Polarization of Russian culture

The Russian mentality with its binary combination of mutually exclusive qualities reflects the hidden polarity of Russian culture, which is inherent in all periods of its development. Continuous tragic tension manifested itself in their collisions:

G.P. Fedotov in his work “The Fate and Sins of Russia” explored the originality of Russian culture and depicted the national mentality, its structure in the form of an ellipse with a pair of oppositely polar centers that continuously fight and cooperate. This causes constant instability and variability in the development of our culture, while at the same time encouraging the intention to solve the problem instantly, through an outbreak, a throw, a revolution.

“Incomprehensibility” of Russian culture

The internal antinomy of Russian culture also gives rise to its “incomprehensibility.” The sensual, spiritual, and illogical always prevail in it over the expedient and meaningful. Its originality is difficult to analyze from a scientific point of view, as well as to convey the possibilities of plastic art. In his works, I.V. Kondakov writes that the most consonant with the national identity of Russian culture is literature. This is the reason for our deep respect for the book and the word. This is especially noticeable in Russian culture of the Middle Ages. Classical Russian culture of the nineteenth century: painting, music, philosophy, social thought, he notes, was created for the most part under the impression literary works, their heroes, plans, plots. The impact on the consciousness of Russian society cannot be underestimated.

Cultural identity of Russia

Russian cultural self-identification is complicated by the specific mentality. The concept of cultural identity includes identification of a person with cultural tradition, national values.

U Western peoples national-cultural identity is expressed according to two characteristics: national (I am German, I am Italian, etc.) and civilizational (I am European). In Russia there is no such certainty. This is due to the fact that the cultural identity of Russia depends on:

• multi-ethnic basis of culture, where there are a lot of local variants and subcultures;
• intermediate position between ;
• the inherent gift of compassion and empathy;
• repeated impetuous transformations.

This ambiguity and inconsistency gives rise to discussions about its exclusivity and uniqueness. In Russian culture there is a deep thought about the unique path and highest calling of the people of Russia. This idea was translated into the popular socio-philosophical thesis about.

But in full agreement with everything mentioned above, along with the awareness of national dignity and conviction of one’s own exclusivity, there is national denial that reaches self-abasement. The philosopher Vysheslavtsev emphasized that restraint, self-flagellation, and repentance constitute national trait our character, that there is no people who criticized themselves, exposed themselves, and joked about themselves.

The time has come to determine the main, in my opinion, features of the Russian mentality.

One of the primary properties of the Russian people is their kindness. Kindness in all its layers is expressed in the absence of rancor. Often a Russian person, being passionate and prone to maximalism, experiences a strong feeling of repulsion from another person, but when meeting him, if specific communication is necessary, his heart softens, and he somehow involuntarily begins to show his spiritual softness towards him, even sometimes condemning himself for this if he believes that this person does not deserve a kind attitude towards him.

“Life according to the heart” creates openness in the soul of a Russian person and ease of communication with people, simplicity of communication, without conventions, without external instilled politeness, but with those virtues of politeness that arise from sensitive natural delicacy...

However, positive qualities There are often negative sides too. The kindness of a Russian person sometimes prompts him to lie due to the reluctance to offend his interlocutor, due to the desire for peace and good relations with people at all costs.

The Russian people amaze us with the versatility of their abilities. He is characterized by high religious talent, the ability to higher forms experience, observation, theoretical and practical intelligence, creative ingenuity, ingenuity, subtle perception of beauty and the aristocracy associated with it, expressed both in Everyday life, and in the creation of great works of art.

Among the especially valuable properties of the Russian people is a sensitive perception of strangers. states of mind. This results in live communication between even unfamiliar people. “...The Russian people have highly developed individual personal and family communication. There is no excessive replacement in Russia individual relationships social, there is no personal and family isolationism. Therefore, even a foreigner, having arrived in Russia, feels: “I am not alone here” (of course, I am talking about normal Russia, and not about life under the Bolshevik regime). Perhaps, these properties are the main source of recognition of the charm of the Russian people, so often expressed by foreigners who know Russia well...”

Passion and powerful willpower can be considered among the basic properties of the Russian people. The willpower of the Russian people is revealed in the fact that a Russian person, having noticed any shortcoming of his and morally condemning it, obeying a sense of duty, overcomes it and develops a quality that is completely opposite to it. Passion is a combination of strong feelings and willpower directed towards a loved or hated value. Naturally, the higher the value, the more strong feelings and it causes energetic activity in people with a strong will. This explains the passion of the Russian people, manifested in political life, and even greater passion in religious life. Maximalism, extremism and fanatical intolerance are the products of this passion.

Love of freedom. Among the primary properties of the Russian people, along with religiosity, the search for absolute good and willpower, one can include the love of freedom and its highest expression - freedom of spirit. He who has a free spirit is inclined to put every value to the test, not only in thought, but even in experience. Due to the free search for truth, it is difficult for Russian people to come to terms with each other. Therefore, in public life Russians' love of freedom is expressed in a tendency towards anarchy, in repulsion from the state.

Cruelty. Kindness is the predominant feature of the Russian people. But at the same time, it cannot be denied that there are also many manifestations of cruelty in Russian life. There are many types of cruelty and some of them can be found, paradoxically, even in the behavior of people who are not at all evil by nature. The cruelty can be explained by the prevalence of poverty in Russia by a variety of grievances and oppressions. Until the last one quarter of the XIX century building family life merchants, townspeople and peasants was patriarchal. The despotism of the head of the family was often expressed in actions close to cruelty.

Laziness, “Oblomovism”. Russian people are characterized by a desire for an absolutely perfect kingdom of existence and, at the same time, excessive sensitivity to any shortcomings of their own and others’ activities. From here arises a cooling towards the work begun and an aversion to continuing it; the idea and general outline of it are often very valuable, but its incompleteness and therefore inevitable imperfections repel the Russian person, and he is lazy to continue finishing the little things. Thus, “Oblomovism” is in many cases the flip side of the high qualities of the Russian person - the desire for complete perfection and sensitivity to the shortcomings of our reality.