What is the national character of the people. National character

05.06.2019

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National character- a set of the most stable for a given national community features of emotional and sensory perception of the surrounding world and forms of reactions to it. Expressed in emotions, feelings, moods, the national character is manifested in the national temperament, largely conditioning the ways of emotional and sensory assimilation of political reality, the speed and intensity of the reaction of political subjects to what is happening. political events, forms and methods of presentation by them of their political interests, methods of struggle for their implementation.

At subsequent stages of historical development, the national character is influenced by the political system of society, but its value-semantic core remains constant, although it is corrected by political life, the regime, the system as a whole. In crisis situations, during periods of exacerbation national problems and contradictions, certain features of a national character can come to the fore, determining the political behavior of people.

It is generally accepted that national character is an integral element and at the same time the basis of the psychological makeup of a nation and national psychology generally. However, it is precisely the interconnected and interdependent combination of both emotional and rational elements that constitutes the psychological makeup of a nation or national character, which manifests itself and is refracted in national culture, the way of thinking and actions, stereotypes of behavior, determining the specificity of each nation, its difference from others. I. L. Solonevich emphasized that psychology, the "spirit" of the people are a decisive factor determining the originality of its state structure... At the same time, the components that "form a nation and its special national character make-up are completely unknown to us. But the fact of the existence of national peculiarities can not be subject to anyone ... doubt." The influence of the "spirit" of the people on certain phenomena and processes is not always clearly traced, it is expressed in the form of adequate concepts and clear mental structures, but it is nevertheless present, indirectly manifesting itself in traditions, morals, beliefs, feelings, moods, attitudes. E. Durkheim gave one of the most detailed characteristics of the "spirit" of the people as a set of beliefs and feelings common to all members of society. In his opinion, the "spirit" of the people is constant in the north and south of the country, in cities and towns, it is independent of vocational training, gender and age characteristics of individuals. It does not change with each generation, but, on the contrary, connects them together. Manifesting in the activities of individuals, he nevertheless "is something completely different from private consciousness", for "expresses psychological type society ".

The general social experience, the deep national spirit is manifested even in such seemingly abstract things as mathematics. N. Ya.Danilevsky pointed to a well-known fact: the Greeks in their mathematical research used the so-called geometric method while scientists new Europe- analytical method. This difference in research methods, according to N. Ya. Danilevsky, is not accidental. It is explained by the psychological characteristics of the peoples of the Hellenic and Germanic-Roman types.

Noting the presence of national identity, a specific mentality and behavior, it should be emphasized that the study of "national individuality" is fraught with great difficulties. As N. A. Berdyaev justly pointed out, in the definition of the national type "it is impossible to give a strict scientific definition". There is always something incomprehensible to the end, to the last depth.

The concept of national character is not theoretical and analytical, but evaluative and descriptive. For the first time, travelers began to use it, followed by geographers, ethnographers to indicate the specific features of the behavior and way of life of peoples. At the same time, different authors put different content into the concept of the ego. Some meant by the national character the properties of temperament, the emotional reactions of the people, others focused on social attitudes, value orientations, although the social and psychological nature of these phenomena is different. Due to the fact that penetration into the essence of the national character is carried out, according to S. L. Frank, "only through a certain initial intuition," it has "too subjective coloring to pretend to full scientific objectivity," which inevitably turns into schematism.

The enumeration and characteristics of certain features of the people, the accentuation of its merits and demerits are largely subjective, often vague, often arbitrary, due to the research interest of the author. Great difficulty is also associated with determining the priority of biogenetic or socio-historical foundations in the formation of a national character, the ways of its transmission from generation to generation.

The identification of specifying national traits that affect the perception of political ideas, values, the attitude of citizens to political institutions, the authorities - to citizens, the forms of political interaction, the nature of participation and activity of political actors, in addition to subjectivity in the selection and interpretation of historical material, has objective difficulties. They are connected with the fact that discrete periods of historical development have a significant impact on the national character. Issues of a national character have long been the subject of multifaceted scientific research... The first serious attempts were presented within the framework of the prevailing mid XIX v. in Germany, the school of the psychology of peoples (W. Wundt, M. Laparus, H. Steinthal and others). Representatives of this scientific direction believed that driving force of the historical process is a parod, or "spirit of the whole", which expresses itself in religion, languages, art, myths, customs, etc.

Representatives of the American ethnopsychological school in the middle of the XX century. (R. F. Benedict, A. Cardiner, R. Linton, R. Merton, M. Mead and others) focused their attention on building a model of the "average personality" of a particular national-ethnic group, highlighting in each nation a "basic personality ", combining national personality traits common to its representatives and specific traits national culture.

At present, it is impossible to single out any holistic direction in the study of national character. His research is carried out in different contexts and from different conceptual and theoretical positions. A fairly complete classification of points of view on national character is given by the Dutch scientists H. Duijker and N. Friid.

1. National character is understood as a manifestation of certain psychological traits characteristic of all members of a given nation and only for them. This is a widespread, but already rarely found in science concept of a national character.
2. National character is defined as a "modal personality", i.e. as the relative frequency of manifestation among adult members of a nation of a particular type of personality.
3. National character can be understood as "the basic structure of personality", ie. as a certain sample of personality that dominates the culture of a given nation.
4. National character can be understood as a system of positions, values and beliefs shared by a significant part of a given nation.
5. National character can be defined as the result of the analysis of the psychological aspects of culture, considered in a certain, special sense.
6. National character is considered as intelligence, expressed in the products of culture, i.e. in literature, philosophy, art, etc.

Ethno-national features of the modern political process in Russia are also determined by the accepted ethnocultural values of the peoples and nationalities inhabiting Russia.

Considering the value orientations of an ethnophor (an individual carrier in the political process of a certain ethnic culture and national psyche, a representative of an ethnos), it is impossible to avoid the problems of the ethnos itself, its ethnocultural characteristics, socialization, national mentality, ethnic identification, etc.

TO major achievements Russian researchers include: the theory of ethnogenesis by Yu. V. Bromley, the biological and geographical concept of the ethnos of L. N. Gumilyov, studies of interethnic tension by G. U. Ktsoeva-Soldatova. Close to this problem are the works on management in the field of interethnic relations by S. I. Zamogilny, the hierarchical structure of ethnocultural characteristics of E. N. Reznikov, information theory of ethnos by A. A. Susokolov, developments in the field of the national Russian idea by T. Tarasova and D. V. Chernyshevsky, the idea of a meeting of cultures, cultural translation and ethnological discourse of the conflict by V. N. Yarskaya, about the relationship between ethnic and social T. G. Stefanenko, Z. V. Sikevich, V. A. Tishkov's ideas about the anthropology of Russian transformations. V. Voronkov and I. Oswald develop ideas about the social construction of ethnic identity.

As the analysis shows, the more studied are the value orientations of the individual, which lie in the plane of problems of different age groups, group cohesion, conflicts, aggression, professionally significant qualities. The system of value orientations of representatives of ethnic groups has been less studied, its structure and system-forming factor have not been revealed, their content components and determinants are not presented. Until now, there are no conceptual studies in psychology on the issues of fundamental shifts in the development of personal value orientations in conditions of society crises.

Peoples of all regions of Russia in currently are going through a period of adaptation to a new socio-cultural and socio-economic system, affecting many aspects of the way of life and traditional values. A deep contradiction arises between the need to preserve ethnic identity, ethnic mentality and the need to adapt to new conditions, in the development of a new culture.

The methodology of psychological research, based on the scientific and practical feasibility of the predicted results, combines patterns, approaches, principles, methods, research and development tools and procedures for its use in the cognition of value orientations of ethnophores different nations Russia, taking into account its peculiarities as an original system and a key component of the political process of Russian society. With this in mind, political psychology considers ethno-value orientations as preferred, accepted and reflected in the consciousness of ethnic ideals, values and norms that remain in the main features of the ethnophor and actively determine the development of the ethnos. Ethnic value orientations are a stable determinant that determines the national originality of the value system during periods of sociocultural and socio-economic changes, crises and sets the direction for a change in the system of value orientations of ethnophores of peoples and nationalities of different regions.

R.R.Nakokhova reasonably assesses the ethnogenesis of value orientations as a process of assimilation, preservation, functioning and development of ethno-value orientations of a person at a specific stage of historical and psychological development, in which general social and cultural values through social adaptation, ethnic identity to a new socio-cultural environment, mechanisms of assimilation, accommodation and transformation cultural property ethnos are transformed into individual and personal values and, in general, into a political process.

Socio-psychological patterns of value orientations of ethnophores of the peoples of Russia, their essential signs are manifested through a system of stable signs and significant interactions, expressing stable - ethno-value orientations, which set the direction and nature of changes in the entire system of value orientations and their dynamic components that determine the activity of the subject in the political process ...

The psychological concept of the development and functioning of the value orientations of the ethnophores of a particular people and nationality presupposes the attraction of the potential of the most acceptable model for the development of the system of value orientations of the ethnophores of the region. It also presents the interrelated elements, conditions and factors that determine the genesis, mechanisms of functioning and changes in their value orientations as subjects of the political process. Modern practice shows that the greatest development (transformation) of dynamic components occurs during periods of socio-cultural and socio-economic crises. As a stable element, the model includes ethno-value orientations, and as derivatives - the values of collectivism, values interpersonal relationships, the value of certainty. One of the main socio-psychological determinants of the formation of the system of value orientations of the ethnic groups of most peoples are the moral and ethical code and values implicitly contained in the national custom, tradition, the preferred direction of connections and relations.

The experience of the development of ethno-cultural ties and relations in various regions of Russia shows that in the system of value orientations of ethnophores, stable ethno-value orientations are most significantly manifested at the level of regularities as a system determinant that determines the preferred, accepted and reflected in the consciousness, activities and relations of ethnic ideals, values and norms. preserved in the main features of the ethnophor and actively determining the development of the ethnos. At the same time, ethno-value orientations are a stable, basic determinant, which determines the national identity of the value system during periods of socio-cultural and socio-economic crises and sets the direction for a change in the system of value orientations of ethnophores of different peoples. Ethnic values among ethnophores of the North Caucasus, as R.R.Nakokhova shows, combine the values of belonging to an ethnos, preserving an ethnos, maintaining the traditions and foundations of an ethnos - they are meta-values located above private, concrete values, the content of which is more dynamic and situational.

Ethnic values take the position of a mediator, linking ethnos with ethnophores, on the one hand, and ethnos with other human communities - ethnoses, ethnic systems of society, determining the direction and nature of influence on the political process. Ethno-value orientations play here the role of a specific determinant of value self-awareness, which is the backbone in the system of value orientations of ethnophores of the people.

Within the value system, ethno-value orientations perform the following functions:

at the level of the individual's existence in the social environment - the function of reconciling the values of the individual and the values of the ethnos, which is manifested in the level of psychological adaptation of the individual in relation to the social situation, in the possibility of realizing personal goals in accordance with the general group;
at the level of existence of a group in relation to other groups, an ethnic group in relation to other ethnic groups and social systems- the function of reconciling group values with common human values, which determines the level of intergroup tension, the measure of intergroup acceptance.

The system-forming values of the ethnos are preserved with changes in the value system of the ethnophore, ensuring the existence of the ethnos as an integral formation.

Genesis and state of the art systems of value orientations of ethnophores of different peoples are expressed as special manifestations relations conditioned by individual values, preferences, claims, actions and behavior of a particular ethnophore, as well as determined by the influence of an ethnos, ethnogroups, society and other subjects of these relations. Among them, ethnos, family, clan, that is, traditionalism - the stability of traditional social institutions, which determine the direction and nature of the development of value orientations of ethnophores, the strength of connection with the past and filtration contemporary values... The essence of the value orientations of ethnophores is manifested through individual personal, group and universal structures and processes of regulation of connections, relationships, behavior and actions of policy subjects in the interests of achieving its joint goal and impact on the corresponding mental and socio-psychological structures.

The trend of adaptation of the ethnophor in the new political process and in the changing socio-cultural environment is determined by the socio-psychological mechanisms of assimilation, accommodation and transformation of cultural values of an ethnic group into individual-personal values. The process of productive adaptation of an ethnic group to a change in the socio-political situation involves balancing the processes of assimilation of new cultural norms and the rules and accommodation of the proposed system of value orientations in accordance with the established traditional system of ethnic values. In the case of a balance in the processes of assimilation and accommodation, a new system of value orientations arises and develops. Ethnogenesis of value orientations goes through the following stages (phases): latent phase; phase of change, chaotic phase; fracture phase; dynamic phase; the phase of accommodation and the memorial phase. Previous value orientations pass into a relict state.

Generally benchmarking showed that the ethno-national factor plays important role in the political process. However, with all the conceptual modifications, it is generally accepted that the political process reflects previously unselected features of the real interaction of subjects political life, which has developed not only in accordance with the intentions of the leaders or the programs of the parties, but also as a result of the influence of various internal and external factors.

The ethno-national characteristics, regular signs, mechanisms and factors of the inclusion of an individual and a group in the political process in the Russian socio-cultural environment identified in the framework of political psychology have their own characteristics in comparison, for example, with Western European ones. Here, the focus is on political attitudes, political activity, political orientations and positions, which have largely absorbed a rich historical heritage.

National character is a set of the most stable for a given national community features of emotional and sensory perception of the surrounding world and forms of reactions to it. Expressed in emotions, feelings, moods, the national character is manifested in the national temperament, largely determining the ways of emotional and sensory mastering of reality, the speed and intensity of the reaction to the events taking place.

Elements of a national character were laid in the early, pre-class stages of the development of society. They served as the most important way of spontaneous, empirical, everyday reflection of the surrounding reality. At subsequent stages of historical development, the national character is influenced by the system of society, but its value-semantic core remains constant, although it is corrected by life, the regime, the system as a whole. In crisis situations, in periods of exacerbation of national problems and contradictions, certain features of the national character can come to the fore, determining the behavior of people.

It is generally accepted that national character is an integral element and, at the same time, the basis of the psychological makeup of a nation and national psychology as a whole. However, it is the interconnected and interdependent set of both emotional and rational elements that constitutes the psychological makeup of a nation or national character, which manifests itself and is refracted in the national culture, the way of thinking and actions, stereotypes of behavior, causing the specificity of each nation, its difference from others. I.L. Solonevich emphasized that the psychology, the "spirit" of the people are the decisive factor determining the originality of its state structure. At the same time, the components that “form a nation and its special national character are completely unknown to us. But the fact of the existence of national peculiarities cannot be subject to anyone ... doubt. " The influence of the "spirit" of the people on certain phenomena and processes is not always clearly traced, it is expressed in the form of adequate concepts and clear mental structures, but it is nevertheless present, indirectly manifesting itself in traditions, morals, beliefs, feelings, moods, relationship. E. Durkheim gave one of the most detailed characteristics of the "spirit" of the people as a set of beliefs and feelings common to all members of society. In his opinion, the "spirit" of the people is constant in the north and south of the country, large and small cities, it is independent of professional training, gender and age characteristics of individuals. It does not change with each generation, but, on the contrary, connects them together. Manifesting in the activities of individuals, he, nevertheless, "is something completely different from private consciousness", for "expresses the psychological type of society."

Noting the presence of national originality, a specific mentality and behavior, it should be emphasized that the study of "national individuality" is fraught with great difficulties. As N. Berdyaev justly pointed out, in the definition of the national type "it is impossible to give a strictly scientific definition." There is always something "incomprehensible to the end, to the last depth."

The concept of national character is not theoretical and analytical, but evaluative and descriptive. For the first time, travelers began to use it, followed by geographers, ethnographers to indicate the specific features of the behavior and way of life of peoples. At the same time, different authors put different content into this concept. Some meant by the national character the properties of temperament, the emotional reactions of the people, others focused on social attitudes, value orientations, although the social and psychological nature of these phenomena is different. Due to the fact that penetration into the essence of the national character is carried out, according to S.L. Frank, "only through a certain initial intuition", it has "too subjective coloring to pretend to full scientific objectivity", which inevitably turns into schematism.

The identification of specifying national traits that affect the perception of values also has objective difficulties. They are connected with the fact that discrete periods of historical development have a significant impact on the national character. Thus, the 1917 revolution in Russia interrupted the traditional methods, mechanisms for the transmission of experience and traditions. According to the figurative expression of I.A. Ilyin, the revolution "broke the moral and state backbone" of the Russian people, "deliberately wrong and ugly healed fractures." Indeed, after the revolution there was a rejection of national traditions, the conditions and mechanisms of their succession changed qualitatively. But something else is also true. The national character, together with other factors, has an opposite effect on the revolution, causing a specific "Russian revolutionary style", making it "more terrible and more extreme" than revolutions in Western Europe.

Problems of a national character have long been the subject of multifaceted scientific research. The first serious attempts were presented within the framework of the school of psychology of peoples, which developed in Germany in the middle of the 19th century (W. Wundt, M. Laparus, H. Steinthal, and others). Representatives of this scientific direction believed that the driving force of the historical process is the people, or "the spirit of the whole", expressing itself in religion, languages, art, myths, customs, etc.

Representatives of the American ethnopsychological school in the middle of the 20th century (R.F. Benedict, A. Cardiner, R. Linton, R. Merton, M. Mead, etc.) focused their attention on building a model of the "average personality" of a particular national-ethnic groups, highlighting in each nation a "basic personality" that combines national personality traits common to its representatives and characteristic features of national culture.

1. National character is understood as a manifestation of certain psychological traits characteristic of all members of a given nation and only for them. This is a widespread, but already rarely found in science concept of a national character.
2. National character is defined as a "modal personality", i.e. as the relative frequency of manifestation among adult members of a nation of a particular type of personality.
3. National character can be understood as "the basic structure of the personality", i.e. as a certain sample of personality that dominates the culture of a given nation.
4. National character can be understood as a system of positions, values and beliefs shared by a significant part of a given nation.
5. National character can be defined as the result of the analysis of the psychological aspects of culture, considered in a certain, special sense.
6. National character is considered as intelligence, expressed in the products of culture, i.e. in literature, philosophy, art, etc.

In Russian literature, there are attempts to identify the essence of the national character by highlighting the values shared by the Russian people over the centuries. This approach is fruitful. Ethnosocial archetypes reproduce from generation to generation mental stereotypes, stable styles of behavior, features of the social attitude, social temperament of the people, the specifics of its adaptation, orientation in the political sphere. Their presence is due to the long existence of the leading forms of community, stable mechanisms of public recognition, dominant forms of participation in public and political life, the typical nature of interaction between states and citizens. At the same time, ethnosocial archetypes, reproducing stereotyped mental and political attitudes, affect the functioning of political institutions, political and cultural environment. One way or another historical period foreign cultural formations are inevitably introduced into the national character, innovative elements can become widespread, often quite wide. However, the components of the semantic core of the national character are highly stable, although they are relaxed by temporary and other factors.

Thus, in Western and domestic science there is no single point of view on the problems of the formation of a national character. Some give priority to geographic factors, others to social ones. In some theories, the concept of national character is defined through the features of the general psychological traits inherent in a given national community. In other concepts, the main emphasis is on the analysis of the socio-cultural environment as a determining component in the formation of the characteristics of the nation's psyche (A. Inkels, J. Levison). It is believed that the character of a nation is determined by the character of the elite. It is the latter that expresses the national character, its essence. Some researchers came to the conclusion that there is no need for a special definition, since all theories ultimately boil down to a psychologized interpretation of national culture (Lerner, Hardy).

Despite the existing modifications, three main groups of scientists can be conventionally distinguished in studies of a national character. Some authors, focusing attention on the specificity, uniqueness of each nation, structure peoples into rigidly fixed and opposing ethnic groups. Another group of researchers is inclined to believe that the very concept of "national character" is a fiction, a groundless hypothesis, devoid of a real objective basis, a purely ideological and therefore unscientific category, fundamentally unverifiable, suitable only for speculative inferences.

The third group of scientists occupies an intermediate position between the two extreme points of view. They believe that the concept of "national character" has a theoretical-methodological and practical-political value, albeit limited due to the great methodological difficulties of its empirical study and verification of the results obtained. At the same time, in any nation there are certain dominants, which allow us to speak about the national character as an objective phenomenon of the people's life. F.M. was right. Dostoevsky, when he argued that “you can not be aware of a lot, but only feel. You can know a lot unconsciously. "

The noted difficulties in the study of the national character do not at all exclude the fact that the national "spirit" not as something abstract, but as a "real concrete spiritual essence", as "something completely concrete and truly integral" exists, and therefore lends itself to "understanding and ... comprehension its internal tendencies and originality ”.

Studying the national character, it is necessary to keep in mind the following points. First, any national character is contradictory. As a holistic education, it combines pairs of opposites - good and evil, hard work and laziness, love of freedom and servility, humility and rebellion, rigidity and compassion, etc. The isolation of some features does not at all exclude the existence of other components that can neutralize the paired component. To reveal the negative and strengthen the positive features of the psychology of the people means to reveal its most significant social and psychological features. But none of them, taken by themselves, are absolutely unique. The structure of the psychological characteristics of the nation, the nature of the relationship between the elements is unique. All the elements that make up this structure are common, inherent not only to this people, but also to many others. But the priority of certain traits, properties, qualities, the degree of their expression can fluctuate in a fairly wide range. Therefore, we are talking about the domination, but not the undivided domination of certain features. An analysis of the psychological makeup of a nation should include the main psychological features of the nation, dominant features, i.e. inherent in the most numerous groups within a nation, the degree of homogeneity (homogeneity) or heterogeneity (heterogeneity) of mental traits within the nation. The mental makeup of a nation includes both relatively stable and temporary features, and the political situation can enhance or, on the contrary, weaken the degree of their manifestation. Within the framework of the national character, one can also talk about the specificity of the mental traits of strata, groups, strata, regional and vocational education... This approach complicates the analysis, but makes it more objective.

Secondly, it is reckless to look for a reason and see the "guilt" of an exclusively national character in the dominance of certain cultural traditions. It is what history makes it, a certain biogenetic predisposition, geographical factors, the nature of the social system that affect the disposition, habits, manners, way of thinking, behavior of individuals. Without denying the presence of natural, genetically determined differences in the content mental processes representatives of various nationalities and the entire nation as a whole, we note that in the formation of inclinations, interests, value orientations, stereotypes of thinking and behavior, social and cultural factors... These or those traits are assimilated and developed in the process of interaction with the political system, other people. Thus, the national character, being the product of overlapping historical and cultural layers, is formed to a greater extent under the influence of the past. It has a direct impact on the behavior of people and indirectly on the system, determining the direction, nature, pace of its transformations. In critical, crisis periods, the national character largely determines the style of the nation's behavior.

Third, it is inappropriate to assess the national character on the scale of "bad - good", "developed - undeveloped", etc. Even if it is experimentally possible to reveal the degree of prevalence of certain qualities in it in comparison with other national characters. Such attempts are doomed to failure or inadequate perception of national character. Meanwhile, today, as in the days of N.A. Dobrolyubov, sometimes two opposite opinions are expressed about the Russian people. “Some people think,” wrote N.A. Dobrolyubov, - that a Russian person by himself is not good for anything, while others are ready to say that in our country, every man is a genius. " The Spanish moralist of the 17th century Balthazar Gracian rightly remarked: every people, "even very enlightened", people with positive features, "Is characteristic of any natural handicap", Which" neighbors usually notice ... with laughter or gloating. " And therefore, each people "remember their sin, and do not poke his sin on another."

Fourthly, national character is not an absolutely constant quantity. It is changing, albeit slowly. The idea of changing the psyche was evoked by Charles Darwin, H. Spencer. Modern psychologists, anthropologists, ethnographers have proved on concrete facts that the structure of consciousness changes with history. In the 1930s, Russian psychologists L.S. Vygotsky, A.V. Luria. Theoretically and practically, the statement about the fundamental inviolability of any properties of a national character is incorrect. The traits we perceive as specific features national psyche, in no small measure are the products of certain historical conditions and cultural influences. They are derived from history, socio-political conditions and change with them. As G.G. Shpet, "it would be completely perverse" to understand ethnic psychology as an "explanatory" science in relation to history. On the other hand, history also "only" by chance "can explain certain phenomena of the national spirit, although, undoubtedly, it is history that" creates the subject orientation of the emotional experiences of mankind ", it" sets milestones that designate the path of the spirit. " Therefore, the statement that "the development of the spirit is" explained "by its history is less one-sided and erroneous.

With a change in certain properties, qualities of a national character, with a certain time interval, the corresponding stereotypes about him also change. There are quite a few examples confirming this idea. So, in early XVIII For centuries in Europe, many believed that the British were inclined to revolutionary, radical changes, while the French seemed to be a very conservative, "indecisive" people. However, a hundred years later, the opinion has changed diametrically: the British are known as a conservative nation with persistent traditions of stable democracy, while the French feel that they do not correspond to the “Atlantic” model. social evolution, which means, first of all, its Anglo-American branch, due to the presence of a certain statist component in political history, traditions. Or, say, in early XIX For centuries, the Germans were considered (and they themselves shared this opinion) as an impractical people, inclined towards philosophy, music, poetry, but little capable of technology and entrepreneurship. But there was an industrial revolution in Germany, and new features were formed in the German national character, and the stereotype of the inability of Germans to entrepreneurship became a hopeless anachronism. E. Fromm pointed out that the European character has evolved from "authoritarian, obsessive, accumulative" to "market" with such leading values as wealth, business, economy, skill, professionalism. The foregoing does not deny the genetic predisposition, the social genotype of the ethnos. In its essential features, it remains, but functions differently in different historical, political, cultural contexts.

Sociologist E. Vyatr provides a classification of the main factors influencing the transformation in the mental warehouse of nations, highlighting the following components:

* elements of the historical heritage, the experience of the past, enshrined in the memory of living generations, as well as in historical documents, literature, monuments;
* a set of conditions in which a nation exists, primarily the nature of the functioning of economic and political institutions, as well as the relationship of various social groups with each other and with the institutions of power;
* a set of actions deliberately taken to form the psychological makeup of the nation. These are educational, ideological activities of the state and other social forces, as well as educational influence within small social groups (family, neighbors, comrades, colleagues, etc.).

Fifth, it is necessary to take into account the relativity of any ethnopsychological characteristics. Certain judgments about national characteristics, expressed in the form of abstract opinions in general, without indicating who the given national character is compared with, only generate misunderstandings. Let's say, such a quality of Russians as maximalism. Compared to whom do Russians look like maximalists? Is this statement correct? Yes and no. If we assume that absolutely all Russian maximalists, then this statement is incorrect. However, it contains a grain of truth in the sense that there are much more maximalists among Russian maximalists than, say, among Americans.

For many centuries, foreign guests and merchants who visit first Russia and then the Russian Empire have tried to comprehend the secret of the mysterious Russian soul. World famous classics Russian literature they also did not stay away from solving the riddle of the Russian mentality - in their works they tried to describe Russian men and women and to reveal as fully as possible the facets of their character and peculiarities of their worldview. But still, even now, to most foreigners, Russians seem mysterious and largely incomprehensible, and Russians themselves can accurately distinguish their compatriots among the crowd of foreigners in another country. But what is the peculiarity of the mentality and psychology of Russians that makes them so unlike representatives of other peoples?

National characteristics of Russians

The national characteristics of the character of Russians have been formed over the centuries, and the basis of the unique mentality of the nation began to be laid back in the Middle Ages, when most of the Russians lived in villages and conducted a collective economy. It was from those centuries that the opinion of society and their own position in the team began to mean a lot for Russians. Also at that time, such a national trait of Russians began to form as and adherence to patriarchal traditions - the survival and well-being of the entire village, volost, etc. largely depended on the cohesion of the team and on the presence of a strong leader.

These features are inherent in the psychology of Russians even now - the majority of representatives of the nation are convinced that the country needs a strong leader, do not consider themselves entitled to openly criticize and challenge the decisions of their superiors, and are ready to support the government in any case. In relation to the role of each individual in society, the Russian mentality, like the geographical position of Russia, is located between the "west" and "east": it is difficult for the representatives of this nation to accept the Western European model of society, in which the individuality of each individual Russians do not have the privileged role of the collective over the individual, as is typical of the Chinese. We can say that the Russians were able to find a "golden mean" between collectivism and individualism - they attach great importance to public opinion and their role in the team, but at the same time they know how to value the individuality and uniqueness of the personality of each person.

Another national feature of the Russian character, which distinguishes him from the mentality of other nations, is the "breadth" of the soul of the Russian person. Of course, the soul cannot be wide in the literal sense of the word, and this expression means that Russian people have the following character traits:

Psychology of Russians in personal life and in everyday life

The majority of Russian people believe that the spiritual is more important than the material, therefore they do not set the goal of their life to earn millions, but choose other priorities - family, self-development, etc. representatives of this people are characterized by a "light" attitude to money - A Russian person will not be too discouraged during the time, and will also often prefer to spend money on something pleasant for himself, and not save up finances for the future.

However, despite this attitude to finance, Russians love luxury and pretentiousness, so they do not spare money for expensive housing repairs, fashionable gadgets and status items. In Russian houses, in addition to furniture and household appliances, there are many interior decorations - a variety of souvenirs, figurines and other cute trinkets. It is also not uncommon for any unnecessary things to lie in the closet of an apartment or house for years - since the existence of the USSR, Russian people have not yet completely got rid of the habit of leaving in reserve everything that could theoretically be useful in the future.

V love relationship Russian men are gallant, romantic, generous and courteous and always strive to surround their lady with maximum care. Russian women are able to completely dissolve in a loved one, are ready to make sacrifices for the sake of love and are sure that "with a sweetheart paradise and in a hut." In most Russian families, there is an equal relationship between husband and wife, but still taking care of children and household chores are considered predominantly women's business, and making money for the whole family is for men.

National character is the most elusive phenomenon of ethnicity. The living conditions and activities of any nation, its culture, history, and the like form a system of psychological characteristics characteristic of a given nation (ethnos) and perceived as one of its characteristics. These psychological traits usually relate to a strictly defined range of phenomena. Thus, the degree of conscious regulation of emotions and feelings is different: some peoples behave more restrainedly, others are more “explosive” and direct in expressing their feelings and moods. The role of certain types of activity in a person's life is different. For example, European children are accustomed to games, while children of some peoples of Asia, Oceania, South America, where they are taught very early to participate in the affairs of adults, play does not matter so much. Another example: children of Muslim nations paint less often, because the Muslim religion forbids the depiction of a person. According to A.A. Leont'ev, any person, no matter what ethnic group he belongs to, can think, perceive, remember, and assimilate new information equally successfully. Therefore, the psychological characteristics of this or that ethnic group cover only those aspects of a person's mental life that are not the main, basic ones. They only color his activity in one way or another [Leontiev, 1998, p. 27].

It should be noted that the attitude towards the concept of "national character" is ambiguous. So, for example, according to A.A. Leonty-

VA, the very concept of "national character" is not entirely successful. The scientist believes that one can see specific features and in personality, and in character, and in the course of individual mental processes. Representatives of other peoples often judge the national character of this or that ethnic group, attributing to this people such features that, in fact, are not its distinctive feature. Not every German is accurate, not every Russian is good-natured or aggressive. These are often not genuine differences. of this people from others, but the constituent features of the image of this people in the eyes of other peoples [Leontiev, 1998, p. 27]. But there are other points of view as well. CM. Harutyunyan defines national character as “a peculiar national color of feelings and emotions, ways of thinking and actions, stable and national features of habits and traditions that are formed under the influence of the conditions of material life, the characteristics of the historical development of a given nation and manifested in the specifics of its national culture” [Harutyunyan, 1966 , with. 31]. N. Dzhandildin considers national character as “a set of specific psychological traits that have become more or less characteristic of one or another ethnic community in specific economic, cultural and natural conditions its development [Dzhandildin, 1971, p. 122].

The complexity and inconsistency of this concept underlines the terminological inconsistency. ON. Erofeev speaks of ethnic representation as “ verbal portrait or the image of a foreign people ”[Erofeev, 1982, p. 7]. CM. Harutyunyan speaks of the psychological makeup of the nation, which is "a kind of aggregate of different-order phenomena of the spiritual life of the people" [Harutyunyan, 1966, p. 23].

Many researchers associate features of national character with linguistic originality... It is in the forms of the language, in its semantics, vocabulary, morphology, syntax that, to a certain extent, is reflected the psychology of this or that ethnic group. The reflection of language in the psychology of the people can have a twofold character: static and dynamic. The static aspect lies in the meanings of words, grammatical forms and structures, the dynamic aspect is in their use in the utterance. According to V.G. Gaka, everyone

an object, any action has an infinite number of features that are impossible, and even unnecessary, to mention in a statement, since one or two features are enough to identify an object, feature, action, on the basis of which the name is carried out in speech.

Each language reveals its own tendency in the selection of such features, in connection with which even words with the same meaning are not used in the same way in speech. This tendency can be outwardly determined, but it can also represent an arbitrary choice, which is gradually fixed in the language [Gak, 2000, p. 54]. The French language often uses colors in figurative meanings. Since France is a civilization of color, color designations are often used to distinguish the elements of everyday life. For example, many phenomena related to agriculture and ecology are given names with the adjective vert(green): espace vert"Green space" (in the city: square), revolution verte"Green revolution" (transformation in agriculture), Europe verte"Green Europe" (agreements on agriculture of the Common Market countries), etc. In the Russian language, the designations of sound sensations are differentiated in more detail. In French speech, sound impressions are recorded less often, especially when designating movements and actions. In Russian they differ hit and knock(blow with sound); in French they correspond to one word coup. Russian word bazaar v figuratively means random talk, scream, noise. French bazar in metaphorical transfer means disorderly heap of objects, fixing a visual, not auditory impression of the object. When describing a situation, the French language prefers visual perceptions (movements, gestures) over sounds. He is also comparatively more likely to base his nominations on color impressions. In French, the utterance is often focused on the first person, to a lesser extent - on the second, while in Russian, the speakers often presented in the situation are not indicated in the superficial lexical and grammatical structure of the utterance. The Russian utterance often takes the form of an impersonal sentence. To explain this fact, ethnopsy-

chological and linguistic hypotheses. From an ethnopsychological point of view, peoples "express themselves" in these linguistic forms. According to V.G. Haka, in France, historically, individualism developed more, the isolation of people from each other. Hence the tendency to start his speech with "I AM". The Russian person, on the contrary, tries not to distinguish himself, he seems to recede into the background, preferring to use impersonal phrases or constructions in which the semantic subject is expressed in an indirect case. And this is associated with known features Russian history and social organization in Russia, the spirit of collectivism, etc. From a linguistic point of view, the personal form of the French verb (except for the infinitive) necessarily requires a subject, and in the first and second persons these are usually service pronouns that are not used without the verb. In Russian, the personal verb form can be used without a pronoun even in the past tense, where the verb form does not distinguish between persons [Gak, 2000, p. 58-59].

Speaking about the national character, one should also add the point of view of Yu.N. Karaulova: “The national character is determined not only and not primarily by the language, since along with the language one of essential signs ethnos is a community of cultural values and traditions ”[Karaulov, 1987, p. 47].

Thus, to determine the psychological identity of a particular ethnic group, it is necessary to use an integrative research method, the main feature of which is interdisciplinarity. Interdisciplinarity in relation to the study of national character is thought to be based on the data of psychology, ethnopsychology, cultural studies, philosophy, linguistics, communication theory, etc.

A nation is a society of people who, through a single fate, acquire a single character

Otto Bauer

The emergence of nations led to the rapid growth of national identity, the formation of a national character.

Thinkers and scientists have repeatedly addressed the problem of the national character. Before I. Kant, a one-sided assessment of the national character prevailed. The merit of the thinker is that for the first time he gives a detailed description of the national character of different peoples - the French, the British, Italians, Germans, Spaniards. At the same time, he shows that the character of these peoples contains both positive and negative sides thus revealing the contradictory essence of the concept of "national character".

In the second half of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries in Germany, W. Wundt, M. Lazarus, H. Stetentail and others adhered to the idea that main force history is a people or "spirit of the whole", expressing itself in art, religion, languages, myths, customs, etc. - in general, in the character of the people or national character.

Among the Russian thinkers of the same period who turned their gaze to the national character, first of all, N.G. Chernyshevsky, N. Ya. Danilevsky, V.N. Solovyova, N.A. Berdyaev.

Despite numerous attempts to define national character, this task turned out to be very difficult. The definition, whatever they may be, cannot give an exhaustive socio-psychological, political-psychological characteristics of a nation. In this regard, I.S. Cohn writes: “Above non-psychological scientists dealing with problems of a national character, and so on. often dominated by the everyday idea that peoples, as individuals, have a set of stable qualities, "traits" that can be measured and compared more or less independently. The secret "blue sword" is to draw up a kind of psychological passport-characteristics for each nation, which would give its individual portrait. Alas, this is impracticable even for an individual individual. " I.L. Solonevich emphasized that the components “forming a nation and its special national character are completely unknown to us. But the fact of the existence of national peculiarities cannot be subject to any ... doubt. "

Difficulties in studying the national character do not at all exclude the fact that the national "spirit" is not an abstraction, but a "real concrete spiritual essence", that is, it is a reality that can be understood and comprehended.

According to A.P. Nazaretyan, when studying the national character, it is necessary to keep in mind the following points.

First, any national character is contradictory. As a holistic education, it combines pairs of opposites - good and evil, hard work and laziness, love of freedom and servility, humility and rebellion, rigidity and compassion, etc. The isolation of some features does not at all exclude the existence of other components that can neutralize the paired component.

Secondly, it is reckless to look for a reason and see the "guilt" of an exclusively national character in the dominance of certain political and cultural traditions. It is what history makes it, a certain biogenetic predisposition, geographical factors, the nature of the socio-political system that affect the disposition, habits, manners, way of thinking, behavior of individuals.

Thirdly, it is inappropriate to assess the national character on the scale of "bad - good", "developed - undeveloped", etc., even if it is experimentally possible to reveal the degree of prevalence of certain qualities in it in comparison with other national characters. Such attempts are doomed to failure or inadequate perception of national character.

Fourthly, national character is not an absolutely constant quantity. It is changing, albeit slowly.

There is one more problem that cannot be avoided in the political and psychological analysis of the concept of "national character". It is on the identification (confusion) of the latter with the concept of "national temperament".

The first to raise the question of differentiating the concepts of national character and national temperament was N.G. Chernyshevsky, who emphasized that it is not character traits that are hereditarily transmitted, but those inclinations that are directly caused by temperament (in the case when it is inherited). In addition, not all properties included in the concept of "temperament" are inherited, many are the result of custom, tradition, lifestyle of peoples. “Haste and indecision,” writes N.G. Chernyshevsky, - not the qualities of temperament, but the results of habits or difficult circumstances. Fussy, reckless, and reckless are people who have a heavy, slow gait. People with a brisk gait are indecisive. ... But special attention should be paid to the fact that the speed of movement and speech, strong gesticulation and other qualities that are considered signs of natural disposition, the so-called sanguine temperament, and opposite qualities, which are considered signs of phlegmatic temperament, are in whole estates and among whole peoples the result of only custom ".

From contemporary authors, we note the point of view of D.V. Olshansky, who believes that the national character is most clearly manifested in the national temperament. In the origins of the national character, in his opinion, lie, first of all, stable psychophysiological and biological features of the functioning of human organisms, including as the main factors such as the reactivity of the central nervous system and the speed of the course of nervous processes. In turn, these factors are associated, by their origin, with the physical (primarily climatic) conditions of the environment of a particular national-ethnic group. The general unified national character is a consequence, a mental reflection of that community of physical territory, with all its features, on which it lives this group... Accordingly, the hot equatorial climate gives rise to completely different psychophysiological and biological characteristics, and after them national characters, than the cold northern climate. An example is incendiary Brazilian carnivals and the slowness of the representatives of the Scandinavian peoples.

Of course, temperament should be viewed as physiological, as a dynamic basis of national character. But this does not necessarily imply an assessment of the national character by “national temperament,” “national emotions,” as D.V. Olshansky, including these qualities in the structure of the national character. The inclusion of national feelings in this structure (national pride, for example, or national humiliation, etc.) may take place, but these are rather characterological properties, and not temperamental ones, since it is appropriate to refer them to the higher, ideological feelings that have a more direct relation to the moral traits of the national character.

According to P.I. Gnatenko, the identification of the concepts of national character and national temperament leads to a simplification, schematization of such a complex social phenomenon what is the national character. Hence the desire of some authors considering the national character of this or that people, to assess one of them as emotionally restrained, the other as good-natured, the third as impetuous, ardent. Similar assessments, writes P.I. Gnatenko, in no way reveal the essence of the national character, but rather describe peoples from the side of national temperament. When, with the help of the properties and features that make up the content of the latter, they try to interpret the national character, nothing but a vulgarization of the latter comes out. P.I. Gnatenko believes that the national character is most fully and comprehensively manifested in the national culture, which expresses the ethnic identity of the people. It is in culture that the features of national psychology are objectified and, above all, such a component of it as national character. Hence the definition of a national character as a set of socio-psychological traits (national psychological attitudes, stereotypes) inherent in a national community at a certain stage of development, which are manifested in value attitudes towards the world around them, as well as in culture, traditions, customs, rituals.

S.A. Bagramov believes that the national character is especially clearly reflected in folk art- literature, music, songs, dances. National character, according to the scientist, “is a reflection in the psyche of representatives of a nation of the peculiar historical conditions of its existence, a combination of certain features of the spiritual image of the people, which are manifested in traditional forms of behavior characteristic of its representatives, perception of the environment, etc., which are imprinted in national characteristics culture, other spheres public life» .

Thus, the national character is a historically developed relatively stable set of characteristics of the perception of the surrounding world characteristic of a given national-ethnic community, which determine the usual manner of behavior and typical image life of representatives of this community, their attitude towards themselves, towards their history and culture, towards other peoples, towards their history and culture.

National character is an integral element of national psychology and at the same time the basis of the nation's mental makeup. The latter is a complex interconnection, a combination of rational (national character) and emotional (national temperament) elements, which forms the very specificity that makes it possible to distinguish representatives of one national-ethnic community from another.

What is the national character of the people. National character

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Psychology of Russians in personal life and in everyday life