Characteristic features of the Russian mentality. Russian mentality: how to work in Russia and how to deal with it

Unhealthy Lifestyle

It is sad, but the inhabitants of the country. Favorite phrase of Russians: "It will pass by itself!" It is not customary to trust doctors with us, but it is customary to use prescriptions traditional medicine... Some even treat cancer with herbs and magic machines.

This is due to the fact that for such a long period of the country's existence, we did not focus on health. We are not educated in this area and misunderstand the meaning of the saying: "What does not kill us makes us stronger." Love for an idle lifestyle leads Russian people to.

Fortunately, today the younger generation is beginning to take an interest in their health, are fond of sports, go to gym to gain beautiful figure... But this is just the beginning big way after realizing that Russia was sliding down.

Life "by pull"

Another prevailing distinctive feature of the Russian people is bribery. 200 years ago in Russia it was customary to give officials a fee for services, but even when this right was canceled, the habit remained.

Officials are so accustomed to comfortable conditions that they never wanted to lose financial investments from the people. Therefore, issues are still resolved not by law, but by pull.

It is impossible to eradicate this trait at this historical stage in Russia, since there are other global problems, but the struggle has already begun and is bringing success.

Endurance

Historical events such as uprisings, wars, blockades and constant changes of rulers have led to the disadvantage of the Russian people. This made it possible to cultivate endurance, patience and the ability to withstand adversity in people.

Russian people are only recently getting used to comfort. We used to spend a lot of time in the fields to feed our families, often the years were lean, so we had to work without sleep or rest.

Weather conditions also influenced the formation of the Russian mentality. Foreigners are terribly afraid of the cold. For them, 0 degrees is already a reason to put on a sheepskin coat. The Russian people are accustomed to such temperatures and tolerate them perfectly. One has only to remember the tradition of plunging into the ice hole at Christmas. Some Russians generally practice winter swimming all winter.

Today Russia is emerging from the crisis, the people are faced with new tasks. Therefore, the mentality is gradually changing, acquiring new features. But some of them will forever remain in Russian souls and will help to remain invincible and fearless in front of dangerous enemies.

We are different. What does one need
It does not suit another at all -
You can't impose your own on the one
Who is not inclined to this by nature.
Lev Zazersky

How and why do we differ from other nations?

135 years ago, the French psychologist and neuropsychiatrist Henri Vallon was born, who, based on the works of the famous Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, introduced the concept of mentality. It happened in 1928. Interestingly, community work prompted him to generalize groups of people with characteristic features. Wallon was a staunch Marxist and believed that the main driving force progress are the communists.

Meanwhile, in the USSR, they hardly wrote about the mentality. Only at the end of the 80s of the last century did they start talking about some kind of national self-identification. Immediately, as from a cornucopia, numerous works devoted to this psychological category appeared.

"Russia is America vice versa ..."

In general, many Russian psychologists believe that every nation has a mentality, and it is expressed in models of perception and behavior that affect the political and economic life of the country. Moreover, based national character on historical experience... For example, Russians and Americans can see the same event from different angles, just because of their mentality. Each nation will have its own truth, and to convince each other will be hard work... This is because values ​​are transpersonal in nature. For example, the English-speaking literary critic Van Wyck Brooks, while studying Russian literature, said: "America is just Russia in reverse ..."

Like everyone

They study the mentality of the nation in order to understand who they will have to deal with, or even wage a war with. For example, the Germans have always been keenly interested in the Russian people. The first detailed description of Russia was made by the German ethnographer Johann Gottlieb Georgi back in 1776. The work was called "Description of all peoples The Russian state, their way of life, religion, customs, dwellings, clothes and other differences. "

“... There is no such state on earth as the Russian State, which contained so many different nations- wrote Johann Georgi. - These are the Russians, with their tribes, like the Lapps, Semoyads, Yukaghirs, Chukchi, Yakuts (further on the whole page is a list of nationalities). ... And also immigrants, like Indians, Germans, Persians, Armenians, Georgians, ... and new Slavs - the class of Cossacks. "

In general, ethnographer Johann Georgi noted that it is not unusual for the Russians to see strangers. All this undoubtedly affected the mentality of Russians. Already today, psychiatrist Igor Vasilyevich Reverchuk, exploring the significance of ethnic self-awareness in the clinical dynamics of various borderline mental disorders, found that 96.2% of the Slavs living in Russia regard their nation as “equal among others,” while 93% demonstrate a benevolent attitude towards other ethnic groups.

Children of their land

Doctor of Philosophy Valery Kirillovich Trofimov, specializing in the Russian mentality, noted that in the past “Russia is a country of risky agriculture, where every third or fifth year there were poor harvests. The short agricultural cycle - 4-5 months - forced the farmer to constantly rush. Sowing and reaping turned into a real suffering, a battle for the harvest. " That is why our people tend to work in an emergency, when it is critically important, and the rest of the time - to react to circumstances.

Russian historian Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky at one time also identified this characteristic feature of Russians. “Nowhere in Europe will we find such an unaccustomedness to equal, moderate and measured, constant work, as in Great Russia,” he said. According to the professor of philosophy Arseny Vladimirovich Gulyga, "to rush from one extreme to another is a typical Russian trait: from rebellion to obedience, from passivity to heroism, from prudence to wastefulness."

Dreaminess

Most of our ancestors rarely left their native village. This is because Boris Godunov, by the law of 1592, enslaved the peasants. The Russian historian V. N. Tatishchev was sure of this. All this injustice, multiplied by a poor life, led to collective fantasies and dreams of universal justice, welfare, beauty and goodness. “Russian people generally had a habit of living with dreams of the future,” Professor Vladimir Nikolaevich Dudenkov is convinced. - It seemed to them that everyday, harsh and dull life today there is, in fact, a time delay in the offensive true life, but soon everything will change, the true, reasonable and happy life... The whole meaning of life is in this future, and today does not count for life. "

The mentality of a Russian official

It is known that in 1727 petty officials were no longer paid state salaries in exchange for accidents. Later, this rule was canceled, but the habit of the sovereign's servants to live off "feeding" remained, and in fact was not persecuted. As a result, bribery became the norm in the first half of the 19th century. For example, “solving the case” in the Senate cost 50 thousand rubles. For comparison, a far from poor district judge had a salary of 300 rubles. The famous writer from France, Théophile Gaultier, who visited St. Petersburg in 1858, wrote: “It is believed that people of a certain level do not walk to their faces, it is not appropriate. A Russian official without a carriage is like an Arab without a horse. "

It turns out that this part of our history may also have to do with the mentality, however, of a certain group of Russian people. So, in the dictionary "Social Psychology" edited by M.Yu. Kondratyev's term "mentality" was prescribed as "the specifics of the mental life of people (a group of persons), determined by economic and political circumstances and having a supraconscious nature."

Endurance and patience

American mentality experts are convinced that national character traits are influenced, including by genetics, in which the behavior patterns of our ancestors are programmed. For example, if family tree represented by convinced monarchists, then a person will subconsciously feel sympathy for this form of government or for its representatives. Perhaps in this lies the neutral and even loyal attitude of the Russian people to political leaders, which long years rule the country.

Has this to do with such mental trait our people like patience. In particular, the historian N.I. Kostomarov noted that “the Russian people astonished foreigners with their patience, firmness, indifference to any deprivation of the conveniences of life, difficult for a European ... From childhood, Russians learned to endure hunger and cold. Children were weaned after two months and fed with coarse food; the children ran in only shirts without hats, barefoot in the snow in the bitter frosts. "
Many Russian and foreign mentality experts believe that patience is our response to external and internal challenges, the basis of the Russian person.

Famous foreigners about Russians

Foreign politicians and journalists love to speculate about the mentality of Russians. Most often, our compatriots are called drunkards. For example, the French journalist Benoit Raisky wrote that "rude Russians are known for their addiction to vodka." And on the portal englishrussia on October 14, 2011 the article “50 Facts About Russia In The Eyes Of Foreigners” was published, she typed great amount views. It says, in particular, “The non-drinking Russian is an out of the ordinary fact. Most likely, he has some kind of tragedy connected with alcohol. "
However, there are other opinions about the Russians. For example, Otto von Bismarck saw the Russians as a close-knit nation. He argued: "Even the most favorable outcome of the war will never lead to the decomposition of the main force of Russia, which is based on millions of Russians ... These latter, even if they are dismembered by international treatises, rejoin each other as quickly as particles of a cut piece of mercury ..." ... However, history teaches nothing even to pragmatic Germans. Franz Halder, chief of staff of the Wehrmacht (1938-1942) was forced to state in 1941: “The originality of the country and the originality of the character of the Russians give the campaign a special specificity. The first serious opponent. "

Expert opinion

Modern social Psychology does not confirm the thesis about the immutability of mentality, - says Vladimir Rimsky, head of the sociology department of the INDEM Foundation. - The conditions in which people live, social relations are changing - and mentality is changing along with them.

It can hardly be assumed that people have not changed their mentality since the Middle Ages. This is definitely an illusion. For example, in the Middle Ages in the mass consciousness there was absolutely no desire to become famous. Is it really so in today's society? Therefore, I would be wary of asserting that the features of the modern Russian mentality were formed in Peter's or pre-Peter's times.
In Russia, the attitude to mentality as something unchanging often leads to one purely practical consequence: we are not trying to do something really in order to become different. And this is wrong.

In my opinion, today the majority of Russians have no desire to participate in solving social problems. Let's say that the USE campaign has recently ended. Many fellow citizens expressed dissatisfaction with the uniform exam, but at the same time, we did not have a broad civic movement in support of changing the exam-passing system. This system, by the way, is changing - for example, instead of tests in the Russian language, an essay has returned. But such changes take place without the participation of society.

You can, of course, say that the problem is in the mentality. But the point is, rather, that in Russian society conditions have simply not been created for the implementation of civil initiatives.

Or let's take the problem of corruption - it is really widely represented in Russia. It is believed that this is also a feature of our mentality. But I think we need to give people the opportunity to change their social practices. And then, quite possibly, the mentality will also change.

I must note that on a historical scale, the mentality can change quite quickly - in two to three decades. This, in particular, is evidenced by the examples South Korea or Singapore - states that have changed dramatically over the course of one generation.

Or take a purely Russian example. The reforms of Alexander II affected, in particular, the judiciary. As a result, quite a few lawyers and jury trials have appeared in Russia. These jurors were ordinary citizens, they, I assure you, understood perfectly what decisions the authorities needed - but often they made exactly the opposite verdicts. As a result, in Russian Empire a completely different attitude to the court appeared - as to a just institution in which one can really defend one's rights. Before Alexander II, there was no such attitude to the judiciary.

I think people, of course, have national and ethnic characteristics... But still, it should not be denied that a lot is determined social relations and the social environment in which we live. If we were ready to change the environment, the mentality would also change. Let me give you another example.

It is generally accepted in Russia that laws have not been observed in Russia from time immemorial, and nothing can be done about it. But I have talked more than once with the Germans and Americans who came to Moscow to live and work. So, after a short stay in the Russian capital, almost all of them began to violate the traffic rules when driving a car, and give bribes to traffic cops. One lady, an American, when I asked why she was doing this, replied that in America it would never have occurred to her to bribe a policeman, but in Moscow “there is no other way”.

As you can see, the mentality in the head of a particular American changes elementary - he barely adapts to the Russian environment. But this same example tells a different story. In America and Germany, for example, they began to "live according to the law" relatively recently - a hundred years ago. We can go the same way, and much faster ...

In general, mentality is the prevailing patterns, stereotypes and patterns of thought. Russians are not necessarily Russians. An individual can be proud of being a "Cossack", "Bashkir" or "Jew" within Russia, but outside of Russia all Russians (former and present) are traditionally called (regardless of origin) Russians. There are reasons for this: as a rule, they all have similarities in their mentality and stereotypes of behavior.

The Russians have something to be proud of, we have a huge and strong country, we have talented people and deep literature, while we ourselves know our weak sides... If we want to become better, we must know them.

So, let's look at ourselves from the side, namely from the side strictly scientific research... What cultural researchers note as specific features Russian mentality?

1. Conciliarity, the primacy of the general over the personal: “we are all our own”, we have everything in common and “what people will say”. Conciliarity turns into a lack of privacy and the ability for any neighbor's grandmother to intervene and tell you what she thinks about your clothes, manners and the upbringing of your children.

From the same opera, the concepts of "community", "collective", which are absent in the West. "The opinion of the team", "not to separate from the team", "and what will people say?" - collegiality in pure form... On the other hand, they will tell you if you have a tag sticking out, a lace untied, your pants are splashed, or a grocery bag is torn. And also - they blink their headlights on the road to warn about the traffic police and save them from a fine.

2. Striving to live by the truth. The term "truth", often found in ancient Russian sources, means legal regulations, on the basis of which the court was decided (hence the expressions "judge the right" or "judge in truth", that is, objectively, fairly). Sources of codification - customary law, princely arbitrage practice, as well as borrowed norms from authoritative sources - primarily the Holy Scriptures.

Outside Russian culture more often it is said about obedience to the law, the rules of decency or following religious precepts. In the eastern mentality, the Truth is not said, in China it is important to live according to the precepts left by Confucius.

3. In the choice between reason and feeling, Russians choose feeling: sincerity and sincerity. In the Russian mentality "expediency" is practically synonymous with selfish, selfish behavior and is not in honor, as something "American". It is difficult for the average Russian man in the street to imagine that it is possible to act rationally and consciously not only for oneself, but also for the sake of someone, therefore disinterested actions are identified with actions “from the heart,” based on feelings, without a head.

Russian - a dislike for discipline and methodicality, life to the liking and mood, a change of mood from peacefulness, forgiveness and humility to a merciless rebellion for complete destruction - and vice versa. The Russian mentality lives rather according to the female model: feeling, gentleness, forgiveness, reacting with crying and rage to the consequences of such a life strategy.

4. Certain negativism: the majority of Russians more often see themselves as shortcomings rather than advantages. Abroad, if a person on the street accidentally touches another person, almost everyone's formulaic reaction is “Sorry”, an apology and a smile. This is how they were brought up. It is sad that in Russia such patterns are more negative, here you can hear both “Well, where are you looking?”, And something sharper. Russians understand well what melancholy is, despite the fact that this word is not translated into other European languages. On the streets, it is not customary for us to smile, look into the faces of others, it is indecent to make acquaintances and just speak.

5. A smile in Russian communication is not an obligatory attribute of politeness. In the West, the more a person smiles, the more politeness he shows. In traditionally Russian communication, the priority is the requirement of sincerity. The smile of Russians demonstrates a personal disposition towards another person, which, of course, does not apply to everyone. Therefore, if a person smiles not from the heart, it causes rejection.

You can ask for help - most likely they will help. It is normal to beg - both a cigarette and money. Man with constantly good mood arouses suspicion - either sick or insincere. Someone who usually smiles affably at others is, if not a foreigner, then of course a sycophant. Of course, insincere. Says "Yes", agrees - a hypocrite. Because sincere Russian man necessarily disagree and object. And in general, the most real sincerity is when using foul language! Then you believe a person!

6. Love of controversy. Disputes traditionally occupy a large place in Russian communication. A Russian person loves to argue on a variety of issues, both private and general. A love of disputes on global, philosophical issues is a striking feature of Russian communicative behavior.

The Russian person is often interested in a dispute not as a means of finding the truth, but as a mental exercise, as a form of emotional, sincere communication with each other. That is why in Russian communicative culture, disputants so often lose the thread of the dispute, easily deviate from the original topic.

At the same time, the desire for a compromise or to give the interlocutor to save face is completely uncharacteristic. Uncompromising, conflict is manifested very clearly: our person is uncomfortable if he did not argue, could not prove his innocence. “As the English teacher formulated this quality: "The Russian always argues to win." And vice versa, the characterization “conflict-free” is more likely to have a disapproving connotation, like “spineless”, “unprincipled”.

7. Russian people live by faith in goodness, which will one day descend from heaven(or simply from above) to the long-suffering Russian land: "Good will surely triumph over evil, but then, someday." At the same time, his personal position is irresponsible: “Someone will bring the truth to us, but not me personally. I myself cannot do anything and will not do anything. " The main enemy of the Russian people for several centuries has been the state in the form of a serving-punitive class.

8. The principle of "stick out". In the Russian mentality, a disdainful attitude towards politics and democracy as a form of political structure, in which the people act as the source and controller of the activities of power. Characteristic is the conviction that people do not really decide anything anywhere and that democracy is a lie and hypocrisy. At the same time, tolerance and the habit of lying and the hypocrisy of their power because of the conviction that it cannot be otherwise.

9. The habit of theft, bribery and deceit. The conviction that they steal everywhere and everything, and honest way making big money is impossible. Principle - "if you do not steal, you will not live." Alexander I: “There is such theft in Russia that I’m afraid to go to the dentist - I’ll sit in a chair and they will steal my jaw ...” Dahl: “A Russian person is not afraid of the cross, but is afraid of the pestle.”

At the same time, Russians are characterized by a protest attitude towards punishments: to punish for minor violations is not good, somehow petty, you need to “forgive!”, And when against this background people get used to disrespecting the laws and move from minor violations to major ones - here is a Russian person will sigh for a long time until he gets angry and starts a pogrom.

10. Following from the previous point feature Russian mentality - love for freebies. Films need to be downloaded via torrent, paying for licensed programs is a zapadlo, a dream is the joy of Leni Golubkov in the MMM pyramid. Our fairy tales draw heroes who lie on the stove and end up with a kingdom and a sexy queen. Ivan the Fool is strong not by diligence, but by his ingenuity, when Pikes, Sivki-Burki, Humpbacked Skates and other wolves, fish and firebirds will do everything for him.

11. Caring for health is not a value, sport is strange, being sick is normal, but it is categorically not allowed to abandon the poor, including it is considered morally unacceptable to leave those who did not care about their health and, as a result, became in fact a helpless invalid. Women are looking for the rich and successful, but love the poor and the sick. "How is he without me?" - hence codependency as a norm of life.

12. Pity takes the place of humanism. If humanism welcomes caring for a person, placing on a pedestal a free, developed, strong man, then pity directs concern to the unfortunate and sick. According to statistics from Mail.ru and VTsIOM, assistance to adults is in fifth place in popularity after helping children, the elderly, animals and assistance environmental issues... People feel more sorry for dogs than people, and of people out of pity, it is more important to support children who are not viable than adults who could still live and work.

In the comments to the article, someone agrees with such a portrait, someone accuses the author of Russophobia. No, the author loves Russia and believes in it, having been engaged in educational and educational activities for your country. There are no enemies here and there is no need to look for them here, our task is different: namely, to think about how we can raise our country and raise children - our new citizens.

I am suspicious of the science of psychology and psychologists in particular. But now it's all fashionable. I invite readers to evaluate the article popular on the Internet.

In it Nikolay Ivanovich Kozlov, doctor psychological sciences, names the features of the mentality of Russians, which it is impossible not to recognize both in yourself and in your compatriots.

In general, mentality is the prevailing patterns, stereotypes and patterns of thought. Russians are not necessarily Russians. An individual can be proud of being a "Cossack", "Bashkir" or "Jew" within Russia, but outside of Russia all Russians (former and present) are traditionally called (regardless of origin) Russians. There are reasons for this: as a rule, they all have similarities in their mentality and stereotypes of behavior.

12 traits of the Russian mentality in which you recognize yourself

Russians have something to be proud of, we have a huge and strong country, we have talented people and deep literature, while we ourselves know our own weaknesses. If we want to become better, we must know them.

So, let's look at ourselves from the outside, namely from the side of strictly scientific research. What do cultural researchers mark as specific features of the Russian mentality?

1. Conciliarity, the primacy of the general over the personal: “we are all our own”, we have everything in common and “what people will say”. Conciliarity turns into a lack of privacy and the ability for any neighbor's grandmother to intervene and tell you what she thinks about your clothes, manners and the upbringing of your children.

From the same opera, the concepts of "community", "collective", which are absent in the West. "The opinion of the team", "not to separate from the team", "and what will people say?" - pure collegiality. On the other hand, they will tell you if you have a tag sticking out, a lace untied, your pants are splashed, or a grocery bag is torn. And also - they blink their headlights on the road to warn about the traffic police and save them from a fine.

2. Striving to live by the truth. The term "truth", which is often found in ancient Russian sources, means the legal norms on the basis of which the court was judged (hence the expressions "judge the right" or "judge in truth", that is, objectively, fairly). The sources of codification are the norms of customary law, princely jurisprudence, as well as borrowed norms from authoritative sources - primarily the Holy Scriptures.

Outside of Russian culture, they often talk about obedience to the law, the rules of decency or adherence to religious commandments. In the eastern mentality, the Truth is not said, in China it is important to live according to the precepts left by Confucius.

3. In the choice between reason and feeling, Russians choose feeling: sincerity and sincerity. In the Russian mentality "expediency" is practically synonymous with selfish, selfish behavior and is not in honor, as something "American". It is difficult for the average Russian man in the street to imagine that it is possible to act rationally and consciously not only for oneself, but also for the sake of someone, therefore disinterested actions are identified with actions “from the heart,” based on feelings, without a head.

Russian - a dislike for discipline and methodicality, life to the liking and mood, a change of mood from peacefulness, forgiveness and humility to a merciless rebellion for complete destruction - and vice versa. The Russian mentality lives rather according to the female model: feeling, gentleness, forgiveness, reacting with crying and rage at the consequences of such a life strategy.

4. Certain negativism: the majority of Russians more often see themselves as shortcomings rather than advantages. Abroad, if a person on the street accidentally touches another person, almost everyone's formulaic reaction is “Sorry”, an apology and a smile. This is how they were brought up. It is sad that in Russia such patterns are more negative, here you can hear both “Well, where are you looking?”, And something sharper. Russians understand well what melancholy is, despite the fact that this word cannot be translated into other European languages. On the streets, it is not customary for us to smile, look into the faces of others, it is indecent to make acquaintances and just speak.

5. A smile in Russian communication is not an obligatory attribute of politeness. In the West, the more a person smiles, the more politeness he shows. In traditionally Russian communication, the priority is the requirement of sincerity. The smile of Russians demonstrates a personal disposition towards another person, which, of course, does not apply to everyone. Therefore, if a person smiles not from the heart, it causes rejection.

You can ask for help - most likely they will help. It is normal to beg - both a cigarette and money. A person with a constantly good mood arouses suspicion - either sick or insincere. Someone who usually smiles affably at others is, if not a foreigner, then of course a sycophant. Of course, insincere. Says "Yes", agrees - a hypocrite. Because a sincere Russian person will certainly disagree and object. And in general, the most real sincerity is when using foul language! Then you believe a person!

6. Love of controversy. Disputes traditionally occupy a large place in Russian communication. A Russian person loves to argue on a variety of issues, both private and general. A love of disputes on global, philosophical issues is a striking feature of Russian communicative behavior.

The Russian person is often interested in a dispute not as a means of finding the truth, but as a mental exercise, as a form of emotional, sincere communication with each other. That is why in Russian communicative culture, disputants so often lose the thread of the dispute, easily deviate from the original topic.

At the same time, the desire for a compromise or to give the interlocutor to save face is completely uncharacteristic. Uncompromising, conflict is manifested very clearly: our person is uncomfortable if he did not argue, could not prove his innocence. “As the English teacher formulated this quality:“ The Russian always argues to win. ” And vice versa, the characterization “conflict-free” is more likely to have a disapproving connotation, like “spineless”, “unprincipled”.

7. A Russian person lives by faith in good, which will one day descend from heaven (or simply from above) to the long-suffering Russian land: "Good will surely triumph over evil, but then, someday." At the same time, his personal position is irresponsible: “Someone will bring the truth to us, but not me personally. I myself cannot do anything and will not do anything. " The main enemy of the Russian people for several centuries has been the state in the form of a serving-punitive class.

8. The principle of "stick out". In the Russian mentality, a disdainful attitude towards politics and democracy as a form of political structure, in which the people act as the source and controller of the activities of power. Characteristic is the conviction that people do not really decide anything anywhere and that democracy is a lie and hypocrisy. At the same time, tolerance and the habit of lying and the hypocrisy of their power because of the conviction that it cannot be otherwise.

9. The habit of theft, bribery and deceit. The conviction that they steal everywhere and everything, and it is impossible to earn big money in an honest way. Principle - "if you do not steal, you will not live." Alexander I: “There is such theft in Russia that I’m afraid to go to the dentist - I’ll sit in a chair and they will steal my jaw ...” Dahl: “A Russian person is not afraid of the cross, but is afraid of the pestle.”

At the same time, Russians are characterized by a protest attitude towards punishments: to punish for minor violations is not good, somehow petty, you need to “forgive!”, And when against this background people get used to disrespecting the laws and move from minor violations to major ones - here is a Russian person will sigh for a long time until he gets angry and starts a pogrom.

10. Following from the previous point, a characteristic feature of the Russian mentality is the love of freebies. Films need to be downloaded via torrent, paying for licensed programs is a zapadlo, a dream is the joy of Leni Golubkov in the MMM pyramid. Our fairy tales draw heroes who lie on the stove and end up with a kingdom and a sexy queen. Ivan the Fool is strong not by diligence, but by his ingenuity, when Pikes, Sivki-Burki, Humpbacked Skates and other wolves, fish and firebirds will do everything for him.

11. Caring for health is not a value, sport is strange, being sick is normal, but it is categorically not allowed to leave the poor, including it is considered morally unacceptable to leave those who did not care about their health and, as a result, became in fact a helpless disabled person. Women are looking for the rich and successful, but love the poor and the sick. "How is he without me?" - hence codependency as a norm of life.

12. Pity takes the place of humanism. If humanism welcomes caring for a person, placing a free, developed, strong person on a pedestal, then pity directs caring to the unfortunate and sick. According to statistics from Mail.ru and VTsIOM, assistance to adults ranks fifth in popularity after helping children, the elderly, animals and helping environmental problems. People feel more sorry for dogs than people, and of people out of pity, it is more important to support children who are not viable than adults who could still live and work.

In the comments to the article, someone agrees with such a portrait, someone accuses the author of Russophobia. No, the author loves Russia and believes in it, having been engaged in enlightenment and educational activities for his country for decades. There are no enemies here and there is no need to look for them here, our task is different: namely, to think about how we can raise our country and raise children - our new citizens.

The national character, the peculiarities of the Russian mentality belong to the ethno and sociopsychological of Russia.

History of the question of national character

The question of the national character has not received a generally recognized formulation, although it has significant historiography in the world and Russian pre-revolutionary science. This problem was studied by Montesquieu, Kant, Herder. And the thought that u different nations has its own "national spirit", formed in the philosophy of romanticism and soil culture both in the West and in Russia. The German ten-volume "Psychology of Nations" analyzed the essence of man in various 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 the advantage of the class over the national as a basis, therefore, the national character, ethnic psychology and similar issues were left on the sidelines. At that time, they were not given due importance.

The concept of national character

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

• personality-psychological

• value-normative.

Personal and psychological interpretation of the national character

This interpretation implies that people of the same cultural values ​​have common personality and mental traits. The complex 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 made a conclusion 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,
• susceptibility to higher skill patterns,
• sincere openness,
• a subtle understanding of someone else's state,
• powerful willpower,
• fervor in religious life,
• seething in public affairs,
• adherence to extreme views,
• love of freedom, reaching anarchy,
• love for the fatherland,
• contempt for the philistine.

Similar investigations reveal contradictory results. Any people can find absolutely polar lines. Here it is necessary to conduct deeper studies using new statistical techniques.

The value-normative approach to the problem of national character

This approach assumes that the national character is embodied not in the individual qualities of a representative of the nation, but in the socio-cultural functioning of his people. B.P. Vysheslavtsev in his work "Russian National Character" explains that human character not obvious, on the contrary, it is something secret. Therefore, it is difficult to understand it and surprises happen. The root of character is not in expressive ideas and not in the essence of consciousness, it grows from unconscious forces, from the subconscious. In this sub-basis such cataclysms are ripening, which cannot be predicted by looking at the outer shell. For the most part, this applies to the Russian people.

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

Mentality

• reflected in the actions of people, their way of thinking,
• leaves its mark in folklore, literature, art,
• generates an original way of life and a special culture characteristic of a particular people.

Features of the Russian mentality

The study of the Russian mentality was begun in the 19th century, first in the works of the 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 to make choices in time and space. In the context of this, there is the concept of a 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 people of Russia. This is the endlessness of the plains, their openness, the absence of borders. This model of the national cosmos was reflected in their works by many poets and writers.

• Openness, incompleteness, questioning

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

• The discrepancy between the step of Space and the step of Time

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

The antinomy of Russian culture

The discrepancy in two coordinates - Time and Space - creates a constant glow in Russian culture. Associated with this is another feature of it - 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 a deep abyss and boundless height are combined with meanness, lowland, 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 semitones. Other peoples also have opposites, but only in Russia can bureaucracy be born from anarchism, and from freedom - slavery. This specificity of consciousness is reflected in philosophy, art, literature. This dualism, both in culture and in personality, is best reflected in the works of Dostoevsky. Literature always provides great information for the study of mentality. The binary principle that is important in domestic culture, is reflected even in the works Russian writers... Here is a list compiled by Gachev:

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

The names speak about the great inconsistency of thinking:

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

The polarization of Russian culture

The Russian mentality, with its binary combination of mutually exclusive qualities, reflects the latent 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 centers of different polarity, which are constantly fighting and cooperating. This causes constant instability and variability in the development of our culture, at the same time prompts the intention to solve the problem instantly, through a flash, throw, revolution.

The "intelligibility" of Russian culture

The internal antinomy of Russian culture also gives rise to its "intelligibility". The sensual, the spiritual, the illogical always prevails over the expedient and meaningful in it. Its originality is difficult to analyze from the point of view of science, as well as to convey the possibilities of the art of plastics. In his works, I.V. Kondakov writes that literature is the most consonant with the national identity of Russian culture. This is the reason for the deep respect for the book, the word. This is especially noticeable in the 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, designs, plot. Do not underestimate the conscience of Russian society.

Cultural identity of Russia

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

Have Western nations national cultural identity it is expressed in two ways: national (I am German, I am Italian, etc.) and civilizational (I am European). There is no such certainty in Russia. This is due to the fact that the cultural identity of Russia depends on:

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

This ambiguity, inconsistency gives rise to arguments about its exclusivity, uniqueness. The idea of ​​the unique path and the highest vocation of the people of Russia is deep in Russian culture. This idea was embodied in the popular socio-philosophical thesis of Fr.

But in full agreement with everything that was said above, along with the awareness of national dignity and the conviction of one's own exclusivity, there is national denial, reaching self-abasement. The philosopher Vysheslavtsev emphasized that restraint, self-flagellation, repentance constitute national trait of our character, that there is no people who criticized themselves in such a way, exposed themselves, and made fun of themselves.