Mentality: What is it? (Definition, Types, Examples)

Mentality is a complex of intellectual, emotional and cultural traits, value guidelines and prescriptions characteristic of a social or ethnic group or people. This concept unites the human worldview, points of view, assessments, values, behavioral norms, moral guidelines, mindsets, religious views and other aspects inherent in a particular social group. Mentality is considered to be ideology, perception of the environment and one’s own person in it, spiritual attitude, value guidelines, worldview characteristic of an individual or group of people. The clear contrast between personal mentality and that of an outsider is easy to notice when staying in an unfamiliar cultural environment or among representatives of other nations.

Mentality - what is it?

Mentality is a way of thinking, a way of thinking. It manifests itself in the form of emotional, cultural, intellectual characteristics of the human worldview, characteristic of a certain ethnic group. This concept has spread in Russian colloquial speech since the mid-twentieth century. With the help of worldview, a person can understand the state of mind, assessment, view, norms of behavior, values, morality of various groups of people.

Mentality in sociology

Worldview helps to study public consciousness and has the following heuristic capabilities:

helps to understand the unique spiritual world of the subject;
helps to understand a specific perception of the world;
explains the behavior and activities of the subject.

If we proceed from what defines mentality in sociology, then in this case it is a system of socio-psychological characteristics of a person or a community. This worldview is based on a genotype, the creation of which was determined by the natural and social environment, and the subject’s own spiritual creativity. Worldview predetermines what character a person will be endowed with, what kind of speech, behavior, and activity he will have. It recreates the unity and continuity of the social community.

There are three components of mentality:

Uniqueness. These are feelings, emotions, ideas, stereotypes that are present in one subject and absent in others.
A peculiar combination of certain characteristics that are characteristic only of a certain collective subject. So, for example, in the professional sphere it is intellectual honesty, courage, broad outlook, high IQ.
Quantitative ratio of such features. For example, according to IQ, people can be divided into categories: lawyers, bankers - 120%, aircraft mechanics, electricians, chemists - 109%, painters, drivers - 98%.

Mentality in cultural studies

Worldview is an integral part of a certain culture, a certain cultural space; its formation is influenced by certain social and cultural conditions in the process of long historical development. Over the course of many centuries, the state of mind has been formed, maintained and modified under the influence of:

natural geographical living conditions;
neighborhood of peoples (in the course of evolution, one people borrows elements of life, language and beliefs from another people);
cultural conditions, where the system core is culture, and individual elements are life phenomena within the culture (everyday habits, political norms, religious beliefs).

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Each nation has its own cultural space, its own forms of culture, which are filled with it in the process of activity. The people themselves are the creator of their own cultural space, this is the deep meaning of culture. Mentality and culture are concepts that not only characterize the general thing that unites individual carriers of one culture, but also highlight what distinguishes this culture from others.

What factors influence mentality?

Mentality is a characteristic of a person formed under the influence of the following reasons:

Place of Birth;
community influence;
the level of education;
religion.

All these factors have an equal impact on the formation of personality. Even if some of them are missing (for example, an academic degree or religiosity), this will also leave a direct imprint on the mentality. Thus, the Russian mentality was formed under the influence of the Orthodox religion, traditions and moral norms of patriarchal society, trials by many years of wars and other factors.

It is also possible to identify a number of reasons that influence personality development. These include:

✓ inherited qualities; ✓ parental education; ✓ worldview of the family in which the child grows up; ✓ school, further educational institution; ✓ friends and partners; ✓ profession; ✓ cultural development.

In general, the reasons that shape the mentality are divided into 2 categories:

1. Objective: genetic characteristics, geographical place of residence, culture, social relations, that is, factors under the influence of which the national mentality is formed.

2. Subjective: psychological characteristics, world views, value system, interpersonal relationships.

Every year, Forbes magazine publishes an “honest” ranking of rich people who earned their fortune but did not inherit it. Some of them grew up without the best conditions, did not go to college, had a bad upbringing. But this did not stop them from achieving success. This phenomenon has attracted the attention of scientists who closely connect the objective and subjective reasons for the formation of mentality with success.

Scientific experts have studied the successes of self-made billionaires and developed a series of mind-altering exercises. If genetic characteristics or place of birth cannot be changed, then it is possible to change the attitude towards wealth and its increase.

Examples of mentality

Since for the majority of people the mentality is associated with national characteristics, let us consider it using the example of some states. First, it’s worth comparing the mentality of Russians and Europeans.

Studying the peculiarities of the Russian mentality, historians and anthropologists began to divide history into 6 historical periods: paganism, pre-Christianity, pre-Petrine times, empire, Soviet history, modern history. Each of these periods influenced the formation of the Russian mentality. The most profound influence on the mentality of Russian culture was the adoption of Orthodoxy.

Over the entire period of the history of the Russian people, the most reverent attitude towards the subject of suffering was. Happiness was considered a reward for suffering and torment. This connection can be traced in Russian folklore. Everyone knows the following sayings: “Happiness will not come on its own, you have to get it” or “Happiness and unhappiness live through a boundary.” Truly popular songs are imbued with crucifixion-sadness, and in fairy tales the main characters are forced to overcome many obstacles in search of happiness. Stories about the difficult lot of the Russian people are found in the works of all Russian classics.

In the 19th century, one of the ideologists of the official nationalities, Count S. Uvarov, wrote the famous works “Orthodoxy”, “Autocracy”, “Nationalism”. Later, already under Stalin, the work was reduced to two parts, “Simplicity and Nationality.” But among writers, philosophers, and cultural experts, discussions about mentality have never subsided. For example, philosopher and culturologist N. Berdyaev collected the most complete materials on the study of Russian consciousness.

As a result of numerous studies, general character traits, behavioral and thinking characteristics were identified that are characteristic of the majority of Russian people, regardless of gender, age and social status. These features include:

Dependence on public opinion, fear of condemnation and criticism from society;
Excessive self-criticism, inability to objectively assess one’s merits;
Impulsivity, a tendency to make irrational decisions dictated by an impulse of feelings;
Unfriendliness towards strangers;
The desire to get something for nothing without making any effort;
Conservatism.

Representatives of other nations say about the same thing about Russians: they do not smile at strangers, they like to argue and they have a difficult character. Now let’s compare Russians with representatives of European nations.

There is no “European” mentality as such. Each European people has a special mentality. The Germans are famous for their punctuality and pedantry, the British for their primness, the French for their easy-going nature and love of love. But at the same time, the existence of the European Union has already left its mark on all residents of Europe without exception. Some common features of Europeans include:

Tolerance;
Law-abiding;
Tendency to interfere in someone else's private life;
Economy in resource consumption;
Striving to protect the environment.

It follows from this that the mentality of a modern person is largely formed under the influence of global trends, which are reflected in legislation, fashion and, as a consequence, the mentality of people.

How does mentality differ from mentality?

According to many researchers, the term “mentality” is synonymous with the concept of mentality, which is of Latin origin and translated from Latin means mens (“thinking,” “mind”) and alis (“others”). From a psychological point of view, thinking is the ability of people to think, perceive, and express real life in thought forms.

Let's look at such phenomena as mentality and mentality, and determine what the difference between them is. Let's start with what mentality is.

▪️ According to the dictionary-reference book for press and literature materials, mentality is a way of thinking characteristic of a certain social group. Mentality and mentality are synonymous, but there are certain differences between these concepts.

▪️ In a word, mentality characterizes a way of thinking that changes dynamically, adapting to the requirements of the era. Let's give a fairly harsh, but suitable example. During World War II, the cruelty of German soldiers horrified the whole world. Moreover, the Germans themselves, after several decades, were shocked by the chronicles of those years. This phenomenon is quite simple to explain. Influenced by the appeals of a charismatic leader, and under severe psychological pressure due to the consequences of the First World War, the Germans transformed their thinking. This is similar to how the way of thinking of a person who finds himself in a religious sect changes.

▪️ The mentality, in turn, takes a long time to form and also changes for a long time. It takes years, or even decades, to radically change the mentality of the people.

Conclusion

The mentality of people is a complex combination of character traits, habits and personal attitudes formed under the influence of society, its history and traditions. It is possible to change the mentality, but it requires serious effort. Knowing the peculiarities of the mentality of different nations, you can easily find a common language with people, build business and friendly relations with them, and take into account their advantages and disadvantages. Knowing the characteristics of your mentality, you can highlight its negative traits and fight them in order to achieve success and financial well-being.

Carolina Korableva

About the author: Hello! I am Karolina Korableva. I live in the Moscow region, in the city of Odintsovo. I love life and people. I try to be realistic and optimistic in life. What I value in people is their ability to behave. I am interested in psychology, in particular conflictology. Graduated from RGSU, Faculty of Occupational Psychology and Special Psychology.

Mentality - psychology

Worldview in psychology is a characteristic specificity of the mental life of a certain society. To reveal it, a system of views, assessments, and mindset is used, although such a worldview cannot completely coincide with a person’s thought, action, or word. Studying what human mentality is, psychologists were able to identify four types:

Barbarian - high survival rate, endurance, active sexual behavior, fearlessness in the face of the risk of death, this is a kind of winner's mentality.
Aristocratic - independence, pride, aristocracy, desire for external gloss, high morality.
Intelsky - disdain for convenience, comfort, high performance, strong fear of death, pain.
Bourgeois - frugality, economy, workaholism, mental stinginess, insincerity.

At the same time, as social relations developed, the typology of individual worldview took shape and changed: it was possible to change the mentality, supplement it with new features, and deprive it of unviable aspects. Today such types are extremely rarely found in their pure form. Rather, they contribute to the creation of interesting combinations of traits in people’s characters and help color the mental consciousness of nations.

Mentality - philosophy

Mentality is a set of socio-psychological characteristics of a person; it is different for different groups of people or social groups. Part of this worldview is a sense of belonging. Great thinkers and philosophers believed that the national spirit is based on patriotism and a sense of homeland. A person’s conscious belonging to a certain ethnic group or nation awakens his spirituality.

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Mentality in philosophy reflects a certain way of thinking, which can be of a group nature. The worldview consists of traditions, customs, rights, institutions, laws. All this is manifested with the help of the main tool, which is language. Worldview in philosophy is a certain mental equipment, a mental tool with the help of which representatives of a particular society can perceive their environment and themselves in their own way.

Mental space

When analyzing the term, it is important to remember about another component of it - mental space. It represents a resource that guarantees the process of “humanizing” the subject in the process of self-creation. This concept was introduced into mentality by M. B. Turovsky.

The main reason for the emergence of mental space was the opportunity to create human humanity based on activity of an objective nature, which was formed in conditions limited by various traditions, for example, Marxist. During the formation of a person as a part of history, he creates himself on the basis of the content of individuality. According to Turovsky, mental space is permeated with integral directives of a supra-individual nature, which dictate to humanity its attitude towards everything that surrounds the subject.

Types of mentality

The human worldview is a unique alloy of mental qualities, their characteristics, and how they manifest themselves. In order to find out what kind of mentality there is, you need to take a close look at the following types:

Based on the sphere of life of society, worldview is divided into economic, social, political, cultural, spiritual and moral.
Depending on the types of activity, the worldview can be industrial, scientific, technical, administrative, literary.
Based on the image, thinking, the worldview can be religious and national, urban, rural, civil, military.

Mentality of peoples of different countries

It is impossible to consider the mentalities of all peoples of the world; let’s consider only some of them.

Great Britain

The British have a unique mentality. They are closed, slow-moving, and very respectful of privacy. Unperturbed, coldly polite, proud, vain, responsive.

Spain

The Spanish mentality is characterized by individualism, emotionality, and spirituality. The concept of honor is not an empty phrase for them; they are proud, patriotic, open, and do not care at all about time.

USA

Americans are optimistic, smiling, energetic, and adventurous. The American mentality is determined by the desire to maintain equality, maintain order, pay great attention to work, and strive for comfort and success.

Italy

The Italian mentality is characterized by high theatricality, the desire to make a good impression, determination, and the ability to enjoy life.

Germany

The German mentality is characterized by pedantry, orderliness, seriousness, and logic. Most lead a healthy lifestyle.

Japan

The Japanese mentality is permeated with mystery, restraint, slowness, high responsibility, traditionalism, sacrifice, and patience. The interests of the group come first for them.

China

The Chinese mentality is also based on the idea of the inseparability of the individual from society. Features of the Chinese mentality are respect for elders, collectivism, adherence to traditions, perseverance, modesty and increased suggestibility.

Russia

The Russian mentality is characterized by breadth of soul, spirituality, sincerity, sincerity, desire for community, dislike of discipline and methodology, love of argument, laziness, and mood swings.

India

The Indian mentality is characterized by artistry, sociability, and curiosity. The peoples of India are characterized by a love of beauty and art, religiosity, carelessness, and an easy approach to life.

Mentalities are many and varied. Knowing them helps to better understand each other. In the course of worldwide processes of globalization and integration, cultural exchanges are increasingly taking place. It is important not to lose ethnic value and self-identification.

Mentality and mentality - differences

Mentality is considered the basis, the core of the culture of the people. Mentality is a way of seeing the world in which thought is associated with emotions. Unlike mentality, worldview has universal human significance, and mentality affects any social strata and historical times. Mentality is a prerequisite for the emergence and existence of a worldview.

What is the difference between mentality and mentality? Worldview is a culture that belongs to a certain social group, it is expressed through a way of thinking, reflected in the unconscious emotional and sensory experience in the form of customs, traditions, religion, philosophy and language. Mentality is a broader concept that describes a way of thinking as such. And mentality is a more specific definition, which in general terms describes the specifics of phenomena.

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Opposition mentality

What does “mentally” mean from the point of view of various oppositional ways of perceiving the world and what are they in general? Answering this question, first of all, you need to understand that the ways of defending your own interests of a mental nature, namely the contrasting cultural and natural, emotionally charged and rationalized, characteristic of a group and of an individual nature, disappear when it comes to the mental. The very structure of this term simply dissolves all internal and external contradictions between these ways of understanding the world in oneself. When discussing this concept, it is important to know that in this case it does not matter through which of the above-mentioned oppositions the data about the surrounding world is perceived.

Mentality and worldview

The mentality is based on a worldview. It is expressed through concepts and ideas. Worldview in general terms describes the model of the human world; it helps a person learn to understand himself in this world. Without this quality, a person will not be able to comprehend his existence, find his goal, in this case a low mentality is manifested. The person will be easy to control and manipulate.

Depending on the way of perceiving the world, the following types of worldview are distinguished:

philosophical;
mythological;
religious;
scientific.

Conscious and unconscious

In psychology, there are two approaches to the interpretation of mentality:

This is the opposition of two bases: conscious and unconscious; Consciousness is the ability to purposefully evaluate objective reality through the construction of visual images and logical reasoning, the manifestation of emotions and feelings. Consciousness can be individual and social. Often a person, so imbued with the collective spirit and merging with any group of people, begins to subordinate his personal views to public ones. The unconscious component permeates all human mental processes; it is what underlies his behavior and emotional state. But the person does not realize this. The unconscious, just like consciousness, can be individual and collective. The latter is based on archetypes - the so-called unconscious images (of literary and folklore heroes), which influence the formation of human behavior patterns, adopted from distant childhood and then reproduced on an unconscious level in everyday life for a long time.
This is a combination of rational (the totality of knowledge about the world) and irrational (faith, which is social memory) components of human thinking.

Important!

Mentality is something common, born from natural data and components determined by belonging to a community, which reveals a person’s idea of the surrounding reality, it is a picture of the world, embodied in a system of images and ideas, mass consciousness at a deep level.

How is mentality formed?

The formation of the mentality takes place over twelve years. It begins at the age of three and ends at the age of sixteen, when a person develops his own system of values, goals, and means to achieve them. The development of aspects of a person’s worldview directly depends on:

parents' mentality;
books and films;
physical endurance and mental stability;
MASS MEDIA;
politicians;
schools.

Americans

Americans have a spirit of rebellion. What else:

optimism;
hard work;
thirst for success;
cult of strength and youth;
craving for equality;
strict adherence to rules and order;
increased need for comfort.

It is important to remember that the culture of the country, the state of society, and state policy, although they influence each individual person, do not determine his mentality. This is just one of the factors, and therefore one cannot think only in stereotypes and lump everyone with the same brush.

How to change mentality?

Every person has the right to choose his own path in life. If you decide to change your worldview, be prepared for the fact that this will require a lot of time and effort. In order to change a person’s mentality, it is necessary:

give up alcohol to create a full generation;
get rid of all bad habits;
become an atheist, because religion is considered a huge inhibitor of the development of intelligence;
read modern literature;
conduct brainstorming sessions;
escape from the laws established in society.

Features of the national way of thinking

Stereotypes about the national worldview are perhaps among the most popular. Remember how many jokes have been made about the Estonian, American, Russian or German way of thinking. Let's look at the mental characteristics of some nations.