In general, mentality is the prevailing schemes, stereotypes and patterns of thinking. Russians are not necessarily Russians. An individual may be proud of being a “Cossack”, “Bashkir” or “Jew” within Russia, but outside its borders all Russians (past 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 behavioral patterns.

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 outside strictly scientific research. What cultural researchers note as specific features Russian mentality?

1. Sobornost, the primacy of the general over the personal: “we are all our own,” we have everything in common and “what will people say.” Conciliarity results in the absence of the concept of privacy and the opportunity for any neighbor’s grandmother to intervene and tell you everything she thinks about your clothes, manners and the upbringing of your children.

From the same opera, the concepts of “public” and “collective”, which are absent in the West. “The opinion of the collective”, “don’t separate from the team”, “what will people say?” - conciliarity in its purest form. On the other hand, they will tell you if your tag is sticking out, your shoelace is untied, your pants are stained, or your grocery bag is torn. And also - they flash their headlights on the road to warn about the traffic police and save you from a fine.

2. The desire to live in truth. The term "pravda", often found in ancient Russian sources, means legal norms, on the basis of which the trial was carried out (hence the expressions “to judge the right” or “to judge in truth”, that is, objectively, fairly). Sources of codification are norms of customary law, princely judicial practice, as well as borrowed norms from authoritative sources - primarily the Holy Scriptures.

Outside Russian culture more often they talk about law-abidingness, rules of decency, or following religious commandments. In the Eastern mentality, Truth is not talked about; in China, it is important to live according to the precepts left by Confucius.

3. When choosing 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 held in high esteem, like something “American.” It is difficult for the average Russian citizen to imagine that one can act intelligently and consciously not only for oneself, but also for the sake of someone, therefore selfless actions are identified with actions “from the heart,” based on feelings, without the head.

Russian - dislike of discipline and methodicality, life according to one's soul and mood, change of mood from peacefulness, forgiveness and humility to merciless rebellion to 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. A certain negativism: most Russians more often see flaws in themselves rather than virtues. Abroad, if a person accidentally touches another person on the street, the standard reaction of almost everyone is “Sorry,” an apology and a smile. That's how they were raised. It’s sad that in Russia such patterns are more negative, here you can hear “Well, where are you looking?”, and something more harsh. Russians understand well what melancholy is, despite the fact that this word is untranslatable to others European languages. On the streets, it is not customary for us to smile, look into the faces of others, make indecent acquaintances, or simply start talking.

5. A smile in Russian communication is not mandatory attribute politeness. In the West, the more a person smiles, the more polite he is. In traditional Russian communication, priority is given to the requirement of sincerity. A smile among Russians demonstrates a personal affection for another person, which, naturally, 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's normal to beg for both a cigarette and money. A person in a constantly good mood raises suspicion - either sick or insincere. Anyone who usually smiles affably at others is, if not a foreigner, then, of course, a sycophant. Of course, insincere. He says “Yes”, agrees - a hypocrite. Because sincere Russian man will definitely disagree and object. And in general, the truest sincerity is when you swear! Then you trust the person!

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

Russian people are often interested in argument not as a means of finding the truth, but as a mental exercise, as a form of emotional, sincere communication with each other. This is why in Russian communicative culture those arguing so often lose the thread of the argument and easily deviate from the original topic.

At the same time, it is completely uncharacteristic to strive for compromise or to let the interlocutor save face. Uncompromisingness and conflict are manifested very clearly: our person is uncomfortable if he did not argue, could not prove that he was right. “How did you formulate this quality English teacher: “A Russian always bets to win.” And vice versa, the characteristic “conflict-free” rather has a disapproving connotation, like “spineless”, “unprincipled”.

7. Russian people live by faith in the good that will one day descend from heaven(or simply from above) to the long-suffering Russian land: “Good will definitely defeat evil, but then, someday.” At the same time, his personal position is irresponsible: “Someone will bring us the truth, but not me personally. I can’t do anything myself and I won’t do anything.” For several centuries now, the main enemy of the Russian people has been the state in the form of a serving-punitive class.

8. The “keep your head down” principle. The Russian mentality has a disdainful attitude towards politics and democracy as a form of political structure in which the people are the source and controller of the activities of power. Characteristic is the conviction that people don’t really decide anything anywhere and democracy is a lie and hypocrisy. At the same time, tolerance and habit of lies and hypocrisy of their authorities due to the conviction that it is impossible otherwise.

9. Habit of theft, bribery and deception. The conviction that everyone steals everywhere, but in an honest way It's impossible to make big money. The principle is “if you don’t steal, you don’t live.” Alexander I: “In Russia there is such theft that I’m afraid to go to the dentist - I’ll sit in a chair and they’ll steal my jaw...” Dahl: “Russian people are not afraid of the cross, but they’re afraid of the pestle.”

At the same time, Russians are characterized by a protest attitude towards punishment: punishing for minor violations is not good, somehow petty, it is necessary to “forgive!” will sigh for a long time until he gets angry and starts a pogrom.

10. A characteristic feature of the Russian mentality that follows from the previous paragraph is the love of freebies. Movies need to be downloaded via torrent, pay for licensed programs - it’s a waste, the dream is the joy of Leni Golubkov in the MMM pyramid. Our fairy tales depict heroes who lie on the stove and eventually receive a kingdom and a sexy queen. Ivan the Fool is strong not because of his hard work, but because of his intelligence, when Pike, Sivka-Burka, Little Humpbacked Horse and other wolves, fish and firebirds do everything for him.

11. Taking care of health is not a value, sports are strange, getting sick is normal, but it is categorically not allowed to abandon the poor, and it is also considered morally unacceptable to leave those who did not care about their health and, as a result, became essentially helpless and disabled. Women look for the rich and successful, but love the poor and sick. “How can he live without me?” - hence codependency as a norm of life.

12. In us, pity takes the place of humanism. If humanism welcomes care for people, placing them on the pedestal of the free, developed, strong man, then pity directs care to the unfortunate and sick. According to statistics from Mail.ru and VTsIOM, helping adults is in fifth place in popularity after helping children, the elderly, animals and helping environmental problems. People feel more sorry for dogs than for people, and among people, out of a sense of pity, it is more important to support non-viable children, rather than adults who could still live and work.

In the comments to the article, some agree with such a portrait, others accuse 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.

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

What is mentality

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

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

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

The evolution of the concept of “mentality”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Russian mentality

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wealth mentality: is it possible to restructure your thinking?

Factors influencing mentality can be divided into 2 groups:

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

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

Successful people:

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

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

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

conclusions

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

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

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

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

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

“Unique geographical location”

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

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

"Orthodox culture"

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

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

Russian mentality and how to deal with it

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

1. Laziness

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

2. Inertia and lack of initiative

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

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

3.Irresponsibility

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

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

4. Theft

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

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

mentality mentality Russian people

Characterizing Russian culture from the point of view of its place in the “East - West” dichotomy is a rather difficult task, since, firstly, it occupies a middle position in relation to the geopolitical factor (which is taken into account by representatives of the so-called “geographical” or “climatic” determinism) ; secondly, the study of Russian civilization is just beginning (it is generally possible in relation to the already established national-cultural integrity, and in Russia self-identity and national self-awareness are formed quite late in comparison with European cultures); thirdly, Russian culture is initially super-multi-ethnic in its composition (Slavic, Baltic, Finno-Ugric took part in its formation with a noticeable participation of Germanic, Turkic, North Caucasian ethnic substrates).

Russian culture began to stand out as a special type within the framework of Christian civilization in the 9th-11th centuries during the formation of the state Eastern Slavs and introducing them to Orthodoxy. From the very beginning, Russian culture has been formed on the basis of such cultural characteristics as:

• Autocratic form state power(“patrimonial state”);
• · Collective mentality;
• · Subordination of society to the state;
• · Little amount of economic freedom.

One of the most significant factors in the formation of Russian culture was Orthodoxy as a religious and moral guideline for spiritual culture. The Old Russian state was a confederation of independent states. Orthodoxy set a common normative and value order for Rus', the only symbolic form of expression of which was Old Russian language. It “captured” all layers of society, but not the whole person. The result of this is a very superficial (formal-ritual) level of Christianization of the “silent majority”, their ignorance of religious issues and a naive social-utilitarian interpretation of the fundamentals of dogma. Therefore, we can talk about a special type of Russian mass Orthodoxy - formal, closely “fused” with pagan mysticism and practice, which allowed N.A. Berdyaev to call it “Orthodoxy without Christianity.”

Middleness in relation to the Western and eastern types cultures is perhaps one of the leading characteristics of Russian culture, since “Western” and “Eastern” features in the Russian mentality do not strictly contradict each other, but rather are combined and complementary. So, for example, Christian values ​​are borrowed by Russia as a value system of the culture of the West, but in the “eastern” version they are inherited from Byzantium, and the Russian church has been dependent on the Patriarch of Constantinople since the 15th century. Also in the types of socio-political structure: Rus' “tried on” both the Eastern and Western models, and the centers of the Ancient

If we try to formulate which features of the Russian mentality can be characterized as clearly Western, and which as Eastern, then we can present them as follows:

Western features:

• · Christian values;
• · the urban nature of culture, which determines the entire society;
• · military-democratic genesis of state power;
• · absence of the syndrome of total slavery in relations of the “individual-state” type.

Eastern features:

• · lack of private property in the European sense;
• · the dominance of the principle under which power gives rise to property;
• · autonomy of communities in relation to the state;
• · evolutionary nature of development.

As for the so-called “paths” of Russian culture, its cultural history has a completely unique specificity. Our history is not so “eternally lasting”, aimed rather at stagnation, any maintenance of stability, balance and, if possible, immutability, as in the East, facing eternity, and, at the same time, not as gradually progressive as in the West, moving along the path of qualitative and extensive development. It’s as if we are playing, shuffling Eastern and Western types of structuring historical time in our history. Russian culture then falls into a kind of hibernation, in which it even “misses” the most important moments European history spirit (so we did not survive Antiquity, which gave European and Eastern cultures such a powerful cultural innovation (which K. Jaspers called the “axis” of world history) as a transition from a mythological type of thinking to a rational exploration of the world, to the emergence of philosophy - we began to form our own ethnocultural “self” immediately in the Middle Ages; the Renaissance type of personality never developed in Russian culture, since we also “stepped over” the Renaissance, stepping straight into a good and strong Enlightenment), then it concentrates and, drawing strength from nowhere, is included in some kind of some kind of “explosion”, no matter whether it is an external war, an internal revolution or something like “perestroika” or other reforms. This is another specific feature of the Russian mentality - polarity. Therefore, life in everyday language is a zebra, therefore “it’s either pan or gone”, “who is not with us is against us”, “from rags to riches”... That is, the Russian person does not tolerate intermediate states, he loves to “walk along the blade of a knife and cut your bare soul into blood.” Therefore, he feels great and adapts in crisis, milestone, turning point situations at the collective and even state level. This affects our way of fighting wars and our ability to resist external enemies. Likewise, at the individual level, no one, probably, like a Russian person knows how to come to terms with life’s circumstances, with fate (or even destiny), and if fate itself does not present any twists and tests, then the Russian person “helps” it, provokes it. It is no coincidence that all over the world the game with death, when a person himself “pulls its mustache,” is called “Russian roulette.” This is one of the heterostereotypes of the Russian person in many foreign cultures.

One can also note the accentuated binary as characteristic feature Russian culture, where such oppositions as “collectivism - personality” “coexist” in a completely unique and paradoxical way; “activity - passivity”; “borrowing is originality”; “development - stability”; “deconstruction - construction”; “Uniqueness - universalism.

The results of modern ethnopsychological research document the clash in the minds of Russian people of contradictory attitudes and behavioral stereotypes. Thus, there are five main behavioral orientations:

• · collectivism (hospitality, mutual assistance, generosity, gullibility, etc.);
• · on spiritual values ​​(justice, conscientiousness, wisdom, talent, etc.);
• · on power (honoring rank, creating idols, controllability, etc.);
• · for a better future (hope for “maybe”, irresponsibility, carelessness, impracticality, lack of self-confidence, etc.);
• · for a quick solution life problems(habit of rush jobs, daring; heroism, high ability to work, etc.).

One of the central features of the Russian mentality is the ideal of obedience and repentance in Christianity (and not physical labor as a mandatory prerequisite for “smart work”, similar to the Western Christian commandment “pray and work”, which, according to M. Weber, was one of the essential prerequisites the formation of capitalism in Western Europe after the Reformation). Hence, Russians have such a heightened sense of guilt and conscience as the individual’s ability to exercise moral self-control. It is savored with a special masochistic taste in Russian literature and is also one of the most common stereotypes.

Russian culture is characterized by a special ethnocentrism and messianism, which are an important part Russian image thinking. This sensitively captures and expresses language, ironizing and hyperbolizing these properties of our mentality (“Russia is the homeland of elephants”; or in one of the modern commercials: “It was a long time ago, when everyone was still Jews, and only the Romans were Russian”). . We are also largely inclined towards traditionalism, which justifies attempts to attribute Russian culture to the East. This is an all-encompassing traditionalism of thinking - a force perceived by members of society, which consists not in the individual and his self-worth, as in Western culture, but in the crowd, the mass. Hence our desire for collective forms - conciliarity in Orthodoxy, “hey, come on, men”, “the whole world, all the people”, “Get up, huge country”, these are rush jobs, collective creativity in all spheres of cultural life. Traditionalism is expressed in “decency and orderliness”, in the everyday and personal life of the Russian person, in the presence of strict canons in literature and art, as well as in a special attitude towards time - in an appeal to the past or the very distant future (A.P. Chekhov: “ Russian people love to remember, but not to live"). One of the sides of our traditionalism is monumentalism - a penchant for grandiose forms of self-expression and self-affirmation. Despite its openness to any intercultural contacts and borrowings, Russian culture is largely introverted. Open to external influences, it is not susceptible to them due to cultural immunity developed over centuries and a “suspicious” attitude towards other, alien cultures. This is well illustrated by our in a special way carry out reforms. For example, Peter’s “Westernization” in terms of goals and form became the deepest “anti-Westernization” in essence, and the “revolutionary” and Westernizer Peter I turned out to be a guardian and a traditionalist.

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

History of the question of national character

The question of national character has not received a generally accepted formulation, although it has significant historiography in world and Russian pre-revolutionary science. This problem was studied by Montesquieu, Kant, and Herder. And the thought that different nations has its own “national spirit”, formed in the philosophy of romanticism and pochvennichestvo both in the West and in Russia. In the German ten-volume “Psychology of Nations,” the essence of man was analyzed in 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 as a basis the advantage of class over nationality, so national character, ethnic psychology and similar issues remained on the sidelines. They were not given due importance back then.

The concept of national character

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

• personal-psychological

• value-normative.

Personal psychological interpretation of national character

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

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

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

Value-normative approach to the problem of national character

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

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

Mentality

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

Features of the Russian mentality

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

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

• Endless movement

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

• Openness, incompleteness, questioning

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

• Discrepancy between the Space step and the Time step

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

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

Antinomy of Russian culture

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

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

The names speak of the great inconsistency of thinking:

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

Polarization of Russian culture

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

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

“Incomprehensibility” of Russian culture

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

Cultural identity of Russia

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

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

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

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

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

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