The mentality of the Germans: features. German culture. Characteristics of the German people

Each people is characterized by specific features of character, behavior and worldview. That's where the notion of "mentality" appears. What it is?

The Germans are a special people

Mentality is a fairly new concept. If, when describing an individual person, we speak about his character, then when characterizing a whole people it is appropriate to use the word "mentality". So, the mentality is a set of generalized and widespread ideas about the psychological properties of a nationality. The mentality of the Germans is a manifestation of national self-awareness and distinctive features of the people.

Who are called Germans?

The Germans call themselves Deutsche. They are the titular nation of Germany. The German people belong to the West German subgroup of the Germanic peoples of the Indo-European language family.

They speak German in German. It distinguishes two subgroups of dialects, whose names stemmed from the distribution among residents along the course of the rivers. The population of the south of Germany belongs to the Upper German dialect, the inhabitants of the northern part of the country speak the Lower German dialect. In addition to these basic varieties, there are 10 additional dialects and 53 local dialects.

German-speaking inhabitants of Europe have 148 million. Of these, 134 million people call themselves Germans. The rest of the German-speaking population was distributed as follows: 7.4 million - are Austrians (90% of all residents of Austria); 4.6 million - Swiss (63.6% of the Swiss population); 285 thousand Luxembourgers; 70 thousand - Belgians and 23,3 thousand - Liechtenstein.

Most Germans live in Germany, about 75 million. They constitute the national majority in all the lands of the country. Traditional religious beliefs are Catholicism (mainly in the north of the country) and Lutheranism (common in the South German lands).

Features of the German mentality

The main feature of the German mentality is pedantry. Their desire to establish and maintain order is fascinating. Precisely pedantry is the source of many national merits of the Germans. The first thing that catches the eye of a guest from another country is the thoroughness of roads, life and service. Rationality is combined with practicality and convenience. One can not help thinking: this is how a civilized person should live.

Find a rational explanation for each event - the goal of every self-respecting German. Any, even absurd situation, there is always a step-by-step description of what is happening. The mentality of the Germans does not allow to ignore the slightest nuances of the expediency of each activity. Make "by eye" - below the dignity of a true German. Hence the high valuation of products, manifested in the famous expression "German quality".

Honesty and sense of honor - these are the features that characterize the mentality of the German people. Young children are taught to achieve everything themselves, nothing gets to anyone for free. Therefore, in schools there is no spreading of cheating, and in shops it is accepted to pay for all purchases (even if the cashier makes a mistake in the calculations or does not notice the goods). The Germans feel guilty for the activities of Hitler, so in the country in the post-war decades, not a single boy named him Adolf.

Economy - that's what the German character and mentality is. Before making a purchase, a true German will compare prices for goods in different stores and find the lowest. Business dinners or dinners with German partners can puzzle representatives of other peoples, as they will have to pay for the dishes themselves. The Germans do not like excessive extravagance. They are very thrifty.

To the peculiarity of the mentality of the Germans is an amazing cleanliness. Cleanliness in everything, from personal hygiene to the place of residence. Unpleasant smell from the employee or wet sweating hands can serve as a weighty reason for dismissal from work. Throwing garbage out of the car window or throwing a bag of garbage next to the trash can is nonsense for the German.

German punctuality is purely a national trait. The Germans are very sensitive to their time, so do not like it when you have to waste it. They are angry with those who are late for the meeting, but also treat those who come earlier as badly. All the time the German person is painted by the minute. Even for a meeting with a friend they need to look at the schedule and find a window.

The Germans are a very specific people. If they invited you to tea, you know, except for tea, nothing will happen. In general, the Germans rarely invite guests to their house. If you were awarded such an invitation - this is a sign of great respect. Coming to the German house, the guest presents the hostess with flowers, and children with sweets.

Germans and folk traditions

The mentality of the Germans is manifested in the observance of national traditions and strict adherence to them. There are a lot of such passing from the century to the century. True, they are basically not of a national character, but spread over a certain area. So, urbanized Germany has preserved traces of rural planning even of large cities. In the center of the settlement there is a market square with a church, public buildings and a school. From the square, the residential neighborhoods radiate.

Folk clothes on Germans appear on holidays. In each locality there are colors and costumes, but the tailoring is the same. Men wear tight pants, stockings and shoes with buckles. Light-colored shirt, vest and long-necked caftan with huge pockets complete the image. Women dressed in a white blouse with sleeves, a dark corset with lacing and a deep neckline and a wide skirt in the assembly, on top of which a bright apron.

National German cuisine consists of pork (sausage and sausage) and beer. A festive dish is a pork head with stewed cabbage, a baked goose or carp. From drinks serve tea, seltzer water and coffee with cream. Dessert consists of gingerbread and cookies with confiture.

How the Germans greet each other

Coming from the depths of centuries, the rule of greeting each other with a firm handshake has been preserved by the Germans to this day. Gender difference does not matter: German women do the same as German men. At parting, the Germans shake hands again.

At the workplace, employees refer to each other "you" and strictly by their last name. And in addition to the business sphere, among Germans circulation to "you" is widespread. Age or social position does not matter. Therefore, if you work with a German partner, be ready to address "Mr. Ivanov". If your German friend is 20 years younger than you, then to you he will still apply to "you".

Passion for travel

The desire to travel and learn new lands - that's what the mentality of the Germans is still showing. They like to visit exotic corners of distant countries. But the Germans are not attracted to the visit of the developed USA or Great Britain. In addition, that it is impossible to get unprecedented impressions, a trip to these countries is expensive for a family wallet.

Striving for education

The Germans are very sensitive to national culture. That is why it is customary to demonstrate their education in communication. A well-read person can flash knowledge of the history of Germany, show awareness in other areas of life. The Germans feel pride in their culture and feel involved in it.

The Germans and Humor

Humor is a matter, from the point of view of the average German, extremely serious. German style in humor - a rough satire or caustic witticisms. When translating German jokes to convey all their coloring is not possible, because humor depends on the specific situation.

Joking in the workplace is not accepted, especially in relation to the authorities. Condemn jokes at the address of foreigners. Over the East Germans jokes spread after the reunification of Germany. The most frequently encountered witticisms ridicule the carelessness of the Bavarians and the insidiousness of the Saxons, the lack of ingenuity in the Eastern Frisians and the quickness of the Berliners. Schwabs take offense at jokes over their frugality, because they do not see anything reprehensible in it.

Reflection of the mentality in everyday life

German culture and the German mentality are reflected in the daily processes. For a foreigner, this seems unusual, for Germans - the norm. There are no shops working around the clock in Germany. On weekdays they close at 20:00, on Saturday - at 16:00, on Sunday they do not open.

Walking around the shops is not in the habit of the Germans, they save their time and money. Spending money on clothing is the most unwelcome expense item. German women are forced to limit the cost of cosmetics and outfits. But this few people care about. In Germany, do not seek to meet some accepted standards, so everyone dresses the way he wants. The main thing is comfort. Nobody pays attention to unusual clothes and does not condemn anyone.

Children from early childhood get pocket money and learn to satisfy their desires. From the age of fourteen the child enters adulthood. This manifests itself in attempts to find its place in the world and rely only on itself. Older Germans do not seek to replace parents with children, becoming nannies to grandchildren, but live their own lives. They spend a lot of time traveling. In old age, everyone is counting on themselves, trying not to burden children with caring for themselves. Many old people end their lives in nursing homes.

Russians and Germans

It is generally accepted that the mentality of the Germans and Russians is the complete opposite. The saying "What is good for Russians, then for a German like death" confirms this. But there are common features of the national character of these two peoples: humility before fate and obedience.