National character is the most elusive phenomenon of ethnicity. The living conditions and activities of any people, their culture, history, and the like form a system of psychological characteristics characteristic of a given people (ethnic group) and recognized as one of its characteristics. These psychological traits usually relate to a strictly defined range of phenomena. Thus, the degree of conscious regulation of emotions and feelings varies: some peoples behave more restrained, others are more “explosive” and spontaneous in expressing their feelings and moods. The role of certain types of activities in a person’s life is different. For example, European children are accustomed to games, but the children of some peoples of Asia, Oceania, South America, where they are taught very early to participate in the affairs of adults, play does not have such importance. Another example: children of Muslim nations draw less often because the Muslim religion prohibits the depiction of a person. According to A.A. Leontyev, any person, no matter what ethnic group he belongs to, can think, perceive, remember, assimilate new information equally successful. That's why psychological characteristics of a particular ethnic group cover only those aspects of a person’s mental life that are not the main, fundamental ones. They only color his activities in one way or another [Leontyev, 1998, p. 27].

It should be noted that the attitude towards the concept “ national character"Ambiguous. So, for example, according to A.A. Leontje-

Well, the very concept of “national character” is not entirely successful. The scientist believes that it is possible to discern specific features in personality, character, and the course of individual mental processes. The national character of a particular ethnic group is often judged by representatives of other nations, attributing to this people such characteristics that in fact are not its distinctive feature. Not every German is neat, not every Russian is good-natured or aggressive. These are most often not the true differences of a given people from others, but the constituent features of the image of this people in the eyes of other peoples [Leontyev, 1998, p. 27]. But there are other points of view. CM. Harutyunyan defines national character as “a peculiar national flavor of feelings and emotions, way of thinking and action, stable and national features of habits and traditions, formed under the influence of conditions material life, features historical development of a given nation and manifested in the specifics of its national culture" [Harutyunyan, 1966, p. 31]. N. Dzhandildin considers national character as “a set of specific psychological traits that have become more or less to a lesser extent characteristic of a particular ethnic community in the specific economic, cultural and natural conditions of its development [Dzhandildin, 1971, p. 122].

The complexity and inconsistency of this concept is emphasized by the terminological discrepancy. ON THE. Erofeev speaks of ethnic representation as “ verbal portrait or the image of a foreign people" [Erofeev, 1982, p. 7]. CM. Harutyunyan speaks of the psychological make-up of a nation, which is “a peculiar set of different-order phenomena in the spiritual life of the people” [Harutyunyan, 1966, p. 23].

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

an object, any action has a countless number of signs that are impossible, and there is no need, to mention in a statement, since to identify an object, a sign, an action, one or two signs are enough, on the basis of which the name is carried out in speech.

Each language reveals its own tendency in the selection of such features, and therefore even words with the same meaning are used differently in speech. This tendency can be externally determined, but it can also represent an arbitrary choice, which is gradually consolidated in the language [Gak, 2000, p. 54]. The French language often uses color terms in figurative meanings. Since France is a civilization of color, color symbols are often used to distinguish elements of everyday life. For example, many phenomena related to agriculture and ecology are named with the adjective vert(green): espacevert“green space” (in the city: square), revolution verte“green revolution” (transformations in agriculture), Europe verte“green Europe” (agreements on agricultural issues of the countries of the Common Market), etc. In the Russian language, the designations of sound sensations are differentiated in more detail. In French speech, sound impressions are recorded less frequently, especially when indicating movements and actions. In Russian they differ hit And knock(blow with sound); in French they correspond to one word coup. Russian word bazaar figuratively means random talking, shouting, noise. French bazar when metaphorically transferred it means disorderly accumulation of objects capturing a visual rather than an auditory impression of an object. When describing a situation, the French language gives preference to visual perceptions (movements, gestures) over sounds. He also comparatively more often bases his nominations on color impressions. In French, the utterance is often oriented to the first person, to a lesser extent - to the second, while in Russian the speakers represented in the situation are often not indicated in the superficial lexico-grammatical structure of the utterance. Russian saying often takes the form of an impersonal sentence. To explain this fact, they put forward ethnopsychic

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

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

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

. National character- this is a system of relations of a specific ethnic community to various aspects of the surrounding reality, manifested in stable stereotypes of their thinking, emotional reactions and behavior in general

National character is a combination of physical and spiritual traits that distinguish one nation from another (O. Bauer)

Every nation has its own specific culture, a system of signs, symbols, customs, etc. In everyday consciousness, psychological differences between peoples are noticeable. Thus, punctuality is a valuable quality for the Germans and Dutch, but the Spaniards do not attach of great importance this quality. Stereotypical ideas about psychological properties and culture different nations, which are widespread in everyday consciousness, always have a value-based, evaluative nature and consciously and unconsciously correlate with individual ideas about the specifics of their people and their culture (according to IS. KonomKonom).

Each person has two types of consciousness that are directly related to her national character:

The first contains states that are characteristic of the individual;

The second contains states that are characteristic of a group of individuals

These states connect the individual with society, forming the so-called “society within us,” which exists in the form of reactions to ordinary situations of the same type for representatives of one ethnic community in the form of feelings, and constitutes the national character. National character is an important component of personality (E. Durkheim E. Durkheim).

National character traits are distributed unevenly among representatives of the nation - from the presence of all these traits to their complete absence. In this regard, the qualities of national character must be studied by analyzing national traditions, customs, beliefs, history and natural conditions life

Character differs from temperament in content: character has common features among ethnic groups, and temperament is individual feature every person (GF. Hegel)

The classification of peoples based on mental functions (thinking, emotions, sensation and intuition) was carried out by KG. Jung. Based on these functions, the scientist was able to identify the corresponding psychological types: thinking, motivating, sensory and intuitive types. Each of the identified types can be introverted or extroverted, which is determined by the individual’s behavior in relation to any object. Classification mental types correlates with ethnic communities, since the psychology of an ethnos consists of the psychology of its representatives. The specificity of the psychology of an ethnos and its members is caused by the dominance of one of the listed mental functions. For example, residents. The East is an introverted race, which is aimed at its inner light.

Helvetius connected the national character with the system of government in the country, noting that a ruler who usurps power in the country becomes a despot, and despotism is a terrible enemy of the public good, ultimately leading to changes in the character of the entire nation.

Defining the concept of “national character”, in his work “On Man,” the scientist pointed out that “any nation has its own special way of seeing and feeling, which shapes its character. For all peoples, their character changes gradually or instantly. The factor of these changes is imperceptible instantaneous changes in forms of government and in public education; character has dynamic properties, or the ability to change under certain factors, in particular, as a result of changes in the form of government as a result of changes in forms of government.

D. Hume, in his work “On National Character,” also noted that the character of a people can change to a certain extent under the influence of a system of government and from mixing with other peoples. The philosopher pointed out that people do not owe this or that trait of their character to either the air or the climate. National character is formed as a collective concept on the basis of personal characteristics.

MI. Piren defined national character as a set of traits that have historically developed among representatives of a particular nation, determining the habitual manner of their behavior, the typical mode of action that manifests itself in relation to the everyday sphere, the surrounding world, work, and the attitude towards oneself and others together.

National character has the following properties:

It records typical features, formed to varying degrees and present in various combinations among the majority of representatives of the ethnic group, it is by no means a simple sum of the qualities of individual people

What is unique is not the traits or their sum, but the structure of the character; therefore, it is unacceptable to consider any qualities as inherent in a separate ethnic community

regarding national character and their properties. GM. Andreeva put it this way: “We are talking not so much about a certain “set” of traits, but about the degree of manifestation of this or that trait in this set, about the specific nature of this manifestation.”

For example, hard work is one of the most important traits of both the Japanese and German national character. However, the Germans work “economically”, they have everything planned and calculated. The Japanese, on the other hand, devote themselves to work selflessly, with pleasure; they have an inherent sense of beauty, which they also show in the process of labor.

In order to understand character traits, it is necessary to compare them with common system values ​​depends on the lifestyle, socio-economic and geographical conditions of life of the people. For example, the purpose of youth as a universal human quality acquires a unique value essence in each culture.

Important factors in the development of specific character traits in a particular ethnic group are life and landscape. The sources of development of national character are: family, parents' house, genus, natural environment

National character develops slowly over centuries and therefore can change quickly. National psychological qualities are distinguished by conservatism, stability and slight changeability

Traits of national character are passed on from generation to generation, forming a strong and stable structure, which can be compared to a huge and heavy chain net that firmly holds each link - the individual as a representative of a certain ethnic group.

According to modern theories inheritance of national character traits, these traits can be transmitted in the following ways:

Genetic - in this case we're talking about about the inheritance of memory regarding the historical experience of one’s people, that is, about the collective unconscious; genetic memory contains imprints of the historical experience of a nation, chis cream, prehistoric human existence

Socio-psychological - ordinary or traditional way. Traditions are synthesized, subordinated to the national ideal beliefs, ways of thinking, feelings, aspirations, suffering, and behavioral norms of previous generations. As a result of changing ideals and value orientations Traditions change and time, previous traditions are destroyed. The functioning of traditions is ensured by the action of such mechanisms: leadership, suggestions, beliefs and emotionality. Tradition is the main mechanism for integrating people into a single whole. For example, an American is a slave to standards, an Englishman is a slave to his traditions.

According to research results. D. Chizhevsky ("Essays on the history of philosophy in Ukraine") the main positive and negative traits Ukrainian national character are:

National character cannot be limited to just one dominant trait. It is necessary to avoid accentuation and absolutization of negative traits

Consequently, national character is a set of traits that have developed historically among representatives of a particular nation, determining their habitual manner of behavior, a typical mode of action that manifests itself in the everyday sphere, the surrounding world, work, and attitude towards one’s own and others’ lifestyle.

National character - This is a set of the most stable, characteristic of a given national community, features of perception of the surrounding world and forms of reactions to it. National character is, first of all, a certain set of emotional and sensory manifestations, expressed primarily in emotions, feelings and moods - in preconscious, largely irrational ways of emotional and sensory exploration of the world, as well as in the speed and intensity of reactions to ongoing events.

National character is most clearly manifested in national temperament - for example, distinguishing the Scandinavian peoples from, for example, Latin American peoples. The vibrancy of Brazilian carnivals can never be confused with the leisurely nature of northern life: the differences are obvious in the tempo of speech, the dynamics of movements and gestures, and all mental manifestations.

The concept of national character was not initially theoretical and analytical in origin. Originally, it was primarily descriptive. It was first used by travelers, followed by geographers and ethnographers to designate specific features of the lifestyle and behavior of different nations and peoples. At the same time, different authors in their descriptions often meant completely different and sometimes simply incomparable things. Therefore, a synthetic, generalized interpretation of national character is impossible - it is obviously combinatorial and therefore insufficiently holistic. Within the framework of political psychology, the most adequate is still the analytical interpretation.

In an analytical context, it is generally accepted that national character- compound element and, at the same time, the basis (“platform”, “basic level”) of the mental makeup of the nation as a whole, and national psychology as such. A complex, interconnected and interdependent set of mainly emotional (national character) and more rational (national consciousness) elements precisely represents the “mental make-up of a nation” - that very “spiritual-behavioral specificity” that makes representatives of one national-ethnic group different from representatives of other such groups. The mental makeup of a nation is the basis of all national-ethnic psychology, already as the totality of this “warehouse” and the behavior determined by it.

In the origins National character lies primarily in the stable psychophysiological and biological characteristics of the functioning of human organisms, including as the main factors such as the reactivity of the central nervous system and the speed of nervous processes. In turn, these factors are connected, in their origin, with the physical (primarily climatic) conditions of the habitat of a particular national-ethnic group. The general, unified national character is a consequence, a mental reflection of the commonality of the physical territory, with all its features, on which people live. this group. Accordingly, for example, a hot equatorial climate gives rise to completely different psychophysiological and biological characteristics, and after them national characters, than a cold northern climate.

Of course formation modern national characters is the result of a complex historical and psychological process that has been going on for many centuries. Living in different natural conditions, people gradually adapted to them over time, developing certain generally accepted forms of perception and response to these conditions. This played an adaptive role, contributing to the development and improvement of human activity and human communication. Such adaptive forms of perception and response were consolidated in certain normative, socially approved and reinforced methods of individual and collective behavior that were most appropriate to the conditions that gave rise to them. Features of the national character found their expression in the primary, most profound forms national culture, forming a kind of socio-cultural standards, standards and patterns of adaptive behavior. So, for example, artists long ago very figuratively noted that “the people of the fiery climate left in their national dance the same bliss, passion and jealousy" 132. On the contrary, in a special study, the Swedish ethnographer A. Daun, after analyzing extensive material, found that the main feature of the Swedish national character is extreme rationality of thinking. Swedes are not inclined to show off their feelings; in case of conflicts, they do not give free rein to their emotions and strive for compromise solutions. With this, A. Daun explains the peculiarities of the surprisingly clear functioning of the Swedish state machine, the weak religiosity of the population, the traditional mediating role of Sweden in international conflicts, etc.

With the increasing complexity of the methods of social organization of life, the adaptive role and adaptive significance of the national character, which directly linked a person and his behavior with the physical conditions of the environment, gradually faded into the background. In developed forms of sociality, national character reserves a much more modest function - a kind of “emotional feeding” of the behavior of representatives of national-ethnic groups, as if only sensually coloring those forms of behavior that are now secondary socially and culturally determined and, therefore, , inevitably more unified in nature, as well as giving emotional diversity to the action of general social factors, their perception and response to them. It is clear that a Russian politician or an Azerbaijani politician performs their, in general, identical social roles quite differently.

Established at the earliest, pre-social stages of the development of society, elements of national character served as the most important way of spontaneous, empirical, direct reflection of the surrounding reality in the psyche of members of a national-ethnic community, thereby forming its primary, natural-psychological unity. Preserving subsequently, they are subject to the influence of socio-political life, but they manifest themselves in everyday life mainly at the everyday level, in close connection with the forms of ordinary national consciousness. However, in certain situations associated with crises of the usual forms of sociality, with an exacerbation national problems and contradictions, with the emergence of a feeling of “loss of the usual order,” direct manifestations of national character can come to the fore.

In these cases, as if breaking free from the yoke of sociality, they directly determine the crisis behavior of people. Numerous examples of this kind are provided by the processes of modification of political systems, in particular, the collapse of totalitarian unitary states of the imperial type - for example, the USSR. It is with explosive manifestations of national character that most cases of the rapid rise of mass national liberation movements are associated.

IN structure national character is usually distinguished by a number of elements. Firstly, this national temperament- it can be, for example, “excitable” and “stormy”, or, on the contrary, “calm” and “slow”. Secondly, national emotions- such as “national enthusiasm” or, for example, “national skepticism”. Third, national feelings- for example, “national pride”, “national humiliation”, etc. Fourthly, primary national prejudices. Usually these are mythologies entrenched in the emotional sphere concerning the “role”, “purpose” or “historical mission” of a nation or people. These mythologems may also relate to the relationship of a national-ethnic group with neighboring nations. On the one hand, this is a “national minority complex”. On the other hand, it is a “national-paternalistic complex”, usually manifested in the form of the so-called “imperial syndrome” or “great power syndrome” (sometimes called “Big Brother syndrome”). A type of national-ethnic prejudice is the corresponding stereotypes of response to current events such as, for example, “national conservatism”, “national humility” or, on the contrary, “national rebellion” and “national self-confidence”.

National character

National character is defined as a historically established set of stable psychological traits of representatives of a particular ethnic group, which determine their habitual manner of behavior and typical mode of action and are manifested in their attitude to the social and everyday environment, the surrounding world, work (traits such as efficiency, practicality, neatness, punctuality, commitment, enterprise, passivity, disorganization), their own and other ethnic communities. Moreover, the attitude towards others reveals the characteristics of the ethnic (national) consciousness of people. This group of national character traits includes conservatism, religiosity, optimism, and pessimism.

If we consider character simply as a collection of some traits, then it is almost impossible to even simply describe it; for example, in the Dictionary of the Russian Language by S.I. Ozhegova - one and a half thousand adjectives describing character. That's why modern psychology considers character not as simple sum damn, but as a certain integral structure. However, the nature of this structure remains controversial.

This ambiguity is also reflected in the literature on national character. The term "national character" is not analytical, but descriptive; it appeared initially in travel literature in order to express the specificity of the way of life of a particular people. Some researchers, speaking about national character, mean temperament, the characteristics of the emotional reactions of individuals, while others focus on social orientations, moral principles, attitudes towards power, work, etc.

But from the point of view psychological science national character implies the properties not of an individual, but of an entire ethnic community (group). Such a group must have general culture, symbols, traditions, customs, etc. But is it possible to draw a conclusion from the commonality of culture about the commonality (and specificity) of the psychological make-up of a particular ethnic group? For example, Pitirim Sorokin wrote that the properties of dispersion

Yu.2. National character

certain parts of a car are not identical to the properties of the whole car as an organized system; The properties of the human body as a system cannot be understood by studying its individual organs or cells. In the same way, the properties of a socio-cultural system cannot be understood by limiting oneself to the study of individual members of society. On this basis, Sorokin considered a psychological study of national character fundamentally impossible.

The analogies drawn by Sorokin concern the relationship between part and whole, element and structure. For example, a tree of a certain species has its own unique individual characteristics, but at the same time it carries within itself some basic features that characterize the species as a whole. This also applies to humans. Its psychological properties are not “set” as rigidly as biological ones. When they say that such and such a person (meaning a certain social character) is characterized by such and such traits, this means that they are actually present, although to varying degrees and in different combinations in a significant number of individuals making up a given ethnic group.

The history of peoples, especially the history of large modern nations, is complex and contradictory. The national character of every modern nation resembles a parchment on which a new one has been written over an older, more ancient text; As soon as the top layer is washed off, an ancient inscription appears underneath it, invisible at first, sometimes badly damaged, but still preserved. Likewise, in the history of a people, each stage of historical development leaves its indelible traces. The longer and harder way, passed by the people, the more complex and contradictory its national character. The character of an ethnos is inextricably linked with the system of motivations typical of its members - the totality of their needs, interests, value orientations, attitudes, beliefs, ideals, etc. Ultimately determining the direction of character, this system covers all spheres of the human psyche - from needs to ideals, worldview and moral principles. All such components of the psyche, being changeable by the natural and social conditions of the existence of an ethnos, ultimately predetermine the character of its members.

Chapter 10. Ethnic human needs

A change in these conditions inevitably entails a change in the system of incentives, and after it, the ethnic character. Concept "national temperament" used to understand ethnic specifics. The uniqueness of the national temperament is explained by the influence of the climatic environment, lifestyle, occupation, specific ethnic culture and determines differences in emotional reactions to life situations, phenomena of familiar and unusual environments. In popular scientific literature, as a rule, the southern (subtropical) temperament is distinguished southern peoples and the cold temperament of the northern ones. It is customary to talk not about national temperament, but about the predominance of certain types of temperament, one or another of its features or dominance, as well as a specific combination of its properties among representatives of a particular ethnic community. For example, the Germans and the British are exemplary sanguine by temperament, the Italians and Spaniards are obvious cholerics, Slavic peoples They are distinguished by social emotionality, and the Baltic ones are somewhat phlegmatic.

National feelings and sentiments are an important element of the psychological specificity of a person’s personality. National feelings express, first of all, an emotional attitude towards ethnic reality itself. These include a sense of pride in one’s people and commitment to national values. Objectively assessing one’s importance in society, including personal interests, thoughts and aspirations in social activities, a person understands his worth by realizing his sense of self-worth. National mood performs the function of regulating people’s mental activity, the function of setting people to perceive and act in a certain way. A person's mood is determined historical events the life of the ethnic group, the fate of its members, the political and economic conditions of the functioning of the ethnic group.

Feeling national pride and the dignity of the ethnos is radically opposed to the exaggerated sense of one’s ethnic superiority and exclusivity, expressed in nationalism.

10.3. National traditions

. National character- this is a system of relations of a specific ethnic community to various aspects of the surrounding reality, manifested in stable stereotypes of their thinking, emotional reactions and behavior in general

National character is a combination of physical and spiritual traits that distinguish one nation from another (O. Bauer)

Each nation has its own specific culture, system of signs, symbols, customs, etc. In everyday consciousness, psychological differences between peoples are noticeable. Thus, punctuality is a valuable quality for the Germans and the Dutch, but the Spaniards do not attach much importance to this quality. Stereotypical ideas about the psychological properties and culture of different peoples, which are widespread in everyday consciousness, always have a value-based, evaluative nature and consciously and unconsciously correlate with individual ideas about the specifics of their people and their culture (according to IS. KonomKonom).

Each person has two types of consciousness that are directly related to her national character:

The first contains states that are characteristic of the individual;

The second contains states that are characteristic of a group of individuals

These states connect the individual with society, forming the so-called “society within us,” which exists in the form of reactions to ordinary situations of the same type for representatives of one ethnic community in the form of feelings, and constitutes the national character. National character is an important component of personality (E. Durkheim E. Durkheim).

National character traits are distributed unevenly among representatives of the nation - from the presence of all these traits to their complete absence. In this regard, the qualities of national character must be studied by analyzing national traditions, customs, beliefs, history and natural living conditions.

Character differs from temperament in content: character has common features among ethnic groups, and temperament is an individual characteristic of each person (GF. Hegel)

The classification of peoples based on mental functions (thinking, emotions, sensation and intuition) was carried out by KG. Jung. Based on these functions, the scientist was able to identify the corresponding psychological types: thinking, emotional, sensory and intuitive types. Each of the identified types can be introverted or extroverted, which is determined by the individual’s behavior in relation to any object. The classification of mental types correlates with ethnic communities, since the psychology of an ethnic group consists of the psychology of its representatives. The specificity of the psychology of an ethnos and its members is caused by the dominance of one of the listed mental functions. For example, residents. The East is an introverted race, which is aimed at its inner light.

Helvetius connected the national character with the system of government in the country, noting that a ruler who usurps power in the country becomes a despot, and despotism is a terrible enemy of the public good, ultimately leading to changes in the character of the entire nation.

Defining the concept of “national character”, in his work “On Man,” the scientist pointed out that “any nation has its own special way of seeing and feeling, which shapes its character. For all peoples, their character changes gradually or instantly. The factor of these changes is imperceptible instantaneous changes in forms of government and in public education; character has dynamic properties, or the ability to change under certain factors, in particular, as a result of changes in the form of government as a result of changes in forms of government.

D. Hume, in his work “On National Character,” also noted that the character of a people can change to a certain extent under the influence of a system of government and from mixing with other peoples. The philosopher pointed out that people do not owe this or that trait of their character to either the air or the climate. National character is formed as a collective concept on the basis of personal characteristics.

MI. Piren defined national character as a set of traits that have historically developed among representatives of a particular nation, determining the habitual manner of their behavior, the typical mode of action that manifests itself in relation to the everyday sphere, the surrounding world, work, and the attitude towards oneself and others together.

National character has the following properties:

It records typical traits, formed to varying degrees and present in various combinations in the majority of representatives of the ethnic group; it is by no means a simple sum of the qualities of individual people

What is unique is not the traits or their sum, but the structure of the character; therefore, it is unacceptable to consider any qualities as inherent in a separate ethnic community

regarding national character and their properties. GM. Andreeva put it this way: “We are talking not so much about a certain “set” of traits, but about the degree of manifestation of this or that trait in this set, about the specific nature of this manifestation.”

For example, hard work is one of the most important traits of both the Japanese and German national character. However, the Germans work “economically”, they have everything planned and calculated. The Japanese, on the other hand, devote themselves to work selflessly, with pleasure; they have an inherent sense of beauty, which they also show in the process of labor.

In order to understand character traits, it is necessary to compare them with the general system of values, which depends on the lifestyle, socio-economic and geographical conditions of life of the people. For example, the purpose of youth as a universal human quality acquires a unique value essence in each culture.

Important factors in the development of specific character traits in a particular ethnic group are life and landscape. The sources of development of national character are: family, parental home, clan, natural environment

National character develops slowly over centuries and therefore can change quickly. National psychological qualities are distinguished by conservatism, stability and slight changeability

Traits of national character are passed on from generation to generation, forming a strong and stable structure, which can be compared to a huge and heavy chain net that firmly holds each link - the individual as a representative of a certain ethnic group.

According to modern theories of inheritance of national character traits, these traits can be transmitted in the following ways:

Genetic - in this case we are talking about the inheritance of memory regarding the historical experience of one’s people, that is, the collective unconscious; genetic memory contains imprints of the historical experience of a nation, chis cream, prehistoric human existence

Socio-psychological - in the usual or traditional way. Traditions are synthesized, subordinated to the national ideal beliefs, ways of thinking, feelings, aspirations, suffering, and behavioral norms of previous generations. As a result of changes in ideals and value orientations, traditions change and previous traditions are destroyed. The functioning of traditions is ensured by the action of such mechanisms: leadership, suggestions, beliefs and emotionality. Tradition is the main mechanism for integrating people into a single whole. For example, an American is a slave to standards, an Englishman is a slave to his traditions.

According to research results. D. Chizhevsky ("Essays on the history of philosophy in Ukraine") the main positive and negative features of the Ukrainian national character are:

National character cannot be limited to just one dominant trait. It is necessary to avoid accentuation and absolutization of negative traits

Consequently, national character is a set of traits that have developed historically among representatives of a particular nation, determining their habitual manner of behavior, a typical mode of action that manifests itself in the everyday sphere, the surrounding world, work, and attitude towards one’s own and others’ lifestyle.