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

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Each nation is characterized by specific features of character, behavior and outlook. This is where the concept of "mentality" comes in. What is it?

Germans are a special people

Mentality is a fairly new concept. If, characterizing an individual, we are talking about his character, then when characterizing a whole people, it is appropriate to use the word "mentality". So, mentality is a set of generalized and widespread ideas about the psychological properties of nationality. The mentality of the Germans is a manifestation of national identity and the hallmarks of the people.

Who are called Germans?

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

The Germans speak German. It distinguishes two subgroups of dialects, the names of which originated from the distribution among the inhabitants alongriver flows. The population of the south of Germany belongs to the High German dialect, the inhabitants of the northern part of the country speak the Low German dialect. In addition to these main varieties, there are 10 additional dialects and 53 vernaculars.

German-speaking people in Europe number 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 inhabitants of Austria); 4.6 million are Swiss (63.6% of the Swiss population); 285 thousand - Luxembourgers; 70 thousand are Belgians and 23.3 thousand are Liechtensteiners.

Most of the Germans live in Germany, approximately 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 southern German lands).

Features of the German mentality

The main feature of the German mentality is pedantry. Their desire to restore and maintain order is fascinating. Precisely pedantry is the source of many national virtues 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. The thought involuntarily arises: this is how a civilized person should live.

Finding a rational explanation for every event is the goal of every self-respecting German. Any, even an absurd situation, always has a step-by-step descriptionwhat is happening. The mentality of the Germans does not allow to ignore the slightest nuances of the expediency of each activity. To make "by eye" is below the dignity of a true German. Hence the high appreciation of products, manifested in the famous expression "German quality".

Honesty and a sense of honor are the features that characterize the mentality of the German people. Young children are taught to achieve everything on their own, nothing is given to anyone for free. Therefore, cheating is not common in schools, and in stores it is customary 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 for the post-war decades not a single boy was named after him Adolf.

Frugality - that's what else manifests the German character and mentality. Before making a purchase, a true German will compare the prices of goods in different stores and find the lowest one. Business dinners or lunches with German partners can confuse representatives of other nations, as they will have to pay for the meals themselves. The Germans do not like excessive extravagance. They are very frugal.

The peculiarity of the German mentality is amazing cleanliness. Cleanliness in everything, from personal hygiene to the place of residence. An unpleasant smell from an employee or wet, sweaty palms can serve as a good reason for dismissal from work. Throwing garbage out of a car window or throwing a bag of garbage next to a trash can is nonsense forGerman.

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

Germans are a very specific people. If they invited you for tea, know that there will be nothing but tea. In general, the Germans rarely invite guests to their house. If you have received such an invitation, it is a sign of great respect. Arriving at a German house, the guest presents flowers to the hostess, and sweets to the children.

Germans and folk traditions

The mentality of the Germans is manifested in the observance of folk traditions and strict adherence to them. There are a great many such norms passing from century to century. True, at the core they are not of a national character, but are distributed over a certain area. Thus, urbanized Germany has retained traces of rural planning even in large cities. In the center of the settlement is a market square with a church, public buildings and a school. Residential neighborhoods diverge from the square in radii.

Folk clothes on the Germans appear on holidays. Each locality has its own colors and finishes of the suit, but the cut is the same. The men wear tight pants, stockings and buckled shoes. A light-colored shirt, waistcoat and long-brimmed caftan with huge pockets completeimage. Women dress in a white blouse with sleeves, a dark corset with lacing and a deep neckline and a wide pleated skirt, over which a bright apron.

National German cuisine is pork (sausages and sausage) and beer. A festive dish is a pork head with stewed cabbage, a baked goose or carp. Drinks include tea, seltzer and coffee with cream. Dessert consists of gingerbread and jam cookies.

How Germans greet each other

The rule that came from the depths of centuries to greet each other with a strong handshake has been preserved by the Germans to this day. Gender difference does not matter: German women do the same as German men. When parting, the Germans again shake hands.

In the workplace, employees address each other with "you" and strictly by last name. And in addition to the business sphere, the appeal to “you” is common among the Germans. Age or social status does not matter. Therefore, if you are working with a German partner, be prepared to be called "Mr. Ivanov." If your German friend is 20 years younger than you, then he will still address you as “you”.

Wanderlust

The desire to travel and explore new lands - that's what else manifests the mentality of the Germans. They like to visit exotic corners of distant countries. But visiting the developed USA or Great Britain does not attract Germans. In addition to the fact that it is impossible to get unprecedented impressions here, a trip to these countries is expensive for a family.wallet.

Striving for education

Germans are very sensitive to the national culture. That is why in communication it is customary to demonstrate one's education. A well-read person can show off knowledge of German history, show awareness in other areas of life. Germans are proud of their culture and feel a sense of belonging to it.

Germans and humor

Humor is an extremely serious matter from the point of view of the average German. The German style of humor is crude satire or caustic witticisms. When translating German jokes, it is impossible to convey all their colorfulness, since humor depends on the specific situation.

Joking in the workplace is not accepted, especially in relation to superiors. Jokes about foreigners are condemned. Jokes spread over East Germans after German reunification. The most common witticisms ridicule the carelessness of the Bavarians and the cunning of the Saxons, the lack of intelligence of the East Frisians and the quickness of the Berliners. Swabians are offended by jokes about their thrift, as they see nothing reprehensible in it.

Reflection of mentality in everyday life

German culture and German mentality are reflected in daily processes. For a foreigner, this seems unusual, for Germans it is the norm. There are no 24-hour shops in Germany. On weekdays they close at 20:00, on Saturday - at 16:00, on Sunday they do not open.

Shopping is not a German habit, they save their time andmoney. Spending on clothes is the most undesirable item of expenditure. German women are forced to limit spending on cosmetics and outfits. But few people care. In Germany, they do not strive to meet any accepted standards, so everyone dresses the way they want. The main thing is comfort. No one pays attention to unusual clothes or judges anyone.

Children from early childhood receive pocket money and learn to satisfy their desires on them. From the age of fourteen, a child enters adulthood. This is manifested in attempts to find their place in the world and rely only on themselves. Elderly Germans do not seek to replace parents for children, becoming nannies for their grandchildren, but live their own lives. They spend a lot of time traveling. In old age, everyone relies on himself, trying not to burden children with self-care. Many old people end up in nursing homes.

Russians and Germans

It is generally accepted that the mentality of the Germans and Russians is the exact opposite. The proverb “What is good for a Russian is like death for a German” confirms this. But there are common features of the national character of these two peoples: humility before fate and obedience.