Each people is characterized by specific characteristics of character, behavior and understanding of the world. This is where the concept of "mentality" appears. What it is?
Germans are a special people
Mentality is a fairly new concept. If, when characterizing an individual person, we are talking about his character, then when characterizing an entire nation, 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 German mentality is a manifestation of national identity and the hallmarks of the people.
Who are the Germans called?
The Germans call themselves deutsche. They represent the titular nation of Germany. The German people belong to the West German 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 came from the distribution among residents along the course of rivers. The population of southern Germany belongs to the Upper 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 local dialects.
There are 148 million German-speaking inhabitants of Europe. 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 Liechtenstein.
Most 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 South German lands).
Features of the German mentality
The main feature of the German mentality is pedantry. Their desire for guidance and order is fascinating. It is pedantry that is the source of many national advantages 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. Involuntarily the thought arises: this is how a civilized person should live.
Finding a rational explanation for each event is the goal of every self-respecting German. In any, even absurd situation, there is always a step-by-step description of what is happening. The German mentality does not allow to disregard the slightest nuances of the expediency of each activity. To make "by eye" - below the dignity of a true German. Hence the high appreciation of the products, manifested in the famous expression "German quality".
Honesty and a sense of honor - these are the features that characterize the mentality of the German people. Young children are taught to achieve everything by themselves; nobody gets anything for free. Therefore, cheating is not common in schools, and in stores it is customary to pay for all purchases (even if the cashier is mistaken in the calculations or does not notice the goods). The Germans feel guilty for Hitler’s activities, so in the country after the post-war decades not a single boy was named after him by the name Adolf.
Frugality - this is what else the German character and mentality is manifested in. Before making a purchase, a true German will compare the prices of goods in different stores and find the lowest. Business dinners or lunches with German partners may perplex representatives of other nations, as they will have to pay for dishes themselves. The Germans do not like excessive wastefulness. They are very thrifty.
The peculiarity of the mentality of the Germans includes amazing cleanliness. Cleanliness in everything, starting with personal hygiene and ending with the place of residence. An unpleasant smell from an employee or wet sweating palms can serve as a good reason for dismissal from work. Throwing trash out of a car window or throwing a bag of garbage next to a trash can is nonsense for a German.
German punctuality is a purely national trait. The Germans are very kind to their time, and therefore do not like when they have to waste it. They are angry with those who are late for a meeting, but also treat those who come earlier just as badly. All the time a German person is scheduled by minute. Even for a meeting with a friend, they will need to look at the schedule and find a window.
The Germans are a very specific people. If they invited you to tea, know that there will be nothing but tea. In general, Germans rarely invite guests to their home. If you have received such an invitation - this is a sign of great respect. Coming to a German house, the guest presents the hostess with flowers and sweets for the children.
Germans and folk traditions
The German mentality 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, basically they are not of a national character, but spread over a certain area. Thus, urbanized Germany retained traces of the rural layout of even large cities. In the center of the settlement is a market square with a church, public buildings and a school. Residential quarters radiate from the area in radii.
Folk clothing on the Germans appears on holidays. Each area has its own colors and costume finishes, but the cut is the same. Men wear tight pants, stockings and shoes with buckles. A light-colored shirt, vest and long-sleeved caftan with huge pockets complete the look. Women put on a white blouse with sleeves, a dark corset with lacing and a deep neckline and a wide skirt in an assembly, on top of which there is a bright apron.
National German cuisine consists of pork (sausages and sausages) and beer. The festive dish is pork head with stewed cabbage, baked goose or carp. Drinks include tea, seltzer and cream coffee. Dessert consists of gingerbread cookies and confiture.
How Germans greet each other
The rule that came from the depths of centuries to greet each other with a firm handshake has been preserved among the Germans to this day. The gender difference does not matter: German women do the same as German men. At parting, the Germans shake hands again.
At the workplace, employees turn to each other on “You” and strictly by name. And besides the business sphere, the appeal to “you” is widespread among Germans. Age or social status does not matter. Therefore, if you are working with a German partner, be prepared to appeal "Mr. Ivanov." If your German friend is 20 years younger than you, then he will contact you anyway.
Passion for travel
The desire to travel and learn new lands - this is what else the Germans mentality is manifested in. They like to visit exotic corners of distant lands. But a visit to the developed USA or Great Britain does not attract Germans. In addition to the fact that it is impossible to get unprecedented impressions, a trip to these countries costs a lot for a family wallet.
Desire for education
The Germans are very sensitive to national culture. That is why it is customary in communication to demonstrate one’s education. A well-read person can show off knowledge of the history of Germany, show awareness in other areas of life. The Germans are proud of their culture and feel involvement in it.
Germans and humor
Humor is an extremely serious matter, from the point of view of the average German. The German style in humor is rude satire or caustic jokes. When translating German jokes, it is not possible to convey all their colorfulness, since humor depends on the specific situation.
It is not customary to joke at the workplace, especially in relation to bosses. Jokes are condemned to foreigners. Jokes spread over East Germans after the reunification of Germany. The most common witticisms ridicule the Bavarians' carelessness and treachery of the Saxons, the lack of intelligence in the Eastern Frisians and the quickness of Berliners. Swabians take offense at jokes over their frugality, since they see nothing reprehensible in it.
Reflection of mentality in everyday life
German culture and the German mentality are reflected in daily processes. For a foreigner, this seems unusual, for the Germans - the norm. There are no stores operating around the clock in Germany. On weekdays they close at 20:00, on Saturday at 16:00, on Sunday they do not open.
The Germans are not in the habit of shopping, they save their time and money. Spending money on clothes is the most undesirable expense item. German women are forced to limit the cost of cosmetics and clothes. But few people care. In Germany, they do not strive to meet some accepted standards, so everyone dresses as he wants. The main thing is comfort. No one pays attention to unusual clothes and does not condemn anyone.
Children from early childhood receive pocket money and learn to satisfy their desires on them. From the age of fourteen, the child enters adulthood. This is manifested in attempts to find their place in the world and rely only on themselves. Older Germans do not seek to replace parents with children, becoming nannies to 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 their lives in nursing homes.
Russians and Germans
It is generally accepted that the mentality of Germans and Russians is the exact opposite. The proverb “What is good for the Russian is like death for a German” confirms this. But there are common features of a national character in these two peoples: humility before fate and obedience.