Russian people are generally broad people ..,
wide as their land,
and extremely inclined
to the fantastic, to the disorderly;
but the trouble is to be wide
without much genius.
F.M. Dostoevsky
One can talk endlessly about the Russian character and its features ... There are so many things mixed in a Russian person that one cannot count on one's fingers.
What does it mean to be Russian? What is the peculiarity of the Russian character? How often do gray-haired academicians ask this question in scientific debates, nimble journalists in various shows, and ordinary citizens in table discussions? They ask and answer. They answer in different ways, but everyone celebrates our, Russian, “speciality” and is proud of it. You can’t lure a Russian person with a kalach - Russians are so eager to preserve their own, dear, that they are proud of the most disgusting aspects of their originality: drunkenness, dirt, poverty. Russians make up jokes that no one can drink them too much, gladly showing their dirt to foreigners.
"Mysterious Russian soul"... What kind of epithets we do not reward our Russian mentality. But is it so mysterious, the Russian soul, is it so unpredictable? Maybe it's much easier? We Russians are capable of self-sacrifice in the name of our homeland, but we are not able to defend our interests as citizens of this country. We meekly accept all the decisions and decisions of our leadership: we choke in queues for the replacement of driver's licenses; we lose consciousness in the passport and visa services in anticipation of receiving a new passport; we knock on the thresholds of the tax office in order to find out under what number you now live in this world. And this list is endless. Boundless patience - that's what distinguishes a Russian person. How to disagree with foreigners who personify us with a bear - huge, formidable, but so clumsy. We are probably rougher, certainly tougher in many cases. Russians have both cynicism, and emotional limitations, and a lack of culture. There is fanaticism, and unscrupulousness, and cruelty. But still, in the main, Russians strive for good.
For a Russian person, this is the most terrible accusation - it is an accusation of greed. All Russian folklore is based on the fact that being greedy is bad and greed is punishable. The catch, apparently, is that this very breadth can only be polar: drunkenness, unhealthy excitement, life for free, on the one hand. But, on the other hand, the purity of faith carried and preserved through the ages. Again, a Russian person cannot believe quietly, modestly. He never hides, but for his faith he goes to execution, he goes with his head held high, striking enemies.
Very accurately, the features of the character of a Russian person are noticed in folk tales and epics. In them, the Russian peasant dreams of a better future, but he is too lazy to realize his dreams. He still hopes that he will catch a talking pike or catch a goldfish that will grant his wishes. This primordially Russian laziness and love to dream about the coming of better times has always prevented our people from living like human beings. And the tendency to acquisitiveness, again mixed with great laziness! A Russian person is too lazy to grow or make something that a neighbor has - it is much easier for him to steal it, and even then not by himself, but by asking someone else to do it. A typical example of this is the case with the king and rejuvenating apples. Of course, in fairy tales and satirical stories, many features are greatly exaggerated and sometimes reach the point of absurdity, but nothing arises from scratch - there is no smoke without fire. Such a trait of the Russian character as long-suffering often crosses the boundaries of reason. From time immemorial, Russian people have meekly endured humiliation and oppression. The already mentioned laziness and blind faith in a better future are partly to blame here. Russian people would rather endure than fight for their rights. But no matter how great the patience of the people, it is still not unlimited. The day comes and humility is transformed into unbridled rage. Then woe to those who stand in the way. It is not for nothing that a Russian person is compared to a bear.
But not everything is so bad and gloomy in our Fatherland. We Russians have many positive character traits. Russians are deeply partisan and possess high fortitude, they are capable of defending their land to the last drop of blood. Since ancient times, both old and young have risen to fight against invaders.
A special conversation about the character of Russian women. A Russian woman has an unbending fortitude, she is ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of a loved one and follow him to the ends of the world. Moreover, this is not a blind following of a spouse, as in Eastern women, but a completely conscious and independent decision. This is what the wives of the Decembrists did, following them to distant Siberia and dooming themselves to a life full of hardships. Nothing has changed since then: even now, in the name of love, a Russian woman is ready to wander all her life through the most remote corners of the world.
Speaking about the peculiarities of the Russian character, one cannot fail to mention a cheerful disposition - the Russian sings and dances even in the most difficult periods of his life, and even more so in joy! He is generous and loves to walk in a big way - the breadth of the Russian soul has already become a parable in languages. Only a Russian person for the sake of one happy moment can give everything he has and not regret later. Let's remember the poor artist who sold everything he had and covered his beloved with flowers. This is a fairy tale, but it is not so far from life - a Russian person is unpredictable and you can expect anything from him.
Russian man is inherent in the aspiration to something infinite. Russians always have a thirst for a different life, a different world, there is always dissatisfaction with what they have. Due to greater emotionality, a Russian person is characterized by openness, sincerity in communication. If in Europe people are quite alienated in their personal lives and protect their individualism, then a Russian person is open to being interested in him, showing interest in him, taking care of him, just as he himself is inclined to be interested in the life of those around him: both his soul is wide open, and it is curious - what's behind the soul of another.
There are dozens of images in our literature, each of which bears an indelible stamp of the Russian character: Natasha Rostova and Matryona Timofeevna, Platon Karataev and Dmitry Karamazov, Raskolnikov and Melekhov, Onegin and Pechorin, Vasily Terkin and Andrey Sokolov. You can't list everyone. Isn't there such a person in life? The pilot saves the city at the cost of his life, without leaving the stalled plane until the last moment; a tractor driver dies in a burning tractor, taking him away from a grain field; a family of nine takes in three more orphans; the master creates a unique, priceless masterpiece for years and then gives it to the orphanage ... You can continue indefinitely. Behind all this is also a Russian character. But aren't other people capable of this? Where is the line that will help distinguish a Russian person from the rest? And there is, after all, another side to it: the ability for unbridled revelry and drunkenness, callousness and selfishness, indifference and cruelty. The world looks at him - and sees a riddle in him. For us, the Russian character is an alloy of the best qualities that will always prevail over dirt and vulgarity, and, perhaps, the most important of them is selflessly devoted love for one's land. Gently stroking a birch tree and talking to it, greedily inhaling the intoxicating aroma of arable land, tremblingly holding a poured ear in the palm of your hand, seeing off a crane wedge with tears in your eyes - only a Russian person can do this, and may he remain so forever and ever.
The Russian character is complex and multifaceted, but this is what makes him beautiful. It is beautiful for its breadth and openness, cheerful disposition and love for the motherland, childish innocence and fighting spirit, ingenuity and peacefulness, hospitality and mercy. And we owe all this palette of the best qualities to our homeland - Russia, a fabulous and great country, warm and affectionate, like the hands of a mother.
From all that has been said, one has to conclude that the only indisputable feature of the Russian character is inconsistency, complexity, and the ability to combine opposites. And is it possible on such a land as Russian, to be not special? After all, this feature did not appear today, but was formed from day to day, from year to year, from century to century, from millennium to millennium...
And Leskov tried to create in his works just such a Russian person ...
Despite the fact that the Ukrainian and Russian peoples are considered closely related, their ethnopsychology differs significantly. The differences are especially pronounced among the female half of the population of these two countries. Ukrainians and Russians differ from each other both in the type of beauty and in a whole set of psychological traits that define such a concept as “the face and character of the nation”.
External differences
Differences in appearance are due to origin, as well as genetic mixing with the peoples living in the neighborhood. The beauty of a Russian woman tends more towards the northern, Finno-Baltic type. These are blond hair (light blond, blond, blond) and eyes (blue, gray, green), correct, but in relation to the type of southern beauties, smaller, more refined facial features.
Ukrainians, on the contrary, are more like southerners. Their facial features are larger and more expressive than those of Russians. Bright contrasts prevail in the shades of the eyes, skin and hair: brown or burning black hair (there are almost no natural blondes), thick black eyebrows with light skin, black, brown or rich green eyes.
If the beauty of a Russian woman can be compared with a crystal-cold winter or a shy early spring, then the beauty of a Ukrainian woman is undoubtedly the height of August, the very sun. Each of these types is good in its own way. Regarding the answer to the question, which one is better, here, as they say, who likes what.
national character
In the same way as appearance, the characters of Russian and Ukrainian women also differ. The first is more restrained, flexible and patient. She forgives her man a lot and in some cases is really ready to "stop a galloping horse and enter a burning hut." In the character of a Russian woman, traces have been preserved for centuries hammered the norms of Domostroy are in it, so the habit of being “on the sidelines” in the family is quite natural for many Russian women.
Ukrainian women have a more rebellious, obstinate and freedom-loving character, which is due to the strong influence of the cult of the Mother Goddess. It was distributed in the territories that are now occupied by modern Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine. A Ukrainian woman is less inclined to forgive a man for his imperfections and is always ready to defend her rights in a heated argument.
The intra-family relations of a typical Ukrainian family, for example, of the late 19th century, are beautifully described in the story "Kaidasheva Family" by Ivan Nechuy-Levytsky. The writer perfectly captured the relationship between relatives, and the role of women in them. Ukrainian women rarely allow themselves to be driven into the position of a victim, more often they quarrel and defend themselves more actively.
divorce statistics
These differences in national characters are also confirmed by divorce statistics. In Russia in 2012, 1,213,598 marriages accounted for 644,101 divorces, which is 53% of the total number of marriages. In Ukraine, in the same period, 278,356 marriages were concluded, of which 169,797 broke up, which is already 61%. Even with a constant increase in the number of divorces in both countries, the number of divorces in Ukraine is 8% higher.
For comparison, the same figures in other countries: Canada - 48%, USA - 46%, Great Britain - 42%, France - 38%, Japan - less than 27%. Such a high level of divorces in Russia and Ukraine is due, first of all, to material problems and the husband's drunkenness, with which Russian women are more ready to put up with than Ukrainian women.
On the third and fourth places are sexual incompatibility and infidelity of spouses. If the Russians usually accuse the husband of treason (75% of the cheaters are men), then the Ukrainians divided the shares of the perpetrators between the spouses approximately equally (58% of the traitors - 42% of the traitors).
This confirms both the more "hot" temperament of Ukrainian women, and their more free, "matriarchal" views. For a Russian woman, who is much more ready for sacrifice, the preservation of the family is in the first place. Her personal happiness is often relegated to the background by her.
Often we hear that Russian women in the world are considered the most beautiful. Is this a common myth, or is it really true? And how did this opinion come about?
Appearance Features
Most Russian women have the so-called Slavic type of appearance - they have blond hair and skin, gray, blue or green eyes, regular facial features. They are proportionally built and for the most part have a stately figure. They are very feminine, and on a subconscious level are perceived by men as the most suitable partners for creating a family and having children.
“I think that Slavic facial features are the most feminine in the world,” says Briton Craig Graham. - The German ones seem a little rough to me, which is not particularly suitable for women. I would call Russian women the most beautiful.
At the same time, the appearance of Russian women is not limited to one type of blue-eyed blondes with milky skin. Here you can meet swarthy, dark-eyed, burning brunettes, and red-haired beauties with freckles. After all, due to historical vicissitudes, the blood of different peoples flows in Russians.
But, for example, in Spain or Italy there are more women of the same type. And southern men can be attracted precisely by the breadth of choice, as well as the unusual, novelty of the northern type.
Tried the Inquisition
There is another circumstance that is mentioned by those who claim the primacy of Russian beauties. In the Middle Ages, the Western European Inquisition actively hunted witches, and the most attractive women and girls, sometimes even girls, were often ranked among them.
The beauties were jealous. Others believed that beauty was bestowed upon them only by the devil. As a result, many beautiful women in Western Europe ended their days at the stake or the gallows, and the "beauty genes" were partially exterminated.
In Rus', the witch hunt did not have such a scope. Beauties were rarely persecuted, so the "attractiveness gene pool" was preserved.
Russian women try
In Western countries, feminist sentiments prevail. The fair sex, trying to achieve gender equality with men, is often afraid to demonstrate their femininity and, on the contrary, dress and comb their hair in an accentuated carelessness, do not use makeup, except for special cases and situations when it is required by the regulations.
As for the Russians, many of them even go out to the neighboring supermarket in full dress - in a beautiful outfit, high-heeled shoes and made up. And what can we say about work and trips to different public places.
As sociological surveys have shown, 43% of our women strive to look beautiful "for themselves", 27% - for their half, and 65% - for work colleagues.
Swede Jonas Lindström states that "Russians love themselves very much, therefore they are always smartly and beautifully dressed, with makeup."
And a Frenchman named Frederic thinks: “Russians are very worried about appearance ... We also have such ladies, but there are fewer of them. The dissonance is that from people who are so preoccupied with their image, you usually expect coldness, closeness, selfishness, narcissism. But in the case of the Russians, every time you realize that you were wrong: they turn out to be sincere, warm and open.”
Not only appearance
Foreign men express different and not always flattering opinions about Russian women. For example, they are called too rational, prudent, criticized for their love for bright outfits ... But everyone agrees on one thing: Russian ladies are really very beautiful!
Here is the view of Burak Topcu from Turkey: “Russian women are the most beautiful women in the world. They have some kind of ideal beauty: some can be gentle and sweet, others can be sexy and sensual.
“Russian women are very feminine and luxurious,” Frenchman Justine D'Ore gives this assessment to our compatriots. - You want to carry such women in your arms, dress in furs and fulfill any of their desires. Unlike French women, they are more liberated in relationships, often take the first steps themselves, touchy, but quick-witted, fun and easy with them, every day is like a holiday. True, this holiday does not last long, Russians are fickle.”
In a foreign country, Russian women can be accurately identified in the crowd. “Even without heels, a Russian woman will pass you by so that her neck will turn after her,” the Spaniards and Italians admire. And the point here is not only in a beautiful appearance, but also in how a woman holds herself, how she moves. In all this there is a certain unique charm that amazes and delights men.
It is difficult for foreigners who had Russian girlfriends and wives to forget them. Europeans even say: “After Russians, they don’t return to foreigners.”
The character of the Russian people was formed mainly under the influence of time and space. The history and geographical location of our homeland also made their own adjustments. The constant danger from possible raids and wars rallied people, gave birth to a special patriotism, the desire for a strong centralized power. Climatic conditions, it must be said, not the most favorable, forced the people to unite, tempered a particularly strong character. The vast expanses of our country have given a special scope to the actions and feelings of the Russian people. Although these generalizations are conditional, it is still possible to identify common features and patterns.
Since its inception, Russia has shown itself to be an unusual country, not like the others, which aroused curiosity and added mystery. Russia does not fit the mold, does not fall under any standards, everything in it is not similar to the majority. And because of this, her character, the character of her people, is very complex and contradictory, difficult for foreigners to understand.
Nowadays, scientists and researchers have begun to find an increasing role of the national character in the development of society as a whole. It is a single, integral system with a hierarchy of traits and qualities that influence the way of thinking and acting of a given nation. It passes to people from generation to generation, it is rather difficult to change it by taking administrative measures, but it is still possible, though large-scale changes require a lot of time and effort.
Interest in the Russian national character is shown not only abroad, but we ourselves are trying to understand it, although this is not entirely successful. We cannot understand our actions, explain some historical situations, although we notice some originality and illogicality in our actions and thoughts.
Today, a turning point is taking place in our country, which we are experiencing with difficulty and, in my opinion, not entirely correctly. In the XX century there was a loss of many values, there was a decline in national identity. And in order to get out of this state, the Russian people must, first of all, understand themselves, return their former features and instill values, and eradicate shortcomings.
The very concept of national character is widely used today by politicians, scientists, mass media, and writers. Often this concept has a very different meaning. Scholars have debated whether there really is a national character. And today, the existence of certain features characteristic of only one people is recognized. These features are manifested in the way of life, thoughts, behavior and activities of the people of a given nation. Based on this, we can say that the national character is a certain combination of physical and spiritual qualities characteristic of only one nation, norms of activity and behavior.
The character of each people is very complex and contradictory due to the fact that the history of each people is complex and contradictory. Also important factors are climatic, geographical, social, political and other conditions that affect the formation and development of the national character. Researchers believe that all factors and conditions can be divided into two groups: natural-biological and socio-cultural.
The first explains that people belonging to different races will show their character and temperament in different ways. It should also be said here that the type of society formed by a particular people will also have a strong influence on its character. Therefore, the understanding of the national character of a people occurs through an understanding of society, the conditions and factors in which this people lives.
It is also important that the very type of society is determined by the system of values adopted in it. Thus, social values are the basis of the national character. The national character is a set of important methods for regulating activity and communication, created in accordance with the social values inherent in this people. Therefore, in order to understand the Russian national character, it is necessary to single out the values characteristic of the Russian people.
In the Russian character, such qualities as catholicity and nationality, striving for something infinite stand out. Our nation has religious tolerance and ethnic tolerance. A Russian person constantly has dissatisfaction with what is at the moment, he always wants something else. The peculiarity of the Russian soul is explained, on the one hand, by “walking in the clouds”, and on the other hand, by the inability to cope with one’s emotions. We either contain them as much as possible, or let them out all at once. Maybe that's why there is so much soulfulness in our culture.
The most accurate features of the Russian national character are reflected in the works of folk art. Here it is worth highlighting fairy tales and epics. The Russian peasant wishes for a better future, but he is too lazy to actually do anything for this. He would rather resort to the help of a goldfish or a talking pike. Probably the most popular character in our fairy tales is Ivan the Fool. And this is no accident. Indeed, behind the outwardly careless, lazy, who knows nothing to do, the son of an ordinary Russian peasant hides a pure soul. Ivan is kind, sympathetic, savvy, naive, compassionate. At the end of the tale, he always wins over the prudent and pragmatic royal son. Therefore, the people consider him their hero.
The feeling of patriotism among the Russian people, it seems to me, is beyond doubt. From time immemorial, both old people and children have been fighting invaders and occupiers. Suffice it to recall the Patriotic War of 1812, when all the people, the entire army asked to give battle to the French.
The character of the Russian woman deserves special attention. The enormous strength of will and spirit makes her sacrifice everything for the sake of a person close to her. For her beloved, she can even go to the ends of the world, and this will not be blind and obsessive following, as is customary in Eastern countries, but this is a conscious and independent act. You can take as an example the wives of the Decembrists and some writers and poets sent into exile in Siberia. These women very consciously deprive themselves of everything for the sake of their husbands.
It is impossible not to say about the cheerful and perky disposition, about the sense of humor of Russians. No matter how hard it is, a Russian person will always find a place for fun and joy, and if it’s not hard and everything is fine, then the scale of fun is guaranteed. They have been talking about the breadth of the Russian soul, they are talking about it, and they will continue to talk about it. A Russian person simply needs to roam to the fullest, make a splash, splurge, even though, let him give up his last shirt for this.
Since ancient times, there has been no place for self-interest in the Russian character; material values have never come to the fore. A Russian person has always been able to make great efforts in the name of high ideals, whether it is the defense of the Motherland or the upholding of sacred values.
The harsh and difficult life has taught Russians to be content and survive with what they have. Constant self-restraint left its mark. That is why the desire for money accumulation and wealth at any cost was not common in our people. This was the privilege of Europe.
For Russians, oral folk art is very important. Knowing proverbs, sayings, fairy tales and phraseological units, reflecting the reality of our life, a person was considered educated, worldly wise, possessing folk spirituality. Spirituality is also one of the characteristic features of a Russian person.
Due to increased emotionality, our people are characterized by openness, sincerity. This is especially evident in communication. If we take Europe as an example, then individualism is highly developed there, which is protected in every possible way, but in our country, on the contrary, people are interested in what is happening in the lives of those around them, and a Russian person will never refuse to tell about his life. This, most likely, can be attributed to compassion - another very Russian character trait.
Along with positive qualities, such as generosity, breadth of soul, openness, courage, there is one, of course, negative. I'm talking about drinking. But it is not something that has gone hand in hand with us throughout the history of the country. No, this is an ailment that we caught relatively recently and cannot get rid of it. After all, we did not invent vodka, it was brought to us only in the 15th century, and it did not become popular that hour. Therefore, it is impossible to say that drunkenness is a distinctive feature and feature of our national character.
It is also worth noting such a trait that you are both surprised and delighted at the same time - this is the responsiveness of the Russian people. It is instilled in us from childhood. Helping someone, our person is often guided by the proverb: "As it comes around, it will respond." Which, in general, is correct.
The national character is not static, it constantly changes as society changes, and, in turn, has its impact on it. The Russian national character that has developed in our days has similarities with the character that was once before. Some features remain, some are lost. But the basis and essence has been preserved.
For many centuries, foreign guests and merchants, visiting first Rus' and then the Russian Empire, tried to comprehend the secret of the mysterious Russian soul. The world-famous classics of Russian literature also did not stand aside from solving the riddle of the Russian mentality - in their works they tried to describe Russian men and women and reveal the facets of their character and worldview as fully as possible. But still, even now, Russians seem mysterious and in many ways incomprehensible to most foreigners, and Russians themselves can accurately distinguish their compatriots among a crowd of foreigners in another country. But what is the peculiarity of the mentality and psychology of Russians, what makes them so different from representatives of other peoples?
National features of Russians
The national characteristics of the character of Russians have been formed over the centuries, and the foundation of the unique mentality of the nation began to be laid back in the Middle Ages, when most Russians lived in villages and led a collective economy. Since those centuries, for Russians, the opinion of society and their own position in the team began to mean a lot. Also at that time, such a national trait of Russians as and adherence to patriarchal traditions - the survival and well-being of the entire village, volost, etc. largely depended on the cohesion of the team and the presence of a strong leader.
These features are inherent in the psychology of Russians even now - most representatives of the nation are sure that the country needs a strong leader, do not consider themselves entitled to openly criticize and challenge the decisions of higher officials, and are ready to support the government in any case. In relation to the role of each individual in society, the Russian mentality, like the geographical position of Russia, is between the "West" and the "East": it is difficult for representatives of this nation to accept the Western European model of society, in which the individuality of each individual is considered an unconditional value, but also to such the privileged role of the collective over the individual, as is typical of the Chinese, is not among the Russians. We can say that the Russians were able to find a "golden mean" between collectivism and individualism - they attach great importance to public opinion and their role in the team, but at the same time they know how to appreciate the individuality and uniqueness of the personality of each person.
Another national feature of the character of Russians, which distinguishes it from the mentality of other nations, is the "breadth" of the soul of a Russian person. Of course, the soul cannot be wide in the literal sense of the word, and this expression means that Russian people have the following character traits:
Psychology of Russians in personal life and at home
Most Russian people believe that the spiritual is more important than the material, so they do not set themselves the goal of their lives to earn millions, but choose other priorities - family, self-development, etc. Many representatives of this people tend to have a "light" attitude towards money
- a Russian person will not be too discouraged during the time, and also often prefer to spend money on something pleasant for himself, and not save up finances for the future.
However, despite this attitude to finances, Russians love luxury and pretentiousness, so they do not spare money for expensive home repairs, fashionable gadgets and status items. In Russian houses, in addition to furniture and household appliances, there are many interior decorations - various souvenirs, figurines and other cute trinkets. It is also not uncommon for any unnecessary things to lie in the pantry of an apartment or house for years - Russian people, since the existence of the USSR, have not yet completely got rid of the habit of leaving in reserve everything that could theoretically be useful in the future.
In love relationships, Russian men are gallant, romantic, generous and courteous and always strive to surround their lady of the heart with maximum care. Russian women are able to completely dissolve in a loved one, they are ready to make sacrifices for the sake of love and are sure that "with a sweet paradise and in a hut." In most Russian families, there is an equal relationship between husband and wife, but still, caring for children and household chores are considered predominantly women's business, and earning money for the whole family is considered men's.
