Ethnopsychology is a developing science that studies the relationship between culture and the human psyche. This industry is in the process of formation, and therefore its exact definition is not yet available. In the article we will learn about how this scientific direction developed, what is the subject and method of its study.
About science
Most specialists involved in the study of modern ethnopsychology do not consider it an independent discipline. This scientific branch borders on two fundamental areas - psychology and culture. At the same time, ethnopsychology studies the problems of more than two areas. It is no coincidence that scientists use different terms to designate this discipline, which is largely due to the content in ethnopsychology of the topics and methods of research in psychology, sociology, cultural studies, history, and anthropology. Translated from Greek, ethnos means "people", psyche is "soul", and logos is a word, knowledge, teaching.
Ethnopsychology is a scientificresearch direction:
- national features of emotional-volitional and mental cognitive processes, reactions characteristic of representatives of certain nationalities;
- states and personality traits of representatives of various ethnic minorities;
- originality of phenomena and processes in the socio-psychological sphere of individual nations and peoples;
- issues of national identity, ethnohistorical values and orientation;
- characteristics of the culture of certain ethnic groups.
Speaking of ethnopsychology as a complex scientific study, during which ethnic, cultural, psychological characteristics of people and entire nations are considered, it is easy to single out its object. They are entire ethnic groups, nations, peoples, ethnic and national minorities. The subject of ethnopsychology is the self-consciousness of people belonging to a certain socio-ethnic community, their understanding of their own interests and understanding of the true position of the nation in the system of social relations, the specifics of interactions with other ethnic groups.
The Purpose of Discipline
Ethnopsychology as a science has specific goals and objectives. First of all, this scientific direction helps to carry out a comprehensive analysis and summarize information about the influencing factors and sources of the formation of specific nationalities, create psychological portraits of representatives of various ethnic communities and, on their basis, identify socio-political, economic, historical and cultural prerequisites forfurther development. In addition, the subject of ethnopsychology is the specificity of the motivational component of the psyche of people belonging to a particular nation, which allows us to study in detail such qualities as, for example, efficiency, initiative, degree of diligence, etc., which determine important indicators of productive activity and behavioral features.
Ethnopsychology is a science in which studies of differentiated indicators of mental activity of people belonging to a particular nationality are carried out. The works of scientists in this field make it possible to reveal the degree of adherence to logic, the speed of thought processes and the depth of abstraction, perception, completeness and efficiency of associations, imagination, concentration and stability of attention. Thanks to ethnopsychology, one can draw a conclusion about the features of the psycho-emotional background, the dynamics of the manifestation of feelings of representatives of a certain nationality, their emotional behavior.
One of the tasks of ethnopsychology is to identify problems in the communicative environment that arise due to differences in the national mental makeup of people and forms of interaction. Based on the results of research work, a conclusion is made about the degree of influence of communication and relationships on the nature of the ongoing socio-psychological processes in groups, their hierarchical structure, traditions, and norms of behavior. In addition, ethnopsychology creates the necessary ground for predicting various social processes in certain regions of the country or in other states.
Scientificresearch methods
Studying the mentality of people of a particular nation or nationality, scientists use various scientific tools. The most common method of ethnopsychology is observation. It is applied in natural conditions. The method of conscious vision must be purposeful and applied systematically. This tool will be effective only in the case of non-intervention of the observer, whose task is to study the external manifestations of the psyche of people belonging to specific ethnic groups. The disadvantage of this method is the subjectivity of the conclusion of a specialist. The method of covert surveillance with the help of audio or video devices is recognized as very effective in ethnopsychology.
The second way of research is experiment. It includes all ascertaining methods. The experiment is used as a tool for active exploration. If the method of observation presupposes the non-intervention of the researcher, then in this case the experimenter himself must organize the whole process and take care of creating the necessary conditions for the experiment. As a rule, studies are carried out with representatives of different ethnic groups, but in the same conditions. The experiment can be laboratory and natural (the second option is more common).
The method of testing and questioning in ethnopsychology allows you to determine the personality traits of the subject or draw a conclusion about the features of the national character, hierarchy of motives, temperament. The disadvantage of questionnaire tests is often the unreliability of their results. ATIn comparison with this method of research, the survey method does not imply the identification of the respondent, which allows you to get a higher percentage of truthful information. In addition, an oral survey is much faster than a written test or questionnaire.
How ethnopsychology developed abroad
The first attempts to describe the character of not just an individual, but a whole group of people, were made in ancient times. The Hindus, Greeks, and Romans tried to create an ethnopsychological portrait of an entire people. From those times, information has reached our days about the works of Xenophon, Socrates, Plato, traveling the world and describing the characters and customs of peoples, differences in lifestyles, views, traditions, and customs. Long before the new era, scientists could clearly see the difference in cultures, the appearance of ethnic groups, and some of them took the first steps to determine the nature of these differences.
One of the first in the history of the development of ethnopsychology was Hippocrates. The philosopher believed that the differences between people in physical and mental terms are associated with geographical location and climatic conditions. His attempts to describe the mental characteristics of individual nationalities marked the beginning of the formation of ethnic psychology.
The study of peoples became the subject of scientific work in the second half of the 18th century. A deep analysis of the problems of discipline was carried out by French enlighteners. For the first time, such basic concepts of ethnopsychology as "common spirit" and "spirit of the people" were introduced. In these terms, the features of the nationalcharacter, the relationship between the form of thinking of the people, their spiritual make-up and way of life. In the same period, German philosophers (Kant, Fichte, Herder, Hegel, Hume) were imbued with the ideas of the unity of the nation. Scientists put forward several promising theses, worked to identify the causes of differences in the customs, mores and behavioral line of representatives of groups from different regions.
On the basis of a number of fundamental sciences, ethnopsychology continued its formation as an independent direction. It traced the achievements of that time in psychology, cultural studies, anthropology, and history. Officially, the Germans M. Lazarus and G. Steinthal are considered the founders of the ethnopsychological trend. From 1859-1860 they published a journal devoted to the psychology of peoples and linguistics. Scientists sought to draw the attention of society to the differences in facial features of representatives of different peoples, their psychological portraits. Steinthal found an explanation for this phenomenon in the concept of the folk spirit, which he interpreted as the mental similarity of individuals with identical self-consciousness and ethnicity.
During the development of this scientific branch, German scientists sought to know the psychological essence of the nation. The ethnopsychology of peoples, according to their understanding, was a way of discovering the laws and internal activities of peoples in everyday life, art, culture and science. Thus, Lazarus and Steinthal were able to lay the foundation for ethnic psychology as a form of independent discipline with its own subject, research methods and structure.
The role of Russian scientists in the development of science
The developments of German researchers gained wide popularity in Russia, where by that time attempts had already been made to systematize ethnopsychological elements. In our country, this scientific direction is rooted in the activities of the geographical community, whose members actively worked in the field. They called it psychic ethnography. For example, N. I. Nadezhdin, proposing to use this term, was sure that this direction implies the study of the spiritual component of human nature, his intellectual abilities, morality, morality, willpower.
The idea presented by Nadezhdin was developed by N. Ya. Danilevsky. In his book "Russia and Europe", the author divided the existing civilizations according to three criteria: mental, aesthetic and moral. V. I. Solovyov approached the definition of subtleties of mentality in a similar way. He studied the value orientations of local residents, comparing them with the ideals of representatives of other ethnic communities. Briefly about the ethnopsychology that Solovyov adhered to: it is a confirmation of the version that the Russian people are characterized by a moral and religious ideal.
A. A. Potebnya began to work in a fundamentally different direction of ethnic psychology. Being a philologist by education, he was engaged in the study of the psychological nature of language. A similar other point of view was expressed by V. M. Bekhterev. Both Russian scientists believed that another science, collective reflexology, should deal with the psychology of peoples. This discipline has beenwould be called upon to determine public moods, the causes of resonant public actions, to unravel the meaning of folk art, myths, rituals that came from antiquity. In addition, it was Bekhterev who was one of the first in his writings to turn to the topic of national symbols.
In the development of ethnopsychology in Russia, important changes occurred in the first half of the last century. Domestic science was in the field of view of the cultural-historical school. L. S. Vygotsky, D. Likhacheva, V. Mavrodina are considered to be outstanding scientists who were interested in the issues of the formation of the ethnopsychology of peoples. Each of them held different positions regarding the concept of ethnic psychology.
For example, Vygotsky described this scientific area as "the psychology of primitive peoples", paying attention to a comparative analysis of the mental activity of a person as a primitive being and a culturally formed personality. Vygotsky also studied the behavior of children born in families of representatives of different nationalities. These materials were published only a few decades later. By the way, as a result of mass Stalinist repressions against scientists, the development of ethnic psychology was interrupted for almost 40 years. The questions of ethno-psychological problems were returned to only in the post-war period. D. Likhachev and V. Mavrodin began to pay attention to this direction. Their works were dedicated to the ideas of national consciousness.
At the end of the last century, the number of theoretical and experimental works in the field of ethnopsychological research increased dramatically. ByAccording to researchers, interest in this science continues to grow due to the difficult political situation, emerging local ethnic conflicts, and the rise of people's self-awareness.
Today, the ethnopsychology of peoples is studied at the faculties of psychology. Students study relevant special courses, get acquainted with new textbooks and teaching aids, scientific articles in periodicals reviewed by the Higher Attestation Commission. The relevance of ethnopsychology is also evidenced by the annual specialized conferences, following which monographs and collections of scientific papers of the participants are published.
Discipline structure, main subsections
Today's experimental research in ethnopsychology is carried out in three main areas:
- Formation and modification of ethnic identity. This branch includes issues related to the study of forms and mechanisms of perception of representatives of other nationalities, methods of forecasting, preventing and resolving conflicts at the interethnic level. Many works of scientists are devoted to the problem of people's adaptation to a new cultural environment. Among them, G. U. Soldatova, N. M. Lebedeva, T. G. Stefanenko.
- Ethnopsychology, studying the interaction of culture and the human psyche. This direction is characterized by the alignment of various theoretical concepts with the help of psychological methods in order to determine the features of the formation of mentality among representatives of ethnic groups (S. A. Taglin, V. N. Pavlenko).
- Specificity of verbal and non-verbalbehavior in the sociocultural environment. The subject of ethnopsychology in this case is the ethnopsycholinguistic features of the interaction of people of different nationalities and their perception of the cultural products of the vital activity of other peoples.
In the near future, it is planned to develop such branches of ethnic psychology as:
- ethnopedagogy is a discipline that systematizes ethnic traditional ideas about the upbringing and education of children;
- ethnoconflictology is an educational and methodological system that allows you to understand the essence of conflict situations and take effective decisions to prevent them;
- ethnopsychiatry is a branch of specific knowledge about mental disorders, to which representatives of certain nationalities are more prone;
- ethnopsycholinguistics is a complex of knowledge about the features of language and speech development.
The term "culture" in ethnopsychology
In textbooks on ethnopsychology, one of the primary components is "culture". American psychologist Harry Triandis believed that it has two levels. The first is objective culture, which includes elementary objects, tools, clothing, cooking, things, language, names, etc. The second level is subjective culture, which implies attitudes, values, and beliefs of the population. In the role of the subject of ethnopsychology, according to Triandis, it was the subjective that acted. The American considered it a generalizing element for carriers, regardless of their ideology, prejudices,moral values.
Dutch sociologist Geert Hofstede in 1980 studied more than 50 countries of the world. Based on the results of his work, he managed to identify several fundamental criteria of culture:
- Distance from power - the degree to which members of society allow uneven distribution of power. For example, in the Arab countries, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Russia, there is a culture with high distance, and in Australia, Denmark, Germany, the United States - with a low one, which means building equal relationships based on respect for members of society.
- Individualism - the desire for awareness of one's own "I", the protection of personal interests, the absence of obligations to act jointly (typical of the United States) or the presence of group common goals, awareness of the team as a whole (typical of a collectivist culture in Latin America).
- Masculinity - assertiveness, rivalry, purposefulness, readiness to achieve results at any cost. Countries with a high score are 'masculine' (Philippines, Austria, Mexico, Japan, Italy), while countries with low masculinity (Sweden, Norway, Denmark) are 'feminine'.
- Uncertainty aversion - takes into account the ability to adequately respond to unfamiliar situations, avoid avoiding ambiguous situations, intolerant attitude towards people with a different life position.
- Strategic thinking - the ability to make strategic long-term decisions, predict further developments.
Tutorial T. Stefanenko
Among the books on ethnopsychology that are used in the educational process of domestic universities, it is worth noting the course on ethnopsychology by T. Stefanenko. The textbook outlines the main thematic sections of this discipline. Stefanenko's book "Ethnopsychology" is a corrected and supplemented systematized course published by the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University. M. V. Lomonosov in 1998. Then the study guide was published in a limited edition.
The author of the scientific and methodological complex is the leading Russian psychologist Tatyana Gavrilovna Stefanenko. She made an attempt to integrate various ethnopsychological approaches that exist in different sciences, including psychology, cultural studies, and anthropology. In the textbook on ethnopsychology, the author outlines various development paths, familiar and innovative ways of studying personality, communication, and regulating social behavior in the context of culture. In addition, Stefanenko managed to analyze in detail aspects of national identity, relations between different ethnic groups and adaptation in a foreign cultural environment.
"Ethnopsychology" Stefanenko is designed for students majoring in "Psychology", "History", "Political Science". With her work, the author summarized and generalized the results of the ethnopsychological analysis of the fundamental research of G. Lebon, A. Fullier, W. Wundt, G. Tarde and other representatives of ethnic psychology.
Peoples of Russia
Studying the national psychological characteristics of the inhabitants of different regions, the majorityscientists pursue the goal of building a competent strategy of interethnic relations. For clarity, it would be more expedient to combine them into several groups:
- representatives of Slavic nationalities: Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians;
- Turkic and Altai peoples: Tatars, Altaians, Bashkirs, Khakasses, Kumyks, Chuvashs, Tuvans, Nogais;
- representatives of the Finno-Ugric group: Mordovians, Maris, Mordovians, Komi and Komi-Permyaks, Finns, Khanty, Mansi, Karelians, Sami, Veps;
- Mongolian group: Kalmyks and Buryats;
- Tungus-Manchurian folk: Nenets, Itelmens, Nanais, Evenks, Evens, Ulchis, Chukchis, Eskimos, Udyghes, Orochs;
- representatives of the North Caucasus: Circassians, Karachays, Adyghes, Ossetians, Ingush, Kabardians, Chechens, Lezgins, Dargins, Kumyks, Laks, etc.
National psychological characteristics of the Slavs
Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians are close to each other in terms of genotype, culture, language, have a lot in common in the process of historical development. Thanks to a variety of sources reflecting the lifestyle and life of representatives of these nationalities, scientists have the opportunity to summarize the results and create an approximate portrait of an average Slav:
- has a high degree of comprehension of reality;
- has a decent level of general education necessary for independent living and working;
- makes decisions carefully, carefully considers actions, adequately responds to the difficulties and difficulties of life;
- sociable, friendly but not intrusive;
- ready to help and support other people at any time;
- tolerant and friendly to representatives of other nationalities.
Humanity and tolerance are the most important features inherent in a Russian person. Despite all the hardships and trials that the Russian people have had to face, they do not lose mercy and compassion for other people. Domestic philosophers, psychologists, writers have repeatedly spoken about the high civil solidarity, courage, courage and unpretentiousness of the Slavs.
The writer F. M. Dostoevsky, characterizing the Russian man, considered kindness and hard work to be one of his most distinctive social and psychological qualities. Ukrainians are known for their diligence and high professional responsibility, Belarusians for their craftsmanship and craving for handicrafts. In every Slavic family, parents have long been raising their children in the world, teaching them to live in friendship, instilling love for work, respect for people. In Russia, parasitism and cheating have been and remain a reason for condemnation.
Ethnic minorities
Among scientists involved in research into the ethnopsychology of minorities living in the vast expanses of Siberia and the Far East, it is worth noting G. A. Sidorov. He is the author of "Ethnopsychology of the peoples of the former Tartaria".
The book was written in order to explain to the reader in an accessible way what is the difference between the individual and collective consciousness of various ethnic groups. None of the peoples of Siberia, including those related toculture, did not think about why in certain situations their people act in a particular way. It is unlikely, for example, that Evenks and Evens analyzed their behavior and attitude towards neighboring peoples, or thought about the reasons for their extraordinary resilience in any troubles of life and complete fearlessness towards the tribes on whose territory they had to settle. So Sidorov in the "Ethnopsychology of the peoples of the former Tartaria" finds the answer: the Tungus received all these qualities from their ancestors who built the Kingdom of Bohai in the Far East in the 11th century, and in the 12th century the Golden Empire of the Jurchens. According to the author, the Tungus ethnos, which spread over the vast Siberian territories, is rooted in the history of Manchuria.
The same can be said about the Ob Ugrians. Their ancestors led a nomadic life, moving in the Tibetan expanses. It was from northern Tibet, together with the Scythians, that they settled in the Urals. The nomadism of the ancestors, with its characteristic way of life and militancy, was passed on to modern taiga descendants - Mansi and Khanty.
According to Sidorov, the Yakut ethnic group also descended from several nomadic peoples. Their ancestors are considered to be the Kirghiz, Tuvan Chiki, Kurykans and Russian Cheldons. It is not surprising that the psychology of the Yakuts is peculiar: on the one hand, these people are somewhat similar to the Slavs, and on the other, they are typical steppe nomads who, by the will of fate, settled in the taiga.
