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Psychology of Nations?

TheCatWoman

Do you think different countries have different psychologies? I wonder if one of the most prevalent in Britain is a kind of Tall Poppy Syndrome? Tall Poppy Syndrome is basically where people ar put down for standing above the crowd and doing well at something, there always seems to be someone who wants to "cut you down to size". As a nation we seem to really dislike someone doing well, the tabloid press in particular love to build someone up and put them on a massive pedastal which they will inevitably fall from, then they tear them apart and they go from being able to do no wrong to being able to do no right. Do we fear success?

Do other countries have such sayings as "getting above your station in life", or "to big for your boots"?

I've wondered if Israel has a national persecution complex? It wouldn't be surprising if they did given the way Jews have been persecuted for the last 2,000 years or more.

Is America WIldly optomistic and afraid of failure? I wonder about the fall out of "The American Dream" where anyone can "make it if they try hard enough", what does that do to those who keep trying and failing particularly if it's through no fault of thier own?

I know some people will look at this and think, eh whats she on about now? But have a think, what are a nations psychological traits, not just the face which they like to show the world, but what's the underbelly of a national psyche like?

Parents

  • I think there are psychological traits that are more common in one nation than another. This is based on my personal experience, nothing more. I find the English to be phlegmatic, fair minded and resilient. I am not English myself, but I am far more comfortable in England than anywhere else I've been. 

  • in reply to Richy

    Thank you for your reply Richy, at least someone gets what I'm talking about!

    It's interesting that you find yourself more comfortable here than other countries, I'm not well travelled myself,  have met many people who travel here from different countries.

    I think us Brits are far less compliant than many other nations, I couldn't see us standing for the sort conformity that some Asian countries go for.

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  • in reply to Richy

    Thank you for your reply Richy, at least someone gets what I'm talking about!

    It's interesting that you find yourself more comfortable here than other countries, I'm not well travelled myself,  have met many people who travel here from different countries.

    I think us Brits are far less compliant than many other nations, I couldn't see us standing for the sort conformity that some Asian countries go for.

Children
  • in reply to Richy

    I don't find that in Wales, but I do in England, especially Southern England where if you say hello they think you're an axe murderer or something..

    I can't say I'm a massive Starkey fan, certainly not of his politics, which I think sometimes bleed into his interpretations of history, like his interpretations are very establishment and male orrientated. He once said that he didn't like social history and it was all to do with the number of female historians! I think his sort of history can put a lot of people off, it's to much like school, whereas people are interested in the history of ordinary people, like themselves.

    Many people do believe we have a foundation document in the Magna Carta, not realising that it's not been.law for over 100 years and previously was in and out like a fiddlers elbow. Parliament does make law, not all are from precedent. I'd also dispute that with the first past the post system we all get a say, if the party we voted for dosen't get elected we're expected to shut up for the next five years. We also don't have a constitution, we have a muddly pile of habits and customs with more things implied than real. Personally I'd like to have a proper constitution.

    I've never been to the southern med.

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    I'm not well travelled either, to be honest. The Mediterranean countries I've been to are gorgeous, and I love to visit them, but there's something about the way they interact socially that's difficult for me to fit into. I suspect those places are harder work for those of us who are unemotional and reserved. Even within Britain I find England quite a lot more congenial than Wales, where I'm from. The English keep a certain distance from strangers and mind their own business, while also being totally approachable. In Wales you're much more likely to find someone you don't know being spontaneously chatty to you and taking offence if you don't respond in the way they expect. It's more like southern Europe in that respect.

    You're right about conformity in some Asian countries, that certainly doesn't come naturally to Brits. I'm a big fan of the historian David Starkey (who, incidentally, thinks he is probably autistic) and he's great at spelling out the uniqueness of the British constitution, where everyone has had a representative in Parliament since time immemorial, whether you like them or not, and decisions taken in Parliament are therefore respected even when individuals disagree. Likewise, our law works bottom-up, with cases making precedents that form the law, rather than it being dictated top-down from some foundational document. This is all highly unusual in a global context, even a European context, and I'm sure it is both a product of and a factor in our national character.