Every person is an individual, but when viewed from a higher perspective, we are all representatives of the complex system of society. The mentality of a certain ethnographic group is genetically determined by the lifestyle of our ancestors, the course of historical events, traditions, culture, religion, and so on. The study of the psychology of people is the subject of a separate science – ethnopsycholwgy. Therefore, when we talk about any nation as a whole, we can confidently compile a certain psychological portrait of both genders of any nation. A people is the bearer of collective intelligence, character, temperament, will, and so on.
Today we will talk about Russians and analyze their mentality based on historical data and scientific research. The majority of modern Russia was inhabited by such peoples as the Merya, Mari, Mordovians, Chudes, Meshchers, and Vepsians, all of which are Ugric and Finno-Ugric. The Slavic Novgorod element from the southern part of Russia has little remained. It dissolved, as it was impossible to resist other types of genes that were not characteristic of the Slavic type of behaviour.
Researchers use four main criteria when studying the mentality of different nations: views on social life, views on religion, attitudes towards nature, attitudes towards women. And it is through folklore that we can easily trace how far Ukrainians and Russians are from each other.
For centuries, Ukrainians were forced to believe the myth of the “common cradle of three fraternal nations”, according to which Russia was the “elder brother” (by the way, this is part of the chauvinistic ideology from the times of Peter I, the pseudo-scientific justification of which is based on the unproven hypotheses of M. Pogodin, O. Sobolevsky, and later O. Shakhmatov). The main goal of the “common cradle” and its product, the “Russian world”, is to take over the state and cultural heritage of the times of Rus (here even includes the stolen name of the state – the word “Russia” comes from the Greek name for Rus with its center in Kiev during Byzantine times).
Ukrainians have been leading a sedentary lifestyle since time immemorial, while Russians were nomads. Mentality and thinking style are rooted in the lifestyle of our ancestors. When a nomad is used to wandering, he has no permanent values and no democracy (as a result, authoritarianism is born). Turning chaos into order, and disorder into harmony are typical activities of farming. The nomad has no stationary state because why work on subordinating space if it’s temporary?
The lifestyle patterns are reflected in oral folk art (songs, fairy tales, traditions, and main activities). In Russia, we can observe a large cycle of robber songs, including harsh romances (even in modern creativity, chanson is still present). Since Ukrainians are farmers, everything is tied to the land and the arrangement of a dwelling. For example, our winter carols glorify the host and wish him a good harvest, that is, the image of an ideal household and host is created. While Russian carols sometimes contain harsh demands for gifts. In Ukraine, Holy Evening is a symbol of unity of different generations, these are somewhat magical rituals on which the next year depends. By the way, Ukrainian New Year’s songs (called “Shchedrivki”) are a unique genre that no other nation has. In spring we sang spring songs and harvest songs, and all this was about the harvest. And in the nomadic lifestyle, there is nothing of your own, everything is common and everyone can use it.
In Ukraine, the attitude towards women is her idealization, a man and a woman have equal rights (example: Ukr. – to marry her (equal); Rus. – to marry her (like a certain thing). The attitude towards women in Russia is an attitude as to an object of the interior, which performs its duties, that is, the attitude is pragmatic. While in Ukraine it is ethical-aesthetic. An example can be our spring songs, which are started by the most beautiful girl or harvest songs, where the girl who worked best carries the harvest wreath. That is, personal achievements and individualism are highlighted. And in Russia, the woman with the richest father started the ritual songs. “If he hits – it means he loves” – a perennial Russian view of the relationship between a man and a woman. Or here’s a telling example: a wedding in Ukraine began with a blessing song from parents, and in Russia, they first paid homage to the tsars and their family, and the main reason (the wedding) why the community gathered was secondary. Our weddings were filled with singing, solemnity primarily for the newlyweds, and intellectual jokes. Unlike the rough and harsh Russian humour, ours is more witty. Then the young family aspired to build a new house, while in Russia, 3-4 generations lived in one house. There was also a common phenomenon of the father-in-law living with his son’s wife while the son was away earning money, which indicates the influence of Asian culture.
The mentality of a nation is also instilled in a person from birth. And here we propose to consider popular fairy tales. In Ukrainian fairy tales, the main character must work, be cunning, and do a good deed in order to receive a certain reward. In Russia – Emelya lies on the stove and passively waits for a miracle, that is, the reward is received without effort and a reasoned act. In our fairy tales, the demonic creatures are defeated by the hero thanks to his intelligence, such as courage, wisdom, cunning, and so on. Such heroes model the behavior of the nation. In Russia, there is no active behavior of the character, instead, there is hope for the power of the king, and so on.
Ukrainian social life was formed from communities – a sum of individuals where each member does not lose their individuality. In contrast, Russian society conveys a notion of “everything is painted with one brush” – implying dissolution into the ‘world’, where there’s no individuality but only an abstract mass. Therefore, in Russia, the individual and their achievements are unimportant; what’s critical is their status within society.
In Ukraine, it was acceptable not to bow to the Hetman or disagree with him. However, in Russia, the highest award was a “fur coat off the tsar/master’s shoulder,” implying worn clothes. Europeanism respects human rights and freedoms and promotes humanism (here, the “Code of Rus’ Truth” by Yaroslav the Wise, where there was no death penalty) contrasted with the despotic nature of governance prevalent in Asian societies.
By the mid-20th century, approximately 20,000 Ukrainian folk songs with melodies were recorded. Ukrainians had a need for creativity, as it was essential to express their feelings, thoughts, dreams, and goals. Russians needed this less, as they were in their own state, while Ukrainians were being assimilated and suppressed.
Mykola Kostomarov’s quote perfectly encapsulates this notion: “Ukrainian folk songs tell about the real state of affairs, real history, however unpleasant it may be, while Russian songs tell a decorated and twisted version.” That’s because the Ukrainian ethnos attests that people are directly involved in creating history. Russians completely transformed all historical events; they don’t have active participation in the historical existence of their ethnos and, consequently, do not feel the need to recreate it accurately. Russians formed as a ulus of the Golden Horde, and occasionally “supervisors” who collected tribute visited them; hence, it was necessary to please them.
I also want to draw attention to the famous painting by Ilya Repin “Cossacks Writing a Letter to the Turkish Sultan,” which became a symbol of the Cossack spirit. The artist, traveling through Ukraine and communicating personally with the descendants of the Zaporozhians, was impressed by the freedom-loving spirit of the local residents: “Devilish people! No one in the world felt freedom, equality, and fraternity so deeply. For all its life, Zaporizhzhia remained free, it obeyed nothing!”