National Identity and Mentality of the British

The most characteristic features of the British mentality are the following:

Individualism and independence

People are seen as independent personalities with individual needs and right for private information. Individualization has its impact on the conversational topics. Being in the U.K. we should avoid mentioning any figures when talking with people about income, bank interest, insurance rates, credit lines etc. Keeping ‘individualism’ set in mind, Englishmen see people as individuals, who accomplish goals themselves.

Egalitarianism

People have equal opportunities to reach their goals. Egalitarianism is closely connected with individualism. Englishmen try to accomplish their goals themselves. That is quite often why businessmen’s children start their own businesses independent from their parents’. As a result of the struggle for equal rights, representatives of various minorities and majorities are treated equally. Talks with Englishmen prove that accomplishments depend only on the person’s abilities. Many Russians disagree and find possible failure reasons in fate.

Optimism or Future orientation

Englishmen believe that it doesn’t matter what happened in the past and present, future will be happier and better. I was impressed by one answer given by a student majoring in computer science. Speaking about the future he said: «After I get my B.S. I’ll study at a graduate school for 2 years to get an M.S. and 3 more years to get a Ph.D., find a well-paid job, buy a house, get married etc.». On the contrary, the majority of Russian students do not know what they are planning to do after they get their Diplomas. Englishmen perceive the future as something positive, happier and better than ‘today’. Many Russians, in their turn, have expectations of uncertainty, referring to the Presidential elections, which could radically change their lives.

Informality

In everyday life people show casual, egalitarian attitude towards each other. Englishmen often smile on the streets, can easily start a conversation with a stranger, and address each other by first names. In Britain people look at each other from an informal point of view (accept official meetings), which makes them perceive Russians as being rude, since we do not smile and say ‘Hi’ on the streets.

Personal Space

Englishmen are particular about the physical distance between each other. Personal Space awareness is very important in business contacts. Englishmen do not normally stand or sit close to each other; college students do not shake hands, like they do in Russia. Personal Space issues resulted in society rules: In British buses only 7 people are permitted to stand. If there are more, passengers will not be allowed to get on the bus. Obviously, an unsuspecting ‘Russian soul’ expressing a great sense of community may lead to cross-cultural misinterpretations. Russians are very warm, emotional and honest, once they have overcome their initial natural suspicions of each other. To Englishmen, their behavior can sometimes seem overpowering, both physically and mentally. People stand surprisingly close together in a way that, for Englishmen at least, is clearly an invasion of personal space.