essay

The psychology of Great Russians

people of great Russia: a psychological studyLondon • Published In 1949 • Pages: 91-194

By: Gorer, Geoffrey.

Abstract
This study highlights behaviors presumed typical of adult Russians, the most important reflecting deep-seated contradictions and ambiguities in the Russian cultural ethos related to equality, hierarchy, love and compassion. In particular, the author notes the ubiquity of extreme behavioral swings (e.g. between cruelty and kindness), not just in living Russian men but also in major fictional characters in the works of popular novelists, poets, and playwrights, attributing this trait to infant swaddling. A swaddled infant cannot physically express pain and frustration as its body is held tight. It instead relies on other means, most notably communicating with the eyes, and, to an extent, with words.
Subjects
Drives and emotions
Social personality
Ethos
Social relationships and groups
Ethnopsychology
Infant feeding
Infant care
Child care
Techniques of socialization
Transmission of cultural norms
culture
Russians
Region
Europe
Sub Region
Eastern Europe
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Anthropologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Teferi Abate Adem ; 2019
Field Date
no date given
Coverage Date
1917-1947
Coverage Place
Russia
Notes
By Geoffrey Gorer
Includes bibliographical references
People of Great Russia: a psychological study, by Geoffrey Gorer and John Rickman
LCCN
50002111
LCSH
Russians
Soviet Union--Social life and customs