National Character: The Study of Modal Personality and Sociocultural Systems

The concept of national character is an important but problematic one in the social sciences. This chapter deals with the following issues: Problems of definition: national character as modal personality, personality theory: approaches to the analysis of modal personality and theoretical problems in the empirical delineation of modal personality. It also includes methodological problems in the assessment of modal personality and the influence of modal personality on the functioning social system. The chapter considers the merits and limitations of various research techniques and sources, including personality study of individuals, psychological analysis of collective adult phenomena, and study of child-rearing systems and the influence of the sociocultural system on the formation of modal personality. Given the nature of the social aspiration and the situation provided by the culture for the attainment of a given goal, certain traits of character may increase or decrease an individual&s;s adequacy in striving for the goal.