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Swedish Mentality
Is there a distinctly Swedish national character? Are Swedes truly shy, unemotional, conflict-avoiding, melancholy, and dour? Swedish Mentality, the English translation of the hugely successful book published in Sweden in 1989, considers the reality behind the myth. The author, ake Daun, is a respected ethnologist who is sometimes referred to as the "guru" of Swedish character. In recent years, it has become popular to discuss Swedishness and Swedish identity. The advent of the European Union and the increasing presence of immigrant refugees in Sweden have fueled public debate on the distinctiveness of Swedish culture. Daun, however, goes beyond stereotype, drawing upon statistics gathered over more than a decade of research. The result is an entertaining and engagingly written book. Throughout, Daun quotes from interviews with native Swedes and immigrants as well as from travel accounts, folklore, and proverbs. We learn why some Swedes might prefer to walk up a flight of stairs rather than share an elevator with a neighbor and why some gain satisfaction from walking alone in the woods or going fishing. Daun describes a range of factors influencing Swedish character, including population composition, rural background, and even climate. He recognizes behavioral variations related to gender, age, class, and region, and he considers subtleties of individual character as well.
Swedish Mentality should interest a wide array of readers, whether of Swedish descent or not.
Swedish Mentality should interest a wide array of readers, whether of Swedish descent or not.
236 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 25, 2008
Fascinating book. The best book writtan about a culture that I have ever read. This book captures the essence of being Swedish perfectly.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is not Swedish but lives amongst Swedes. After reading this book, I was able to understand the cultural particularities of Swedish people. The Swedish mentality is vastly different from other cultures, even other European cultures and reading this book helped me to understand the culture in a significantly deeper way.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is not Swedish but lives amongst Swedes. After reading this book, I was able to understand the cultural particularities of Swedish people. The Swedish mentality is vastly different from other cultures, even other European cultures and reading this book helped me to understand the culture in a significantly deeper way.
September 11, 2015
I finally join the tens of people who have read this gripping monograph on Swedish thinking. (Seriously, are there just 26 ratings to date on this 1990 volume reworked from the original Swedish version?). The book got off to a slow start for me, a methodical and very clinical breakdown of the various stereotypes of modern Swedes, and a treatment of both the truths and myths behind the caricatures. But then it picks up from there and in fact proves to be very insightful.
The author clearly fits the bill of the characteristics he describes: reticent, aloof, modern, technical, worldly. Still for the most part he maintains an objective view of the material even when it does not always portray his fellow countrymen in the best light. One aspect that cropped up repeatedly was the idea that Swedes view themselves as envious, and that jealousy is more pronounced due to relative socioeconomic equality. I'm not sure the author ever even attempts to provide much explanation on why this is, although this attribute is obviously something to which the people of Sweden have given much thought.
While Sweden certainly has much to be admired, it is curious that its history of long periods without international conflict has produced a culture relatively naive and out-of-touch with the realities of its global neighbors. That, of course, is beginning to change in recent years due to the unfettered levels of immigration Sweden has sponsored over many decades. Conflict, violence, and economic strain are on the rise resulting in dramatic changes in political attitudes.
At the core of a majority of Swedes is their sense of independence, relative autonomy, introversion, pleasantness, circumspection, order, godlessness, and a pronounced social defensiveness. This sketch matches the Swedes I have met and known in my own experience. This book is helpful for understanding better where Swedes are coming from and for evaluating the pros and cons of policies that contribute to Swedish culture and identity.
The author clearly fits the bill of the characteristics he describes: reticent, aloof, modern, technical, worldly. Still for the most part he maintains an objective view of the material even when it does not always portray his fellow countrymen in the best light. One aspect that cropped up repeatedly was the idea that Swedes view themselves as envious, and that jealousy is more pronounced due to relative socioeconomic equality. I'm not sure the author ever even attempts to provide much explanation on why this is, although this attribute is obviously something to which the people of Sweden have given much thought.
While Sweden certainly has much to be admired, it is curious that its history of long periods without international conflict has produced a culture relatively naive and out-of-touch with the realities of its global neighbors. That, of course, is beginning to change in recent years due to the unfettered levels of immigration Sweden has sponsored over many decades. Conflict, violence, and economic strain are on the rise resulting in dramatic changes in political attitudes.
At the core of a majority of Swedes is their sense of independence, relative autonomy, introversion, pleasantness, circumspection, order, godlessness, and a pronounced social defensiveness. This sketch matches the Swedes I have met and known in my own experience. This book is helpful for understanding better where Swedes are coming from and for evaluating the pros and cons of policies that contribute to Swedish culture and identity.
September 2, 2008
I'm a geek....a Swedish geek. This book is intriguing to me because it so clearly describes my Swedish-American family and I laugh at the picture it rather accurately paints of Sweden.
The book is probably quite outdated by now, but was interesting to read nonetheless.
The book is probably quite outdated by now, but was interesting to read nonetheless.
October 23, 2021
No sé exactamente qué esperaba del libro, pero quizá ha sido más el hecho de que me haya decepcionado como concepto y método que como estudio en sí. Daun es experto en este tipo de investigaciones que, más que antropológicas, deberían llamarse estadísticas. Su libro de la mentalidad europea ha sido también aclamado, pero me pregunto si realmente habrá seguido el mismo método, lleno de agujeros.
Mi problema con este libro es que es bastante complicado creer que la mejor manera de analizar el "carácter", la "psicología", la mentalidad de una nación es el uso de encuestas masivas. ¿Hasta qué punto tienen un mínimo de autenticidad, cómo usarlas o de qué manera los participantes están capacitados para hablar de la mentalidad de una nación? ¿Es la percepción externa e interna de lo que los suecos son la mejor manera de analizar la existencia o no de características homogéneas en un grupo tan amplio?
El autor monta una fiesta cada vez que las encuestas dan un 5% de diferencia entre dos términos completamente opuestos sobre lo que los suecos son (en vez de analizar algo con más base como influencias culturales, históricas, rastros en la lengua...). No sé a quién le gustará este libro, pero la descripción y construcción no son que digamos muy atractivas tampoco.
Mi problema con este libro es que es bastante complicado creer que la mejor manera de analizar el "carácter", la "psicología", la mentalidad de una nación es el uso de encuestas masivas. ¿Hasta qué punto tienen un mínimo de autenticidad, cómo usarlas o de qué manera los participantes están capacitados para hablar de la mentalidad de una nación? ¿Es la percepción externa e interna de lo que los suecos son la mejor manera de analizar la existencia o no de características homogéneas en un grupo tan amplio?
El autor monta una fiesta cada vez que las encuestas dan un 5% de diferencia entre dos términos completamente opuestos sobre lo que los suecos son (en vez de analizar algo con más base como influencias culturales, históricas, rastros en la lengua...). No sé a quién le gustará este libro, pero la descripción y construcción no son que digamos muy atractivas tampoco.
July 15, 2009
(Maybe this shouldn't be listed as read because I only skimmed the second half.) The book was a bit hard to follow only because Daun's observations didn't match up well with my own or with others I've heard. Then again, Daun certainly has the credentials; if we don't agree it's probably me who's wrong.
April 11, 2017
Author tends to repeat the same points. Seems dated as there are some points that are valid but many do not apply to the younger generation.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews