mentality
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mentality
The characteristic way of thinking and behaving that shapes the attitudes and values of a person or a social group.
In dem kleinen Dorf herrscht eine ganz andere Mentalität als in der Großstadt.
In the small village, there is a completely different mentality than in the big city.
The ending '-ität' (-ity) is typical of abstract nouns that often come from Latin. It describes a state or quality, similar to 'Qualität' (quality) or 'Aktivität' (activity).
Die Universität legt Wert auf hohe Qualität in der Lehre.
The university places importance on high quality in teaching.
'Mentalität' (mentality) is often used to describe the way of thinking of a group, e.g. 'die Mentalität eines Volkes' (the mentality of a people) or 'einer Generation' (of a generation). It is frequently combined with adjectives like 'offen' (open), 'konservativ' (conservative), or 'flexibel' (flexible).
Für den Job braucht man eine flexible Mentalität und die Bereitschaft, Neues zu lernen.
For the job, you need a flexible mentality and the willingness to learn new things.
A very typical formulation is 'es herrscht eine ... Mentalität' (there is a ... mentality). The verb 'herrschen' (to prevail / to dominate) is used here to express that a particular way of thinking is dominant in a group or place.
In diesem Unternehmen herrscht eine sehr wettbewerbsorientierte Mentalität.
In this company, there is a very competitive mentality.
attitude / setting
Both words describe an influential outlook. „Einstellung“ usually refers to an attitude toward a specific matter, while „Mentalität“ describes a more comprehensive, characteristic way of thinking shared by a person or group. Use „Einstellung“ for a specific issue and „Mentalität“ for the general pattern behind it.
Die Mentalität der Mannschaft zeigt sich auch in schwierigen Spielen.
The team's mentality is also evident in difficult matches.
Seine Einstellung zur Arbeit hat sich nach dem Gespräch deutlich verändert.
His attitude toward work changed significantly after the conversation.
