What are some personality traits of the Germans?

Answer 1

The notion of 'personality traits' for nationalities, and also the idea of 'national character' is dangerous; it's also false and misleading, and it can spill over into racism. Germans are as varied and mixed a group of people as any other. (I spent a year working in Germany and have visited the country about 50 times, so I have quite a lot of experience of the country).

During and after World War 2 all kinds of very unpleasant characteristics were ascribed to 'the Germans'. However, the Germans themselves have traditionally seen Germany as 'the country of poets and thinkers' (das Land der Dichter und Denker). I think people tend to pick out things that are fashionable at the time ... After all, the implied comparison with an individual with an unchanging personality is a clumsy analogy.

11/03/09-

This is a valid question. In fact, it's part of an oral presentation in my dialects class. I was asked to research and present personality traits of German people. Noting differences is not racist. In fact, in this class we are embracing our differences. We had an Irish gentleman come and speak to our class about cultural and social differences as well as his own observations about American people vs. Irish people. Some people desperately need to be offended and I believe the answer that was given above is not very useful.

-researcher in need

Reply

" ... Some people desperately need to be offended". The fact that the topic has been set for a presentation doesn't make it respectable. Most of the characteristics ascribed to nationalities and speakers of dialecs are just a load of mythology.

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all of the above answers just demonstrate the absolute sheep mentality of people these days...criticising everything related to nationality under the guise of 'it's racism' just reflects an inability to analyse whilst separating emotion from intellectual enquiry.

find another 'cause to fight'...there are cultural differences, some good, some bad, and to pretend that there are not just because you want to be fashionable is purely ignorant.

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The question is about 'personality traits', not cultural differences. There's a big difference. To the person who wrote the last answer I'd say this: before telling other people on this site that they have a 'sheep mentality', that they 'just [...] want to be fashionable' and that they are fighting some cause read carefully what they have written.