Moving to a new country, especially one that has long captured your imagination, can be as exciting as it is challenging. Learning the language and envisioning yourself in a new role abroad feels like a significant step toward integration. Yet, no matter how well-prepared someone thinks they are, there’s often an unexpected surprise awaiting them. Encountering the people who embody that culture — their attitudes, values, and ways of understanding the world — brings both delightful and challenging revelations. Why is this so? The answer lies in the profound role of cultural mentality and personal intelligence type, a complexity that few anticipate.
The “Mind of a Nation” and Personal Intelligence: Cultural Differences Unveiled
When we speak of “cultural mentality,” we refer to what might be called the collective “mind of a nation.” This is the shared way of thinking, understanding, and interpreting the world that underpins a society’s values and behavior. Richard Gesteland, in his exploration of cross-cultural differences in international business, captures this well, illustrating how even subtle variations in norms and expectations create significant challenges in global markets. However, the effect of cultural mentality is perhaps most deeply felt at an individual level when someone relocates. For the new arrival, even if they’ve studied native resources and learned the language, it often feels like they’ve only scratched the surface. The depth of difference in how every concept and experience is understood can be overwhelming.
This challenge is amplified by an individual’s personal intelligence type. Different types of intelligence, which shape how we make sense of the world, vary widely across cultures. A person’s dominant intelligence type, shaped by their upbringing, often feels comfortable and natural in one culture but might clash in another. For instance, someone raised in an environment where analytical intelligence is dominant may feel like an outsider in a society that values relational or intuitive intelligence. Moving to a new country means navigating not just a new language but a different way of thinking and engaging with the world.
Case Examples: The Unexpected Connections and Contrasts of Intelligence Types
Consider a woman in her mid-thirties from Russia who always felt like an “outsider” in her homeland. She moved to the Balkans and, to her surprise, found herself among kindred spirits. Curious about her newfound sense of belonging, she investigated her heritage and discovered she has ancient Balkan roots. This resonance with the local culture wasn’t merely linguistic but deeply psychological. People who feel at home in a culture that aligns with their intelligence type experience a unique sense of alignment and fulfillment, as if they’ve “come home.”
Similarly, many Russians who feel out of place in their homeland find new comfort in Italy, particularly in regions like Tuscany or Sicily. These areas are known for their appreciation of relational intelligence and harmony, values that might not have been prominent in their lives before. In contrast, others thrive in countries like Germany, where practical and logical intelligence often dominate. Despite coming from the same country, these individuals are inherently different in how they interpret and interact with the world.
This phenomenon can be explained by the four fundamental intelligence types, which have been described by researchers throughout the 20th century, These four intelligence types — intuitive, rational, relational harmony (ethics), and emotional awareness — are grounded in the dominance of specific cognitive functions. Researchers such as Carl Jung, David Keirsey, Vadim Rotenberg, Mark Sandomirsky and lots of others have shown that each function dominating shapes a corresponding type of intelligence, forming unique ways of understanding and interacting with the world. Intuition-driven individuals excel in insight and creativity; those with a rational focus value logic and structure; individuals oriented around ethics prioritize social harmony and empathy; and those with emotional intelligence show a bright external expression and demonstrative behavior. Don't confuse them with each other.
The Four Types of Intelligence: A Foundation for Cultural and Personal Adaptation
These four cognitive functions — intuition, rationality, relational harmony, and emotionality — are integral to every human decision and action. They play a vital role not only in learning a foreign language, but in adapting to a new culture and navigating both personal and business relationships.
Intuition is the ability to understand things by inner feelings, seeing like a big picture, often with just general reasoning, using the logic of events, algorithms, principles, not individual facts. Such people, studying a foreign language, do not perceive rules-first and tables, they need general content that makes sense in life. Those with strong intuitive intelligence may feel at home in cultures that value spontaneity, insight, and open-mindedness, like Montenegro, Serbia, France.
Rationality emphasizes logic, analysis, and structure. Individuals who thrive in rational cultures often excel in highly organized societies, where efficiency and logic of simple facts and linear behavior are paramount. When learning a foreign language, such people start with rules and tables, improve their literacy, speak in simple short sentences reminiscent of military commands. German order and quality attract such people.
Relational Harmony focuses on social awareness and understanding others’ needs and motivations. This type is often at the core of cultures where community and interpersonal relationships are prized. When studying a foreign language, such people want to speak sooner and participate in dialogues; they may even have difficulty with monologues and reading texts. Their specific logic of relationships has existed well since ancient times - these are all the commandments about love and other righteous things that formed the basis of laws.
Emotional Awareness centers on emotional expression, making it essential for navigating societies that value emotional brightness and demonstrativeness. Studying a foreign language, such people often choose topics related to clothing, hotels, food, medicine, health. They are interested in how to communicate correctly in the market and in the store, foremost. There is logic at their fingertips, if there is any. Since ancient times, there have been cultures and individuals who were preoccupied with building magnificent palaces and creating magnificent outfits. Intuitive sages and prophets never liked this. Compare the ancient Elijah and Solomon - you will understand how big the difference is.
These types are not just individual preferences; they manifest in the “mind of a nation,” where certain types are more dominant and valued. Thus, someone relocating to a new country often encounters not only a different language but a whole new way of interacting, perceiving, and valuing experiences. Without understanding these four intelligence types, the new resident may feel lost, surprised, or even frustrated when their usual way of thinking doesn’t resonate in the new culture.
The Key to Successful Adaptation: Embracing Cultural and Personal Differences
Acknowledging and respecting these differences in intelligence types can be a cornerstone for successful adaptation, whether you’re building a project team, creating a game, or establishing a role in personal or professional communication. Moving to a new country is an opportunity to learn not just a language but a different way of viewing and interacting with the world. By understanding the underlying intelligence types and values of the new culture, one can embrace the richness of differences and cultivate deeper connections.
In the end, these cross-cultural differences offer a unique and enriching perspective on how diverse human intelligence can be, across nations and individuals alike. The integration process becomes not a task to overcome but a journey of discovery and self-transformation.
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