National character refers to a characteristic common
personality of the people of a
nation.[1][2] National character has been studied within the fields of anthropology, sociology, and psychology.[3] The question of whether analysis and descriptions of national characters express meaningful content, as opposed to comprising inaccurate
stereotypes, is controversial.[4][5] Most of the research on national character has focused on the content, stability, accuracy, and origins of national character stereotypes.[2] A 1985 cross-national study of national character found fundamental differences between the psychological profiles of the respective national populations of
France,
Germany,
Great Britain,
Italy,
Russia, and the
United States.[2] Some studies comparing national character stereotypes with assessed personality traits find a moderate relationship between stereotype and reality, while others have found perceptions of national character to be unfounded and poorly related.[2][6] Academic interest in national character peaked around
World War II, with two anthropologists in 1969 identifying 1935 to 1945 as the field's seminal period, and declined in the decades that followed due to changes in academic thought.[7]