THE CONCEPT OF BEAUTY AS A COMPONENT OF THE NATIONAL MENTALITY

Abstract

The article highlights the category of «beauty» as an integral component of the national mentality, exploring its profound impact on cultural identity and social values. Through a comprehensive analysis of philosophical, cultural and linguocognitive approaches, the study analyzes how beauty is conceptualized and manifested in different contexts. The key focus is a comparative analysis between Ukrainian, English-speaking (mainly covering Anglo- American influences) and wider European systems, highlighting both convergence and divergence in aesthetic interpretations.In the article, we aim to reveal how the concept of beauty serves as a reflection of the core values, historical experience and general worldview of the nation.Methodologically, the study uses a powerful toolkit that includes in-depth analysis of literary and philosophical texts, comparative analysis to compare cultural artifacts and social norms, and a large literature review that synthesizes scholarly contributions from aesthetics, anthropology, and cognitive linguistics.The main findings emphasize the dual nature of beauty as both a universal human category that evokes innate responses to symmetry, balance, and emotional resonance, and a culturally specific construct shaped by contextual factors. It encompasses several dimensions: aesthetic (visual and sensory appeal), moral (linking beauty to virtue and ethics, as in Aristotelian eudaimonia), sociocultural (reflecting social hierarchies, gender roles, and societal standards), and communicative (serving as a vehicle for interpersonal and intercultural dialogue).In addition, the research shows how national mentality deeply shapes and sustains its own criteria of beauty, acting as a repository of collective memory and aspirations.These criteria not only influence everyday life – from fashion and art to interpersonal relationships – but also evolve in response to socio-political shifts such as migration, technological progress and environmental problems.The article emphasizes that understanding beauty through the prism of national mentality offers valuable insights into cross-cultural communication, identity formation and global aesthetic dialogues, which facilitates further interdisciplinary research to track current evolutions.