mentality

 
Pronunciation: /mɛnˈtalɪti/

noun (plural mentalities)

  • 1often derogatory the characteristic way of thinking of a person or group: I had inherited not only my father’s blood but his bourgeois mentality as well
  • 2 [mass noun] dated the capacity for intelligent thought: machines can possess mentality

Origin:

late 17th century (in the sense 'mental process'): from the adjective mental + -ity. Current senses date from the mid 19th century