Psychologist Albert Nalchatchyan today warned that the Armenian people lack an overall national ideology and that any nation without one is without direction. "At the base of such an ideology is a creed of values. With such a value system one has direction and a meaning for life," Mr. Nalchatchyan said at a press conference. According to the psychologist, at the base of a ideology for the Armenian nation there must be an overall belief in its spiritual make-up. "In such a make-up we include the dominant traits of the people, characteristics of behavior, psychological types and other components. Today, we still haven't formulated an Armenian ethno-psychology to its full completion." Mr. Nalchatchyan argued that the primary factor hindering such a process is the fact that the Armenian people are separated into different strata and groups. "There are more than eighty diaspora communities that are subject to a variety of cultural and environmental influences. Even in Armenia, the people aren't homogenous from a psychological viewpoint. Different approaches give rise to conflict regarding widely differing issues," Mr. Nalchatchyan noted. The psychologist pointed to the current talks with Turkey as a prime example when such a national ideology gains importance. He argued that Armenia's political elite are ill-equipped to understand Turkey's motivations and psychology when it deals with Armenia because they are being lead by factors imported from the West. "This is a subject in need of serious research. Sadly, our national academy is ill-equipped for such a task," Mr. Nalchatchyan concluded.