I think that "mentality'' is the way of thinking **how a person thinks about a situation or life in general. So we say that it's difficult to change a person's mentality cos is the way he thinks! ''mindset'' is a way of thinking about a Specific situation and it can change easier.

Oh man. This may prove to be a hard question to answer but I will try to give some examples of each which will hopefully demonstrate both their use and meaning. Mentality = a particular way of thinking 1. I love learning languages, unlike some Americans who have a crappy attitude and a "This is America. Speak English." mentality. Instead, I see the value in learning the languages and cultures of other people and consequently becoming a more well-rounded person in the end. 2. He criticizes filmmakers for their blockbuster mentality. = He criticized filmmakers for thinking only about making movies that could be blockbusters. ************************* Mind-set = a particular way of thinking : a person's attitude or set of opinions about something 1. He visited several locations in Massachusetts and spoke with residents to get a better understanding of their mind-sets. * Here it means to get a sense of what their opinions are on various topics and how they think. Are they interested in jobs more? In bringing soldiers back from overseas? Human rights? 2. Understanding the complex mind-set of drug addicts will be crucial to the successful operation of such programs. * If you don't take into consideration their attitudes on various components of a program, their rehabilitation isn't going to be successful. ************************* Mind = the part of a person that thinks, reasons, feels, and remembers 1. It is important that you keep your mind active as you get older to prevent Alzheimer's disease. One way to achieve this is to study another language. 2. His mind was full of holes from all those years of doing drugs. He really could not remember much.

Mindset and mentality are very similar. You could swap those two examples and it would still make sense. The way I understand the difference is that 'mindset' is an attitude and 'mentality' is a way of thinking. Mentality is more fixed, but a mindset could change.

Can I say "Chinese people generally have different mindset with Americans because of the culture difference"? I would word it more naturally in American English like this: Chinese people generally have different mind-sets than Americans do, especially due to (their) cultural differences. *********** Can I say "I don't understand the mentality of masochists"? Here, I think you would actually say "I don't understand the mind-sets of masochists." instead.