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The problem is, based on my own experiences and those I know, I don't know what self-respect is anymore in terms of how you operationalize it. Does doing X in a
by derbOac 3y ago
The problem is, based on my own experiences and those I know, I don't know what self-respect is anymore in terms of how you operationalize it. Does doing X in a given situation mean a lack of self-respect or an abundance of self-respect? Similarly, is there a point at which persisting in something in the name of self-respect in a given situation paradoxically becomes self-disprespectful? I have some friends who value it very highly and some of the decisions they've made in the name of self-respect have come across to me as instead being facile or purely vindictive at best, or psychologically unsound at worst. Is that self-respect?
It's something that seems important to me and important to reflect on, but like a lot of things in life, turning it into an actionable decision is where it evaporates. I suspect there's some things I've done that seemed like the epitome of self-respect to some people who are close to me, and like the epitome of self-loathing or lack of self-respect to others.
- 48864w6ui 3y agoHow about the higher the self respect the lower the (big 5) neuroticism?
- vinnyvichy 3y agoHmmm
- vinnyvichy 3y agoNeuroticism seems like the real enemy within the real enemy (of self). Defeat neuroticism, you can overcome lack of conscientiousness，narrow-mindedness, disagreeableness, even introversion.
- 48864w6ui 3y agoYeah, insufficient neuroticism is also known as hypocrisy.
- life-and-quiet 3y agoI think this essay is about the exact opposite of operationalizing. It's about an internal feeling or life of the mind. One of the examples she points to is how the exact same action (e.g. having an affair) can originate from and result in very different mental attitudes.
- nonrandomstring 3y ago> the exact opposite of operationalizing Or what Kant called "instrumental reason". Doing something not because it's the right thing to do, but because we hope to get something out of it. A means not an end. Paradoxically thinking that way we commmodify (reify) ourselves (see Erich Fromm). Gotta break out of that "what's in it for me?" mindset. Then self respect looks a bit like great art, you'll know it when you feel it.
- sdwr 3y ago> some of the decisions they've made in the name of self-respect have come across to me as instead being facile or purely vindictive at best, or psychologically unsound at worst That's the crux. Self respect means valuing your own judgement and feelings, and holding to them in the face of disapproval. It's valuable even, and especially when, you're wrong. Making a petty, unstable, vindictive decision and owning it can be better in the long run than caving to social pressure. You learn from your choices, instead of learning how to hide them away inside yourself.