We explain what arrogance, pride, vanity are and how morals and psychology consider it. Also, other deadly sins.
Pride is associated with the excessive desire to stand out above others.What is pride?
Traditionally, it is known as arrogance or pride to an excessive self-esteem, which places us above others. With these terms he baptized the Christian Catholic tradition one of the seven capital or cardinal sins, each opposed to one of the theological virtues of the good Christian.
Pride and pride are often used as synonyms, although according to the Royal Spanish Academy certain nuances can be distinguished between one and the other. Thus, the first would be the inordinate desire to stand out above the others, while the second would have to do with the arrogance, with the excess of self-love.
Regarding its moral and social effects, however, they have been more or less the same, with the exception that pride always has a negative connotation, while pride can have a positive sense of satisfaction, as when saying that we are proud of someone.
Now, pride has been frowned upon since ancient times. The ancient greeks they called her hybris and it was the reason for the fall of their great mythological heroes: at some point in their deeds they rejected the help of some deity or allowed themselves to rival her, thus unleashing tragedy on them, since the gods reminded them in a bad way of their humanity and his mortality, that is, what was his place in the order of things.
On the other hand, the psychology associates these concepts with narcissism and with the various possible ways of compensating for a feeling of inferiority (a phenomenon called overcompensation).
In turn, the tradition moral Western, heir to Christianity (and especially Catholicism) has identified with pride one of its mythological antagonists: the fallen angel Lucifer or Satan, who according to the Lost paradise of John Milton committed the sin of believing themselves equal to God.
In any case, arrogance (from the Latin superbia, "Superiority"), pride (from the French orgueil) and vanity (from Latin vanitatis, "Falsehood", "appearance") are often referred to as similar sins and depending on the biblical translation, one or the other may be preferred.
Difference between pride, pride and vanity
As we have explained before, pride and pride tend to be more or less synonymous. However, pride is always interpreted from a negative point of view, that is, as an excess of confidence, self-esteem or an overestimation of personal capacities.
On the other hand, pride can be a feeling of general satisfaction with a job well done, or with the success of a loved one, which would be a positive assessment of the experience, a kind of emotional reward. Although in other cases it can also be considered a negative trait.
Instead, vanity has to do with the ego and with the excess of self esteem, especially in relation to attractiveness and physical appearance. A vain or ostentatious person is one who struts, that is, who flaunts his attractiveness or his possessions, thinking better than he really is. In that sense, vanity would also become one of the forms of pride.
Other deadly sins
Apart from pride, the other six deadly (or cardinal) sins were the following:
- The go to, understood as excessive rage, rancor and hatred.
- The gluttony, understood as excessive taste for food (and drink).
- The lust, understood as the vicious pursuit of sexual and erotic pleasures.
- The envy, understood as hatred for successes and happiness alien and the desire to destroy them.
- The avarice, understood as excessive attachment to material goods and wealth.
- The laziness, understood as laziness or the absolute lack of industry.