Today’s reading outlined a path towards joy. We were told to embrace pride, to acknowledge our accomplishments now, so that we will have the endurance, the mettle, to keep going later. But can pride be a good thing?
Apparently, pride is a little more multifaceted than being just the first of seven deadly sins. Proper pride (Lea & Webley, 1997) or authentic pride is the pride we should strive for, the pride that allows us to be appreciative of our achievements and to look at things with a positive outlook (Miceli, Castelfranchi, & Pocobello, 2017). Authentic pride ultimately leads to improved performance (Weidman, Tracy, & Elliot, 2016) because it motivates and encourages perseverance (Williams & DeSteno, 2008). That is what provides us with endurance. We can keep going because we know what it feels like to succeed and we know we can reach that again. We can keep going because we can look at setbacks through a positive lens. Setbacks become learning opportunities instead of blocks that prevent us from moving forward.
Okay, but what about those ‘prideful’ egotistical people we all seem to know? The ones that believe they can’t do anything wrong and everything they do is wonderful.
Well that showcases a whole other type of pride – false or hubris pride – that leads to self-aggrandizing and narcissistic behavior (Lea & Webley, 1997; Miceli, Castelfranchi, & Pocobell0, 2017). That’s the pride we don’t want. We want to highlight what we accomplish on our own, not because of, or at the expense of, someone else. So let’s focus on our accomplishments the right way.
Say it loud:
I am proud of my success.
I am proud of what I have achieved.
I am proud of who I have become.
Can’t access the links? Check out our sources below:
Lea, Stephen E.G, & Webley, Paul. (1997). Pride in economic psychology. Journal of Economic Psychology, 18(2-3), 323–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-4870(97)00011-1
Miceli, M., Castelfranchi, C., & Pocobello, R. (2017). The ambiguity of pride. Theory & Psychology, 27(4), 550–572. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354317702542
Weidman, A. C., Tracy, J. L., & Elliot, A. J. (2016). The Benefits of Following Your Pride: Authentic Pride Promotes Achievement. Journal of Personality, 84(5), 607–622. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12184
Williams, L. A., & DeSteno, D. (2008). Pride and perseverance: The motivational role of pride. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(6), 1007–1017. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/10.1037/0022-3514.94.6.1007
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