What is hypocrisy and why is it a sign of self-doubt?

Updated July 24, 2022 137 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. You often hear how, during a heated debate, one of the opponents calls the other a hypocrite.

As a rule, the person to whom this characteristic was uttered feels insulted and tries in every possible way to prove the opposite.

Who is a prude, and why don't people like it when they are awarded this nickname?

What is hypocrisy?

This type of behavior as hypocrisy is a certain form of self-expression. We can highlight some features of the behavior of bigots:

it is distinguished by demonstrative adherence to spiritual ideas without true belief in them;
often such people are prone to deliberate deception;
they present their actions as selfless, which does not correspond to reality;
at the same time, inflated demands are placed on others, which are not met by the prude himself.

In most cases, the manifestation of hypocrisy can hide:

distrust of others; caution in dealing with people; desire to manipulate certain individuals.

The Nature of Hypocrisy

As already mentioned, hypocrisy can be unconscious. In this case, a person is not able to notice its signs in himself. Psychologists identify the following reasons for unconscious sanctimonious behavior:

Narrow outlook.
Stereotypical thinking.
Mental immaturity.
Psychological trauma.

A narrow view of things, along with inert thinking full of stereotypes, does not allow the hypocrite to objectively assess what is happening around him and accept new progressive ideas. This person is literally programmed for certain patterns of behavior.

Everything that is done “wrong” causes him fear and rage. By the way, this characteristic is true to one degree or another for many people.

The causes of hypocrisy can be an immature psyche or unhealed psychological trauma hidden deep in the subconscious. In this case, it is common for a person to become unreasonably defensive and blame others for those sins that he himself would not mind committing or has already committed once.

Consequences of this learned behavior

This phenomenon is far from simple.
Side effects may result in internal conflict, turning into tension and neuroticism. The person then lives a double life. The ego of such a person is very weak. Humiliating people is normal for him. A prude is a person who is not always able to realize his negative quality. He gets used to this role and gets used to living like this.

Here are some recommendations on how to eradicate

contains this “evil quality”:

Be yourself with others.
If you don't try to please everyone, you're not a dollar.
Define your goals and follow them.
Be open to new things.
It is necessary to fight such a quality as hypocrisy and not allow it into your life.

What do you think, our dear readers, who is a hypocrite and how to get rid of it in yourself?
Polukhina Pelageya · Jun 19, 2020

Who are bigots in plain English?

Modern society is distinguished by rather liberal views in everyday life, and this is manifested in a relatively free attitude to what is happening.

In society, it is customary to contrast free views with sanctimonious ones, and in this case, a free attitude to life is considered healthy and is the norm for most of society. In such a situation, everyone should understand who the “hypocrite” is.

Meaning of the word

Different dictionaries provide different interpretations of this word.

The most common use of the word “prude” is to mean a person who is a hypocrite, hiding behind ostentatious piety, and focuses on strict adherence to various rules, mainly with one goal, so that his behavior stands out and is noticed by others. That is, this is an outwardly pious person, but in reality he is not

The second meaning assumes that such a hypocrite is engaged in deliberately seeking out shortcomings in others with the aim of further censure. He himself does not notice his shortcomings, even if they are the same as those that he ridicules.

In Ozhegov’s dictionary, this lexeme corresponds to the meaning of false holiness or chivalry, a crafty person.

That is, this is a person who deliberately emphasizes his compliance with certain standards, and this compliance exists only in words.

It happens that a person is susceptible to propaganda and tries to “keep up” with the crowd, often masking his unseemly actions and hiding his real views.

Traits of a prude

Two features stand out

hypocrisy:

double standards in relation to others and to oneself;
inflated claims towards people.

The favorite pastime of the classic bigot is teaching others and defending his point of view. However, his own internal content often does not correspond at all to the views he declares. The prude tries to pass herself off as a sincere, unselfish person, reads morals, evaluates everyone around her, and engages in sophistry (substitution of concepts using speech tricks).

He tends to use lexemes in his speech: tolerance, justice, equality, honesty, openness.

As a rule, this is a type of self-deception and a subconscious attempt to hide your unsightly sides in order to maintain respect in your social circle. An unconscious hypocrite not only lies to himself, but may be aggressive and unable to adequately perceive the world around him.

History of the word "bigot"

In Ancient Rus', before the word “hypocrite” entered the Russian language from the Arabic language, the word “pustosvyat”, endowed with a similar meaning, was actively used. The term itself is believed to have been one of the first to be used in his work by Omar Khayyam to denounce two-faced people.

Most linguists are confident that the word “bigot” is of Arabic origin, because similar words exist in Turkish and Arabic, and they have almost the same sound.

Initially, the words “haji” and “haji” meant pilgrims, but over time they acquired an ironic connotation, and then a negative one. And all because the pilgrim looks like a pious person, but piety can be superficial, because there have been cases of unworthy behavior among pilgrims, prompting one to doubt their faith.

If this person matches the above factors in any way, it is likely that you have observed a prude.

However, you should not judge others too harshly; you should always look after yourself first and evaluate your actions.

Holiness

Holiness is a form of religious behavior that occupies an intermediate position between hypocrisy and superstition. According to D.I. Fonvizin, “the vain saint almost never makes it to mass. He runs to church not in order to pray to God with tenderness of heart, but in order to kiss all the icons that he can reach with his lips.” In modern church practice, similar terms “ritual belief” and “lubok Orthodoxy” are used. Sometimes hypocrisy in the sphere of religion takes extreme forms of direct falsification with the deliberate creation of an ersatz (usually to obtain social, material and other benefits). This kind of simulative practices often exploit the ignorance of others, as well as all types of naive social mythology, which is abundantly represented in the religious sphere (the naive attitude “Whatever the pope, the daddy” is based precisely on mythological thinking and worldview).

Notes

[https://www.chomsky.info/talks/200202—02.htm Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror?, by Noam Chomsky (Talk delivered at Harvard University)]
Hypocrisy // Atheistic Dictionary / Under general. ed. M. P. Novikova. - M.: Politizdat, 1985. - P. 474.
Hildebrand D.
Ethics. - St. Petersburg, 2001.
Fonvizin D.I.
Drama, poetry, prose. M., 1989. - P. 204.
Peter, abbot
. About lubok Christianity // Church Bulletin. 2005. No. 10. - P. 12.
Lomonosov M.V.
[https://feb-web.ru/feb/lomonos/texts/lo0/lo8/lo8-769-.htm?cmd=p Mouse once, loving the shrine...] //
Lomonosov M.V.
Complete works / USSR Academy of Sciences. - M.; L., 1950-1983. T. 8: Poetry, oratorical prose, inscriptions, 1732-1764. - M.; L.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1959. - P. 769.

How to deal with a prude

When communicating with a prude, it is important not to become one yourself. First of all, you need to understand what exactly he needs, what he wants, what his goal is

The answer is clear: “social recognition is necessary.” In addition, it is important for him to exalt himself in his own eyes, while emphasizing the shortcomings of others. It's no use arguing with a hypocrite. He is ready for this and is waiting for just such “feeding”. Hypocrisy contains suspicion and disregard for the opinions of other people.

It may sound rude, but the only way to deal with a prude is contempt. You should not enter into an argument with him, exposing your weaknesses, because this is just what a hypocrite is waiting for. There is no need to correct the shortcomings of others, thereby signing your own hypocrisy. Not many people are able to withstand criticism, especially when it comes to hypocrites.

To avoid becoming part of someone’s plan, you should learn to protect yourself from manipulation. The main tool here is intuition. If you experience discomfort when communicating with a person, perhaps this is a clue that they want to take advantage of you. You shouldn't follow the lead. The most effective way to deal with a hypocrite is to not do what he imposes, without entering into open confrontation.

Hypocrisy - signs

When they say one thing to your face and whisper behind your back, such behavior can hardly be called favorable. Understanding that a person is a hypocrite is not so difficult

To do this, it is important to know the main signs of impartial behavior in society:

Deceit
. So if a person has been caught cheating more than once, then there is no doubt that he is a real hypocrite, from whom you need to stay as far away as possible.
Inability or unwillingness to keep your promises
. When a person cannot keep his word, then with such behavior he exposes the one who believed and trusted him. Sometimes there are situations in which it is not easy to fulfill what was promised, but in many cases the hypocrite cannot keep his word due to laziness or his own duplicity.
Perfidy
. When a person consciously wants to deceive someone, then he commits a treacherous act. Such people are often called traitors because they failed to remain true to their oaths and actions.
Hypocrisy and pretense
. Hypocritical people often want to appear better than they really are. Thus, such individuals pretend and deceive others.

What is hypocrisy

The characteristics of a hypocrite include a special set of characterological characteristics and beliefs, manifested at a conscious or unconscious level. In the case of awareness, a person deliberately uses a mask of piety, which allows him to criticize others or leave his reputation unharmed, and at the same time, such a position provides many manipulative opportunities regarding the behavior of others. The conscious aspect of hypocrisy often puts pressure on others to feel shame or guilt and, trying to get rid of intolerable emotions, a person does what he induces the hypocrite to do with his sermons.

Unconscious hypocrisy is built on self-deception, and possibly psychological trauma, the main meaning of which boils down to the prohibition to be oneself. Recognition of one's shadow sides, shortcomings, and non-compliance with the standards imposed by the church or family may not be available to everyone. At a conscious level, a person declares truths about good, but in fact, in action he does the opposite.

Any type of sanctimonious behavior does not tolerate scrutiny and treats it quite aggressively - a person cannot allow others to doubt his piety, much less change his model of self-perception. But at the same time, bigots are capable of demonstrative repentance and exposure of their bad deeds, which ultimately only creates a more holy image for them. They do not choose to disclose and repent of some serious things that could really damage their reputation, but they repent of the little things with such force, as if there was nothing other than this sin that they had done criminally.

Psychologically, this characterological trait arose as a defensive psychological reaction in order to somehow resist the moral and ethical norms of society. More often than not, we all have certain shortcomings, but the ideal fulfillment of all moral and ethical requirements leads to psychopathology. In order to prevent severe disorders, the psyche uses hypocrisy as a defense so that it can continue to exist.

This trait arises only in cases where a person himself has transgressed a general or personal law, then in order to avoid his own censure, the censure of others can be included. The most ardent preachers are former criminals, and the most pious and sanctimonious ladies are those who previously led a rather sexually promiscuous lifestyle.

Hypocrisy is always about the discrepancy between words and deeds, form and content, visible behavior and invisible motives. This person has no morals; depending on the situation, he will manifest himself in different ways. Hypocrites seek to impose their pious opinions using directive and cruel methods, and the purpose of all this is to protect themselves. If no one goes to a brothel, then there will be no humiliating confrontation with acquaintances, if everyone is brought up within the framework of the absence of theft, then no one will think that others are pocketing from the general budget.

Imposed idealizations are not destructive for the bigot himself, because he does not live by these principles, but they can become destructive for society, and especially the child’s psyche, which is formed in such conditions. The inability to accept one’s shortcomings, constant condemnation and the setting of impossible conditions makes the victim of a bigot eternally indebted, unhappy, wrong - from such experiences, after a short time, self-esteem collapses, and then the entire personality.

How to fix

He is rather a man of reason, whose behavior is based on certain difficulties that he could not overcome in adequate ways. As we have already said, this can be guilt, fear, uncertainty, as well as poor adaptability to rapidly changing living conditions.

In the case where the reasons are guilt or self-doubt, then it is necessary to work through these states within the framework of psychological practices. In particular, individual psychotherapy sessions, as well as art therapy, will help with guilt. In the case of uncertainty - group classes and trainings.

The general recipe is this: hypocrisy is a symptom, and in order to get rid of it, you need to deal with its root cause.

In rare cases, hypocrisy gradually develops in a person in certain severe disorders. Among them there may be certain forms of delusion (sinfulness, for example) and a person tries to “atone” for his guilt with such behavior. In any case, behavior that is rapidly developing in this direction (if it is unusual for a particular person) is a reason to visit a specialist.

The word Prude: meaning, its origin, who are prudes, how hypocrisy differs from hypocrisy

Young people understand the meaning of the word “hypocrite” differently than it is reflected in explanatory dictionaries. By putting their own meaning into lexical units, native speakers gradually destroy its integrity. This cannot be allowed.

Each word should be used only in its proper meaning.

It’s easy to find out: just go online directly from your smartphone - and the meaning of the word “hypocrite” will be told by Wikipedia, which is always the first in the list of search results for a request, or by an electronic version of the same explanatory dictionary.

Hypocrisy, meaning of the word according to explanatory dictionaries

According to the explanatory dictionary of S.I. Ozhegov’s hypocrite is a hypocrite hiding behind virtue and piety. A person suffering from hypocrisy constantly demonstrates to others his involvement in the biblical commandments. Although with his innermost thoughts, hidden from others, he could delight Satan.

Dictionary V.I. Dahl, supplements Ozhegov’s definition with the concept of “two-faced”. Summing up, we get:

A person who hides behind moral and religious norms and actively condemns their non-compliance, at the same time constantly violates them and does not comply with them. He shares views on norms only externally; in fact, he is their absolute opponent. They say about such people: they have double morals, double standards.

“The floor is lava” game for all ages

What does the word hypocrite mean?

Comes from the Turkish “pilgrim” - “hajj”. Muslim traditions require that every believer must visit Mecca at least once. This is a sacred duty of every Muslim, prescribed in sacred sources. A person who fails to complete the Hajj loses the respect of others.

For this reason, even those who did not particularly believe, sought to get to Mecca. People made pilgrimages many times in order to improve the attitude of their fellow believers, and not because they reached out to the mercy of Allah with all their hearts. The widespread phenomenon of an insincere “holy man” was called hypocrisy, and the hypocrite himself was called a hypocrite.

In Rus', two-faced people, Old Believers, were considered hypocrites.

Synonyms and antonyms of the word Hange

Almost every linguistic unit has lexemes that are similar and opposite in meaning. We are talking about the phenomenon of synonymy and antonymy.

Russian synonyms for bigot:

hypocrite;
empty-headed;
saint;
Pharisee.

The list of synonyms in literary speech is expanded by the idioms “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, “two-faced Janus”, and other semantic analogues.

An adequate antonym for a bigot is a saint, a believer. Sometimes it is acceptable to use the concept of “liberal”, a person of free views.

The concept has a condemnatory character in its connotation. It is permissible to use it in social conversations, however, when expressed in person, it causes offense. It should be used in speech in the same way as the word “hypocrite.”

Hypocrite, an example of use in phrases

A prude in love is a person who places strict demands on relationships. He imposes prohibitions on any manifestations that contradict subjective ideas about the nature of feeling. You shouldn’t expect variety from a partnership with such a person; he is a supporter of classical ways of expressing his emotions.

A prude girl - when the partner is very concerned about external decency, does not allow any deviations from the classic scenario for the development of relationships, and demands the same from her chosen one. She is reluctant to make contact, as she considers all potential partners unworthy of her.

A prude in bed - this is what they say about people who do not agree to any experiments, condemn any innovations, but at the same time feel sincere curiosity about them. The partner refuses to make any concessions, while demanding them from his chosen one.

Hypocrisy in modern society is associated with the concepts:

conservative;
restrained;
Puritan.

Examples of use in literature and speech

The following expressions are found in literary works:

pious prude;
old prude;
grumpy prude;
an inveterate prude.

There are interesting sayings like “Prudes do not lament their own sins so much as they lament the pleasures of other people.”

Today, in people's understanding, hypocrisy is associated more with Puritan views of the world than with duplicity and hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy includes an arrogant, arrogant attitude towards others, emphasizing one’s own importance and infallibility.

In a conversation, you need to take into account all the shades of meaning when there is a reason to label someone a hypocrite.

Hypocrisy as an element of psychology

The concept itself appeared in the Middle Ages and implies a person with special character traits. Hypocrisy most often manifests itself as excessive spirituality or piety.

A person who was a hypocrite was not really as religious or moral as he wanted to appear to others. Today, the term has changed somewhat and the concept of hypocrisy includes more extensive features inherent in modern man and society as a whole.

It’s not uncommon to encounter colorful expressions like “you’re such a prude” that are used in ordinary conversation.

Many people use such phrases as a joke, but in most cases they are aimed at showing how hypocritical and two-faced the person participating in the conversation is. In fact, this definition has a different content associated with the special properties manifested in human behavioral culture.

Many people talk about high standards and morality, go into analysis of the spiritual world, and also demonstrate their religiosity in various aspects. And such traits already allow one to be called a hypocrite. But some clarification is needed here.

All of the above aspects must be declared in words, but in reality the bigot does not necessarily even believe in what he is talking about. Therefore, you should not expect him to help in a difficult situation or accept his own guilt. A prude would rather stick a knife in the back, hiding behind high morality, rather than helping to cope with a problem or survive grief.

It is not uncommon to notice that a prude takes special pleasure in the process of moralizing.

He may have an extensive evidence base, which is based on life situations or the actions of great personalities:

Generals;
Artists;
Muchnikov and others.

All this is done only to prove the legitimacy of one’s position and to humiliate an opponent who has decided to enter into an argument with a hypocrite. As a result, the latter imposes his own system of values and morality, and also projects false values, which the interlocutor ultimately perceives.

The nobility that the prude demonstrates is characterized by maximum conventionality and situationality. He can give something to others only when it is not burdensome for him, and if he expects real benefits from such behavior in the future.

At the same time, an accepted gift from a prude can ultimately become a real problem for the recipient. After all, a prude is capable of completely tactlessly reminding a person of his help, asking him for many services, and it will be very difficult for a kind-hearted person to refuse, because he feels a certain responsibility towards his noble “helper”.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=U3kMaOFSf-g

When communicating with a hypocrite, it is worth paying attention to some aspects that he is used to using constantly. In particular, the prude tries to create the image of a victim or a good Samaritan, which allows him to receive more attention from others and play his role to the fullest.

At the same time, the hypocrite does not know the concept of temporary assistance. If he managed to pity a person, and he agreed to provide assistance, then you can be sure that the bigot will turn to him more than once.

Today, it is not uncommon for a bigot to be confused with a hypocrite, although these are different phenomena. Usually the bigot demonstrates a very persistent violation of self-determination in only one specific direction, for example, in social or work life.

At the same time, lies or substitution of concepts act as a convenient weapon for the bigot, thanks to which the latter is able to hide the guilt for wrong actions, or completely shift his responsibility to someone else. A prude is someone who demands standards from others without caring about it himself.

Reasons for hypocritical behavior.

Since the concept of “bigotry” has a psychological basis, the reasons can vary depending on personality characteristics and other factors. Below are some of the main reasons that influence this behavior of an individual:

Psychological trauma . Intense traumatic effects on the human psyche have a negative impact on the immune system and the ability to think clearly. As a result, any discrepancy with attitudes causes anger and aggression.
Overly strict attitude of parents towards the child. Children are dependent on the approval of adults, so they try to behave with their parents in such a way as to earn this approval by suppressing their own desires.
Narrow outlook. Possible lack of an objective assessment of what is happening.
Stereotypical thinking , often formed as a result of the influence of the media and propaganda, does not allow the possibility of accepting new progressive ideas.
Immaturity of the mental system. Children's dreams, teenage fantasies and the realities of an adult's life diverge, provoking such behavior.

Anyone who in one way or another strives to become better is in danger of becoming a hypocrite. And only those who have chosen a course to be more sensitive, open, strong can avoid the manifestations of this concept in their life. The concept of “hypocrisy” should not be considered as a person’s guilt, but rather as his tragedy.

What is hypocrisy: the meaning of this word, characteristics of hypocrisy, its main character qualities

Hypocrisy is a personality quality characterized as an ostentatious demonstration of piety and piety against the background of disguised one’s own unseemly actions, infidelity to one’s ideas, expressed openly or secretly. In hypocrisy, the contrast between content and form, between word and deed, is maximally manifested.

The main features of hypocrisy:

double morality and double standards;
excessively high demands on others.

The prude loves to lecture and put pressure on everyone, insisting on her opinion. At the same time, his virtuous and moral position absolutely does not correspond to his own internal content.

Appearing in the image of unselfishness, sincerity and piety, the main tools are used: moralization, value judgments, demagoguery, sophistry, lies. Such words and concepts as; humanism, honesty, justice, equality, tolerance.

In the first option, it is a mask of a highly moral personality, which is used by a hypocritical person who is aggressively inclined towards moralizing. According to psychologists, a conscious form of hypocrisy is a “cover” or “formal lie.” A person does not want to change himself, to eradicate his vices, however, in the eyes of the society around him, he wants to stand out with “noble” features and look decent. Unconscious hypocrisy represents a form of self-deception and an unconscious desire to hide one’s not-so-attractive personality traits in order to maintain the respect and trust of others. This is a lie to yourself. In the unconscious form, a person lives by his ideals. He doesn't notice his surroundings. The prude reacts negatively, even aggressively, to attempts to dissuade her. Hypocrisy that cannot be convinced is a mental personality disorder that requires the use of psychotherapeutic and medicinal techniques.

Psychology of hypocrisy

Hypocrisy hides distrust of people, a disdainful attitude, suspicion and the desire to manipulate others.

This is a negative form of an individual’s adaptive reaction to the moral demands of society. The prude loves demonstrative repentance.

Such a performance gives him the opportunity to convince of his impartiality, democracy and selflessness. For repentance, actions are chosen that are perceived by the public as advantages, not disadvantages.

note

A prude puts sublime motives and hidden meaning into every action, every word and gesture. Even an ordinary cough or blink, according to the prude, should carry a meaning.

A prude will never say directly about his intention; straightforwardness is unnatural to him.

He constructs his speech in such a way that his interlocutor expresses a desire to do as the hypocrite needs, considering this his decision. But the hypocrisy doesn't stop there.

He begins to be capricious, hesitate, and, in the end, accepts what he wants. When the service is provided, everything appears as if it had happened by itself.

The Harm of Hypocrisy

The particular harm of bigotry includes the imposition of idealization and delusional ideas about equality, justice and brotherhood on individuals or society.

He invades other people's lives with particular enthusiasm, identifying himself with the image of a moral ideal and piety. Allegedly, it is only out of good behavior and mercy that the bigot agrees to tolerate misunderstanding of his lofty plans and moral aspirations.

However, such tolerance is only a façade, used to prepare a new attack aimed at the reign of moral ideals.

How to deal with a prude

When communicating with a prude, it is important not to become one yourself. First of all, you need to understand what exactly he needs, what he wants, what his goal is

The answer is clear: “social recognition is necessary.”

In addition, it is important for him to exalt himself in his own eyes, while emphasizing the shortcomings of others. It's no use arguing with a hypocrite

He is ready for this and is waiting for just such “feeding”.

Hypocrisy contains suspicion and disregard for the opinions of other people.

To avoid becoming part of someone’s plan, you should learn to protect yourself from manipulation. The main tool here is intuition.

The most effective way to deal with a hypocrite is to not do what he imposes, without entering into open confrontation.

Characteristics of a prude

The main features of hypocrisy:

double morality and double standards;
excessively high demands on others.

The prude loves to lecture and put pressure on everyone, insisting on her opinion. At the same time, his virtuous and moral position absolutely does not correspond to his own internal content.

Connection with cynicism

Cynicism is the denial of cultural values and traditions, an immoral attitude towards the latter. This concept also includes a demonstrative refusal to follow established norms (morality and law). However, in the case of cynicism, everything happens exactly the opposite; a person too directly shows his dissatisfaction with established norms, promoting his own vision of the situation, and often imposing it.

It is important to note that neither hypocrisy nor cynicism is approved by society. At the same time, it does not matter - simply because the average person is not interested in the reason - whether hypocrisy is conscious or not, and whether cynicism is feigned or real. At the everyday level, a bigot is an ordinary hypocrite, and a cynic is a marginalized person who is unable to fit into society.

In general, both phenomena are inherently a form of denial of social demands, but hypocrisy is a perversion of norms, and cynicism is their open rejection.

Hypocrisy in literature[edit]

Classic literary images embodying hypocrisy can be found in the works of Moliere (Tartuffe from the comedy of the same name), Dostoevsky (Foma Opiskin from the story “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants”), Kuprin (“Handzhushka”), A. N. Ostrovsky (“The Thunderstorm” , “Simplicity is enough for every wise man”).

Hypocrites and empty-headed people often appeared on the pages of literary works such as Boccaccio’s “Decameron” (short stories I, 1; I, 6; VI, 10), “Gargantua and Pantagruel” by Rabelais, “Tartuffe” by Moliere, “La Vie” by Maupassant in Western literature , poems by Khayyam and Rumi - in the eastern.

The standard image of the “devout bigot” is Mike, from G. Garrison’s novel “The Moralist” (“Ethicist”).