Vanity as a character trait has been described by peoples since ancient times. Today, every person knows that this is an undesirable feature of an individual that is not approved by society. Such a person craves recognition everywhere, and she is also proud of any of her actions. The described vice is found among representatives of different social strata, and religious communities have not escaped it.
For example, in Christianity, vain people are able to find reasons for praise in humility, which leads to personal degradation. Instead of self-development, they get a way to deceive themselves and humiliate others.
Definition of the concept
Any representative of society wants to look good in the eyes of others. A simple way to achieve this is to take care of reputation and appearance; for the same purpose, a person devotes time to self-development. Psychology fits such actions into the framework of normal behavior.
But some individuals do everything so that society perceives them as perfect. Vanity is an excessive desire to look better in the eyes of others than you really are. Experts equate the meaning of the word with pride and arrogance. Over time, a person will need constant glorification, not only at work, but also at home.
Vanity is common in everyday life, but not all people can explain it in simple words. In many teams there is a person who diligently hides his shortcomings and cannot stand criticism, but exaggeration of achievements and praise brings him real pleasure.
A vain representative of society strives to surround himself with fans in order to look more advantageous against their background. Senseless vanity involves undeserved compliments. The more self-importance a person has, the more he needs applause and admiration every day. Interestingly, the desire for veneration has much in common with star fever.
Signs
It is important to understand what vanity means in everyday life. It makes sense that a good employee wants to achieve respect in the professional field. Every person dreams that his efforts will be appreciated. It is important to understand what vanity is and to draw a mental line between normal behavior and undeserved desire for flattery.
A vain person is recognized in a team by the following characteristics:
- painful reaction to criticism;
- desire to be the center of attention;
- self-affirmation through humiliation of others.
If we consider the definition of vanity briefly, then it is precisely the pathological love of flattery. At the same time, a person reacts aggressively even to constructive criticism addressed to him, and simply humiliates people he does not like. An arrogant person will never miss an opportunity to point out a flaw to another individual.
“A lot of talk and little action” - this is how society characterizes vain people. They are not lazy to tell every listener about their own achievements, and they perform good deeds only for the sake of recognition. Another essential sign of an arrogant personality is arrogant behavior.
Inadequate assessment of one's own capabilities and dependence on praise lead to the fact that in practice such a person brings almost no benefit. In extreme cases, he uses lies to feed off flattery and seek gain. But a arrogant person is distinguished by mental weakness, and the most terrible punishment for her is the loss of reputation.
Characteristic manifestations
Vanity, unlike other sins, is difficult to ignore. The psychological portrait of such a person turns out to be quite vivid:
- a violent reaction, sometimes even aggressive or inadequate, to objective criticism;
- undisguised narcissism, taking pleasure in flattery;
- loud, beautiful words, unconfirmed by actions;
- absolute uselessness for society, reaching the point of parasitism;
- constant display of one’s emotions and feelings;
- inappropriate expression of personal opinion, zealous attempts to prove one’s rightness;
- humiliating a weaker opponent to increase self-esteem and demonstrate superiority;
- doing good deeds for the sake of praise;
- undisguised envy of more successful people;
- unwillingness to listen to other people's opinions.
It is worth noting that those around him immediately figure out the braggart, ceasing to experience sincere feelings for him, other than pity. Some take advantage of their boss's weakness to get a promotion or salary increase through flattery.
Naked envy
Strange reaction to objective criticism
Reluctance to listen to other people's opinions
Having achieved a high position thanks to pride, vain people often fall painfully down, unable to calculate their capabilities. Their families often collapse, relationships with relatives and friends deteriorate. Arrogant women rarely attract men, and it is difficult for them to build normal relationships with their children. Proud men also find it difficult to maintain a strong family, because their attention is focused only on themselves.
Causes
By studying vanity and explaining what it is, psychologists have proven the role of childhood in the formation of a well-known vice. It is at an early age that a child develops self-esteem. Many parents convince their children of their exclusivity. Experts have also identified other reasons for abnormal behavior:
- conflict situation;
- dissatisfaction with oneself;
- excessive praise.
Considering the signs of vanity, you can see that internal conflict leads to self-deception. A person acts out wishful thinking and also convinces others of this. He spends his life maintaining a false image, because the individual is driven by dissatisfaction with himself.
Vanity is not always a consequence of excessive praise of a child from relatives. School teachers also tend to focus the student’s attention on victories in olympiads or competitions. There are also opposite examples, when parents and teachers humiliated a person in childhood, which led to an overestimation of his own personality.
Sometimes psychologists call protest the reason for the formation of vanity. When a child is constantly scolded for bad grades and behavior, as an adult he tries to compensate for this. Arrogance and arrogance - that's what vanity is.
How to get rid of vanity
The definition of vanity comes down to the fact that this flaw does not decorate anyone. You should try to get rid of the described character trait. Psychologists advise adhering to the following rules today:
- control over your own opinion;
- active listening to the interlocutor.
In simple terms, talk less about yourself. Tell your colleagues or friends exactly as much as is required of you. Don't try to comment on everything that happens around you. Every word must be appropriate, because a wise person always listens carefully to his interlocutor.
Think about what vanity means to you personally. As you delve deeper into the meaning of the word, stop hinting at your exclusivity. Genuine talent does not need advertising, and constant criticism from others inevitably leads to the fact that society begins to hate the arrogant person.
Do not hesitate to ask relatives for adequate criticism. There is nothing wrong with a value judgment, so try to respond normally to recommendations. Rethinking the motives of your actions will help you become better. Consulting a psychotherapist will help you finally get rid of arrogance.
Getting rid of passion
To defeat vanity, you need to recognize this sin and sincerely want to get rid of it. You must be prepared for long and hard work, but this does not mean that you need to give up. You can enlist the help of a spiritual mentor or consult a psychologist. Prayers, visiting temple, as well as hard work on yourself will help pacify passion:
- take a closer look at more successful individuals, try to evaluate their achievements objectively;
- read the biographies of famous people who achieved fame and remained intact;
- be grateful to those who helped you achieve success;
- discuss your weaknesses with a therapist if you feel that you cannot cope alone;
- try to notice the mood and emotions of others;
- learn to help those in need selflessly;
- be pragmatic.
Selfless help as a way to get rid of sin
Examples of vanity
Real life examples of vanity are known to many people. Pride, arrogance, arrogance or star fever - all this will mean a character trait of an individual with inadequate self-esteem. Thus, a student for whom studying was easy, in a new team is fully confident that he will surpass those around him.
The definition of star fever affects successful people who are obsessed with their own exclusivity. Even having lost his former popularity, such an individual will imitate self-development, enter into conflicts and demonstrate a contemptuous attitude towards society.
Interestingly, Christianity has been studying the meaning of vanity since time immemorial. According to religion, a vain person is an individual who is ready to buy the approval of society again and again at any cost. He is capable of abandoning his parents if necessary in order to be praised. When flattery runs out, the arrogant person seeks praise even in the lowest areas.
The vice lies in the fact that only by breaking away from good deeds and thoughts does a person become unworthy. With his behavior he only humiliates himself. Having given up vanity, a representative of society is able to accept goodness into his home and soul.
Attitude to vanity in religion
Religion equates vanity with a painful passion and calls on everyone to eradicate this insidious illness in themselves . According to spiritual mentors, vanity is fraught with a serious threat, since it pushes a person onto the path of cruel self-deception.
Instead of internal growth and self-development, a vain person is engaged in achieving external illusory success. But with this approach, he will never be able to get closer to God and achieve spiritual rebirth!
Vanity is also dangerous because it gives rise to many other vices, the main one of which is pride . More precisely, these two passions exist side by side in the soul of a sinful person.
And if vanity strives to please others in order to receive another praise from them, then pride pushes its owner to humiliate other people and look down on them. Both of these sins are difficult to eradicate , but sincere faith in God helps a person to realize their harmful effects, purify his soul and become humble.
