What is ambition: 5 main signs, reasons

Greetings, friends!

The desire for respect and recognition is common to most people. At the same time, everyone has their own desires and ambitions. Some people crave fame, while others sincerely want to become the best in their field. If a person strives to take a high place in society and really works on himself for this, he is called ambitious. Today we will analyze in detail what ambition is, where it comes from, by what signs it can be identified, how it differs from vanity and how to get rid of it.

What is ambition?

Ambition is the desire to earn recognition through real merit, to become the best in one’s field, to achieve real success and to be appreciated. This word is derived from the Russian words “honor” and “love”. Thus the love of honor (or honors) is implied. An ambitious person strives for recognition and well-deserved respect, but at the same time he does not crave empty glory and is not proud of non-existent achievements.

Ambitious individuals treat others with respect and do not go overboard to success. Recognition is more valuable to them than material gain. Therefore, when they find themselves at a fork in the road, they often choose the path that leads not to money, but to socially praised achievements. Also important for them are various attributes that confirm their successes: certificates, cups, awards, publications in scientific publications and interviews published in well-known media.

Ambition and vanity should not be confused. The second word implies the desire to achieve fame at any cost (no matter how deserved it is). Ambition is directly related to honor, therefore a person who is characterized by it always tries to behave with dignity.

Definition

This term expresses a character property that manifests itself as clearly expressed personal goals, motives and methods of achieving fame, primacy, honorable position and recognition in any field of activity. The word “ambition” sounds rather pompous, but if you look at its components, you can find the fusion of two simple words: honor and love. Such a phrase has a positive connotation only when an individual, striving to earn “honor,” performs good deeds without infringing on the rights and freedoms of other people, and climbs the career ladder with dignity and honor.

But the reality is that often the meaning of the word “ambition” is not so noble - it means a person who craves honor at any cost, such a person, putting his person above others, goes to his goal, sacrificing those around him. This quality in psychology is an indicator of selfish behavior. And as many great psychologists have said, selfishness is “the sin of the human soul.”

Signs of ambition

An ambitious person can be recognized by a number of characteristic signs:

1. Selfishness. He constantly thinks about how to become more successful. Often he sacrifices the interests of others or even uses close people to achieve his goals. However, many ambitious people are quite capable of avoiding selfish behavior.
2. Ambition. As a rule, an ambitious person has inflated ambitions, and they are not always compatible with reality. He sets himself a large number of goals, each of which seems achievable to him. However, he does not think about the fact that he cannot cope with such a huge amount of work.
3. Heightened self-esteem. Ambitious people tend to overestimate their intellectual abilities, hard work, perseverance, determination and other important personality characteristics.
4. Painful reaction to criticism. Such a person does not like to make mistakes and admit his imperfections. If others notice this imperfection, it is extremely difficult for him to accept such a remark.
5. Empty promises. Ambition and overestimation of one's own abilities often lead to an ambitious person making promises that he is unable to keep. He overestimates his strength, sets deadlines for completing the project, and takes on an impossible amount of work. Sometimes this becomes a habit, and then acquaintances may begin to perceive him as an unreliable and irresponsible person.

Psychological approach

Psychologists say that ambition is a character trait, that is, a stable, and not a “pointed” manifestation of personality. An individual behaves this way always and with everyone.

Where do overly inflated self-esteem, unbridled pride and an unrealistic view of the world come from?

American psychoanalyst Karen Horney wrote that ambition is a neurotic need (book “The Neurotic Personality of Our Time”).

This means that the desire to be “ahead of the rest” is dictated by childhood traumas: any child wants to be loved by his parents, receive praise from them, and be needed by them. If this does not happen, then self-esteem suffers: the baby draws conclusions about his worthlessness, insignificance, and feels like an empty place.

“Unaccepted” children quickly learn that good deeds evoke a positive reaction from adults. From this moment on, their leading strategy in life becomes the slogan “I will be the best, and then they will love me.”

An adult with such an attitude respects himself only when he reaches the next peak. His own failures bring down his already unstable self-esteem, make him feel humiliated, and drive him into a state of insignificance, which for him is like death.

Such an individual does not accept himself entirely: he forbids himself to be angry, envious, cry, get sick, etc. He imagines himself to be ideal, a superman, a hero.

Human manifestations that are perceived by him as negative (shameful, indicating weakness) are suppressed, and everything that is good (approved by society) is emphasized tenfold. Often this “policy” leads to neurotic disorders.

Reasons for Ambition

Psychologists believe that the basic prerequisites for ambition are laid in childhood. They cite the following factors as the most common reasons:

• Features of education. If parents from childhood attached great importance to the child’s achievements, encouraging a sense of pride, this creates the preconditions for the child to become ambitious in adulthood.
• Deprivation. Ambition can develop as a reaction to a lack of material or other benefits. A person who feels deprived of something strives to compensate for this by achieving success in other areas.
• Peer pressure. If a child does not have good relationships with classmates and is bullied, he may develop a need to be smarter, stronger and faster than others.
• Children's complexes. This factor can work if a former C student suddenly achieves success in business or gets a well-paid job. He realizes that he can somehow surpass the excellent student in his class, and begins to work with redoubled force, striving to become even better and more successful.

By the way, an adult can also become a little more ambitious if he feels that he needs it. First of all, you need to work on your self-esteem. Good results can also be achieved by using positive affirmations specially formulated for this purpose.

Differences between ambition and vanity

Many people believe that ambition and vanity are synonymous. However, the difference between these two concepts is quite significant. Ambition is the desire for real achievements and success, the love of honor and well-deserved honor. Vanity is the name given to ostentatious success.

To understand what ambition is and how it differs from vanity, the following comparison helps: a vain person is the one who tells his friends about fictitious victories in love, and an ambitious person is the one who takes climbing equipment and sets off to conquer Everest.

Vain people exaggerate their successes and inflate their own importance, striving for fame by hook or by crook. Ambitious people, as this word implies, are honest with themselves and others. A person who craves vain glory is pleased and satisfied even by erroneous praise. Ambitious people politely refuse false recognition.

Your psychologist. The work of a psychologist at school.

Barsukova O.V.

Ambition as a mental formation

Ambition is a person’s desire to become a significant person for other people for real achievements. This is one of the most common definitions of ambition in the psychological literature. Along with this, ambition in psychology is defined as a reflective, moral and affective mental formation: - ambition as a motivational formation - desire, need (n=132, p=0.8048); - ambition as a reflective formation - attitude towards oneself (n=16, p=0.0975); — ambition as a moral formation — attitude towards other people (n=12, p=0.0731); - ambition as an affective formation - emotion, passion (n=4, p=0.0243). Let's consider the definition of ambition as one or another mental formation.

Ambition as an affective mental formation is an emotion and a manifestation of gloric emotions, a feeling, passion, acquired passion, pathological passion. This definition of ambition is found much less frequently than others and is characteristic of orthodox and humanistic psychoanalysis (W. Reich, E. Fromm), general psychology (A.F. Lazursky, Yu.M. Orlov, V.V. Yurchuk), psychology of emotions ( B.I. Dodonov). Focusing on the personality research program developed by A.F. Lazursky, ambition should be placed in the group of feelings related to one’s own personality - the type of feelings expressing concern for one’s superiority over others and the type of feelings associated with the assessment of one’s own personality (Lazursky A.F., 1995). According to the views of Yu.M. Orlov, ambition can be attributed to the feelings that arise when a person compares himself with other people (Orlov Yu.M., 1991). Here we should pay attention to the fact that when ambition is classified as feelings, there is a reflexive component (self-esteem) and a moral component (superiority over others). B.I. Dodonov identifies gloric emotions and the corresponding gloric type of general emotional orientation of the individual, which, in our opinion, can include ambition. For people of this type, the most pleasant situation is when they are admired, bowed to, etc., a situation of real or imaginary “reaping laurels.” Such emotions are connected, according to B.I. Dodonov, with a need for self-affirmation and fame. In addition, as the author believes, people of this type exhibit a carefully hidden inferiority complex (Dodonov B.I., 1987). Ambition can be attributed to social emotions - emotions directed towards oneself, but associated with a person’s relationships with other people. Ambition in this case reflects the peculiarities of a person’s experience of his own state and his relationships with other people, experiences determined by a person’s social position, his place in the social hierarchy. But at the same time, ambition performs a motivational function (the desire for high status, fame, awards) and also includes moral (an arrogant attitude towards other people) and reflexive (exaggeration of one’s merits, inferiority complex) components. Ambition as a moral formation is an attitude towards other people, which reflects the characteristics of interpersonal relationships. This understanding of ambition is reflected in works on personality psychology (A.F. Lazursky), social psychology (V.G. Krysko), ethical psychology (L.M. Popov, Yu.N. Ustina), humanistic psychoanalysis (E. Fromm) . Ambition as an indicator of attitude towards other people presupposes: - superiority over others (A.F. Lazursky); - arrogant attitude towards other people (V.V. Yurchuk); — infringement of other people and their rights (V.G. Krysko); - a way of adapting to life, a factor in the attractiveness of an individual in the “market” (E. Fromm); - a form of presenting oneself in society (A. Meneghetti). Let us turn to the analysis of the definitions of ambition as a moral mental formation, presented in modern dissertation research. However, even in these definitions of ambition there is a motivational component. G.V. Shevchenko, in her dissertation research, attributes ambition to the moral qualities of an individual and considers it in the context of the problem of moral education of the younger generation and the formation of a person’s personal dignity. Ambition here is understood as a conscious attitude of an individual to his honor, the honor of his family and the honor of the Fatherland, supported by the worthy performance of his civic duty. However, G.V. Shevchenko also offers a second definition of ambition, which makes it possible to attribute this quality to motivational formations: “Ambition is the deep motivation of an individual to attract people’s attention to his actions, their recognition of his personal and business qualities, an indicator of moral maturity and social activity of the individual” (Shevchenko G. IN 2007). And the author directly writes that ambition is an important condition for the personal self-realization of students, which once again makes it possible to classify ambition as a motivational formation. G.V. Shevchenko believes that ambition is phenomenologically connected with the moral concepts of honor and dishonor. These concepts are, according to the author, generic for some other positive (honesty, decency, pride) and negative (contempt, pride, arrogance) concepts. Yu.N. Ustina, within the framework of her dissertation research, gives the following definition of ambition: “Ambition, included in the determinant complex of the psychological organization of a person as a subject of development and self-development, acts as an independent ethical trait. The ethically constructive or ethically destructive nature of this trait is determined by the general level of development of humanity, reflecting the qualitative originality of the moral and ethical layer of the individual” (Ustina Yu.N., 2008). In our opinion, this definition allows us to simultaneously characterize ambition not only as a moral quality of an individual, but also as a motivational one (a component of the determinant complex), and as a reflexive one (a subject of self-development). However, the moral aspect will be the leading one here, because according to Yu.N. Ustina, ambition is an independent ethical trait that determines the content and quality of a person’s interaction with other people. Yu.N. Ustina draws attention to another important feature of ambition as an ethical category: “On the one hand, it is recognized as an ethical and constructive quality that determines both the positive development of a person and his effective interaction with the outside world, on the other hand, it is recognized as ethically destructive, synonymous with egoism, pride and vanity" (Ustina Yu.N., 2008, p. 3). Correlating the psychological content of ambition with the moral level of personality development, Yu.N. Ustina emphasizes the positive influence of ambition on a person’s personal characteristics. Ambition as a moral quality refers to socio-psychological formations in the structure of the psyche, i.e. it is formed and manifested in the process of interaction of people with each other. Ambition as a reflective formation is an indicator of a person’s attitude towards himself. In this case, we agree with A.V. Petrovsky, who classifies ambition (along with pride, pride, modesty, etc.) as character traits that determine and express a person’s attitude towards himself. Ambition is included in the context of a person’s social life and reveals the content of his inner world. Ambition as a reflexive formation is self-love (V.A. Snegirev, A.F. Lazursky); — self-attitude (A.V. Petrovsky); — a general personal characteristic of a person (L.M. Popov); — self-expression (A. Adler, A. Maslow); — narcissism and self-esteem (T. Shibutani); — egoism (V.A. Snegirev, K. Leongard, V.G. Krysko) and manifestations of narcissism (K. Horney, E. Fromm); — masculine personality quality (S. Bem, S. Bezou, B.M. Bim-Bad); - exaggerated sense of self-worth (R. May, V.V. Yurchuk) and compensation for a low level of self-esteem (A. Meneghetti). According to K. Muzdybaev, one of the manifestations of hope can be considered ambition, as well as aspirations and aspirations, experienced as the desire to possess wealth, power, high social and professional status. Such a manifestation of hope is characteristic of a society in which individual achievements and personal success, as well as individual freedom, are cultivated. However, such a manifestation of hope can lead to disappointment and collapse (Muzdybaev K., 1999). This understanding is typical for works on general psychology, personality psychology, social and gender psychology, humanistic psychoanalysis and psychiatry. As an example, let us analyze the definitions of ambition proposed in line with Orthodox psychology (V.A. Snegirev) and psychiatry (K. Leonhard). V.A. Snegirev relates ambition to egoism as one of the types of love. “Knowing that signs of respect are given to people who deserve it, who have certain merits, an ambitious person sees in the application of these signs, in honor, proof of his merits and is imbued with a pleasant excitement of self-satisfaction, self-pleasure, self-respect.” At the same time, a person who has few internal, personal advantages that would deserve this honor strives for external honor. “He is especially pleased with this external excitement of self-satisfaction and self-esteem, precisely because he has no internal reasons for its development” (Snegirev V.A., 2008). K. Leonhard also classifies ambition as a manifestation of selfishness. And he also clarifies that ambition “is accompanied by self-confidence, and there are always few incentives for such people” (Leongard K., 2000, p. 120). It is obvious that the motivational component is also present in these definitions - a person’s desire for external recognition and rewards. A moral component is also revealed - the expectation of signs of attention, encouragement, etc. from other people. Ambition as a motivational formation is a desire, need, aspiration, motive, motivator; this is the motive for social, professional and other achievements of the individual; it is the need for recognition. Ambition is also understood as a neurotic need that performs the function of psychological defense (K. Horney), an unhealthy desire for superiority (A. Adler, R. May, K. Horney). Ambition as a desire is the result of a reflection of the external social environment as a subject of actual human needs. This is the most common definition, both in foreign and domestic psychology - general psychology, personality psychology, social psychologists, psychoanalysis, etc. For example, based on the psychosemantic approach in line with the study of the motivational sphere of personality V.F. Petrenko and E. Todorova, in particular, identified the opposition: motives for self-improvement (“striving for knowledge” and “desire for self-improvement”) - motives for individual achievement (“desire to lead”, “ambition”). According to researchers, such content apparently reflects the construct “striving for internal self-improvement - striving for social achievements.” This construct was identified using an average group data matrix, reflecting general trends in the structuring of motivation” (Petrenko V.F., 1983, p. 93). Analysis of dictionary and author's definitions of ambition allows us to note the following: 1. Ambition is a desire, a stable positive or negative motive. 2. Ambition as a motive has its own subject. 3. Ambition can be of different types. 4. Ambition manifests itself in various situations of human life. 5. Ambition is interconnected with other personality qualities and can be considered as a marker of the presence of some and the absence of other qualities in the personality structure. Analysis of psychological sources also allows us to highlight the subject of ambition as a motive. Thus, the subject of an individual’s ambitious aspirations are: High social status and social position, as well as corresponding honors and awards.

High professional status.

Power and leadership.

Fame and fame.

Championship. - Wealth. It is obvious that the subject of a person’s ambitious aspirations is connected with a person’s social and professional life, his interaction with other people. The following important feature of ambition attracts attention - it is not always clearly manifested and realized, it can be disguised and take such forms as:

- modesty (A. Adler); solitude and refusal of social life (A. Adler); can be embodied in religiosity (A. Adler, R. May); can be realized in fantasies and dreams (A. Adler, K. Leongard, T. Shibutani). The above analysis of psychological and pedagogical definitions of ambition allows us to draw an important conclusion: Definitions that characterize ambition as a reflexive, moral or affective mental formation include its characteristics as a motivational formation. All this allows us to attribute ambition to motivational formations, which include other mental formations. Thus, we offer the following author’s definition of ambition: ambition is a person’s desire to become a significant person for other people for real achievements (Barsukova O.V., 2010, p. 23). The author's position is that:

— ambition is a motivational mental formation that necessarily includes reflexive and moral components, i.e. ambition has a certain structure; the realization of ambitious aspirations is a prerequisite for obtaining recognition, in other words, it is fundamental for an ambitious person to achieve results himself and receive recognition for them;

ambition performs certain functions; there are different types of ambition depending on the criteria; — ambition is nurtured and formed. Ambition as a motivational mental formation has a certain structure, represented by internal and external components. The internal component of ambition includes: 1. Motivational core - the aspiration of the individual. 2. The reflective component is the personal significance of ambition for a person, which manifests itself in self-attitude, in the content of the individual’s inner world. 3. The moral component is the attitude towards other people, in the process of interaction with whom ambition is realized and manifested. The external component is represented by various forms of human social activity (actions, deeds, attitudes, behavior), in which the ambitious aspirations of the individual are realized. Ambition performs certain functions related to human social activity. The leading function is motivational. Ambition directs a person’s activity towards achievements in various spheres of life - this can be expressed in the desire for fame, success, career advancement, power, etc. These can be achievements in professional, family and other areas of a person’s social life. The motivational function can be specified: - regulatory (energy) function - mobilization and concentration of forces to achieve the goal; - function of social achievements - ensuring social (vertical) mobility and achieving high social status and recognition, incl. power, superiority, career; - function of self-realization and self-improvement, incl. professional self-realization, disclosure of personal potential, expression of individuality; - the reflexive function, or the function of self-attitude, reflects the attitude towards oneself, promotes self-respect, increasing or maintaining self-esteem, and self-knowledge; — the communicative function is responsible for self-presentation, for the formation of a person’s social face, for establishing relationships and interaction with other people. These functions will be expressed with varying degrees of intensity in ambitious people and will be actualized differently in a given situation.

Types of ambition and situations of manifestation and realization of an individual’s ambitious aspirations

When describing ambition as a particular mental formation, one can distinguish its types, as well as those situations in which a person realizes his ambitious aspirations. Let us turn to the analysis of some of them: The criterion “sphere of realization of ambition”. In this case, we are talking about in which area of ​​social life a person realizes his ambitious aspirations - home and family; profession and career, etc. The most common descriptions of professional ambition and ambition, manifested in interpersonal, primarily family relationships. In this context, ambition is considered as one of the obligatory motives of human activity. For example, ambition, along with the desire to achieve success and recognition, awareness of one’s own capabilities and strength, is the motive for human creative activity (V.L. Drankov, L.M. Popov). In this case, attention should be paid to the prosocial or antisocial orientation of ambition. So, for example, professional ambition can be inherent in a scientist, or it can be found in a criminal. Choosing a profession can be seen as an example of a situation in which a person’s ambition manifests itself. So, for example, P.F. Lesgaft directly writes that an ambitious person will choose music, painting, performing arts as a professional activity, i.e. the type of activity that almost immediately brings success, recognition, applause, and awards. Thus, he concludes that the largest number of ambitious people are found among artists, artists, scientists, teachers and professors (Lesgaft P.F., 1998). V.V. writes about this, as well as the fact that the desire for fame is inherent not only in representatives of “star” professions, but also in ordinary people. Yurchuk: “many subjects, due to ambition, exorbitant ambitions, selfishness, want, like, for example, many Hollywood and domestic show stars, to appear on the pages of tabloid-secular newspapers, as a subject discussed in scandalous beau monde chronicles-reports, with the aim of raising one’s own reputation or prestige.” (Yurchuk V.V., 1998, p. 507). An example of how the ambition of scientists occupying a high position in the professional hierarchy can slow down the development of science is given by T. Shibutani: “... The influence of an ambitious person can extend even further if he becomes the editor of a leading journal or a consultant to a publisher. Some of those who occupy key positions in highly valued organizations create entire intellectual empires. Sometimes this can cause significant harm. If the beliefs of an influential scientist turn out to be a grave mistake, it is possible that the development of his field will be delayed by fifty years. … As in many other circles, aspiring scientists often form factions. Sometimes discrepancies are discussed openly in dignified critiques, but consideration of alternative hypotheses, especially when the evidence is not clear, often devolves into vindictive personal quarrels. The famous physiologist Cannon, who published his memoirs, complains not about the fact that other scientists disagreed with him on something, but about the extremely offensive manner of attacks. Even when retreating, critics often assumed a contemptuous air, hinting that their opponent was simply stupid” (Shibutani T., 2002, pp. 518-519) The criterion is “awareness of ambition.” A person cannot always realize, admit to himself and others that he is ambitious. Therefore, we can talk about the types of ambition according to the degree of its awareness and recognition: - conscious or unconscious (unconscious) ambition; - admitted or denied ambition; - hidden and obvious ambition. At the same time, one should agree with T. Shibutani that a person can sincerely be sure that he is unambitious: “Some claim that they have no personal ambition, and at the same time they do everything to occupy a higher position, even at the expense of others. Such people are usually not dishonest. They really believe what they say, but in fact they are unable to notice the inconsistency, which is obvious even to the most inexperienced. It’s just that some people find it extremely difficult to follow Polonius’ advice that a person should always be truthful to himself” (Shibutani T., 2002, p. 198). E.P. also writes about the “disguise” of ambition. Ilyin: “... in well-educated people it (ambition) can be completely invisible. Outwardly, such a person may look modest and even shy, and the presence of ambition can only be judged by a psychological analysis of his actions and deeds, since as they grow older, most people learn to hide their ambition, explaining to others the reasons for their actions with other motives: a sense of duty, responsibility, etc.” (Ilyin E.P., 2014, p. 155). According to R. May, the work of a psychologist with an ambitious client is to bring the client to an awareness of selfish ambition and the desire to rule, to find socially constructive ways to realize ambitions while simultaneously correcting internal tension and establishing relationships with society (May R., 2001) .

Manifestation of ambition in life situations using the example of fiction

Let us supplement the description of ambition as a motive influencing the life situation of an individual, presented in psychology, with an example from the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky's "Teenager" (1875). In our opinion, ambition is the motive that largely determined the direction of the hero’s “first steps” in his “life field.” So, the story is told on behalf of the main character Arkady Dolgoruky (Versilov). “I am writing now as a person who has long since sobered up and in many ways almost as an outsider; but how can I depict my sadness at that time (which I vividly remembered now), which was lodged in my heart, most importantly, my excitement at that time, which reached such a vague and hot state that I did not even sleep at night - from my impatience, from the mysteries that I I taught myself” (Dostoevsky F.M., 2001, p. 117). The goal of Arkady's ambitious dreams is a high social position, the achievement of which he associates with acquiring wealth. His ambitious fantasies extend to the entire field of his external (social) and internal life. The development of ambition as his characteristic feature is largely determined by his socio-economic situation, but also by his self-reflection, his personal interpretation of himself, his position, his life. He is aware of his ambition and his arrogance, he is also aware of the consequences - stupid behavior, “abominations” and “baseness”: “This desire to jump on my neck so that they recognize me as good and start hugging me or something like that (in a word, disgusting), I I consider it to be the most vile of all my shames and suspected it in myself a very long time ago, and precisely because of the corner in which I kept myself for so many years, although I do not repent” (Dostoevsky F.M., 2004, p. 136). Arkady realizes his ambitious plans not only in reality, but also in thoughts and fantasies. In our opinion, Arkady is an illustration of A. Adler’s thought that the basis of ambition is an inferiority complex. A. Adler himself believes that the novel depicts the power-hungry fantasies of a child. E.Yu. Korzhova characterizes Arkady as an ambitious dreamer striving for self-expression and affirmation of his “I” (Korzhova E.Yu., 2004). The following life circumstances can be attributed to the prerequisites for the development of the hero’s ambition: - Arkady is the illegitimate son of the landowner Versilov (this, in fact, makes him an outcast), unhappy - given “to the people” from childhood, he does not know his mother’s love, he suffers, is not satisfied with the attitude father to him, by his social status. “I was like thrown out and placed among strangers almost from birth. But there was no special intention here, it just somehow happened that way. Having given birth to me, my mother was still young and good, and therefore he needed him, and a screaming child, of course, was a hindrance to everything, especially when traveling. That is why it happened that until I was twenty I hardly saw my mother, except for two or three glimpses. It happened not from the mother’s feelings, but from arrogance towards Versilov’s people” (Dostoevsky F.M., 2001, p. 107.). He saw Versilov himself only once “for a moment, when I was only ten years old (and which in that one moment managed to amaze me)” (Ibid., p. 108). — Arkady lives in cramped material conditions, which also weighs on him (A. Adler attributed poverty as a reason for the development of ambition). The following situations can be called markers, indicators of Arkady’s ambition: - Social status, manifested in childhood experiences and, in particular, in relation to one’s last name. Arkady's legal name is Dolgoruky. “Rarely has anyone been as angry with his last name as I have been throughout my entire life.” What is it that hurts ambition so much in this situation? It turns out that the answer to the question is: -Prince Dolgoruky? - No, just Dolgoruky. At the same time, Arkady himself understands that it is not his last name that angers him, but his social status, that he is not a prince, but an illegitimate one. — Social status and cramped material conditions, which led to the idea of ​​solitude and power and the idea of ​​“becoming a Rothschild.” Arkady decided to “get lost in his idea,” the idea of ​​becoming a Rothschild in the sixth grade of the gymnasium, and for several years he nurtured it, tested himself for strength - he deliberately saved on food and clothing. “Just don’t stop wanting.” Arkady wants solitude, loneliness, “to go to himself alone,” others weigh on him. “Yes, I have craved power all my life, power and privacy.” Solitude and power, solitude and freedom are connected in Arkady’s mind. Even in the gymnasium, he immediately stopped “hanging out” with those of his classmates who at least began to be ahead of him in some way. He also admits that he begins to love the person he praised less, because... “Precisely because, by praising him, I thereby humiliated myself in front of him.” All this hurts the young man’s ambition. Since childhood, Arkady “could not otherwise imagine himself in first place, always and in all turns of life,” and the only way to achieve this goal, the path that brings even an insignificance to first place, in his understanding, is money, which is why it is so important for him to become as rich as Rothschild. “I don’t need money; not even power; I only need that which is acquired by power and which cannot be acquired without power: this solitary and calm consciousness of power! This is the most complete definition of freedom, over which the world is struggling so much! Freedom!" (Dostoevsky F.M., 2001, p. 185). — Thoughts about power. Comparing himself with other people - his father, the high school students with whom he studied, with specific people and people in general, Arkady tries to satisfy his ambitious plans not in real interaction, but in thoughts. “How charming is this thought! No, the secret consciousness of power is unbearably more pleasant than obvious dominance. If I were a hundred-million-dollar rich man, I would, it seems, find pleasure in walking around in the oldest dress and being mistaken for the most miserable person, almost begging for poverty, pushed around and despised me: just the realization would be enough for me” (Dostoevsky F.M., 2001, p. 136). No matter in what area of ​​Arkady’s life his ambitious plans were realized, he did not become happier because of it, he caused pain to other people and he himself suffered from it.

Literature 1. Barsukova O.V. Ambition: Concepts of ambition in fiction, religion and philosophy. Monograph. - St. Petersburg: Rech, 2010. 2. Barsukova O.V. Analysis of ambition as a motivational mental formation // News of the Southern Federal University. Pedagogical sciences. 2009. - No. 6. - Rostov-on-Don, 2009. - P. 141-146. 3. Dodonov B.I. In the world of emotions. - K.: Politizdat of Ukraine, 1987. 4. Dostoevsky F.M. Teenager: Roman. - M.: Publishing house EKSMO-Press, 2001. 5. Ilyin EL. Psychology of envy, hostility, vanity. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2014. 6. Korzhova E.Yu. A Guide to Life Orientations: Personality and its Life Path in Fiction. - St. Petersburg: Society in Memory of Abbess Taisia, 2004. 7. Lazursky A.F. Essay on the science of character. M. Nauka, 1995. 8. Lesgaft P.F. Psychology of moral and physical education / Edited by M.P. Ivanova. – M.: Institute of Practical Psychology; Voronezh: MODEK, 1998. 9. Leongard K. Accentuated personalities: Trans. with him. - Rostov n/d.: Phoenix, 2000. 10. Muzdybaev K. Phenomenology of hope (article one). Psychological Journal. – 1999. – T. 20. – No. 3. – P. 18–27. 11. May R. The art of psychological counseling. – M.: Klass, 2001. 12. Orlov Yu.M. Ascent to individuality: A book for teachers. – M.: Education, 1991. 13. Petrenko V.F. Introduction to experimental psychosemantics: a study of forms of representation in ordinary consciousness. – M.: Publishing house Mosk. Univ., 1983. 14. Snegirev V.A. Psychology. – St. Petersburg: Society in Memory of Abbess Taisia, 2008. 15. Ustina Yu.N. Features of ambition as an ethical characteristic during the period of personality formation: Abstract of thesis. diss. ...cand. psychol. n. ‒ Kazan, 2008. 16. Ustina Yu.N. Personality types of students with different levels of ambition. 17. Shevchenko V.G. Pedagogical factors in nurturing ambition in students: Author's abstract. diss. ...cand. ped. n. – M., 2007. 18. Shibutani T. Social psychology: Transl. from English – Rostov n/d: Phoenix, 2002. 19. Yurchuk V.V. Modern dictionary of psychology. – Minsk: Modern Word, 1998. Source: Integrative psychology of life path: E.Yu. Korzhova, T.D. Vasilenko, E.K. Veselova and others / Ed. E.Yu. Korzhova. – St. Petersburg: Styx 2021. ‒ 232 p.

Pros and cons of ambition

This character trait was characteristic of many historical figures; many of our contemporaries, who became famous for creating something new and unique, are also ambitious. This feature really leads to success and provides powerful motivation, forcing a person to become not just a good specialist in his field, but the best.

The benefits of ambition:

• the desire to work on oneself, improve and learn;
• the desire to work better than others, to create unique things;
• responsibility and respect from others;
• motivation to achieve success in your field;
• high income due to hard work and responsibility.

Disadvantages of ambition:

• focus on success, achievement and fame;
• excessive demands on others;
• loneliness due to difficulties in mutual understanding.

Ambitious people are often lonely. This is due to both their demandingness towards loved ones and specific life priorities.

How to get rid of ambition?

Analyzing what ambition is, we found out that it is formed in childhood, so it is not so easy for an adult to eradicate it from his psyche. And yet, everyone can get rid of it or at least greatly weaken it. To do this, just remember a few simple principles and always adhere to them:

1. Allow yourself to be imperfect. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has weaknesses. There is no need to deny your mistakes and hide your shortcomings. Allowing yourself to be imperfect is an important step towards letting go of ambition.
2. Take time for self-development , but not for the sake of triumph, but for the sake of your loved ones. Think that all your achievements will make your loved ones happier. When faced with a choice, choose what is best for your family.
3. Keep good deeds a secret. This is an old but very effective exercise. Try to do a good deed for someone without them (or anyone else) knowing about it. Not everyone manages to do this, feeling sincere joy from a good deed.
4. Set realistic goals for yourself. When formulating goals, you should adequately assess resources and the amount of free time. The better a person understands his capabilities, the less inclined he is to ambition.

Another effective way to get rid of ambition (as well as other attitudes and stereotypes that interfere with life) is the online training “Brain Detoxification” from Vikium, which will help you:

1. Get rid of toxic thoughts
2. Focus on what's important
3. Reduce stress and anxiety levels
4. Improve the quality of sleep and rest
5. Reduce distraction

The training consists of 10 lessons and practical tasks. You will receive tools and exercises, as well as video and audio materials. At the end of the course, they will give valuable recommendations for independent practice.

The author of the online training is Victor Shiryaev, an expert in the field of integral philosophy and developmental psychology. If the course is not suitable for you, then within 7 days you can get your money back.