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

Updated July 24, 2021 934 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. We 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.

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

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.

Bigotry is a form of hypocrisy

From the above it follows that the bigot is a prominent representative of the army of hypocrites with whom society has been fighting for a long time and so far unsuccessfully.

Armed with double standards, he easily adapts to society, skillfully pretending to be a fighter for moral ideals. It can be quite difficult to recognize a pretender; to do this you need to show remarkable insight.

A characteristic feature of a bigot is his tendency to actively accuse and impose his opinion . In this respect, he is fundamentally different from the classic hypocrite, who only needs to hide his true face from others.

Hypocrisy can be conscious or unconscious. In the first case, it helps to win public recognition and realize selfish interests, in the second, it forms the basis of a worldview, shapes personality and character.

A conscious pretender skillfully manipulates others, playing on their complexes, fears and feelings of guilt. Cruelly deceiving others, he extracts from them certain actions and decisions that are beneficial only to him. A conscious prude understands perfectly well the motives for his ostentatious actions, but will never admit it.

In the case of unconscious hypocrisy , a person engages in self-deception due to the fear of being himself and the inability to recognize the shadow sides of his own personality. Deep down in his soul, he feels that he is disingenuous, but with all his might he demonstrates compliance with the accepted ideas of morality in society, hiding his true nature, which is far from perfect.

Unconscious hypocrisy is akin to a disease. Not everyone is able to notice its insidious symptoms in themselves.

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.

Meaning of the word bigot

The word "hypocrite" has Arabic roots and literally means "pilgrim" or "Muslim who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca." It appeared in Russian in the 18th century and acquired a different meaning due to an ironic attitude towards people of other faiths.

According to the explanatory dictionary, this word can be used in two meanings:

A hypocritical person who demonstrates false piety and goodness in order to achieve selfish goals.
A prude is a person with double standards, inclined to blame other people for the same offenses that he himself commits.

The first characteristic fully corresponds to the classic definition of a hypocrite . In the second case, in addition to the desire to disguise his true nature, the bigot acts as an active accuser.

He not only misleads others about himself, but also condemns other people for violating moral principles. At the same time, the bigot himself does not even try to meet the high standards that he imposes on society.

Synonyms for the word are empty-headed, two-faced, Pharisee. Words with opposite meanings – saint, believer, man of free views.

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).

What is worse – hypocrisy or cynicism?

To compare such human qualities, you need to understand their essence. Cynicism refers to neglect and immoral attitude towards cultural traditions and values, a demonstrative refusal to comply with generally accepted social and moral norms. Unlike hypocrisy, cynicism involves open, frank expression of one's ideas without deception or hypocrisy.

There is no clear answer to the question of which behavior would be worse - sanctimonious or cynical. The majority is of the opinion that neither the first nor the second is acceptable in society

It doesn’t matter whether conscious or unconscious hypocrisy is a typical example of hypocrisy, and cynicism is an outright disregard for the rules of morality, both are the result of immorality and denial of traditional principles, which is unacceptable for the development of a decent and mature society

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.

The Problem of Hypocrisy

The problem of bigotry was considered more acutely a century ago, and now, with the increase in freedoms and general tolerance of society, it is gradually becoming a thing of the past. However, its influence turns out to be quite significant, and some moments are passed on by people as family scenarios, churches continue to maintain the same way of life, and grandmothers and teachers of retirement age continue to traumatize the young psyche with sanctimonious remarks.

It is the problematic angle that was chosen for this behavior, since it gives rise to distrust and suspicion on the part of others, and possible social ties are destroyed. Moreover, in addition to the issue of trust, which can be resolved at the individual level, there is also the problem of bigots manipulating other people - which puts this quality among the vices at the social level.

Being moral formalism at its extreme point of development, hypocrisy is capable of destroying all the value and moral foundations of humanity. An increasing number of manipulations shackles a person into the impossibility of natural, creative manifestations, leaving only one path of action - prescribed by hypocrites. But it cannot be said that their manipulative influence and declaration of noble principles will lead to an increase in the percentage of humanity and tolerance. On the contrary, a lack of inner sensitivity, understanding, forgiveness, and living by double standards will ultimately lead to collapse.

The solution lies in weakening the influence of various moral institutions (churches, educational institutions, spiritual mentors) and replacing the concept of cruel punishment for disobedience with the opportunity to atone for one’s shortcomings and get help in solving problems. At the family level, it is necessary to create trusting relationships and initially deal with the reasons that led a person to such an act or such a state, and only then talk about accepted and acceptable norms.

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 recognize a prude

Recognizing hypocrisy in yourself and others is not an easy task, but it is completely solvable. Let us list the main features of sanctimonious behavior :

Demonstrativeness in actions, ostentatious virtue.
Adherence to stereotypes.
Going to extremes.
Criticism and pickiness.
The desire to teach and impose one’s opinion.
The discrepancy between real actions and declared slogans.
Lack of straightforwardness in statements.

A prude is a person who demonstrates to others his commitment to moral and ethical standards. To be more convincing, he can publicly repent of some minor offense.

However, this pretender, as a rule, is silent about his real sins. Like any manipulator, a prude rarely speaks directly about his intentions. He prefers to get what he wants from people by instilling in them false ideas and motives.

This person's thinking is subject to stereotypes, which does not allow him to form a progressive view of things. But what a prude really knows how to do is actively teach, impose and criticize .

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.

Prude - who is it?

The concept of “hypocrisy” traditionally arose in medieval Europe as a definition for people with special character traits - falsely pious and pseudo-spiritual. Over time, this concept was transformed into real life and acquired a broader meaning.

Hypocrisy as an element of psychology

Very often in everyday life you can hear the common noun: “He’s a prude!” Most often it refers to people who are hypocritical and two-faced. In fact, the definition of hypocrisy has a slightly different content and, accordingly, speaks of the special properties of behavioral culture:

A person often talks about “high matters”, earthly and spiritual goods, and is overly religious. However, the style of his behavior does not correspond at all with his words and, often, such an individual will not come to the aid of someone in need, will offend the weaker, blame his guilt on his neighbor, and so on;
The prude is inclined to teach, to cite all sorts of examples from the lives of his acquaintances to prove his words, or to quote the biographies of great people: discoverers, artists, artists, athletes and others. This is done with the aim of imposing one’s own value system and instilling false truths about the narrator’s kindness and his correct views on life. The bigot himself is prone to commercialism, deliberate deception, substitution and distortion of facts (for his own justification) and inappropriate boasting;
The nobility and selfless participation of a person who is a bigot is very conditional. He gives only those things and performs only those actions that do not bring him significant hardship. If the “necessary” and “important” affect the field of his own interests, the hypocrite will either not be able to disinterestedly help or (given the lack of a choice) will endlessly reproach him with a “piece of bread”, exalt himself and his help, put the one who has once applied in an awkward, inconvenient and forever dependent position.

Lies that are aimed at creating the image of a “Christian” and a “victim”. A prude will always pretend to be a “good Samaritan” who provides for everyone or withstands serious moral stress for the benefit of someone. Such a person makes a mountain out of a mountain and does not understand the expression “temporary participation” or “help.” Moreover, he will do everything in his power to ensure that this temporary assistance becomes permanent and full-scale. The idea that someone can do without him and there will no longer be a reason to pretend to be “the most important and most selfless” is simply unbearable for a prude.

The difference between hypocrisy and hypocrisy and arrogance

The main difference between hypocrisy and ordinary hypocrisy and arrogance is its narrow focus. Most often, a hypocrite manifests itself in a persistent violation of the processes of self-awareness and self-determination in only one area - family, social, labor, and so on. The mechanisms of lies, duplicity, beautiful words are activated only at certain times and under certain conditions - for example, to hide guilt for a bad deed.

Hypocritical people with high self-esteem behave the same under any circumstances and at any time.

Hypocrisy in religion and culture

Back in the 15th century, Noam Chomsky wrote that a “bigot” is someone who applies standards to others that they refuse to apply to themselves. To define the spiritual and religious component, this definition is perfect.

How does a religious bigot behave?

He creates the appearance of a true believer, observing all the commandments and canons. However, in fact, this person’s behavior is far from moral and ethical standards.

Confession means little to a prude. In other words, he does not feel guilty for what he did, he only understands that it is “bad” and reports it. His main goal is to flatter the abbot, the holy father, so that he can come to him to cry at any time, creating a reason for self-praise in every story;

Subtle exposure of other people's shortcomings. In an effort to cover up his own sins and imperfections in religious, socio-cultural life, a bigot will always look for weaker people or those who make mistakes. This is done for the purpose of psychologically bullying a person, attributing one’s mistakes to him, and resonating against the background of a more imperfect person.

Moral persecution. A prude never shuns showing off, taking offense when disagreeing with his opinion, betrayal, and the like. Therefore, until the moral character of the bigot reaches the state that he needs, he will go over his head and use all methods of influence.

Absolute illiteracy. Often people with erased moral guidelines do not consider it necessary to delve into other people's problems or master new subjects. The knowledge, skills and abilities that they have already acquired in the process of studying/working in their place are enough for them. They strictly ignore and suppress other methods and new knowledge, considering them heresy and a violation of general rules.

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.

The emergence of hypocrisy in man

The essence of hypocrisy Such concepts as hypocrisy and deceit most likely arise in childhood.
Copying the behavior of his parents as the only correct option, he begins to embody the learned manners in his reality. The prude tests, as they say, the acquired knowledge in practice. And as a result, he very quickly receives some kind of bonus from this. As a result, this quality takes root in his personal structure and blossoms in all its glory in his life, gaining momentum over the years. It's amazing how his own self can not conflict with what a person can actually do. A person is not sincere in his views, he changes his life principles depending on momentary gain and contrary to himself. A prude is a person who is more upset not because of his misdeeds and mistakes, but because of the pleasure in the lives of the people around him.

Everyone has the ability to adapt to different situations. In different situations a person behaves differently. Depending on the situation, a healthy dose of selfishness won't hurt. In some cases, hypocrisy even takes place. Although the very act of hypocrisy in normal people should cause internal worries and conflicts due to the fact that they did something insincerely.

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.

Main Characteristics of Hypocrisy

Main characteristics of hypocrisy:

demonstrative behavior;
the discrepancy between the virtues demonstrated by a person and his true essence;
extremes in the denial of immorality.

Hypocrisy can be conscious (hypocritical) and unconscious (unconscious). Hypocrisy in the form of conscious hypocrisy manifests itself in a kind of “wearing a mask” of a highly moral personality with an obvious conscious discrepancy between the real moral image and the “mask” of a righteous person. Unconscious hypocrisy can be a kind of lie to oneself, a not entirely conscious desire to stand out, gain trust or respect. In the speech and behavioral sphere, the bigot uses all the reserves of lies, demagoguery, and sophistry; in particular, vague concepts are actively used (“morality”, “spirituality”, “justice”, “honesty”, “nobility”, “humanism”, “help”, “principledness”, etc.). The vagueness of the semantics of these words allows one to make broad and unverifiable statements about the presence/absence of certain qualities both in oneself and in others. Another feature is the abundant use of value judgments, especially emotionally expressed ones, which are designed to block the listeners’ desire to subject the validity of these assessments to a rational check. An attempt to undertake such a check usually provokes in a hypocrite a completely theatrical reaction of anger, indignation, indignation, and the like. All this makes discussions with a hypocrite obviously futile; confrontation is conceivable not in the realm of words, but in the field of facts exposing the hypocrite.

Psychology of hypocrisy

Hypocrisy hides distrust of people, suspicion, disdain, and the desire to manipulate others. It is a negative form of a person’s adaptive reaction to the moral demands of society. One of the reasons contributing to the manifestations of bigotry in Europe was exaggerated religious morality, which overly emphasized the concepts of sin, asceticism, etc. Sometimes those who themselves do something that causes censure become bigots. In this way, a person justifies himself to himself. For example, many ladies who were previously ladies of easy virtue become prudes.

Often hypocrisy is a hidden conflict that can be realized in the form of neurosis.

D. von Hildebrand points out the problematic nature of unequivocally assessing behavior as hypocritical. Concealing the real features of one’s own life and its discrepancy with declared norms and ideals may indicate not dishonesty in the strict sense of the word, but the presence of criticism towards oneself with the desire to protect others from the harmful influence of one’s own behavior, which for one reason or another cannot be changed.

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.

Orthodox hypocrisy

The Church allows a person to become closer to God, provides the opportunity for spiritual development and choice of his life path. Compliance with traditions and fasts is everyone’s own choice. Religious hypocrisy is the replacement of sincere observance of church commandments with a false appearance of following them. The prude presents himself as pious and selfless, although he often is not.

Such hypocrisy does not bring a person closer to God, does not honor him, and sometimes even repels him. Hypocrisy is not considered the best character trait, and the behavior of a hypocrite often irritates people.

It is important to remember that such moments should not be missed when raising children, but in contrast they need to be taught about sincerity, kindness and honesty. Explanations: Hypocrisy is a moral evil, a type of moral formalism and hypocrisy. It can be conscious hypocrisy, cynical wearing of a mask, but it can also be unconscious - a lie to oneself, a not entirely conscious desire to stand out, to gain trust. Hypocrisy comes down to pretending virtues where vice reigns

It hides distrust of people, suspicion, and disdain for a person’s individuality. Hypocrisy transforms morality, on the one hand, into ostentatious appearance, into the formal performance of ritual, on the other, into the unspoken police of morals, into mutual spying and gossiping, into a justification for gross interference in the personal life of everyone. Hypocrisy is characterized by a sharp contrast between appearance and essence, in a word and business. A typical manifestation of this quality is instructing others “on the true path,” while the instructor himself is far from it.

Explanations: Hypocrisy is a moral evil, a type of moral formalism and hypocrisy. It can be conscious hypocrisy, cynical wearing of a mask, but it can also be unconscious - a lie to oneself, a not entirely conscious desire to stand out, to gain trust. Hypocrisy comes down to pretending virtues where vice reigns. It hides distrust of people, suspicion, and disdain for a person’s individuality. Hypocrisy transforms morality, on the one hand, into ostentatious appearance, into the formal performance of ritual, on the other, into the unspoken police of morals, into mutual spying and gossiping, into a justification for gross interference in the personal life of everyone. Hypocrisy is characterized by a sharp contrast between appearance and essence, in a word and business. A typical manifestation of this quality is instructing others “on the true path,” while the instructor himself is far from it.

It can be recognized by a person’s constant emphasis on his own selflessness and a tendency toward moralizing. Hypocrisy is associated with opportunistic psychology, bureaucracy and careerism. It flourishes in conditions when the overwhelming majority of people replace a conscious and convinced attitude to morality with formal fulfillment of its requirements only due to economic, political or spiritual coercion. This is characteristic of relations of exploitation and oppression, which foster in people depression, passivity, and indifference to what is happening around them. In such conditions, among the mass of people there are always voluntary guardians of the existing order, who express their loyalty in guarding the trustworthiness of everyone else. Hypocrisy in the family and children's group has a depressing effect on the child’s psyche, deliberately cultivating base traits. When a person, overwhelmed by the desire to be better, Over and over again she is faced with her own inability to satisfy him, then Hypocrisy begins to “ooze” from her. Anyone who strives to become a better person is constantly in danger of turning into a hypocrite. Only those who have given up on themselves, those who do not try to become more skillful, strong or sensitive, are not in danger of Hypocrisy. Therefore, hypocrisy is not so much a fault as a human tragedy. Hypocrisy is opposed by education based on the principles of humanism, openness and sincerity.

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”).

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.

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.

Interesting facts about the word "prude"

To identify a hypocrite, psychologists advise paying attention to the following indicators::

demonstrative behavior;
discrepancy between words and deeds;
intolerance for other people's shortcomings.

If someone clearly meets these parameters, then there is a high probability that you are a prude. Although you should not think about others too harshly.

Jun 30, 2017Alexandra

Connection with hypocrisy

Is hypocrisy different from hypocrisy? In general, a hypocrite and a hypocrite are on the same level, but there are several fundamental differences:

On the other hand, some practicing psychotherapists admit that sometimes being a prude is trying to protect your right to individuality, but not in a very productive way.

For example, in a situation of strong social pressure, a person who does not agree with the principles of a given group may, consciously or not, resort to the tactic of external rule acceptance. In a grotesque form, such behavior can make a person a hypocrite, and if such a mismatch between the values of the group and personal values is not eliminated in other ways, then a person prone to hypocrisy can extend a similar style of behavior to other situations.

In neurotic individuals, hypocrisy can develop as a response to unacceptable, shameful acts. A classic example is the monasteries of the 13th and 14th centuries, where the ideas of celibacy were preached, but often the most ardent adherents of such a philosophy turned out to be the most lascivious novices.

Religious bigotry

Let's return to the example of the monks. Previously, such cases were the exception rather than the rule. Religious and ethical norms were a pillar of the social order, and religion was the ultimate truth. However, with the development of society, beliefs began to fade into the background or turn into modern management tools.

Religious hypocrisy is a phenomenon based on zealous propaganda of religious and spiritual norms and values (each movement has its own), without actual observance of them or full faith in them. This type of hypocrisy is found both in official creeds and in sects of a near-religious nature.

Moreover, bigotry is a common occurrence in fanatic circles. In particular, many terrorist organizations have very noble goals at the core of their existence: equality, a unified system of laws, independence, various social benefits, but their methods are obviously contrary to their ideas.

Hypocrisy - what is it?

Each of us has our own ideas about what hypocrisy is and what is good and what is immoral. This quality of human hypocrisy is one of the worst in all religions and cultures. Hypocrisy is usually called a negative moral quality, consisting of committing immoral acts for inhumane purposes and selfish interests. In such situations, a person can say one thing and do something completely different. You never know what to expect from a hypocrite, because such people are often unpredictable to others.

Hypocrisy - psychology

Before judging someone for their behavior, it is important to understand and understand why the person acts one way or another. Perhaps he has his own reasons for immoral acts

Although there is no need to justify such actions. There are reasons for such immoral behavior. Psychology knows why people are hypocrites:

Fear
. It often becomes the cause of hypocrisy, because it forces a person to adapt to life and be a hypocrite.
A person’s desire to appear better to others than he really is
. Such people rarely express personal opinions. With their own judgments they want to please someone.
Not quite formed views on life
. It happens that a person does not yet have certain principles of life, and he himself does not know what he wants. For this reason, he has to be a hypocrite.

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.

How to stop being a prude?

In society, the problem of hypocrisy is not the least important. People with similar beliefs and behavior contrary to moral principles are often perceived as impartial, and their affected behavior is sometimes ignored by society. If we take as a basis that the typical qualities of a prude are empty holiness, hypocrisy and feigned piety, then in order to stop being a prude, the first thing you need to do is start working to eradicate them. You can try to exclude the following points from your behavior:

it is advisable to stop playing to the public;
express your opinion without hiding or embellishing it, regardless of whether it coincides with the opinions of others or not;
it is important to monitor your actions and not discuss or judge others’;
Of no small importance in correcting sanctimonious manners will be the ability to keep one’s word, to ensure that it does not diverge from deeds;
The main task for a prude will be to renounce hypocrisy, deception and condemnation of other people.

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.

bigot I

Morphological and syntactic properties

case	units h.	pl. h.
Them.	hypocrite	prudes
R.	prudes	prudes
D.	prude	prudes
IN.	prude	prudes
TV	sanctimonious	prudes
Etc.	prude	prudes

hypocrite

Noun, animate, general gender (can be consistent with other parts of speech, both masculine and feminine), 1st declension (declension type 4b according to the classification of A. A. Zaliznyak).

Root: -prude-

;
ending: -а
[].

Semantic properties

Meaning

colloquial, unapproved a hypocritical, insincere person, hiding behind ostentatious, feigned virtue, demonstrating false piety and piety; hypocrite ◆ Those promoted to the Bishopric here are first to examine whether they are superstitious, hypocrites, holy merchants, where and how they lived; interrogate with evidence why he has wealth, if anyone shows up. Peter I, “Regulations or Charter of the Spiritual College,” 1721 (quote from the National Corpus of the Russian Language, see)
◆ Let the bigot look with contempt // At our lawless union.
M. Yu. Lermontov, “To the Charming Lady,” 1832
◆ - She was married, widowed and - can you imagine?
— has become a hypocrite, is engaged in the religious and moral revival of the people. Maxim Gorky, “The Life of Klim Samgin”, Part 3, 1928 (quote from the National Corpus of the Russian Language, see)
translated, colloquial, disapproved or contempt. a person who is overly concerned with the inappropriate behavior of others and hypocritically condemns other people's indecent actions, behavior or points of view, often simultaneously allowing all of the above in relation to himself ◆ - Hypocrites do not so much lament their own sins as they do the pleasures of other people. P. P. Karatygin, “Temporary Men and Favorites of the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries,” Book One, 1870 (quote from the National Corpus of the Russian Language, see)
◆ The human body is perfect in all its functions, and pretend that some of them do not exist, only inveterate hypocrites can, like the pedagogues ridiculed by Makarenko, who were horrified by the mere hint that a woman has breasts and legs.
V. Sanin, “Don’t say goodbye to the Arctic,” 1987 (quote from the National Corpus of the Russian Language, see)
reg. (Novg., Vyat., Sib.) connecting rod, slut and beggar Interpretation taken from the Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language by V. I. Dahl ◆ There is no example of use (see recommendations).

Synonyms

devot, devotka, ipokrit, ipokritka (obsolete), Judas, hypocrite, hypocrite, empty-headed, empty-headed, vain, Pharisee, Pharisee, philistine; partial: saint
wolf in sheep's clothing, two-faced Janus, Tartuffe
connecting rod, slut, beggar

Hyponyms

Related words

hypocrisy

noun: hypocrisy
adjectives: sanctimonious, sanctimonious
verbs: hypocrisy
adverbs: hypocritically, hypocritically

Etymology

Comes from tour. ẋаdžу “pilgrim” from Arabic. haǧǧ, haǧǧi - the same (the most common explanation). The consonant -n- can be explained by the length of ǯ in the source word, but an expressive origin is also acceptable. Here also come the bigots, the bigots

"Old Believer", Donsk. (Mirtov). Data from M. Vasmer's dictionary were used. See References.

Phraseologisms and stable combinations

pious prude / pious prude, grumpy prude / grumpy prude, feigned prude / feigned prude, grumpy prude / grumpy prude, old prude / old prude

Translation

hypocritical person displaying false piety

en: sanctimonious person, bigot
ko: 위선자
de: Heuchler m.
, Heuchlerin
w.
fr:bigot
sv: hycklare (sv) common.
eo: bigoto

a person who hypocritically condemns the actions of others

en: prude, hypocrite
es:mojigato

Use in conversation

In modern speech, the word “bigot” is used quite often . Moreover, the term gained additional popularity after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the conversion of many new people to the church. Unfortunately, today the most widespread religion in the country often serves not only as a way of development and salvation of the individual, but also as a way of socialization and acquisition of purely earthly goods.

The imposed propaganda of spirituality and patriotism often creates not real feelings, but a sanctimonious attitude towards these very significant aspects of human existence. Therefore, the word “hypocrisy” comes in handy in order to mark and highlight such phenomena.

Examples:

Schoolchildren saw a tipsy teacher at graduation and realized his sanctimonious nature.

Ivan was not a prude and was normal about the shortcomings of other people; he looked after himself more.

Probably, an unlimitedly sanctimonious attitude towards reality can cause mental disorders or internal dissonance.

At this event there is complete hypocrisy, you look into the faces of these people and you understand - they only think about their own benefit, and speak with such pathetic slogans.

Your sanctimonious attitude will not improve your own reputation; on the contrary, you will have to live up to your own high standards, which you cannot do.