July/August 1998
Articles on the theme "Pride & Prejudice"
Prejudice Can Kill
by Patrick Plaskett
Why is some pride good and some not
so good. What is the connection between pride and prejudice.
Loving Authority
by Barbara Bedingfield
Teaching children to become selfless individuals, having a sense of gratitude,
and able to show care and consideration for others.
The Same Only Different
by Bob Gonzalez
Of astral travel, contact with the
departed and the interpretation of dream symbols.
Random Acts of Kindness
by Rev. Pat Cross
Discarding human attitudes and recovering
our oneness with God and each other.
The Magic of Differences
by Judith Sherven PhD and James Sniechowski PhD
Maybe it is not what we have in common
but the differences that really make a relationship.
A Threat To Survival
by Cydné Su Battreall
A battle with cancer. How pride and
prejudice can get in the way of making rational decisions.
Forgiveness and Compassion
by David Simon
A discussion of the origins of pride
and prejudice, and the nurturing of their opposite attitudes: forgiveness
and compassion.
No Room for Pride or Prejudice
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
On the importance of being able to
stand alone as an individual, so that one can enjoy a relationship free
of pride or prejudice.
Unlimited Vision
by JoAnne Gregory
Freeing ourselves from the limitations
of restricted points of view to create a reality of our choice.
Personal Pride and Legal Prejudice
by Constance Felos
Dreams of the good life, earthly dreams,
bad dreams, possible dreams and the ultimate dream.
Too Much!
by David Findlay
How going to extremes leads to the
negative aspects pride and prejudice. Underlying roles and identities.
Other Feature Articles
Natural Health Q&A
by Elizabeth Fenton and Renee Gillombardo
The psychological and physical benefits
of walking, plus other factors that affect our mental health.
What is . . . Hypnosis
by Alvin Bartz PhD
What hypnosis is and what it isn't.
The benefits of hypnosis. Some common misconceptions.
Prejudice Can Kill
by Patrick Paskett
The theme of this issue, "Pride and Prejudice", suggest that the two concepts are related in a special way. Both often come up in the same conversations -- even in the same sentence. Confusion can arise because, although prejudice can be thought of as a negative attribute of one's personality, pride is sometimes seen as a good attribute and sometimes as bad.
What is it about pride that makes it hard to pin down? What does pride have that can be good or bad?
It might be said of someone that "he has no pride", and we would all agree that his is a sorry state of affairs. If some pride is good, why is it not good when someone is "too proud"? Could there be different kinds of pride? How about foolish pride? It's amazing that one word can be used for so many different concepts, some of them contradictory, and these different applications pass without question, without inspection.
The difference among all of these is how pride relates to one's self image. How we define ourselves on the subconscious level will ultimately determine what pride is for us.
For example, pride can be a well justified self-esteem. If you have a standard that you set for yourself, an ideal that you aspire to, this sense of pride will draw you closer to that ideal. This ideal may be inspired by Jesus, Ghandi, Lincoln, or even a famous athlete. In times of decision or action, you will relate yourself to the ideal that you have chosen, and hopefully meet any situation by living according to your ideal. To have no pride is to decide or act without reference to an ideal, either for the lack of one or for abandoning one in a moment of weakness. Foolish pride is foolishly adopting hard and fast rules for your life in place of an ideal, and relating decisions and actions to these hard rules. These rules could be concerning what you expect of other people or what you expect of yourself. An ideal that is not so egocentric is much more adaptive and harmonious.
Foolish pride is akin to prejudice, which references one's self image to rigid beliefs. The rigid beliefs of prejudice are beliefs about what is outside of one's self, whether it be about religion, race, politics, or whatever. Prejudiced people will define themselves by pointing a finger at whatever they are not. The stronger the contrast, the clearer the definition. If they can point a finger at something and call it really bad or stupid, they feel really good or smart. But prejudiced people thereby define themselves by things outside themselves, things over which they have the least hope of control. This is why prejudiced people often resort to mental or physical violence, desperately grasping for control of their self image. Taken to the extreme, we have fanatics, who need so badly to feel that they are good people that somebody else must be seen by them as equally bad.
Their ultimate act of self justification is to kill you, or someone. Could this help explain hate crimes? How about the good citizens of Bosnia killing each other gruesomely?
In sharp contrast to the prejudiced person, a person with healthy pride defines his or herself according to something held within: the ideal. An ideal may or may not be attained, but it always serves as a good guide. No matter how the world may change around a person with an ideal, there is an inner reference point that helps to guide in every decision or action. A person with an ideal can turn within to check the self image. A person with a prejudice has to look elsewhere.
This might explain why one very religious person might use his last penny to feed the poor, and yet another very religious person might use his last breath to pull the pin of a grenade. It can be very useful to remember that not everyone gets their self image the same way you do.
Where do you get your pride?
Patrick Plaskett is a hypnotist and the director of Mind Advantage in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is a member of the Florida Association of Professional Hypnotists and holds a bachelors degree in psychology from USF. (813) 381-9101