New Ideas in Psychology

[ Jealousy & Narcissism ] [ Guilt & Pride ] [ Love & Hate ]

[ Vanity & Self-pity ] [ Envy ] [ Anxiety ]

Vanity

In the eyes of vanity, life is matter-of-fact, neither joyful nor dramatic. Therefore I have to give myself importance, either physically by the way that I dress or socially by my status or romantically by my destiny, or by any other way. I desire fame, or to be a leader. I go my own way in life ; I am not a follower of anyone or any fashion. I prefer new horizons rather than traditional ones. Unfortunately I am sensitive to ridicule.

The three kinds of vanity all centre on the concept of importance.

• Vanity (as a mode of narcissism) implies the quality of life is important.

• Vanity (as a mode of pride) implies my world is important.

• Vanity implies self-importance.

Self-pity

Self-pity itself generates the inability to achieve anything. It differs from the other two modes in that I do not blame myself (as in the self-pity mode of guilt) nor am I particularly socially-orientated (as in the self-pity mode of jealousy). Also it differs from guilt in self-pity mode in that it enables me to identify with people who have made heroic efforts in life and yet have failed (for guilt, heroism is meaningless). Self-pity makes me sentimental. When self-pity is dominant I deny responsibility ; one way of achieving this is the desire for endless travel – so long as I travel I have no responsibilities.

In general,
endless activity is usually a hallmark of the flight from self-pity. Despite the activity the person is never satisfied.

For example :

• Self-pity leads to travel as the expression of endless activity.

• Self-pity (as a mode of guilt) leads to housework or business as the expressions of endless activity. [The workaholic person].

• Self-pity (as a mode of jealousy) leads to duty as the expression of endless moral activity. [4]

This endless activity is the attempt to overcome the sense of failure.
That is :

• Self-pity implies the sense of social failure.

• Self-pity (as a mode of guilt) implies the sense of spiritual failure, or the failure of idealism.

• Self-pity (as a mode of jealousy) implies the sense of personal failure, that is, the failure to be an individual.

The next article describes the characteristics of Envy.

[ E1 [ ] E2 ] [ E3 ] . [ Table of Contents ] . [ A1 ] [ A2 ] [ A3 ] [ A4 ] [ A5 ]

[ Glossary ] [ Links ] [ References 1 & 2. ] [ Appendix 1 & 2. ]

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Copyright © 2002 Ian Heath
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