hypocrisy in ethics

Hypocrisy is a negative moral quality, consisting in the fact that deliberately immoral acts (performed for the sake of selfish interests, for base motives and in the name of inhumane goals) are attributed pseudomoral meaning, lofty motives and philanthropic goals. This concept characterizes the mode of action, from the point of view of the ratio of its actual social and moral significance and the significance that they are trying to attach to it. Hypocrisy is the opposite of honesty, directness, sincerity - qualities in which a person's awareness and open expression of the true meaning of his actions are manifested. Hypocrisy is often understood as slander and negative statements against a subject who is absent at the time of the discussion.

cultural hypocrisy

Study of hypocrisy

The feeling of inconvenience, discomfort and anxiety that people experience when their true and declared emotions do not match formed the basis of the theory of cognitive dissonance developed by the American psychologist Leon Festinger based on psychological experiments. The book of the same name ("The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance" (Stanford, 1957) brought Festinger international fame. The law derived by Festinger in this book reads: two elements of thought are in a dissonant relationship if one of them leads to a contradiction to the other, and this induces a person to behave in a way that reduces dissonance. Ways to overcome dissonance are experimentally studied and described by Festinger in this book and in subsequent works: "Factors of restraint and reinforcement: the psychology of insufficient encouragement" (Stanford, 1962), "Conflicts, decision and dissonance" (Stanford, 1964).

Attitude towards hypocrisy in religions

Christianity

Hypocrisy is a manifestation of people who want to appear before people in some form, but feignedly. For example, the giving of mercy can only be a "performance for the audience", i.e. a hypocrite person pretends to give alms in order to appropriate the status of a merciful person. (Gospel of Matthew 6:2)

Islam

Hypocrisy refers to the outward manifestation of adherence to Islam and goodness by a person who hides disbelief and evil inside himself, and such a person is called a hypocrite because he demonstrates adherence to Sharia under some circumstances and rejects it under others.

see also

  • Duplicity

Sources


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

Synonyms:

See what "Hypocrite" is in other dictionaries:

    Pustosvyat, saint, Pharisee, hypocrite; fox, actor, actor. Lisa Patrikeevna went to wag her tail. Lenten face (of the hypocrite). Wolf in a sheepskin coat (skin). Blessed is the husband in front, but staggering in the back. The palm is on the collar, and the devil is on the neck. .. Wed… Synonym dictionary

    See hypocrisy, hypocrisy, hypocrite, flattery, flatter, flatterer... Brockhaus Bible Encyclopedia Dictionary-thesaurus of synonyms of Russian speech

    Ah, Ukrainian. hypocrite, art. glory. hypocrite (Supr.), Czech. licoměřiti to be hypocritical, Pol. licemierzyc. From *lice and * měnъ (see names), that is, face-changing, two-faced. Close to měra, měriti (see measure); cf. Bernecker 1, 719, Matzenauer 55; Rozvadovsky … Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language by Max Fasmer

    M. 1. open. reduced One who covers his duplicity, insincerity and malice with feigned virtue. 2. Used as a censure or abusive word. Explanatory Dictionary of Ephraim. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern dictionary Russian language Efremova

    Hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite

What is hypocrisy? All people wear masks, hiding vices, true thoughts, complexes, secret desires, dubious character traits or beliefs unpopular in society.

At the same time, many are completely harmless; for them, such “mimicry” is a defensive reaction.

But there are people in whose veins flows hypocrisy squared, enchanting, professional, shameless. They pose a danger to anyone who encounters them. Let's talk about what hypocrisy is and why it is bad.

Hypocrisy - what is it

The essence of the concept is visible in the word itself. This, of course, is not about the magical ability to try on other people's faces, as Arya Stark did in the Game of Thrones series. However, it is this skill that can be considered the aerobatics of hypocrisy.

Ordinary individuals are not given such talents, so they wear imaginary masks as best they can. Sometimes the true self peeks out from under them and winks mischievously: “Here I am, in fact, what I am, but you didn’t know!”

Typical hardened hypocrites defend interests that are not their own, and ascribe to themselves noble features that they do not have. They hide their true intentions, thoughts, opinions. It is difficult to understand what is real in them and what is false.

For example, in public they are fierce protectors of animals, and in normal times they are hunters, game lovers, owners of three mink coats and a home mini-zoo.

Imagine a believer, with passion hitting targets at a shooting range. Or a business woman who adores children and sadly visits orphans, but in fact robs a charitable foundation through a financial loophole.

Left alone, they take off their well-behaved masks, revealing to the world the vices of their souls.

The second one smiles at 32 teeth, gently strokes the belly of her former friend and enthusiastically says: “I’m so happy for you, it’s fantastic, you’re a good fellow!”

And then he goes to spread gossip throughout the district: “Imagine, Masha is an insidious bitch, she decided to marry some businessman, she already walks with a belly!”

Hypocrisy - good or bad

There is an eloquent quote: "A hypocrite can be called a person who ... Wait, who is not a hypocrite?" Having reduced the scientific tone, let's think about the deep essence of this phrase.

Anyone who is born under a human banner learns to be hypocritical from an early age. And the search for someone who has never tried on a mask is an obviously impossible mission.

Everyone is hypocritical. First, to please the teachers, to please the parents, and to get good grades in school.

Then - to be friends with a fashionable company and not stand out as a “black sheep” in a crowd of classmates. Then - in order not to lose a job, get a decent position, or, importantly, save the marriage.

Let's imagine for a second how many times a day a person commits acts of petty lies and "trying on other people's disguises." Smiles when he is sad. He says that he likes something (food, report, girlfriend's hairstyle), and, turning away, spits three times.

You might think that hypocrisy is the main requirement for a comfortable stay in society.. Sincere grumblers, straightforward critics, lovers of rudeness and frankness have few friends and many problems.

How to recognize a hypocrite and unmask him

Outraged, of course, not petty lies and not happy selfies during periods of universal sadness. Capital hypocrisy is considered a brightly negative feature, without which a person can no longer exist.

Who is this hypocrite?

1. He is cunning, deceitful, two-faced, false, insincere, selfish, but seems to many to be a pleasant, virtuous person.

2. He is a Great pretender who has comprehended his art to the smallest detail.

3. He sweetly spreads in pleasantries, signing your dismissal.

5. Strongly advises you to buy a pale yellow skirt, seeing that you look terrible in it.

6. In a word, he hides a knife behind his back, smiling in his face. And ready to hurt at any moment.

Hypocrisy is often associated with hypocrisy. Only the first is related to defense, to defense, and the second to attack. The hypocrite is the same hypocrite, only indicatively carrying the flag of the fight against his own sins.

Hypocrisy is human behavior in which the words, deeds and true intentions of a person do not correspond to each other. Such outwardly benevolent behavior covers insincerity and evil intentions. Wikipedia gives two interpretations of this concept at once, and they all lead to the etymological roots of the word. A hypocrite is one who measures faces.

Hypocrisy and ethics

Ethics qualifies hypocrisy as an unambiguously negative moral quality. It lies in the fact that immoral acts committed for the sake of selfish interests are disguised as virtue. They can be attributed pseudo-moral meaning, lofty motives and goals of philanthropy. In other words, the actual moral assessment of actions and the significance attributed to them differ significantly. Antonyms for the word "hypocrisy" are "honesty" and "sincerity", which are expressed in the transparency of actions and intentions.

Hypocrisy and culture

Sigmund Freud believed that society itself encourages a person to be hypocritical. He called this phenomenon cultural hypocrisy. It lies in the fact that society as a whole is characterized by a state of uncertainty and volatility, but in order to justify these qualities, it imposes an unspoken ban on their condemnation. Society requires all its members to conform to lofty ideals, but it never asks whether a person can live up to them to the best of his ability. On the other hand, not every honest and open act of a person can be rewarded with at least praise. In other words, a person sacrifices something important for himself, but does not receive anything in return, therefore he naturally suffers. The individual himself is forced to resolve the dilemma: how to obtain sufficient compensation for his victim and at the same time maintain peace of mind. Often the way to maintain such psychological calmness is hypocrisy.

Study of hypocrisy

Like any psychological process, hypocrisy has been studied by various psychologists and physiologists. The American psychologist Leon Festinger found that a hypocritical person experiences feelings of discomfort when his true emotions do not correspond to those that he declares out loud. The psychologist developed a series of tests that allowed him to put forward a theory of cognitive dissonance that explains the feeling of anxiety that accompanies hypocrisy. According to this theory, as soon as two elements of a person's thinking enter into dissonance with each other, a person immediately begins to look for ways to overcome this dissonance, that is, he becomes hypocritical.

Attitudes towards hypocrisy in different religions

Different religions have developed a negative attitude towards hypocrisy. For example, there are several examples in the Bible that illustrate the concept of "hypocrisy":

  • give alms and pray "for show" in order to appear pious in the eyes of others;
  • to show with all his appearance how exhausting the observed fasts are;
  • proclaim pompous speeches, while deeds are not performed;
  • do not judge other people's actions.

In Islam, there is a special term that denotes hypocrites - munafiq. Such a person is pious only outwardly, which is the most terrible sin. Hypocrisy in Judaism is condemned by the Talmud so strongly that those convicted of this sin are excommunicated from religious sacraments. And sincerity in actions and thoughts, on the contrary, is worthy of praise.

a negative moral quality, consisting in the fact that deliberately immoral acts (committed for the sake of selfish interests, for base motives and in the name of inhumane goals) are attributed a pseudo-moral meaning, lofty motives and philanthropic goals. This concept characterizes the mode of action with t. sp. the ratio of its actual social and moral significance and the significance that they are trying to give it. L. is opposite to honesty, directness, sincerity - qualities in which a person realizes and openly expresses the true meaning of his actions, L. becomes a common social phenomenon in conditions of social injustice and class antagonisms. Therefore, the idea of ​​it only as an individual property of the psyche is limited and unscientific. Even when L. (caused by the unique circumstances of life this person, the latter act for the most part as an expression of social and moral tendencies that dominate the antagonistic society. L. is generated by a discrepancy between actual social relations and the reflection of these relations in ideology, including in the prevailing morality (Alienation). The more striking the contradiction between the interests of the ruling class and the majority of society, the more exploitative public relations, the more the society's ideological representations "go down to the level of empty idealizing phrases, conscious illusion, deliberate hypocrisy"; “The more their mendacity is exposed by life... the more resolutely they defend themselves, the more hypocritical, moral and sacred the language of this... society becomes” In the process of building socialism and communism, as the broad masses of the people are drawn into socio-political activity, their activity and consciousness develop, the social roots of L. are eliminated. The practical implementation of these principles helps to eradicate from public life such phenomena as careerism, demagoguery, fraud, insincerity, treachery, slander, hypocrisy, hypocrisy, which are somehow connected with L.

When a person with such appears in the work team, everyone tries to stay as far away from him as possible. It is unlikely that a hypocrite can have real friends, because no one ever knows what to expect from such a person. Now we propose to understand what hypocrisy is and what it means to be hypocritical.

Hypocrisy - what is it?

Each of us has our own concepts of what is hypocrisy and what is good and what is immoral. Such a quality as human hypocrisy is one of the worst in all religions and cultures. Hypocrisy is usually called a negative moral quality, consisting in 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 for others.

Hypocrisy - psychology

Before condemning someone for his behavior, it is important to understand and understand why a person acts one way or another. Perhaps he has his own reasons for immoral acts. Although there is no need to justify such actions. This immoral behavior has its reasons. Psychology knows why people are hypocritical:

  1. Fear. It often becomes the cause of hypocrisy, because it makes a person adapt to life and be hypocritical.
  2. The desire of a person to appear to others better than he really is. Such people rarely show a personal opinion. With their own judgments, they want to please someone.
  3. Not quite formed outlook on life. It happens that a person does not yet have certain life principles, and he himself does not know what he wants. For this reason, he has to be hypocritical.

Who is this hypocrite?

Many people know what hypocrisy is in modern society. People with such moral qualities can often change their own life views and positions depending on the benefits. There are many synonyms for such a concept as hypocrisy - this is deceit, double-mindedness, duplicity, crookedness and pretense. Interestingly, the very concept of hypocrisy comes from the word "actor". The hypocrite seems to put on a “mask” when he is in a certain situation. Such people are always looking for benefits for themselves and in everything, even if they don’t need it at all.


Is hypocrisy good or bad?

The answer to the question, hypocrisy - is it good or bad, unambiguous - bad. If you wish, you can find a lot of excuses for such behavior. All people periodically, depending on the situation, tend to change their behavior, speaking rudely with some, and affectionately with others. However, hypocrisy forces people to put on “masks” and do only what they need in a given situation. We can say that such people betray themselves. No one likes to live with a constant sense of duplicity. In the soul, every person would like to be himself and not try on other people's roles.

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 hypocritical is not so difficult. To do this, it is important to know the main signs of impartial behavior in society:

  1. deceitfulness. 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.
  2. Inability or unwillingness to keep their promises. When a person cannot keep his word, then by such behavior he substitutes the one who believed him, trusted him. Sometimes there are situations in which it is not easy to fulfill the promise, but in many cases the hypocrite cannot keep his word due to laziness or his own duplicity.
  3. Perfidy. When a person consciously wants to deceive someone, then by doing so he commits a treacherous act. Such people are often called traitors, because they failed to remain true to their oaths and deeds.
  4. Hypocrisy and pretense. Hypocritical people often want to appear better than they really are. Thus, such individuals pretend and deceive others.

Hypocrisy and duplicity

We often wonder what hypocrisy is in our lives and how it differs from duplicity. These two qualities are negative and at the same time opposite to honesty, sincerity and frankness. However, there are also differences between them. Duplicity is defensive in nature and is often considered a shelter from trouble. As for hypocrisy, it is understood as the desire to benefit from a certain situation and to put oneself above others.


Hypocrisy and hypocrisy

Not a single team accepts those who can be called a hypocrite and a hypocrite. From such people, everyone wants to stay as far away as possible. The concepts of a hypocrite and a hypocrite are equally immoral and negative in every human society. However, they have many differences. Hypocrisy is understood as covering insincerity, malice, sincerity and virtue. Hypocrisy is a form of piety and piety, expressed in a defiant denial of immorality.

Hypocrisy - how to fight

Everyone knows that hypocrisy is a vice and it must be fought. That is, you can’t leave everything as it is and continue to live like this. However, even if desired, the owner of such a quality is not able to do anything to change. To get rid of such a negative quality you need:

  1. Control your own actions and words. It is necessary to analyze all actions and at the same time not to allow lies.
  2. Stay honest always and in everything. It must be understood that hypocrisy is a manifestation of momentary weakness. Your position is one of the important differences.
  3. Increase self-esteem. If a person is sure that he is right, then he will never be able to be hypocritical. For him, such behavior would be unacceptable.

Hypocrisy in Christianity

It can be unequivocally said that in Orthodox Christianity hypocrisy is a sin. “Hypocrisy is based on lies, and the father of lies is the devil” - this is what the Bible says about hypocrisy. At the same time, it does not matter if we are talking about the state, the labor collective or the family. No community can stand if it is internally divided, because division is a violation of the integrity and strength of such a community. For this reason, we can confidently say that such behavior is unacceptable for all Orthodox Christians.