Motivation and emotion/Book/2023/Humility

Humility:
What is humility, what causes it, and is it desirable?

Overview

Humility is defined as the quality of a person viewing themselves as important as someone else irrespective of who they are (Alfano et al, 2021). For instance, valuing someone else as good as they are, with consideration of social class, race, level of education and talents (Alfano et al, 2021). It is about being humble to others and giving respect and dignity regardless of who they are and what has been stated above (Alfano et al, 2021). Humility has been stated to be important as it assists individuals with showing compassion and empathy to others. It shows that you care about the people you are interacting with. This can be expressed through attentive body language, such as maintaining eye contact and actively listening when someone is speaking, which is a sign of showing respect for others.

The concept of humility has captured researchers' attention in the contemporary era, particularly with consideration of defining its meaning and structure. Researchers have considered humility as being modesty and having the quality of the virtues (Snow, 2020; Alfano et al., 2021). However, scholars have also stated that humility does not appear in Aristotle’s list of the virtues and hence why it was probably neglected by the Greeks (Snow, 2020 & Alfano et al, 2021).

Focus questions:

What is humility and its structure?
What are the traits of humility?
Is humility found in all individuals?

Historical aspect of humility

Figure 1. This image provokes the imagination of humility in the aspect of religion.

Humility has often been referenced throughout history, like for example, in religion (See Figure 1).

No strong evidence has been provided to support the reasoning behind this neglect of understanding humility during the ancient time of Greeks. But looking at the direction of humility in the history of Western thought, it seems that humility has been talked about and excised in the topic of Judeo-Christian tradition (Snow, 2020). And it plays a significant role in the philosophies of religious thinkers such as St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas and other similar religious people who carry out relatively the same beliefs (Snow, 2020). Other believers would disagree, for instance, the Jewish philosophers and Theologians Moses Maimonides due to his philosophical view of humility (Snow, 2020). So far, the notion of humility sounds positive, but it has been stated that humility might contain dark or negative elements. For example, the quote by Nadelhoffer, ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ (Snow, 2020). The quote can be translated as a mystical tradition in Christian Neoplatonism which focuses on the negative path to discovering God as a pure entity with disregard of scientific research, and any other logical forms of reality and beliefs.

Another way of understanding this quote would be looking at how religion has led most believers in God to commit the worst act of mankind such as murdering people who don’t believe in the same ideology of God or the same religion. In the paper written by Snow in (2020), she stated that, humbling yourself before God in its subtleness, can be interpreted as nothing else but a true personal knowledge and experience (subjective view). She believed that, if a person does an introspection in the light of truth and without any dishonesty, there is no doubt that, that person will not experience being humble in their own eyes. As a result of this pure true knowledge of oneself, Snow (2020), considered this subjective view as humility.

On the other hand, particularly perceiving oneself in a negative light, Maimonides would argue that a person would be filled with fear, depression as they become conscious of their own limitations or low conditions such as poverty. Snow suggested that, given the negative associations with the notion of humility, it's probably due to the reason why humility was not sighted or mentioned in Aristotle’s list of virtues.

Interestingly, Taylor (1985) defined humility as the acceptance of one’s low positions, a person who can view themselves in a low position and still remain humble regardless of their status. And that to Taylor is the meaning of a person who has humility (Alfano et al, 2021). Nevertheless, Aquinas would disagree with that statement, Aquinas believed that humility involved acceptance of high position and low position. According to Aquinas, accepting humility in only a low hierarchical position, can result in only being poor and meek (Snow, 2020 & Alfano et al, 2021). To Aquinas, true humility should not be limited to low hierarchy, it should be found in all levels of position as per Aquinas.

Richards (1998), would probably agree with Aquinas to some level of degree but not completely, especially with that statement of humility in respect to the hierarchical conveyance (Snow, 202 & Alfano et al, 2021). Although Richards’s research on humility lends toward the high position of humility. Richards argued that humility should be about enjoying your merits even if it shows some form of exaggeration (Snow, 202 & Alfano et al, 2021). You work hard for your achievements, so why not enjoy the fruits of your hard work (labour)? Some would argue that this is being overly confident and thinking highly of oneself, which brings up the notion of being humble. However, in accordance with Richard’s response to such a view, one can have accomplishments and resist the motivation to exaggerate those merits (Snow, 202 & Alfano et al, 2021). But to Richards, true humility is about recognising and keeping in mind your accomplishments and having a realistic view.

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Reflecting back on the statement made by Snow (2020), she defined humility as the character of permitting one’s awareness of who they are, through introspection regarding one's limitation to realistically impact their behaviours and attitudes. Snow examined humility in both low and high positions in a realistic method. But Richards perceived it in a high hierarchical level of one’s merit. These two people have opposite views of humility, to Richards, humility is about enjoying your accomplishments in a realistic manner. But to Know Snow (2020), she believed that it’s about being realistic to yourself regardless of any hierarchy.

Figure 2. Humility and arrogance. Two sides of the same coin - the coin that is humanity.

Main points

Psychological structure of humility.
Humility in leadership.
Humility in sport.

Psychological structure of humilitʏ

A systematic study conducted by Weidman, Cheng & Tracy in 2016, stated that there is a positive and negative part of humility (See Figure 2). They measured these two dimensions of humility across five studies on people who are not academia and on academia. The first step was about gathering a list of words which have similar meaning to humility (synonyms). Researchers then asked participants to rate the similarity of the words to humility in order to identify distinction for grouping with correlation to the theoretical distinction between appreciative (positive humility) and self-abasing humility (negative aspect of humility). In the second and third study, they tested if participants' subjective emotions are in line with the experience of humility for the two distinct dimensions. This was done by asking the participants to rate their tendencies of experience to each of the words related to the meaning of humility. Additionally, they examined the link between each form of humility, self-analysis of cognition and distinct emotions including action tendencies which may have happened during the experience of humility.

In the fourth study, they dedicated it as a follow up study to examine whether cognitive structure of humility can be uncovered through the previous first to third studies. They actioned this follow-up study in order to understand if the content would be replicated and generated if they examined the context of humility beyond the realm of psychology. This part of study involved asking philosophers and theologians to put together words and phrases which they believed were related to humility. And finally, the words and phrases were sorted into categories in line with their meaning to humility. And lastly, the fifth study they tested whether separating induce the experiences of the two dimensions of humility could be experimentally manipulated. These separation of the two dimensions would provide distinct emotional episodes and behavioural actions tendencies as they hypothesised.

The researchers' findings indicated that the first aspect of humility which they called antisocial involved the signs of withdrawal-oriented feelings of self-abasement. The self-abasing humility was associated with shame, feeling unworthy and unimportant which highlights the issue of low self-esteem (Weidman, Cheng & Tracy, 2016). Apparently, this type of humility is mainly found in the type of personality of introversion and neuroticism. For instance, introversions tend to have the quality of submissiveness and neuroticism consist of the quality of being anxious.

And on the contrary, the second dimension of humility was labelled prosocial with consideration of positiveness regarding humility (Weidman, Cheng & Tracy, 2016). The positive side of it was associated with affiliative emotions of being appreciative towards others. The appreciative humility reflects the notion of agreeableness in the aspect of the big five types of personality. For example, agreeableness in the Big Five facets of personality is perceived as a quality of being modest. Being modest is a trait that is closely linked to humility, being humble.

These researchers looked deep into analysing two dimensions of humility, they reported that humility has two very distinctive sets of thought, emotions and action tendencies which are called appreciative and self-abasing humility (Weidman, Cheng & Tracy, 2016). Seemingly, the positive aspect of humility was triggered by personal success which involves actions that are orientated towards celebrating others. These positive associations stemmed from authentic pride, guilt and prestige-based status. Regarding the dark side of humility which is identified as a self-abasing (degrading oneself) humility seems to be provoked by personal failure, negative self-evaluation and tendencies to hide from others view and evaluations. This sort of perception seems to come from a place of shame, Low self-esteem and compliance.

Humility in leadership

So far, research has talked about humility having two dimensions, the positive (appreciative) and the negative (self-abasing) humility. But it appears that there is more to humility than it meets the eye. Apparently, 600 years before Christ, Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher wrote a political masterpiece which portrayed the meaning of humility in the part of leadership (Frank, 2023). ‘Why is the sea king of a hundred streams?’ ‘Because it lies below them. ’Therefore, it is the king of a hundred streams.’ What Lao Tzu was conveying could be interpreted as power does not always be seen as something which stands in a high position. With humility, you can stand or sit in any position and still lead (Frank, 2023).

For instance, a tree relies on its roots and the sun to continue living. Similarly, 300 years later, Xunzi, another philosopher, stated that a successful leader should remain ‘strong but brutal; humble but not inferior.’ Clearly from this area of humility, this researcher would disagree with Snow (2020) as the emphasised humility has nothing to do with being a lesser value. To them, humility is not about hiding your light away from others. Being overly modest or weak appeared not to be part of the historical definition of humility. Apparently, some Greeks philosophers followed the same road but some took it for granted as they believed that humility should only be about being true to yourself in weakness and strength (Frank, 2023).

For instance, inspecting humility in leadership, research in this area of humility mentioned that humility consists of four elements such as perceiving your own strength and weakness and portraying those characters when it is required for the broader picture (Frank, 2023). Secondly, appreciating other people for what they are and this includes considering their abilities and inabilities. Thirdly it is about being open and willing to learn, as most psychologists would argue that there are no right and wrong answers when it comes to the theory of nature or nurture (Keating, 2011). Lastly, it's about understanding that we are all a small part of the broader picture and we can be easily replaceable and favoured by luck and circumstances (Frank, 2023). Attentively, it appears that humility is seen as a positive factor, particularly looking at it in the spectacle of positive psychology.

It is seen as a character with the purpose of promoting strength and human flourishing. This sounds good, doesn’t it? Think about it, most people believe that they are doing something good even the most notorious people who have committed the worst atrocity, believed that they were doing some form of good for the greater good. Snow (2020), would probably agree with this statement as she believed that humility was only perceived as something positive during the Greeks era. You look at people such as Idi Amin and Adolf Hilter, they believed that they were doing something good for their people or nations even if it required murdering. Murdering is not a factor in society which is promoted and celebrated; if a person commits such an action, they end up in prison. Therefore, researchers in this aspect of humility believed that humility is not about being weak and hiding your true self. It is identified as taking a step back to reflect and gain some clarity from one’s ego to serve the greater picture.

Humility in sport

Figure 3. An image of Nikola Jokic

Humility is always a factor that is generally valued in sports. For example, in basketball games, especially during the National Basketball Association (NBA) (Koppett, 1999), you come across athletes who are humble during the game and even when their team wins due to the person’s talent. One of these players who show humility is Nikola Jokic (see Figure 3), he has always been humbled throughout his basketball games even when he makes his team win. When he does it, he never forgets to give credits to his team during his interview especially when most credit should go to him because he is the person that made his team win the game due to his basketball skills. Maybe this could be due to culture differences as European athletes are typically considered to modest throughout the games. Maybe this is because European culture is structured through the concept of collectivism instead of individualistic view. But in comparison to American Athletes, they are cockier, overly confident and yet they are always celebrated by the American culture. Particularly in sport, Americans see these types of sport players as idols. They are constantly celebrated, talked, and buying their jerseys to show their affection for them. Dylan Brookes, being super cocky and LeBron James gave him what he asked for yet he wasn’t humble. Maimonides would probably be in the same trajectory with this type of individuals.

Limitation

The main limitation in existing research on humility is the lack of a clear, agreed-upon definition. Its psychological structure remains unclear, and researchers are still debating what humility truly entails. Some suggest that it involves being authentic, regardless of personal circumstances, while others argue that it centres on perceiving oneself in a lower or modest position and still maintaining a humble attitude. This suggests that humility may involve deeper psychological dimensions that have yet to be fully explored and understood. Future research must focus on understanding the psychological components of humility to clarify its true nature.

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Conclusion

Humility has various interpretations. Some define it as modesty, irrespective of an individual's subjective perspective. Others believe it involves being realistic about who you are, whether in low or high positions. Some research identifies two dimensions of humility: appreciative (positive humility) and self-abasing (negative humility). However, in the context of leadership, some argue that it consists of four key elements. These include recognising and appreciating your strengths and weaknesses, showing modesty towards others while considering their abilities and limitations and being open-minded. Ultimately, humility involves a grounded perspective that acknowledges both personal limitations and the value of others, while remaining open to change and growth.

References

Alfano, M., Lynch, M. P., & Tanesini, A. (Eds.). (2020). The Routledge handbook of philosophy of humility. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351107532

Davis, Hook, J. N., Worthington, E. L., Van Tongeren, D. R., Gartner, A. L., Jennings, D. J., & Emmons, R. A. (2011). Relational humility: Conceptualizing and measuring humility as a personality judgment. Journal of Personality Assessment, 93(3), 225–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2011.558871

Foronda, C. (2020). A Theory of cultural humility. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 31(1), 7–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659619875184

Frank, F. (2023). The power of humility in leadership: Influencing as a role model (1st ed.). Productivity Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003358015

Keating, D. P. (Ed.). (2011). Nature and nurture in early child development. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511975394

Koppett, L. (1999). 24 seconds to shoot: The birth and improbable rise of the National Basketball Association. Total Sports Illustrated Classics.

Snow, N. (2020) Theories of humility. In M. Alfano, M. P. Lynch, & A. Tanesini (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of philosophy of humility. https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781351107532-3/theories-humility-nancy-snow?context=ubx&refId=395a3abd-3b9c-45fa-ad47-c6ce23f8718e

Weidman, Cheng, J. T., & Tracy, J. L. (2018). The psychological structure of humility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 114(1), 153–178. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000112

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External links

Nikola Jokic interview after leading his team to championship.
Humbleness shown by Nikola Jokic.
Youtube video about humility in religion perspective.
Jordan Peterson talks about the importance of humility
Why is humility important? (Positive Psychology)