ABSTRACT
Pride is known to psychologists as a self-conscious emotion, and the study of self-conscious emotions. As at the level of individuals, whole nations exhibit both authentic pride and hubris. Authentic pride is the justifiable gratification that results from real achievement – landing on the moon, for instance; national hubris has slaughtered people by the millions. When pride degenerates into arrogance or hubris, it is destructive of social relationships and promotes anti-social behaviours, mainly dominance and aggression. Pride has always received mixed reviews. The many Biblical admonitions against pride are very hard to square with the now half-century fixation of the therapeutic community on self-esteem. There is a small academic literature on the effects of pride on productivity. In most cases, the link is taken as self-evident, but to the extent that it has been researched, the consensus is clear: Increasing employee pride, self-respect, and self-worth increases productivity.
