My idea of respect and why I think respect is so important.
People want to be perceived as people. Why? Because they don’t want to be seen as objects.
Objects are not respected. When people are being treated as objects, they feel that they are being used, just like a thing is used; or that they are only “good” for a certain purpose. In the long term, this leads to a feeling of helplessness or even hopelessness. Healthy people – or those who want to become healthy – defend themselves against this by demanding a change in behavior. Other people may not be able to do this. At worst, they find themselves in a social structure that they cannot leave for a variety of reasons. This structure keeps them small and worthless. They hardly feel good enough because they have rarely done something that was good enough for someone else. They may have struggled to develop a value system that gave them the ability to find out for themselves whether something they did was good enough. However, such a value system is the basic prerequisite for detaching oneself from the judgment of others and being able to take care of oneself. Self-care and self-efficacy are at the heart of personal satisfaction.
Respect is one of the most important methods on the path to satisfaction; for example, to successfully establish and maintain social contacts. The importance of social contacts can be demonstrated, for example, using Maslow’s pyramid of needs. Respect, esteem and appreciation are the key to friendship and recognition, which in turn are essential components of satisfaction.
How to respect other people can be learned. It is worth…
…to listen carefully.
…to pay attention to gestures and facial expressions.
…to recognize and accept feelings.
…to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
A few additional sentences shed light on the idea of respect:
“A truly great man will neither tread on a worm nor grovel before an emperor.” (Benjamin Franklin)
“Friendship flows from many sources, the purest from respect.” (Daniel Defoe)
“It is much more valuable always to have the respect of men than occasionally their admiration.” (Jean-Jacques Rousseau)
Now certain assertions still need to be clarified. What is…
…person? -> individual vs communitarianism
… “to be “good” for a certain purpose? -> utilitarianism, narcissism
…social structure -> e.g. family, company
…self-efficacy -> psychology
…satisfaction -> versus happiness
… etc.
-> homework