The Bible describes pride as sin. Pride goes before destruction (Prov. 16:18), puts one in an undesirable relationship with God (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6), and can yield a regrettable end (Prov. 29:23). Nebuchadnezzar was judged for his proud spirit (Dan. 4), Haman was beset with pride (Esther 5), and Pharaoh fell for doing it. God intentions to humble the proud (Matt. 23:12).
Christian theologians have dealt with the very idea of pride mainly from the tradition of Augustine, who viewed pride because first sin and so spent a great deal of his energy on discussing it. The keystone of his argument would have been a text in Ecclesiasticus that reads, “pride could be the start of sin.” The verse has later been viewed as questionable in meaning. Nonetheless, about this basis Augustine proceeded to look at december Satan as portrayed in Ezekiel and Isaiah as principally motivated by pride. “Your heart became proud out of your beauty” (Ezek. 28:17, NIV). What led Satan to his fall was likewise the death in the humanity in the garden of Eden. Augustine felt that pride in their extreme may be the unpardonable sin (Green, 1949). He wrote extensively about his very own struggles with pride, describing it as his greatest temptation.
Study regarding pride been specifically the main topic of great interest to Christians in monastic traditions and later on for the Pietists. Bernard of Clairvaux in The Steps of Humility declared people usually takes steps upward when they pursue humility; but when they pursue pride, their steps will lead downward, following a length of Satan. Bernard suggests that you can find 12 steps that could lead one from the beginnings of pride-curiosity-to its worst type of expression, habitual sin. The intervening steps are frivolity, foolish mirth, boastfulness, singularity (going to all ends to prove oneself superior), conceit, audacity, excusing of sins, hypocritical confession, defiance, and freedom to sin. The first task of pride (curiosity) is the last step of humility (downcast eyes). The very last step of pride (habitual sin) should be the basis of true humility (the worry from the Lord).
Bernard’s outline is actually sermonic in tone and designed just as one instructive tool for aspiring monastics. However with it’s medieval format, his description of pride rings true. Modern psychology does not have much to enhance his outline. Pride elevates the self, seeks to have one’s worth recognized by others, and is also unaware of obvious personal faults. The proud person has difficulty functioning interpersonally, since he / she doesn’t receive or process feedback from others in the satisfactory manner. Nor will the proud person fare well from the task of being other-centered. Pride forms a key element in the psychological construct of narcissism.
Pride, psychologically considered, is defensive anyway. By definition pride is very little fair and true estimate of self; it is really an overestimate. Hence the proud individual is motivated to hide a subconscious a feeling of inferiority or possibly motivated to overcompensate for actual inadequacies. Pride may be section of an ill-formed procedure for social interaction; the proud person may genuinely feel their pride to be the ultimate way to managing self among others and might be unaware of flaws that preclude the pride. Pride endures deference and praise from others. It may have its roots in parental overindulgence or perhaps in experience that created deep personal insecurities that the pride is compensating.
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