Self-righteousness (also called sanctimony, sententiousness, and holier-than-thou attitudes) is an attitude and belief of
moral superiority derived from a person deeming their own beliefs, actions, or affiliations to be of greater
virtue
A virtue () is a trait of excellence, including traits that may be morality, moral, social, or intellectual. The cultivation and refinement of virtue is held to be the "good of humanity" and thus is Value (ethics), valued as an Telos, end purpos ...
than those of the average person. Self-righteous individuals are intolerant of the opinions and behaviors of others that they deem to be less moral and virtuous.
A self-righteous person will often exhort or rebuke certain behaviors and actions from others.
See also
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Elitism
Elitism is the notion that individuals who form an elite — a select group with desirable qualities such as intellect, wealth, power, physical attractiveness, notability, special skills, experience, lineage — are more likely to be construc ...
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Mississippi Squirrel Revival
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Narcissism
Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive preoccupation with oneself and one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Narcissism, named after the Greek mythological figure ''Narcissus'', has evolv ...
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Sanctimommy
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Signalling theory
Within evolutionary biology, signalling theory is a body of theoretical work examining communication between individuals, both within species and across species. The central question is how organisms with conflicting interests, such as in se ...
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Superiority complex
A superiority complex is a defense mechanism that develops over time to help a person cope with feelings of inferiority. The term was coined by Alfred Adler (1870–1937) in the early 1900s, as part of his school of individual psychology.
Indivi ...
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The Mote and the Beam
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The Pharisee and the Publican
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Virtue signalling
References
Further reading
''Good Mrs. Hypocrite: A Study in Self-Righteousness''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Self-Righteousness
Concepts in ethics
Morality
Narcissism
Pejorative terms
Self
Virtue