post written by: Marc Chernoff
What makes a person respect someone else?
Why do we respect certain people? How do we earn the respect of others? These are interesting questions. There are a million different scenarios that could directly lead to one person gaining the respect of another, but each one of these scenarios probably has one of a few underlying characteristics. First, allow me to define what I mean by “respect for someone else”. I define this respect as a feeling of social approval and high regard for another individual.
Without being excessively long winded on a topic that could cross numerous boundaries of personal opinion and debate, I’m going to keep it simple and just state why I believe that I respect certain people. Notice my use of the expression “I believe”. I use this expression because I am aware that there are certain public personalities in this world whom I’ve gained respect for through mass media, but have never actually met.
The distribution of respect is probably more of an art than it is a science. It depends on the individual persona of each character involved. I’d be curious to know how other people feel about this subject. Here are five general qualities a person can hold that I believe motivates an increase in other people’s feelings of respect toward them:
- Confidence and pride in oneself while simultaneously being considerate of others
- Aiding someone in need without expectation of reward
- Honesty at all times, but especially in a moment of tension
- Achieving a goal or holding a societal status that the individual desires
- Holding the respect of a third party that the individual admires (following the masses)