What does prude mean? Who is a prude in simple words

Main Characteristics of Hypocrisy

Main characteristics of hypocrisy:

demonstrative behavior;
the discrepancy between the virtues demonstrated by a person and his true essence;
extremes in denial of immorality

D. von Hildebrand points out the problematic nature of unequivocally assessing behavior as hypocritical. Concealing the real features of one’s own life and its discrepancy with declared norms and ideals may indicate not dishonesty in the strict sense of the word, but the presence of criticism towards oneself with the desire to protect others from the harmful influence of one’s own behavior, which for one reason or another cannot be changed.

Word usage

Similar concepts: complacency, pharisaism, empty holiness, hypocrisy, duplicity.

A person prone to hypocrisy is called prude(nominative case - “hypocrite”). Similar concepts: saint, empty-headed, hypocrite.

Holiness

Holiness is a form of religious behavior that occupies an intermediate position between bigotry and superstition. According to D.I. Fonvizin, “the vain saint almost never makes it to mass. He runs to church not at all to pray to God with tenderness of heart, but to kiss all the icons that he can reach with his lips.” In modern church practice, similar terms “ritual belief” and “lubok Orthodoxy” are used. Sometimes hypocrisy in the sphere of religion takes extreme forms of direct falsification with the deliberate creation of an ersatz (usually to obtain social, material and other benefits). This kind of simulative practices often exploit the ignorance of others, as well as all types of naive social mythology, which is abundantly represented in the religious sphere (the naive attitude “Whatever the pope, the daddy” is based precisely on mythological thinking and worldview).

Hypocrisy in literature

Hypocrites and empty saints often appeared on the pages of literary works, such as Boccaccio’s “Decameron” (short stories I, 1; I, 6; VI, 10), “Gargantua and Pantagruel” by Rabelais, “Tartuffe” by Molière, “Life” by Maupassant, “Rain "Moema in Western literature, poems by Khayyam and Rumi in Eastern literature.

In Russia, Antiochus Cantemir (Satire I) and Lomonosov were among the first to develop types of bigots:

The mouse once, loving the shrine,
Left a lovely world
Gone into the deep desert
Covered in Dutch cheese.

Hypocrites appear in the works of Alexander Kuprin (“Handzhushka”), Ostrovsky (“The Thunderstorm,” “Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man”) and Dostoevsky (“The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants”).

Notes

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Synonyms:

Antonyms:

See what “Hypocrisy” is in other dictionaries:

Falsehood, falsehood; hypocrisy, pharisaism; crookedness, duplicity, duplicity, insincerity, falsity, jesuitism, duality, hypocriteism, tartufism, pietism, hypocrisy, philistinism, duplicity, doublethink Dictionary of Russian synonyms.... ... Synonym dictionary

Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Hypocrisy, a and Hypocrisy, a, cf. Behavior typical of a hypocrite. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

hypocrisy- and hypocrisy... Dictionary of difficulties of pronunciation and stress in modern Russian language

Hypocrisy, hypocrisy, ostentatious piety, feigned virtue... Modern encyclopedia

Hypocrisy, ostentatious piety, feigned virtue... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

The concept of “hypocrisy” traditionally arose in medieval Europe as a definition for people with special character traits - falsely pious and pseudo-spiritual. Over time, this concept was transformed into real life and acquired a broader meaning.

Hypocrisy as an element of psychology

Very often in everyday life you can hear the common noun: “He’s a prude!” Most often it refers to people who are hypocritical and two-faced. In fact, the definition of hypocrisy has a slightly different content and, accordingly, speaks of the special properties of behavioral culture:

A person often talks about “high matters”, earthly and spiritual goods, and is overly religious. However, the style of his behavior does not correspond at all with his words and, often, such an individual will not come to the aid of someone in need, will offend the weaker, blame his neighbor and so on;
The prude is inclined to teach, to cite all sorts of examples from the lives of his acquaintances to prove his words, or to quote the biographies of great people: discoverers, artists, artists, athletes and others. This is done with the aim of imposing one’s own value system and instilling false truths about the narrator’s kindness and his correct views on life. The bigot himself is prone to commercialism, deliberate deception, substitution and distortion of facts (for his own justification) and inappropriate boasting;
The nobility and selfless participation of a person who is a bigot is very conditional. He gives only those things and performs only those actions that do not bring him significant hardship. If the “necessary” and “important” affect the field of his own interests, the hypocrite will either not be able to disinterestedly help or (given the lack of a choice) will endlessly reproach him with a “piece of bread”, exalt himself and his help, put the one who has once applied in an awkward, inconvenient and forever dependent position.

Lies that are aimed at creating the image of a “Christian” and a “victim”. A prude will always pretend to be a “good Samaritan” who provides for everyone or withstands serious moral stress for the benefit of someone. Such a person makes a mountain out of a mountain and does not understand the expression “temporary participation” or “help.” Moreover, he will do everything in his power to ensure that this temporary assistance becomes permanent and full-scale. The idea that someone can do without him and there will no longer be a reason to pretend to be “the most important and most selfless” is simply unbearable for a prude.

The difference between hypocrisy and hypocrisy and arrogance

The main difference between hypocrisy and ordinary hypocrisy and arrogance is its narrow focus. Most often, a hypocrite manifests itself in a persistent violation of the processes of self-awareness and self-determination in only one area - family, social, labor, and so on. The mechanisms of lies, duplicity, beautiful words are activated only at certain times and under certain conditions - for example, to hide guilt for a bad deed.

Hypocritical people with high self-esteem behave the same under any circumstances and at any time.

Hypocrisy in religion and culture

Back in the 15th century, Noam Chomsky wrote that a “bigot” is someone who applies standards to others that they refuse to apply to themselves. To define the spiritual and religious component, this definition is perfect.

How does a religious bigot behave?

He creates the appearance of a true believer, observing all the commandments and canons. However, in fact, this person’s behavior is far from moral and ethical standards.

Confession means little to a prude. In other words, he does not feel guilty for what he did, he only understands that it is “bad” and reports it. His main goal is to flatter the abbot, the holy father, so that he can come to him to cry at any time, creating a reason for self-praise in every story;

Subtle exposure of other people's shortcomings. In an effort to cover up his own sins and imperfections in religious, socio-cultural life, a bigot will always look for weaker people or those who make mistakes. This is done with the aim of psychologically bullying a person, attributing one’s mistakes to him, resonating against the background of a more imperfect person.

Moral persecution. A prude never shuns showing off, taking offense when disagreeing with his opinion, betrayal, and the like. Therefore, until the moral character of the bigot reaches the state that he needs, he will go over their heads and use all methods of influence.

Absolute illiteracy. Often people with erased moral guidelines do not consider it necessary to delve into other people's problems or master new subjects. The knowledge, skills and abilities that they have already acquired in the process of studying/working in their place are enough for them. They strictly ignore and suppress other methods and new knowledge, considering them heresy and a violation of general rules.

Hypocrisy is a personality quality characterized as an ostentatious demonstration of piety and piety against the background of disguised one’s own unseemly actions, infidelity to one’s ideas, expressed openly or secretly. In hypocrisy it is most manifested contrast between content and form, between word and deed.

Characteristics of a prude

The main features of hypocrisy:

double morality and double standards;
excessively high demands on others.

Hypocrite loves to teach and push everyone, insisting on his opinion. At the same time, his virtuous and moral position absolutely does not correspond to his own internal content.

Appearing in the image of unselfishness, sincerity and piety, the main tools are used: moralization, value judgments, demagoguery, sophistry, lies. Such words and concepts as; humanism, honesty, justice, equality, tolerance.

Forms of hypocrisy

Hypocrisy has two forms: conscious and unconscious.

In the first option this is mask of a highly moral personality, which is used by a hypocritical person who is aggressively inclined towards moralizing. According to psychologists, a conscious form of hypocrisy is a “cover” or “formal lie.” A person does not want to change himself, to eradicate his vices, however, in the eyes of the society around him, he wants to stand out with “noble” features and look decent.
Unconscious hypocrisy presents form self-deception and an unconscious desire to hide one’s not-so-attractive personality traits in order to maintain the respect and trust of others. This is a lie to yourself. In the unconscious form, a person lives by his ideals. He doesn't notice his surroundings. The prude reacts negatively, even aggressively, to attempts to dissuade her. Hypocrisy that cannot be convinced is a mental personality disorder that requires the use of psychotherapeutic and medicinal techniques.

Psychology of hypocrisy

Hypocrisy hides distrust of people, a disdainful attitude, suspicion and the desire to manipulate others. This negative form of adaptive reaction individuals to the moral demands of society. The prude loves demonstrative repentance. Such a performance gives him the opportunity to convince of his impartiality, democracy and selflessness. For repentance, actions are chosen that are perceived by the public as advantages, not disadvantages.

A prude puts sublime motives and hidden meaning into every action, every word and gesture. Even an ordinary cough or blink, according to the prude, should carry a meaning.

The prude will never tell him directly about his intention straightforwardness is unnatural. He constructs his speech in such a way that his interlocutor expresses a desire to do as the hypocrite needs, considering this his decision. But the hypocrisy doesn't stop there. He begins to be capricious, hesitate, and, in the end, accepts what he wants. When the service is provided, everything appears as if it had happened by itself.

The Harm of Hypocrisy

The particular harm of hypocrisy includes imposing an idealization on individuals or society, delusional ideas about equality, justice and brotherhood. He invades other people's lives with particular enthusiasm, identifying himself with the image of a moral ideal and piety. Allegedly, it is only out of good behavior and mercy that the bigot agrees to tolerate misunderstanding of his lofty plans and moral aspirations. However, such tolerance is only a façade, used to prepare a new attack aimed at the reign of moral ideals.

How to deal with a prude

When communicating with a prude, it is important not to become one yourself. First of all, you need to understand what exactly he needs, what he wants, what his goal is. The answer is clear: “social recognition is necessary.” Moreover, for him elevation in one's own eyes is important, while highlighting the shortcomings of others. It's no use arguing with a hypocrite. He is ready for this and is waiting for just such “feeding”. Hypocrisy contains suspicion and disregard for the opinions of other people.

It may sound rude, but the only way to deal with a prude is contempt. You should not enter into an argument with him, exposing your weaknesses, because this is just what a hypocrite is waiting for. There is no need to correct the shortcomings of others, thereby signing your own hypocrisy. Not many people are able to withstand criticism, especially when it comes to hypocrites.

To avoid becoming part of someone’s plan, you should learn to protect yourself from manipulation. The main tool here is intuition. If you experience discomfort when communicating with a person, perhaps this is a clue that they want to take advantage of you. You shouldn't follow the lead. The most effective way to deal with a hypocrite is to not do what he imposes, without entering into open confrontation.

Young people understand the meaning of the word “hypocrite” differently than it is reflected in explanatory dictionaries. By putting their own meaning into lexical units, native speakers gradually destroy its integrity. This cannot be allowed. Each word should be used only in its proper meaning. It’s easy to find out: just go online directly from your smartphone - and the meaning of the word “hypocrite” will be told by Wikipedia, which is always the first in the list of search results for a request, or by an electronic version of the same explanatory dictionary.

Hypocrisy, meaning of the word according to explanatory dictionaries

According to the explanatory dictionary of S.I. Ozhegov’s hypocrite is a hypocrite hiding behind virtue and piety. A person suffering from hypocrisy constantly demonstrates to others his involvement in the biblical commandments. Although with his innermost thoughts, hidden from others, he could delight Satan.

Dictionary V.I. Dahl, supplements Ozhegov’s definition with the concept of “two-faced”. Summing up, we get:

A person who hides behind moral and religious norms and actively condemns their non-compliance, at the same time constantly violates them and does not comply with them. He shares views on norms only externally; in fact, he is their absolute opponent. They say about such people: they have double morals, double standards.

What does the word hypocrite mean?

Comes from the Turkish “pilgrim” - “hajj”. Muslim traditions require that every believer must visit Mecca at least once. This is a sacred duty of every Muslim, prescribed in sacred sources. A person who fails to complete the Hajj loses the respect of others. For this reason, even those who did not particularly believe, sought to get to Mecca. People made pilgrimages many times in order to improve the attitude of their fellow believers, and not because they reached out to the mercy of Allah with all their hearts. The widespread phenomenon of an insincere “holy man” was called hypocrisy, and the hypocrite himself was called a hypocrite. In Rus', two-faced people, Old Believers, were considered hypocrites.

	hypocrisy in Wiktionary
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