A hypocrite is someone who tries to gain people's favor with dishonest methods and pretense. Sometimes he deceives in order to charm a particular person, but he can also lie in order to look respectable in the eyes of the whole society.
Interpretations of the word hypocrisy
A hypocrite is one who is hypocritical. What is hypocrisy? Probably, everyone intuitively understands this, but to answer accurately, you have to work hard. There are too many situations that can be described with this one word.
Sometimes a hypocrite commits absolutely immoral acts, pretending that his goals were completely opposite: humane and highly moral. The opposition to hypocrisy is honesty and sincerity. It is for this reason that politicians are often accused of hypocrisy: in public they are ready to make any promises that they are not going to fulfill, and how they justify the most immoral acts!
It is also called hypocrisy when a person says one thing in the eyes of others, and does not hesitate to slander or ridicule his acquaintances behind the eyes.
In other words, hypocrisy always presupposes some kind of duality in human behavior. His actions or words do not correspond to his beliefs and what he really thinks.
Society of hypocrisy
According to the opinion of Sigmund Freud, who strongly influenced all psychology, the entire human society is subject to cultural hypocrisy. Freud described hypocrisy as an integral part of human coexistence.
In society, there is an unspoken ban on discussion and criticism of its basic foundations, otherwise it would lead to instability. "Officially" every person is required to be worthy of the highest moral ideals, at least in words and in people. Nevertheless, if someone secretly behaves hypocritically and immorally, but this is done quietly, then social rules seem to approve or, in any case, do not condemn it openly.
It also sometimes turns out that when a person lives in accordance with high moral principles, sometimes he receives less reward in society than one who easily sacrifices them on occasion. The more significant the measure in which this is manifested, the more “sick” society can be called.
Is the true nature of man hypocrisy?
But is it really that hypocrisy is at the heart of the true nature of man? Is everyone a hypocrite? Not at all. Indeed, society, as a weakly organized mechanism that does not have effective levers of control, to some extent produces hypocrisy to maintain order, but numerous studies of psychologists have confirmed that each individual person feels uncomfortable if he is forced to be hypocritical.
This forced hypocrisy is also called cognitive dissonance. This is the feeling that people have when they experience some emotions, and are forced to show in public something completely different.
