Defining the contours and pathways of humility
Humility is both a virtue and a science.The English word humility comes from the Latin word, humilis, “meaning low or humble, from the earth, not proud or haughty, not pretentious, unassuming, and insignificant” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2004, p.
350). This traditional definition explains why for centuries the concept and exercise of humility was left to devout religious communities who were concerned with the virtues of self-depreciation, self-denial, and personal sacrifice as sacred practice. However, in the recent decades, humility research has become an important social and psychological science.With the multiplication of research, the conception of humility, its values, benefits, and outcomes, has deepened and widened significantly.Neilson and Marrone (2018, p. 807) define humility as a:“ Relatively stable trait that is grounded in a self-view that something greater than the self exists”.The authors note the attributes of humility as both “expressed” through external action, and “experienced” through internal reflection (Neilson and Marrone, 2018, p. 809).Table 14.1 summarizes the key components of humility as described by the authors.
Neilson and Marrone's research (2018, p. 813) focuses on individual and organizational humility and dives in-depth to name the “antecedents” to humility, the “moderators” and “mediators” of humility, and finally the “outcomes” of humility.The organizational outcomes of humility are categorized into four levels: Self-outcomes — (pro-social/relational, emotional wellbeing, and learning/performance), follower-outcomes — (engagement and psychological freedom), team and organizational-outcomes — (performance and innovation).
Wright et al. (2017, p. 4) define the core of humility as a: “Particular psychological positioning of oneself — namely, one that is both epistemically and ethically aligned”.
The authors develop their research of humility on two elements that seem to frame most significant studies in the subject matter; that of low self-focus and high other-focus as key descriptors exhibited by humble people. Table 14.2 extrapolates this theory further.Chancellor and Lyubomirsky (2013), provide an alternative perspective that delineates humility as a ‘state of being’ as opposed to a set of attributes, actions or outcomes alone. By this, the authors differentiate between “Dispositional” humility which focuses attention on “traits” or characteristics, and “Situational” humility which is predisposed to understand humility as contextual; an experience of feeling humble in a particular moment in time and/ or location in space (Chancellor and Lyubomirsky, 2013, p. 821). In an effort to combine elements of both dispositional and situational humility, the authors outline what they term the five hallmarks of humility: 1.) Secure, accepting identity, 2.) Freedom from distortion,
3. ) Openness to new information, 4.) Other-focus, and 5.) Egalitarian beliefs (Chancellor and Lyubomirsky, 2013, pp. 823—827). It is in this list of ‘humility hallmarks' that one can find a possible integration of personal traits and communal attitudes and actions that represent a whole expression of humility.
Table 14.1 Summary of the key components of humility
| Major (higher scoring) components: | Minor (lower-scoring) components: |
| • Accurate self-awareness • Appreciation of others and their strengths and contributions • Openness to feedback and ‘teach-ability’ • Transcendence and a larger life perspective (worldview or cosmology) | • Self-transcendent pursuit • No desire for control • Recognition of luck and good fortune • Relational/collective orientation • Lack of concern for superiority |
(Neilson and Marrone, 2018, p.
808)Table 14.2 Summary of humility descriptors
Low Self-Focus: (epistemically aligned)
“The understanding and experience of oneself as a finite and fallible being that is but an infinitesimal part of a vast universe, and so has a necessarily limited and incomplete perspective or grasp on the ‘whole’, which is infinitely larger and greater than oneself”.
• Low self-prioritization
• Low self-importance
• Reduced sense of ego
• Reduced attachment to self and its products and capacities
High Other-Focus: (ethically aligned)
“The understanding and experience of oneself as only one among a host of other morally legitimate beings, whose interests are foundationally as legitimate, and as worthy of attention and concern, as one’s own (a state of extended compassion)”.
• Increased orientation of oneself outwards
• Concern for needs, interests, and benefits for other’s well-being
• Increased appreciation for the value of others
• Increased sense of connection to others
(Wright et al., 2017, pp. 4-5)
14.3