The psychological structure of humility

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Psychological research on humility has advanced but lacks consensus on its definition.
• Existing studies often view humility solely as a positive trait, overlooking potential negative aspects suggested by lay and philosophical traditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive, bottom-up analysis of the psychological structure of humility.
• To identify and differentiate distinct forms of humility.
• To address limitations in current conceptualizations and operationalizations of humility.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cluster analysis of humility-related words from laypersons and experts.
• Conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of momentary and dispositional humility experiences.
• Employed experimental induction of momentary humility.

Main Results:

• Identified two distinct forms of humility: appreciative and self-abasing.
• Appreciative humility is associated with success, other-celebration, pride, and prestige.
• Self-abasing humility is linked to failure, negative self-evaluation, shame, low self-esteem, and submissiveness.

Conclusions:

• Humility is not a monolithic construct and can manifest in two distinct forms.
• Findings offer a systematic, empirically grounded understanding of the psychological structure of humility.
• This research challenges the uniform positive operationalization of humility in psychological studies.