When someone asks “What is respect”, it is often hard to formulate your thought and give an accurate answer. Though you know what it is, you realize it, you feel it. In order to help you, in this what is respect essay we are going to discuss respect and self-respect, give definition of these two notions and also we will give you some useful tips how to gain respect and develop self-respect. So here we go.

Respect is a need of every person

What is respect? It is the form of relationships, in which with the help of words and actions you demonstrate to a person such an attitude that he / she deserves according to your point of view.

Such a definition implies the following features of respect:

1. No matter what the content of relationships is, what they are and how they are expressed. It can be love, formal, sexual, relative, gender and other relationships.

2. Respect can be sincere, honest, real, but also flattering, false.

Respect is expressed and demonstrated in words and behaviour, and we all know that human actions can come “from soul”, as well as can be caused by different personal aims.

For example, there is formal respect towards boss, old people, women or men and so on. Or demonstrative respect, that is flattery in simple words, is caused by personal purposes.

3. The most important is that it does not matter at all whether a person has such features that provoke desire to respect this very person. Important thing about respect is to show such an attitude for the person that he / she thinks he / she deserves.

Respect and self-respect

It would seem that definition of self-respect is quite simple. This is respect for yourself, for your own personality.

Self-respect implies presence of such ideas about yourself that are your advantages, according to your mind. And these advantages are everything that forms our “I”. Everything connected with “I” is already worth being respected because it exists. “I” is me and nothing else, the fact of my existence is already worth respect.

So self-respect is the feature of any personality. Even when person does not realize it or thinks that he / she is not worth being respected. Self-respect in real life may lose only that person who experienced or is experiencing pathological changes in the personality.

It means that if self-respect is an essential feature of any mentally healthy man, then reaction to respect or its absence in relationships with other person is programmed in relationships from the very beginning.

Person just can not be careless or can not ignore such a form of relations as respect. Moreover, since this form is an element of relations essence between people, it is also the base of relationships.

Really, take a look at any relationships: depending on whether respect is present or absent, they have absolutely different forms. It may even lead to the fact that absence of respect may stop relationships or turn them into very negative.

Having realized what self-respect is, having accepted it as a feature of any personality, we can give precise definition of human respect. Respect to human is recognition of its self-respect and recognition of its “I”, what is almost the same.

Respect and self-respect as esteem and self-esteem of a person

Respect and self-respect are processes of evaluation. In fact, we respect a person when we highly evaluate him in general or for some reasons. We often say: “I respect you as a human being, but I can not stand your personality”, or something like that.

Pay your attention, it is really important, we may start respecting someone from the very beginning and only some time later we will discover many positive features that really provoke respect.

But if we do not demonstrate respect from the beginning and do not show respect in further communication, this is 100% guarantee of negative development of relationships. Since our disrespect is the same that bad evaluation of a person. So if you want to have good relationships with someone, you should respect this person and have at least positive, and better high self-respect.

Today we can hear very often that someone has low self-esteem. Especially psychologists love to use this term. Though usually people with extremely high self-esteem seek for the help of psychologists, claiming that other people do not love, do not respect and do not appreciate them.

How to develop self-respect and get respect of others?

Respect is recognition of virtues of a person, careful, tactful treatment of other person, attention to his interests, ideas, recognition of rights equality. Self-respect is respectful treatment of yourself, your personality.

It happens that someone can change his attitude towards you and stop communicating. Do not despair, do not concentrate on yourself and your problems. Remember that there are people who are always ready to help you.

Your own self-treatment is also very important. You should see personality in yourself, and not victim of circumstances or ill-treatment of other people. How can you help yourself? There are universal tips that we want to share with you. They are useful for everyone. Following these tips will help you to gain self-respect and respect of other people.

1. Be attentive to those who surround to you, relatives, friends, neighbours, colleagues. Think how you can be useful and needed for other person.

2. Communicating, try to see something good in every person. There is saying: “Every person is not a friend, not an enemy, but a teacher”. Remember it and will be able to treat everyone as a teacher, who can give you new experience and knowledge.

3. When there is respect, there is also mutual understanding. Respect advice and opinion of other person. If you need to correct someone, first show your respect, then correct. In this case it will be easier to agree with you. Relationships bloom on the soil of trust and respect. So communicate realizing that every man has inner dignity. Show respect to others and you will show self-respect.

4. Be honest with others. Honesty means that you say what you think and do what you say. Honesty contributes to development of good relationships, because it proclaims respect and deep trust of others.

5. Be responsible. Take responsibility and finish something you have started. This is a great opportunity to develop your abilities and talents. It is important to feel responsibility for the results of your actions. You can not accept good results only and blame others when the result is negative, avoiding responsibility. Remember that others watch you and will do the same. If you take responsibility, they will do it as well.

6. Do not ill-treat a person if he makes a mistake. Learn to criticize less and understand more, learn to forgive and be patient to other people.

7. Be disciplined. Follow the rules that keep life in order. Discipline is respect to life and to yourself. Doing everything in time, you gain others’ respect. Plan you day and act. Self-discipline helps to get rid of unnecessary things and direct your energy into the right way.

Such notions as respect and self-respect are closely connected. There is another saying: “Respect and will get respect”. This is wonderful truth. Only that person who has self-respect is able to respect others.

Why do we need to develop self-respect?

A man is born with a sense of self-dignity. But in the process of growing up reproves, expectations, treatment of adults make person doubt in himself. Self-respect makes us believe that we can achieve a lot of things thanks to our abilities, that we can make our own contribution in the development of society, that we are worth leading life of full value. That is why it is very important and useful to develop self-respect.

Useful tips

1. Every 10 year discover something new about yourself. There is no point to blame you that now you are not the same as 10 years ago. Instead of this, thank the fate and move on. Think about the wisdom you got and use it.

2. Be careful with banal phrases for self-respect improvement. There are aphorisms, sayings, cheerful words that can be absolutely strange for you. Banal phrase may influence someone greatly, but has no influence on you. Find your own sources of inspiration and use them.

3. Every new meeting is another opportunity for you. Be interested in other people, be ready to spend time with them to learn something new. It is impossible to predict what can this person teach you and how he can help you to develop self-respect. Besides, listening to the problems of other people, it will be easier for you to forget about your own troubles and worries.

4. Share your experience with others, tell them how you manage to develop self-respect. Be role model for your children, show them that you still continue to improve your self-esteem. Help them to understand that it is never late to try to change yourself, your attitude to life. Show them that self-development is as much important as buying new house and car, getting good job or high social status.

There is warning. If you demand and expect too much from yourself, you will only depreciate you self-esteem, reminding constantly that there are so many things that you have not achieved yet. Calm down and start to reconsider your life aims regularly.

As you see, respect and self-respect are pretty complex notions. However, they are really important if we want to feel balance in life. So I hope you liked this essay about respect. By the way, you can find other great essays on our website. Also there is a team of highly skilled essay writers that can help you to write an essay if needed. So stop wasting your time and contact us for more details.