Introduction
People have several basic needs that are imperative to fulfill. Otherwise, they feel unsatisfied and miserable, even if their other desires are realized. Therefore, one of these needs is the thirst for recognition. It is founded on the dominance instinct, one of the fundamental motives, the impulse to reproduce, the search for food, and the need for security. These instincts are more substantial than any nurturing representations of right and wrong or willpower (Motakef, 2019). Thus, the wish to feel one’s importance in the eyes of others cannot be suppressed or ignored. Hence, it is essential to mention the primary methods used by individuals who obtain recognition.
Negative Methods of Gaining Recognition
It should be mentioned that the most widespread means of satisfying the basic need for recognition. First, it is the desire to be good because one of the easiest methods of fulfilling the fundamental social need for recognition is to please other people. It is not such a bad desire if it follows from a sincere concern to provide happiness for others, from one’s own fulfillment. However, when people perform a good act or service with the primary motivation of pleasing others and gaining recognition, it does not become healthy (Motakef, 2019). Second, the following method is to create a position of victimhood. This is because generating self-pity is famous for receiving attention and recognition. The main catch is that the victim’s position is complicated to abandon (Motakef, 2019). The secondary benefit in the form of recognition is too valuable, and obtaining it in this manner is relatively straightforward.
In addition, it is essential to mention the anti-social behavior. For many people, this method becomes the key one, as it allows them to get attention and an opportunity to demonstrate their strength, peculiarity, and difference from others (Motakef, 2019). Individuals who act defiantly distinct from others constantly attract attention, which is not always negative. Furthermore, sometimes, individuals force the tactic of workaholism because it is a socially approved way to establish one’s worthiness. However, it leads to exhaustion, the inability to stop in time and plan actions, and sometimes even the incapability to notice something significant (Motakef, 2019). It should be pointed out that another method is self-assertion at the expense of others. This is explained by demonstrating their strength, superiority, or power to others is the primary method to feel meaningful (Motakef, 2019). This is directly related to unstable self-esteem and a constant need to enhance it at the expense of humiliating others.
Positive Methods of Obtaining Recognition
The best possible outcome of gaining recognition is to succeed in the activity that comes naturally to people, that is, to be fulfilled in the activity that people enjoy. Moreover, one can achieve the approval of others without adjusting to them (Rosenbach, 2018). That is because, in contrast to trying to fit in and please humans, it is quite a healthy means of gaining recognition. For it provides an opportunity not to adjust to someone’s expectations but to find that which is genuinely intrinsic to individuals and, at the same time, causes approval.
It is crucial also to mention that the method of recognition, in one’s own eyes, is a way that can help gain significance at the moment. To realize this, it is necessary to be constantly mindful of one’s s strengths; in order to implement it, one can maintain a diary of achievements and admiration for oneself and praise oneself regularly (Rosenbach, 2018). Self-recognition will not replace people’s attention from others, but it will significantly reduce the tension in which people often find themselves due to a shortage of importance.
Conclusion
Hence, the desire for recognition is one of the primary instincts of human beings. In order to fulfill this, individuals use positive and negative methods. Accordingly, it is acceptable to obtain a short-term challenge with assistance, but at the same time, it leads to the development of unhealthy desires. Meanwhile, positive methods allow one to gain recognition by working on oneself, which only enhances the effect of recognition.
References
Motakef, M. (2019). Recognition and precarity of life arrangement: Towards an enlarged understanding of precarious working and living conditions. Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory, 20(2), 156-172. Web.
Rosenbach, W. E. (2018). Contemporary issues in leadership. Milton Park: Routledge.