The Dual Impact of Moral Ideals
An objective measure of perfection in the context of moral achievements can serve two opposing purposes, reflecting both a positive influence on self-esteem and provoking an inner conflict capable of altering a person’s behavior. On one hand, having an ideal that serves as a measure—transcending both the individual and even society—helps a person maintain self-respect even in the face of external criticism. For example, as General Palladium Petrovich notes:“This heightened sensitivity to evaluations by those around you shows that the projective form of self-consciousness never disappears from the soul; although it is primary in time, it remains primary in significance. Long-term personal growth is needed, an outstanding strength of individuality is required to maintain self-respect while society, having believed in slander, inundates the individual with reproaches and disdain. Few can withstand this conflict with the social environment. The individual can break free from the grasp of a social environment, which exerts such a terrible influence on one’s self-esteem, only through the consciousness of an ideal that stands above both the individual and society.” (source: link txt, page: 318)This passage suggests that an ideal as an objective measure enables a person to break free from conventional social pressures, focus on a higher moral task, and thereby shape behavior directed towards achieving moral excellence.On the other hand, such an ideal may lead to constant self-comparison with others and internal tension if one’s actual behavior and achievements do not meet this standard. The author of a personal reflection describes how the shift from an objective approach to self-assessment to subjective self-comparison leads to a split in the inner state:“Now, on the contrary, the objectivity of thought, solely occupied with its subject, has been lost. Once the consciousness of duty emerged, the subjective aspect of the matter gained weight. I began to realize that I was supposed to study and reflect, and therefore it became important whether I was doing so or, on the contrary, not doing so. Consequently, comparing myself with others became necessary, along with all the inherent inequality of such evaluations, depending on the measure of comparison and my state at that particular moment. At times, it seemed that I was doing something, achieving something, and capable of something; at other times, the former calm self-confidence appeared to split into battling self-assurance and despondency.” (source: link txt, page: 429)This quote underscores that when a person begins to assess their moral actions by comparing them to an established ideal—which shifts according to their current state and comparisons with others—their self-esteem becomes unstable, potentially leading to behavioral fluctuations. Thus, an objective measure of perfection can simultaneously serve as a guide toward high moral achievements, helping maintain purpose and direction, and become a source of internal tension if personal experience does not align with high standards.