Didion

The seemingly elusive quality of self-respect is the subject of Joan Didion's article, "On Self-Respect." Beginning with a background anecdote about how she recovered emotionally from not making it into Phi Betta Kappa, Didion proceeds to show how she salvaged her sense of self-worth by meditating on the core components of self-respect. Basing her self-worth on tests, external measures, and memberships to clubs was like a spiritual and psychological poison. Didion concludes that one cannot build a solid core of self-respect by external measures or the judgments of others. For Joan Didion, self-respect is "that sense of one's intrinsic self-worth," which confers on the individual the power to take control over one's emotional and behavioral responses to life. Life will always be filled with uncertainties and threats. Self-respect allows the person to navigate through the tricky waters of cowardice, on the one hand, and recklessness on the other. Didion...
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