Oral Presentation 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

Pride In Self And Pride In Others: Social Functions Of A Multi-Faceted Emotion (#308)

Lisa A. Williams 1
  1. University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

A sizeable and growing corpus of psychological research has examined pride arising from one’s own achievements. Curiously, however, such research has ignored one social feature of this emotion: that it can be felt in relation to the achievements of others. Yet, feeling proud of a close other's achievement or of the success of a group to which one belongs is a ubiquitous social phenomenon. In this talk, I will present a social functional account of pride that incorporates both its self-oriented and other-oriented forms. I will draw on a range of empirical evidence, including laboratory-based experiments and field studies, to highlight how pride not only promotes ‘getting ahead’ but also ‘getting along,’ ultimately serving two fundamental social needs. Adopting a more encompassing view of pride that embraces its multi-faceted nature enables deeper insight into how this emotion functions to promote adaptive social living.