What is conscience: in your own words. The meaning and interpretation of the word. Dictionary What is conscience definition in your own words
Conscience is a kind of internal censor, controller and judge, inherent only to people. In a person's life, conscience can serve as a guide, help to act in accordance with moral rules. However, first you need to understand what conscience is.
What is the conscience?
To understand what conscience is, one can first turn to psychological and philosophical treatises. Psychologists understand conscience as an internal quality that indicates that a person is aware of his responsibility for a particular act. Philosophers call conscience a moral consciousness that is able to distinguish between good and bad, and induce a person to good deeds.
According to V. Dahl, conscience is a moral inner consciousness, a secret of the soul, in which actions are divided into those worthy of approval or blame, giving birth to love for good and hatred for evil.
A pure and calm conscience happens to a moral person who tries not to deviate from his rules. A restless and unclean conscience torments such an individual if he has done something unseemly. About a person who does not feel pangs of conscience even when committing very evil deeds, they say that his conscience is sleeping or lost.
How do believers understand conscience?
The term "conscience" appeared with the advent of Christianity, it is of Greek origin and consists of two words: "commonwealth" and "message". Those. in fact, conscience is a form of complicity in society. Believers identify conscience with the Almighty and his voice, which either pleases or punishes. An individual who has no conscience is a person without a soul for them.
What does it mean to have a conscience?
An unclean conscience manifests itself through reproaches, negative experiences, shame, and anxiety. With an absent or poorly developed conscience, a person does not repent when committing evil deeds, and sometimes he does not even realize that he has caused harm to someone by his actions. And, accordingly, he does not feel dissatisfaction with himself, shame and desire to rectify the situation.
The famous psychologist Z. Freud once expressed interesting theory emergence of conscience in man. In infancy, the child is extremely dependent on parental feelings, so he very quickly learns important rules for adults, their values and worldview. And all this for the sole purpose of not causing disappointment to parents and not losing love.
Studies have shown that those children grow up more conscientious, to whom, in case of misconduct, adults expressed their grief, and not physically punished, because. such punishment leads to resentment and protest. In adulthood, a person with a conscience experiences, condemns and punishes himself with unseemly acts.
What to do if your conscience hurts?
Believers believe that if a person is tormented by conscience, he needs repentance. You can tell about your sins to the priest, he will listen and help. Unbelievers can confess to their mother or father, they will accept their child as anyone, and will not look at him through the prism of misconduct. If the conscience torments because of the act, as a result of which a person suffered, it is necessary to repent before him.
The forgiveness received will 
a real balm for the soul. To alleviate the torments of conscience and at least partially restore the balance between good and evil, you can do good deeds, prayers, fasting, work for the benefit of other people.
Psychologists advise, in the throes of conscience, not to try to drown them out, but to try to understand what exactly caused the loss of peace of mind. The perfect offense is not always equal to the torment experienced. For example, a girl may worry about losing her virginity before marriage because she was raised that way and is tormented by irrelevant morality. This girl needs to understand that her actions are personal achievements, which were influenced by her life experience.
Throughout life, a person one way or another encounters the concepts of morality and moral choice. An important question here is: “What is conscience?” Many believe that this is a set of certain character traits that allow you to feel worthy and good. In addition, everyone knows the expression "clear conscience", and under what circumstances it arises. This article will focus on conscience as a spiritual component of success and happiness.
What is conscience?
If you turn to the explanatory dictionary, then in different publications you can read something like the following: this is the subconscious desire of a person to do good deeds. Thus, the definition of what conscience is does not quite correspond to its real meaning. It should be noted that conscience is the voice of God in the human soul, which awakens and begins to “speak” at those moments when the person needs it most.
For example, you just thought about selfish behavior, you haven’t even done anything yet, and your inner voice is already telling you that you shouldn’t do this. From the outside, it may seem that you are talking to someone else inside yourself. In part, this is true. Spiritual teachers of antiquity and modernity say that in our heart, in addition to the soul, lives a piece of the divine essence. It turns out that we were initially given a guide, a comrade-in-arms, a true friend in order to support and protect from everything bad, unkind.
Ugly act
Please remember how you feel when you have committed some kind of unkind deed? In any case, you will feel quite palpable tingling in the chest area, coming from the heart - remorse. What is it - it is better not to test in large quantities. In fact, the feeling is a terrible state, characterized by a reduced emotional background, depression, and often a feeling of hopelessness.
Nobody lives without mistakes. It is only important to be able to correctly respond to divine lessons, draw certain conclusions for yourself and live on. It is impossible to reproach oneself all one's life for what happened long ago, just as it is impossible to completely drown out the true voice of higher justice in oneself.
Why do we cover our faces with our hands?
Perhaps you have ever noticed one amazing phenomenon: when we cry or experience a state of shame, our hands seem to reach out to our faces by themselves. At the same time, for women it does not matter at all whether they ruin their makeup or not. Psychologists define this action as a subconscious attempt to hide one's guilt, to hide from oppressive feelings. The fact is that even when we feel acute symptoms of inner pain, we are not always ready to admit it. The definition of what conscience is can be given on the basis of this characteristic alone.
If you hurt a child
It's probably the worst thing you can do. In many countries, it is considered that hurting an old man or a baby is almost the same as committing premeditated murder. IN this case your suffering will be much greater than if you quarreled with an equal. This is what the human conscience is.
If a similar situation has happened to you, immediately find a way to correct the error. It is possible that it will not be possible to make amends so easily, various obstacles may arise along the way. It is quite possible that you will be accused of hypocrisy, insincerity. Keep acting! It is only difficult to take the first step, then everything will turn out easier. Find the right time to talk to your child. Children are amazing and mysterious creatures. If you act truly sincerely, from the heart, you will be forgiven. Of course, much depends on the severity of the offense that was committed.
truthful voice
We have within ourselves a real guide to a happy and full life. Don't miss it! Use the guidance in your heart. This is the divine principle, which allows us to understand what conscience is. In the event that you notice that some situation or thought disturbs you too often, do not try to hide it deeper into the subconscious. This won't do you any good. Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to face the truth. Find, feel for the origins of the problem that seems difficult to you, maybe even unsolvable. Turn to your inner God, ask him for forgiveness. You will see, it will immediately become easier for you to look at your difficulty. With a pure heart, it is much easier to find the truth.
Metaphysical level
Currently, there is more and more information that our mental state is directly related to the physical. Illnesses, any ailments arise only because we live incorrectly: we suppress our feelings, do not reveal emotions in time, we worry about situations that could happen. The personality is so arranged that it reacts to everything. thinking man always looking for an answer to the question of what conscience is, trying to understand the origins of the problem, to determine the starting point from which it all began. If he understands his mistake, he tries to correct it.
Experts noticed an amazing feature: the more a person suffers from guilt, the more clearly he has kidney problems. Recall that the functions of the excretory system are to cleanse the body. The kidneys are a paired organ. They work together. And if there are problems in the relationship, acute dissatisfaction with themselves or a sense of failure, they immediately react. Anyone who is constantly offended often has pyelonephritis, often chronic.
sincere remorse
This is what is needed for a person who understands the depth of his guilt, but does not yet know how to correct it. If you want to know what a clear conscience is and sleep peacefully at night, then use the following advice: find a time when no one will disturb you with calls and visits, go to church, repent of your sins.
Then find a reason to meet with the person you once offended, talk heart to heart with him, ask for forgiveness. You will see, you will get better. True repentance lies not in momentarily throwing off the burden of your experiences, but in being able to purify your soul through the recognition of your wrongness and the desire to change.
What is freedom of conscience?
Each of us has a choice in how to act. Nobody will ever take that away. One man, proving to be enough difficult situation, will strive to act for the benefit of others, the other, even realizing that he is wrong, will not budge. Much depends on the character, on the true intention of the soul. If possible, it is better not to try to joke with fate and correct mistakes in time. Sometimes we can't even imagine how short life is, and you just don't have time to give your loved ones the love and care they need so much.
Thus, conscience is a person's inner guide to the world, his protection and support. If all people truly listened to this quiet voice before making any act or transaction, then there would certainly be less deceit, upset marriages, and generally unhappy people. Take care of each other and be happy!
In our constantly changing world, there are fundamental concepts, to lose which means to lose yourself ... One of these eternal and unchanging concepts is our conscience.
What kind of quality of the soul is this, deep, pure, eternal, called conscience? Wikipedia says that this concept denotes a person's ability to moral self-control; an inner voice that dictates to a person how to and what not to do. This spiritual quality helps to connect the mind and emotions together, and is expressed in the form of emotional experience.
What is conscience? The definition found in official literature, a bit dry for such a deep moral phenomenon, isn't it?
From the point of view of psychology
Many well-known psychologists in their works have repeatedly addressed the topic of morality. So, Eric Berne believed that there are three ego-states of a person:
- Adult.
- Parent.
- Child.
The adult is responsible for logical thinking and mind; The child is for interest, research and entertainment, but the Parent ... The Parent is the voice of conscience, the moral principle of a person.
Some psychologists call the feeling of guilt innate in a person, some believe that morality is part of the mind, and someone considers it a derivative of the development of civilization.
So this is a fundamental concept, interesting and complex. This is a sense of moral responsibility for one's own behavior and everything that happens in the human world.
The meaning of the word "conscience", which various official sources offer us, is a boring thing. And how to clarify the definition of this abstract psychological term in simple terms?
The version of a cheerful ten-year-old girl who recently read Pinocchio is very interesting. In her opinion, conscience is Jimmy's cricket, which you accidentally swallowed, so it got stuck in your head ... As you can see, there are many versions, there are even quite funny ones, but only the person himself can answer what morality and morality mean specifically for him. ..
Related concepts and phrases
Do not confuse remorse and shame. They have the following important differences:
- Shame is a public phenomenon, while guilt is deeply personal.
- Remorse of conscience appears as a result of developed moral responsibility, and shame is the result of the influence of society.
- Guilt is a condemnation of one's act, and shame is a condemnation of one's personality.
And what then is called "clear conscience"? According to psychologists, a feeling of a clear conscience arises when a person is confident in his complete and unconditional sinlessness. It is here that such a problem as the relativity of moral concepts appears. What is normal for one person may not let another sleep well at night. Indeed, morality is a more than complicated thing ...
And how is it - to live according to conscience, so that the soul is always pure? The answer is simple. You should try to follow the moral code recognized in the place where you live. Sounds cynical? Alas. As already mentioned, morality is a very relative thing ...
To live according to conscience means to observe the internal laws of honor, a code that is terrible to break, otherwise the moral support under your feet will disappear and you will fall into lawlessness and emptiness ...
In this case, there is only one advice: listen to your heart and hope that it will help you make the right choice. Author: Irina Shumilova
The concept of "conscience" appeared in ancient times, and many philosophers have tried to define it. Someone said that this is a feeling that makes a person weak, and someone, on the contrary, argued that this is one of the strongest qualities. good man. It was especially difficult to talk about it in your own words for those who had never experienced such a feeling. Let's try to figure out what this word means.
Moral and ethical standards
Most sources claim that conscience is the need to adhere to those formed in the environment where a person grew up. If, for some reason, it is not possible to fulfill certain principles, then the individual experiences what conscience is, in their own words, the servants in the religious community - the rabbis - also describe. They believe that this is the inner voice of every person, which does not allow to go astray and protects from committing sin.
How does a feeling arise?
When people talk about any concept or event, trying to understand its essence, they always turn to the origins. In this case, it is also very important to know how and when the feeling of conscience first arises. IN modern science there are two completely opposite theories, but each of them is very interesting and relevant. Adherents of the first believe that a person's conscience is a feeling that has a natural character. Others are sure that it is grafted with early childhood.
Both theories have the right to life, since in order for this feeling to form, there must be a causal relationship. For example, when, in infancy, selfish acts that cause trouble are condemned, and altruistic, beneficial ones are approved, a causal relationship is formed in the child.
Over time, censure and approval arises in a person by itself. So, now in adulthood, selfish actions are no longer condemned by parents, but by an inner voice. Due to the fact that such associations arise from infancy and are firmly rooted in the human brain, it seems that this is an innate quality. But, again, since this feeling is formed in the environment where a person grew up, his “concept of conscience” may differ significantly from the opinion of others on this matter.
Let's try to explain what conscience is, in our own words, enough simple example. There are two families. In one, selfishness is not considered some kind of negative quality, but is simply called "self-love." Reproach in this family occurs when a child infringes on himself in some way, it seems to parents that he does not love himself at all. Here the child is “tormented by conscience”, for example, because instead of buying candy for himself, he gives this money to the poor. The other family is the exact opposite: exactly the same act is not condemned, but approved.
Both children have a sense of “conscience” in one way or another, but it is directed in different directions. It should be understood that the generally accepted moral concepts of conscience will still be on the side of the child from the second family.
Altruism and selfishness
Despite the fact that the environment in which a person grows up has a very great influence on him, certain qualities do not always arise due to it. It happens that the principles by which the family lives do not at all coincide with the essence of their child. An altruist can grow up in an absolutely immoral family, so he has a negative attitude towards their way of life and by all means wants to be different. He is ashamed of the things that his parents do, and if he himself does the same, then his conscience torments him. C. Darwin called this manifestation natural altruism.
If the situation is completely opposite, then we can talk about natural egoism. Many scientists and philosophers believe that this feeling is inherent in everyone to a different extent. The degree of condemnation of selfishness from early childhood, most likely, determines how conscientious a person will grow up. Western sciences believe that children are born with an equal degree of altruism and selfishness, the quality that is most approved prevails.
Conscience Analysis
In order to analyze this concept, a consciousness of freedom and sinfulness is necessary. In mathematical language, one can say that a person's conscience is the difference between those actions that are permissible and those that are impossible for any reason. Quite often, the manifestation of this feeling is associated precisely with faith. Conscience is a kind of internal overseer that controls the morality of actions. For believers, first of all, those who contradict their commandments will be considered immoral.
As a rule, honor and conscience are always identified with each other. For example, the German thinker I. Kant calls this feeling a law that lives in every person and determines his dignity. A. Holbach said that conscience is an internal judge. Only this sense of responsibility clearly indicates how much a person’s actions deserve censure or approval.
Freedom of conscience
Since the beginning of the concept, there have been a huge number of different interpretations of this word, but they were all based on general moral principles (honor, dignity, altruism, kindness), explaining what conscience is. The meaning of this word and its basic principles were described in their works by almost every thinker and philosopher.
In the 19th century, the concept of freedom of conscience gradually began to appear. This gave a certain impetus to moral democracy. The concept of conscience has become something purely personal for everyone. The environment in which a person grows up has become decisive for him. Accordingly, if a person wants his family to live according to certain moral and ethical standards, they must be observed and instilled. What is considered wrong and immoral must be condemned, while the good must be approved.
Children and conscience
In order to understand on what principles a child grows up, you can ask him to write a short discussion on the topic “Conscience and I”. From the text it will be absolutely clear at what points education needs to be paid more attention. Moreover, conscience can lead to certain mental problems. When a child or an adult fails to do something "in good conscience", he begins to be tormented by a sense of guilt. Such frequent conditions can even lead to suicide. Children need to explain what conscience is in their own words, learn how to act so that there is no remorse, and tell them that there are situations when it is not possible to do one way or another.
Conscience
And so conscience - what is it? Let's see what Wiki thinks about it first:
Conscience - the ability of a person to independently formulate moral obligations and implement moral self-control, demand from himself their fulfillment and evaluate his actions; one of the expressions of the moral self-consciousness of the individual. It manifests itself both in the form of a rational awareness of the moral significance of the actions taken, and in the form of emotional experiences - feelings of guilt or "remorse" [source not specified 1736 days], that is, it connects the mind and emotions together.
To some extent, indeed, it is so.
But let's look at it deeper, removing all the developments and raids.
We all know that there is a certain core in a person, it is not in vain that they say that a person does not change, indeed, he is given one core for life, and does not change. But sometimes we hear one of our friends tell us that a mutual friend, what a great guy he is, he has changed (or maybe in ...
There were Darwinists who argued that conscience is an extra feeling that should be got rid of. It is interesting to cite the words of Hitler, who, as you know, was one of the thinkers of social Darwinism (the doctrine according to which the laws of natural selection and the struggle for existence, which, according to Charles Darwin, operate in nature, apply to human society): “I free man from the humiliating chimera called conscience." And further…
In other Greek. mythology S. gets fantastic. the image in the form of an image of the Erinyes, the goddesses of damnation, revenge and punishment, pursuing and punishing criminals, but acting as a benefactor (eumenides) in relation to the repentant. In ethics, the problem of personal S. was first posed by Socrates, who considered him the source of morals. judgments of a person, his self-knowledge (ancient Greek ....
There was one ancient wisdom among the people: "Conscience, although without teeth, can gnaw at the soul."
And it just so happened that people began to forget these words, like many other important things. Only now our ancestors knowingly composed proverbs about conscience. They knew, after all, that without her the Russian people would perish, and they would not be happy.
So, what proverbs about conscience and duty should every person know? Why does he need them? And what is conscience anyway?
It so happened that each person has his own conscience. "Why is that?" - you ask. Because every person is built differently. Some are brought up in good families and they teach goodness and order, and others into evil. Therefore, growing up, people have a different idea of morality, respectively, and their conscience is different.
According to psychologists, conscience is the moral and ethical rules that determine inner world individual. Violation of these unwritten laws leads to the fact that a person begins to experience ...
What is conscience and what does it mean to live according to conscience?
Most people have some kind of internal censor that helps them distinguish between the positive and negative aspects of life. It is important to learn to listen to the voice within yourself and follow its advice, and then it will serve as a guide to a happy future.
What does conscience mean?
There are several definitions of this concept: for example, conscience is considered the ability to independently identify their own duties of self-control and evaluate committed actions. Psychologists, explaining what conscience is in their own words, give the following definition: it is an internal quality that gives a chance to understand how well a person is aware of his own responsibility for a committed act.
To define what conscience is, it is necessary to note the fact that it is divided into two kinds. The first includes actions that a person performs, having a certain moral background. The second type refers to the emotions experienced by ...
They always talk about conscience, sometimes without even understanding what is meant by this concept. Let's see what conscience is. Conscience is often compared to a compass, which is so necessary for travelers to avoid getting into trouble. In appearance, this is a simple device with a magnetized needle, always pointing north. But if it works correctly and if it is used with detailed map, you can avoid trouble. This is very similar to conscience. If properly trained, she will protect us, but only if we respond quickly to her warnings.
Different opinions about conscience
Without conscience, we would be lost. There are many theories regarding the definition of conscience. For example, the Bible explains what conscience is. Literally, the word means "knowledge of oneself." This ability to know ourselves is given to us by God. It turns out that we can see ourselves from the outside and evaluate our actions, decisions and feelings. Conscience not only contributes to our joy, but can greatly help us ...
“You have no conscience!”, “I would have had a conscience!”, “Conscience is the best controller.” "Remorse". We have heard these and many other statements about conscience more than once or twice in our lives. So what is conscience? Why do we need it? How do we know if we have it or not, and how not to lose it?
Conscience is a kind of regulator of our relations with other people. At the same time, this regulator is different for everyone. A person's conscience is a purely individual concept, there is no standard in it, you cannot measure it and say: "My conscience is greater than yours." It all depends on how able a person is to regulate his moral and ethical behavior, the norms of which are different for everyone and depend on upbringing, social environment habitation, personal qualities, life experience. At the level of feelings, conscience helps us evaluate the fallacy or correctness of actions or deeds.
What is conscience: conscience in life examples
Conscience has a strong influence on our lives and can…
Following the discussions
Conscience brief summary discussion of the same name
Which of us is not familiar with our inner voice, called conscience, which either accuses us from the inside and oppresses us, or gives a feeling of joy and satisfaction for what has been done!?! This is our internal controller and judge, incorruptible and impartial. Just as a hungry person cannot convince himself that he is full, and an exhausted worker cannot convince himself that he is cheerful and full of strength and energy, so we cannot convince ourselves that we have done well and right when our conscience rebukes us for what we did wrong.
I. WHAT IS CONSCIENCE?
1. Definition of dictionaries:
Ushakov's Dictionary: Conscience is an internal assessment, an internal awareness of the morality of one's actions, a sense of moral responsibility for one's behavior.
Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: Conscience is the moral consciousness of a person, expressed in the assessment of one's own and other people's actions, based on a certain criterion of goodness and ...
1) Conscience - - a category of ethics that expresses the ability of a person to exercise moral self-control, to determine from the standpoint of good and evil the attitude towards one's own and other people's actions, lines of behavior. S. makes his assessments, as it were, regardless of the practical. interest, however, in reality, in various manifestations, S. of a person reflects the impact on him of concret. historical, social class conditions of life and education. S. does not generate, but only consolidates and reproduces those values and assessments that have been developed in societies. practice, and therefore, ultimately depends on the class. and societies, belonging to man. Scientific atheism is opposed to nihilistic. attitude to S., considering her beings, a feature of the spiritual appearance of the individual, and against the attitude towards her as an unchanging and infallible judge given to us by God. With the progress of social and cultural progress intellect. honesty as one of the requirements of S. more and more urgently requires the rejection of relit, faith, as having no logical. and actual rationale, and...
Conscience is the ability of the human spirit to distinguish between good and evil, the consciousness of good and evil (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov), the natural law that requires a God-pleasing life from the human mind (St. Abba Dorotheos).
Conscience is a desirable or active force (ability) of the human spirit, pointing a person to good and demanding its fulfillment. Being closely connected with reason and feeling, conscience has a practical character and can be called practical consciousness (St. Theophan the Recluse). If the mind cognizes, and the senses feel, then conscience, as an active force, determines the type of activity of the spirit in relation to the object cognized by the mind and felt by the senses.
In the word "conscience" the root "message" together with the particle "co" indicates "co-communication" and "co-action". The human conscience did not initially act alone. In man, before the fall, she acted together with God Himself, who dwells in His human soul…
Social Psychology. Dictionary under. ed. M.Yu. Kondratiev
Conscience - the ability of a person to exercise moral self-control, independently formulate moral duties for himself, demand from himself their fulfillment and evaluate the actions performed; one of the expressions of the moral self-consciousness of the individual. WITH….
A large dictionary of esoteric terms - edited by d.m.s. Stepanov A.M.
(Russian, joint message, generalized knowledge). 1. Feeling and consciousness of moral responsibility for one's behavior and actions to oneself, to other people, society, moral principles, views, beliefs. 2. In occultism, the manifestation of criteria in the individual ...
Philosophical Dictionary
(joint knowledge, to know, to know): the ability of a person to realize his duty and responsibility to other people, independently evaluate and control his behavior, be a judge of his own thoughts and ...
What is conscience?
What is conscience and can you be guided by your conscience with confidence? How does a Bible-trained conscience help you make right decisions in life?
Conscience
Walking along a busy street, you pass an elegantly dressed woman who, without noticing, drops a wad of money. Leaning down to pick it up
pack, you see a woman hurriedly getting into an expensive car.
How will you do it? Will you call out to her or will you quickly hide the money in your pocket?
It depends on your conscience. What will she tell you? More importantly, can you trust her? Can you confidently be guided by your conscience?
Conscience is the natural feeling of conviction about what is good and evil, just and unjust, moral and immoral. In the Bible, the principle of conscience is described in Romans 2:14, 15 in these words:
“For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what is lawful, then, having no law, ...
Introduction
Even in ancient times, philosophers and sages thought about this voice: where does it come from and what is its nature? Various assumptions and theories have been put forward. Special Issues the presence of this voice created the philosophers and scientists of the “modern time”, who see in man only a material being and deny the existence of the soul.
There were Darwinists who argued that conscience is an extra feeling that should be got rid of. It is interesting to cite the words of Hitler, who, as you know, was one of the thinkers of social Darwinism (the doctrine according to which the laws of natural selection and the struggle for existence, which, according to Charles Darwin, operate in nature, apply to human society): “I free man from the humiliating chimera that...
Conscience refers exclusively to internal moral concepts. It implies the ability of a person to evaluate his behavior, his motives, internal desires from the standpoint of awareness of his own imperfection. The conscience of a person is always a conversation alone with oneself, therefore it excludes the presence of such categories as shame and fear, which are more of an external response to inconsistency with generally accepted norms. The feeling of one’s imperfection and dissatisfaction with oneself leads a person to moral experiences known as “remorse of conscience” or “pangs of conscience”.
In Christianity, conscience is one of the gifts given to man by God. This is good for a person, because it does not allow a person to turn completely onto the path of sin. Christians are commanded to train their conscience, which means to constantly reflect on the conformity of their actions with Christian morality.
If wrong behavior leads a person to a "troubled conscience", on the contrary, successful ...
