Flattery involves praising someone to obtain a benefit.
The Latin term adulāri came into our language as adulate . The concept refers to saying or doing something that is thought to satisfy or sympathize with another person . For example: “In public, it is always advisable to flatter your boss and not point out his mistakes,” “If you think that because you are going to flatter me all day, I will forgive you, you are very wrong.” “There are leaders who want to grow .” in the government for flattering the president.”
It can be said that flattery consists of giving praise for some particular purpose . The subject who flatters another does not do so sincerely or disinterestedly, but rather exaggerates or invents his admiration to make the flattered individual happy with him. Thus, he hopes to obtain favors from you.
Flatter the powerful
Flattery usually appears in areas where there are people who hold a certain power . Rulers are often flattered with the intention of achieving benefits. A mayor's secretary may constantly flatter his boss in the hope of being appointed to some higher-paying position, to name one possibility.
Those who receive flattery may react differently. There are people who choose humility and who do not enjoy excessive flattery; Others, however, foster a cult of personality and seek to hear praise and praise constantly. These latter subjects surround themselves with sycophants.
The effect of flattering can be different depending on the personality of the recipient of the flattery.
Differences with flatter
Sometimes it is difficult to find the difference between flattery and flattery ; This last verb, which is considered one of the synonyms of flatter, can also be defined as "showing affection to a person through actions or words that please them" or "satisfying someone through our actions."
As can be seen, a compliment does not always hide the intention of satisfying certain personal interests; On the contrary, it may consist of a display of absolutely genuine admiration.
flatter a child
Flattering can be a very dangerous action if the recipient of the comments is a child; This happens in many families and in the school environment, especially with individuals of great intellectual capacity .
When parents and teachers flatter a child they consider special, they do not manage to strengthen their confidence, but rather they turn them into an arrogant being and distort their perception of the outside world, since they make them believe that their qualities have no limits, that everyone should surrender at his feet.
Genuine appreciation
It is important to distinguish between genuine appreciation , which is developed with sincerity to express recognition of one's neighbor, and the act of flattery, which is selfish since it responds to the interests of the flatterer.
Recognizing the virtues of the people around us and showing admiration for them is an act of humility that enriches both parties. Contrary to envy, it consists of understanding that each person has their own talents and defects, and that differences should not be a reason for confrontation but rather for unity to become stronger.
As unfortunate as it may be, it is not very common to find this degree of sincerity in human relationships , but flattery is much more frequent. In addition, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between both actions, since the line that divides them can be very thin .
One of the characteristics that we must take into account to recognize flattery from genuine appreciation is intonation: since when flattering we do not express ourselves sincerely, it is possible to appreciate a forced articulation , which does not seem to be in tune with the words we pronounce. ; On the contrary, when expressing our admiration for someone spontaneously we do not voluntarily look for the appropriate intonation, but rather it arises naturally according to our culture.