Who is an ambitious person and what does ambition mean? What is an ambitious person? Ambition - good or bad Ambition meaning

). Love of honors, thirst for honors, desire for them. A man of enormous ambition.

Dictionary Ushakova. D.N. Ushakov. 1935-1940.

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Good day, dear reader. In this article you will learn what ambition is and the meaning of this word. You will become aware of the characteristics of an ambitious person. Find out how to deal with this quality if it has negative manifestations.

General information

An ambitious person is a person who wants to be the best. Such an individual craves power and wants to show his superiority. However, with moderate manifestation of this quality, ambition is a healthy desire to improve oneself and one’s capabilities. It helps an individual set certain goals and achieve them, despite the difficulties that arise. Such an individual is a winner by nature.

The word ambition describes a quality of character manifested by the expressed goals of an individual, the desire to achieve primacy, the need to be recognized in one's field of activity.

A decent person can be ambitious, and this quality is confirmed by his nobility and truthfulness. Ambition in such a person does not destroy humanity. Such a person will have a kind heart and a pure mind.

This quality develops when an individual needs to prove to everyone and to himself his own importance. Ambition is more characteristic of the male gender. A man with healthy ambition will strive to achieve more and move up the career ladder, because he must take care not only of himself, but also of his partner and children.

Ambition, as a psychological component of a person’s personality, is an ethical quality and is determined by the interaction of the individual with society.

If this quality is found in a kind person, it has positive manifestations and does not harm the environment. If bad person, then, being in the power of a destructive personality, this quality can negatively affect the immediate environment, especially if the person has power.

Ambition has two enemies: the victories of other people and unfulfilled dreams. For example, a situation where an individual is overly arrogant reveals that he does not have enough talent. Then the dream he wanted to strive for will remain so until the end of his days.

Advantages and disadvantages

Ambition can have both positive and negative sides. It is believed that many of humanity's achievements would not have been achieved without this quality. It allows you to move on, create new discoveries. The fruits of ambition are:

• scientific and technical developments;
• works of art;
• discoveries in medicine that make it possible to resist serious diseases.

It is worth considering that here we are talking about a moderate manifestation of ambition. However, in a situation where the satisfaction of one’s needs, one’s ego comes first, and the good of society comes second, then nothing good can be expected from such a person. A person has a destructive complex of hatred and high self-esteem, which lead to spiritual breakdown.

If, in the presence of ambition, there are no other positive qualities, then it manifests itself negatively. If, along with it, there is determination, responsibility, dedication and perseverance, then the owner of these qualities can do anything. Having healthy ambition, an individual can direct all his strength to achieve his goal. If there is hypertrophied ambition, which is not supported by its significance, then in its manifestations it approaches vanity. A person becomes dissatisfied with his life, experiences anxiety, and envy.

Characteristic signs

Certain manifestations may indicate that an ambitious person is nearby:

• excessive ambitions, in the presence of modest opportunities - a person sets too high goals;
• pride - the opinion that he occupies an important place in society, and everyone else should grovel;
• thirst for fame often leads to failure;
• spiritual callousness and selfishness - such a person does not take into account the opinions of others and is ready to step over people;
• there is a strong fear of failure;
• criticism is perceived very painfully and affects the self-esteem of an ambitious person;
• complete confidence that all people envy him;
• such a person may not realize that he is trying to control everything, giving instructions to everyone.

How to deal with ambition

The roots of self-obsession originate in childhood. The kid wants to be the best, tries to do well in school, and waits for his parents’ praise. At such a moment, it is extremely important that mom and dad convey to the child that they will not love him less if he makes a mistake and fails. It is necessary for the child to realize that he does not always have to strive to be the best in order to succeed.

1. You need to realize that you are not an omnipotent person and are imperfect. There are no people who have only advantages and no disadvantages.
2. Learn to set goals that you can realistically achieve over time. Moreover, to begin with, it is better to set goals that can be achieved in a day or two.
3. It is necessary to continue to engage in self-development, but at the same time it is important to take into account the opinions of the people around you and their interests.

Society must instill in a person career and professional ambition and its healthy manifestation. So this quality will allow you to have a productive social activity. If a person manages to develop ambition and uses it moderately, he will be able to achieve a lot.

Now you know what it means ambitious man. As you can see, such a person can be quite successful and reach great heights. However, with a pathological manifestation of ambition, its owner harms both himself and his environment.

Striving to become the best in his field is always commendable and deserves respect. However, when human ambitions force one to commit immoral acts, such a person is not accepted by society. What is ambition and if a person is ambitious, is it good or bad?

What is ambition?

Psychological dictionaries say that ambition is the desire, enshrined in human character, to achieve success in accordance with personal goals in different areas of life. When compared to determination, this term is aimed at personal goals rather than altruistic ones. Unlike greed, ambition partly refers to obtaining material gain. This concept is the subject of ethics, psychology, pedagogy and other equally important humanities.

Sometimes the question becomes relevant: is an ambitious person good or, conversely, unacceptable in society. In a good sense, ambition drives a person to achieve any achievements in his or her activities. In other words, a person does everything to do his job perfectly. At the same time, he may have a desire to stand out, be in the spotlight, receive flattering reviews, and climb the career ladder.

However, such a person will always do his job properly. high level and you can rely on him. Without such a quality as ambition, it is impossible in sports, competitions and other competitions. People here tend to strive for victories and these are quite healthy ambitions. However, there are situations when a person can completely forget about decency to achieve goals, loves flattery and servility, then this is not very good and can even be called vanity.

Ambition and vanity - differences

If a person is ambitious, this means that he certainly strives to be the best in various areas of life, and this cannot but inspire respect. Being a very good specialist in your field and at the same time being responsible for your work cannot but set an example for others. This is the main difference between ambition and vanity, where there is excessive attraction of attention to one’s person. There is a fine line between vanity and ambition, when one of these qualities can turn into the other. In such situations, a person can praise his own merits.

Ambition and ambitiousness

Ambition is understood as ambitious claims, the desire to achieve set goals. Here is the desire to obtain a certain status, to achieve a worthy position. When we talk about healthy ones, we are talking about all those motives that encourage a person to strive to become more successful. Thanks to them, there is a desire to achieve your goals and become more successful. However, if ambitions are not justified, then a person can look very funny.

Ambition can be very beneficial for every person. So, it’s difficult for those who want to climb the career ladder to do without it. Here the winner can be the one who, in addition to professionalism, also has such important qualities. Ambition often helps in sports, since a strong-willed person is unlikely to agree that participation is important. He will certainly want to become a winner.

Arrogance and Ambition

Ambition is often associated with arrogance. This is due to the fact that it is important for a person to be confident that he can achieve his goals. However, if he has doubts at the very start, then his goal will be unrealistic. People with ambitions are controversial. On the one hand, they delight, because they know what they want, but on the other hand, they can cause negative emotions because they can commit immoral acts. Sometimes this happens when it comes to painful ambition. This quality becomes good or bad in the hands of the person himself.

Ambition and reputation

Everyone, or almost every person, is concerned about their reputation. This is especially true for people in high positions. They try to do everything in order not to spoil their own face in the eyes of others. It will depend on whether a particular person has honor and ambition. So, if a person strives to achieve success in his profession and at the same time tries to perform his duties perfectly, he has every chance of earning respect in the eyes of others.

How to develop ambition?

Having ambitious goals is good. If you want to develop ambition, here are some valuable tips:

1. It is necessary to repeat positive statements as often as possible. These are statements that resemble self-compliments. With their help, you can improve your self-esteem and problem-solving skills in stressful situations.
2. It is important to concentrate on what you can get and think less about what you can lose.
3. It is necessary to think about failure as a process of elimination.
4. You should enjoy your successes, but not get hung up on them.
5. You need to set specific goals and at the same time create a strategy to achieve them. Defining short-term and long-term goals. What matters here is to reward yourself every time you achieve your goal.

Ambition in Orthodoxy

The Orthodox religion claims that ambition is a sin. A real Christian should not be like this, because it may upset God. The Christian religion says that every person should be modest and not stand out. The Bible tells us that during his life, Jesus Christ avoided glory and honor when healing the sick. The Holy Gospel says that one must avoid such a vice as hypertrophied ambition.

It often happens that a person is completely captivated by a new business. All his thoughts are completely occupied with how to achieve success. Having not yet conquered great heights, he is already anticipating the joy that achieving his goal should bring. This quality is called ambition.

Ambition: what is it?is that?

It is quite difficult to say this concept. Ambition is most often understood as the desire for honor, fame and a high position in society. There are many people who want to get such a result, although not everyone can admit it. The reason for this is quite prosaic: such people are simply afraid of condemnation from society. After all, such a quality is usually identified with a painful desire for fame. Many people wonder: ambition - what is it really?

It is difficult to draw a portrait of an ambitious person, since his appearance and behavior can be very diverse. Outwardly, such a person can behave extremely modestly and unassumingly. Often his ambition is secret knowledge, which he is not ready to share with others.

Ambition: what is it?and what is its use?

In fact, ambition can be both healthy and unhealthy. All people who have achieved success in one field or another are clearly ambitious. They are attracted by the process of achieving goals and gaining recognition. This property acts as a good motivator. It does not allow a person to go astray, even when it is difficult for him. But for a person who has healthy ambition, fame will play a special role. It will be something like a pleasant bonus to the efforts made and nothing more.

Vanity and ambition

It's another matter when the desire to rest on one's laurels becomes an end in itself. This quality is called vanity. Such a person is not interested in the fruits of his activities, he does not care what benefit his actions will bring to others. Sometimes a vain person even acts to his own detriment. A striking example of such a desire for empty fame are show business stars. Many of them are ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of recognition: love, family and health.

The difference between a vain person and an ambitious person is that an ambitious person will never sacrifice his moral convictions for the sake of fame. A vain individual is ready to step over himself for the sake of recognition.

It turns out that there is a rather thin line between ambition and vanity, which is very easy to violate. Ambition is a very vague and ambiguous definition.

If it is healthy, then it is a quality that should be present in everyone. The presence of such motivation makes people conquer new heights. This is the desire to do something better than others, to succeed in some business.

Ultimately, what is ambition? In simple words, such a property is the desire to be successful and respected for the efforts made. Hard work, self-confidence, perseverance - these are far from full list characteristics of an ambitious person. If you direct all these qualities in the right direction, then this property will be your trump card, and not a vice.

Reading time: 5 min

Ambition is a person’s desire to obtain a high position, certain honors, to achieve visible successes recognized by the environment and ideally having a specific dimension, expressed in grades, numbers, awards, trophies. For an ambitious person, it is important to have the highest results. The concept of ambition is revealed through its two roots and means love of honor.

Ambition, the meaning of the word is synonymous with vanity. In its extreme expression, ambition can rush towards greed, which, however, is in close connection with the acquisition of material benefits, while vanity and ambition use specific physical benefits only indirectly.

What is ambition

An ambitious person himself can be aware that wherever he finds himself, he is ready to impose his own rules, even on people he has just met. Admitting a mistake brings him painful sensations, the thought that he deserves more does not leave him. An ambitious person wants to have no competitors in any field - except himself. for him there is an engine of progress, a means of achieving personal goals. Such a person does not stop there, he constantly strives for more, which means he becomes stronger, ready to work harder and improve.

Vanity and ambition make an individual selfish and even unpleasant to others. takes over a person and makes him look at the world from a distorted angle. no longer meets current conditions. It already seems to a person that he has the right to impose his opinion on others, he becomes uncooperative in a team, it is difficult for him to find mutual language with the environment. The thirst for success forces you to enter into a deal with conscience, to go over your head for the sake of victory. Such individuals often eventually achieve their goal, but remain lonely, with an abundance of mental trauma and emotional blockages.

Psychoanalyst Karen Horney explored the concept of ambition as one of the neurotic needs - a painful desire for personal achievement. It depends on whether you manage to be the best. We all come across an example of neurotic ambition already at school, we know children who suffer from a low grade, which is a blow to them. In adulthood, this develops into the desire to be the best lover, writer, athlete, to have the highest performance in production, prestigious awards, to earn the most.

Neurotic ambition is less harmful to others than other neurotic needs of the aggressive type, because it is directed at its owner. Ambition has a destructive effect on him personally, bringing an inability to accept himself as he is, to the fullest and with all the natural feelings and experiences of living his life. Such a person must definitely get grades, prove through his activities, first of all, to himself that his “I” exists and has weight. It is extremely important for him to capture and record his activities in order to present its results to others as proof of his existence. This directly affects whether a neurotic person will be able to reduce the level, which goes off scale, if he does not have visible, visible evidence of his productive and efficient activities.

Neurotic ambition forces a person to take destructive actions - the desire to defeat his obvious or imaginary rivals, to win in competition and competitive struggle by any means.

How to identify that ambition is neurotic in nature? Its symptom is acute, which in neurotic vanity is perceived as humiliation. Another factor is the relentless pushing of oneself to greater achievements, which occurs despite the incessant anxiety. Awards and trophies do not bring such a person joy; there is no experience of genuine deep satisfaction from them. Achievements only push you to even higher levels, which will help you deal with anxiety. They simply reduce anxiety and feeling for a short time - they calm the inner critic, the internalized accuser. Such a neurotic has no peace with himself, does not accept himself.

Ambition, how to get rid of it

If you begin to notice that your child has begun to show symptoms of neurotic ambition, you need to convince him that you will love and accept him even regardless of what grade he gets from school. And let me feel your unconditional love. Tell him stories about failures from the lives of those around him, stories related to falls - with the goal that from these examples the child learns to feel that all failures are just Feedback. Try to reduce the fear of failure so that it is not associated with humiliation, thereby redirecting or softening neurotic ambition, making it less acute and painful. In general, as for other neurotic needs, according to Karen Horney’s approach, to resolve this complex it is important to weaken the idealized image, inflated ideas about oneself, learn to accept oneself, and treat oneself without hatred and contempt.

There is an interesting opinion that ambition in contrast is the main driving force of humanity. A person constantly wants more, looks at those around him and notes their successes: getting promoted, buying a new car, vacationing at a fashionable resort with an abundance of impressions.

Ambition gives rise to a reluctance to feel like a loser and to win against everyone all the time. Indeed, it drives a person forward, learning from others and receiving examples - he has to his own success. People create innovative technologies, they are developing science, someone has been in space, they came up with social media, and the rest are drawn to the best, trying to acquire it and prevail. And so humanity moves forward thanks to ambition and. But is such ambition the only and true guarantee of strength and success?

Many people disagree with this view, arguing that true people do not need ambition; ambition can even be a sign of a lack of talent and talent.

Ambition can have different natures. That ambition that is associated with the desire for possession and dominance is usually considered a negative quality. In contrast, some highlight healthy passion, which motivates and helps to reach the top following talent.

There is an aesthetic theory of Chukovsky that only what a person does not want turns out well. That is, non-pragmatic activities bring brilliant results. An example is Steve Jobs, who became a truly great businessman not due to the desire for money, success, or honors. He was passionate about the idea of ​​​​creating something fundamentally new and very valuable for humanity, putting all his strength into his aspiration. That is, for success you need to set yourself a high, ambitious goal, which should not be pragmatic - but higher than just a desire, for example, for money, which will only be a consequence.

Or maybe ambition is a desire for immortality? The desire to leave something behind. “I owe everything that is best in me to death.” After all, if our life were not finite, if it were not for the need to realize ourselves in this allotted area of ​​life, then there would be no incentive to create, stand out, be remembered, leaving a mark. The idea of ​​death very strongly encourages one to leave behind some recognized values, a good or famous name, which is a kind of synonym for honor. From this point of view, ambition reveals the meaning of the word not through the love of honor, but as a desire for personal honor. And this motivation is considered harmonious, as it contributes to true growth. So we can talk about ambition at different levels.

Is ambition good or bad?

Where is the line between healthy ambition and ambition? For example, an athlete or actor must consider himself the best - otherwise he will not achieve high results. Self-confidence, positioning himself as the best and believing in this encourage him to work hard on himself. Having looked at views on this issue over the past 2000 years of history in different trends, we will even see contradictory approaches in religions. In Orthodoxy, the dogma of self-abasement runs through the doctrine like a red thread. Career, pride, the desire to be first, to achieve heights and to prove something to oneself or others are considered bad, following the Bible’s instructions to be last. In contrast to them, modesty, self-abasement, awareness of one’s insignificance and humility are cultivated as the only way out. Ambition here is associated with pride and is considered a sin.

Catholicism has a different approach - a person must be respected, and not stoop to self-abasement and sprinkle ashes on one’s head. A person here is no longer bad, but in Protestantism he is even good - success, work, money, prosperity are considered as gifts from above, a blessing. This approach promotes advancement in life and creation, even at the level of an entire nation. Beautiful architecture, comfortable cars, quality items and good education - these are the things we associate with the European and American ways of life, professing Catholicism and Protestantism. However, with an excess of attention to such benefits, the line between healthy ambitions, a generally positive aspiration for success and ambition is lost; success becomes an end in itself, subordinating all a person’s aspirations.

The approach, rather characteristic of Orthodoxy, that it is necessary to preserve the soul and fight the passions of ambition, in its excess also produces distortions in the human soul, envy appears for more successful people and a craving for comfort simultaneously with extreme condemnation, which splits the psyche, forcing a person to use a whole complex of mechanisms. Which, in the end, does not contribute to the victory over ambition, but, on the contrary, polarizes the psyche and gives new momentum.

Of course, the truth is in the middle. With a more careful, scrupulous study, we will restore the balance by finding a common original meaning, which later developed into countercurrents. The instruction to sit in the last place sometimes looks somewhat manipulative, as if I was deliberately humiliating myself, and secretly, with the same thirst for success, I hope that I will be elevated. This is an allegorical instruction, but it has a deep meaning. Do not sit in first place - do not try to be a leader in form. And sit on the latter, first becoming it internally and proving with all your being that you are the first - so that this is recognized by the people themselves. At the same time, the elevation itself should not have significance for a person, but only internal deep work on oneself, which bears fruit and is not an end in itself. Self-abasement is an extreme, which is confirmed by other gospel advice - for example, knock so that it is opened, seek and find, do not bury talent in the ground. It shows that if you believe, you can achieve anything. Faith, which moves mountains, gives high self-esteem, which, together with hard work, leads to success.

It turns out that it is an active life position that is preached in Christianity. There is no need to worship first place or money, no matter what it takes to reach for them for the sake of honors and pride. This is revealed in the instruction not to try to serve two masters - God and Mammon, where Mammon personifies earthly blessings. They are not bad in themselves, like wealth, which is not evil, but good if it is a means to higher goals. And the line between ambition and ambition is achieved in the Christian position by the fact that a person’s attention should not be focused on gaining honors, he should not dream of self-exaltation, and being elevated by other people, he should remain modest and continue to work on himself. It is this formula that leads a person to genuine victories and lays down the mechanism of success.

Speaker of the Medical and Psychological Center "PsychoMed"