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External Validation
Jul. 28th, 2008 04:46 pm"External validation" is one of those psychology buzzwords. It's bad to be dependent on external validation. One should feel successful based on what one has done, not on the approval of others. One can't count on external sources for positive feedback. Belief and faith in oneself has to come from within. Love yourself.
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Except that independence can also go too far. Humans are social animals; we don't function well without the support of others. The foundations of society depend on us caring about the opinions of others: it's one of the main forces that gets us to correct our mistakes. That helps us recognize when we have made a mistake.
There is no bright line, I suppose, between narcissism and neediness, between caring too much and not caring enough. Just one more thing where moderation works better than either extreme.
...
Except that independence can also go too far. Humans are social animals; we don't function well without the support of others. The foundations of society depend on us caring about the opinions of others: it's one of the main forces that gets us to correct our mistakes. That helps us recognize when we have made a mistake.
There is no bright line, I suppose, between narcissism and neediness, between caring too much and not caring enough. Just one more thing where moderation works better than either extreme.
