Amour Propre Diagnosis

---
name: amour-propre-diagnosis
description: Identify when vanity, status-seeking, or comparative self-esteem is corrupting judgment, decisions, or relationships.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: sethmblack
  version: 1.0.3375
repository: https://github.com/sethmblack/paks-skills
keywords:
- amour-propre-diagnosis
- writing
---

# Amour Propre Diagnosis

Identify when vanity, status-seeking, or comparative self-esteem is corrupting judgment, decisions, or relationships.

**Token Budget:** ~550 tokens
**Source Expert:** Jean-Jacques Rousseau

---

## When to Use

- Examining motivations behind decisions or behaviors
- Leadership coaching and self-examination
- Analyzing team dynamics corrupted by status competition
- Understanding consumer behavior driven by comparison
- Any situation where the "real reason" differs from the stated reason
- When someone asks "Why do I really want this?"

---

## Inputs

| Input | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| **behavior_or_decision** | Yes | What action, choice, or motivation to examine |
| **social_context** | Yes | Relevant relationships, hierarchies, or comparison dynamics |
| **stated_reason** | No | How the person justifies the behavior |

---

## Core Distinction

### Amour de Soi (Healthy Self-Love)

| Characteristic | Description |
|----------------|-------------|
| Natural | Present in state of nature |
| Self-preserving | Seeks to meet genuine needs |
| Non-comparative | Does not require others to be lower |
| Compatible with compassion | Can coexist with *pitié* (pity for others) |
| Sufficient | Satisfied when needs are met |

### Amour Propre (Destructive Vanity)

| Characteristic | Description |
|----------------|-------------|
| Social product | Emerges only in society |
| Comparative | Requires being seen as superior |
| Insatiable | Never finally satisfied |
| Destroys sympathy | Incompatible with genuine compassion |
| Creates artificial needs | What we "need" is really what we need others to see us have |

**Rousseau's insight:** Amour propre "inspires in men all the evil they do to one another" by making self-worth dependent on comparison and superiority.

---

## Workflow
### Step 1: 1. Surface the Stated Motivation

Begin with what the person (self or other) claims as their reason:
- What justification is offered?
- What need is supposedly being met?
- How is this framed as reasonable or necessary?

### Step 2: 2. Apply the Comparison Test

Ask: Would this still be wanted if no one else could see or know?
- Does the desire depend on others' awareness?
- Is the goal intrinsic satisfaction or being seen as having/being something?
- Would a "lesser" version satisfy if it weren't visible?

*If the desire evaporates without audience, amour propre is likely at work.*

### Step 3: 3. Apply the Superiority Test

Ask: Does this require being "better than" others?
- Is the goal relative position or absolute condition?
- Would achieving this feel hollow if everyone else achieved it too?
- Is scarcity or exclusivity part of the appeal?

*If the desire requires others to have less, amour propre is likely at work.*

### Step 4: 4. Apply the Sufficiency Test

Ask: Can this desire ever be fully satisfied?
- Is there a natural endpoint, or does the goal keep receding?
- Does achieving it create peace or new comparisons?
- Is "enough" even possible?

*Amour de soi has natural limits; amour propre is insatiable.*

### Step 5: 5. Diagnose and Prescribe

Based on the tests:
- **Pure amour de soi:** Healthy motivation; proceed
- **Mixed:** Identify the vanity component; consider how to meet genuine need without comparison
- **Pure amour propre:** Recognize that satisfaction is impossible through this path; seek the underlying genuine need

---

## Outputs
```markdown
## Amour Propre Diagnosis: [Behavior/Decision]

### Stated Motivation
[What is claimed as the reason]

### Comparison Test
Would this still be wanted if no one could see?
[Analysis and verdict: YES/NO/MIXED]

### Superiority Test
Does this require being "better than" others?
[Analysis and verdict: YES/NO/MIXED]

### Sufficiency Test
Can this ever be fully satisfied?
[Analysis and verdict: YES/NO/MIXED]

### Diagnosis
[Amour de soi / Amour propre / Mixed]

### The Hidden Need
[If amour propre is present, what genuine need might be beneath it?]

### Recommendation
[How to meet authentic need without comparative corruption]
```

---

## Error Handling

| Situation | Response |
|-----------|----------|
| Self-deception makes analysis difficult | Look at behavior patterns, not stated beliefs |
| Accused person becomes defensive | Focus on universal human tendency, not individual failing |
| All human motivation is mixed | Acknowledge the mix; identify which component is driving |
| Cultural context normalizes amour propre | Note that normalization doesn't equal health |

---

## Outputs

**Primary Output:** A structured analysis document that identifies and articulates patterns, insights, and actionable recommendations based on the input data.

**Format:**
```markdown
## Analysis: [Topic]

### Key Findings
- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]
- [Finding 3]

### Recommendations
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]
3. [Action 3]
```

**Example output:** See the Example section below for a complete demonstration.

## Constraints

- Do not use this analysis as the sole basis for critical decisions
- Do not apply this framework to situations outside its intended scope
- Acknowledge that analysis is based on available data, which may be incomplete
- Honor the complexity of real-world situations that resist simple categorization
- Present findings with appropriate confidence levels
- Recognize the limits of the methodology

## Additional Notes

**Best practices:**
- Use this skill when the situation clearly matches its intended use cases
- Combine with related skills for comprehensive analysis
- Iterate on outputs if initial results don't fully meet requirements

**Common variations:**
- Adjust the depth of analysis based on available time and information
- Scale the approach for different levels of complexity
- Adapt the output format to audience needs

**When to skip this skill:**
- The situation doesn't match the core use cases
- Simpler approaches would be more appropriate
- Time constraints require faster methods

## Example

**Input:**
A manager insists on an executive title change, claiming it's necessary for external credibility.

**Abbreviated Output:**

### Stated Motivation
"I need the title for credibility with clients and partners."

### Comparison Test
Would this matter if no one knew about the title change?
**NO.** The entire point is external perception. This fails the test.

### Superiority Test
Does this require being "above" others?
**YES.** Executive titles are explicitly hierarchical. The appeal is relative position.

### Sufficiency Test
Will this satisfy permanently?
**NO.** Today's achievement becomes tomorrow's baseline. Next comes envy of C-suite.

### Diagnosis
**Amour propre** - This is comparative self-esteem seeking external validation.

### The Hidden Need
Beneath the title request may be genuine needs for:
- Recognition of contributions (amour de soi: legitimate)
- Security about one's value (amour de soi: legitimate)
- Respect from colleagues (can be either)

### Recommendation
Address the genuine needs directly:
- Explicit recognition of contributions in team settings
- Security through results and relationships, not title
- If external credibility is actually needed, explore whether the title is the only or best solution

The title will not satisfy because its appeal is comparative. Meeting the underlying needs requires a different path.

---

## Integration

This skill reveals the psychological corruption Rousseau saw as civilization's core damage. Use in conjunction with:
- **general-will-inquiry** when collective decisions are corrupted by status-seeking
- **civilization-critique** when examining how institutions create amour propre
- **natural-education-design** when shielding learners from vanity-inducing influences