THE PHILIPPINES is proud to claim to be a “Christian country” with the majority of the population identifying as Christian, primarily Roman Catholic. And yet, when you listen to, watch, and read the discourse on mainstream media and social media platforms, we seem to be dominated by Pharisees.
In the Gospels, the Pharisees are often presented as hypocritical and proud opponents of Jesus. Although not all Pharisees were against Jesus, they were generally described as self-righteous and smug. I guess that was the time when the phrase “you do not practice what you preach” first started.
In modern day usage, the term “Pharisee” is often used to metaphorically describe individuals or groups who are perceived to be seeing themselves as superior to others and judge them harshly. They often lack compassion, genuine faith, and love.
It is important to point out that “Pharisee” today is not meant to describe a specific religious group or denomination, but rather a certain type of behavior or attitude. Modern-day Rabbinic Judaism has its roots in the Pharisaic movement but Pharisees as a group no longer exists.
So if Filipinos are predominantly Christians, why are Pharisee-like behaviors and attitudes dominating Philippine society?
Self-righteousness is the unshakable belief that one’s own beliefs, actions, or group are morally superior. Research reveals that people develop this human tendency because of psychology, social conditioning and as an evolutionary survival mechanism. Let us explore them.
In psychology, there are at least three theories.
One is called “cognitive dissonance reduction.” It is when people’s actions do not align with their self-image, they justify themselves to avoid guilt. Example is when someone who is caught cheating might deflect by claiming “others are worse.”
Two is called the “moral licensing” effect. It is when, after doing something “good,” people give themselves permission to act selfishly. Like judging others harshly after donating to charity, feeling they have “earned” moral superiority.
Three is called the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” or what is referred to as “moral overconfidence.” It is a cognitive bias where individuals with low competence in a specific area overestimate their abilities. People with limited knowledge or skills in a particular area often exhibit a lack of self-awareness and become self-righteous. Like a newly vegan person aggressively shaming meat-eaters without understanding nutrition.
Self-righteousness can also be a result of social conditioning. Three ways that explain why they may happen:
One is tribalism or the “Us versus Them” thinking. It is human nature to favor their own tribe for survival. Political opponents demonizing each other rather than debating policies is a common example.
Two is due to religion and ideology as moral frameworks. This system wherein one group would claim “absolute truth” and encourage followers to see outsiders as “unenlightened.” Example would be religious fundamentalists condemning non-believers as immoral.
Three is a fairly recent development called social media’s “Outrage Economy,” wherein platforms reward moral grandstanding with likes and shares, reinforcing self-righteousness. Examples are the viral call-out posts where people compete to be the “wokest” and they “cancel” people who are not as morally upright.
From the perspective of human evolution, self-righteousness may have developed as a bonding ritual that promotes social cohesion through shared judgment (friends who judge together, flock together). In early human societies, appearing virtuous increased trust and status, so the strategy of publicly shaming others to boost one’s own standing evolved.
While feeling morally justified can boost one’s confidence, self-righteousness often leads to hypocrisy, polarization, and dehumanization.
Hypocrisy is not practicing what we are preaching and holding others to a stricter standard than ourselves. Polarization happens when we refuse to compromise with “evil” opponents, while dehumanization justifies the cruelty toward “sinners” or “heretics.”
When we start demonizing our opponents, we shut down debate, entrenching polarization. It forces people into ideological corners with no room for compromise. It fuels conspiracy theories that oftentimes leads to violence.
Acting self-righteous also publicly shames people for past mistakes instead of educating. The focus should be on systemic change, not individual shaming. Focus on grace over guilt, allowing people to learn and grow.
At its core, self-righteousness is a defense mechanism. People cling to their moral certainty because they fear being wrong (cognitive dissonance). They experience mental discomfort when their beliefs clash with evidence. They reject facts to protect their self-image.
People crave belonging, and they filter facts through their tribal identity. For example, a conservative dismisses climate data if their group calls it “liberal propaganda.” And when people lose their identity, they feel powerless. That’s when acting self-righteous gives an illusion of power because moral superiority compensates.
I think we can stand firm in our beliefs without declaring others stupid or evil. And that line between conviction and self-righteousness is humility.
Practicing humility means letting us also question our own certainty. Could we be missing something? We must learn to seek nuance because most issues are not black-or-white. Let us lead with curiosity, not condemnation. Genuinely ask why others believe what they believe. And we must recognize hypocrisy in ourselves, too. We must hold ourselves to the same standards as others.
If we understand how our brain is wired, we will understand why people tend to resist change. Neural pathways in our brain are strengthened with repetition. What we often think, say, and do become “hard-wired,” and our beliefs become our “default settings.” So when these beliefs are challenged, the amygdala, our brain’s fear center, activates, shutting down rational debate.
In other words, facts do not fix feelings. Our brain treats challenges to our beliefs like physical threats. Effective persuasion requires empathy, patience, and not shaming people. Being smug and self-righteous will actually make you seem the inferior one.
