Pride is operationally serviceable as a transitory self-reward for successful accomplishment and therefore a normal response that is learned in childhood via parental approval and rewards for good behavior. Thus, as a reward system, it facilitates maturation and acculturation. The error occurs when the ego assumes that it is the ‘me’ that is being rewarded rather than the behavior itself. This leads to the seeking of the reward of admiration by which actions become subservient to the goal of winning approval. The motivating
