There are terms that, despite having completely different meanings, tend to be confused due to their incorrect use when speaking. This is what happens, for example, with the concepts of tolerance and respect; A large number of people use them as synonyms, when in reality their meaning differs.
In this article We are going to explain what are the main differences between tolerance and respect First of all, we will analyze these concepts individually, and later we will see a list of aspects in which we can distinguish between the two.
To correctly understand the differences between tolerance and respect, let’s first look at what tolerance is; This refers to the fact of enduring a situation, even though it is adverse for us.
That is to say, The tolerant subject does not express disagreement with the unpleasant circumstances he or she has to face Instead, he endures them, in a stoic manner and without interfering in the actions of others.
Tolerance does not imply understanding that other people may have different opinions than ours and that it is best to accept them in a healthy way, within the framework of social norms. This term focuses primarily on the fact that accept without understanding the why of things
For example, when I accept that people yell at me or treat me badly in any other way, and for no apparent reason, I am showing an attitude of tolerance, since I am willing to endure the mistreatment of others without putting up any resistance.
Respect, on the other hand, refers to a more complex process of understanding than the one that can occur when we are only tolerant That is, when we respect we do so because we have analyzed and understand that other people have valid reasons to think in a different way.
The attitude of respect is based on the value that people have for the opinions and thoughts of others; That is why respect in itself becomes a fundamental value of human beings. For there to be respect there must be empathy you need to put yourself a little in the other person’s shoes.
Respect also includes being respected by others; the belief of “I respect but I demand that they also respect me.” Otherwise, we would be moving from an attitude of genuine respect to one of tolerance, where one of the two parties would be enduring mistreatment from the others, as it is an asymmetric relationship.
Differences between tolerance and respect
As we have seen previously, respect focuses mainly on understanding the needs of others and accepting that those needs are not always the same as our own, while tolerance is focused on an attitude of unconditionally putting up with it.
Below we will look in more detail at some of the differences between respect and tolerance, concepts that lend themselves to confusion among the public.
1. The level of empathy
This is one of the main differences between tolerate and respect; When we respect we do it because we care about the opinions of others, including the reasons someone has for thinking the way they think. On the other hand, when we tolerate, we are only being submissive, without taking anything else into account.
Subjects who only tolerate, without being respected, They usually have some conflict with their self-esteem In other words, the better self-esteem, the greater the degree of self-respect and respect for others; while those people with poorly established self-esteem will only be tolerant, because they believe that their position is not worth defending.
3. Analysis capacity
To respect an opinion that is different from ours, it is necessary to have the ability to analyze the different factors that surround that opinion on the part of the other person. On the other hand, if we only tolerate opinions that we do not like, we are not really understanding the reasons, we are only acting out of the inertia of tolerating and because of social pressure.
4. Self-sufficiency
It may happen that people tolerate certain behaviors of others solely because they are not capable of taking care of themselves; instead, When the subject is self-sufficient, they are able to respect themselves more and stop tolerating uncomfortable situations
5. The need for approval
Another key difference between tolerance and respect is people’s need for approval, those with a higher level of blind tolerance generally seek to be accepted to everything in a social group.
6. Cultural influence
Those people with closed thinking, where the cultural influence is irrefutable, have a greater degree of tolerance towards the ideas of the different cultures that exist. On the other hand, Subjects with free thinking are capable of respecting the beliefs of others no matter how different they are.
Social skills are seen to a greater extent in those who have better management of your impulses and therefore more ability to respect other people’s thoughts despite not agreeing with them.
On the other hand, people who have constant difficulties in relationships usually show an excessive level of tolerance when they do not know how to behave towards certain people they want to please.
