himself for inadequacy or moral failure. Yet he does so, telling himself that "somehow" he should know the things
he does not know—and his self-esteem suffers accordingly.
Or: a man is struggling to solve a certain problem, and he is thinking about it to the best of his honest ability. He
fails; he cannot solve it—or he cannot solve it in a given period of time. He reproaches himself morally, feeling that
he should have been able to do it "somehow," even though he has no clue as to how—and his self-esteem suffers
accordingly.
Or: after thinking about an issue as carefully and conscientiously as he can, a man makes an error of judgment—
and harmful consequences follow. The man feels guilty, on the premise that he should have avoided the error
"somehow," even though he does not know what he could have done differently, given his knowledge at the time of
the decision—and his self-esteem suffers accordingly.
It would be superficial and false to conclude, as many psychologists today would conclude, that these men's error
consists of being "perfectionists." The error of men who make impossible, unrealistic demands on themselves, is
not that of "perfectionism," but of judging themselves by a mistaken and irrational standard of perfection, a
standard that is incompatible with man's nature. A rational standard of moral perfection demands that a man use his
mind to the fullest extent of his ability, that he practice an unbreached rationality; it does not demand omniscience,
omnipotence, or infallibility (Chapter Twelve).
One of the worst wrongs a man can do to himself is to accept an unearned guilt on the premise of a "somehow"—
"Somehow I should know," "Somehow I should be able to do it"—when there is no cognitive content to that
"somehow,'' only an empty, undefined charge supported by nothing.
There is, however, one reason in particular why many men are susceptible to this error. Although a man may be
blameless in the present situation, previous irrationalities and failures to think may have led to a general sense of
self-distrust, so that he never feels fully certain of his moral status. The solution to this problem lies in recognizing
this form of uncertainty for what it is, identifying it as a symptom and striving to be objective and factual in one's
self-appraisal. The struggle to achieve a rational policy in dealing with guilt will—in itself—contribute to the
regaining of self-esteem.