Alle origini delle teorie del riconoscimento: autostima, vergogna e stima sociale nel pensiero di Bernard Mandeville

The aim of this article is to analyse Bernard Mandeville’s contribution to the theory of social recognition. The Dutch philosopher argues that human fragility and insecurity drive individuals to seek confirmation of their worth through social esteem. The fear of not being recognised, or the fear of shame, is a fundamental component of social cohesion and psychological well-being. Misrecognition, in fact, can cause various psychological disorders, ranging from hypochondria to extreme cases of suicide. Mandeville uses the introduction of the term “self-liking” to indicate the desire for approval in order to analyse the dynamics of recognition without moralistic or religious implications. In the final part of the article, I show that the distribution of social esteem varies according to the stage of civilisation, the size of society, social classes and gender.