Too much of a good thing: Differentiating intellectual humility from servility in higher education

ABSTRACT

Recent studies have suggested that intellectual humility (IH) might facilitate (a) better learning outcomes, (b) more scientific mindedness, and (c) better peer and professional relationships. However, recent philosophical work has raised concerns that too much IH might lead to intellectual servility (IS), and thus might be vicious (albeit not blameworthy) rather than virtuous. We define IS as a disposition to over-own one’s intellectual limitations and disregard one’s intellectual strengths. We begin by outlining the importance of distinguishing IS from IH, noting that marginalized social groups (e.g., students of color) may be at greater risk for developing the vice of IS than the vice of intellectual arrogance. Then, in a sample of 94 racially diverse undergraduate students, we provide evidence that IS may be detrimental in educational contexts. IS was positively related to maladaptive perfectionism, and it was negatively related to civic engagement, conscientiousness, and openness. We conclude by discussing implications for fostering virtuous IH in higher educational settings. Namely, if IH interventions do not correct for the possibility of over-owning limitations, we risk exacerbating IS.

KEYWORDS:

• Intellectual humility
• intellectual servility
• higher education
• civic engagement
• perfectionism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was made possible by The Self, Virtue, and Public Life research initiative based at the University of Oklahoma through a generous grant from the Templeton Religion Trust [Grant: SP00013912-01].

Notes on contributors

Stacey E. Mcelroy-Heltzel

Stacey E. McElroy-Heltzel ([email protected]) is an assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Iowa. Her research focuses on positive psychology, particularly the benefits of intellectual humility to well-being and relationships involving ideological and cultural differences. She has published over 40 articles on this and other topics including religion/spirituality and forgiveness. Her current interests include the development of interventions to increase intellectual humility.

Don E. Davis

Don E. Davis ([email protected]) is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Georgia State University. Donnie did undergraduate work at Yale and his doctorate at Virginia Commonwealth University, under Everett Worthington. His research and clinical interests are in the area of positive psychology. His work focuses on humility and related virtues such as forgiveness and gratitude. He is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Positive Psychology.

Joshua N. Hook

Joshua N. Hook ([email protected]) is a Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of North Texas, where he teaches Positive Psychology and Multicultural Counseling. His research interests include humility, religion/spirituality, and multicultural counseling. He has written several journal articles and books, including Cultural Humility: Engaging Diverse Identities in Therapy. He blogs regularly about psychology and faith at JoshuaNHook.com.

Heather D. Battaly

Heather D. Battaly ([email protected]) is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut. She specializes in epistemology, ethics, and virtue theory. She is the author of Virtue (Polity 2015), co-editor of Vice Epistemology (2020), editor of The Routledge Handbook of Virtue Epistemology (2018) and of Virtue and Vice, Moral and Epistemic (Blackwell 2010), Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Philosophical Research, and Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Philosophical Association. She has published widely on the topics of intellectual virtue and intellectual vice. Her currents projects focus on: humility, closed-mindedness, and vice epistemology.