Humility as a Psychotherapeutic Virtue: Spiritual, Philosophical, and Psychological Foundations

Abstract

This article explores the virtue of humility and its applications to the practice of psychotherapy. Humility is distinguished from a clinical competency and defined as a disposition toward accurate self-assessment, other-orientedness, and the regulation of self-centered emotions. We explore the spiritual and philosophical foundations of humility and highlight the ways in which these perspectives are consistent and distinct from contemporary perspectives in psychology. Then we review the empirical literature on humility as a relational virtue. Finally, we make a case for clinician humility as a virtue supportive of best practice.