We all know pride’s evil cousins, shame and guilt.  Shame and guilt overcome us when we’re to blame for something bad.  Pride is the opposite, its a self-conscious emotion:  we feel pride when we’re ‘to blame’ for something good.  

As one of the seven deadly sins, pride has a mixed reputation.  We say pride makes people’s heads swell, or that pride comes before a fall.  Any emotion can go too far, and unchecked, pride becomes hubris.  But when specific and tempered with humility, pride is clearly a positive emotion.  

Pride blooms in the wake of an achievement you can take credit for.  You invested your effort and skills and succeeded.  It’s that good feeling you get when you put the finishing touches on a project.  Or when you achieve something in school or at work; aced a test, won a race, or made a sale.  Or when you recognize that you made a difference to someone else, through your help, kindness, or guidance.  These are not just any achievements, but socially valued ones.  

We sense at a deep level that our actions will be valued by others.  That is what makes pride a self-conscious emotion.  Unless you’re a sociopath, you’re acutely aware of how your actions – good or bad – can be perceived by others.  You feel pride when you’re praiseworthy and guilt when you’re blameworthy.  
Pride carries with it the urge to share the news of your achievements, either in words (‘Hey, look what I did!), or gestures (upright posture, head held high, slight smile, hands on hips, or arms raised).  

The mindscape of pride is expansive as well.  It kindles dreams of further and larger achievements:  If I can do this, maybe I can…open my own business… redesign my bedroom… earn a scholarship…make the team…be promoted…get elected…make a difference in the world.  In this way, pride fuels the motivation to achieve.  Well-controlled laboratory experiments show that when people feel pride, they are more likely to persist on difficult tasks.  What makes you proud?  And what has pride inspired you to do?