Liliputin-4888

Nobody is more extrinsic as emperors with no clothes ... "
Hans Christian Andersen

Liliputins. What, the heck, is this?
http://stihi.ru/2021/11/24/7101


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The expression "the emperor has no clothes" is used to describe a situation in which people are afraid to criticize something or someone because the perceived wisdom of the masses is that the thing or person is good or important. The phrase comes from a tale by Hans Christian Andersen where a vain emperor is tricked by two swindlers who promise to make him a set of clothes that are invisible to anyone who is unfit to hold their office or is stupid.

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o beat Trump, we need to know why Americans keep voting for him. Psychologists may have the answer
Opinion by George Monbiot
01/29/24


Many explanations are proposed for the continued rise of Donald Trump, and the steadfastness of his support, even as the outrages and criminal charges pile up. Some of these explanations are powerful. But there is one I have seen mentioned nowhere, which could, I believe, be the most important: Trump is king of the extrinsics.

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extrinsic

ADJECTIVE
not part of the essential nature of someone or something; coming or operating from outside: "extrinsic factors that might affect time budgets";·;"the idea that power is extrinsic to production and profits"
Similar:
external
extraneous
exterior

(of a muscle, such as any of the eye muscles) having its origin some distance from the part that it moves.

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extrinsic
adjective
Synonyms of extrinsic
1
a
: not forming part of or belonging to a thing : EXTRANEOUS
b
: originating from or on the outside
especially : originating outside a part and acting upon the part as a whole
extrinsic muscles of the tongue
2
: EXTERNAL
extrinsically
 adverb


Synonyms
accidental
adventitious
alien
extraneous
external
foreign
supervenient
Choose the Right Synonym for extrinsic

EXTRINSIC, EXTRANEOUS, FOREIGN, ALIEN mean external to a thing, its essential nature, or its original character.

EXTRINSIC applies to what is distinctly outside the thing in question or is not contained in or derived from its essential nature.

sentimental value that is extrinsic to the house's market value
EXTRANEOUS applies to what is on or comes from the outside and may or may not be capable of becoming an essential part.

arguments extraneous to the issue
FOREIGN applies to what is so different as to be rejected or repelled or to be incapable of becoming assimilated.

techniques foreign to French cuisine
ALIEN is stronger than FOREIGN in suggesting opposition, repugnance, or irreconcilability.

a practice totally alien to her nature

Examples of extrinsic in a Sentence
You have to consider any extrinsic factors in the success of the business.
the fact that the ring belonged to your grandmother is extrinsic to its value to a jeweler
Recent Examples on the Web
Herzberg made the key distinction between extrinsic (to the job itself) factors, which only reduce dissatisfaction, and intrinsic ones that ultimately create positive satisfaction and motivation.
—John Rau, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
Beginning to think maybe autoimmunity is not something intrinsic — something wrong with an individual’s body — but there’s an extrinsic force acting on it.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 23 Oct. 2023
There are actually two kinds of tooth stains: surface stains on the outside of the tooth (extrinsic) and staining goes into the inside of the tooth (intrinsic).
—Rachel Murphy, Verywell Health, 2 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'extrinsic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History
Etymology
French & Late Latin; French extrins;que, from Late Latin extrinsecus, from Latin, adverb, from without; akin to Latin exter outward and to Latin sequi to follow — more at EXTERIOR, SUE

First Known Use
1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of extrinsic was in 1613
See more words from the same year

Phrases Containing extrinsic
extrinsic factor

Dictionary Entries Near extrinsic
extricate

extrinsic

extrinsical
Some psychologists believe our values tend to cluster around certain poles, described as “intrinsic” and “extrinsic”. People with a strong set of intrinsic values are inclined towards empathy, intimacy and self-acceptance. They tend to be open to challenge and change, interested in universal rights and equality, and protective of other people and the living world.

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ex­t­rin­sisch

Bedeutungen (2)
von aussen her [angeregt], nicht aus eigenem innerem Antrieb erfolgend
BEISPIEL
extrinsische Motivation (durch aeussere Zwaenge, z. B. Strafen, bewirkte Motivation)
ausserhalb liegend, von aussen kommend

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People at the extrinsic end of the spectrum are more attracted to prestige, status, image, fame, power and wealth. They are strongly motivated by the prospect of individual reward and praise. They are more likely to objectify and exploit other people, to behave rudely and aggressively and to dismiss social and environmental impacts. They have little interest in cooperation or community. People with a strong set of extrinsic values are more likely to suffer from frustration, dissatisfaction, stress, anxiety, anger and compulsive behavior.


Trump exemplifies extrinsic values. From the tower bearing his name in gold letters to his gross overstatements of his wealth; from his endless ranting about “winners” and “losers” to his reported habit of cheating at golf; from his extreme objectification of women, including his own daughter, to his obsession with the size of his hands; from his rejection of public service, human rights and environmental protection to his extreme dissatisfaction and fury, undiminished even when he was president of the United States, Trump, perhaps more than any other public figure in recent history, is a walking, talking monument to extrinsic values.

We are not born with our values. They are shaped by the cues and responses we receive from other people and the prevailing mores of our society. They are also molded by the political environment we inhabit. If people live under a cruel and grasping political system, they tend to normalize and internalize it, absorbing its dominant claims and translating them into extrinsic values. This, in turn, permits an even crueler and more grasping political system to develop.


If, by contrast, people live in a country in which no one becomes destitute, in which social norms are characterized by kindness, empathy, community and freedom from want and fear, their values are likely to shift towards the intrinsic end. This process is known as policy feedback, or the “‘values ratchet”. The values ratchet operates at the societal and the individual level: a strong set of extrinsic values often develops as a result of insecurity and unfulfilled needs. These extrinsic values then generate further insecurity and unfulfilled needs.

Ever since Ronald Reagan came to power, on a platform that ensured society became sharply divided into “winners” and “losers”, and ever more people, lacking public provision, were allowed to fall through the cracks, US politics has become fertile soil for extrinsic values. As Democratic presidents, following Reagan, embraced most of the principles of neoliberalism, the ratchet was scarcely reversed. The appeal to extrinsic values by the Democrats, Labour and other once-progressive parties is always self-defeating. Research shows that the further towards the extrinsic end of the spectrum people travel, the more likely they are to vote for a rightwing party.

But the shift goes deeper than politics. For well over a century, the US, more than most nations, has worshipped extrinsic values: the American dream is a dream of acquiring wealth, spending it conspicuously and escaping the constraints of other people’s needs and demands. It is accompanied, in politics and in popular culture, by toxic myths about failure and success: wealth is the goal, regardless of how it is acquired. The ubiquity of advertising, the commercialization of society and the rise of consumerism, alongside the media’s obsession with fame and fashion, reinforce this story. The marketing of insecurity, especially about physical appearance, and the manufacture of unfulfilled wants, dig holes in our psyches that we might try to fill with money, fame or power. For decades, the dominant cultural themes in the US – and in many other nations – have functioned as an almost perfect incubator of extrinsic values.

A classic sign of this shift is the individuation of blame. On both sides of the Atlantic, it now takes extreme forms. Under the criminal justice bill now passing through parliament, people caught rough sleeping can be imprisoned or fined up to 2,500 if they are deemed to constitute a “nuisance” or cause “damage”. According to article 61 of the bill, “damage” includes smelling bad. It’s hard to know where to begin with this. If someone had 2,500 to spare, they wouldn’t be on the streets. The government is proposing to provide prison cells for rough sleepers, but not homes. Perhaps most importantly, people are being blamed and criminalized for their own destitution, which in many cases will have been caused by government policy.

We talk about society’s rightward journey. We talk about polarization and division. We talk about isolation and the mental health crisis. But what underlies these trends is a shift in values. This is the cause of many of our dysfunctions; the rest are symptoms.

When a society valorizes status, money, power and dominance, it is bound to generate frustration. It is mathematically impossible for everyone to be number one. The more the economic elites grab, the more everyone else must lose. Someone must be blamed for the ensuing disappointment. In a culture that worships winners, it can’t be them. It must be those evil people pursuing a kinder world, in which wealth is distributed, no one is forgotten, and communities and the living planet are protected. Those who have developed a strong set of extrinsic values will vote for the person who represents them, the person who has what they want. Trump. And where the US goes, the rest of us follow.

Trump might well win again – God help us if he does. If so, his victory will be due not only to the racial resentment of ageing white men, or to his weaponization of culture wars or to algorithms and echo chambers, important as these factors are. It will also be the result of values embedded so deeply that we forget they are there.

George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist