The Concepts of Academic Humility and Seniority in Scholarship

The concept of academic humility has often been ill-defined or ill-conceived by members of the Nigerian academia. It argues that this concept has objectionably been associated – nay confused – with “academic subservience”, “academic hypocrisy”, “false modesty” and “yesmanism”. Such misconception could partially be attributed to the prevalence of the “seniority syndrome”. In effect, the seniority syndrome has often wanted that pertinence be ascribed unto a research idea or thesis not necessarily on account of the robustness of the methodology that led to its enunciation, but principally on account of the “seniority” (credentials) of the researcher who authors the thesis or idea in question. This tendency has generally stemmed from the faulty assumption that a senior researcher is theoretically more knowledgeable than his or her junior counterparts; and that the “junior researcher” must manifest unconditional reverence for his or her senior colleagues. This scenario is most often observed during Ph.D. these defenses and similar forums aimed at evaluating research in Nigerian universities.

Micturition Disturbances

Chapter 18 of Clinical Notes on Disorders of Childhood. In this chapter, Winnicott relates difficulties of interpreting parent’s false modesty when interviewed about micturition and defecation. Winnicott discusses the microscopic examination of urine, albuminaria, the presence of pus, red blood corpuscles and threadworm. He also discusses enuresis as a likely and even normal consequence of the great emotional strains and stresses of infantile development. He describes possible treatment for enuresis, distinguishing between the child’s point of view, the parent’s point of view, and the doctor’s point of view.

Directions and beliefs of self-presentational bias

The target article tends to conflate self-deception and self-enhancement, but biased self-presentation can be negative as well as positive. Self-deceiving self-diminishers may be depressed and non-self-deceiving self-diminishers may project false modesty. The article's otherwise brilliant argument for the advantages of self-deceptive self-enhancement for deceiving others may underemphasize the risks it entails for poor decision making.