Self-respect is an attitude grounded in the sense of one’s own worth or value. In TJ self-respect is the most important primary good and Rawls explains this importance on the basis of the conception of goodness as rationality. According to this, self-respect has two aspects: first, it consists in the conviction that one’s conception of the good or plan of life is worth carrying out; and second, it implies the confidence that one has the ability to pursue one’s plan of life successfully (TJ 386). When self-respect is lacking, persons do not ind the pursuit of their conceptions of the good fulfilling or satisfactory and may “sink into apathy and cynicism” (TJ 386).Given its importance, it is rational for persons to seek to secure self-respect, and consequently, it is also rational for the parties in the original position to avoid “at almost any cost” the social conditions that undermine it (TJ 386). Though Rawls identifies self-respect with self-esteem, in later writings he mentions that they are not the same, though the reasons for this are not entirely clear (CP 260).

The conditions that support the first aspect of self-respect are, on the one hand, having a rational plan of life that satisfies the Aristotelian principle, and, on the other, the appreciation of fellow associates, in the absence of which it is impossible to maintain the conviction that one’s plan of life is worth carrying out. According to the Aristotelian principle, a person will be less confident about his own value when his plan of life does not allow for his abilities to be realized fully and to be “organized in ways of suitable complexity and refinement” (TJ 386–387). By the same token, others tend to value one’s activities “only if what we do elicits their admiration and gives them pleasure” (TJ 387). Associative ties provide the required setting in which one’s activities can be publicly affirmed by others and also offer support when one’s confidence is weakening (TJ 387).