What goes through the mind of a hypocrite?

Question

When someone advocates something yet does not follow what they advocate, what is going through their mind?
For example, a religious person who preaches morals and Jesus talk and all that, but then goes out and has premarital sex, and drinks, and breaks all the commandments and laws that they supposedly stand for. Then this same person has the audacity to condemn other people to "hell" for their "sins". What is going through their mind at that moment? Do they not realize that they are hypocrites and that they are the ones who are guilty? I don't get how people can be like that.
Yes, I gave a religious example. It's just an expample.No, I am not religious. Don't ask me "Why do you care then?" Just because I am not religious does not mean that I am not affected by them and their manipulative hypocritical ways. So if you're going to attack me, maybe you shoud first ask yourself, "What would 'Jesus' do?"
I just want to know about hypocrisy and the psychological aspects of it.

The expample that I gave is not the only situation I am referring to. I'm talking about any and all instances of hypocrisy.
To add to the first part of the question:

1)Do any of you have a first hand account of when you were hypocritical and what went through your mind?
2)Any accounts of when other people were hypocrites that you noticed?
(I'd appreciate it if there were no self-righteous religious attacks. I get enough of that already.)

Answer 1

They think they'll never get caught, and that their situation is somehow different and not a "sin". Just goes to show that we are all still people in need of a Savior and have not acclimated to a level where we don't need one yet....noone has.

Answer 2

in basic terms attempt to possibly communicate over such as your pastor or someone out of your church or something. If that doesn't artwork, then do not go decrease back to church altogether and seek for God out on your own. to a pair volume can relate to what your dealing with, except i have change into more effective of a Doubting Thomas and that i think each and every time i visit church i'm dealing with the motions of what everyone else is doing in the course of the provider. often times i don't experience like i'm there and my ideas wanders or I finally end up twiddling with my Blackberry or something lol. i tried talking to the pastor and the young children pastor or perhaps a Catholic priest. It quite did not help. through way i have been feeling, i have not gone to church for about 2 weeks now. i wager till i'm given a demonstration from the heavens that there is a God or larger capacity accessible I is in basic terms not attending church myself.

Answer 3

Well i was just accused of being a hypocrite because I said There are no other real Christians and that they all served Satan ... look in my asked questions.. Anyway a Quaker was quick to put me in my place wouldn't you know....But yea I will not get into it here but I have issues with the pa stores because they are the ones touting hell fire and brimstone so that they will fear God or in other-words the Clergy and give them lots of money to go to heaven. Why do you think they block stem cell research. Which would find a cure to all diseases and even bring an end to death itself by solving the mystery of aging....The Church is afraid they would loose a fortune if not everything because people would no longer fear death or disease and give them money to save their souls..... Like I said A Quaker put me in my place, I will give him the ten points

Answer 4

Hopefully what goes through their mind is guilt.
I'm a Christian, and I try to live my life as an example of Christ, but everyone makes mistakes. (that fact does not make the mistakes OK) When thinking about this religious example you made, try not to look at the hypocrites. Look at Jesus. Actually think about what He would do. Like I said, people make mistakes. Try not to look at what they do, but what Jesus did, and can still do. Only He is perfect.

Answer 5

Intuitively, and from experience, here are a few possible scenarios/possibilities that may occur (predominantly explained with the psychoanalytic approach):

1) the person is not aware that he/she is being hypocritical
2) the person may partially acknowledge that he/she is violating his/her own views or attitudes but rationalizes away the act, or consciously denies guilt
3) the person may feel guilty but cannot blame himself, sometimes lashing out on others who may or may not commit the same "sin." (in Freudian terms, the phenomenon is called "projection") The guiltier he/she is, the more he/she condemns the act or thought in others.

Answer 6

I think lack of education is one important factor. Sometimes people will do anything to get approval from their parents, etc. Fear. I think sometimes, I won't mention, names, a person may simply be a sociopath. They don't care, if they get what they want, and they don't get caught. It takes courage to march to your own beat and not just follow along with the rest of the flock. This scares me, because people repeat history. I'd be happy if people were simply humane to each other. We wouldn't need all the preaching.

Answer 7

Most likely, nothing goes through their minds!

They assume that they are right, no matter how wrong they actually are. It hurts when people do things like that, but what can you do?

The most you can do, is call them on their hypocratic nonsense and hope they stop putting their foot in their mouth past their kneecaps!!

Answer 8

They think they won't get caught. Foley and Haggard got away with it for so long they thought they were above the law and that morality was just for other people. It is hard to understand such brazen wickedness.

Answer 9

Could hypocrisy be nothing more then a pattern of indecisiveness followed by decisiveness?

Answer 10

excuses go through their mind...they somehow rationalize their situation as being different and therefor being ok.