The problem is, based on my own experiences and those I know, I don't know what self-respect is anymore in terms of how you operationalize it. Does doing X in a given situation mean a lack of self-respect or an abundance of self-respect? Similarly, is there a point at which persisting in something in the name of self-respect in a given situation paradoxically becomes self-disprespectful? I have some friends who value it very highly and some of the decisions they've made in the name of self-respect have come across to me as instead being facile or purely vindictive at best, or psychologically unsound at worst. Is that self-respect?

It's something that seems important to me and important to reflect on, but like a lot of things in life, turning it into an actionable decision is where it evaporates. I suspect there's some things I've done that seemed like the epitome of self-respect to some people who are close to me, and like the epitome of self-loathing or lack of self-respect to others.