self-abasement

Strong, as we know from his portrayal of Kendall Roy on “Succession,” has a talent for self-abasement.

Facing incessant doubts about his fitness for office, Mr. Walker tried self-abasement.

This fondness for someone who egged on the mob that threatened to kill him is an especially degrading form of self-abasement that’s embarrassing to watch.

And James H. Sweet, the protagonist of academia’s most recent pratfall, is a maestro of self-abasement.

This is a tale of reverence, and a contemplation of whether that state — with its mingled elements of devotion, self-abasement and love — is possible as a secular exercise.