On Self-Respect (Joan Didion)?

Extremely short responses is all that is required.

After reading Joan Didion’s article, On Self-Respect, answer the following questions:

Do you agree with Didion’s claim that self-respect has nothing to do with the approval of others?
Didion defines character as willingness to accept responsibility for your life. Can persons of character be self-righteous? Hypocritical? Self-excusers?
Why does Didion think that being a self-excuser is inconsistent with having self-respect? Can you imagine people – ruthless criminals, for example – who accept responsibility for their actions, but can nevertheless be said to have no character or self-respect?
Didion says self-respect is a “discipline,” or “a habit of mind that can never be faked, but can be developed [and] trained …” How might someone develop more self-respect?
What, according to Didion, is the cost of living without self-respect?
Do you think most people are more concerned about their good reputation or their self-respect? Which is harder to live without?