Surely we know one or more people who seem to feel superior to others and that many of their behaviors or comments are aimed at making the people around them feel bad. Arrogance is a typical personality trait of someone who is narcissistic, self-centered, and proud. These traits can be very annoying and harmful to the people around you and can affect the emotional well-being of your social circle.
Although it may seem contradictory, pride can hide a deep psychological meaning related to fear and insecurity. In this Psychology-Online article, we will develop The psychological meaning of pride.
Pride in psychology
The vain and arrogant character has been pointed out as one of the capitals sins in Western culture and the Christian religion. It has always been studied from a point of view that defined these people as mere selfish beings who believe themselves superior and more valuable than others. However, some studies have tried to find what is behind such an arrogant attitude.
According to psychology, the origin of an arrogant personality can lie in great insecurity and . Although it may seem contradictory, when a person fears being hurt and feels inferior to others, he can develop an image with which to show himself to the world safely. Arrogant people usually exaggerately express their qualities and strengths, probably out of fear of showing their weaknesses and being hurt.
The need for approval It is also present under that security mask. It is possible that, during childhood, these people have not received the necessary attention and care that would allow them to develop correct self-esteem and, therefore, they need to constantly assert themselves above all.
On the other hand, pride and arrogance can be symptoms of a . This personality imbalance is characterized by selfish, vain, unempathetic behavior and an inability to take into account the people around him. If we detect that a person in our environment may suffer from this disorder, it is important to recommend (carefully) that they see a specialist.
Superb person: characteristics
Sometimes, it is difficult for us to distinguish an arrogant person because they do not always have the same attitudes in all contexts. However, the symptoms of a arrogant person They are usually easy to detect although they do not occur all at once.
1. They are not able to admit that they have done something wrong
A proud person always believes that he does everything right, that he makes the best decisions and that he never makes a mistake. When he or she makes a mistake, it is very likely that he or she will not admit it. For him or her, assuming that he or she has done something wrong would imply having to change the image he or she has of himself and recognize that he or she is not as perfect as he or she thought. .
2. They always think they are right
Arrogant people have the irrational belief that they are always right, that their ideas are the only valid ones and if someone is against them, they are wrong. They don’t seem to listen to others and have a hard time integrating new ideas into their belief system.
If you want to know how to communicate with these types of individuals, we recommend reading this article about .
3. They don’t usually ask for forgiveness
If they are not able to admit that they make mistakes and always believe that they are right, it will be difficult for them to ask for forgiveness at some point. Therefore, we should not create expectations about their behavior during a misunderstanding or conflict. Asking for forgiveness implies assuming that they have done something wrong and that they must also admit it to another person.
4. They constantly need and ask for praise
Even if they don’t say it directly, arrogant people need praise and compliments to continue keeping their security and self-esteem afloat. For this reason, they will ask for external approval of everything they do, in a constant but subtle way, nor do they want to admit that they need the opinion of other individuals.
5. They can be hurtful
If we reveal something they have done or something they think, they are likely to feel attacked and respond with verbal violence. These types of people tend to be very reactive and do not tolerate criticism from others, even if it is of a constructive nature. They can do a lot of harm with their words with the aim of making us feel inferior to them.
6. They only talk about their achievements
Arrogant and proud people tend to reinforce their own self-image by constantly expressing how well they do everything and talking about their successes. We all have talents and qualities, however, we do not have the need to continually talk about them.
How to treat a proud person
- Avoid arguing with that person: Starting an argument with someone arrogant directly implies entering into a very complicated conflict. It is likely that during this discussion he will be hurtful towards us and always try to maintain a position of superiority.
- Don’t let it sink your self-esteem: The behaviors of this type of people will always be directed toward their personal benefit. If you have to damage someone’s self-esteem to feel good, you will do it. That is why we must be very clear about their intentions and prevent their comments from damaging our self-esteem.
- If you feel that your dignity is being stepped on, do not hesitate to communicate it: To deal with an arrogant person you have to develop a certain level of courage; a passive attitude is not the best way to deal with this type of individual. If we feel that they treat us badly, hurt us and step on our dignity, we must say so without any fear.
- Be patient, but don’t let them hurt you: It is true that we must also understand that their attitude is due to personal insecurities and that the objective of their behaviors is to feel better about themselves, which is why we must have a certain level of patience and understand their behavior from a minimally empathetic point of view.
- Practice assertive communication: Dealing with an arrogant and proud person is an effective way to put this type of communication into practice. It involves knowing how to express our emotions and needs without the need to communicate passively or aggressively.
Difference between pride and arrogance
Despite sharing many similarities, arrogance and pride have important differences that we must comment on:
First of all, pride is a constant behavior, a personality trait that is maintained over time and encompasses a multitude of attitudes. On the other hand, pride is a feeling of pleasure and value towards ourselves, being a feeling it does not have to constantly influence all spheres of our life.
Besides, pride is not as limiting as arrogance. While it is true that excessive pride can be harmful to us and everyone around us, many experts consider it a positive emotion if we know how to manage it.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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