Pride: the 6 Common Traits of Vain People

Personality traits form one of the most interesting fields of study in the field of psychology. However, many of the adjectives that we normally use to refer to the way of being of the people around us do not correspond to a scientifically created category.

However, that does not mean that there are not certain nuances in personality that may not be of interest. This is the case of pride, a term that is usually used to designate vain and somewhat arrogant people. However, the psychological implications of this trait go far beyond the bad image that has been given to it socially.

Personality traits associated with pride

The personality traits that define arrogant people are especially related to two characteristics: narcissism and a tendency toward megalomania. Both psychological dimensions are closely linked, and they tell us about a need to maintain a highly idealized self-image that serves to justify a series of irrational beliefs (that is, those that do not fit with what is being proven about reality). Among these beliefs is that you have control of practically all aspects of daily life.

What is narcissism?

Narcissism is a propensity for feelings of grandiosity when evaluating oneself

Narcissistic people are always aware of what others think about them, but at the same time, they believe that they have more value than most. Although it may seem paradoxical, they are obsessed with making everyone behave as if they were very special and important people while undervaluing others.

Furthermore, they consider that their point of view is the most correct and tend to treat others with a certain paternalism for this reason: they try to teach them that they are wrong, without first considering whether they are the ones who have fallen into the error. They generally do not empathize as easily as non-narcissistic people. They are not usually people with too much tact or deference towards others

What is megalomania?

Megalomania is a very similar concept to narcissism, although It has a somewhat more pathological nuance because it includes a relationship with the delusional ideas that a person holds in order to believe that they are capable of doing things that, in reality, they can hardly achieve.

Megalomaniac people greatly overestimate their abilities and, as a consequence, tend to want to take control of everything that happens in their lives: including the projects that other people are carrying out. For example, they may believe that they can get a large company to hire a family member even though they don’t know anyone who works there, or assume that they will receive special treatment from police if they commit a violation.

The characteristics of arrogant people

Now that we have an idea of ​​how arrogant people are generally defined, we can move on to explore their personality in more detail. These are some of the specific characteristics that vain people usually present

1. They believe that by default they are almost always right

As we have seen, the arrogance of narcissism takes this irrational belief that oneself is always right simply by being who one is. That is why, sometimes, markedly arrogant people try to argue and defend their point of view using the fallacy of authority.

2. They are aware of their public image, although without it being noticed

vain people they need to have a feedback constant about the image they give to others, although they try to appear indifferent about it. The reason is that they know that naturalness and spontaneity are valued positively.

3. Anger caused by pride

The fact of having to carry such an idealized version of themselves means that sparks can easily fly when interacting with this type of person. That is They can get angry over minor details For example, when they believe that they are not being given enough attention, they may unconsciously tend to look for an excuse to confront the other person.

4. Theatricality in the way you present yourself

People who stand out in pride They attract attention in ways that sometimes seem to belong more to the performing arts, especially if they want to stand out in front of a group of people. That is to say, they have a certain tendency to dramatize and spectacularize some moments of their daily lives.

5. The importance of social networks

The emergence of massive use of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter causes many young people to adopt behavioral dynamics that define arrogant people, although in a new way.

Rivalry is created for the number of followers, strategies are created to have more visibility on the Internet and sometimes these virtual profiles are only used to try to give this desired image of oneself, and not so much to truly communicate with others, just as a famous person would do.

For example, a button: teenage boys and girls from Barcelona who go to a trendy nightclub (interesting from minute 0:57):

6. The instrumentalization of others

If narcissism has a clear relationship with psychopathy, it is because from these two personality characteristics the rest of the human beings with whom one has direct contact are objectified; that is to say, They are treated like objects

Vain people can devote so much attention to their image that they cannot help but see others as a means to make their “grandiosity” expand, reaching greater levels of power (economic or social) through them.