There are people who interpret life as if everything were a battle of egos. This has always happened, but in a context like the current one, in which both rivalry and appearances are highly valued elements, it is very common for this type of individuals to appear, educated to become this way.
Proud people, in short are easily rewarded by society, and that reinforces that style of behavior and personality.
Next we will see what are the characteristics and traits of proud people that define them and distinguish them from the rest.
1. They deceive themselves
The haughty character of proud people has several costs, and one of the clearest is the need to maintain a false, inflated self-image As a consequence, these individuals may take risks that are too high, or simply unaffordable, and therefore go through a series of totally avoidable hardships and difficulties.
For example, a father who meets this psychological characteristic may agree to his daughter’s request to build him a life-size wooden boat in a couple of weeks, despite having never done anything similar before.
2. They have to say the last word
Both on and off social media, proud people feel the need to make it clear that they win every argument in which they participate. Sometimes this will be true, and the use they will make of their arguments will be appropriate to dialectically disarm their opponent… however, on other occasions they will have no choice but to stage a supposed victory that has never come to pass
And what’s the best way to make it look like you’ve won an argument when you really haven’t? Easy: saying the last word. This pattern of behavior typical of proud people can give rise to surreal situations in which those who have started arguing lengthen the conversation by adding short phrases that do not contribute anything, trying to make their contribution close the debate.
Not only is this a clearly unfriendly attitude, but it greatly hinders the progress of any exchange of views. That is to say, it destroys the constructive potential of this type of dialogue.
3. It is difficult for them to ask for forgiveness
Offering an apology to others can be challenging for proud people. It is not a simple problem of showing one’s own imperfections to others, with the strategic risk and power imbalance that this implies in some conflicts. It is something that goes beyond the objective consequences of asking for forgiveness.
The issue is, rather, the discomfort caused by recognizing mistakes due to a highly idealized self-image. And the incongruence between an inflated self-concept and the recognition that a mistake has been made They are ideas that collide with each other, producing what in psychology is known as cognitive dissonance.
Thus, when the circumstances arise that a proud person has to apologize, he does so through a dramatization, making it clear that it is not something spontaneous and honest, but something similar to a little theater.
4. They easily feel their ego threatened
For someone who places great importance on keeping his ego intact, life is a constant competition in which potential rivals constantly appear… even if they do not present themselves as such nor are they in an explicitly competitive context.
For example, as soon as they detect a person who excels in some quality in a way that someone may think is more skilled than them in a domain of life, this type of personality leads them to adopt a defensive attitude (not always openly hostile) and try to show off their own gifts and abilities.
5. They frequently talk about their past achievements
Proud people maintain their grandiose self-image, in part, by remembering those past experiences in which your skills shined or their special talents became evident. This is noted, for example, by forcing a change of topic in conversations so that the dialogue drifts towards what happened at certain moments in their past.
6. They try to never ask for help
The myth of “the self-made person” is very strong in the mentality of proud people, who consider themselves something similar to a force independent of the rest of the things that occur in nature, as if they were disconnected from the rest and everything. that they had achieved was solely on their own merits.
Thus, when the situation requires that others collaborate with their projects, they feel invaded and questioned something that often leads them to adopt a defensive attitude.
7. They feel the desire to be in control
For the markedly proud people, the social circles on which one has influence They are like an extension of one’s own body, a place in which one must try to maintain a certain order and harmony in its functioning.
It is because of this logic of thought that, when something is detected that could threaten that stability, it is viewed with suspicion whenever there is the possibility that the power that one has over some of those people (friends, family, etc.) is eroded. fade or weaken.
