The 40 Weaknesses Of The Human Being (list And Examples)
There are psychological characteristics that, although in some cases they may be useful, in most cases, in practice, they cause more problems than they solve.
These traits can be considered the main weaknesses of the human being, unprotected points of our personality that can become spaces through which setbacks sneak in. That is to say, these are psychological characteristics that lead us to self-sabotage, to fall into behavioral dynamics that harm us in the long and medium term, just by giving in to certain impulses and desires.
How to identify those moments in which our weaknesses put us in a vulnerable situation? Let’s look at several ideas and examples.
This is a summarized list of typical weaknesses due to which we waste more energy and efforts than necessary. They contribute to maintaining situations that They give us real headaches and in many cases they also make problems that we create ourselves arise out of nowhere and that otherwise they should not exist.
Of course, as always happens in these cases, each name of the weaknesses of the human being is an abstraction, which means that when they appear in our daily lives it is not obvious that we are faced with them. Knowing them helps to detect them, but this is not enough; We have to stop and think and pay attention to what we do and what we feel.
1. Impatience
Impatience is one of the main obstacles that keep us separated from our goals. The most ambitious goals require investing a lot of effort, time and resources and if impatience takes control of the situation, any plan or strategy aimed at those kinds of ends will be faltered by the relative lack of short-term compensation.
For example, the decision to spend a lot of money on a trip and it is not a personal project that would have had a good chance of succeeding is an example of how impatience can cause us to stagnate.
2. Egoism
Egoism can be positive in specific situations, but in a large number of situations the only thing it does is lead us to cut our ties with society.
Thus, it makes us left alone little by little, not only harming those around us because of the times in which we disappoint them, but also leading us to lose human capital around us: fewer people willing to help us and make an effort to support us when we need it.
3. Jealousy
Jealousy leads us to feel the need to control other people’s lives out of fear of losing them, which is, paradoxically, a fact that significantly damages any personal bond that we could have with her by not recognizing her individuality and personal freedom.
For example, a person who frowns upon their partner being alone with friends is falling into jealousy and trying to make the loved one’s entire social life revolve around them.
4. Cowardice
Cowardice leads us not to make decisions that, Although they are uncomfortable and involve leaving the comfort zone, they are necessary so that our lives or those of our community or group improve.
For example, not wanting to break up with someone so as not to expose yourself to a situation full of crying and frustration is usually an example of cowardice that harms at least two people (oneself included).
It must be taken into account that cowardice does not consist of the simple fact of feeling afraid but in letting fear paralyze us and come between us and a goal that can clearly benefit us and that we know we have opportunities to achieve, for the simple fact of avoiding a stressful situation in the short term.
In personal relationships, cowardice usually manifests itself in a lack of assertiveness. And in personal development processes, this form of personal weakness is reflected above all in the avoidance of new challenges in exchange for remaining in day-to-day routines (without exposing ourselves to new objectives). For this reason, cowardice usually gives rise to self-esteem problems, since it keeps us away from situations that would allow us to show ourselves what we are capable of.
5. Conformity with ignorance
Conformism doesn’t have to be bad; After all, not everyone lives in a situation where they can afford to constantly take risks in order to aspire to different goals.
In the same way, and although this idea seems to go against common sense, ignorance is not a negative element in itself; It is an inevitable aspect that is part of our lives, and as Socrates pointed out thousands of years ago, Recognizing it in oneself can even be a requirement to advance towards wisdom.
However, the combination of conformity and ignorance does create problems. And conformism applied specifically to knowledge is one of human weaknesses; The reason is that it makes us remain blind in a world in which knowledge can save us a lot of problems. Unfortunately, there are many people who believe that learning about certain topics that go beyond the satisfaction of basic day-to-day needs generates more problems than it solves.
For example, the belief that you don’t need to know anything about politics to create a just and functional society often harms not only the individual, but the entire society.
6. Resentment
Focusing on old offenses, whether real or imagined, is another of the weaknesses of the human being that facilitates the emergence of unjustified hostilities.
Sometimes, on occasion, resentment can turn society at large into antipathy out of a vague feeling of offense caused by the idea that life has taken more from us than it has given us. But, in practice, it only promotes isolation and difficulties in creating meaningful sentimental ties: few people like dealing with those who hold passive-aggressive attitudes.
7. Dependency
There are people who get used to living according to the way others live, imitating their values, their way of thinking and acting, and even their aesthetics.
Over time, this leads to unsustainable situations, because it is not possible to live indefinitely following a life project that is not the one one has built oneself. And, when someone who has fallen into this dynamic of dependency realizes it, this problem is added the feeling of having wasted time for months or years. Therefore, this is one of the weaknesses of the human being with greater power when it comes to generating existential crises.
8. Little openness to new experiences
Human beings should always focus on new challenges, new experiences that allow them to take steps forward in their personal development. Meet new people, visit countries and cultures, read about interesting topics…are habits that make an individual grow intellectually and be more open to crossing new horizons.
People who are not able to open themselves to new experiences often get stuck in bland realities, with unedifying habits that anchor them to a boring reality. To try to resolve this situation, it is only necessary to open our mind and be willing to leave our comfort zone and look for what our concerns are.
9. Controlling attitude towards others
The tendency to want to control the behavior of groups or individuals gives rise to many dysfunctions in social life. In fact, it sometimes facilitates the emergence of violence, by using force as a method to demonstrate power and establish dominance.
Even if violence does not occur directly, this is one of the human weaknesses that can lead to problematic social dynamics if they extend to an entire group of people due to the influence of a leader: creation of a demonized and caricatured external enemy, behavior sectarian, etc.
Therefore, the controlling attitude is one of the aspects in which the quality of life of oneself and others can be damaged: it generates confrontation.
10. Excessive perfectionism towards oneself
In the same way that the search for absolute control of others gives rise to serious problems, The search for excessive control over one’s own behavior also harms us.
Dysfunctional perfectionism means that, even though we may be very good at something, the fact that we are obsessed with doing everything in the best way produces insecurities and low self-esteem as we become frustrated again and again when we do not achieve it.
11. Excess Ego
People who are excessively governed by strict codes of honor and who They are not able to admit their mistakes because of pride They present one of the weaknesses of human beings that most damage social life: excess Ego. This can lead to the generation of enmities in a totally unnecessary way, and even makes it easier to lose health due to the inability to recognize that help is needed.
Furthermore, this is one of the human weaknesses that prevent us from learning from our mistakes, since in this case, the simple fact of recognizing that we have made a mistake produces discomfort that the person does not manage properly, trying to avoid this type of experiences. This is a phenomenon closely related to what is known as cognitive dissonance.
12. Poor anger management
People who are not able to control their anger believe that the world is a place in which any affront towards them must be corrected immediately, even if it’s just expressing anger and hurting someone with it. Irrationally, they believe that in the world there is a compensation system by which if the one who has acted wrong cannot compensate for the damage, he can at least be the target of the fury of the one who feels offended.
This only brings problems, because on the one hand, anger blinds them and does not even allow them to stop and think about whether the person they attack is truly responsible for what has happened to them, and on the other hand, sometimes they make them pay the price. for someone it is even worse than not doing it, if by doing so oneself loses even more.
Lack of ambition, again, can be a good quality in most people. However, in the workplace, it is ambitious people who manage to achieve the best objectives and move forward towards the goals they set.
As long as it is in moderation, an ambitious person can reach much higher levels than someone who lacks this quality, which is so necessary in today’s job market.
14. Arrogance
Arrogance is one of the least desirable qualities both in the workplace and professionally and makes us look like undesirable and unfriendly people in the eyes of others.
Believing yourself above other people in any area of life is a very negative way of relating to your environment. That is why we will go much further with a humble attitude and treating those around us well.
15. Lack of listening
Some people have a worrying lack of listening and this prevents them from communicating successfully with their environment, both personally and academically or professionally.
The lack of listening consists of lacking useful communication tools, as well as the basic social skills that serve us for such use, such as empathy, assertiveness, conflict resolution, active listening and verbal or non-verbal communication. .
16. Prejudices
Prejudices are an intellectual mechanism that makes us judge a person or a group of people ahead of time without really knowing what the reality of these individuals is.
Prejudices lead us to embrace negative ideas towards minority groups, such as immigrants, and prevent us from interacting naturally with everyone.
17. Frivolity
Frivolity consists of taking serious issues or situations in life lightly and without giving them the importance they deserve. It is one of the worst ways to function in life, mainly in the academic and work spheres.
Some people cannot find their way into their daily work life and are not able to understand when it is time to have fun and when they should work hard to achieve any established objective or goal.
18. Shame linked to one’s own identity
Shame is a feeling that we have all gone through throughout our lives, an unpleasant sensation that floods throughout your body and makes you want to disappear from the face of the earth.
Although it is normal to feel embarrassed from time to time, For some people it is a feeling that they have permanently before any activity in life especially those that involve a social relationship of any kind.
This can be a real problem when it comes to thriving at work or even carrying out any daily activity in everyday life.
19. Low self-esteem
Low self-esteem is another impediment that can get in the way of achieving success or the goals we set for ourselves and prevents us from thriving normally in our daily lives.
People with low self-esteem have a low concept of themselves and believe they are inferior to anyone around them. There are many psychologists and therapists in charge of this type of intervention who can solve this problem.
20. Laziness
Laziness is a lack of desire to work, as well as to do any other activity or carry out any responsibility that is required of us during the day.
Is about one of the worst ways to face life’s challenges and it is undoubtedly something that affects anyone who practices a lazy lifestyle, both on a personal, professional or academic level.
21. Apathy
Apathy is similar to laziness but consists of a lack of motivation that may or may not be temporary, and which again can decisively affect the work and personal future of the person who suffers from it.
A person with apathy will be unable to achieve their goals of any kind in time and will not be able to embark on any important company or project of any kind.
22. Cynicism
Cynicism consists of being satisfied with one’s own mistake or bad action, such as lying or carrying out any other action that is despicable by society.
Cynical people have everything against them to prosper in their lives, since it is a very unpopular lifestyle and almost not accepted by society in general.
23. Cruelty
Cruelty is the ability to be cruel to other people and living beings without showing a minimum of humanity or pain in the face of such events.
Cruel people are also not accepted by society and it is undoubtedly a quality that most people hate in a person.
24. Extreme pride
Although having pride in one’s achievements is a positive quality, Pride can be really negative if you have too much of it for anyone. Pride has to do with believing oneself better than others and conceiving oneself in a superior position than other people, a dynamic that is undoubtedly very negative in today’s society.
25. Excessive ambition
Just as a lack of ambition can be counterproductive in our daily lives, excessive ambition is not the path we should take to succeed in life.
Being excessively ambitious and being willing to go ahead of everyone to achieve one’s goals is to practice a very uncivil and responsible attitude towards the people around us.
26. Inconsistency
Coherence is one of the safest values to succeed in life, this means acting in accordance with the values that one has and those that are proclaimed.
Incoherent people tend to act in a completely different way from what they preach, and vice versa, undoubtedly a position that usually earns many enemies in life, since sincerity and coherence are the most desired values.
27. Rebellion
Rebellion can be a quality in some people who fight for truth and justice, however it can also be negative when the person is rebellious systematically and in any situation in life.
Unjustified rebellion on the part of someone is usually perceived as something negative by society and is a real obstacle to prospering in life.
28. Hostility
Hostility is another of the most negative attitudes that exist and consists of always being contrary to everyone by default and in a totally gratuitous way without paying attention to logical reasons.
Once again we are faced with a weakness that can prevent a person from prospering in life and that undoubtedly leads to making quite a few enemies.
29. Lack of initiative
The lack of initiative is a deficit that can endanger the employment and work life of any person, since in current jobs initiative is one of the values that are most on the rise.
People who lack initiative, who do not know how to react in time and who expect others to always do the dirty work usually have real problems keeping their jobs.
30. Carelessness
The neglect It consists of being unscrupulous or careful in any area of life and it can occur at a work level when a person does not perform their job correctly with care and speed or at a personal level.
On a personal level, sloppiness can present itself as a lack of personal hygiene or in people who have little decorum when it comes to dressing correctly and in a manner appropriate to each situation.
31. Indolence
Indolence is an attitude presented by those people who are not affected by situations in the slightest and who do not feel any discomfort in conflict or problematic situations.
This quality is highly undesirable to function correctly in life, since feeling affected by the situations that happen in front of us is something important both on a personal and professional level.
32. Self-indulgence
Complacency consists of thinking that one is perfect and that he does not need to improve in any way in any area of his existence.
This is one of the least desirable qualities both in the work world and in personal relationships, since decent people know that they always need to improve at something.
33. Lack of motivation
People who have little motivation in their lives or who have a hard time finding motivation often have real problems achieving success in any area of their lives.
Definitely, motivation is one of the most necessary qualities since it can be considered the fuel that makes us move every day and want to improve ourselves or achieve our goals to be better people.
34. Tendency to set unrealizable goals
Some people watch helplessly as their goals are never achieved no matter how much effort they put into achieving them. This is because often Your set goals are unrealizable or very unrealistic.
To achieve everything we set out to do, it is important to establish realistic goals that we can achieve and not objectives that are too far away that are impossible to achieve.
35. Lack of concentration
Lack of concentration can be one of the weaknesses that most affects people who work in jobs that require total concentration and attention to achieve their goals.
Concentration is a quality that can be trained and whose deficit can be treated by professionals of all kinds, even by psychologists specialized in increasing specific cognitive abilities.
36. Excessive concern about everything
Concern about the things that happen to us every day is common, and even more so if they are of great importance; nevertheless, Some people tend to worry too much about everything and often about little or unimportant things.
This excessive worry can waste our time and often contributes to us allocating an important part of our resources to paying attention to things that do not deserve our attention, to the detriment of what does.
37. Fear of fear
Although fear is a biological survival mechanism that we all have, some people feel fear constantly and about everything, even if a situation does not objectively present any threat.
Fear stops us prevents us from moving forward in the situation we want and sometimes deprives us of carrying out activities or carrying out projects that in normal situations we would be able to carry out.
38. Lack of imagination
Imagination is one of the most in-demand qualities in today’s job market, and a faculty that is also very useful in daily personal life.
People with little imagination are often incapable of achieving solutions to specific problems and usually have very limited resources when carrying out any specific action or project.
39. Lack of faith
We often associate faith with a religious phenomenon, but the truth is that many people have faith in themselves and their possibilities without professing any particular religion. Believing that one’s goals are achievable and imagining alternative realities is a good example that faith can be very useful in achieving personal or professional goals.
40. Lack of creativity
Creativity is another of the most in-demand skills in the current labor market, even in the most analytical jobs and where a priori it should not be requested.
Creative people are able to imagine several possible solutions to the same problem They tend to be open-minded and have a high capacity to adapt to all types of adversities.
