Pride: the 6 common traits of vainglorious 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 personality nuances that may be of interest. This is the case of arrogance , a term usually used to designate vain and somewhat arrogant people. However, the psychological implications of this trait go far beyond the bad image it has been given socially.
Personality traits associated with pride
The personality traits that define superb people are especially related to two characteristics: narcissism and a tendency to megalomania. Both psychological dimensions are closely linked , and they speak of a need to maintain a highly idealized self-image that serves to justify a series of irrational beliefs (i.e., that do not fit with what is being proven about reality). Among these beliefs is that one has control over practically all aspects of daily life-
What is narcissism?
Narcissism is a propensity for feelings of grandiosity when evaluating oneself .
Narcissists are always on the lookout for what others think about them, but at the same time, they believe they are more valuable than most. Paradoxically enough, they are obsessed with making everyone behave as if they were very special and relevant people, while at the same time underestimating others.
Moreover, they consider their point of view to be 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 error. Generally, they do not impale themselves 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 concept very similar to that of 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 he or she is capable of doing things that, in reality, are difficult to achieve.
Megalomaniacs greatly overestimate their abilities and, as a consequence, tend to want to take control of everything in their lives: including the projects that other people are involved in. 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 the police if they commit an offence.
You can read more about megalomania in this article: Megalomania and Delusions of Grandeur: Playing God
The characteristics of superb people
Now that we’ve got an idea of how superb people are defined in general, we can move on to explore their personality in more detail. These are some of the concrete characteristics that vain people usually present .
1. believe that they are almost always right by default
As we have seen, narcissism’s arrogance takes over this irrational belief that one is always right just because of who one is. That is why, on occasion, markedly arrogant people try to argue and defend their point of view using the fallacy of authority.
2. They are attentive to their public image, although without being noticed
Vain people need to have a constant feedback about the image they give to others , even though they try to appear indifferent about it. The reason is that they know that naturalness and spontaneity are valued positively.
3. Angers produced by pride
The fact that they have to carry such an idealized version of themselves means that when it comes to relating to these types of people, they can easily spark. That is, they can get angry about small details . For example, when they think they are not being paid enough attention, they may unconsciously tend to look for an excuse to confront the other person.
4. Theatricality in its presentation
People who stand out in pride attract attention in ways that sometimes seem to belong more to the performing arts , especially if they want to stand out from a group of people. That is, they have a certain tendency to dramatize and spectacularize some moments of their daily life.
5. The importance of social networks
The emergence of the massive use of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter is causing many young people to adopt behavioural dynamics that define superb people, albeit in a new way.
Rivalry is created by 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 really communicate with others, as a famous person would.
For example, a button: teenage boys and girls from Barcelona who go to a trendy disco (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 human beings with whom we have a direct relationship are objectified; that is to say, they are treated as objects .
Vain people can become so attached to their image that they cannot help but see others as a means of making their “grandiosity” expand, reaching greater heights of power (economic or social) through them.