Confidence Vs Arrogance: How To Tell Them Apart
Posted by Sylvia on October 21st, 2008
Do you know the difference between confidence & arrogance? It’s a fine line sometimes.
I’ve been scanning the Internet for the answer and here’s what seems to be the most common conception.
Confidence is represented by people who are sure of themselves, but sufficiently humble to realize that they are not always right. Confidence leaves room for discussion of your beliefs.
Arrogance, on the other hand, does not recognize any other opinion. Arrogant people have the need to be right and will fight for their beliefs, even if they are wrong.
Sometimes, confidence can be mistaken for arrogance. Arrogance is a tool some people use to appear confident, especially when they feel threatened in some way. Arrogant people tend to have low self esteem. They put people and their opinions down just to feel better about themselves.
Confident people are far more laid back about their opinions and beliefs. They do not feel the need to boast, brag or put people down. They have true confidence because they believe in themselves. They are self-assured people with good self esteem who are ready to listen to and consider all other views.
So can a person emit confidence vs arrogance? Oddly, there are some people who have both. They are confident and self-assured in some areas, but arrogant in others.
For instance, if they have shaky confidence but are comfortable with their abilities they have no need to prove their skills to others. If they are challenged about a subject they do not feel confident about, they are likely to respond with arrogance. This is a protective mechanism to spare what little self-esteem they do have.
Building confidence is crucial if you suffer from anxiety and are looking for an anxiety cure. However, you will want to be sure that what you are building is not arrogance.
Arrogance tends to be rejected by society, whereas quiet confidence is far more readily accepted. If you have anxiety and low self esteem, this is your goal. When positive thoughts and feelings come your way, your self esteem will improve and your anxiety will diminish.
Building confidence rather than arrogance will bring you closer to achieving natural anxiety relief.