How Can Pride Destroy Relationships?

First, we must understand why people become prideful to determine if this is a negative or positive quality.

Pride is often seen as a positive feeling of self-respect and accomplishment. However, when it becomes excessive, it can turn into arrogance, an attitude of superiority over others. Arrogance and pride are closely connected because both involve an inflated sense of self-worth, but they express it in different ways. Arrogance is the outward display of this exaggerated pride.

A proud person may simply feel good about themselves, but an arrogant person shows this by belittling others, seeking validation, and assuming they are better than those around them. In this way, unchecked pride can lead to arrogance, harming relationships and creating conflict.

Arrogance often stems from low self-esteem.

Instinctively, the reaction to arrogant people will be to reject them, often returning the behavior right back. However, this isn’t the best way to handle it. Why? Because arrogance is a cover for insecurity.

Here is the core issue:

As children, our parents teach us essential life lessons. A good mother provides unconditional love, while a good father helps us learn to cope with our shortcomings. People who struggle with self-esteem often missed one or both of these elements, which can lead to feelings of rejection and insecurity.

This insecurity comes from rejection, which may have come from a parent, a loved one, a divorce, or even a dream that ended suddenly. Instead of learning to overcome obstacles and achieve new goals, they become self-defensive through the use of coping mechanisms.

They may cope in the form of boasting about themselves, making fun of others to feel less insecure or become over achievers. In our modern world, technology plays a huge role in creating an atmosphere where those who have been wounded can create an online persona that’s larger than life to cope with these feelings. However, their bad behavior only leads to more rejection, negative reactions, and hate from others. This only reinforcing more arrogance.

Technology is the perfect home for one to hide their feelings of inadequacy and seek validation and admiration to fills voids. Even the most intelligent people can fall into this trap because it’s an easy fix.

So, what’s the solution?

First, understand that while their ego may seem big, they feel very small inside and are craving attention. That’s why it’s important not to take their behavior personally.

Instead, give credit when they are kind and dismiss bad behavior. The less attention that receive from bad behavior the less they will exhibit this around you. Remember, they are looking for your attention.

If this person is in your life, bring awareness that the behavior is unacceptable. Don’t laugh or engage when they speak poorly of others or boast about themselves.

Walking away is the best thing you can do.

You cannot change them, but you can change how you react to them. Often, this alone can make them want to do better, as ultimately, they are just looking for love but have not learned the correct way to achieve it.