Having a High Self-Esteem Is Not Being Arrogant or Narcissistic

We live in a society where people go to great lengths to achieve that perfect selfie. Some individuals even make a pretty hefty living off of their looks. They’re defined by the attention they receive.When the sole or most significant determinant of self-esteem is based on a person’s aesthetics, unhealthy patterns can develop. The selfie-obsessed world we live in walks a fine line between self-confidence and utter narcissism.Countless individuals find gratification from their online profile; so much so, they base their entire self-worth on how many likes, friends or followers they have. This lifestyle and attitude carry significant emotional risks, as well as often masking a shallow existence and low-self-esteem. Three characteristics are often associated with each other when describing human behavior.While the three frequently overlap, they couldn’t be far from different. Those three traits are arrogance, narcissism, and self-confidence. We all want to develop a healthy self-confidence. Therefore, it’s best to understand the difference between the three to achieve that goal of high self-esteem. Let’s consider the definition of these three terms and compare their attributes.

Table of Contents What Is Narcissism?What Is Arrogance?What Is Self-Confidence?How to Develop Self-Confidence

What Is Narcissism?

Discussions of narcissism have gained substantial popularity in the media as more information regarding this personality disorder is coming to light. Although the above description may seem narcissistic, it’s not. In fact, it’s far from it. Individuals on the spectrum for Narcissistic Personality Disorder are manipulative folks who are only out for personal gain.They view themselves with grandiosity and have a difficult time showing real empathy for others, although they can put on a display of sympathy if they feel it will benefit themselves. Unfortunately, those with NPD are emotionally abusive to the people in their lives.

So much so, researchers align their personality symptoms with those on the spectrum for psychopathy disorder. Therefore, it goes far beyond taking selfies and accruing likes.

What Is Arrogance?

Next, arrogance is defined as thinking you are better or more qualified than those around you. It’s a grandiose sense of self that goes far beyond self-confidence. Arrogant individuals have a hard time making and keeping friends because they often rub others the wrong way. Perversely, this arrogance very often stems from a lack of self-belief, and the behavior is expressed as a way to hide this from others.

What Is Self-Confidence?

Having a healthy self-confidence means believing that you can accomplish anything while remaining humble, or not feeling driven to display excessively how clever you are. Balancing the two is a big part of being an emotionally well-rounded individual.Also, those with a healthy sense of self-confidence have no problem with uplifting others. They don’t view other people as competition. Instead, they applaud others when they see them succeed. They understand that someone else’s gains don’t take away from theirs. This is what differentiates self-confidence from the other personality traits discussed.The underlying root of arrogance and narcissism is insecurity. People with these traits feel as if they have to make themselves appear more substantial to compensate for deeply ingrained insecurities. This is also why they tend to exhibit negative or cruel behavioral patterns.

How to Develop Self-Confidence

One of the best ways to develop a healthy sense of self-confidence is to focus on your positive qualities. Practice daily affirmations that highlight what you love about yourself. Doing so will make you see your worth in a healthy sense.Next, don’t base your self-worth on the opinions of others. Doing so is detrimental to building your confidence. Instead of worrying about what others may think about your choices, focus on how you feel about them.If you enjoy wearing certain clothes, engaging in certain activities or making individual choices, that’s all that matters.Put these actions into practice, and you’ll begin to see your self-confidence rise. Understand that you are stronger than you think while maintaining a balanced sense of others. This will help you remain kind to others, while still loving yourself wholeheartedly.