Their insecurity serves as a defense mechanism that protects their ego. By bringing other people down, they can achieve psychological relief and raise their self-esteem. For example, they may pass judgment on you and point out your flaws to you.
There can be many different reasons why a person may feel the need to put others down. Some possible reasons can include low self-esteem, childhood trauma, being bullied themselves, or a lack of empathy.
Some mental health professionals believe that insecure people who hurt others intentionally use this behavior as a way to reflect on their pain by seeing it mirrored in someone else. They seem to believe that this is a way to work out their own pain without having to pay the price for their behavior.
Just IGNORE THEM! If they get REALLY annoying, tell them this: “OK, if YOU think you're SOOO much BETTER than me, then PROVE IT!” And then challenge them to something which YOU know YOU are good at! Nine times out of ten, they'll back down and, hopefully, SHUT UP!
Why do those people who suffer from being insecure, additionally, are usually angry? People who are insecure experience a lot of fear of being abandoned or disliked because they are unsure of themselves. There has been a trigger for anger. This behavior is usually a way to protect themselves.
They may have low self-esteem or depression. They may experience self-blame, guilt, or shame about what they are perceiving as criticism. These feelings and experiences may lead the person to defend themselves and try to stop feeling this way. This can lead them to become defensive.
Arrogance is rooted in insecurity — a defense from feelings of weakness that are unacceptable and unclaimed. An arrogant person generally has a skewed view of the world and a warped understanding of themselves.
Other forms: belittled; belittling; belittles. To belittle means to put down, or to make another person feel as though they aren't important. Saying mean things about another person literally makes them feel "little." To belittle someone is a cruel way of making someone else seem less important than yourself.
Toxic people are often insecure people. They tend to make themselves feel or seem better than others by talking badly about them rather than taking concrete actions to develop their skills. Toxic people feel entitled to judge others, their actions, decisions, and lifestyles.
Insecure people feel a constant need to validate their worth through others' opinions. They try to seek others' approval over their personality or work. They look for likes, comments and compliments from people and only feel happy when others acknowledge them.
Insecure people often use criticism of others as a way to feel better about themselves. See, people who are insecure consistently feel bad about themselves. And often, they don't know how to feel better in a healthy or productive way. So they often resort to criticizing others.
They are trying to make themselves feel more powerful or important by putting someone else down. They have low self-esteem and need to build themselves up by making others feel inferior. They may be insecure in the relationship and need to control the other person to maintain their status or power within it.
Some people do it because they are insecure or jealous. They are trying to feel better about themselves by putting you down. Some do it because they are trying to impress someone or get attention. For example, the coworker that criticizes your work in front of the supervisor.
“Some of the most common insecurities and relationships include emotional insecurity, attachment insecurity, physical insecurity, financial insecurity, professional insecurity, and social insecurity,” explains LaTonya P.
“Talking too much, or not talking at all, is a telltale sign of insecurity,” says Wood. “Insecure people are self-focused rather than connection-focused, so they don't pick on normal conversational cues.
Despite how they might come across, narcissists are insecure. They are super sensitive to criticism and go to great lengths to protect their ego to maintain their sense of superiority. They may also rely on external validation and approval to feel good about themselves.
Jealousy may be driven by low self-esteem or a poor self-image. If you don't feel attractive and confident, it can be hard to truly believe that your partner loves and values you. Other times, jealousy can be caused by unrealistic expectations about the relationship.
An insecure person and a humble person may both live quiet lives, but the reasons why are very different. We might assume an insecure person hiding in the background is humble when really their pride is too scared for them to fail in front of anyone, more consumed with what others think than what God thinks.
Perhaps the most fundamental difference is that arrogance often masks insecurity. That's why arrogant people are boastful about their achievements and abilities while tending to demean others. Confidence, on the other hand, stems from true self-worth: a belief and pride in your achievements and abilities.