People have a patronizing attitude and exhibit condescending behavior for different reasons, but usually, it boils down to insecurity and/or arrogance. Yes, you can definitely be arrogant and insecure at the same time. Here, we point out some behaviors people say that typically don't land well and foster negativity.
Narcissistic personality disorder involves a pattern of self-centered, arrogant thinking and behavior, a lack of empathy and consideration for other people, and an excessive need for admiration. Others often describe people with NPD as cocky, manipulative, selfish, patronizing, and demanding.
Condescending behaviors often come from people who are insecure, controlling, and afraid to be vulnerable. A condescending person may not even realize that their behavior is problematic and hurtful. However, their actions and words speak very loudly.
Although it's tempting to give the offender a piece of your mind, remaining calm is the best response. Flying off the handle only makes the other person believe that their behaviour is justified. Also, be careful not to reply to a condescending person with more condescension.
transitive verb. If someone patronizes you, they speak or behave toward you in a way that seems friendly, but that shows that they think they are superior to you in some way. [disapproval]
Condescension is rude and patronizing. Treating someone with condescension is the opposite of treating them with respect. Condescension is full of arrogant and snooty attitude, and people who practice condescension treat others like inferior idiots.
How to respond: “Remember not to take it personally,” Hehman says. “It's not aimed at you as an individual and is probably even well-intentioned. So rather than take offense, assert yourself in “a calm, positive way,” she suggests.
The Psychology Behind Condescending Behaviour
Often, the root of condescension is insecurity. Those who aren't confident in their abilities will look for opportunities to prove their superiority and take comfort in it.
A common phenomenon illustrating the surfacing of envy is "condescension" and "patronizing." The person suffering from envy behaves with impertinence, lack of mutual respect, subtle contempt, and downright bad manners masked by needing to control. Envy cannot tolerate any perception of "goodness."
People have a patronizing attitude and exhibit condescending behavior for different reasons, but usually, it boils down to insecurity and/or arrogance. Yes, you can definitely be arrogant and insecure at the same time.
Psychopathy. Pathological lying is in factor 1 of the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL).
A narcissist is someone who is arrogant and condescending, enjoys bragging and arguing, and often tries to be the center of attention, says Erika Carlson, a graduate student in psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, and the study's lead author.
Often, a condescending remark will help them to reestablish their superior image. Condescending is a common dynamic in narcissistic relationships. This behavior can be traced back to the need desperate need narcissists feel to be above others.
Saying things like “You always make that mistake” or “You never do things properly” is extremely patronizing. It makes the other person feel like a complete failure and by putting them down like that, they are actually more likely to act in that way. Telling someone to “calm down” “take it easy” or “relax!”
Call Them On It. You can address bad office behavior by telling people when their actions are not okay with you. Calmly and professionally call out the patronizing person without without making a scene or being dramatic by pointedly yet politely saying, “Gee, that comment sounded a bit condescending to me.
To patronize someone is usually to be in agreement with someone in a sarcastic manner or in a superior (know it all) way. To be condescending is to speak to someone as if they are below you or have less individual value as you, if you are condescending you speak down to others.
“When an action is helpful, it feels like both parties are on equal footing. Being helpful comes from a genuine place, without any expectations in return. On the other hand, being patronizing is when you attempt to help and appear kind, but you do so with a superior attitude or in a condescending way.”
Other examples of condescending behavior include employees who oversimplify or overexplain things in a patronizing tone, call coworkers demeaning names like chief or sweetheart, correct little mistakes, interrupt and tell a coworker to calm down or make them feel like they're overreacting when they're not.
If someone patronizes you, they speak or behave towards you in a way which seems friendly, but which shows that they think they are superior to you in some way. [disapproval] Don't you patronize me! [
Empathy, defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is a beautiful thing. But when empathy misses the mark, it borders on condescending, oftentimes jumping right into the pool of patronizing.
Patronizing. Patronizing is when you outwardly appear kind and helpful but inwardly feel superior or condescending. If you notice a pattern in yourself or someone else of constantly feeling “better than” or “holier than thou,” you might be acting in passive-aggressive ways.
When you patronize another person, you treat them in a way that makes them feel small and stupid. In other words, they doubt their own opinions and beliefs. And you do it a manner which they do not appreciate.