Why do people belittle others? People may put others down for a wide range of reasons. Sometimes, they could do it because they feel bad about themselves and have low self-esteem, and so they put people down to boost their own confidence. Feeling a need to do so could have many different causes.
They may be insecure in the relationship and need to control the other person to maintain their status or power within it. They may believe that making someone else feel small will help them appear more capable or successful in comparison.
Narcissists belittle others because they have their own insecurities, fears and flaws, and are afraid of having them exposed to others. In making hurtful comments to others, they reinforce their own feelings of importance and hide the low self-esteem and self-worth that may be lurking within.
They want to manipulate the person.
It could also be a person seeking to guilt trip someone into doing what they want them to do. Putting others down and belittling them can weaken their self-belief and assertiveness, making them easier to influence.
Emotional and psychological abuse can take many forms, including belittling, which can manifest as judging, humiliating, criticizing, trivializing or telling hurtful jokes. But belittling is no joking matter. It's a tactic often used by abusers to make their victims feel small, unimportant or disrespected.
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.
Try deflecting belittling behavior with humor. Respond with humor or exaggerate the belittling comment and make a joke out of it. Doing this could help someone to realize the outrageousness of what they have said if it is not based on solid facts or evidence.
A narcissist will manipulate and control others to feel good, which is why they can be abusive in relationships. They can use aggression and be rude, offensive, and belittling towards their partners to wear down their self-worth. This can turn into a sadistic, abusive relationship.
If someone is belittling you, use this opportunity to laugh it off instead of wade into the hate and negative emotions. This won't always be possible, and sometimes the belittling goes far past the point of casual ribbing into real bullying and abuse. But when it is possible, try using humor to deflect the meanness.
Things You Should Know
Be assertive but respectful to stop teasing from going any further. Take care of yourself and manage stress. Understand that put-downs are a reflection of the other person's insecurity and get support from trusted confidantes.
Belittling is the intentional act of making another feel worthless, empty, and dismissed.
The following are examples of what belittling looks like: Yelling or screaming at you to get a reaction. Insulting you — calling you fat, ugly or stupid — or criticizing your parenting skills or intelligence. Ignoring how you feel, disregarding your opinion or failing to recognize your contributions.
People with NPD may be intentionally arrogant, superior or vain. They will often act in a pretentious way in group settings, belittle others, and look to control conversations. While their self-concept is often an overinflated one, people with NPD typically have a fragile ego.
Children who have experienced emotional abuse may continue to feel its effects into adulthood. These can include extremely low self-esteem, negative relationships, and other physical or mental health effects.
Examples of condescending behavior include acting as if you know everything and are not open to new ideas, reacting to an upset with “well, that's never happened to me”, offering unsolicited advice (unless you are a supervisor), not being open to feedback, referring to people in the group in the third person (even if ...
Narcissists hate strong people that are not afraid to set boundaries and let them know their behavior is not acceptable. Since they crave power and control and may use manipulation or other tactics to maintain it.
Any perceived negative feedback, even if offered in gentle or productive ways, can easily result in outbursts of narcissistic rage. A narcissist cannot tolerate threats to their massive egos and grandiose self-image.
Many people will lash out when they feel personally inadequate, as a way to make them seem superior to others. Jealousy and low self-esteem are main reasons for this type of behavior. Some people will portray others as a joke to make themselves appear more funny when in reality it just comes across as a cheap shot.
If you can, cut down contact and avoid seeing the person. If you still have to see them, you can cut down on negativity by not offering them information. Give ambiguous or vague answers, and don't volunteer any news about what you are doing or choosing.
It is a way of making the partner feel insignificant to cut down their confidence. It may also be a kind of manipulation. A person may often use belittling comments to manipulate the other one into making them more dependable on someone so that the person loses confidence.
“Condescending behaviors may include insulting or belittling comments, failure to recognize strengths or accomplishments, a dismissive attitude, or a holier-than-thou demeanor,” explains Oona Metz, LICSW, a psychotherapist in Boston, Massachusetts.
Narcissists are highly sensitive to criticism or any perceived threat to their self-image, and they will go to great lengths to protect it. If you criticize them or challenge their dominance, you will trigger a defensive response.
Narcissists have an excessive need to be in control of their environment and other people and feel entitled to their unconditional attention and admiration. When these needs are threatened, their reaction is often extreme and they either become enraged or passive-aggressive.
- When it comes to humiliation, a narcissist does that on every occasion they can possibly do it to get a lift in their ego, to feel high and they humiliate you by passing comment on different things that are related with you, for example, you may be wearing something and they could pass comment on, you know, ...