Actually I think it’s a classic trait of all humans everywhere. That’s the reason people don’t take social psychology very seriously. They trust their own perceptions more than they trust the evidence. But the truth is, our perceptions suck. This is why most people believe they are better-than-average drivers, in the top of the pack in their professional evironment, etc. Do you think it’s mere coincidence that a lot of people here are convinced Dopers are more intelligent and funny and wonderful than the average population? Our brains are wired to perceive ourselves as magnificent and everyone else as mere Philistines. Our anecdotal observations tend to be riddled with error, confirmation bias, and piss-poor scientific method.
I think there is a distinction, which I neglected to draw in my original response, between snobbery and bullying. Snobbery is kind of a nebulous term and would have to somehow be quantified somehow to get any reliable research results, but I suppose if you can quantify narcissism, you can quantify snobbery. I’m guessing the two are linked, but have no proof of that.
The studies in question have specifically targeted people who regularly participate in aggressive behavior. They have also linked narcissism with aggressive behavior (by ‘‘aggressive behavior’’ I mean anything from acting like an asshole to committing a violent crime.)
The second article down on this pagemay be a good start. Certain studies merely isolate an overinflated sense of self-esteem as one potential cause of aggression.
For those generally interested in this area of study, Bushman (my husband’s boss at the ISR) was recently on the Penn and Teller: Bullshit! show to discuss the myth of catharsis. (The Episode was ‘‘Anger Management’’) from I think Season 5. Venting actually appears to make people angrier and more aggressive, not calmer. Note the dissonance between what we think venting does and what it actually does. Our years of experience tell us that venting calms us down, but in controlled scientific experiments, it clearly doesn’t.
I don’t regard dopers as anything special. And I’m surprised that so many of them regard themselves as anything special. In fact, I specifically chuckled at the thought/irony of how many dopers seem to hold themselves as superior to others when I first read that statement in ** msmith537**'s post. (And then I chuckled again at ExTank’s subsequent response.)
In some of your statements you seem to be contradicting yourself. For instance, “an overinflated sense of self-esteem” seems to indicate that someone’s sense of self-esteem is bogus, and not based in reality. And I tend to think that when someone’s egoism is not based in reality it’s because s/he is compensating for a lack of something they can’t accept in full awareness. Genuinely secure people do not overinflate themselves in false ways; they tend to get it just about right, and don’t need to go too far “over.”
Bullies are believed by many psychologists to suffer from a personality disorder, of which Narcissistic Personality Disorder is one possibility. Those with NPD can’t really comprehend their own feelings of inferiority. And that’s why asking bullies whether they regard themselves as superior is questionable (and even laughable). As you already pointed out, even when they are shown they are really not superior, they are still convinced that they really are. Again, that’s classic.
Too much more of a discussion about the psychology of this (which really is interesting to me) would be too far off-topic of this thread IMO.
Even if we were to take it to another thread, I still might not follow-through by properly researching and discussing this. IOW while I’m interested in some ways, I’m still probably not that interested. But I will eventually look up those links and read with great interest at my leisure, thanks.
I’m aware that all psychologists are not in lock step. That means that for every one I agree with I’m sure there are plenty on the opposing side of the issue. Like everyone else I guess I tend to follow along with the ones who make the most logical sense to me. Naturally.
Venting also makes me more aggressive, and acting calmer makes me calmer, so I’m right with you and Bushman on that one.
Sometimes I think less of people who disagree with me… and then again, sometimes I don’t.
I really had no idea I would write this much, geez.:rolleyes:
I respectfully disagree. Even the dumbest among us take the time to read other people’s arguments before ignoring them. That sets us apart from the general population, you know.
Mine is people who take their dog out in public, to the dog park, to PetSmart or just out for a walk…then GLARE at you if you dare to say hello to the doggy or even ask to pet it! They also will look at my very social pug with disdain when she tries to say hello in doggiespeak. Why have a dog if you don’t want to be social with it, dogs are very social animals.
I wish you lived near me. My new neighbors have a pug, and I’ve been sort of stalking them in hopes of catching them outside so I can give him a snuggle.
Ha! We were walking our corgis on Saturday and two of our neighbors practically jumped us! They’ve been wanting to get a corgi and were waiting for us to walk by!
People who use the automatic door opener when they aren’t physically incapable of opening the door with their own arms. It takes much longer to open anyway, so why not just open the damn door properly? Lazy buggers.
Ahem… I do that. Looking at me from the outside everybody who knows/meets me thinks I’m in very good health. But I actually have physical limitations and other health issues that aren’t obvious from the outside. And when automatic door openers were put on regular doors that made them even more difficult to open for those of us with limited mobility. I also hate it when I pull on a door without realizing it’s an automatic door, argh! But I don’t make that mistake more than once with the same door. So, yeah, I push a button instead, and suffer the scorn of those who really don’t have a clue.
And here I was always slightly annoyed by the pretentiousness of people pronouncing pasta as if it was still in Italian when they were speaking English. It’s become an English word. Oddly, I tend to do the same with French words that have not been nativized. Then there’s the name of the City of Montreal: is it “Mun-tree-all” or “Mon-rayal”? Depends on context and what language you’re speaking!
I really hate when people in crowded places don’t walk on the right side of the sidewalk, hallway, pathway, ect. Many of these people will then stop in the middle, or on the wrong side of said hallway and start texting or talking to someone they know.
