Difference between Arrogant and Confident
Arrogance and confidence are both emotions or characteristics that derive from pride. The line between them is very thin, and people can often cross between the two, or be perceived as arrogant or confident depending on the person who is describing them. However, arrogance is usually thought of as a more negative characteristic, while confidence can be a very positive feeling that encourages people to succeed.
Positive and Negative Effects
Confidence is often considered to be a positive characteristic, although when it becomes over-confidence, it can become negative. The positive aspects of confidence are that it enables people to feel pride in their own accomplishments and that it can drive them to attempt new things and follow their dreams and ambitions. Confidence can help people to be more successful and it can also enable them to take a more powerful role in their dealings with other people.
Arrogance is always a negative characteristic. Over confidence and arrogance are associated with people displaying their own high opinion of themselves in an exaggerated and unmerited manner. It can be as much about making other people feel less confident as it is about helping oneself to achieve success.
Merit
The negative perception of arrogance derives from the fact that it is pride that is not based on true merit. Confidence reflects an honest pride that is based on true abilities and accomplishments, while arrogance is more like overconfidence. Arrogance stems from an inflated sense of worth rather than from actual merit.
Other People
It is possible to have confidence in another person, but arrogance is a more selfish characteristic that is always about pride in oneself.
Confidence can take a number of different forms. It can be described as self-confidence when it is a belief in one's own value and abilities. Similarly, it can be confidence in someone else in whom trust is being placed. Confidence can be about relying on someone or believing in their abilities. Confidence can also be a more superficial characteristic that comes out in one's dealings with other people. It can be about displaying a dominant attitude.
Arrogance is more like this last form of outward confidence. It is a characteristic that appears in how one talks about oneself or how one deals with other people. It is something that imposes on other people, rather than being an internal characteristic. Arrogance is usually something that one person will accuse another of, while confidence is something that is admired and which people can value in themselves.
Summary
Confidence and arrogance are two very closely related characteristics that can often be confused with one another. A person who believes that they are simply confident may be thought of as arrogant by other people who feel that this confidence is exaggerated or unmerited.
- An arrogant person is one who is over-confident.
- Confidence can be a positive attribute that aids success.
- It is possible to have confidence in another person as well as in yourself.
- Confidence can be based on merit, while arrogance is usually boastful and unmerited.
- Arrogance is a negative trait that is rarely valued in others or recognized in oneself.
