Dark Personalities

7 Signs Someone Has an Inflated Sense of Self-Importance

Published by
Sherrie Hurd, A.A.

An inflated sense of self-importance may lead to decreased empathy and many other negative traits. A balance of self-worth is much healthier and more fulfilling.

A balance of self-importance is healthy and ultimately leads to better relations. Understanding your worth and striving to improve yourself daily through introspection is crucial.

Whereas, having an inflated sense of self-importance can be dangerous to your mental health and the health of others. It can lead to adopting a narcissistic personality, losing most of your previous empathetic abilities, and placing high expectations on others.

Signs you may have an inflated sense of self-importance

An inflated sense of self-importance is often found in those with narcissistic personality disorder. With this type of personality, it’s difficult to understand responsibilities and faults, always deflecting and gaslighting others for your purposes.

The ego is driven by selfishness, paired with the inability to recognize limitations. Some signs, indicators you might otherwise overlook, reveal a person’s deep-seated inflated ego. You can use these signs to evaluate yourself or discover whether someone you know has a vaulted sense of self-worth.

1. Exaggeration

One way that you might recognize someone with an inflated ego is to pay attention to the stories they tell about themselves. What’s more, even the stories about others are important too.

A narcissistic personality, a prime example of an inflated ego, will exaggerate the good things about themselves while exaggerating the bad things about others. This is ultimately to build themselves up while tearing down the efforts and actions of other individuals.

2. Entitlement

There is always a sense of entitlement for those struggling with grandiosity. They will always feel as if they require something. And if someone accidentally hurts them, this entitlement will be much worse.

Also, if an individual with a sense of inflated self-importance is working in a group, they will expect the largest portion of appreciation for their contribution. They are also the type to hold grudges for a long time, expecting constant sympathetic gestures to reinforce their superiority.

3. No empathy

Empathy is the ability to feel what someone else is feeling when sympathizing. Most people with inflated egos have little to no empathy for others. They believe their needs are most important and should come before anything else.

Also, they find no importance in trying to understand why someone cries, nor do they wish to comfort friends or family members. Many people feel empathy for others, but someone with a sense of inflated self-importance does not.

4. Jealousy and envy

The achievements of others will always frustrate someone with an overblown ego. This is simply because the narcissistic type of personality believes they should always be the ones achieving things and being successful, more so than everyone else.

5. Inability to take criticism

Those who see themselves as superior cannot take constructive criticism without feeling attacked. With every attempt to correct them on something, they will counter with excuses. Their defensiveness makes it virtually impossible to learn things, aside from what they wish to learn.

And no, they don’t usually care about becoming better people, considering how highly they think of themselves.

6. Superiority complex

They are superior in everything, among every group of people, and wherever they go. Make no mistake, they do not believe they can make mistakes and will remind you of this as well.

A person with an outrageous sense of self-worth will ensure you understand just how valuable they are and how important it is to remain their friend. But no worries. From their point of view, you’ll never be as superior as they are.

7. Seeks constant validation

Considering someone with a sense of inflated self-importance doesn’t want to take criticism, you’d think they would not ask for validation. On the contrary, they will seek validation simply to hear others praise them.

When they ask things like, “Am I pretty?” or “What do you think about my career”, they do not want to hear about the negatives, only the positive aspects. You see, others serve as mirrors for this person’s ridiculous ego.

Dealing with someone who has an inflated sense of self-importance

Sometimes you can stay away from people, but in many cases, the egotistical person will be a family member. This makes it a bit more difficult to separate yourself from the toxicity. Limited time spent may help a little, but eventually, you’ll have to face these individuals and learn how to tolerate them.

They are everywhere. People with an inflated sense of self-importance are in the workplace, the medical field, and virtually every environment you can imagine. To navigate the waters of this egocentric nightmare, you’ll need to ensure your self-worth is thriving and intact.

Being able to stand your ground and insist on your time in the spotlight will let them know that you’re just as important as they are. If you are struggling to get along with someone like this, know that there are many others just like you. Despite the numerous times this personality tells you how superior they are, don’t believe it. You’re just as important.

Published by
Sherrie Hurd, A.A.