is there a fine line between shy and snobbish?

Question

or is it just kind of difficult to tell the difference?

quetzal: just to clarify, i'm hoping when the term 'you' is being used here, it's a universal 'you.'

only personal opinions are being solicited here as i have my own degrees and don't really require a dissertation at this point.

thanks for trying to school me though. and that's not sardonic by the way. i appreciate that you'd take the time.

Answer 1

shy people WANT to talk but CANT
snobs DONT WANT to talk but sure CAN

Answer 2

Yes there is very fine line there. Shy, introverted types can seem to be standoffish and stuck up. When in effect they really want some attention, but do not possess the people skills and/or self esteem to make the first move. This just reinforces their feelings of inadequacy.

Telling the difference, in my experience is difficult, unless you are very in tune with and understanding of peoples personalities and how that affects their interaction with others.

Answer 3

sure there is a fine line between shy and snobbish. shy and snobbish doesn't mean the same thing. i am a shy person but i have my reasons. I feel like i protect my self my people doing me harm so i stay away from the drama and people who i would think want to control me. i feel i am a sweat people i cant let everyone in my life. its said that you are you are, who you are friends with. Who kn-owns maybe that is true. Anybody can be shy for a number of reasons. for one they may not be comfortable, they may feel insecure about how they dress, how they look, how outgoing they are not, how feel about them, maybe something happen to them as a child and it really took a total on them and they feel like they cant trust anyone so they might be cautious

Answer 4

ive never understood how you can mistake shyness for snobbishness (unless you're in elementary or middle school; children are excused since they are still learning how to read people)

But seriously, if you bother to pay attention to other people instead of just taking one or two instances into consideration, you might learn something.

I learned in my psychology class that we tend to assume things about a person's fundamental character after only one interaction with another person.

For instance, if you were mad for some reason and snapped at a person who didnt know you, you'd know that you don't normally act like that, but the other person wouldnt. That person would assume that you were just a mean person. We tend to forget that everyone has good and bad points; we just like to 'categorize'.

My sister used to be shy and other people thought she was stuck up. Why? I don't know. She's very nice. If youre going around telling people that someone is stuck up just because they were too shy to say something, then you need to apologize. Don't ruin someone else's reputation just because you felt snubbed.

If you need help distinguishing the difference, then allow me to assist you. First off, don't assume someone is snobbish just because you heard it; second hand information is rarely reliable. Secondly, talk to the person. Shyness is readily noticeable; an unwillingness to speak can mean a person doesn't know what to say. A snobbish person -will- let you know that they don't like you.

Snobbishness is usually either very obvious or so subtle you don't notice at first. Snobbish people tend to vocally put people down. They don't ignore people unless they've "established" that they think they are better. A person who speaks poorly of you or to you is someone to be avoided, but I dont need to tell you that :)
You may be friends with someone who is 'snobbish'. I include the stereotypes of the 'cheerleader' and the 'jock', the 'preps' or the 'popular' people to help you understand. But they may not be snobbish. People who are popular are nervous wrecks because they have to keep track of who not to be seen with to avoid losing popularity.

And let me tell you a secret:

Psssst!! -very few people are truly stuck up or think they are better than others- The average person is just as self conscious, nervous and worried as you are (with variations of course)

Answer 5

Some shy people just come off as that way. It's just the fact that they're selfishly not aware of other people's feelings because they're caught up in themselves. So really, yeah, there's definitely a fine line.

Answer 6

Absolutely no fine line. Shy is one thing. Snobbish is another. I've seen a whole lot of loud-mouthed snobbishness in my day.

Answer 7

They pretty easy to tell apart.
Unease and aloofness different body language.
A snob can look you in the eye.

Answer 8

I don't think there is. Shy people feel uncomfortable talking to people even if they want to. Snobby people don't talk to people because they think they are better than them.

Answer 9

no. no fine line, it's like you said - some similar behaviours could be attributed to either.

Answer 10

shy is more like afraid or embaraced, nobbish is just thinking your too good to speak.