Confidence VS Arrogance - Crossing the Line?

Question

It's been said "the line is fine" or "sometimes blurred".

When (or how) does confidence become arrogance?

Thanks to all of you for answering and.... some of you for staring.

With so many great answers, I'm at a loss here for selecting best answer but don't really want to throw the question to the Y!A community for voting.

Answer 1

If you're confident and someone likes you, they'll call you confident. If you're confident and someone doesn't like you (or likes you, but dislikes the fact that you're confident), they'll call you arrogant (or cocky). Your actions can be exactly the same either way, but the difference lies in the other person's perception.

Some people like other people who are confident. Some people are so insecure that they hate it when other people are confident, and that makes them dislike confident people, and label them as arrogant.

Granted, there's a difference between being a little confident and very confident. Some people might be ok with the former and dislike the latter. But there are also plenty of people who are ok with either.

Some of the other answers have suggested there are substantive differences. For example, kcchaplain suggests that confident people are willing to explain why they think they're right, but arrogant people aren't. And it's true that people who aren't willing to explain why they think they're right are bad. But that distinction is not related to the difference between confidence and arrogance. Sometimes, even if someone is willing to explain why they think they're right, other people will think they're arrogant.

Answer 2

Confidence is more internal. It may be evident that a person has confidence - posture, demeanor, tone, etc., but that person does not need to shout it from the rooftops. A confident person generally knows where to draw the line.

Arrogance, on the other hand, is more external, a look-at-me sort of behavior that most people would find irritating rather than amusing, but would not be recognized as such by the person in question. An arrogant person often does not believe there is a line that would apply to them.

Answer 3

The line is a very subjective one, but you know it when you experience it. I think that the degree of "flaunt" dictates the difference between humble knowledge, and obnoxious, forceful, braggadocio.

If you communicate with a confident, knowledgeable, humble person, you will be helped without a hint of offense. You will be grateful for the assistance, and it will be exactly what you need.

The arrogant person may communicate some of the same material, but it will not be said in a humble fashion. The underlying communication will say "see how cool I am" rather than "how can I help you?"

It is truly delightful to deal with confident, humble people.

Answer 4

Great question by the way...

Confidence is full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing, certitude; assurance...it is also belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities.
On the other hand Arrogance is an offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride it's when you begin to think that you're better than everyone else. Remember that confidence is believing in yourself...arrogance is when you go wayyyyyyyyy overboard...it's when you start to get cocky which is basically when you're being overly self-confident. Confidence is good but when someone's over confident it's arrogant.

Answer 5

There's really no fine line between confidence & arrogance. It's difficult for me to comprehend how one could misinterpret one for the other, but that would be the only way they could be "blurred," by misperception.
The very nature of confidence would preclude the need for arrogance, which as you know, is an exaggerated sense of self.

Edit: I'm NOT referring to false confidence--delusions of confidence. Without introducing such variables, confidence
cannot become arrogance.

Answer 6

Confidence will never lead to arrogance. There is no connection. Confidence never comes from distrust. Confidence never comes from thinking that you know it all, that the world is full of pikers, that you "have" something on anyone, for that matter. Inserting a air hose, and puffing out one's chest is hardly a sign of confidence, although it does indicate the opposite. Compensating is never a confident sign. And for a concrete, easily understood example, look to the presidency. Does that puffery...do the constant lies, obfuscations, indicate confidence in any way?

Are morally chretinous arrogants ever confident? No...what they are are cons....con jobs.

Confidence is a pear and bears no resemblance to the crab apple of the arrogant.

Answer 7

Confidence becomes arrogance when you begin to believe that you and your actions are superior to those around you.

Confidence is about having faith in yourself and your abilities, and it has little to do with the people around you. It comes from within.

I couldn't really say what causes people to cross over into arrogance. My guess is that a lot of different factors play a part.

Answer 8

When you don't care about another person's reaction to what you said. You just say it because you believe you are right. It crosses the line when confidence becomes showing off what you believe are your attributes, not waiting for someone to tell you in fact that you have them, and in fact an arrogant person usually doesn't KNOW he or she is that way, because I think this kind of person is also narcissistic.... loving ones self too much.

Answer 9

I don't think the two are similar enough for there to be any line. Confidence comes from faith and trust, acting in a manner that inspires such and with the humility that one's actions are judged accordingly. Arrogance on the other hand says faith be damned, and I only trust myself, no one can judge me I'm above the law or a law unto myself. There is a radical and fundamental difference between the two. The one is about faith, the other is about power.

Answer 10

Confidence becomes arrogance when you begin to not only think highly of yourself, but you also look down on other people.

Feeling good about yourself is a good thing.

Making other people feel less good about themselves is not.

That's the line.

It can be different for individuals though. My confidence may seem like arrogance to someone who is unconfident, and therefore threatened or demeaned by it.