Confidence vs Cockiness

I think it's safe to say that we've all met a person who we considered to be very cocky. In fact, many women who are prideful in theirselves are labeled as cocky. What many people fail to realize that cocky and confidence are two different things.

Here are some definitions:

Cocky- someone who is overly self-confident. Someone who is very arrogant and assumes they know all the answers is an example of cocky.

Confidence- a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.

Based on these definitions , it is understandable that someone would label someone else as cocky because cocky people are overly self confident. Characteristics of a cocky person would include :

- arrogance

- constantly seeking admiration from others

-narcissitic

-thinking the world revolves around them

- dislike people that are indifferent to them

- constantly speak about his/herself and their accomplishments

- Very prideful (Find it hard to ask for forgiveness)

- Have a problem handling criticism

People become cocky for many reasons . For some people, it serves as a defense mechanism. Many people become arrogant because of low self esteem and insecurities. Being arrogant allows them to reject others before they can be rejected. It prevents people from hurting them and diminishes the fear of being rejected.

Another reason includes they've achieved a lot in their lives. When we do great things like win a competition or earn a rewarding title, it stimulates our sense of worth. As a result, we compare ourselves to other people. A cocky person would compare theirselves to others but label themselves as better before they may have accomplished way more than the other person.

The last reason is the need for approval. We live in a society where they way we are viewed can end up defining who we are. Cocky people depend highly on others for approval to maintain a certain level. This may lead them to say hurtful thinks or behave negatively to get attention.

These characteristics are way opposite than a person with confidence. A person with confidence only wants approval from theirselves. They don't need to behave or act a certain way to impress others. They do not bring down others or boast about their achievements. They have a high sense of self awareness. They know that they don't know the answers to everything and will seek help when needed. It is easy to label and confident person as cocky . Many strong, beautiful women are labeled as cocky because they have a string sense of self worth. Confident women are usually looked down on because they are assumed to be cocky or conceited.