7 characteristics of hypocritical people

We have all been hypocrites at some point, even if we have done it without realizing it.. After all, we live in a society that often forces us to camouflage personal interests to advance. However, there are those who resort to excess hypocrisy and this can affect us in several ways. Therefore, we present the main characteristics of hypocritical people.

Learning to identify this type of behavior not only serves to be prudent in those social scenarios in which little is what it seems; It can also be useful to be aware of our hypocrisy.

What does it mean to be hypocritical?

The word “hypocrite” is used to talk about someone who acts contrary to the principles they defend or who justifies their behavior with motivations that are not real. Similarly, someone is said to be hypocritical when he performs actions that he usually criticizes in others. For example, a person who criticizes those who suffer from addictions, but usually drinks alcohol and smokes frequently.

In the previous example, we see someone publicly calling out behavior as “reprehensible.” But, then, in his private life, he commits the same action that he criticizes, therefore, he is hypocritical. The same could be said for someone who talks about the importance of being supportive, but never helps others.

Thus, We see that hypocrisy arises from a discordance between the sense of morality and actions. On the one hand, they say one thing, but they don’t actually deliver on it in any way. From this, some characteristics of hypocritical people can be inferred. However, before that, we will analyze the causes of this behavior a little more.

In the long term, living hypocritically can bring feelings of dissatisfaction and emotional emptiness.

Why are people hypocrites?

We can behave hypocritically for different reasons. In general, we tend to be when we want to meet certain social expectations and thus access the knowledge derived. One of the most typical scenarios are offices. People often make decisions contrary to their judgment or values ​​to please their superiors.

On the other hand, it seems that The capacity for abstraction influences the tendency to be hypocritical. We understand abstraction as a mental operation that allows us to extract certain isolated data from an object or situation to classify it. An example would be classifying different species of plants as “trees” because of certain qualities: tall wooden stems, branches, and leaves.

In this sense, Lamers (2012) published a study on abstraction and its influence on hypocrisy. It seems that this ability to isolate certain data from a situation and analyze it separately promotes hypocritical behavior. The authors conclude that Depending on the perspective we have, it can increase or decrease hypocrisy.

What are hypocritical people like?

Hypocrisy often exists unconsciously. Therefore, we ourselves could have hypocritical attitudes without realizing it and that can work against us.

1. Excessive criticism of others’ behavior

An obvious trait of hypocritical people is that they have the habit of criticizing harshly and excessively. It seems that it is very difficult for them to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and feel some empathy or compassion. Even if what they judge negatively, it may be a situation that they themselves could experience.

2. They are demanding of others without giving anything in return

hypocritical people He has the habit of demanding that others do certain things, even if they do not act the same. For example, they may ask their roommate to be more clean and tidy, when they clean little or not at all. They often resort to manipulation in order to get what they want.

3. They are accommodating to all people

One of the characteristics of hypocritical people that most demonstrates them is their desire to look good. For them there is nothing more important than gaining the sympathy of others. and they will behave in a non-genuine way. In this way, you gain the liking or consideration of others, only in order to later exploit it to your advantage.

4. They tend to be superficial

It is easy to see that for hypocritical people It’s all about wearing the right mask to manipulate. Therefore, it is normal for them to have the habit of paying a lot of attention to their own appearance or that of others. This can reach the point where their only focus is external and they leave aside other possible ambitions.

5. They feel superior

We have already seen that hypocrites have the habit of harshly criticizing others. Because of that, develop a sense of moral superiority, They believe they are better because they denounce “incorrect” behavior. Even though they live the same way or even do things that could be considered more “serious.”

Hypocrites consider themselves better than the rest, even though they sometimes behave similarly.

6. They become emotional when they need a favor

Another characteristic of hypocritical people that betrays them is their false closeness when they need favors. At any other time, they care very little about staying in contact with others. Nevertheless, When they need a favor from someone, they behave as if they are close.

7. They are absent in times of crisis

They say that when we are in a difficult situation, that is when we know who our true friends are. As we already saw, those who tend to be hypocrites, They have little interest in being close with their friends. For that reason, it’s no surprise that when their friends have problems, they aren’t there.

What to do if we think that someone is hypocritical towards us?

Although we are all hypocrites in certain situations, there are those who are hypocrites on different levels of their lives. When someone is excessively hypocritical, direct confrontation is not a very useful alternative. In the end, they will most likely use the maneuvers we mentioned above to excuse their behavior.

Thus, The best alternative is to take the situation calmly and call them out when they act inconsistently.. Also, if you think he might be subconsciously hypocritical, it might be a good idea to talk about it. In this way, you could help him or her notice those actions that he or she does not notice.

Finally, it is important that you evaluate the characteristics of hypocritical people in yourself. If you feel like you tend to use hypocrisy to your advantage, try working on your social skills. Sometimes, we resort to being hypocritical because we do not know that there are other, more honest resources that can help us achieve our goals.

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