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Confidence vs. Arrogance

It happens when guys think they’re being magnificently confident, manly and sexy when they’re really being assholes.

The Good Men Project
5 min readFeb 11, 2020
Photo credit: iStockphoto

By Steve Errey

It happens when guys think they’re being magnificently confident, manly and sexy when they’re really being assholes. It happens when guys try to assume the lead at work and don’t have a clue. And it happens when douche bags think they’re being clever or funny, when they’re really being, well, douche bags.

So here, just to make the line abundantly clear, are five ways men mistake arrogance for confidence.

1. Trying to be “Alpha”

From childhood, men see messages that reinforce the notion that to win at life you have to be a strong, go-getting, high-achieving type of guy. Someone who makes other men respect and admire them while making women swoon.

It’s a powerful image, and hell, I have to admit that it would be pretty cool to have that respect, admiration and swooning thing going on. But I’m not about to start acting like an alpha-male in pursuit of those things.

Trying to be “alpha” has these big pitfalls:

  • when someone tries to behave like an alpha-type and just starts acting arrogantly rather than really thinking…

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The Good Men Project
The Good Men Project

Written by The Good Men Project

We're having a conversation about the changing roles of men in the 21st century. Main site is https://goodmenproject.com Email us info@goodmenproject.com

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