ARROGANCE
Arrogance is a defense against Vulnerability or Being Too Much.
It arises when you fear you're being defined by others in a way that over-exposes, judges and picks you apart too closely (through scrutiny/criticism). So when judged, Arrogance often deflects the attention- blaming and pointing out others flaws/incompetence to divert from your own.
This is a protection from others who aren't living up to your standards, or the fear that your standards do not count.
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NEGATIVE SPECTRUM
In -Vanity, you always protect yourself from being vulnerable- by either Inflating your Ego through blatant offense, haughtiness, over-confidence and humble-bragging; Shielding your Ego through shyness, social anxiety and
keeping a distance; or Carefully Maintaining your behaviors+facades so no one knows the secrets, shames or scared/tender self you hide underneath.
No one else is truly seen because it's all about you.
SLIDING
When you fall into -Vanity, you begin to -Self-Abase- beating yourself up and growing more and more invisible due to your inadequacies & low self-esteem, while feeling a desperate need to be seen clearer than you are.
To move into -Pride, you'd benefit from enlisting some -Humility and modesty for your ego and defenses, emphasizing where you're not being kind, helpful, good enough etc.
This is a form of honesty so you can more accurately reflect and be open to your vulnerabilities within.
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Pride can also arise in pushing through your fears with a -Determination that things can change- shifting away from becoming -Obstinate that you will always be vulnerable, too much, over-exposed and criticized.
POSITIVE SPECTRUM
In -Pride, you celebrate+emphasize in some way how you're better than others for being the way you are, internally or externally, and never allowing for otherwise. This can mean presenting yourself, feeling above+beyond others in some way, or enduring their stupidity/inabilities passive-aggressively.
CONTEXTS OF FEAR
When Arrogance protects the GOAL, you likely feel you're too different and apart from the world around you- or that it inherently threatens your trust in being vulnerable, being successful & being yourself.
So you feel it's safer to watch, hide or put up a facade before sharing/revealing too much of something to everyone that would change their ideas of how accomplished you are.
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When it protects the MODE, you distrust others close to you in a way that judges them constantly & keeps them at a distance so they can't know all of you- even if you/they think you're being close, up-front and sincere.
You become invested in them so that if things go wrong, either they are to blame- or you never wanted/should've chosen this direction or relationship anyway, and you can evade+excuse your choices out of self-importance.
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When Arrogance is ingrained in your BODY, you may feel a need to be strong, stand tall and display yourself as more than capable, powerful and confident.
You may also be hasty+evasive in your self-presentation so others can't see too much of you at once- or can feel that you're above the needs, feelings and processes of your ugly, annoying or inconvenient body.
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When it protects you from the PAST, you want to hide from your overwhelmingly embarrassing memories, or blame others for how vulnerable you used to be in life.
Protecting you from the FUTURE, you experience embarrassment when you imagine certain things and wish to hide from what could be true/real or has not yet happened.
If Arrogance protects you from being PRESENT, all you're preoccupied with is how vulnerable you are right now.
You can't be conscious because someone's always watching and you have to shun their standards to be right/comfortable or protect your own from being judged.
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If Arrogance is your CORE DEFENSE, then you feel you can't heal, evolve and be whole until you stop being judged, criticized and exposed. You will not move on until you feel you and/or others perceive, meet, account for & love all of your conditions/standards.
KEY TO HEALING
If you catch yourself in the defenses of Arrogance and wish to change this, the key to healing is to BE VISIBLE by GETTING OUT FROM UNDER whoever/whatever you're HIDING BEHIND.
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NO ONE IS LOOKING
If you're in fear of others WATCHING/SCRUTINIZING your every move+choice, you are hiding. In most cases that's not true- most do not care if you mess up or aren't meeting your own standards and expectations. (1)
CELEBRATE PRIVATELY and CELEBRATE OTHERS
Choose to celebrate WITH others, rather than point out, celebrate or even humble-brag your every success TO them. Your successes are just as real without being used to define yourself, so see if you can embrace a success without recruiting others to celebrate you. (2)
You can be so preoccupied with everyone watching you, that you forget to pay MEANINGFUL attention to others- to meaningfully interact with them and be a part of a group who shares interests/hobbies/goals etc. (3)
LEAVE YOURSELF and OTHERS ALONE
STOP TALKING DOWN to yourself and others and emphasizing all flaws with relentless criticism, while being actively or passively condescending in your tone, words and behaviors.
You are your own worst bully. (4) And the WORST BULLY to others as well. (5)
EMBRACE EQUALITY
When you see someone acting better than you, or feel you're better than others, rather than keep separate and judgmental, remind yourself as much as you can what you share; don't pretend there are no SIMILARITIES.
Arrogance loves to be RIGHT, and often is, which means it's important to let yourself be right, to know better, to judge and be judged, but THEN look again at which judgments and criticisms are or aren't insightful, helpful & informative, and see more than you do. (6)
Lastly, choose to actively INVITE INTIMACY- to truly SHARE and CARE, consciously inviting others to be close (rather than only expecting they will show up in your life, on their own.) Truly EMBRACE anyone who offers you affection even when you think you shouldn't be liked. (7)