Psychologia

  • BLOG
  • 16 TYPES
  • 4 TYPES
  • ENNEAGRAM
  • PERSONALITY
  • TESTS
  • NARCISSISM
You are here: Home / Success / What is Irrational Confidence and Is It a Good Thing?

What is Irrational Confidence and Is It a Good Thing?

What is Irrational Confidence and is It a Good Thing?Encouraging people to increase their self-confidence became the norm as it’s assumed that most people need more of it. However, there is something on the other side of the confidence continuum, and that is so-called irrational confidence.

Irrational confidence is the type of confidence that makes people attempt dangerous things or makes them make fools of themselves on national TV.

It is also the preferred mode of those who operate according to the fake-it-till-you-make-it principle.

Although a lot of people who are irrational about their abilities fail miserably, this attitude does indeed sometimes work.

When you feel confident that you will succeed at something, you are more likely to work in that direction. Both confidence and overconfidence can increase your motivation and self-esteem.

Irrational confidence is related to psychological phenomenons such as illusory superiority and the Dunning-Kruger effect. It is different from healthy risk-taking, where people are aware of their limitations and possible risks.

Those with irrational confidence believe they know everything there is to know about the given subject, and they are confident in their abilities to handle the situation even when they unmistakably lack skills, experience, and sometimes intelligence to do so.

In one of the experiments set up by Professor David Dunning and his student Justin Kruger, students who overestimated their academic performance had the lowest scores.

In the corporate world, irrationally confident people get mixed results. On the one hand, they can often get the doors open, and they may even move up the ladder.

Because it seems like they know what they are talking about, others may begin to rely on them, put them in charge and trust them their resources.

What makes you the way you are?
Take THIS TEST to find out »

However, because of their inability to accurately assess the situation, they may sometimes jeopardize the projects they work on or waste investors’ money.

Another tendency is to become job-hoppers. After all, you can fake competence only for a short time. When others begin to realize that the faker isn’t as competent as they once thought, it’s time to switch companies.

How to recognize an irrationally confident person

Here are some common characteristical signs of people with irrational confidence syndrome:

Unrealistic optimism
People with unrealistic optimism or optimism bias tend to believe that they are unlikely to experience negative events, be that related to their personal or professional lives. As a result, they may put themselves and those around them in situations involving more risk.

False uniqueness
It is common for overconfident people to think that their qualities, traits, and personal attributes are unique when in reality, they are not. They believe that things that are challenging for others are easy for them, thanks to the unique qualities they supposedly have.

Illusion of control
Overconfident people tend to behave as if they have much more control than they actually have. This false sense of control is one of the reasons why their planning often fails.

Planning fallacy
People with irrational confidence syndrome tend to underestimate how much time they need to complete tasks. This is especially true for complex tasks and long-term planning.

So are overconfident people celebrated and rewarded, or do people avoid them?

According to research, confidence, in general, may lead to a higher social status; however, another study showed that overly positive statements about oneself were beneficial only when there was no reason to believe that they were inaccurate.

So while dialing up your confidence for a job interview is probably a good thing, having evidence to support your claims will bring the best results.

ad ONLINE THERAPY THAT TRULY WORKS:
Online CBT Platform to Help Deal with Relationship Problems, Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, and More. Includes professional follow-up by a CBT therapist. Click here to get started.

Related Posts:

  • What Am I Good at?
  • Reserved Personality: Should You Admit to Being Reserved?
  • Abrasive Personality Profile: Meaning, Definition, Traits and Underlying Causes
  • Work Style Assessment Quiz
  • Imposter Syndrome Test

Tagged With: career, leadership, success

NARCISSISTS
SOCIOPATHS
RELATIONSHIPS
INFOGRAPHICS

Signs Your Loved One Has BPD [Quiz Included]

18 Signs Your Loved One Has BPD [Quiz Included]

Defense Mechanisms: Test Your Unconscious Coping Techniques

Defense Mechanisms: Test Your Unconscious Coping Techniques

Four Temperaments Test

Four Temperaments Test

Are You in a Relationship with a Narcissist?

Are You in a Relationship with a Narcissist? Ask This ONE Question

Am I Needy Quiz

Am I Needy Quiz

5 Signs They Are a Somatic Narcissist

5 Signs They Are a Somatic Narcissist

Why Am I So Emotional? 8 Factors That Affect Our Emotional States

Why Am I So Emotional? 8 Factors That Affect Our Emotional States

Dating a Narcissistic Sociopath or a Narcissist: 10 Signs

Dating a Narcissistic Sociopath or a Narcissist: 10 Signs

"Am I annoying?" Well, let's see...

“Am I annoying?” Well, let’s see…

30 Fair Fighting Rules for Couples

30 Fair Fighting Rules for Couples

TEST: Are you a Doer or a Thinker? Action-taking vs. Planning

TEST: Are you a Doer or a Thinker? Action-taking vs. Planning

Anger Test

Anger Test

Enneagram Test: The Nine Ways to Be

Enneagram Test: The Nine Ways to Be

Four Temperaments: Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, and Melancholic Personality Types

Four Temperaments: Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, and Melancholic Personality Types

Superiority Complex Test: Are You a Narcissist or Just Confident?

Superiority Complex Test: Are You a Narcissist or Just Confident?

Codependent Quiz

Codependent Quiz: Is Your Helping Healthy?

Anger Management Test: Can You Keep Your Cool Under Pressure?

Anger Management Test: Can You Keep Your Cool Under Pressure?

TEST: Do You Have What It Takes to Succeed at Work?

TEST: Do You Have What It Takes to Succeed at Work?

People Pleaser Quiz

People Pleaser Quiz

How to Deal With Rejection

How to Deal With Rejection in Love – When They Don’t Love You Back

16 PERSONALITY TYPES

I II III IV
ESTP ESTJ ENFJ ENTJ
ISTP ISTJ INFJ INTJ
ESFP ESFJ ENFP ENTP
ISFP ISFJ INFP INTP

Privacy Policy · Disclaimer · Affiliate Disclaimer · Contact · This website uses cookies -- Cookie Policy