Confidence is a protective ego trait that is derived from earned competence or the belief that you have the skills or knowledge to perform a task or accomplish a goal. This characteristic can develop into arrogance when it manifests in undesirable characteristics. It's important to distinguish between the two.
Confidence is a form of egoic protection
Confidence is a way to protect oneself from arrogance, a condition that requires ongoing inner work. The process of healing arrogance begins with the awareness of your ego. You might be surprised to learn that egos are built to protect themselves and are based on the beliefs and characteristics of the ego. Confidence is an integral part of an ego-based identity, and in Western society, displaying this confidence is often valued, especially in business and social sectors.
When you are confident, you are allowing others to see your inherent value and talents. However, when you're arrogant, you are using your arrogance to make you seem better than you are. You may even poke fun at the weaknesses of other people. Either way, you're displaying a distorted version of yourself that has no basis in reality.
It comes from earned competence
Confidence is earned, not innate. It comes from internal motivation and vision. A confident person recognizes that they have limits and recognizes their own limitations. Earned competence is a key part of confidence because it eliminates the need to pretend to be competent. The arrogant person fakes it, hoping to fool others. But this behavior reinforces the impostor syndrome.
It comes from a belief that you have the ability to complete a task or achieve a goal
The concept of ability influences our self-confidence beliefs and self-regulatory processes. It is important to recognize that we have two basic conceptions of ability: an acquirable skill conception and a mastery conception. The acquirable skill conception is well suited to skill development, and it fosters self-improvement. Individuals who have this conception of ability view mistakes as normal parts of skill development.
Our belief in our ability to complete a task or achieve aims is what makes us confident. Hence, the more confident we are, the more likely we are to achieve our goals. This can be attributed to a variety of factors, including our thought patterns, behavior patterns, and gender role orientation.
It manifests in unfavorable characteristics
Arrogance is a symptom of confidence that is exaggerated or misplaced. Arrogant people tend to speak their mind and are not willing to listen to others. They feel superior to other people and try to justify their behavior by making assumptions and talking down to others. This type of arrogance affects people around them negatively and can also cause a person to develop unhealthy habits.
People who are arrogant are often egocentric and love to talk about themselves, often ignoring others and seeking the spotlight during meetings. In other cases, they talk over others or use condescending language. Conversely, people who are confident show interest in others, encourage teamwork, and give generous praise to co-workers. In other cases, arrogance masks an insecurity.
It manifests in a person's relationship with themselves
Arrogance is an unpleasant manifestation of human nature and has been condemned since ancient times. In the Buddhist tradition, arrogance was named mana, one of the five poisons of the mind, and the ancient Greeks defined it as "actions that humiliate the victim" (hubris). Throughout the Abrahamic tradition, hubris has been considered a sin. Today, research confirms these early insights and shows that arrogance is one of the most destructive forms of human behavior.
Often, arrogance stems from the belief that one is superior and/or can do something better than others. It is a behavior-driven problem, and is outwardly-focused. When a person is under stress, confident behaviors are pushed too far. This automatic behavior is often mistaken for arrogance.