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11 Disturbing Red Flags People Only See in Others, Except Themselves

You think only others have them but not you.

Victor Mong
8 min readOct 3, 2024
Photo by Lui Peng on Unsplash

Humans possess a remarkable capacity for self-deception. We’re so good at spotting flaws in others, but when it comes to recognizing those same traits in ourselves, we fall woefully short.

It’s not because we’re inherently dishonest, but because our brains are wired to protect our self-image. There’s a discomfort in facing what lurks beneath the surface

As philosopher Søren Kierkegaard aptly put it:

“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”

In this article, I’ll be sharing some of the disturbing red flags I’ve seen that people mostly notice in others but fail to recognize in themselves.

The Need to Always Be Right

The need to always be right stems from an inflated sense of self-importance, where people cling tightly to their opinions and beliefs, often dismissing others’ perspectives.

When we see others doing this, we label them as stubborn, arrogant, and unyielding because they insist they’re correct at all costs.

But most of us are guilty of this same behavior.

We often believe our views are grounded in truth, which makes it harder to see our unwillingness to compromise because doing so means accepting fallibility, something the ego fiercely resists.

Insisting on being right is a red flag that we not only need to notice in others but also in ourselves.

It shuts you off from learning and engaging in a constructive dialogue because you’re more interesting in doubling down on your views, dismissing new information that contradicts your perspective rather than knowing the truth.

The famous psychologist Carl Rogers once said, “The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change.”

It may feel safer to defend your worldview than challenge it but refusing to admit error will stifle your growth.

Over-Identification with Emotions

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Victor Mong
Victor Mong

Written by Victor Mong

I write about human potential, building a life you want & mastering your mind || info.victormong@gmail.com

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