Heard of #Intellectual #Snobbery?
Avoid being a #critic. “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” — Teddy Roosevelt
Productive criticism is crucially important. #Intellectual #snobbery is not.
It doesn’t take much to find fault in something. The real question is whether or not pointing it out positively changes anything. If it doesn’t, don’t do it.
An intellectual snob can be defined as a person who takes pride in his/her own knowledge and achievements. They tend to become judgemental about others to boost their own egos. Their interactions, interpersonal relations as well as communication with others may be based on the criteria of their definition of intelligence.
Dr Chhabria says that wisdom is defined as an understanding and realisation of the environment, and using this observation to have an objective outlook of the world. It requires one to be in control of his/her emotions, reactions and actions. This is better understood by what we call emotional intelligence, which is a part of intelligence that involves the ability, capacity, skill or a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one’s self, of others, and of groups. Without the above, knowledge may hold no value. The negative side of an intellectual snobbery (or low emotional intelligence) may make the person arrogant, judgemental, rigid, stubborn, critical, egoistic, non-adjusting, difficult, authoritative and dominant.How to deal with such individuals…
Clinical psychologist and author Seema Hingorrany shares the following guidelines to be kept in mind while dealing with intellectual snobs:
– Don’t get intimidated by them.
– Never get defensive with them. If you feel the need to defend your actions, give your one best reason and stop.
– Be open and direct that you haven’t read a particular book or you are not aware of a particular thing.
– Maintaining your self-control is very important. Get to know yourself and your own triggers for emotional response.
– Don’t argue. Justifying your actions will only fuel the difficulty.
– Never avoid them. The best way is to calmly put it across that their intelligence is causing a barrier.