People who know it all

Does your personality show the following characters?

• Condescending
• Judgmental
• Overbearing
• Dominating conversations
• Bossing peers or other people around
• Giving advice, especially when not asked
• Arguing, when conversations don’t go your way
• Listening to other people’s discussions and interrupting them, without excusing yourself

Then you are suffering from one of the most annoying qualities, called: ‘I Know It All Syndrome.’

Many of us interact with ‘know-it-all’ personalities in our everyday life, and it can be really exhausting. Amongst the above characters, the ‘I know it all’ people are also highly impatient, can lack social etiquette, and usually speak out of turn to seek attention. These could be traits of Narcissistic Personality Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

The reason why the ‘know-it-all’s’ trying to shine brighter than the rest of us, by constantly trying to show off and belittling others, is because of their lack of self-confidence and self-esteem. The recipient often experiences feelings of humiliation and anger, where retaliation can lead to affray. This retaliation empowers the ‘know-it-all’, because they are aware that they can upset you. One mustn’t give them that feeling; it only activates their reward centre, so the best thing to do, is walk away and allow yourself to relax and take your mind off it. It is only advisable to focus on important things, and not get dragged into their personal issues, especially when they do not have your best interest at heart.

‘Know-it-alls’ are winners of arguments, because they think that they know everything, and their truth is the only truth. They can mould their version of arguments to suit their purposes and are not accepting of your ideas. But that doesn’t mean you won’t stand up to them when the information shared is not accurate or they are violating your rights or passing inappropriate comments. They could get revengeful and might say mean and hurtful things, for they are unaware of the conversation, because it is coming from a safe space from their mind. But do not get involved in never-ending arguments because they are never going to let go. If you feel you are trapped in one such argument, do not react, instead respond with a smile and kindness, for you need to be the mature one.

Remember, having to constantly be associating with ‘I Know it All’ personalities, is extremely exhausting and cannot only impact your confidence, but also your performance at work. The constant reminder that they are better than you, especially at work, could affect your mental peace, cause irritability and restlessness. As mentioned before, they may not even be aware that they are doing it to you. Just bring to your awareness your positive qualities – which set you apart, your responsible attitude to work, your capability to achieve resolution, and above all, your maturity to walk away from the ones who live with a delusion of grandeur.

The information and views expressed in the blog are individual and inspired from writer’s experience and study in Mental Health & Hypnotherapy.