Learning to Deal With Someone With a Big Ego

Why does a person have a big ego? There are several answers to this. One of which is that the big ego is really a disguise for the weakness and frailty of the person’s existence. The truth is we sometimes hide behind a facade that everything is OK and that we have control over our destiny. Sometimes we do but sometimes we don’t and this is where there is a tendency for some to become antagonistic in their relationship with others. Whether it is a personal relationship between friends or family members or with the people you work with, you need to know what your own ego is if you want to handle people with a big ego.

A person with a big ego acts in a manner to suggest that they know everything and that there is nothing new under the sun. They go about in life thinking that the world was created to serve them and that they are the master or their own domain and everyone else’s. To a large degree a big ego-ed person is snobbish, extrovert for all the wrong reason and does not handle failure well. When you speak to such a person, they love to brow-beat you with their so called superior intellect or give you the ever condescending look to suggest that you are a nobody and your statements and comments are of no consequence to them.

When possible if you do see someone fitting such a description it is best to avoid them as much as possible as obviously they are having a real big issue with their attitude. However, if this person happens to be your spouse, or boss or a colleague that you’ve got no choice but to work with, then you have to come up with some effective strategies to confront them for your own peace of mind.

I would not suggest a full frontal assault on a person with a big ego. Especially if it someone that you really care. A person with a big ego does not mean that he or she is a bad person. It is just that they have a big ego. You can use that person’s ego to alleviate them even further and they might start liking you. Try to engage them in their own turf. If they become antagonistic you should try to withdraw from the argument quickly. This is not about winning or losing. It is all about leaving the person to their own idiosyncrasies and letting them decide how they want to play it out. When this big-egoed person come to realize that people are not paying the kind of attention they are seeking they will usually come to terms with what they are doing.

I personally find that life is too short to be mentally drained by a person with a big ego. As far as possible, I will give in to them as long as it does not compromise my own principles and belief. I will also remain steadfast in my belief and at most if I can’t win the argument to prove my point, I will withdraw as what matters is what I really feel and I am entitled to my feeling. When you assume this state of mind you will find that big ego-ed people cannot penetrate through to you and they will eventually come to terms with who you really are.