Does technical knowledge breed arrogance?

[Xander]

I think everyone relates to NTs a little when they encounter someone who constantly struggles to figure out something incredibly simple. Almost everyone I know has at least ONE story about having to work with an incompetent person stumbling around and doing everything wrong, making their lives miserable.

NTs are just naturally good at so many things that most other people aren't, that it's magnified in them.

Hates incompetence...

HATES!!!

(And I work with dumb ESTJs on computers!!! I want pity damn it!!)

 

[Eric B]

Ouh yes baby

Ooh, Weee!:moonwalk:
When I was a teenager, I always imagined something like that, and wondered why they didn't have it. The closest thing they came out with was the DeLaurean (which was typical brushed stainless steel). I liked the idea of bare metal, but nobody else did it, except on some trucks trailers.

 

[Xander]

Ooh, Weee!:moonwalk:
When I was a teenager, I always imagined something like that, and wondered why they didn't have it. The closest thing they came out with was the DeLaurean (which was typical brushed stainless steel). I liked the idea of bare metal, but nobody else did it, except on some trucks trailers.

Audi did a bare aluminium I believe.. expensive though but leagues ahead of the DeLorean which was despicable from the word go!

 

[sculpting]

What's wrong with exclusivity? No offense, but of what use could such knowledge possibly be to crude, common people? They would simply tear it down and dismiss it as impractical and irrelevant to their lives, because they can't see beyond their own experiences and the immediate applications.

It would only be detrimental to the development of such ideas if these people were allowed to access them and so easily form and share their uninformed opinions about things. They would drown out the good ideas with their mass support of simpler ones that seemed right to them. It helps filter the people who aren't serious about understanding the subject out of the discussion.

People are always talking about the problems of exclusivity, but they never consider the problems the alternative approach would create.

The most intelligent person I have ever met was an ENTP. She understood that she really was way beyond the rest of us, and was a confident person, yet was also very understanding and forgiving of others lack of understanding. She would stop and explain anything to another person.

What I have noticed is that the smarter, more proficient, and competent my NTs are, the less arrogant they are. (Also oddly, the less "shiny" the ENTPs are on the surface)

They know they are very competent and have confidence in themselves-Ti?-thus do not need to build false barriers between themselves and others to make them feel more exclusive, more clever. They will still get impatient and a little frustrated if others are totally clueless, but they will not become abusive of them. They will actually take a lot of time to try and find ways to communicate as they realize that is how thier ideas become reality.

ENFPs help here as we can take a complex idea, spend some time understanding it, then translate it into a version a houseplant could understand.

My least confident ENTP is very arrogant, and has been very verbally abusive to others. On the surface others say he looks defensive, but based on what folks here say, it may be more extreme frustration that the ideas he presents are not taken seriously. He is showing marked decreases in arrogance and nastiness as his ideas have become more accepted and his behavior is almost normal now.


Not sure how this would apply given you are an INFJ, but perhaps Ti behaves similiar even in a tertiary way? Hope it was helpful.

 

[Xander]

What I have noticed is that the smarter, more proficient, and competent my NTs are, the less arrogant they are. (Also oddly, the less "shiny" the ENTPs are on the surface)

That makes sense... projection. Those that fear incompentency most will be first to label others as incompetent.

 

[INTJMom]

Audi did a bare aluminium I believe.. expensive though but leagues ahead of the DeLorean which was despicable from the word go!

World Wide Words: Aluminium versus aluminum

So as to not entirely derail... my answer to the question is no, not necessarily.

 

[Xander]

World Wide Words: Aluminium versus aluminum

So as to not entirely derail... my answer to the question is no, not necessarily.

See resident blog under "Okay so I weakened" for response...

Carry on, nothing to see here...

 

[alcea rosea]

It seems as though something about mastering the kind of technical knowledge associated with computers has the potential to breed arrogance in people who wouldn't normally be all that arrogant.

Is it related to only computers or just mastering something? Knowing somethin better than the other people do?

 

[The Unknown Essence]

Is it related to only computers or just mastering something? Knowing somethin better than the other people do?

I think it's about mastering anything, but the more "technical" that thing is, the more potential for arrogance. And since computers are very technical, they are a good example.

 

[garbage]

Ever been to the Slashdot forums? I'm pretty sure that every post has to be sarcastic and mean in order to be accepted

 

[TickTock]

Most specialist knowledge leads to arrogance because the general population aren't clued in. But it is the initial stage. Someone with a sense of wisdom (for lack of another word), grows beyond being arrogant. Those that don't are stuck there because they enjoy the feeling of superority. Sad really.

 

[entropie]

Superiority, hah you're flattering me

 

[Athenian200]

Ever been to the Slashdot forums? I'm pretty sure that every post has to be sarcastic and mean in order to be accepted

Oh, that was one of my favorite sites at one point! I think that's where I used to read/post all the time before I got into psychology and came to this site. Somehow I never developed the same attachment to it that I did to this place, though... it just wasn't personal enough, it was all about the technology.

 

[alcea rosea]

What annoys me in any kind of mastery related arrogance is that most people have the capacity of learning the excactly same stuff. So, mastering something doesn't mean that you are better than other people, it just means that you have learned more about that stuff than the next guy. (Einstein and other geniouses are a different thing, of course, meaning that the average Joe does not have the same mental capacity as they do and aren't able to understand necessarily the things that the geniouses are thinking of.)

So, why give sarcastic if somebody asks a "stupid" question about you field of master? Why try to strenghten your own self by lowering the other who is asking? Why there is a need to show your superiority big time?

It's if the other people will learn, they won't be asking more of the stupid question. Or is it that the one who masters some subject does not want others to learn because that would make them look less "superior" when compared to others. Is it all about self esteem?

The best people I've seen in the IT-field (where I work) are the ones who master their field (some even "gurus" in their field) but still can explain things really well and don't have the need to show their superioiry or to be arrogant by showing other people how stupid they are because they don't know. They tolerate also stupid questions and don't have the need to point out how stupid the question was. I think they are the true masters of their field without a need to show it all the time to other people. It's mature knowledge and wisedom too.

 

[Scott N Denver]

So, why give sarcastic if somebody asks a "stupid" question about you field of master? Why try to strenghten your own self by lowering the other who is asking? Why there is a need to show your superiority big time?

I've asked about this many times. Overall, the most common answer I've gotten back is along the lines of "being picked on as a kid/revenge for being picked on as a kid"

 

[INTJMom]

I've asked about this many times. Overall, the most common answer I've gotten back is along the lines of "being picked on as a kid/revenge for being picked on as a kid"

So are you saying you do that?
And that it's justified?

 

[INTJMom]

Hates incompetence...

HATES!!!

(And I work with dumb ESTJs on computers!!! I want pity damn it!!)

So when you are incompetent, do you hate yourself?

 

[Xander]

So when you are incompetent, do you hate yourself?

Aaaaarrrrggghhh!!!!! :steam::steam::steam::steam::steam::steam:

Projection you mean... bloomin dwarf... correct again!!!

 

[INTJMom]

Aaaaarrrrggghhh!!!!! :steam::steam::steam::steam::steam::steam:

Projection you mean... bloomin dwarf... correct again!!!

I hate myself when I'm incompetent.
In order to prevent myself from having one continual hate-fest,
I have to lower my expectations.
I don't see how it has anything to do with projection though...
and no... I'm not going to look it up...
I took your warning seriously!