You know that person. Maybe it’s your coworker who always finds a way to remind everyone about their Ivy League degree. Perhaps it’s your friend who can’t help but mention their designer clothes every five minutes. Or it could be that family member who treats every conversation like a competition they must win.

We’ve all met someone who thinks they’re better than everyone else. And if you’re reading this, chances are you’re dealing with one right now. You feel small around them. You second-guess yourself. You walk away from conversations feeling drained and somehow “less than.”

But here’s what they don’t want you to know: their superior attitude has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. And once you understand this secret, you’ll have the power to handle them without losing your sanity or your self-worth.

Spotting Arrogance Before It Hits You Hard

Superior people don’t hide their behavior well. Watch for these telltale signs: they dominate conversations, dismiss your opinions without consideration, and constantly find ways to insert their accomplishments into unrelated topics.

Someone with a superiority complex displays grandiose behavior, exaggerates their abilities, and shows hostility when they perceive others as inferior. They expect special treatment because they believe they deserve it.

Pay attention to how they react when challenged or corrected. Superior people become defensive quickly and often turn the conversation back to their own achievements. Normal people can admit mistakes and learn from others. Superior people can’t.

Why Some People Act Like They Rule the World

Here’s the truth bomb: A superiority complex is a reflection of their insecurities, not your value. Secure people don’t put others down, they lift other people up because they know they are valuable people.

Psychology reveals that superior behavior stems from deep insecurity. Alfred Adler’s research shows that people develop superiority complexes to mask feelings of inadequacy. When someone constantly needs to prove they’re better than you, they’re actually proving the opposite.

Childhood trauma often creates these patterns. People who felt powerless or unworthy as children sometimes overcompensate by trying to control and dominate others as adults. Recognizing this pattern helps you see their behavior for what it really is: a cry for help disguised as arrogance.

Guard Your Mind With Smart Boundaries

Boundaries protect your mental health, but how you set them matters. Stay polite yet firm. Getting angry gives them ammunition to use against you later. They can point to your emotional reaction and paint you as the unreasonable one.

Clear communication works best. Use simple, direct language that leaves no room for misinterpretation. Tell them exactly what behavior you won’t tolerate and what happens if they cross that line.

Enforce your boundaries consistently. If you say you’ll walk away when they start putting you down, do it every time. Consistency teaches them that your boundaries aren’t suggestions.

Keep Your Confidence When Others Try to Shrink You

People who think they are better than everyone else need to put others down to raise themselves up. Remember this quote when someone tries to make you feel small. Their attacks on your worth reveal their own emptiness.

Focus on your strengths instead of their criticisms. Write down three things you do well and refer to this list when someone tries to diminish you. Your value doesn’t change based on someone else’s opinion.

Avoid pulling back or making yourself smaller. When you retreat, you become an easier target. Stand tall, speak up for yourself, and maintain your presence in conversations and group settings.

Stop Taking Their Behavior to Heart

Superior behavior reflects their internal struggles, not your worth as a person. Happy, secure people don’t need to make others feel bad to feel good about themselves. When someone consistently puts you down, they’re showing you their pain, not revealing your flaws.

Mental tricks help you detach from their attacks. Picture their words bouncing off an invisible shield around you. Remind yourself that hurt people hurt people. Someone who had a healthy childhood and good self-esteem wouldn’t behave this way.

Ask yourself: would you respect the opinion of someone who needs to tear others down to feel good? Probably not. So why give their criticism power over your self-image?

Fight Fire With Understanding, Not More Fire

Empathy doesn’t mean becoming a doormat. You can understand why someone behaves badly without accepting their bad behavior. Try to see the scared, insecure person hiding behind the arrogant mask.

Understanding helps you stay calm during conflicts. When you recognize that their attacks come from their own wounds, you’re less likely to take things personally. You can respond from a place of strength rather than react from a place of hurt.

Set limits on your empathy. Understanding their pain doesn’t obligate you to accept their abuse. You can feel compassion for their struggles while protecting yourself from their toxic behavior.

Play Their Game Smarter, Not Harder

Fighting back escalates the situation. Superior people thrive on conflict because it gives them more opportunities to prove their dominance. When you push against their behavior, they push back harder.

Lean into their behavior instead. Ask for their opinion on something. Praise their good ideas when possible. Give them what they crave: recognition and validation. Despite the challenging behaviour, it’s important to remember that the person may not be aware of their problematic thoughts and behaviours.

Choose your battles wisely. You can’t win every interaction with a superior person, so don’t try. Save your energy for situations that truly matter.

Cut Through BS With Direct Communication

Stay fact-based when they try to twist conversations. Superior people love to argue semantics and derail discussions. Bring them back to the main point and refuse to get sidetracked.

Direct communication gives them less material to use against you. Speak clearly, stick to facts, and avoid emotional language that they can twist or manipulate.

When they try to argue around your point, repeat it calmly. Don’t get drawn into tangential debates about minor details. Stay focused on the core issue you’re trying to address.

Refuse to Join Their Competition Game

Competing with superior people backfires because they’ll go much further than you will. Their behavior comes from an irrational place, so they don’t follow normal social rules about fairness or restraint.

Focus on your own goals instead of trying to outdo them. Protect your work and ideas from credit-stealers by documenting your contributions and communicating your achievements to the right people.

Advocate for yourself when necessary, but don’t make it about beating them. Make it about getting what you deserve based on your own merits.

Use Humor to Deflate Their Hot Air Balloon

Light humor can defuse tense situations by interrupting their escalation pattern. When someone starts getting worked up about their superiority, a well-timed joke can break their momentum.

Timing matters with humor. Use it early in the conversation before things get too heated. Once someone is truly angry, humor might make things worse.

Keep your humor light and general. Don’t make jokes at their expense, which will only escalate the conflict. Instead, use humor to change the subject or lighten the mood.

Know When to Walk Away and How to Do It

Sometimes, the only solution is to walk away from the situation. You can’t change someone who doesn’t want to change. When someone’s superior behavior consistently harms your wellbeing, protecting yourself becomes the priority.

For unavoidable situations like family or work relationships, use the gray rock method. Make yourself as uninteresting and unengaging as possible. Give short, boring responses and avoid sharing personal information.

Distance yourself gradually if you can’t cut ties completely. Reduce the time you spend with them and limit the topics you’re willing to discuss.

Your Mental Health Comes First

Put your needs ahead of their approval. Superior people will criticize you whether you try to please them or not, so stop trying. Make decisions based on what makes you happy and fulfilled.

Build a support network of people who appreciate you for who you are. Surround yourself with friends and family members who lift you up instead of tearing you down.

Seek professional help if dealing with superior people has damaged your self-esteem or mental health. A therapist can help you rebuild your confidence and develop stronger coping strategies.

Moving Forward Stronger Than Before

Dealing with superior people teaches you valuable life skills. You learn to set boundaries, trust your instincts, and value yourself regardless of others’ opinions. These lessons serve you well in all areas of life.

Apply what you’ve learned to future relationships. Choose friends and partners who treat you with respect and kindness. Avoid people who make you feel small or unworthy.

Remember that you deserve to be treated well. Don’t settle for relationships where you constantly have to defend your worth or walk on eggshells to avoid someone’s superior attitude.

Superior people may never change, but you can change how you respond to them. You have the power to protect your peace, maintain your confidence, and build a life filled with people who truly value you. And that’s the best revenge of all: living well despite their attempts to bring you down.