20 WEAKNESSES OF A PERSON IN LIFE AND WORK - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The weaknesses of a person are all those traits, habits or characteristics that cause negative effects both for themselves and for those around them. They are generally studied in areas such as personality or positive psychology, and it is usually considered that it is necessary to avoid them in order to lead a life as satisfactory as possible.

There are big differences between people, and each of us has both positive and negative traits. In fact, it is practically impossible to find an individual whose personality is perfect. However, there are some characteristics that are especially harmful both for those who possess them and for the people around them.

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Usually those who have these weaknesses tend to cause problems around them, and their presence is usually very unpleasant. Because of this, they have difficulty maintaining satisfactory personal relationships. Often, in addition, their own behaviors and ways of seeing the world cause them great discomfort.

It is not known exactly what leads an individual to develop a specific weakness, although it is believed to have to do with a combination of genetic and environmental factors. In this article we will look at some of the most common and damaging negative personality traits out there.

The 20 most common weaknesses of a person

1- Envy

Envy is a weakness that is characterized by a person's unhealthy desire to possess what another individual has, be it something material or physical, or a more emotional or psychological element. It is based on the belief that the circumstances themselves are undesirable, and therefore a certain resentment is harbored to those who possess something that the person wants.

Envy generally stems from low self-esteem, in addition to the belief that there is some kind of injustice that benefits others. Normally, the envious person harbors a lot of suffering, and this trait makes it impossible for him to act in the ways that would be necessary to achieve the goal that he believes will make him happy.

2- Authoritarianism

Authoritarianism has to do with the irrational belief that others must obey our orders and carry out our wishes at all costs. Those with this defect often show a tremendous lack of empathy, since they do not care at all about the needs of others.

For authoritarian people, they are the only ones who really know how things should be done. Because of this, they tend to give instructions to those around them and to fly into a rage when they are not followed. Because they think that they are always right, they do not tolerate others trying to give them rational arguments or contradicting them in the least.

Authoritarianism stems from both the lack of empathy that we have mentioned, and a problem of assertiveness. In addition, individuals with this defect generally behave this way because they have an exaggeratedly bloated ego, in addition to being perfectionists to extreme levels.

3- Selfishness

Selfishness is a defect that is based on an excessive concern about your own needs, while forgetting those of others. In its fair measure, selfishness does not have to be negative, since it is essential to take care of your own well-being before trying to solve the problems of others.

However, when selfish behaviors are taken to an extreme, they can become one of the worst personality flaws. Those who fall for this view interactions with others as a competition, so they always try to gain some benefit while making others lose.

4- Impatience

People who suffer from impatience are characterized by great difficulty in sacrificing the pleasure of the present moment for a greater reward in the future. For these individuals, the results of their actions must be seen immediately, or else they will no longer strive for what they want.

Impatience often results in difficulty in achieving success in areas of life where it is necessary to make a continuous effort over time.

Thus, impatient people usually have trouble maintaining satisfying relationships, getting a good job, or taking proper care of their physical health.

5- Apathy

Apathy, also known as lack of motivation, is a personality trait shared by people who have trouble getting emotional in the presence of a positive situation. They also generally find it difficult to regulate their emotions, which tend to be negative.

The main consequence of apathy is the lack of goals in the person's life. Because nothing seems especially attractive or interesting to them, these individuals tend to get carried away by their circumstances, so they usually end up developing difficulties in all important areas of their existence.

6- Perfectionism

Generally, perfectionism is seen as a positive characteristic, since it supposedly helps people achieve better results in what they set out to do and stand out above the rest.

However, the need to get everything perfect in general tends to have a downside that can bring all kinds of undesirable consequences.

Very perfectionist people usually have trouble accepting their own mistakes and those of others. As a consequence, any little mistake they make can be a serious blow to their self-esteem; and they tend to be very authoritarian and demanding of the individuals in their environment.

7- intolerance

Intolerance is the inability to accept or treat people who are different from yourself with respect. These differences can occur in many different areas, from sexual orientation or nationality to the way you behave, beliefs and thoughts.

Intolerant people are also usually aggressive towards those whom they consider different, so they usually have many problems in all areas of their life.

8- Neuroticism

This personality trait is defined as the frequent presence of uncontrollable negative emotions. Neurotic individuals have a great deal of difficulty maintaining a positive outlook, and generally suffer more than normal when any minor difficulty or setback occurs.

9- Bad mood

The bad mood is the tendency to always see the negative side of every situation and to maintain an aggressive, sad or unpleasant emotional state in some other way.

People who are frequently in a bad mood tend to cause discomfort in those around them, which is why they usually encounter many difficulties in the social sphere.

10- emotional dependence

People with emotional dependence have the belief that they need the constant support of other individuals in order to feel good. Because of this, they tend to be very possessive, forgetting about their own needs to try to satisfy those of others with the aim of not being abandoned.

Emotional dependence is especially problematic in the sphere of the couple, where it can lead to risky behaviors and situations. Generally, this personality trait stems from low self-esteem and the inability to manage one's own emotional states.

11- Machiavellianism

Machiavellianism is one of the three personality traits that are part of what is known as the "dark triad." It is a characteristic shared by people who focus exclusively on achieving their goals without worrying about the consequences that this may have for others.

Often times, Machiavellian individuals use resources such as manipulation and blackmail to get what they want, causing all sorts of harmful effects on those around them.

12- Psychoticism

Psychoticism is the inability to put yourself in the shoes of others, empathize with their feelings, and understand their way of thinking. Along with Machiavellianism and narcissism, it makes up the dark triad of personality.

Some of the most dangerous mental disorders that exist have to do with extremely high levels of psychoticism. Those who share this trait are usually aggressive, dominant, intolerant, and manipulative; but they can also have great charisma and get everything they want because of it.

13- Narcissism

Narcissism is the last of the three components of the dark triad. It is a distorted view of oneself that is characterized by an excess of self-confidence and the belief that the individual is far superior to the rest in every way.

Narcissistic people tend to live in a parallel reality, and avoid situations in which their excessive self-esteem could be compromised. Secretly, they have a great panic at the possibility of failure. In addition, they constantly try to stay above other individuals, which is why they are often very unpleasant to deal with.

14- Codependency

Codependency is a trait that characterizes people who get pleasure when others need them to feel good. It usually causes these individuals to try to lower the self-esteem of those around them, with the aim of using their negative emotions to improve their own feelings.

15- Dishonesty

Dishonest people are characterized by their tendency to lie and hide parts of the truth that do not leave them in a good place. Generally this impulse is due to a fragile self-esteem, and the belief that if others really knew them they would end up giving them aside.

Dishonesty can cause problems of all kinds, and it usually causes others not to really know the person with this characteristic. As a result, your relationships will tend to be very shallow, further worsening your self-esteem and usually leading to more serious difficulties in the long run.

16- Toxic guilt

Toxic guilt is a negative emotion that has to do with the belief that some people have that they are not valid and therefore they must hide their true nature so that others will accept them. Generally, those who have toxic guilt tend to put their own needs aside, since they think that they do not deserve to get what they want.

Toxic guilt causes all kinds of unpleasant behaviors and consequences, including dishonesty, emotional dependence, manipulation, and envy. Some psychological currents consider that this trait is at the base of most mental disorders and non-functional behaviors.

17- Low resilience

Resilience is the ability to act appropriately in situations of high stress or in which there are many external demands. People who have a very low level of this ability tend to feel saturated very easily, so they have problems to function properly in areas such as work or personal relationships.

The lack of resilience is usually caused either by the presence of very low levels of self-esteem, or by a series of irrational beliefs that reduce resistance to stress. As a consequence, these individuals tend to develop pathologies such as depression or anxiety more frequently than average.

18- sloth

Laziness is defined as the difficulty to act based on one's own criteria, beliefs and values ​​due to a lack of motivation. Very lazy people tend to be unable to achieve their goals, so they often have trouble developing their professional career and personal relationships.

19- Fanaticism

Another of the most damaging weaknesses of a person is fanaticism. It is a series of totally irrational behaviors, beliefs, ideas and emotions that usually go in defense of a certain element.

Fanaticism can occur on many levels, such as politics, team sports, nationality or religion. Those who share this trait are generally very intolerant of those they consider to be "enemies." In addition, they usually fall into aggressive behaviors very easily.

20- Sadism

Sadism is a personality tendency that characterizes people who enjoy hurting the individuals around them. Generally this damage is emotional, and is done through insults, manipulation techniques or direct attacks.

However, sadistic people can sometimes also enjoy exercising physical violence against those around them. Due to these aggressive tendencies, those who display this characteristic can become dangerous to the people around them.

References

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3. "12 characteristics and habits of negative people" in: Psychology and Mind. Retrieved on: November 21, 2019 from Psychology and Mind: psicologiaymente.com.
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