I had a few words with my friend just a few minutes ago. I caught him qualifying himself a few times in a cocky manner. Do you think pure cockiness is a sign of insecurity? I want the PA community's opinion on this.
Sorry, I should have been more specific. I meant cockiness without a reason to be cocky. I can think of a bunch of examples of class clowns who act cocky or arrogant but don't really have anything going for them. Overcompensation I guess. I think being cocky is one thing, whereas being cocky/funny is another thing. If you're being cocky and NOT being funny, seems to me like you're just an insecure guy, who needs qualification.
Cockiness and Confidence are similar, but a confident person doesn't have tell everyone how great he thinks he is. It could be cockiness, or he just has poor people skills.
Most unfound cockiness stem from insecurity... It is true, it is also a way to seek attention and/or accpetance...
if a person is cocky without any actual reason to be cocky then i would agree it to be over compensation.
Being cocky without a valid reason has a root-cause of being insecure. common example i see in society today, an ashame-male announces to everyone (whether he knows them or not) on how much a "pimp/player" he is ... when in reality he is still a virgin.
I will tend to agree that 'cockiness' as you define it, is an attempt to portray confidence, or to cover for a lack of sth else. A sign of insecurity. But it doesn't need a reason. Even a person with reason to be cocky, shouldn't be cocky unless he/ she feels a need for attention, which is also a sign of insecurity.
You basically answered your own question. Cocky without humor can be easily spotted as over compensating. The cocky/funny thing is meant as a means of being playful and entertaining while flirting with a girl. And yes, cockyness CAN BE a sign of insecurity (but not always). Sometimes cocky people get the urge to show off. When showing off, one is just trying to prove to others how great they are. A guy who's secure in his worth wouldn't need to prove things to anyone. But cockiness and insecurity doesn't always go hand in hand, though. I've known a lot of people who act cocky who I don't think are insecure. They truly just love themselves that much.
Well.. kinda contradicting dun you think? If they just love themselves so much, they wouldn't need to be cocky to proof anything. Being cocky is a sign of their insecurity. To boost their ego and create a false sign of self love. Unless what you meant was self confidence, which is different from being cocky. A person who is confident may appear to be cocky to some, but there is a clear distinction. Confidence is self. Cocky on the other hand, is about putting others down to distinguish themselves. A confident person is confident irregardless of how he is perceived by others. A cocky person, however, relies on how he is perceived by others.
