Hypocritical people: 6 typical characteristics that define them

Any human being, for the simple fact of being one, has to experience a vital drama: his own interests and the interests of others, which are expressed through social norms, not match. However, to survive it is necessary to exist within a certain social fabric, be it a family, a village, a town or a large city. This is where the strategies created to manage this tension appear: you have to be yourself, but trying not to be worth the scorn or rejection of others.

Fortunately, most people are able to combine these two realities well (that of public interests and private interests). However, on other occasions there are those who opt for attitudes that are markedly too cynical or opportunistic to be geniusly pro-social. Usually, we know these individuals as hypocritical people.

But… what is it that really characterizes hypocrites? Let's see it, from a proposal of 6 typical features of those who adopt this strategy to socialize.

• Related article: "Differences between personality, temperament and character"

6 characteristics of hypocritical people

Although there are several ways to identify hypocrites, in general we will be able to recognize the following characteristics in them.

1. Explicit but inconsistent moralism

One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between hypocrites is by look at their use of morality.

From an individualistic point of view, moral norms can have an unpleasant side, especially when we feel we should do something that we don't. we feel like it, but they also have a positive side, since we can appeal to them when we want other people to behave in a way that we benefit. Hypocritical people know this, and that is why they use morality to try to make others abide by those values.

Of course, this is in contrast to your own compliance with the rules. Who lives in an environment in which others live according to moral restrictions that oneself does not follow, it has a certain competitive advantage, and hypocritical people abuse them with practically no regrets.

• You may be interested: "Cynical people: their 7 typical characteristics and traits"

2. False affability

Hypocritical people tend to look for quick and dishonest ways to get social capital (that is, the sympathies of many people, or at least the possibility of turning to them). To do this, something common is to pretend a false interest in the life of the other at key moments, such as greetings or farewells. You can tell that it is not an honest and spontaneous initiative because, beyond these key moments, sympathy becomes difference.

3. Minimal social contact until favor arrives

Another common attitudes of hypocritical people is to have "friends" or people known in his agenda, without any deal with them, and take advantage of this just to ask for favors concrete.

Unlike others, who in the age of social networks can have many contacts stored passively in the phone book or in the section of friends of any of their profiles on social networks, those who have this opportunistic spirit are not consistent with the fact that they barely deal with these people, and if may, They take advantage of the fact of knowing them without contributing absolutely anything in return.

This is important, because what is appealed to when asking for a favor, friendship, has not existed or no longer exists in practice, only theoretically. However, it seems that it starts to be a real emotional bond seconds before making a request. Shortly after, that supposed friendship will fall into oblivion again.

4. They make useless gestures of kindness

Try to invite some tapas when someone else has already paid, notify of an event that it is clear that you cannot attend... These gestures are a way of try to seduce people without exposing yourself to the little annoyances or inconveniences that this can generate.

5. Praise on the one hand, complicity with teasing on the other

Another typical attitude of hypocritical people is to show themselves as friends while, when the other person is not present and criticizes them, complicity with these criticisms, regardless of whether they are fair or not. It is also common for the hypocritical person himself to bring out these criticisms, sometimes with the aim of gaining social acceptance by detecting imperfections in others.

6. Disappearances when it hits rock bottom

When someone is going through bad times, it is relatively common that the hypocritical people around them who showed a close relationship with the former, disappear in anticipation that they may be asked for help, even if it is minimal.