Cynical person: an individual with a negative outlook who does not trust anything or anyone
A cynical person is not a person who thinks about your good and your interest! What if it were better to stay away from them? Sometimes it takes very little to be against the character we face. This can help us to distinguish well the people to be accommodated in our life from those who are best left on the threshold. Watch the video and discover the five clear signs to identify those who have narcissistic behaviors!
Cynical person: mistrust and disillusionment are companions of everyday life
Everyone has happened to feel disheartened towards a situation, a person or a group of people. This does not mean being cynical because very often our intuition warns us in the face of unclear or dangerous situations. Being cynical on the contrary means living with a perennial disillusionment with the reality that surrounds us. The cynical person does not trust anything or anyone, has continuous doubts and always thinks that others are acting for their own gain or that in any case they lie about the purposes for which they claim to do something, or to have some feeling. Cynicism therefore represents a constant attitude of mistrust and disillusionment which is very difficult to eradicate in these individuals because by now it represents for them a filter, the only one, with which they analyze, evaluate and judge what is happening around them.
Cynicism according to psychology
Surely you've wondered where this term comes from, cynical. The origin of this word comes from the ancient Greek, and in particular from the term kyon that is to say dog. This is even more curious right? By continuing to read you will discover the original meaning! In fact, Cynic is linked to the miserable life that Diogenes of Sinope and his followers professed in the fifth century BC. Diogenes, and his group of followers, in fact went around every place denouncing the hypocrisy of society: their philosophical idea pursued a lifestyle that we could all define as minimalist and in particular this philosophy professed the importance of living in total harmony with those that were the rhythms of nature, without frills. In short, a life that Diogenes himself defined as "poor like that of a dog". Hence the habit of considering those who despise every aspect of society cynical.
The term cynicism, in the way it is used today, as you can imagine, is very distant from the meaning (even positive in some ways) that was attributed to it in antiquity. Today, in fact, the word cynicism identifies a contempt and distrust of moral principles, rules, values, ideals, social conventions, relational principles and other social conventions that can also lead to total indifference.
What drives the cynical person to behave according to this psychological pattern is a very strong individualism and a total distrust of other people who are all equally judged as not credible, corrupt and unreliable. The cynic has no values and above all has no scruples. A phrase that is normally used to describe a cynical person acting as such is that of Niccolò Machiavelli, one of the best known modern cynics, who stated that "the end justifies the means".
Cynical person: here are the signs to recognize it
How to recognize a cynical person? What are its characteristics? You can immediately identify a cynical person by observing how they act: they are cold, dissatisfied, not surprised at anything but always remain indifferent to what is happening around them. No gesture of friendship has any value or sense for her, everything is done to him by others (and of course also by her) for his own benefit. We are talking about a pessimistic and always negative person who does not trust others and always sees the negative side of every situation. Every sentimental, emotional or acquaintance relationship that the cynical person finds himself having never relates the feelings: there is always a utilitarian purpose! You must always remember, however, that behind a cynical attitude like the one we are analyzing there is a fear The cynical person does everything to not reveal his emotions: probably the starting point of such a psychological characterization is a big disappointment or a wound that the cynical person today still cannot heal.
It is therefore not surprising that loneliness is a condition much sought after by cynical people: cold, shy and disheartened, she always rejects others and goes on her way without caring about anything beyond her interests.
A cynical person and his relationship with the world around him: how does it happen?
Now let's see what it means to be cynical in the practical context of the normal relationships that all of us find ourselves experiencing every day. Naturally, the cynic's distrust causes relationship difficulties, in any context.
In the professional sphere, the cynic is always negative. He distrusts his colleagues, superiors and in general has a very bad view of the whole system. It questions the procedures and decisions of others. The cynical person has serious relational dysfunctions that at work also have consequences in his efficiency and in the degree of productivity, as well as not being satisfied by his working context, the cynic is perennially dissatisfied. In the context of personal relationships, those who live with cynicism will hardly be able to have a stable and lasting relationship. The cynical person always questions the feelings, the manifestations of affection and also the reasons that would push a possible partner to do or not to do something.
Living this way is not healthy; not only for what we could immediately perceive from this analysis but also because such an attitude towards life creates in the cynical person a strong stress that derives from the need to control everything and also from his inability to rely on others or delegate. This stress can have very negative consequences on the psyche!
According to some scientific research, individuals with particular cynicism have a greater chance of developing dementia in old age. The causes of this relationship between cynicism and dementia in old age have not yet been disclosed but some hypotheses see this link due to the attitude of the cynical person who closes himself to the world and no longer receives any social stimulus.
Don't forget that we are talking about people with a very high degree of cynicism. Without necessarily reaching these extremes in terms of cynicism, everyone happens or moments can happen in which we feel disheartened by everything and everyone and we tend to isolate ourselves. This pessimism is part of human nature, sometimes, but it must lead us to reflect and above all not to generalize while maintaining the ability to distinguish what is negative from what is beautiful and rewarding, in order to fully appreciate all the nuances that life is. able to offer us through everyday life, relationships and emotions!
