Crab mentality is a psychological term that describes a person's attitude which always hinders other people's success. Someone who has this attitude always competes unfairly and harms other people.
For those of you who are curious about the explanation of crab mentality, starting from the meaning, characteristics, impact, factors and how to overcome it, you can check the complete review below.
1. What is Crab Mentality
Crab mentality can be defined as the behavior or attitude of a person who is not happy with other people's achievements. Someone who has this attitude has a high competitive spirit and wants other people to have the same fate as him.
The use of the name crab is based on the crab's own behavior which has similarities with envious people and always wants to prevent other people from succeeding.
For example, when a group of crabs is placed in a narrow and crowded container, some crabs will start trying to climb to the top to be free from the squeeze. However, other crabs will try to pull it back so it doesn't get out of the container.
Experts state that the reason crabs attract other crabs back is so they can save them from predators.
However, if applied to human life, this crab mentality can be analogous to someone who always wants to hinder someone's success.
The characteristics of someone who has a crab mentality are:
- Envy, hurt and dislike when seeing other people succeed
- Always competing unfairly, even to the point of bringing down his opponent
- Likes to compare yourself with other people
- Always invites rivals or people who are smarter than him to do bad things
- Never appreciate the hard efforts made by other people
- Always assume that successful people happen because of luck or result from bad methods
- Has a tendency to talk negatively with other people
- Always satisfied when you see other people fail
- Tends to protest and criticize without trying to find a solution to the problem
- Looks for other people's mistakes and finds it difficult to forgive them
- Feeling the greatest, not accepting constructive criticism and suggestions until he feels he is always right and doesn't want to lose
- Often talks about other people behind their backs, then spreads untrue gossip or rumors and feels happy when someone falls
- Always insecure and cynical about other people's achievements, desires and status.
1.1 Example of Crab Mentality
In everyday life, without realizing it, you must have seen someone who has a crab mentality.
So, here are several examples of crab mentality that often occur in local life, namely:
1.1.1 Workplace
Crab mentality in the world of work can be seen when someone tries to hinder another person's career advancement or promotion. For example, spreading negative gossip or giving unconstructive criticism.
1.1.2 School
In the school environment, crab mentality can be seen in a student who always makes fun of his classmates, especially friends who excel. He did this solely so that his friend would not be more superior or stand out than him.
1.1.3 Community
Meanwhile, in a community, crab mentality can be seen from a member who does not provide support for someone's business when starting a new business. These members are afraid that the business they build will be more successful than the business they manage.
2. Impact of Crab Mentality
The impact of crab mentality is very detrimental to yourself and others. Some of the impacts of this crab mentality are:
The Impact of Crab Mentality on Yourself:
- Someone who has a crab mentality cannot develop because they are always trapped in the same problems
- The heart and body do not feel happy continuously, which has an impact on mental and physical health
- He is always full of negative feelings, such as jealousy, anger, envy and hatred
- Inhibits opportunities to work together, get support and get help from other people
- If this habit is known by many people, usually the owner of the crab mental attitude will get a bad 'label' later
- The crab's mental attitude can also damage relationships with other people, both in the personal and professional sphere.
The Impact of Crab Mentality on Others:
- If someone is close to someone with a crab mental attitude, they will usually feel isolated and not get proper support
- The surrounding environment becomes less harmonious, productive and uncomfortable
- Causes mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and even lack of self-confidence
- Lack of motivation to achieve goals because there is a feeling of fear of criticism or insults from the surrounding environment.
3. Factors That Cause Someone to Have Crab Mentality
There are several factors that cause a person to have a crab mentality, namely:
3.1 Low Self-Confidence
Someone who has low self-confidence always feels that they are worthless and will not be able to achieve their dreams or aspirations. He always didn't deserve success, so he didn't want to see other people get that success.
3.2 Envy
Jealousy arises because he feels unfair, unlucky and ungrateful for what he has. Usually, jealous people don't like seeing other people achieve success, so they always want to destroy or take it. They want other people to be equal or always below them.
3.3 Not getting support from people around you
The reason why someone has a crab mentality can also occur because they don't get enough support from the people around them. The people around him often insult him, belittle him and isolate him.
Therefore, a feeling emerged that made him always doubt his own abilities. As a result, this person does not want to change or achieve success because he feels that everything he does will be in vain or will not get attention from the people around him.
3.4 Feelings of Hopelessness
When you feel hopeless, a person will feel hopeless, helpless and less likely to try to achieve their goals again. This attitude makes him think that success is something impossible to achieve. It's not surprising that people like this don't want to see other people achieve success because it could make them hurt or hurt.
3.5 Depression
The reason someone has crab mentality can also be because they are depressed. Depressed people will always feel empty, sad and unhappy. They think that success is not important and don't want to see other people enjoying it.
3.6 Too Competitive
Actually, having a competitive spirit is good, but it can be dangerous if it is too much. Being too competitive causes a crab mental attitude to emerge in a person. Feelings of threat begin to arise when he sees the people closest to him making progress.
When in that condition, people with a crab mentality will start to scare them and make fun of their friends' progress. For him, it is enough for someone to make progress in life, which means it doesn't apply to other people.
4. How to Overcome Crab Mentality
Having a crab mentality will always make you insecure, uncomfortable with your daily activities, feel stressed and lose the opportunity to continue developing your abilities.
Therefore, you must be able to overcome this by doing the following:
4.1 Self-Evaluation (Develop Personal Abilities)
The first thing you can do is continue to be enthusiastic about developing your abilities so that your self-confidence increases and you are not easily provoked by other people's negative comments.
Try to develop the skills you have or try skills you have never done before.
Apart from that, if you fail to achieve what you want, make sure to evaluate yourself for the failure you experienced.
Remember, in every failure there will always be a lesson you can take. Don't let failure make you give up and swallow criticism from other people who don't know anything about you.
By accepting failure and learning from it, you can regain your self-confidence and rise from adversity or failure. As a result, you can be enthusiastic again and try to walk again in achieving success.
4.2 Increase Self-Confidence
In order to overcome the crab mentality, you must increase your self-confidence and be optimistic about achieving success. If someone makes negative comments, just close your ears and keep doing what you think is right.
That way, you don't need to worry or think about unconstructive criticism from other people. Keep walking on the path you have chosen and focus on the success that awaits you ahead.
4.3 Be in a Positive/Supportive Friendly Environment
Staying in a group of friends who have a crab mentality is not easy. Especially if they are friends who have been with you for a long time. However, if you continue to be in that group, you will find it difficult to walk and get what you dream of.
There is no need to avoid or leave them, you just need to reduce the time you spend with that group. Then, start looking for and making friends with new people who are more positive and supportive.
So, when you start to take steps towards the gates of success, you have friends who support you and encourage you every step of the way. That way, you will not limit yourself and continue to maximize your skills to achieve your dreams.
4.4 Accept Success for Others' Achievements
In order to avoid the crab mentality, you must be able to start accepting success from other people's achievements. Realize that the success of others is not a threat, but an inspiration. You can learn from them and use them as motivation to keep going.
Apart from that, if the people closest to you succeed in achieving their wishes, give praise or sincere appreciation and positive support. So, your heart feels calm and triggers you to continue to be enthusiastic about achieving your dreams.
4.5 Focus on your own goals
Instead of continuing to think about other people, it's better to just focus on your own goals. Start making clear goals that are specific, relevant and achievable to help you get motivated and stay focused.
Then, start making an action plan so you can achieve the goals you have set. To make it easier, you can break a big goal into several small tasks.
Every time you successfully complete a task, you can reward yourself. This can increase motivation and self-confidence to continue trying to be better in the future.
4.6 Passion for doing things you like
Staying enthusiastic when doing things you like can overcome your crab mentality. If you have a way to achieve your dreams, make sure you do it consistently.
Avoid changing your methods and goals too much every time you receive criticism from others. Because, it could be that the criticism just wants to bring you down without any constructive feeling at all.
If you continue to follow other people's words, then the potential you have opened will close again to the lowest level. One thing you have to remember, make sure you always consider and get useful advice to achieve your dream.
4.7 Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
If you still often compare yourself with other people, then the crab mentality will not be easy to overcome. Because, the most important way to overcome and eliminate this attitude is to not compare your own achievements with other people's.
A person's starting line and abilities will definitely be different. If you continue to live by comparing, you will continue to feel less confident, aka insecure.
Therefore, start to stop comparing yourself and stay focused on your own goals.
4.8 Forget Past Failures
Moving on from failures in the past and stepping back with a new you is one wise way to overcome crab mentality.
Avoid reminiscing about failures you have experienced in the past. Because, this will make you sad and disappointed, so you won't want to move again to achieve success.
Make the failures that happen to you in your life as 'encouragement' and a test to be able to continue to improve and be better in the future.
4.9 Consultation with Experts
If your crab mentality is getting worse and cannot be overcome in various ways, then make sure to consult a professional expert.
Treatment with a psychologist or psychiatrist will help you to minimize the bad effects later. Because this kind of mentality will cause problems in the social environment and lifestyle.
4.10 Always be grateful
When you are always grateful, your life will always feel fair, lucky and satisfied with what you have. Someone who is always grateful understands that other people also have the right to experience success. So, they will support and appreciate every step that other people take.
4.11 Listening to Podcasts and Reading Books
Regularly listening to podcasts or reading books in the field you specialize in can also overcome the emergence of crab mentality. You can find out the stories of successful people first, then learn every suggestion and success tip to get motivated too.
4.12 Actively Communicate and Share Points of View
Talking about your interests with other people will help you meet people who have similar interests. Start actively communicating or chatting with them so that you can always share your point of view. That way, you can engage in an interesting and informative conversation.
That's information about crab mentality that you can read in full. If you feel that you have the mental characteristics of a crab, make sure you fix it immediately so that it doesn't take root too deeply, okay? Apart from that, if you have acquaintances with this kind of mentality, make sure to stay firm and let them deal with their own problems.
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