Why can some people never admit they are wrong or apolgise

findmenow

As per title, what makes some people never admit they are wrong or apolgise. More and more these days when anyone is shown to be in the wrong they just take the hump as opposed to acknowledging it. Is it just stubborness, a fear of being wrong, the stress of modern life or something else.

Allinall

You’re wrong OP.

Plenty of people acknowledge they’re wrong, and either apologise or suck it up and learn from it.

Jim_Hodge

I'll accept that you're right about some people but, from my own experience, it certainly doesn't apply to most or even a significant minority.

findmenow

Guess I better admit I'm wrong then :-)

Donald Trump

Maybe because I'm always right. Duh

StevenToast

My wife is like this OP...anytime I pull her up on being wrong she sulks and gets pissed off at me!

To be fair she is a fantastic woman and mother to our kids so I just suck it up most of the time.....

I think its a female thing- cant admit to being wrong...

Jim_Hodge

I was wrong once.

I thought I'd made a mistake, but I hadn't.

Cluedo Monopoly

You should apologise for that thread title. Try reading it back to yourself loudly.

Liability?

mrm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122579937#Comment_122579937

How dare you, watch your mouth. That's my wife you're talking about!

silliussoddius

I would recommend this book, it deals with this along with other things like cognitive dissonance

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/522525.Mistakes_Were_Made_but_Not_by_Me

HalloweenJack

I imagine the psychology behind it is some "never show any sign of weakness" bollocks.

Being able to admit you're wrong is a healthy trait and important for personal growth. Nobody's perfect. Making mistakes is a part of life and should be seen as an opportunity to learn.

People who are always right are just delusional.

baxterooneydoody

Narcissists are like this, my father is one, arsehole of the highest order

Akrasia

Its a power thing. If you admit you're wrong, you become vulnerable. You accept blame by default and those who want to shift the blame have an easy out where they can avoid any responsibility.

People don't want to open themselves up to being vulnerable because they don't trust others to not take advantage.

If two people fart in an elevator at the same time, if one person admits to it, the other will pile on the blame

z80CPU

For the non apologetics it is more very bad luck timing wrong place at wrong time look what ye made me do. You're bad karma. They project the fault unto the victims.

Deregos.

Myself and what was my best friend don't speak anymore because of his wife being stubborn like this. In the forty odd years I've known her, she has never once apologised for any of her selfish, confrontational and bullying behaviour. She can portay as being the nicest person you could meet, but its all about control with her. Even when she's shown evidence that she's incorrect, she'll never admit she's wrong or apologise for her actions . . It seems to be a trait in her family as all her siblings are the same.

dxhound2005

I will throw my amateur psychologist hat into the already crowded ring. Something happened in the OP's life between them and another party, which left them feeling aggrieved, and thinking they are deserving of an apology. They are using this single incident (or it could be repeated incidents), to produce the theory that "some people" "more and more these days… etc." to make it into a wider societal problem.

I see this tactic often on Boards.

Mister Vain

That's pretty much every boardsie. 😄

Electric Nitwit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580342#Comment_122580342

I agree with you, and I think it comes from a lack of self confidence. People who are confident in themselves and their own abilities aren't like that, they're often happy to admit they've made a mistake because they know that it doesn't define them. Particularly in a work context, the best senior managers I've known never seemed to feel the need to prove themselves

byrne249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580318#Comment_122580318

And if they do get caught out undeniably suddenly everything is a joke, but no apology that's for certain