7 Common Attitudes Of Intolerant People

How do you see yourself? Have you ever stopped for a moment to think about how other people see you? Because  there are certain common attitudes that intolerant people share with each other,  and it is possible that you or I will do the same. Want to find out?

It is not easy to be completely tolerant. That’s why we are sometimes surprised when we think we are. We are not always tolerant of work enough to call ourselves truly tolerant. Jaime Balme said, “you are not tolerant if you cannot tolerate intolerance”. So do you tolerate intolerance?

Do you tolerate intolerance?

Before we dive deeper into the subject, we present a simple exercise by personal growth expert Pablo Morano. This guide contains a  bunch of questions that give us a true picture of where we stand on the assumed scale of tolerance.

Are you the kind of person who rejects things that are different? Do you immediately say no to outsiders, weird ideas and you even end up despising them? Are you the kind of person you start to get annoyed when people with different opinions seem to have more opportunities to express them? Do you think everyone should think the same way you do?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it means that you are at some level intolerant. We talk about levels because most of the time if we draw a line between the “tolerant” and the “intolerant”, we end up somewhere in between.

Therefore, the answers to these questions do not all carry the same weight or point in the same direction. We are all on some level tolerant or intolerant,  depending on our situation and personality.

Common attitudes shared by intolerant people

Irrespective of other personal characteristics,  intolerant people often have certain attitudes. They are inflexible and always combined with their harsh way of thinking. We are now going to highlight some of the most notable ones…

Fanaticism

In general, an  intolerant person shows fanaticism when he or she defends his or her beliefs or views. Whether it’s a political or religious debate, he tends to be unable to argue or discuss things without taking an extreme mindset. He thinks his way of seeing things is the only right way. In fact, he even tries to impose his own worldview on others.

Psychological stiffness

Intolerant people are afraid of everything that is different. That means they are psychologically stiff. It’s hard for them to accept that other people may have a different philosophy and perspective, so they distance themselves from anything that doesn’t go along with their way of thinking. They don’t accept it and it might even make them excited.

Omniscience, even if they don’t really know everything

Intolerant people feel that they need to defend themselves from people who are different or think differently. So  they embellish or come up with things, presenting theories as facts and looking knowledgeable about topics they don’t really know anything about.

They do not accept or listen to views other than their own and think that their closed attitude is justified. They may even move into insults or aggression if they feel anxious in a corner and devoid of arguments.

Their world is simple and devoid of depth

Intolerant people see the world as simpler than it really is. They do not listen, that is, they are not open to other views and ways of thinking. Their world is black and white. 

It means thinking about things like “you’re either on my side or against me”… “something is either ugly or beautiful”… “right or wrong” without realizing that there may be a lot of gray in between. They need security and reassurance, even if it is not real.

They follow routines

In general,  they usually don’t like anything unexpected or spontaneous. They cling tightly to their routines and things they know well, and that gives them security and peace. Otherwise, they become extremely stressed or frustrated.

They have problems in relationships

Lack of empathy for intolerant people can cause them serious social problems. They always feel the need to correct, control, and push their own perspective. It makes them surround themselves with passive and low self-esteem people. Otherwise, their interaction will eventually become impossible or too complex.

They tend to be infinitely jealous

It is difficult for an intolerant person to accept someone else’s success because that person will always be on a different level and as a result his or her level is wrong. In addition,  if that person has a more open and tolerant mindset, the intolerant person will feel uncomfortable. Her level of anxiety rises because it is wrong from her point of view. He may also be jealous at heart.

These are, to a certain extent, the general attitudes we see in intolerant people. Do you recognize any of them in yourself? If you recognize, end it now. Believe it or not – you will become happier and your life will become fuller.