The 12 weaknesses of the human being (list and examples)

A review of the psychological characteristics that lead us to fall into unnecessary problems.

There are psychological characteristics that although in some cases may be useful, in most cases, in practice, they cause more problems than they solve.

These traits can be considered the main weaknesses of the human beingThey are unprotected points of our personality that can become spaces through which mishaps can creep in. In other words, these are psychological characteristics that lead us to self-sabotage, to fall into behavioral dynamics that harm us in the long and medium term, just by giving in to certain impulses and desires.

How can we identify those moments when our weaknesses put us in a vulnerable situation? Let's look at some ideas and examples.

The main weaknesses of the human being

This is a summarized list of typical weaknesses by which we lose more energy and effort than necessary. They contribute to maintaining situations that situations that cause us real headaches and in many cases also cause problems to arise out of nowhere that we create ourselves and that otherwise should not exist. that otherwise should not exist.

Of course, as always happens in these cases, each name of the weaknesses of the human being is an abstraction, which means that when they appear in our day to day it is not evident that we are facing them. Knowing them helps to detect them, but this is not enough; we must stop to think and pay attention to what we do and what we feel.

1. Impatience

Impatience is one of the main obstacles that keep us away from our goals. The most ambitious goals require investing a lot of effort, time and resources, and if impatience takes control of the situation, any plan or strategy aimed at those kinds of goals will flounder.If impatience takes control of the situation, any plan or strategy aimed at those kinds of goals will flounder because of the relative lack of short-term payoffs.

For example, the decision to spend a lot of money on a trip and it is not a personal project that would have had a good chance of prospering is an example of how impatience can cause us to stagnate.

2. Selfishness

Selfishness can be positive in specific situations, but in a great amount of situations the only thing it does is to cut our links with society..

Thus, it makes us become lonely little by little, not only harming those around us because of the times we disappoint them, but also leading us to lose human capital around us: fewer people willing to help us and to make an effort to support us when we need it.

3. Jealousy

Jealousy leads us to feel the need to control other people's lives for fear of losing them, which is, paradoxically, a fact that significantly damages any bond, a fact that significantly damages any personal bond that we might have with them by not recognizing their individuality and personal freedom.

For example, a person who sees with bad eyes that his or her partner stays with friends alone, is falling into jealousy and trying to make the loved one's entire social life revolve around him or her.

4. Cowardice

Cowardice leads us not to make decisions that, although they are uncomfortable and involve leaving the comfort zone, are necessary. for our lives or those of our community or collective to improve.

For example, not wanting to break up with someone so as not to expose oneself to a situation full of tears and frustration is usually an example of cowardice that harms at least two people (oneself included).

It is important to keep in mind that cowardice does not consist in the simple fact of feeling afraidIt is letting fear paralyze us and stand between us and a goal that can clearly benefit us and that we know we have opportunities to achieve, simply to avoid a stressful situation in the short term.

In personal relationships, cowardice often takes the form of a lack of assertiveness. And in personal development processes, this form of personal weakness is mainly expressed in the avoidance of new challenges in exchange for remaining in day-to-day routines (without exposing ourselves to new goals). That is why cowardice often leads to self-esteem problems, as it keeps us away from situations that would allow us to show ourselves what we are capable of.

5. Conformity with ignorance

Conformism does not have to be a bad thing; after all, not everyone lives in a situation where they can afford to constantly take risks in order to aspire to different goals.

Similarly, although this idea may seem to go against common sense, ignorance is not a negative element per se; it is an inevitable part of our lives, and as Socrates pointed out thousands of years ago, recognizing it in oneself can lead to a certain degree of ignorance, recognizing it in oneself can even be a prerequisite for advancing towards wisdom..

However, the combination of conformity and ignorance does create problems. Conformism applied specifically to knowledge is one of the human weaknesses; the reason is that it makes us remain blind in a world in which knowledge can save us a lot of problems. knowledge can save us a lot of trouble. Unfortunately, there are more than a few people who believe that learning about certain subjects that go beyond the satisfaction of basic day-to-day needs generates more problems than it solves.

For example, the belief that one does not need to know anything at all about politics to create a just and functional society is often detrimental not only to the individual, but to society as a whole.

6. Resentment

Focusing on old offenses, whether real or imagined, is another human weakness that facilitates the emergence of unjust hostilities. facilitates the appearance of unjustified hostilities..

Sometimes, at times, resentment can cause the whole of society in general to dislike a vague feeling of offense caused by the idea that life has taken more from us than it has given us. But, in practice, it only favors isolation and difficulties in creating meaningful sentimental bonds: few people like to deal with those who hold passive-aggressive attitudes.

7. Dependence

Some people get used to living according to the way others live, imitating their values, their way of thinking and acting, and even their aesthetics.

Over time, this leads to unsustainable situations, because it is not possible to live indefinitely following a life project that is not the one that one has built oneself. And, when those who have fallen into this dynamic of dependence become aware of it, this problem is compounded by the following the feeling of having wasted time for months or years.. Therefore, this is one of the weaknesses of the human being with a greater power to generate existential crises.

8. Little openness to new experiences

The human being should always focus on new challenges, new experiences that allow him to take steps forward in his personal development. Meeting new people, visiting countries and cultures, reading about interesting subjects... are habits that make us more open to new experiences.... are habits that make an individual grow intellectually and be more open to cross new horizons.

People who are not able to open themselves to new experiences, often stagnate in anodyne realities, with habits that are not very edifying and that anchor them to a boring reality. To try to solve this situation it is only necessary to open our minds and be willing to leave our comfort zone and look for what our concerns are.

9. Controlling attitude towards others

The tendency to want to control the behavior of groups or individuals gives way to many dysfunctions in social life. In fact, it sometimes facilitates the emergence of violence by using force as a method of demonstrating power and establishing dominance.

Even if violence does not occur directly, it is one of the human weaknesses that can lead to problematic social dynamics if extended to a whole group of people through the influence of a leader: creation of a demonized and caricatured external enemy, sectarian behavior, etc.

Therefore, the controlling attitude is one of the aspects in which the quality of life of oneself and others can be damaged: it generates confrontation.

10. Excessive perfectionism towards oneself

In the same way that the search for absolute control of others gives rise to serious problems, the pursuit of excessive control over one's own behavior also harms us.

Dysfunctional perfectionism means that, even though we may be very good at something, the fact of being obsessed with doing everything the best way possible causes insecurities and low self-esteem as we become frustrated over and over again when we do not achieve it.

11. Excess of Ego

People who are excessively governed by strict codes of honor and who are not able to admit their are not capable of admitting their mistakes because of pride, present one of the weaknesses of being present one of the weaknesses of the human being that more damage the social life: the excess of Ego. This can lead to unnecessary enmity, and even facilitates the loss of health due to the inability to recognize that help is needed.

Moreover, this is one of the human weaknesses that prevent us from learning from our mistakes, since in this case, the simple fact of recognizing that we have made a mistake produces a discomfort that the person does not manage adequately, trying to avoid this kind of experience. This is a phenomenon closely related to what is known as cognitive dissonance.

12. Poor anger management

People who are unable to control their anger believe that the world is a place where any affront to them must be corrected immediately, even if it is only by expressing anger and hurting someone else with it.. Irrationally, they believe that in the world there is a system of compensation whereby if the one who has acted badly cannot make up for the damage, he or she can at least be the target of the offended one's fury.

This only brings problems, because on the one hand anger blinds them and does not even allow them to stop and think about whether the person they are attacking is really responsible for what has happened to them, and on the other hand, sometimes making someone pay for the dish is even worse than not doing so, if by doing so one loses even more oneself.