Do you know someone who considers themselves omniscient? These people express their dissenting opinions loudly and with an arrogant tone, and chances are you’ve never heard them utter “I don’t know.” It is challenging and dangerous to associate with these people because if you do not take care of your mental health, they may harm you. In this article, we present practical and effective ways to deal with these people. Stay with us.
Who is omniscient?
We all know someone who thinks they know everything when they don’t consider their actual knowledge and abilities. These people tend to take over the conversation completely; They ignore the opinions of others and make decisions without considering different aspects. They act as if they have been everywhere and experienced everything and have a solution for every problem. Experts call such people omniscient.
It isn’t easy to live with someone who thinks he knows everything. These people are not good listeners and will oppose anything to get their point across. Some of them even have aggressive and cruel behavior and bully those around them.
Is being omniscient a sign of mental illness?
Some people may put on a mask of omniscientness to hide their insecurities or to make up for past failures. With this, they want to hide their character weaknesses, appear knowledgeable, and thrive in the human social environment. Sometimes, people who consider themselves omniscient have a narcissistic personality disorder or a superiority complex. People with this disease usually humiliate others to feel better about themselves. According to the diagnostic manual of mental disorders, if a person has at least 5 of the following characteristics, he may have this disease:
- needs too much praise;
- He exaggerates his intelligence, achievements, and talents;
- He thinks he is unique and only certain people can understand him;
- has arrogant behaviors;
- He has big fantasies about his intelligence, beauty, power and success;
- He thinks he deserves a very high position;
- He expects others to treat him specially and obey him;
- He is jealous of others and feels that others are jealous of him;
- exploits others for personal gain;
- Unwilling or unable to empathize with others.
Why do people behave this way?
Someone who thinks they know everything may have a personality disorder or lack self-confidence. According to research, there is no specific cause for narcissistic personality disorder. Experts believe that genetics, nervous pressure, and living environment in childhood play a role in the occurrence of this disorder. In other cases, the feeling of insecurity and incompetence makes people want to hide their weaknesses behind the mask of omniscience.
Solutions to deal with these people
Being around people who think they know themselves creates complicated feelings. These people show themselves superior and make us feel uncomfortable, angry, inferior, or insecure. Dealing with these people is challenging and exhausting, but there are ways you can manage the situation and build an effective and beneficial relationship with them.
Of course, it is easier to talk about the appropriate methods of dealing with them than to act on them. It would be best to have time and constant practice to control your reactions. In the following, we present some correct methods of dealing with such people, which may be helpful for you in different situations.
1. Keep calm
Anger is a natural human emotion, and it can be helpful in some situations, but if you’re dealing with someone who thinks they’re omniscient, it can make things worse. Try to keep calm when facing these people. This way, you can see the problem clearly and analyze it well.
Before answering any words, think first. Most people are not good listeners, and when the other party is talking, they ignore him and feel the answer in their head. Try to listen actively, think carefully, and then answer. A calculated solution will earn you more respect and not give the omniscient a chance to find fault.
2. Do not make the issue personal
Understand that the behavior of these people has nothing to do with you. Those who consider themselves omniscient have no problem with you; They act like this to deal with their inner feelings and challenges. If you pay attention to their long-term behavior pattern, you will see that they treat everyone like this.
Set boundaries to deal with omniscients. They may ignore your limits and not change their behavior. Still, after a while, you insist on your limitations, and they subconsciously understand that you have a strong personality and behave better.
3. do not argue
People who consider themselves omniscient believe that they know everything about you, various situations, and the entire world. They are skilled in discussion and debate and do not allow others to speak. They seem to have a ready answer for every word and have learned to make logical arguments according to their goals and present them in different situations.
It is natural to want to defend ourselves when we hear someone say something wrong, but when dealing with these people, it is better to act consciously and not enter into an argument because they will trap you in a vicious cycle and will not let you win. In this situation, it is better to find a way to express your opinion with kindness and sympathy, or if they attack you, don’t be affected. Exit the conversation and resume when their delusions of superiority wear off. Additionally, instead of engaging in a lengthy discussion, you can end the conversation with a simple sentence like “Thank you for the offer.”
4. Know your strengths
Dealing with omniscience is exhausting and takes a lot of energy. Self-confidence is an effective weapon to deal with these people. If they try to destroy you, don’t fall into this trap. Keep your strengths and abilities in mind and get help from them. In addition, self-confidence makes you not feel inferior and incompetent when interacting with these people.
Don’t forget that these people’s behavior stems from their insecurity, and they don’t know what bad influence they have on others, so be alert and aware when dealing with someone who considers himself omniscient. Please rely on your abilities, and don’t let them harm your mental health.
5. be empathetic
Try to be empathetic when dealing with someone who thinks he knows everything. This solution seems a bit difficult, but try to understand his point of view and position. These people often suffer from a lack of self-esteem or a personal problem and have chosen the mask of omniscient to avoid being offended. Instead of getting angry, understand them, Avoid arguing with them, and speak empathetically with these people.
Remember, being omniscient doesn’t make you stupid or uneducated. He respects you but doesn’t know the difference between fact and opinion, so keep calm and ignore their illogical responses.
6. Talk with statistics and examples
If you enter the meeting with the omniscient as a manager, you must show your honesty and openness. Consultants say that the people in the forum imitate the behavior of the meeting manager, So it’s good to say things that show your flexibility and keep the atmosphere peaceful. For example, say: “Let’s express our ideas to find different answers to this problem.” This behavior allows everyone to express their opinion, and the omniscient cannot take over the conversation.
If you present an issue to your manager or employer, speak with statistics and reasons. Be sure of your information and check it before the meeting. The more accurate statistics and information you have, the less chance the omniscient will have to interfere in your conversations.
7. stay funny
Those who consider themselves omniscient have defensive and aggressive behavior. The worst thing you can do to them is to make them feel threatened. Speaking sarcastically evokes feelings of fear and will hurt your conversations. Instead, take a deep breath, smile, and continue the conversation with humor. Humor shows intimacy and friendship between people and disarms a person in a tense situation.
8. ask questions
The omniscient enjoys dissenting and expressing critical views. If this situation bothers you, challenge him with questions. This will force him to think before speaking and not give an irrational answer. When talking to someone who thinks they know everything, ask them questions respectfully. For example, ask why he believes something is true or where he got his sources. Asking basic and detailed questions will teach them that before they speak, they need to find valid sources and reasons for what they say.
9. Provide constructive feedback
You may not believe it, but the omniscient is unaware of the negative impact of his behavior on others. These people always seem to have a lot of self-confidence, but they often suffer from insecurity and inadequacy. If the omniscient behavior bothers you, it is better to invite him for a cup of coffee or a private meeting and tell him how you feel in a calm and safe environment. Be honest in expressing your feelings, and do not target his self-esteem. For example, you could say, “Sometimes it’s hard for me to express myself because I’m shy and can’t interrupt others. Can you wait for me to finish speaking and then give your comments?”
You can also use this technique in meetings. If a self-proclaimed know-it-all enters your conversation, you can make your request clear and polite. For example, say, “I respect your opinion, but I have something else in mind. Can you comment on this particular issue?”
10. Limit your relationship
If you have tried all the previous methods and still have no results, limit your relationship with the Omniscient. Do not invite such people out, visit their favorite places, and do not answer their unnecessary phone calls. You may think this behavior is cruel and rude but don’t forget that your mental health is more important than anything else.
If you have a co-worker who thinks he’s omniscient, you’re in a more challenging situation because you can’t easily avoid hanging out with him. In this case, you can pretend you don’t hear them or politely smile and remain silent. Additionally, you can change the subject with short sentences or don’t let them talk too much.
last word
Associating with people who consider themselves omniscient takes a lot of energy from you, and their bad behavior may bother you for a long time. Don’t forget that your mental health is more important than any social relationship, and you should adequately talk to these people so that you don’t fall into their trap.
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