[zwkrt]

There are people who’s sense of self-confidence is so fragile that they cannot allow themselves the possibility of losing or feeling “lesser than” in any context. Cheating and being banned is much better than showing the world your actual skill level and confronting the possibility of failure and judgment. The thought process goes something like “well if I beat them by cheating they’re a sucker for actually trying. And if I get banned then that’s the system out to get me”

Such a person often ends up making an absolute fool of themselves from the perspective of someone with a little bit more self integrity. But maybe it is worth extending a little compassion, after all a lack of compassion is probably how they ended up like that anyhow.

[dvtrn]

There are people who’s sense of self-confidence is so fragile that they cannot allow themselves the possibility of losing or feeling “lesser than” in any context.

Happened to a good friend of mine up in Seattle. Good fella, incredibly smart, graduated top marks, a bit ostentatious sometimes but you can tell he really wants to do right by others in spite of his sometimes high falutin tendencies.

Anyway.

Lost a game of chess to his blue collar dad, guy couldn’t handle it. Fell into a hole of depression that lasted for at least an entire episode of Cheers

[mlyle]

Happens to mainly two sorts of people, in my experience:

* Overperforming kids (whether smart, in athletics, etc). They don't have to confront failure and work hard like everyone else. They get a lot of praise and self-worth gets tied to it, and it all feels kind of fake/too easy. Then, one day, the work ethic and tolerance of failure everyone else has been learning become critical...

* People raised in abusive or quasi-abusive environments, where success at any cost, appearances over all, etc, are emphasized. The ends justify the means to get the required outcome.