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Some People Can Not Admit Defeat When They Lose.
Some people display a trait called
“grandiose narcissism” struggle to accept losing.
Cognitive dissonance (resulting from the discrepancy between what we believe and what happens) can also explain why we double down on our beliefs in the face of overwhelming contrasting evidence.
Reluctance to admit defeat, even when the battle is hopelessly lost:
Research that can help give an insight into why some people, particularly those who display a trait called “grandiose narcissism”, struggle to accept losing.
Put simply, these people may be unable to accept, or even comprehend, that they have not won.
Grandiose narcissist, defeat may compromise this inflated self-worth. According to research these people find setbacks in achievement particularly threatening, as these setbacks could indicate a “failure to keep up with the competition”.
Instead of accepting personal responsibility for failure and defeat, these individuals externalise blame, attributing personal setbacks and failures to the shortcomings of others.
They do not, or even cannot, recognise and acknowledge the failure could be their own.
Cognitive dissonance occurs when we encounter events that are inconsistent with our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour. This dissonance is uncomfortable as it challenges what we believe to be true.
To reduce this discomfort, we engage in strategies such as ignoring new evidence and justifying our behaviour.
The grandiose narcissistic has an inflated positive When presented with contrary evidence, such as defeat or failure, the grandiose narcissist is likely to experience cognitive dissonance.
In an attempt to reduce the discomfort of this dissonance, the grandiose narcissist redirects and externalises the blame. This strategy of reducing dissonance allows the grandiose narcissists’ self-image to stay intact.
Finally, the act of not apologising for one’s behaviour could also be a dissonance strategy.
Refusing to apologise after doing something wrong allowed the perpetrator to keep their self-esteem intact.
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