Here’s the typical profile of the ideal donkey, according to psychologists
By definition obscene and offensive, ass means fool, idiot. robertBut this crude term has become so ingrained in everyday language that it sometimes loses its essence, so much so that experts want to redefine the typical profile of the ideal donkey. If this topic sounds light, it is That’s because it has rarely been a subject of scientific exploration. But for researchers, “asshole” may be linked to psychopathic personalities.
Bad driver, disloyal, sarcastic… we can easily be accused of being an “ass” as soon as we offend others’ sensibilities. But stop having preconceived ideas! This offensive word actually hides a very distinctive personality. University of Georgia psychologist Brinkley Sharp and his team published in the journal Collabra: PsychologyA study that examines this personality type. To do this, researchers examined the responses of 400 participants who had to describe the “biggest asshole” around them. All this, while mentioning the associated behavior and personality traits. With helpful research and expert feedback, we create a specific profile of the ideal donkey.
Donkey thinks he’s entitled to anything and never apologizes
Author Eric LaBlanche made a book about it: “The Asshole, Issues and Perspectives” (ed. Michel Lafon). He revealed that almost all the evils of our society often have their origins in reprehensible behavior. In his view, this is the root of most of our problems.
He also defines an asshole as “a person who behaves obnoxiously or inappropriately because of a lack of intelligence, good manners, or honesty and is insensitive to the complaints of others.” Without any shame, who thinks he can do anything and who never apologizes. The Donkey will knowingly, intentionally, knowingly allow himself to be obnoxious because he often feels superior to others because he is full of himself. He will cut lines, bad-mouth, misbehave with people around him and do everything to avoid criticism, without apologizing.”
Rudeness, hypocrisy and bad faith: the ideal donkey trap
Let’s return to the study conducted by researchers at the University of Georgia. His first observation: All respondents easily found “a big ass” among the people they meet on a daily basis. Although the criteria for describing it are subjective, some common personality traits have been identified. Overall, most of the nerds cited were middle-aged men, who “don’t necessarily confront others and don’t think about how they are perceived,” the study reports.
From the information collected, 315 categories of behavior were identified. Among them: aggression, arrogance, rudeness, hypocrisy or even ill will“About a third of the targets were identified as romantic partners, coworkers, bosses, family members or friends. “More than 50% had previously occupied one of these roles in the lives of those surveyed (ex-husband, former co-worker, former mother-in-law, etc.),” the study underlines. That’s why the donkey looks attractive at first glance. It is his toxic behavior that creates a negative image of him among the people he comes in contact with.
Donkey, a psychopathic personality?
The study’s findings point to another troubling fact: Donkeys may suffer from antisocial or narcissistic personality disorders. But these results should be taken with a pinch of salt: this does not mean that all people identified as assholes are psychopaths!
For Laurent Testot, historian and co-author universal history of stupidityDonkeys may be considered to have a psychopathic personality, often antisocial, if they meet specific criteria:
- lack of empathy
- very strong ability to manipulate others
- extreme intolerance for frustration
- not tolerating other people’s deviations
- tendency to blame others
- the art of making others feel guilty
“We may all be idiots or even assholes, but we are also systemic assholes,” the historian underlines. These are the people who don’t apologize or feel remorse after being rude. “Often the donkey not only claims his actions and when we ask him to apologize, he often turns the problem against others. We often make a mistake by not hesitating to claim it loud and clear. Take responsibility for being a donkey”.
What if you were an asshole to others?
The description of donkey is so subjective that it can have an infinite number of definitions but no diagnosis, as it is not a mental disorder listed as such. Also, what is intolerable to some may be acceptable or even reasonable to others. On this basis, we asked ourselves if we were or have ever been someone’s asshole in our lives. While science struggles to define your specific profile, we have created a special psychological test to find out if an asshole is you!
Obviously, when reading this question, you are involuntarily tempted to give a negative answer. You, who is so empathetic, sensitive and wants to take care of others, is probably not an asshole. But don’t sell the bear’s skin before you kill it… To find out for sure, take this personality test with the help of clinical psychologist Amélie Boukhobza.