Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive
pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities.
Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves their superiority and is recounting accomplishments so that others will feel admiration or
envy.[1]
Individuals construct an image of themselves, a personal identity, and present themselves in a manner that is consistent with that image.[2]Theodore Millon theorized that in
self-presentation, individuals seek to balance boasting against discrediting themselves with excessive self-promotion or being caught blatantly misrepresenting themselves. Studies show that people often have a limited ability to perceive how their efforts at self-presentation are actually impacting their acceptance and likeability by others.[3]
Forms of bragging
Although a brag can be as straightforward as a simple claim to riches or greatness, it often assumes a variety of more subtle forms[4] in order to shield the speaker from any opprobrium they might otherwise receive for transgressing the social norms of humility. The most popular of these forms is the humblebrag, a term coined by comedian
Harris Wittels, whereby the brag is masked in a complaint.[5] For example, "Dating websites are so much work. Every time I log in, I have like a hundred new messages."
Society and culture
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adding to it. (November 2015)
The Ancient Greek book The Characters of
Theophrastus devotes a chapter to "The Boastful Man".[6]
Bēot is
Old English for a ritualized boast, vow, threat or promise, which was usually made by an Anglo-Saxon warrior on the eve of or during battle. Bēots can be found in the epic poem Beowulf, including by the hero himself.
Baron Munchausen, a baron made famous by the novel of
Rudolf Raspe who enjoys telling fantastical and absurd stories about his adventures abroad. He was based on a real-life German baron who was known for his exaggerated tales.
Daffy Duck: American cartoon character who often brags about himself. In all of the cartoons he appeared in since the 1950s, he is usually victim of his own overestimations.
Lambik: A Belgian comics character who often sees himself as smart, strong, attractive and a born leader, but is actually neither of those things.
^Matley, D. (2018). “This is NOT a# humblebrag, this is just a# brag”: The pragmatics of self-praise, hashtags and politeness in Instagram posts. Discourse, context & media, 22, 30-38.