People Who Lack Class Often Think These 11 Things Are Great Ideas
They care more about their social status than building true connections.
Dodokat | Shutterstock It's impossible to ignore the nuances between wealth and "classiness," considering they're rooted in each other. We often define and characterize social classes by their collective behaviors and mindsets, sometimes linking generosity and empathy with how much money a person has. However, true classiness doesn't have anything to do with money — you can't buy empathy or use money as a vehicle to heighten social perceptions of you.
Yet, people who lack class often think these things are great ideas. They flaunt their wealth, overspend to seek out validation, and even embarrass other people for the sake of boosting their own superiority. A person's lack of class may look different each day, but you can almost automatically assume that there are hints of entitlement, self-centeredness, and narcissism rooted deeply in their personalities.
People who lack class often think these 11 things are great ideas
1. Correcting people in public
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When other people correct people in public, "fix" their grammar, or call them out to spark embarrassment, you can almost always assume they don't have good intentions. They're more interested in attention or proving their own worth than in protecting people's feelings and well-being in social situations.
People who lack class will do these things often, trying to gain attention or "prove" to people that they're smart, funny, or intelligent, often at the expense of the people around them.
2. Wearing loud, obnoxious designer clothes
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While wearing loud, obnoxious name-brand clothing and clearly designer pieces can be a way for an unclassy person to flaunt their wealth, it's not always the validation-seeking win they believe it to be. For most people, this kind of style comes across as arrogant, especially when it's always flaunted or a centerpiece of casual conversation for people looking for attention.
Of course, for the most part, a person who lacks class often prioritizes certain internal behaviors and cognitive tendencies — like lacking perspective or empathy for others — but their self-expression and style may be equally representative of their class.
3. Name-dropping for status
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While some psychology experts suggest that name-dropping in certain situations can improve self-image by association, for the most part, it's a tendency that backfires. Not only is it rooted in a place of chronic insecurity and low self-esteem, but it also sabotages personal perception in group situations.
According to organizational psychologist Liane Davey, name-dropping "always reveals the same thing, which is that one doesn't feel their accomplishments, or personal brand, speak for itself, so they try to heighten their brand by associating with one that's much stronger."
4. Being overconfident when they don't know something
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People who are consistently overconfident, even in conversations and situations where they don't know something, tend to be compensating for their own need for attention and validation. They think that coming across as more confident or being louder in a group of people convinces others that they're skilled or worthy of attention, when in reality, they're actually perceived as more incompetent.
Of course, the most overconfident, unclassy people also tend to be the least skilled and accurate. They're compensating for insecurity, which protects them from a fleeting sense of discomfort, but sabotages their ability to learn from others, take accountability, and ask thoughtful questions.
5. Oversharing online for attention
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According to a study from Psychological Science, people who consistently overshare online are often anxious, insecure, and looking for attention. They're always bragging about goals before achieving them, flaunting their wealth, and carefully curating their feeds to make sure everyone feels slightly envious of their lifestyle, even if it's completely false.
While people who lack class may believe it's a great idea for a fleeting moment of attention, experts consistently argue that this tendency to overshare can have many consequences. From safety concerns from strangers online to isolating people from healthy connections, it's just not worth it.
6. Over-tipping when people are paying attention
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People who weaponize their money for validation or use it to "show off" in a group of people are inherently unclassy. They don't actually tip servers to show their appreciation or to help them, but instead to make sure everyone knows they have a ton of money in their bank account.
Overspending for validation from others almost always comes across as rude and arrogant, but people who lack class think it's a great idea.
7. One-upping people in conversations
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We often find healthy connections and conversation with others when we relate to them, but the line between shared experiences and one-upping is often vague and confusing for someone who lacks class.
According to a University of Michigan study, people want you to share these experiences to connect, but when you're one-upping them for the sake of "stealing the spotlight" or sharing more exciting, more impressive accomplishments to promote your social perception, others only feel invalidated and let down.
People who lack class often think these things are great ideas in conversation. They don't mind breaking down someone else's attention in a conversation or invalidating their excitement, especially if it leads to a boost in their own status and attention.
8. Flashing their accomplishments for validation
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Many inherently unclassy people lack a certain level of humility, whether it revolves around their intellect, status, or money. They flash their accomplishments for validation and flaunt their money, even if it isolates them from true, healthy connections.
According to a study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, flaunting things like goods or money often backfires, encouraging people to perceive you as more arrogant and selfish than the average person. Unclassy people only care about themselves, and in conversations or social interactions, it's easy to tell.
9. Making fun of other people
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People who lack class always seek validation, attention, and praise, even if it means bringing other people down to achieve it. Whether it's making fun of someone's outfit or calling them out to evoke feelings of shame and embarrassment, they're more worried about framing themselves by a certain narrative than offering respect and empathy to others.
Of course, not every unclassy person is a narcissist, but many of the behaviors they both indulge in overlap. They're cynical and sarcastic — using humor to hurt others, without feeling the pressure to take accountability for the actions that hurt others.
10. Ignoring the rules
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People who lack class don't play by the rules, whether they're unwritten or actual legal laws. They feel entitled to everyone's time, space, and energy, even if it means crossing boundaries and disobeying the law.
According to a study from Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, entitled people often seek status in misguided and unfortunate ways. They believe that they're above the rules, just because of who they are as a person, and believe that "proving" that — by leaving their cart in the grocery store parking lot or demanding service after a last call — is their way of exemplifying that status.
People who lack class only care about themselves most of the time. They seek status and validation for their sense of superiority, only at the expense of everyone else around them.
11. Assuming money equates to class
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People who lack class almost always assume that their wealth or bank account accounts for a level of classiness that other people lack, even if that couldn't be farther from the truth. You can't buy class — it comes from an internal level of emotional intelligence, empathy, and knowledge that takes work and intention to build.
Maybe you can buy privileges, attire to "fit in," or a level of knowledge, but you certainly can't buy the manners or grace it takes to get along well with others.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
