21 Negative Attitude Examples: (+15 Causes for Negativity)

Everyone has a negative attitude at one point in their life. Sometimes, it can be mental or physical. In any event, you should be aware of negative attitude examples. So, you can avoid them before they hit you.

What is a Negative Attitude?

A negative attitude, also called “negativity,” is a general, negative way of thinking about things. Generally, they are adopted by people with low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence and also arise from fear, anger, or frustration which forms internal conflict within one’s mind.

A person who has a negative attitude is someone who feels things are not going well and will never improve. It is often because their current situation or circumstances aren’t good enough to make them happy about their future.

Table of Contents

What is a Negative Attitude?
What Causes Negative Attitude?
What are Negative Attitude Examples?
Conclusion

What Causes Negative Attitude?

It all starts with how you feel about yourself. They lack self-interest or enthusiasm for something. A person who has a negative attitude usually has low self-esteem is disappointed with life and may sometimes feel hopeless. They find it difficult to move forward in life.

If you don't like yourself, then you can't expect other people to like you — If you don’t like yourself, then you can’t expect other people to like you

These people often complain about the circumstances of their lives, even though those complaints make them who they are. Because they are unwilling to take risks or make changes. After all, they are afraid of failure too.

Negative people do not believe in themselves, their abilities, or the changes that make for the better. They tend to blame others for their problems and accept responsibility for everything that happens to them instead of taking action on any issue in their lives.

There are many factors that can contribute to a person’s negative attitude. Some of the more common ones include:

4 factors that can contribute to a person’s negative attitude

Lack of self-confidence
Lack of motivation
Low self-esteem
Poor communication skills

Let’s talk about one by one.

Negative attitudes are so detrimental to your success

1. Jealousy

Jealousy is a sign of insecurity. It can make you unhappy, and it can lead to bad decisions. A jealous person may lose friends because they don’t trust them or their motives about the other person.

Jealousy is also one of the most common causes of negative attitudes in young people today; however, there are ways to overcome this negative attitude, so that your life doesn’t get consumed by jealousy.

2.Arrogance

Another common cause of negative attitude is arrogance. Individuals with arrogant attitudes feel that they’re better than everyone else around them, which makes them feel superior and entitled to everything they want or need. This can lead to selfishness and a lack of compassion for others’ feelings.

Arrogance also comes from poor communication skills.

These individuals prefer having power over others rather than working together as equals on projects that benefit all involved parties equally, instead of sharing ideas with coworkers or classmates (which would help everyone learn something).

3.Selfishness

Selfishness is the opposite of generosity.

The selfish person will only be concerned with his or her own needs and wants, not the needs of others. They don’t care about how their actions affect others or if there’s a better way to do something that would benefit everyone involved.

They take advantage of people for no reason and don’t even try to think about what could be done differently or better in a situation where it might benefit him/herself as well as another person.

In short, these kinds of people are focused on themselves and not on others, even when they’re being kind. Even though selfishness is bad, there are certain things for which we need to act selfishly. So, remember that being overly selfish is the most dangerous way to harm yourself.

4.Victim Mentality

The victim mentality is a negative attitude often characterized by a sense of helplessness, hopelessness, or passivity. It’s associated with depression and anxiety as well as other mental health problems such as social phobia and panic disorder.

The victim mentality cause due to the person’s belief that they are being treated unjustly by others. For example: “If I don’t get what I ask, then everyone else will think I’m an idiot.”

5.Gossiping

Gossiping is a form of negative attitude. It’s when you judge someone behind their back, and it can be hurtful to others. It is harmful because it makes you feel bad about yourself.

It usually happens when people don’t have any positive things to say about others or themselves. So, they just talk negatively about themselves to feel better about themselves or make themselves feel better by making fun of someone else.

6.Anger

Anger is a natural emotion that can be useful for us but also destructive. It’s normal. But excessive anger can cause so many troubles. Therefore, without getting angry, try as much as to stay calm when interacting with others or toward your actions.

Though anger is a normal emotion people used as a way to express their feelings – as mentioned above it can be categorized under a negative attitude due to the ways people used this emotion (negative attitude examples like torturing others, blaming others for no reason, abusing or criticizing, etc.)

7.Insecurity

Insecurity is a feeling of self-doubt and lack of confidence. It can manifest itself in different ways, but it’s often caused by fear:

Fear of failure
Fear of rejection
Fear of the unknown.

8.Ingratitude

A lack of gratitude is the opposite of a positive attitude. It can lead to depression, low self-esteem, and even negative attitudes about life. Ingratitude also has been linked to many mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and anger.

9.Complaining

Complaining is not a good way to get things done. It’s a waste of time and energy because it doesn’t solve or change anything. Complaining can make you feel worse and make others around you feel worse as well.

If you’re feeling upset about something in your life or making mistakes; don’t go around complaining by yourself. Instead, find a way to get away from that situation or a solution for the cause of the upset.

10.Excuses

Excuses are a way to avoid taking responsibility for your actions, or any situation for that matter. They allow you to avoid making changes, be accountable and be honest with yourself.

Excuse #1: “I don’t have enough time in my day”

This excuse is used when someone has no other reason than they just don’t want to do something. It usually comes from someone who doesn’t feel like they can complete their tasks on time.

So they use it as an excuse not only to justify their laziness but also because they think others will find this acceptable behavior if they admit it out loud enough times.

Excuse #2: “I don’t know how” (or any variation thereof)

11.Procrastination

Procrastination is the thief of time. Procrastination can be a form of laziness, fear, and self-sabotage. That can be one of the terrible attitudes that hinder your journey to success.

Laziness: The feeling that you don’t want to do something will cause you not to do it at all. If you’re tired, if there’s work piling up on your desk or in front of your computer screen (like an upcoming deadline), then maybe procrastination feels like the easiest option when faced with these situations. The feeling of perfectionism also caused procrastination.

12.Cynicism

Cynicism is a negative attitude towards others. Cynics are pessimistic and cynical about the motives of others. They believe people have selfishness and self-interest rather than acting in the best interest of all parties involved.

It can be hard for people to see what is going on when they’re in an abusive situation because their brain has been conditioned to see abuse as normal from other people around them.

13.Judgmental

Judging others is a negative attitude which is a combination of signs of negative attitudes. It is –

A sign of low self-esteem.
A sign of insecurity.
A sign of arrogance.
A sign of jealousy and selfishness

14.Lazy

A lazy person is someone who lacks motivation and makes excuses for not doing something they should be doing. Laziness is not a good trait because it leads you to lose friends and opportunities in life.

If you’re lazy, then there are probably other reasons why your attitude is negative.

15. Impatience

Irritability is one of the most common causes of a negative attitude, and impatience is one of its most obvious symptoms.

Impatience can be defined as a lack of self-control or a desire for immediate gratification. When someone feels impatient they often try to get things done quickly. So that they can move on with their lives even though the process is full of bad decisions. Impatience also makes us less likely to take advantage of opportunities when they arise.

If you’re like most people, you have a few negative attitudes that are so detrimental to your success, relationships, and outlook on life. Avoid them as much as you can before they’ll bring you down.

What are Negative Attitude Examples?

Negative attitudes can affect people’s health by making them feel depressed or anxious. If you have a bad day and then go home, you might find yourself in bed crying because you don’t want to face another day of hardship and failure. A quick fix for your negative attitude might be to take up some kind of hobby like reading or writing poetry or doing something creative on the weekends.

So, let’s find some negative attitudes examples and how to avoid negative attitudes or overcome those characteristics of negative attitudes in your life.

1. You’re Being Negative to Yourself.

One of the most common negative attitude examples is being negative toward yourself. You may have a great day at work, but instead of telling yourself what you did right, you may focus on all that went wrong. This will usually lead to self-doubt and low self-esteem.

If you have a negative attitude, it will show in your actions and words. You might be angry. Your attitude will affect how people see you on the job and in life. When you’re feeling bad about yourself you can’t see whether it’s time to do something different or not.

When you’re being negative to yourself, it’s time to change your attitude

2.You’re Lacking Confidence.

You can see how having a negative attitude towards yourself will prevent you from being able to do anything effectively. You might even feel like giving up completely because there’s no point in trying when your confidence is so low.

3.You’re Not Proud of Yourself.

When you don’t give yourself credit or proud about your successes, it can lead to low self-esteem which leads to low motivation and decreased performance.

4.You’re Not Forgiving Yourself or Others.

Forgiving yourself or others is not saying it was okay. It’s about letting go of the past and moving on, not dragging the past into the present, and not holding onto anger, resentment, or bitterness.

If your attitude is holding you back, it may be time to try some new approaches

Forgiveness isn’t just about forgiving someone who hurt you. It’s also about accepting yourself as you are today and becoming more forgiving towards others in your life who may have harmed you in some way through their actions.

5.You’re Blaming Others for Your Mistakes.

Blaming others for your mistakes is a negative attitude that forms of self-pity. Instead of taking responsibility for your actions, you blame someone else. This type of thinking makes you seem untrustworthy because it shows that you’re unwilling to take accountability for what happens in your life and the surrounding lives.

6.You’re Never Happy with What You Have.

I’m not sure what’s going on with your attitude, but it’s making you miserable. You may have a lot of things going for you and still feel stuck.

I know it’s hard to let go of the past and move on but try focusing on what you do have instead f what you don’t. There are always new opportunities waiting around the corner.

If there is anything in your life that makes you feel good, then start working on that right now. You can find happiness anywhere if you look for it. Be positive

7.You Don’t Believe in Yourself.

There are many reasons for this, but one of them is fear of failure. You see, if you’re not afraid of failure, then you’re probably going to try things even though you won’t succeed. In short, your attitude to failure will determine your success or failure in life.

If you have a negative attitude towards failure and think that it’s just something that happens to other people nothing will change for the better.

If you want to change your life in a better way; you need to start believing in yourself and stop being negative about what could happen if you take a risk or try something new.

8.You’re Complaining All the Time.

You tend to blame others for your problems instead of taking responsibility for them. Others may not be able to help you with your problems, but that doesn’t mean you should put all the blame on them either.

You can’t make good decisions because you always focus on what could go wrong. And worry about things that may never happen or look at the past and see what went wrong instead of looking ahead at what could go right.

9.You’re Rejecting Successful People

Maybe another person who achieved success in your field of interest makes you feel inferior. Perhaps their accomplishments have made them seem “too good” and make it seem like they don’t have any weaknesses. Whatever the case is the negative attitudes will prevent you from achieving success.

Read more to find secrets for your success: 11 Effective Secrets of Successful Lives

10.You Feel Like You’re Always Right.

You believe your opinions are always correct, so you can’t understand why anyone would disagree with you about anything. You might even argue with people who disagree with you, even if they have valid points worth considering.

Change is scary for these types of people, who tend to cling to what they know instead of embracing new things that might challenge their beliefs or behaviors.

11.You See Only the Negative in Every Situation.

If you’re someone who sees only the negative in every situation, the bad instead of the good, the wrong instead of right, your brain is working against you and your happiness will suffer. You need to look for the good in everything around you and appreciate what you have.

12.You Have No Plans for The Future.

When you plan the future, you are not only taking responsibility for that future but also preparing yourself for it.

If you do not plan for the future and make no preparations, you are likely to be surprised by the events of your life. Which can cause stress, anxiety, and possibly even depression.

You must make plans for the future so that when unexpected events happen in your life such as getting fired or losing your job, you will still have a plan to fall back on as a way to deal with these situations.

13.You Think you’re a Perfectionist.

You may have heard that perfection is the enemy of good enough. That’s true, but that doesn’t mean you should stop striving for perfection. It just means you must be realistic about what can be achieved and how long it will take.

When you think you are a perfectionist, you expect the best of yourself and others. But also judge harshly when you don’t get it. You expect to be perfect, even though it is hard to let go of mistakes and other imperfections. It can also make you feel like a failure if something doesn’t go well.

One thing you can do to stop being a perfectionist is to stop thinking you’re a perfectionist. If people ask how you feel about your work, say it’s good enough, even if that means the work isn’t perfect.

If people say something doesn’t look good enough, don’t let them talk you out. But if there is some advice for your improvement, take it and do better.

14.You’re Making Excuses for Failure.

You’re making excuses for failure and having a bad attitude about it. You may be trying to look back at the past and find reasons why you failed at something or broke up with someone, but it won’t help you in the present moment. People who make excuses don’t take responsibility for their feelings and behaviors, which means they don’t learn from their mistakes.

15.You’re Afraid Fear of Rejection and Conflicts from Trying New Things.

Your fears are making the most of your life holding you back. Your fears are holding you from moving forward, being more productive, and achieving your goals.

You need to start being honest with yourself about your fears. They can be either helpful or not. But if you want to move forward, then you need to face that fear and do something about it.

16.You Don’t Listen to Others and Hear What They’re Saying.

You don’t listen to others and hear what they’re saying. You don’t take other people’s opinions seriously.

You are a know-it-all, but you know nothing. You think you have a good understanding of the fundamentals, but you know nothing in particular.

You don’t take time to understand others’ points of view. You think you already know everything, so your opinions aren’t open to questioning or discussion.

You don’t listen to feedback from others. So you don’t ask for their input when making decisions about improving yourself or your business.

That’s how people who have negative attitudes act when refusing to listen to others.

17.You’re Comparing Yourself with Others.

Whether it’s a co-worker or someone you see on TV, you look for the negative aspects of other people. You see their flaws and make them your own.

You have an unrealistic expectation of what to do in a certain situation. For example, if there is a task that requires you to do something, but you think it should be done better than someone else, then you feel bad about yourself because they are more capable than you.

The first thing to recognize is that you are comparing yourself with others. You may have done this for years, but it’s time to stop. You can be happy with who you are and where your life is going. Instead of comparing yourself with others.

If you find yourself comparing, try to compare the person with who you are yesterday or a year before. Then ask yourself if there is something else you can do instead of comparing yourself with others.

18.You’re Surrounding Yourself with Negative-Minded People.

The majority of people around you are constantly talking about themselves and their problems. They tell you how hard it is to be them and how nobody understands them. But it’s not real because they don’t understand them either.

You’re letting your negative attitude shape how you view the world around you. As negative people feed only on the negativity, they make it difficult for anyone around them to be positive.

Negative people love to talk about themselves and their problems, but they don’t want to listen to someone else’s problems or listen to what they have to say about their situation. They only want feedback that agrees with what they already know is true.

19.You See Yourself as A Victim.

You see yourself as a victim of your circumstances. You may feel powerless over your situation as no matter what you do, things will always be the same. You may also be afraid to take any action because you might not be able to handle the consequences.

You may feel that life is unfair or that there are no rules for success or happiness. You may think that people around you always have it easier, and they have more control over their lives than you do.

Look at your life and think about how much has been taken from you. Think about how much control you have lost. Don’t feel bad about it, just accept that this is the way things are and that this is a fact of your life.

20.You’re Afraid of Change.

You may have a hard time letting go of old habits and behaviors that you feel comfortable with, even when they no longer serve you well. It may feel safer to stay in your comfort zone than to try something new and unknown.

If you are honest with yourself, then others will be able to see that in you too

You might not like the idea of changing, but if there is no other choice, you need to make a change. The only way that change will occur is if you make a decision and take action on it.

21.You Don’t Have a Positive or Strong Mindset.

You don’t have a positive or strong mindset. You always expect the worst to happen. You are always pessimistic about everything and find reasons for why things won’t work. You are so negative that you make others feel bad about themselves because of their circumstances. It’s hard to be around you because your negativity is contagious.

A negative mindset can cause many problems when it comes to the way that you handle yourself. It can cause you to feel bad about yourself and your ability until it grows self-doubt. It may also make it hard for you to see the good in other people, situations, and also in yourself. Therefore, a negative mindset leads to unhappiness with themselves, which can cause them to feel frustrated and angry at the world around them.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. I wanted to create a resource that is helpful for people to avoid these negative patterns and increase their positivity. I think the most important thing is to recognize when you’re becoming a victim of these attitudes and try to pay attention so that you can change your behavior before it becomes a habit or worse.

Reference – Negative Attitude: Concept and Consequences

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