My take on confidence

I just had a highdea about confidence, and wondered what you all would think:
what we call confidence is really a measure of how certain someone is that they won't be kicked out of their "tribe". Everyone (well normies anyway) has a tribe. For some it's family, for some it's a particular group of friends, for some it really is their coworkers.
Now, getting kicked out doesn't necessarily mean you won't be present in the same space, such as work or home, but that you won't really be emotionally connected with that group anymore.

So, people who are very confident feel like they could do very little to be ostracized by their "tribe". In their mind, it's not even really a possibility, or even something that they think about. They think of embarrassment as something that is experienced in a particular moment and then forgotten about, because that's how it usually works for them. They may not think about it on a conscious level, but they know that their place in the tribe is set.
On the other end of the spectrum, without falling off the social scene altogether, are the really nervous types. They've almost certainly been kicked out or kept out of several tribes in their life, be it family, kids at school, clubs, jobs, college classes, whatever. Being excluded again is a very real possibility to them, because they've experienced it often. In their mind, they are always one or two social missteps away from being cut off from what little social contact they have. They experience embarrassment as the beginning of the process of losing their place. It may not actually be the case, but that's how it feels.

From an evolutionary standpoint, I think this makes sense:
For a hunter-gatherer era woman,
A solidified member of a group is a safe bet, so confidence is sexy and attractive.
Being an outcast means a lot more of a struggle to survive, and less of a support network of others, so nervousness/timidity is a turn off.

idk, it's probably dumb or is summed up better elsewhere.

Posted Mar 2, 2017, 8:48 AM UTC

33
idevcg•

Hmm. This is an really interesting thought. The more I think about it, the more it seems to make sense.

My personal experience might be kind of unique, but it certainly has something to do with what you said. When I was little, I was fairly popular. I had friends. I don't know how, they just came naturally.

But if I really pinpoint the turning point of when I started to gradually become FA, I think the very beginning of it was when I was in grade 5.

At the time, I was still fairly popular. There weren't any "tribes" I wasn't a part of that I wanted to be a part of, nor would anyone ever kick me out of my friends circle. However, there was a kid who was a loner. The sad thing is, he probably has a girlfriend now... but anyway...

I am a very sympathetic person. I felt really bad that he was left out, and other kids didn't like playing with him. So I actively tried to play with him more, to have him join in our games.

I wasn't kicked out of my friend circle or anything like that. But if I think about it, it's really about me rejecting the "tribe", and not wanting it to work the way it did. Gradually, I ended up excluding myself from these "tribes", and eventually, I didn't know how to join in anymore even if I wanted to.

2
Sir_Slurpsalot•

Well confidence was seen as being a man. A good, firm handshake, eye to eye, no pain, etc.

Confidence is many things, but honestly it goes hand in hand with motivation. I lack motivation therfore I lack confidence.

1
rovad_•

I think its moreso you knowing the tribe needs YOU more than you need the tribe. If you have something to bring to the table, then you can rest easy that you wont be kicked out, and if you are you can easily find another one to join. It'd be their loss essentially. If we translate this to romance, the number one thing you bring to the table is genes, and its incredibly hard to hide genetic inadequacies, especially for men. But I liked your write up man, it made me think.

1