Crab Mentality and Tall Poppy Syndrome!

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Crab Mentality

        Crab mentality is a metaphor for the way people react negatively to the success of others. It is named after the behavior of crabs in a bucket, who will try to pull down any crab that tries to escape. The metaphor is often used to describe people who are jealous of others' success and who try to sabotage their progress.

        This type of mentality can be a destructive force in relationships and in the workplace. It can lead to envy, jealousy, and resentment. It can also lead to people trying to undermine each other's success. People who exhibit crab mentality often feel threatened by the success of others. They may feel like they need to put others down in order to make themselves look better. 

        There are a number of things that can contribute to crab mentality. One factor is the feeling of competition. When people feel like they are competing with others, they may be more likely to try to pull others down in order to improve their own chances of success. Another factor is the feeling of envy. When people see others achieving success, they may feel jealous and resentful. This can lead them to try to sabotage the success of others in order to make themselves feel better.

How do you overcome?

There are a number of things that can be done to overcome crab mentality:

  • Understand why you are feeling this way and start addressing it.
  • Focus on the positive aspects of your own life and your achievements. Do not worry about what other people are doing.
  • Surround yourself with positive people. Supportive and encouraging people will help you stay focus on your goals and you will lose the thinking of crab mentality.
  • Be supportive of others and celebrate their successes. 
  • Say Masha Allah when you see others succeed.

        It is also important to remember that everyone is different and that everyone has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Just because someone else is successful does not mean that you are not. If they can do it then you can do it too.

Tall Poppy Syndrome

        Tall Poppy Syndrome is an informal term referring to when a person's success causes them to be attacked, resented, or criticized. Intense scrutiny and criticism of such a person is termed as "Cutting down the tall poppy". It is similar to the crab mentality but it is little more destructive.

        Tall Poppy Syndrome gets its name from a story told about King Tarquin the Proud, the ancient Roman tyrant, by the historian Livy. Tarquin’s son Sextus was infiltrating the leadership in a neighboring city and asked his father what he should do next. Tarquin did not say anything, but went into his garden and cut the heads off all the tallest poppies with his sword. Sextus took that to mean he should destroy the leading aristocrats of the city, which he did. Rome then easily overtook the city.

        Tall poppy syndrome can have a negative impact on people who are successful, as it can make them feel like they are not allowed to be proud of their accomplishments. It can also discourage them from striving for further success, as they may feel like they will be attacked or criticized if they do so.

        There are a few things that people who are successful can do to deal with tall poppy syndrome:

  • Try to ignore the criticism and focus on your own goals. 
  • Surround yourself with supportive people who will encourage you and who will not try to cut you down. 
  • Use your success to inspire others and to make a positive impact on the world.
        Let's us reflect on our behavior as we deal with others and let’s ask ourselves with this question; are we bringing one another up or down? Celebrating the success of others is healthy and we should encourage it more. Nevertheless, to bring one another down is a human behavior and it is not a humane nature. The difference is that it is hard to change a human nature, but a behavior can changed with a little pit of training. 
        It is also important to identify the real victim here. The person with the crab mentality is the one who needs the most help because they might be suffering from a crab mentality or tall poppy syndrome. In the end, it helps to know why certain people behave in certain ways and how you can deal with it.

By: Abdirahman Dahir (Samawade)
Entrepreneur | Activist | SpacesHost 
@AbdiSamawad

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