People often lash out at others or try to ruin someone else’s day because they have some deeply enrooted insecurities and this is how they try to deal with their lack of confidence. By putting others down, by putting themselves first, they try to prove to themselves (and the world) that they’re better. That they’re worthy of love, attention, and respect.

However, if left unchecked, these insecurities can lead to a miserable life. Both for the entitled and those who are left to pick up the pieces after the chaos.

Psychotherapist Silva Neves, who is based in the United Kingdom, shared with Bored Panda his insights about insecure behavior, how it’s expressed, and (perhaps most importantly) what the cure for it is. He summarized the core of the issue as some people having a mindset that simply screams “I’m not enough!” And that is the root limiting belief that leads to a lot of anguish for a lot of people.

"Insecurity carries the message: 'I'm not enough', 'I'm not good enough,' or even 'I'm worthless.' These are painful beliefs to have about ourselves but many do have those underlying beliefs," the therapist got to the core of the beliefs that many people who are seen as rude, entitled, and angry seem to have. However, not all insecure people behave the same. Individuals who are insecure can behave very differently. While some lash out, others shut themselves off from the world.

“Insecurity can manifest either by making themselves invisible (If I'm not seen, nobody will notice my flaws), or the opposite, by what we call 'bragging': shouting at everybody about how wonderful they are. This is usually to try to persuade to themselves that they are good enough,” Silva told Bored Panda.

"Another way to counter the 'I'm not enough' is by pushing others down, sabotaging other people's success, or attacking people as a way to feel powerful so that they can control their inner pain of 'I'm not enough,’” the therapist explained how some people think and how they attempt to (unsuccessfully) deal with their inner turmoil.

“All of these strategies don't work because what they do is either internalizing or externalizing the belief 'I'm not enough' rather than changing it," he pointed out that they’re trying to treat the symptoms, not the root of the problem.

"The key to becoming more secure is to change the underlying belief 'I'm not enough' to 'I'm enough.’ "The way to do it is with self-compassion,” Silva advocates for an acceptance of one’s own flaws until we fully internalize that we are good enough. That, in turn, leads us to treat other people better.

Insecurities, according to the psychotherapist, often show up in childhood. They entrench themselves in our character as we grow. But, as we mature into adults, we also gain access to the self-awareness and tools to change these underlying negative beliefs.

"Perhaps parents didn't praise children enough, or they paid more attention to the mistakes rather than the successes. As an adult now, people can give themselves a hug once in a while and tell themselves, gently: 'you're doing good,' 'well done,' 'congratulations.' Eventually, the brain will listen and slowly change the message 'I'm not enough' to 'I'm enough,'" he said.

"Rather than shouting your praise at other people, it is about speaking to yourself in a loving way. When people are genuinely aware of their successes, they can become genuinely more confident without the need to impose their power onto others."