This is the core term.
It means someone exaggerates a trait or behavior to cover up an underlying weakness, fear, or insecurity.
- For example, someone who feels powerless might act controlling.
- Someone who feels unworthy might brag about achievements.
- Someone who feels afraid might act aggressive or dominant.
It’s the mind’s way of trying to regain control over internal discomfort.
🪞 2. The Inferiority Complex (Alfred Adler)
Coined by psychologist Alfred Adler, this describes when a person feels deeply inadequate but tries to mask it with superiority or arrogance.
Adler believed these behaviors often come from early experiences of humiliation, comparison, or rejection — and that “acting bigger” is an unconscious way to avoid feeling small.
🐒 3. Dominance Display / Defensive Posturing (Behavioral Neuroscience)
In neuroscience and evolutionary psychology, the “chest puffing” gesture mimics animal dominance displays — seen when the amygdala (fear center) activates, and the body tries to signal strength to deter threat.
It’s not confidence — it’s fear in disguise.
The brain’s stress response (fight-or-flight) makes the body expand and take up space to look powerful.
🧩 4. False Confidence / Narcissistic Compensation
In personality psychology, this can also appear as narcissistic defense — where fragile self-esteem hides behind charm, dominance, or bravado. The person isn’t grounded in real confidence (which comes from security), but rather performing confidence to protect a fragile ego.
Summary:
Psychological name: Overcompensation (rooted in the inferiority complex).
Behavioral description: Defensive posturing or dominance display.
Emotional truth: Fear, shame, or inadequacy masked by exaggerated confidence.
