Every bridge club will have its small quota of fully blown prima donnas , plus others in the making . The reality of this scenario is that these self-appointed messiahs are destined to irritate and annoy the majority of the members , who are unable to deal with their lordly behaviour and histrionics . But what galls most people is that prima donnas have an uncanny knack of insulating themselves from any form of criticism , by over-reacting to even the slightest whiff of it , alleging that they are the innocent victims of inconsiderate and inappropriate threats. By cleverly courting those with power and influence within the club , they are able to obtain all the necessary protection they so desperately need.
So what are giveaway characteristics and traits of budding prima donnas ? The following list will either confirm your own opinions or provide other invaluable insights into these ego-driven individuals.....
- prone to exaggerated self-consideration, being players who demand to be treated with special deference
- often snooty and fussy , resorting to histrionics whenever they fail to get their own way
- temperamental and highly conceited , considering themselves as virtuosos at bridge , claiming their skills and abilities are too deep, superior and special to be wasted on partnering riff-raff
- clearly aware of their own abilities , but always making damn sure everyone else knows too
- whenever confronted by a critical observation , even when it is a generalisation , they will take it as a personal affront
- always on the lookout to make suggestions - solicited or not ( but usually the latter ) - on how to bid and play the cards
- full of dogmatic opinions on all matters relating to bridge , irrespective of the fact that their knowledge in a particular subject area may be severely limited
- even when they are forced to acknowledge a relevant point or worthy argument , they will always start the second half their response with the word " BUT... "
- prone to leave the table ( and possibly the premises ) overs incidents perceived as unwarranted and unprovoked assaults , hoping that others will heap loads of sympathy upon them in a desperate attempt to coax them back
- demand perks and privileges beyond those of ordinary members , expecting at all times to get preferential treatment
- treat everyone in the club with contempt , as well as in contempt , save for the chosen few who they consider to be " enlightened "
- regard themselves as indispensable
- love to rub shoulders with the club's elite, engaging in loud conversations littered with bouts of laughter and celebrity name dropping
- usually smart, but never as smart as they think they are - clearly buried in self-delusion and denial over all their failings and shortcomings
- but too dense to register , show or display empathic feelings for others
- prone to make life miserable for all their partners, never recognising that their style of " pointing out mistakes " is uniformly confrontational, as opposed to constructive and supportive
- display behavioural symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of either paranoia or a persecution complex
- strong tendency to ally themselves to people in the club who have both influence and power , but who are gullible or stupid enough to respond to their beck and call
- possess obsessive compulsive disorders that compels them to write in letters of complaints on every occasion , when other members have even dared to disturb , even slightly , their delicate , oh-so-fragile , highly sensitive , and grossly over-inflated egos
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