Psychotype with delusions of grandeur. The most well-known types of megalomania are

Megalomania- this is a type of behavior or self-consciousness of a person, expressed in an extreme degree of overestimation of his fame, importance, popularity, genius, political influence, wealth, power, up to omnipotence. Delusions of grandeur are synonyms - delusions of grandeur and megalomania, translated from Greek μεγαλο means exaggerated or very large, and μανία - madness, passion.

In everyday life, non-professional people often mistakenly use the term "megalomania", and understand it as an elevated, inadequate mood, marked by increased motor activity, accelerated speech and thinking. So mania is considered in psychiatry.

In modern psychiatry, megalomania is not classified as a separate mental disorder, but is considered as a manifestation of one of the mental disorders. For example, as an integral part of a manic syndrome or a symptom complex, in which delusions are possible when mania reaches a severe degree with psychotic symptoms.

What is delusions of grandeur? This condition in psychiatry is not considered as an independent disease, but as a symptom of another pathological condition that is associated with a mental disorder.

Delusions of grandeur often appear with paranoid disorders and an inferiority complex. Signs of megalomania are manifested in the fact that he concentrates all his thoughts on personal exclusivity and importance for society. As a result, all the conversations and actions of a sick person are aimed at alerting others about their own genius and uniqueness.

Causes of megalomania

The reasons lie in the symptoms of paranoid disorder or manic-depressive psychosis. Often such a state occurs with various, and affective. A similar disorder can manifest itself after a traumatic brain injury and a complication of progressive paralysis.

There are the following reasons for the development of this condition

hereditary predisposition. If one of the parents has a similar disease, then it is most likely that it will also occur in the child;
drug and alcohol addiction, syphilis;

Symptoms of megalomania

There are several stages in the development of this condition. The initial stage of formation is characterized by primary symptoms that are hardly noticeable to the surrounding people. Over time, there is a further progression of the megalomania syndrome, which leads to vivid clinical manifestations and to, as well as the development of dementia.

For such a state, the denial by the individual of the irrationality of his behavior is inherent. The patient is really sure that his judgments are the only true ones and all other personalities enthusiastically must agree with him. But not always the symptoms of megalomania manifest themselves with an accompanying delusional disorder and obsessive attempts to inspire others with their point of view. Often this disorder manifests itself with increased activity. This condition is inherent in, in which the phases alternate with episodes of mania. In the manic phase, the individual is completely confident in his own exclusivity, remains full of strength and energy, practically does not feel tired, he increases. A person in this state not only exalts his own ideas and thoughts, but also demands from those around him a similar attitude that elevates his personality.

The symptoms of this disorder are characterized by emotional instability, violent activity can be abruptly replaced by passivity, and a joyful mood by depression. These mood swings are, in most cases, impossible to control. Patients have a sharply negative attitude to any criticism. Sometimes the patient in his address ignores any comments, and it happens that he answers them and refuses to categorically accept someone else's opinion and help.

People with this mania are disturbed by sleep disturbances. Due to constant nervous excitement and increased activity, the symptoms of the disorder often include insomnia, anxious and superficial sleep. In severe cases, patients experience manifestations of depression, thoughts about and even attempts to commit suicide. Individuals often show marked exhaustion, both physical and mental.

Separately, it is necessary to consider the following variant of the course of the disease - severe depressive disorder with suicidal tendencies. There can be several reasons for the development of depression. If we are talking about a patient with bipolar disorder, then with such a disorder, mania is replaced by depression. This is a characteristic course of the disease. Often, severe depression can arise as a result of a person's loss of reason to consider himself the best. The moment of the collapse of ideas about personal exclusivity, as a rule, is extremely difficult for patients to endure. A depressed mood can appear as a result of physical and nervous exhaustion of the body.

Megalomania is often manifested not only by the perception of criticism, but also by the denial, as such, of someone else's point of view. Patients with a similar mental disorder often tend to commit absolutely irrational and dangerous acts, completely unresponsive and not listening to the advice of others and loved ones.

It should be noted that in women megalomania is found much less frequently than in men, and this disorder in the representatives of the male part of the population proceeds more aggressively. Often the matter is in trying to convey your ideas to the environment and convince them that you are right, it can come to physical violence.

In women, the disease often takes the form of erotomania and is much milder. Usually the fair sex is convinced that they are the object of someone's ardent love and passion. Their mania extends to the object known and public.

Often, individual types of these disorders include signs of various delusional states, which are classified in clinical practice into separate forms.

Megalomania in paraphrenic delusions has pronounced fantastic features and is often combined with depersonalization personality disorder and persecution mania. The clinical picture can be supplemented by the patient's pathological fantasies related to his uniqueness.

For example, the patient tells about his great deeds-fables, which often take quite fantastic forms. A person may claim that he must save the world, or that he is constantly being watched from space, and so on.

A megalomaniac may turn out to be a famous person, as in the case of the eminent mathematician John Nash, who turned down a prestigious academic post on the grounds that he was to be crowned Emperor of Antarctica.

Less common is the type of delusional disorder that is accompanied by megalomania and is the so-called messianic delusion. A person in this state imagines himself to be Jesus or appears to be his follower. There have been cases in history when, with a similar disorder, individuals became famous and gathered followers of their own cult.

The greatest danger to the people around them is presented by patients who suffer from Manichaean delusional disorder. Megalomania in this case is expressed in the fact that the sick person imagines himself to be the defender of the world from the forces of good and evil. This is often seen in schizophrenia.

How to communicate with a person with delusions of grandeur? This question is of interest to relatives and the immediate environment. In dealing with such an individual, you should demonstrate your interest. It would be wise to show the person that their opinion is valued. Talking with the patient, you should devote enough time and attention to this conversation. At the end of the conversation, regardless of the personal relationship, you need to thank for the expressed thoughts. It would be right to demonstrate trust in such a person. If the patient sees that he is trusted, then this will be able to confirm his sense of self-worth and gain self-confidence, and the interlocutor to avoid aggressive behavior towards him.

Treatment of megalomania

A mental disorder with megalomania should be treated in a timely manner so that a depressive episode does not develop.

How to get rid of delusions of grandeur? This disorder is not completely cured, but the treatment of the underlying disease is very important, which is individually selected in each case and helps to slightly alleviate the symptoms that appear.

Depending on the cause that caused mania in a person, neuroleptics, tranquilizers, sedatives are prescribed, and specific psychotherapy is carried out.

Since the patient is not able to realize the seriousness of his condition, forced therapy may be required. With such a need, the patient is placed in a psychoneurological dispensary and already in a hospital, treatment is carried out.

There are many stable stereotypes around megalomania. People who consider themselves Napoleon, Suvorov and other famous historical figures are mistakenly perceived as suffering from the delusions of grandeur. However, in reality, this symptom is a manifestation of a delusional hallucinatory disorder. The delusions of grandeur itself belong to the category of complex mental disorders, which manifest themselves in the form of an excessive exaggeration of various qualities and personality traits. This symptom accompanies the development of many mental illnesses. It is important to note that the majority of patients deny the fact of an unnatural state, since they are firmly convinced of the exclusivity of their personality and the presence of an important purpose in society. . Let's look at what megalomania is and how it manifests itself in more detail.

Delusions of grandeur - a feature of self-consciousness and behavior of a person, characterized by an extremely pronounced reassessment of its significance

The occurrence of pathological changes in the personality of the patient, lead to the concentration of all thoughts on their exclusivity and importance for the social environment. This peculiarity in the perception of the surrounding world leads to the fact that all actions performed have only one goal - the universal recognition of the value of the individual. A person in this state wants as many people as possible to know that he is unique.

Being under the power of pathology, a person cannot accept the simple fact that people are not even aware of his existence. Many patients claim that thoughts are born in their minds that can turn the modern idea of \u200b\u200bthe structure of the world. Such a person thinks that each of his environment should adhere to his views on life and spread his “teachings”. It is important to pay attention to the fact that it is almost impossible to convince a person with megalomania that in the real world all their undertakings are not of exceptional importance. Such people try to strengthen their power and influence on others as much as possible.

Clinical picture

Of course, not in all cases, delusions of grandeur have such a vivid manifestation. Expressed delirium and obsessive attempts to instill one's worldview in others are characteristic only for complex forms of the course of the disease. Symptoms and signs of megalomania include:

Frequent changes in mood. Psychomotor agitation may alternate with emotional stupor, bouts of euphoria with depressive disorder, and active physical activity may turn into inactivity. According to experts, these changes in mood are not controlled by the patient, which often provokes the occurrence of various complications.
Increased physical activity. Megalomania often manifests as manic episodes of bipolar personality disorder. The symptoms of these conditions are highly interrelated. One of the manifestations of this connection is the attempts to promote their ideas, combined with increased energy and lack of fatigue.
Excessively high level of self-esteem. Combined with incredible ideas, sufferers often elevate their social and personal status. This leads to the emergence of requirements of a respectful attitude towards one's own personality. According to experts, such people suffer from a thirst for power and require a servile attitude towards themselves.
Sleep problems. The occurrence of insomnia and other sleep disorders can be explained by excessive physical activity. The influx of crazy ideas and thoughts can lead to disruption of the process of falling asleep. In addition, excessive energy implies less need for rest.
Negative attitude towards criticism. Remarks made about the ideas and personality of the patient can cause a negative reaction. Such attempts can be either ignored or rudely suppressed at the very beginning of the dialogue.
Problems with the perception of someone else's point of view. Most patients have a negative attitude not only to criticism and comments, but also to the presence of their own point of view among the people around them. Most of them try to avoid other people's advice, even in the case when the actions taken may cause danger to the health of the patient.

Delusion of grandeur is a mental disorder, one of the forms of delusion

Symptoms of megalomania in men are manifested in the form of excessive aggression. Constructive criticism can elicit physical rudeness and violence in response. According to experts, the pathology in question in men manifests itself in the form of excessive activity, perseverance and an expansive expansion of the circle of influence. In an effort to take a dominant role, such men use any means to neutralize their rivals.

The pathology under consideration, which occurs in the fair sex, is characterized by a milder manifestation, which is expressed in the complete absence of aggression. A feature of this form of the disease is the desire to achieve certain heights in various areas of life. Quite often, pathology takes the form of erotomanic delusions, which manifests itself in the form of statements that a famous person was in love with this woman. It is important to pay attention to the fact that during the course of the disease there are episodes during which the depressive disorder is so severe that it leads to thoughts of suicide.

Causes and risk group

Research scientists have revealed that there are certain factors that increase the risk of developing delusions of grandeur. According to scientists, people suffering from schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis have a high probability of developing the disease.

In addition, the risk of developing pathology increases in the presence of drug and alcohol addiction, as well as craniocerebral injuries suffered in childhood. The presence of a history of syphilis also puts a person at risk, predisposed to the occurrence of delusions of grandeur. In addition to all of the above, the development of the disease can be triggered by vivid psychotraumatic situations.

As an independent disease, delusions of grandeur has certain features in its course. Such features include the alternation of the following signs:
At the first stages of development, the symptoms of the disease are mild, due to which the pathology is similar to the accentuation of the character.

In a more acute form, delusional thoughts appear, where ideas about greatness are clearly traced.
At the stage of decompensation, depressive symptoms predominate, accompanied by signs of depletion of the mental and physical resources of the body.

A person suffering from this mental disorder is characterized by a painful desire to stand out from the general environment, to be exceptional, important

Separate forms of mental disorder

There are several separate types of delusional states that manifest themselves in the form of megalomania. In psychiatry, these types of delusional states are distinguished into separate forms.

Paraphrenic form of delusion. This type of pathology manifests itself in the form of fantastic ideas that are combined with delusions of influence and persecution. This form of pathology is characterized by depersonalization and mental automatism, arising on the basis of a state of euphoria and manic affect.

According to experts, this type of pathology is one of the complications of paranoid disorder, which is characterized by thoughts about external influences. Among the symptoms of the disease, one should single out crazy ideas based on the exclusivity of the individual and the tendency to interpret various facts in the direction of one's own exclusivity. Many people suffering from this disorder often make up various facts in their biography. It is important to understand that such fantasies have a high scope and are unlikely. At certain stages, delusions of persecution can transform into other forms that are based on ideas associated with greatness.

According to the patients, their task is to save humanity through space exploration or the search for cures for all diseases. Some patients are in the firm belief that they are familiar to every person, and even transport or trees growing on the street. They may offer them assistance in various activities and undertakings. In parallel with this, delusions of persecution arise, which is expressed in the form of confidence about surveillance from space, the influence of radiation unknown to science and other ways of negative impact.

Messianic form of delusion. A less common disease, the carriers of which often became the subject of general discussion. Many people suffering from this type of pathology are firmly convinced that they are one of the forms of reincarnation of pagan deities or a new form of incarnation of Jesus Christ. Such individuals often establish various sects and gather around themselves admirers of their own teachings.

Manichaean form of delusion. This pathology can be characterized as a struggle between good and evil in the mind of the patient. These roles can be tried on by people and evil spirits, angels and demons, or representatives of different political directions. The result of this struggle may be the complete destruction of our planet. According to the patient, his task is to counteract this "war". This form of pathology has a characteristic resemblance to the acute stage of the course of schizophrenia. Patients with this form of mental disorder present high level danger to yourself and those around you.

Patients with delusions of grandeur consider themselves special, possessing rare talents, power, wealth, etc.

Complications of megalomania

One of the most common complications of the course of pathology is the development of a depressive disorder, combined with a tendency to suicide. According to psychiatrists, there are several factors that provoke the occurrence of this condition. One of the main triggers for depression is a manic episode during bipolar disorder. The strength of the manifestation of mania has Negative influence on the severity of perception and a decrease in energy reserves in the body.

The emergence of depression may be facilitated by the disappearance of grounds for the further development of delusions of grandeur. After a certain period of time, the patient realizes all the fantasticness of his ideas and actions. Women suffering from delusions of grandeur, which manifests itself in the form of confidence in their own external data, begin to notice that they are becoming less and less popular among men. Awareness of the fact of one's mediocrity and low significance leads to thoughts about ending one's life with the help of suicide.

In addition to all of the above, a negative contribution to the development of depression is made by the wasteful use of internal energy resources. At the end of the active period of manic disorder, the patient experiences a sharp decline in strength. This period is characterized by disappointment in one's own beliefs, which leads to the appearance of signs of mania "turned inside out". This condition manifests itself in the form of a decrease in self-esteem, a feeling of uselessness and low significance for others.

The final depressive disorder leads to attempts to commit suicide, which indicates the importance of timely medical intervention in the course of the disease.

Patients are not aware of their mental problems, and therefore do not seek medical help.

Treatment Methods

Delusions of grandeur pose a high danger to the health of the patient due to the high likelihood of developing a depressive disorder and the occurrence of a tendency to suicide. It is important to pay attention to the fact that this pathology is practically not amenable to complete cure. An individual approach is selected for each patient, where the treatment strategy is aimed at reducing the severity of the symptoms of the pathology.

For the selection of methods for correcting the mental state, it is very important to identify the cause of the occurrence of delusional thoughts. The composition of complex therapy includes the use of drugs from the category of sedatives and neuroleptics, in combination with tranquilizers and methods of mental correction.

Since most patients are unable to recognize the presence of mental problems, in the case of this disease, compulsory treatment is required. If necessary, the patient is placed in a psycho-neurological hospital, where mental disorders are corrected.

Megalomania, or delusions of grandeur (in everyday life - "megalomania") is not an independent mental illness, but can be included in the form of delusional ideas in other mental disorders (paranoia, schizophrenia, paraphrenia, manic syndrome, bipolar disorder ...).

Delirium, “Megalomania”, happens in the form of a grandiose fantastic exaggeration or grandiose absurdity in self-consciousness, thinking (speech) and human behavior.

Usually a person with some kind of psychotic disorder and with "delusions of grandeur" overestimates his importance too inadequately, almost to the point of omnipotence in any area of life.

These people may have obsessive delusions about various topics related to their super-important and super-important personality, for example:

delusion of belonging: to a noble family, a famous dynasty ..., a great nation ...
Delusions of wealth: the patient can be absolutely sure that he is very rich ... for example, a homeless person can consider himself a rich person with several thousand in his pocket - which looks plausible. Other nonsense can be obviously ridiculous and absurd, for example, a person can claim that he is the owner of the gold mines of the whole world ...
Delirium of ingenuity- this is when a person with megalomania is convinced that he has invented something super-significant for humanity, for example, an elixir of youth, a time machine, a perpetual motion machine ...
Delusion of love- with this kind of crazy ideas, the patient can be sure that a very famous, noble, important person is in love with him ...
Delusions of reformism- such a person will confidently prove about any theory developed by him, upon implementation of which something very significant for all mankind will happen

Signs of megalomania

The main symptoms and signs of megalomania are based primarily on egocentrism sick.

Such a person can either make the interlocutor laugh with his ridiculous and inadequate statements about his importance and significance, or he can make him angry (when he is too intrusive, focusing on his EGO).

It becomes impossible to communicate with an egocentric who in every possible way gets hung up only on his “I”. His megalomania manifests itself in almost everything.

The only way to interact with him is to agree with his delusional ideas and support his ego (but this is only in order not to provoke conflict and his aggression, which may result from your fending off his ideas).

In no case should you convince a person with megalomania - it is absolutely useless, and sometimes dangerous, because. an egocentric hears only himself, and your logical and adequate arguments can anger him and lead to aggression.

Who gets delusions of grandeur

As noted above, megalomania occurs as a symptom of another, underlying mental disorder (with paranoia, schizophrenia, manic psychosis, etc.)

But you should know that delusional ideas of greatness (or egocentrism), in a mild form, can be in a healthy person, but with high self-esteem, arrogance, great self-confidence ...

Some people may have, for example, paranoid character accentuation is not a mental disorder, but the condition may border on neurosis, or borderline disorder. Such individuals may show symptoms of both delusions of grandeur and delusions of persecution, but their delusions may still be subjected to self-criticism and an adequate vision of the situation.

Although, in people with a paranoid psychotype, the character can be unbearable, due to their egocentrism (their “I” is always in the center, higher and more important than others).

If a person has too high self-esteem, conceit, self-confidence, a constant desire to emphasize his "I", and his "crazy ideas" and "delusions of grandeur" are not too ridiculous and fantastic, then such a person can still be helped by psychological methods, because. in the future, its accentuation can turn into a real disorder of personality and psyche.
In such people, delusions of grandeur often manifest themselves in alcoholic intoxication ( cm. Is the drunk telling the truth?

Treatment of megalomania are carried out by psychiatrists on the basis of identifying the main diagnosis of a mental disorder - they usually use antipsychotics, tranquilizers, anxiolytics.

Psychotherapy is used to maintain a more or less normal state.

I don't have delusions of grandeur. Great people don't suffer from this.

Translated from Greek - megalomania or megalomania, translated as a great exaggeration or great madness, in which a person in his self-consciousness and behavior shows an overestimation of his significance, importance, fame, influence in politics, wealth. A sick person can consider himself omnipotent and believe in it!

How not to miss the first symptoms of megalomania?

We often use the words "megalomania" in everyday life, but not always a person who declares himself Napoleon can suffer from this disease.

Most likely, this condition is due to the presence of an acute mental disorder, delusional hallucinatory syndrome. But if a person declares himself the savior of the world or says that he has created a medicine for eternal life, then this is a reason to wonder if he is ill with megalomania.

The main causes of the disease

This condition can also be caused by an inferiority complex, manic-depressive psychosis or paranoia. The primary symptoms of the disease are almost invisible. But in the future, when the disease begins to progress and clinical manifestations appear, a person may fall into severe depression, or he will begin to develop dementia.

The causes of megalomania are often associated with neurosis, schizophrenia, or traumatic brain injury, progressive paralysis. Experts identify three main reasons due to which a person develops megalomania:

hereditary predisposition

Alcohol or drug addiction

Heightened self-esteem

Clinical signs of "great madness"

The main symptoms by which it can be determined that a person suffers from megalomania is his obsession with the importance of his person, for the team and the whole world, his exclusivity. And his words and actions will tell about this, with which he will try to inform everyone around him about how brilliant and unique he is! At the same time, he will sincerely believe in what he says and will not consider his behavior irrational.

Mania of grandeur is manifested at the physical, mental and emotional level, thus:

high activity

Too high self-esteem

Instability in the emotional sphere

Negative and violent reaction to any kind of criticism

Rejection of a different opinion

Poor sleep, insomnia

Depression, suicidal thoughts

Delusions of grandeur can end very badly for the patient. Since this disease often turns into a severe form of depression caused by debunked illusions, when the patient loses confidence in his significance and begins to think about suicide. This condition is very difficult to tolerate, so the patient needs help and urgent hospitalization to prescribe a course of treatment.

Types of mental disorders manifested by megalomania

As noted by the studies, megalomania is most often manifested in men. Their symptoms are more pronounced, and their behavior is always aggressive, and is expressed not only in emotional, but also in physical violence. The manifestation of the disease in women is milder and can be expressed in the form of a conviction of one's own irresistibility, erotomania. Sometimes the object of mania becomes a certain, famous person, a movie star, a politician, etc.

The most well-known types of megalomania are:

paraphrenic delirium

Messiah Syndrome or Messianic Delusion

Manichaeism

Methods of diagnosis and methods of treatment

This mental disorder can only be diagnosed by a qualified specialist in psychiatry, after talking with the patient, a detailed picture of his feelings and routine, lifestyle, listening to complaints. There are also conversations with his family.

Megalomania or megalomania is a disease that cannot be cured, but the course of drug therapy is always directed to the causes of its occurrence, which will help to cope with neurosis, reduce the manifestation of a depressive state and psychosis. Psychotherapy sessions are also conducted, aimed at adjusting the patient's consciousness in order to return him to normal life. In particularly difficult cases, a person must be placed in the psycho-neurological department of the hospital.

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In a society where a person is judged by the results achieved, megalomania is a frequent and quite logical phenomenon. Each person begins to evaluate himself and others early enough. However, some people often exaggerate a lot. They brag about what they have done or are about to do, or take pride in acquiring new things by openly displaying them. Bouncers are very unsympathetic people. If a person calls someone a bouncer, then his feelings are almost always negative. In addition, boasting is often associated with dishonesty and often develops into megalomania. The fact is that, boasting, it is easy to cross the line separating the revealed qualities of good people and their embellished demonstration.

Even if a person has personal reasons for showing off (for example, he wants to achieve better results, to acquire something, hoping to earn the attention of others), other people most often evaluate this emphasized identification of personal success very skeptically.

The morbid desire to stand out from others - this is a frequent and intense effort to do something special and be in the center of everyone's attention - this is the "heaviest" form of showing off and is characteristic of the hysterical personality type.

Megalomania is different from boasting and the morbid desire to stand out. In fact, this is a symptom characteristic of some mental or organic diseases that need to be treated. Delusions of grandeur - a painful desire to be important, a necessary condition - faith (inconsistent with reality) that you are special in your power, strength, wealth, famous ancestors, special social position or rare abilities. Such a mania is characterized by a complete loss of perception of reality. However, patients do not realize that their formed opinion does not correspond to reality, and therefore do not seek help. Most often, such a patient is brought to the doctor by other people.

Causes

The causes of megalomania can be different. First of all, it can manifest itself due to progressive paralysis. This syndrome is a characteristic symptom of late syphilis, which was formerly called softening of the brain. Patients suffering from this disease are euphoric, they develop symptoms of megalomania - they themselves seem to be the most important, rich, intelligent, powerful. True, these symptoms appear in 5% of those suffering from syphilis and most often after the disease has not manifested itself in any way for 8-15 years. Distinct delusions may be a symptom of paranoid-type schizophrenia. Sometimes delusions also manifest as mania, in which case patients present themselves as unusually important or they feel that they are being persecuted.

A painful desire to stand out can also manifest itself in affective psychosis. The patient constantly has new ideas, he is talkative and reacts to every external stimulus, for example, the patient wants to buy every car he sees on the street, having noticed a traffic jam, he is ready to immediately take up traffic control himself, etc.

Can this mania be cured?

There is no cure for delusions of grandeur. Since it most often manifests itself in manic-depressive psychosis or schizophrenia, only the treatment of the underlying disease helps.

To mitigate the symptoms of a mental disorder, neuroleptics are most often prescribed to patients. Lithium preparations are used to prevent manic-depressive psychosis.

Does boasting depend on gender?

Men are more prone to boasting than women. For example, women rarely brag about their personal victories in life or the amount of alcohol they drink. On the contrary, men are openly proud of it. One of the most common topics men brag about is the car, such as how fast they were driving a new car. Of course, women also boast, but they do it much thinner than men.

Bragging by age

Children and young people often like to show off. Young people are trying to find their place in society and establish themselves in it. In this case, boasting is a kind of duel with peers. During boasting, competition, competition and understanding of one's individuality are partially manifested. Young people, having learned to believe in themselves, over time grow out of this state of boasting.