As a customer service manager, business owner or concerned individual, you may have encountered Karen the challenging personality. That doesn’t mean you should give in to their demands; rather, take this as an opportunity for growth and improvement.
Furloughs, layoffs, lockdowns and the return of Black Lives Matter have left many feeling unsafe and threatened, according to Lillian Glass – a communications and body language expert.
1. Identify the Personality
When dealing with a challenging personality, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. To effectively handle the situation, take a step back and assess what the individual is trying to convey. Doing this will enable you to determine the most effective course of action.
These personalities tend to be easily angered and lack focus. Additionally, they may fail to complete tasks effectively. As a result, these individuals become distant, aloof, and easily bored with life.
Furthermore, they often fabricate stories and exaggerate rumors about others to stir up drama. If these individuals hold any authority position, it’s essential that you attempt to stay away from them as much as possible.
Some have speculated that the anger some of these women exhibits is fuelled by a sense of entitlement, particularly when they feel denied rights by an unfair system.
Although these individuals have legitimate concerns, it is essential that their needs are addressed respectfully. A quick search on Instagram reveals many videos featuring people labeled “Karens.”
Karens may be entitled, angry or racist in their attitudes, but that should never be treated with disrespect. It is important to be aware of their behavior but it’s not your job to change their minds or habits.
Bionic’s recent study revealed that people who identify as Karens are significantly more likely to complain and act out on their anger. After analyzing one million reviews on Trustpilot, researchers identified the most frequent complaints and which names were associated with these individuals.
2. Know Your Limits
When dealing with difficult personalities, it’s essential to recognize your limitations and set them accordingly. Overexertion will only impede progress and may even lead to an unwanted outcome. To achieve success, take time to think before speaking and act thoughtfully.
With the right balance of strategy and determination, you’ll achieve results to be proud of. A successful conversation is like any other relationship; it takes time to build trust and establish rapport. Furthermore, remember that friendship doesn’t have to be required in order for you to get the most out of interactions with someone.
According to a recent study in the Journal of Marketing, people who understand their own limitations are more likely to succeed. By knowing your limits and maintaining them, you can significantly enhance your quality of life.
When dealing with a challenging personality, there are many things to consider. Without caution, your relationships could suffer irreparable harm. Effective management of emotions, boundaries and expectations will go a long way toward helping avoid uncomfortable conversations that plague so many of us.
3. Be Prepared
When dealing with an Entitled Karen, it’s essential to be prepared. That means being clear about what the issue is and what your objectives for the conversation are. Furthermore, stay focused and composed throughout the encounter without becoming emotionally charged.
You may need to ask yourself whether the person is truly trying to help you or if they are simply using your situation to suppress your emotions and make you feel bad. Taking a deep breath and being clear about the issue at hand will enable better management of emotions and ultimately result in positive outcomes.
For instance, you could consider whether someone is a jerk or racist and their motivation. Furthermore, consider their personal history and what challenges they are currently facing in life that might have contributed to their behaviors.
By doing this, you can approach the conversation with clarity and compassion and not let your emotions get in the way. Furthermore, use their behavior as an opportunity for teaching them something important about how their actions impact others.
Another strategy you can employ is reminding yourself that you possess more power than the other person. If you have the courage, speak up and be assertive when setting boundaries during conversation.
Compassion can also be demonstrated through acknowledging another’s concerns and expressing empathy, even if you disagree with their viewpoint. Doing so will go a long way toward avoiding future conflicts or misunderstandings.
You can also ensure you have a supportive network of people around you who can offer comfort in the case someone gets really upset and starts pushing you away. This strategy is essential as it helps prevent difficult personalities from dominating your career, relationships, or both.
4. Stay Focused
One of the most challenging aspects of managing a large team is dealing with individuals of varying confidence levels. Therefore, it’s essential to stay composed at all times. A little self-reflection and some humor never goes amiss, so the best approach is always a positive outlook and don’t be afraid to make yourself look foolish. Doing this will result in an enjoyable and productive working environment for everyone involved.
5. Be Kind
The ‘Karen’ meme is a beloved social media moniker for middle-aged white women, often labeled for their privilege-based behaviors such as anti-vaccination, calling the police on people of color for minor infractions and engaging in racist micro-aggressions.
Though its exact origins remain unknown, “defeatist” was first popularized in a 2005 Dane Cook comedy special. Later it gained notoriety through online memes and subreddits created during the 2010s, according to Know Your Meme.
“Karen” is a derogatory term often applied to middle-class white women, typically mothers, who are aware of their privilege and use it for personal gain while pretending not to understand it. They may engage in racist microaggressions as well as be rude towards service workers.
Amy Attiah, senior editor of Know Your Meme, explained that it’s a pejorative that emphasizes specific behaviors. It serves to call attention to real-life racism and oppression through artifacts.
She noted that while the term originated from a comedy skit, it has now become widely used online as an internet joke about middle-class white women. She noted that it follows an increasingly common trend of using first names to disparage certain groups of people–for instance, Black Twitter, which became popular in the 2010s.
Karen emerged partly from African-American communities to emphasize how middle class white women can perpetuate racism, use their power as both a shield and weapon, and benefit from racist power structures while simultaneously claiming ignorance of such privilege. It was also in response to white women like Kate Gosselin, who had an abusive personality on television that reinforced these views.
