It is painful to see the sons of the best nation brought forth to mankind competing in boasting and showing off what they own of cars, yachts, watches, bags, gold, and everything that attracts the eye and heart, especially during their travels and tours in many world capitals. If they kept their extravagance and luxury to themselves, we would respect their minds and awareness, but many of the boastful and proud document their travels on their social media accounts from the moment they enter the first-class lounge wearing the most expensive clothes, watches, and bags from global brands, to boarding first or business class cabins, arriving at destinations where they insist on the most expensive hotels, restaurants, and luxury cars.

Then they begin to increase the level of boasting and pride in what they own, overwhelmed by a great feeling that no one on earth is greater or more stylish than them. They walk on the earth proudly, thinking that grandeur and admiration come only from displaying appearances, demeanor, and an aura of arrogance and pride. A psychological consultant diagnosed this condition as a (psychological disorder) scientifically known as obsession with appearances or status anxiety. This behavioral pattern is characterized by excessive preoccupation with displaying luxury, wealth, or success in front of others, often through social media, aiming to gain admiration or social recognition, even at the expense of the individual’s financial or psychological reality.

The consultant explains that symptoms or indicators vary according to the severity of the condition but usually manifest as repeated behaviors on social media, such as continuous posting of photos and videos showing travel, luxury hotels, fine dining, expensive purchases, focusing on showing luxury brands or first-class travel details, and deliberately taking pictures in places or positions indicating wealth or social status. Internal motivations play a significant role, where the person feels satisfaction or self-worth only when receiving positive admiration or comments from others and experiences anxiety or discomfort if these posts do not receive the expected interaction, along with a tendency to compare with others and try to outdo them in appearances.

The consultant notes that the thought patterns of these individuals revolve around several points: starting with their firm belief that social status depends mainly on material appearances, exaggerating the importance of others’ opinions, constant preoccupation with how others view them, and measuring personal success by what they possess or display rather than actual achievements. The negative effects are summarized in three aspects: financially, through spending large amounts beyond their means to maintain the image they want to show; psychologically, by always feeling insufficient or fearing losing others’ admiration; and socially, by building superficial relationships based on external impressions rather than genuine ones.

From a scientific psychological perspective, the consultant believes that there is no cure for this group except through preventive and psychological programs starting with self-awareness and psychological education to help them realize that their value is not linked to appearances or others’ opinions, raising awareness of the risks of excessive spending to keep up with a certain social image, cognitive-behavioral therapy to modify distorted thoughts about success and social status, replacing showy behaviors with behaviors based on real values and achievements, or deep psychotherapy if the obsession with appearances is linked to old psychological wounds such as childhood rejection or feelings of inferiority. Preventive programs also include reducing dependence on social media by setting specific times for using social platforms, temporarily stopping posting content aimed only at showing off appearances, and replacing it with following inspiring accounts focusing on spreading values or actual achievements.

When these preventive goals are achieved, the person will reach a stage of redefining success by focusing on skills, real relationships, and practical achievements instead of showcasing appearances, setting personal and professional goals that do not depend on public approval. All these preventive programs undoubtedly require social support by surrounding oneself with people who appreciate essence and ignore fleeting appearances, expressed through participation in hobbies and activities that cannot be measured by material status such as volunteering, learning, and sports. The conclusion of this study confirms a clear fact that this group, whose numbers have greatly increased nowadays, are merely psychological patients suffering from an inferiority complex, who exaggerate themselves while in society’s eyes they have no value.

A final note: if they had a shred of shame and feeling for what is happening to our people in Gaza from starvation, killing, and extermination instead of boasting and showing off appearances, their situation would be better. But as the poet described them: They bowed their heads in humiliation and submission, donned the garment of disgrace and shame, hid from lofty meanings, and hastened to the slopes descending, rushing to disgrace without dignity in calamities; how precious is the homeland.