Why do people with low self esteem get irritable so much? What is the chain of reactions in their mind?

They feel alienated…I guess. IDK.

I think it is always easier for a person to lash out then admit they are hurt. Anger is a secondary emotion. Pain is a primary emotion. Pain is seen as weakness. Therefore moving to the secondary, more “in-control” emotion helps the person cope.

People with self-esteem issues may also have great amounts of stress. It is very hard to see yourself in a good light when everything seems to be wrong. What you are describing as “moody” or “nasty” may be someone at the end of his/her rope.

I would imagine they put other people down to temporarily make them feel better about their own situations.

You are a real “dopee”. Se ou ki pa fyè paske ou se Ayisyen. Se ou ki konplekse devan lót Ayisyen yo paske ou pa renmen tande yo kap pale franse. Mwen konn bout ou byen.

Marco

shin Shong Shin Shin Shogn Shing Shingy Shongy

Their parents didn’t know how to love, love has to be taught and learned, you don’t get something from nothing. I have an idea, why don’t you teach them ?

People with low self esteem get irritated because it is their way of garnering attention. They need some attention to feel good about themselves and it’s either by hook or by crook. For example, let’s take A. Now if someone asks A something, she would reply back nastily. Not only has she/he succeeded in venting out her/his negativity to some one, but also garnered attention, pleasing her/his self. So when some one speaks to her/him, the first impulses that go to her/his mind are reply back nastily because people will take notice of me and see me in a different light. The reason why they lash out at others is because they feel they are being treated unfairly (It’s a pyschological thing) and the only way they can satisfy themselves, is to make sure everyone else does too.The best tactic is to ignore and insult back. Ok maybe not insult back:P The last thing they want people to notice is that they are hurt, and they hate, totally hate to feed on other people’s misery, so will try to show themselves as composed and in a healthy mental state of mind by insulting others. The most damaging thing that could be done to such people is “What are you doing?” They’ll stop abruptly, not knowing what to answer, and you’ve insulted their left over self esteem, whatever miniscule amount it is, further.

They think and believe others are looking at them as insects. They are wondering how they can fit in. When others aren’t paying attention to them they feel like why am i here to begin with?. They want to know what the difference is between them and others?. Their just so uncomfortable around people that their minds can’t stop.

Because they consider they are less than others-weaker/have a problem-they then can react in a more defensive way ie like a cornered animal-They are protecting their perceived fault(once again like an animal with an injury). Also they are under stress, and their coping mechanisms maybe exhausted, hence small stressors can be more than they can deal with, resulting in a flight/fight response.
I guess to sum it up, it relates to a protective measure against their perceived deficit of self.

The real answer:

Because of their low self esteem, they often feel that other people’s innocent comments are personal attacks. It’s a bit of paranoia. A part of them is thinking, “I’m sick of people treating me this way. I try to be nice and they take it as weakness.” So they lash out in a last-ditch effort to try to preserve their self-worth.