Poll: Bragging or Seeking Support?

[petite]

This is a non-penis related question.

One of your friends has made a New Year's resolution to lose weight and/or get in better shape. He or she makes posts regarding gym visits, distance ran today, weight lost this week, a temptation avoided, things like that.

Do you consider this behavior to be boastful or do you consider your friend to be seeking support to reach his/her goals?

 

[dolfette]

seeking support, hopefully inspiring others, giving themselves a public track record they then feel obligated to live up to.

what the hell is wrong with wanting congrats for hard work and good results?

it's easily ignored if it gets your goat.

 

[D_Judith K Rantz]

seeking support, hopefully inspiring others, giving themselves a public track record they then feel obligated to live up to.

what the hell is wrong with wanting congrats for hard work and good results?

it's easily ignored if it gets your goat.

Agreed. I think it might also help her encourage herself by documenting it all...especially if she gets in a rut in the future.

 

[D_Herman_Smellville]

I think most people do it for support and because seeing it in writing helps some people stick to their goals. On that note I do think their are people who do that to boast.

 

[petite]

I think most people do it for support and because seeing it in writing helps some people stick to their goals. On that note I do think their are people who do that to boast.

What do you think is the difference? What would make you think "boasting" over "seeking support"?

 

[pcghabsy]

I don't know. Can't read intentions over the internet. I have been trolled several times on these forums mistaking attention seeking / boasting / whatever irrational behaviour for genuine support requests. In the other thread had one of the members not pointed out the OP's history, I was about to type up a concerned response. To think that I have been taking minutes out of my life to give ultimately meaningless advice to a troll / boaster / whatever...

I am sure some people are genuinely seeking advice and support, while others are just - whatever it is they are doing.

 

[petite]

I just realized I left out the word "Facebook." I'm referring to Facebook posts.

I just now realized my mistake, now that it's too late to fix it.

 

[petite]

I don't know. Can't read intentions over the internet. I have been trolled several times on these forums mistaking attention seeking / boasting / whatever irrational behaviour for genuine support requests. In the other thread had one of the members not pointed out the OP's history, I was about to type up a concerned response. To think that I have been taking minutes out of my life to give meaningless advice to a troll / boaster / whatever...

I am sure some people are genuinely seeking advice and support, while others are just - whatever it is they are doing.

It's true. Intentions are difficult to read. It's part of the reason why I was asking the question, because I wondered how other people judge that kind of situation.

My OP was misleading because I didn't realize I left out the word "Facebook." I was talking about a hypothetical Facebook friend. Sorry about that.

 

[D_Dick_S_Lapp]

Think it might be a little bit of both. Like maybe boasting to inspire someone else to then support them by doing the same. If they keep going on and on even after support theni'd lean more towards boasting.

 

[twoton]

Think it might be a little bit of both.

Yeah.
But sometimes that's what people need to keep themselves going. I think if you understand the person you can have more tolerance for the boasts.

 

[Incocknito]

Part of it is to record the progress and probably part of it is to get support.

 

[D_Olga Steponyatova]

I said seeking support because if I were that person, that would be the closest option to my own intension.

Yet, I can also see it as an act that isn't boasting or an attempt to garner support. Sometimes putting your goal and work you've done to achieve it in the open is just a really effective means to remain dedicated. Otherwise, you may have to explain why you've stopped or how that goal never came to fruition.

 

[B_enzia35]

Support.

 

[wallyj84]

Edit.

Sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush and misread the OP. I think it's a mix of boasting and seeking support.

 

[catman963]

Personally, without knowing the manner and tone, it could be either of those choices. If it is a actual friend or relative, then probably supportive.

That kind of support that gets annoying and almost passive aggressive. You know constant reminders and nudgings to help stay on track.

 

[B_debonair87]

I talk about my weight loss and muscle gain.

you're friend is probably seeking support and boasting.

there is absolutely nothing wrong with boasting about something you've achieved or your progress during something you're trying to achieve. if you've worked hard for it you have all right to flaunt it.

you can also be inspiring someone else. so many people have asked me about dieting as well as my work out routine and what they should do etc......

 

[Enid]

i didn't answer the poll, because my answer is that it could be either or even a little bit of both depending on the individual's personality.

for instance, i can think of one female i know in real life who is a competitive persona and she likes to gasconade quite a bit about anything she accomplishes or "wins". if she posted (facebook) stuff like that, i imagine she would sound like she were boasting.

however i think the stuff you described all sounds pretty benign to me personally, and i am fairly positive that most folks would be doing that stuff to simply seek support.

 

[spoon]

if someone is working on getting in shape, i think it's support.

it turns to boasting when a person starts making it a contest--'them against everyone else.' the boasting person probably does it to make themselves feel better about themselves--and, sometimes it's at the expense of someone else.

 

[petite]

For context, I read an article this morning about how there's evidence that doing so can help a person reach her goals, but then I read the comments on that article and people were talking about how annoying they found it, and boastful. I would consider it a desire for support. Changing one's habits is so difficult to do, one needs all the help one can get. It made me wonder if I was in the minority by thinking that way, so I thought I'd poll all of you.

 

[hud01]

I just realized I left out the word "Facebook." I'm referring to Facebook posts.

I just now realized my mistake, now that it's too late to fix it.

I think FB or similar was a given. It really depends on the person. I have one friend who posts about needing to lose weight, but then when she is given advise she doesn't follow it. She is looking for attention and sympathy, not support.

I have another friend who posts about going to the gym and kicking ass and yeah her body is kick ass....maybe she is bragging a little.

Edit: When I went on my weight loss and exercise plan, I didn't tell anyone until I reached my goal. A little celebrating and a little bragging if I do say so myself.