The social function of pomposity
To identify and understand
the phenomenon of pomposity, one must know its social function, which I find no
one has addressed. Signaling theory,
a hybrid of economics, game theory, and evolutionary psychology, is the
analytic tool of choice for discerning what people are really trying to
accomplish when they’re pompous. People signal
to demonstrate possession of an otherwise invisible high-status trait, using
behavior that would be too costly to display if they lacked the trait. A
classic example is conspicuous consumption. Owning a huge house confers status
because it signals that the owner is rich enough to afford it.
Its link to evolutionary
psychology takes signaling beyond Thorstein
Veblen’s conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure. What makes
signals (like owning a big house) effective is not so much their present
correlation with status but the correlation in humankind’s evolutionary
history. Evolutionary psychology proposes that status is conferred by traits
that would make an individual a powerful
ally.
Under
the signaling framework, pomposity is a costly
signal because self-important displays by one unimportant discredits
the signaler as a liar. One’s fellows in the primal human environment of
bands and tribes could easily discover such exaggeration. Today, the barriers
to ascertaining reputation make pomposity both harder to discredit and less
convincing. These limitations render pomposity a somewhat desperate gamble by
persons who feel undervalued.
Verbosity and pomposity
If the link between
pomposity and power is instinctual, so must be the means of expressing pompous
arrogance. Verbosity, I contend, signals arrogance
because of a deep connection between claims to power and consumption of time
and space. The connection can be seen in body language: adolescents
wanting to suggest they have the power to resist adult coercion, for example,
will assume a posture that occupies as much space as possible, sprawling over
their chairs. More controversially, you may also notice that the severely obese
are apt to be narcissistic and power-oriented. Analogously, the pompous will consume ten minutes to
make a banal ten-second point.
Verbosity, to be sure, isn’t
always or even usually caused by pomposity. More often, it’s the result of poor
writing skills or lack of grasp of the subject matter, but a strong correlation
isn’t necessary when the impressions rest on an instinctual basis.
Succinct writing avoids affront
Adverse repercussions follow
for the verbose legal-brief writer. Verbosity is an implied challenge to the
court’s status because 1) it signals a claim to power and importance and 2) it
does so at the expense of the court’s time. Recall that burdening
the court to the attorney’s personal advantage breaches a status formality.
The court will perceive verbosity as self-promotion
achieved at the court’s expense—in time and, ultimately, in status.
