Boasting

[2] Theodore Millon theorized that in self-presentation, individuals seek to balance boasting against discrediting themselves with excessive self-promotion or being caught blatantly misrepresenting themselves.

[3] Although a brag can be as straightforward as a simple claim to riches or greatness, it often assumes a variety of more subtle forms[4] in order to shield the speaker from any opprobrium they might otherwise receive for transgressing the social norms of humility.

[6] Bēot is Old English for a ritualized boast, vow, threat or promise, which was usually made by an Anglo-Saxon warrior on the eve of or during battle.

[8] According to Howard G. Schneiderman, a Sociology Professor at Lafayette College, "vanity and pride, as well as bragging and boosterism, have been the norm in America" since the inception of the country.

Thus establishing the need to explain boastfulness (due to it being relevant to American history), he writes, "In America, success often counts more than achievement.