Oneupmanship is the art or practice of\u00a0successively outdoing a rival, staying one step ahead by\u00a0\u200bproving\u00a0superiority. \u00a0It is straightforward competition, whether playful in tone,\u00a0as in friends verbally sparring, or deadly serious. \u00a0Presidential candidate Donald Trump employs oneupmanship incessantly, pointing out that he is richer, more successful, and more popular than his rivals and detractors. \u00a0While\u00a0his tactics\u00a0are debatable, their intent is clear.<\/p>\n
The converse is in need of a parallel term, and the obvious choice is onedownmanship (or onedownsmanship, with an “s” in the middle). \u00a0This neologism\u00a0appears sporadically in recent decades, including in a 1972 ad<\/a> for an economy car, as an approach to conducting interviews in school consultations<\/a> (Ingraham, 2000), and to describe\u00a0faking outrage and injury in\u00a0sports<\/a>. \u00a0These uses coalesce around the\u00a0concept of gaining advantage by appearing weak, victimized,\u00a0dim, or\u00a0inferior. \u00a0Unlike oneupmanship, it’s a tricky ploy, a surprise attack of sorts.<\/p>\n Onedownmanship is common, though it often goes unrecognized.\u00a0 Anyone who elevates a job decision\u00a0to avoid making it oneself (“well, you’re<\/em> the boss”) employs a version of it. \u00a0As a medical intern, I was often asked\u00a0to draw blood from the most difficult veins because I was “the doctor” \u2014 even though the nurses\u00a0had far more experience drawing blood than I did. \u00a0Any argument that starts with, “If you’re so smart [or experienced, skilled, etc] …” turns\u00a0the superiority of one’s opponent against him. \u00a0The Japanese martial art aikido relies on a form of onedownmanship, conceding that the attacker’s power is superior, yet ultimately and surprisingly neutralizing it. \u00a0TV detective “Columbo<\/a>” solved cases by feigning ignorance. \u00a0Humblebragging<\/a> is a new\u00a0twist on\u00a0onedownmanship.<\/p>\n Moving from these overt and often conscious examples, we enter a larger realm\u00a0where onedownmanship may be partly or fully unconscious. \u00a0Controlling others\u00a0through weakness is a typical dynamic in alcoholism, where others are manipulated into codependency, and in dysfunctional families where an anxious or easily hurt\u00a0person\u00a0causes\u00a0others\u00a0to “walk on eggshells.” \u00a0As I once wrote, sometimes a bull wanders into a china shop; other times the bull is minding its own business\u00a0when\u00a0someone builds a china shop<\/a> around it.<\/p>\n