I’m that person who tosses a genial hello even if I don’t know you as we pass in the company hallway. So it was that as our newly hired business strategist approached, I smiled and said good morning.

Even though we hadn’t yet been formally introduced, her lack of response and disinterested expression momentarily threw me. I assumed she simply hadn’t heard me and continued on my way.

Days later we met again as I trekked to the cafeteria for my mid-morning coffee. I gave a friendly nod and said (a little louder this time) hello. She looked at me with the same insolence as before and continued past without speaking.

I’m cordial; not clueless.

So, what is it about a snob?

You know that person… someone who believes others are inherently inferior to him or her for any one of a variety of real or supposed reasons including intellect, wealth, education, nationality, taste or beauty. Often, the form of snobbery reflects the snob’s personal attributes. For example, a common snobbery of the affluent is the belief that wealth is either the cause or result of superiority, or both.

Snobs come in all shapes, sizes, colors and backgrounds and their motivation is deep-seated. It’s not simply a question of superficial tastes, no matter how old-fashioned or expensive. Snobbery comes from the inside out, notes Leon Seltzer, clinical psychologist in Del Mar, California. It’s one thing to spend your Saturdays at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, quite another to look down on the people at the multiplex around the corner.

Interestingly, snobbery is rooted in medieval aristocratic Europe when clothing, manners, language and tastes of every class were strictly codified by customs or law. Snobbery surfaced as the structure of that society changed and the bourgeois (lower class) took the opportunity to imitate aristocracy. The word itself is rooted in the term for a shoemaker or his apprentice, that is, individuals of the lesser working class. It’s no small twist of fate that by the early 19th century the term “snob” became used to include a person who is not–but aspires to be–part of the upper class.

Conventional wisdom holds that overtly snobbish behavior is borne of insecurity. If they really thought all that much of themselves, they wouldn’t need to prove it by acting superior. Such is the assertion of noted psychotherapist and personal life coach, Michael J. Hurd, Ph.D. At its most extreme, snobbery can be a symptom of narcissistic personality disorder, a condition marked by grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a preoccupation with power and prestige. These individuals generally believe that the world revolves around them.

How should you deal with a snob? Journalist Mark Nero notes four approaches:

• Talk with them. Perhaps you can get them to rethink their views and actions.

• Ignore them. Simply choose to not respond, dismissing the comment or action with silence.

• Confront them. Speak clearly, calmly and articulately about how the comments or actions impact you and others.

• Avoid them. Choose to stay out of their presence.

These certainly are options if you consider the snob important enough to make such an investment. I don’t so consider. The new employee and I were eventually introduced, and she remained cool and detached. I appreciated that we had minimal reason to interact.

One day as I stood before the mirror refreshing my makeup in the lounge area of the ladies restroom, the door swung open and in she strutted. There was a moment of obvious non-interaction as she made her way to a bathroom stall. I continued refreshing my lipstick.

Seconds later a loud and unmistakable din echoed inelegantly from behind her stall door. My mirrored reflection smirked back at me, repressing an audible chortle at the sharp irony of this moment. Miss Snob very obviously (and noisily) punished the porcelain no differently than her less-than-equal commoners!

I gathered my purse and exited the throne room.