The word "bravado", as a rule, is used in a negative context, despite the fact that it is cognate with the word "brave", which is a positive characteristic of a person or deed. What is the difference between bravery and bravado?
Bravado in linguistics
According to linguists, the word "bravado" comes from the French bravade, the main meaning of which is "recklessness". Bravado is most often understood as demonstrative courage, disregard for danger, and aggressive behavior. The negative connotation of the word is given by the fact that, unlike courage and courage, bravado, as a rule, has a purely ostentatious character. It means that there are no rational reasons to act in this way, moreover, the chosen by the subject way of action exposes him (and in some cases, those around him) senseless danger. For example, the famous dinner of the three Musketeers in the besieged and bombarded bastion of Saint-Gervais was nothing more than bravado.
If you trace the etymology of the word "bravada" to the end, it turns out that it most likely comes from the Latin bravo, which means "bandit", "thug".
Unlike fiction, in real life, such demonstrations of daring and fearlessness most often lead to quite unpleasant consequences, so most people use the word "bravado", expressing their disapproval of the manner of behavior of a person.
What do psychologists think?
From a psychological point of view, bravado is characteristic of people who lack self-confidence and are highly dependent on the opinions of others. In essence, bravado is compensation for a particular complex. A person who is confident that others may consider him cowardly and weak-willed begins to commit ridiculous and dangerous acts, for example, violate the speed limit on the road or climb to a great height without a practical purpose. Such decisions are often characteristic of young people who do not understand that their actions evoke various feelings in others: from condescending sympathy to sincere concern, but not admiration and respect.
Do not confuse bravado and bluff, although the concepts are similar. If the flaunting person seeks only to show his courage, then the bluffer pursues the goal of misleading opponents.
However, people of a certain temperament flaunt not because they seek to convince others of something, but because of the constant desire to prove their courage and recklessness to themselves. Most often, such character traits are formed as a result of psychological trauma, forcing a person to relate to himself, his health and life without any trepidation. Such people need a constant source of adrenaline, they neglect the danger and risk, just to experience the emotional uplift associated with an extreme situation. Others may well perceive this way of acting as bravado, although in reality we are talking more about latent (suppressed) suicidal tendencies, so in such cases it makes sense to consult with a psychotherapist.