Treatment of inferiority complex. How to get rid of the short stature complex? General idea of ​​the inferiority complex

1.1 History

1.3 Causes of personality inferiority complex

2. Formation of an inferiority complex

2.1 Why an inferiority complex develops

2.2 The role of the inferiority complex in the life of an individual

2.3 How to get rid of an inferiority complex

3. The relationship between the inferiority complex and the superiority complex

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

A person should not strive to eradicate his complexes, but should come to terms with them: they are legitimately what guides a person’s behavior in the world.

Sigmund Freud

Inferiority complex - theoretical concept in individual psychology by A. Adler, denoting the energy potential of mental activity caused by each person’s experience in early childhood of a feeling of personal insufficiency.

The choice of this topic is due to its relevance.

The relevance of the chosen topic lies in the fact that feelings are repressed into the unconscious and, due to this, the character of constant insatiability is given to it, and the desire for a positive experience of a sense of competence stimulates different kinds activities in which real or imaginary success is possible.

1.1 History

Complexes are children of the unconscious, and they get there in different ways. Most often, they appear in early childhood, which a person can no longer remember without special efforts. In this case, the complex is based on some strong desire of the child, which could not come true (he wanted to rock his beloved little sister in a stroller, but accidentally dropped her; he dreamed of waking up next to his father, but he suddenly left, and the child woke up alone in an empty dark room and so on.). A difficult experience separates the traumatic episode like a wall, displaces it from consciousness and turns it into a complex. Sometimes strong unfulfilled desires that were not realized can give rise to complexes in adulthood (usually they are associated with a person’s social or financial status, with his sexual experiences).

The other way is more difficult. In the history of mankind, some actions and situations occurred so often and were so significant that they were fixed in the deep layers of the unconscious of each of the people (in the area that C. G. Jung called the “collective unconscious”). Such actions are already described in ancient myths, which a person may not even know.

Sometimes these situations contain tensions that can give rise to a complex: for example, the forbidden desire for sexual intimacy with one of the parents, called the Oedipus complex (in boys) and Electra complex (in girls). Finding himself in such circumstances, our hero “remembers” and reproduces other people’s actions - exploits and sins. In such cases, the complexes lie even deeper and are even more difficult to detect.

So, the complex is a pain point that may not manifest itself until it is pressed. But if you press, the complex straightens out, reminds you that he is also a tenant of our house, he needs to be groomed, cherished and fed. This is where the main danger lies. Growing imperceptibly, the complex can subjugate a person’s entire life.

Therefore, it is better to stop him in time. And first - to recognize.
This is not an easy task, because complexes live topsy-turvy. They never declare themselves in truthful language, but express themselves in hints: “no” means “yes,” “of course” means “no way in the world,” ostentatious strength means bashful weakness, etc. How can you guess about them?

Every person sometimes makes a mistake - “I went into a room, ended up in another...”. Rarely did anyone not make a reservation: instead of “dance” - “kiss”, instead of “let me open our meeting” - “let me close...”, etc. From time to time, all people are surprised by the results of their actions, decisions, and actions. “Actually” and “as if” are interchanged. And only a feeling of disappointment, fatigue or irritation suggests that a person is not living, but serving someone. Who is this scoundrel? And it's all a complex.

So, there have always been complexes. Even our primitive ancestors were convinced that they had several souls, and each of them was, as it were, responsible for its own part of life. Usually they successfully agreed with each other, but if not, primitive neuroses arose. The more complex a person became with the development of civilization, the more different desires he had, and consequently, the more contradictions between them. Modern Homo sapiens the great expert on this subject, G.K. Chesterton, compared it to a city engulfed civil war- there are so many parts of it that are hostile to each other.

1.2 General idea of ​​the inferiority complex

Who do we mean when we talk about a person with a complex? Someone who is not confident in himself, is timid, shy, is at the mercy of prejudices and, because of this, does not know how to achieve his goal. But a person without complexes is someone who confidently walks through life, is not constrained by conventions, and knows how to present himself and get along with others. True, “a person without complexes” is a rather disapproving assessment, because too often self-confidence turns into self-confidence, and looseness easily flows into swagger, which does not look good on anyone. Nevertheless, we all strive to get rid of complexes, considering them a heavy burden, almost a shameful stigma. How could it be otherwise in our dynamic age?

Any psychologist will only laugh at this everyday idea, because although it is true in principle, it is too primitive and superficial. The specialists who introduced the word “complex” into scientific use almost a century ago did not mean only constraint and timidity, but a much deeper and more serious phenomenon. At the same time, in the view of psychologists, complexes are not a defect, not a disease, but a quality that is inherent in all of us to one degree or another. And calls to fight complexes must be taken with caution - it is hardly possible to completely get rid of them. You just have to learn to live with them. But first, of course, it would be good to understand what it is.

Psychologists call complexes a set of unconscious ideas, emotionally charged memories, and associations that arise in a person at the very beginning of his life’s journey and then influence his attitude and behavior.

A person, as a rule, is not aware of the origins of his complexes and considers the behavior dictated by them to be part of his nature. In everyday speech, we are accustomed to calling complexes those features of ours that prevent us from living, communicating, and working fully. And we don’t even think about what doesn’t cause us inconvenience. After all, much of what was once deeply and unconsciously felt and internalized by us does not interfere with life; on the contrary, it constitutes that set of internal “brakes” that we cannot do without in life.

Problems begin when a distortion occurs in the complex internal mechanism of motivations and restrictions. Because of him we are on our way life path we turn into dead ends, drive recklessly on bends, or stand helplessly on the side of the road. And here you cannot do without the adjuster of this mechanism - a psychotherapist who will help prevent a serious accident.

Who is more likely to experience fear than others? One who unconsciously feels his vulnerability, weakness, in other words, inferiority. In fact, it is the inferiority complex that is most often meant when talking about complexes in general, especially since in life it can take on the most different shapes. This is also a loser complex that interferes with bold creative endeavors. This is also a poor man’s complex, which forces you to look for excuses for your impracticality. This is also a sufferer’s complex, which encourages one to revel in stuffed cones. This is also the “ugly duckling” complex, which does not allow the beauty inherent in everyone to manifest itself, regardless of the shape of the nose and the length of the legs...

The feeling of inferiority in itself is not a disease or deficiency. Man, unlike animals, is born weak, defenseless and helpless, that is, from the moment of birth he constantly experiences insufficient strength and limited capabilities. Burdened by this, he does everything to become more perfect. In such a situation, the feeling of inferiority is not a brake, but a stimulus.

People with an inferiority complex do not necessarily look insecure and downtrodden. Often, looking at a person, it is impossible to even imagine that he has this problem: an inferiority complex can skillfully “disguise” under the guise of self-confidence and even excessive bravado. In any case, people experiencing this feeling experience deep suffering, even if they do not show it. This article is devoted to the causes, manifestations and ways to overcome the inferiority complex.

Signs of an inferiority complex

No wonder they say: There are no difficulties that we cannot create for ourselves, and there is no joy that we cannot poison ourselves.

The signs of an inferiority complex are varied and it comes in many forms. Perhaps you often hear a dissatisfied voice inside yourself that angrily says: “Just look what you’ve done! What a bungler! There’s no point in even trying, such a dumbass won’t succeed anyway! Don't be smart, men don't like that! Don't argue, you're probably wrong! And don’t you dare wear a short skirt, people will think you’re a whore!” If you are constantly dissatisfied with yourself, do not agree to forgive yourself even the slightest shortcomings, are sure that all the troubles that happen are solely your fault and generally do not deserve a better fate, then you are at the mercy of an inferiority complex.

There are other symptoms of an inferiority complex: a person may appear self-confident, even overly self-confident. Surely you have met people who, when you meet them, begin excitedly talking about their own successes. At the same time, some do not miss the opportunity to hint that you yourself are not doing very well. At this moment, as a rule, you experience a manifestation of an inferiority complex: it seems to you that the interlocutor despises you and does not think of you at all. However, if you could read his thoughts, you would be quite surprised to learn that in fact this person admires you, you seem to him an unattainable ideal, and at any cost he wants to prove to you, and most importantly to himself, that he is capable of something. then capable.

Inferiority complex in people: how to identify the problem

How to identify an inferiority complex in yourself or your loved ones? Be wary if you yourself suddenly begin to mentally look for shortcomings in those around you: this will most likely raise your own inferiority complex. For example, if at work it was not you who received a bonus, but your colleague, you think something like: “Poor thing, she has such an ugly mole on her chin, and in general personal life didn’t work out!” Or something bad happened to your rival, and you suppress natural pity and sympathy with the thought: “She is to blame for everything.”

Don't let the feeling own inferiority control your life. You can’t let him force you to work too hard, talk too little or too much about yourself, prevent you from protecting yourself from injustice, and don’t allow you to rejoice. achieved successes- in a word, he poisoned the lives of you and the people around you.

What causes feelings of inadequacy?

We all come from childhood. And the voice that convinces a person that he is a complete nonentity is, as a rule, the voice of his mother or father. Not true, you object. Your father and mother were not always harsh with you; you can remember many situations in which you felt their love and tenderness. But, unfortunately, this is often not enough. If parents fail to instill in their son or daughter adequately high self-esteem, then gradually in the child’s mind the critical parent displaces the friend parent. Here are the most typical cases in which a failure in the formation of self-esteem occurs.

The reasons listed below most often lead to an inferiority complex:

• They make a scapegoat out of the child and blame him for any troubles that befall the family (“Dad left us because you behaved badly”).
• Parents constantly make unreasonably high demands, expect that the child will be an excellent student, will never cry, ask for help, make mistakes, be naughty, disobey - in a word, behave according to his age. At the same time, the father and mother may say that they treat him like an adult and believe that he himself must deal with his own problems, no matter how difficult they may seem to him. At the same time, it often happens that parents themselves are not very good at establishing relationships with people and hope that their son or daughter will somehow miraculously cope completely on their own, saving them from unpleasant explanations. In such a situation, the child develops a feeling of inferiority: he feels abandoned and comes to the conclusion that he himself is to blame for everything and is not worthy of help and care.
• For one reason or another, a child is constantly subjected to ridicule from peers, and parents cannot or do not want to protect him.
• Another reason for an inferiority complex is the “projection” of parental dreams onto one’s heir. Parents view the child as their continuation, a chance to live life again in a corrected version, and are indignant when their son or daughter wants to go his own way. In this case, the child gets used to the idea that it is better to hide his needs and desires. As he grows up, it can be difficult for him to directly defend his interests, and he resorts to manipulation, which earns himself the reputation of a deceitful and two-faced person. This is especially true for girls, who are taught to be “sweet” and “conflict-free,” but at the same time achieve their goal exclusively through cunning, which for some reason is called “female wisdom.”

Overcoming feelings of inferiority: how to deal with the complex

How to get rid of an inferiority complex and start living a full life? The most the right remedy to be beautiful, healthy and happy - to appreciate yourself. To overcome feelings of inferiority, you need to be able to take care of yourself and your loved one. What does adequately high self-esteem look like? Something like this: “I am a person who is capable of sooner or later achieving everything that is important to me. I love my family and my friends and they love me. But sometimes we quarrel because we are living people and very different. In addition, when we are tired, we are unfair to each other. It's sad, but not fatal. The main thing is that then we sincerely repent and ask each other for forgiveness. There are many people who are indifferent to me, and there are also those who hate me, but that’s normal. I myself hate some people, and this is also quite normal. I try not to make mistakes, but from time to time I still make mistakes, and this is also quite normal: those who do nothing do not make mistakes. In my life there are ups and downs, successes and failures. Sometimes my failures are my fault, sometimes it’s other people’s, and sometimes it’s just a coincidence. I don’t think that I have any special destiny or that the world is somehow unfair to me. I know that I have certain abilities and I can do a lot, although probably not everything I want. The main thing is that I don’t interfere with myself and don’t offend myself.”

How to overcome an inferiority complex: distinguish between criticism

Another way to overcome your inferiority complex is to calm down your inner critic. Of course, you cannot retroactively change the circumstances of your childhood. However, you are no longer a child who is completely at the mercy of your parents’ attitudes. You are an adult man of sense who is able to help himself.

First of all, to overcome your inferiority complex, learn to distinguish between criticism - that is, to separate constructive from destructive. Listen carefully to your inner critic and weigh all the arguments. For example, if you decide to invest money in another investment fund only because your neighbor did the same, and an inner voice warns you against such recklessness, it makes sense to listen to its arguments. However, strictly prohibit him from scolding you, calling you stupid or insignificant, and also starting phrases with the words “I knew it…”, “You are as always…”, “Don’t even hope” - all these are absolutely meaningless and useless statements. It is important to understand what exactly you did wrong and what you intend to do in the future to avoid repeating the mistake. But under no circumstances allow one mistake to devalue your entire personality.

How to overcome an inferiority complex: create a counterbalance

If you don't know how to deal with your inferiority complex, try creating a counterbalance to your inner critic. It’s stupid not to see your own mistakes, but it’s even stupider not to notice your strengths. There is a very strong and efficient technique, which will help you love yourself again. Imagine that you actually have a fairy godmother and that she loves you absolutely and unconditionally - in a way that your parents may not have been able to love you. In the evening, before going to bed, when you are overcome by sad thoughts, imagine that the sorceress godmother came to you (she may have the face of a late grandmother, or best friend, or some other person who really loved you), and on her behalf talk to yourself kindly and kindly. Tell your goddaughter how much you love her, how much you admire her, tell her that you constantly watch her and notice how many good deeds she does (try to remember all your good deeds). If you suddenly remember some unpleasant circumstances, let the sorceress godmother justify you and assure you that anyone can make mistakes, the main thing is not to repeat the mistakes. Hold such imaginary meetings two or three times a week and you will soon feel your self-esteem becoming adequately high.

How to cope with an inferiority complex: “Diary of successes”

An effective way to overcome an inferiority complex is the ability to get rid of negative thoughts. Train yourself to add a positive “tail” to any negative thought. The easiest way to do this is to use the conjunction “but.” “Once again I did not manage to submit the report on time, but I carefully analyzed all the data.” “I was late again, but I got a good night’s sleep.” The word “means” can be no less miraculous. “I didn’t manage to submit the report on time, which means that too little time was allocated to work on it.” “I’m constantly late for work, which means I need rest.” Be honest with yourself: very often we place frankly high demands on ourselves, and then we suffer because we cannot be complete perfection in all respects.

But it may also happen that the loving sorceress godmother does not really know what to praise you for.

Try to remember the past day and praise yourself for all the small good deeds you managed to do. For example, start like this:

7.00. I woke up and got up, although I really wanted to sleep. - I am a strong and strong-willed woman.

7.30. I prepared breakfast for the whole family. - I am very caring.

8.00. I woke up the children, fed them breakfast and sent them to school. - I am a good mother.

Does The Success Diary make you smile? Remember the old saying: “If you don’t praise yourself, no one will.” There is more wisdom in it than may seem at first glance. After all, if you yourself don’t want to notice your own merits, then why on earth would others notice them?

Now that you know how to cope with an inferiority complex, try to put this knowledge into practice to get rid of this feeling.

Almost every person is familiar with a feeling of self-doubt, a feeling of one’s own worthlessness and inferiority - these feelings sometimes arise in us in a difficult situation with which we cannot long time cope with.

But the problem is solved, and for a certain number of people these unpleasant feelings disappear. At the same time, there are a considerable number of people who, due to the circumstances of their past, constantly feel inferior.

This irrational belief in the superiority of others interferes with life so much that thinking about how to get rid of an inferiority complex turns into a fixed idea. This is quite understandable - a complex person:

• Constantly dissatisfied with himself (considers himself less attractive, capable and worthy than others).
• Prone to endless self-criticism.
• He belittles himself and his merits.

As a result, such people are not able to realize their inclinations; in assessing the situation they rely on emotions. And to communicate with other people, they “put on a mask” that protects a person from realizing his own worthlessness.

A person is so focused on how to overcome an inferiority complex that in some cases delusions of grandeur and a tendency towards tyranny arise. People suffering from an inferiority complex constantly compare themselves to some standards, experience envy and feel like losers, regardless of the amount of money or their social status.

What it is?

This concept is familiar to many, but not every person knows what an inferiority complex is and why it arises. For the first time, a famous German psychoanalyst became interested in negative feelings (anxiety, shame, etc.) that arise when a person considers himself in a certain respect worse than others.

He suggested that this syndrome occurs in children if:

• The child has some physical disabilities.
• There is increased parental care, which does not allow the child to learn to solve his problems on his own.
• Confidence in own strength also reduces the lack of parental attention.

For a child who experiences feelings of inadequacy in early childhood, it is important to feel supported and approved rather than criticized for any reason.

Adler found out that an inferiority complex is a psychopathological syndrome consisting of a persistent conviction of one’s own inferiority and contributing to the development of neurotic deviations.

The reasons for the development of this complex can be different:

• Troubled childhood.
• Negative suggestions from the environment (“you won’t achieve anything in life”, etc.).
• Constant criticism coming from significant people.
• Bad luck in business.
• Negative self-hypnosis.

Since all people experience occasional self-doubt, a test will help determine the presence of an inferiority complex.

Signs

Adler believed that inferiority is a natural feeling for a person at a certain stage of development. Dependence on parents, difficult relationships with peers and entry into each subsequent age stage cause a feeling of inferiority in all children.

But this feeling for many people is an incentive to improve themselves. Such people, having realized how to get rid of the feeling of their own inferiority and overcoming difficulties on the way to the goal, achieve outstanding results - just remember the famous orator Demosthenes.

Psychotherapists talk about the presence of an inferiority complex in a patient only in cases of seriously low self-esteem. Signs of an inferiority complex include:

• Demonstrative behavior that helps to attract attention.
• Lack of communication and poor social adaptation.
• Fear of making mistakes.
• Speech defects.
• Feeling of constant tension.

It is more difficult to suspect an inferiority complex in men - the symptoms listed above are well masked due to increased aggressiveness, attributes of success (sports cars, expensive suits, etc.) and the liberating influence of frequent alcohol consumption.

In addition, excessive arrogance may indicate a carefully hidden complex.
You can overcome the inferiority complex, the signs of which you have discovered in yourself, on your own, and only in severe cases is the help of a specialist necessary.

How to overcome your complexes?

Many people are aware that they have an inferiority complex, but have become so familiar with it that they have absolutely no idea how to overcome this scourge.

In addition, as a result of the desire to change the situation, a vicious circle arises - a person strives for change, but at the same time is afraid of failing and again experiencing a feeling of worthlessness and helplessness.

Therefore, it is important to know how you can get rid of an inferiority complex, and not try at random. First of all, it is important to determine the cause of the complex that has arisen.

To do this, you need to analyze your childhood and adolescence, and then remember two or three of the most traumatic situations and answer the following questions:

• What were you thinking and feeling at the time of this incident?
• How did you feel and think after the incident?
• How long did you worry about this and how strong were these worries?

Then you need to look at the situation from the perspective of an adult. Your complex was formed due to circumstances that you, as a child, could not influence due to lack of experience and specific knowledge. Think about it - were the adults right at the time of the incident when they called you stupid and untalented because of your C grade in math?

In order to defeat your complexes, formed negative beliefs need to be reevaluated. To do this, make a table with two columns. In one column, write down your negative beliefs, and in the other, opposite each negative statement, write down a new positive one.

Develop the habit of thinking positively about your personality - monitor your thoughts and replace negative judgments, if not with positive ones, then at least with neutral judgments.

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Study yours weak sides, which you need to learn to recognize, and focus on your strengths. If it is difficult for you to overcome your inferiority complex on your own, treatment and help from a specialist will help you get rid of this phenomenon once and for all.

Sigmund Freud

Who do we mean when we talk about a person with a complex? Someone who is not confident in himself, is timid, shy, is at the mercy of prejudices and, because of this, does not know how to achieve his goal. But a person without complexes is someone who confidently walks through life, is not constrained by conventions, and knows how to present himself and get along with others. True, “a person without complexes” is a rather disapproving assessment, because too often self-confidence turns into self-confidence, and looseness easily flows into swagger, which does not look good on anyone. Nevertheless, we all strive to get rid of complexes, considering them a heavy burden, almost a shameful stigma. How could it be otherwise in our dynamic age?

Any psychologist will only laugh at this everyday idea, because although it is true in principle, it is too primitive and superficial. The specialists who introduced the word “complex” into scientific use almost a century ago did not mean only constraint and timidity, but a much deeper and more serious phenomenon. At the same time, in the view of psychologists, complexes are not a defect, not a disease, but a quality that is inherent in all of us to one degree or another. And calls to fight complexes must be taken with caution - it is hardly possible to completely get rid of them. You just have to learn to live with them. But first, of course, it would be good to understand what it is.

Psychologists call complexes a set of unconscious ideas, emotionally charged memories, and associations that arise in a person at the very beginning of his life’s journey and then influence his attitude and behavior.

A person, as a rule, is not aware of the origins of his complexes and considers the behavior dictated by them to be part of his nature. In everyday speech, we are accustomed to calling complexes those features of ours that prevent us from living, communicating, and working fully. And we don’t even think about what doesn’t cause us inconvenience. After all, much of what was once deeply and unconsciously felt and internalized by us does not interfere with life; on the contrary, it constitutes that set of internal “brakes” that we cannot do without in life.

Problems begin when a distortion occurs in the complex internal mechanism of motivations and restrictions. Because of it, we turn into dead ends on our life’s path, recklessly drive around bends, or stand helplessly on the side of the road. And here you cannot do without the adjuster of this mechanism - a psychotherapist who will help prevent a serious accident.

The main component of complexes in the negative sense of the word is fear, which once upon a time entered our soul in the face of a real or apparent threat. Because of him, we - seemingly reasonable adults - are sometimes unconsciously afraid of the opposite sex, superiors, public speaking. We are afraid to behave incorrectly, unworthily and thereby deserve condemnation and punishment. So by by and large“everyday psychologists” are not so wrong when they consider stiffness and “tightness” to be the main manifestations of our complexes. However, not the only ones...

Who is more likely to experience fear than others? One who unconsciously feels his vulnerability, weakness, in other words, inferiority. In fact, it is the inferiority complex that is most often meant when talking about complexes in general, especially since in life it can take a variety of forms. This is also a loser complex that interferes with bold creative endeavors. This is also a poor man’s complex, which forces you to look for excuses for your impracticality. This is also a sufferer’s complex, which encourages one to revel in stuffed cones. This is also the “ugly duckling” complex, which does not allow the beauty inherent in everyone to manifest itself, regardless of the shape of the nose and the length of the legs...

The feeling of inferiority in itself is not a disease or deficiency. Man, unlike animals, is born weak, defenseless and helpless, that is, from the moment of birth he constantly experiences insufficient strength and limited capabilities. Burdened by this, he does everything to become more perfect. In such a situation, the feeling of inferiority is not a brake, but a stimulus.

There are examples from history when the desire to overcome one's inferiority led to outstanding results. Thus, Demosthenes, who suffered from speech defects from birth, thanks to his desire to cope with the disease, became the greatest orator. Or, for example, legendary commander Suvorov - as a child he was extremely weak and sickly, but at the cost of dedicated exercise he managed to achieve exceptional physical stamina and endurance.

The painful experience of one's own inferiority can give rise to a person's lack of self-confidence, which creates numerous problems for him. If feelings of inferiority begin to dominate in mental life a person, painting it in negative emotional tones, he loses the ability to develop his creative powers and talents. Without feeling the possibility of genuine compensation for inferiority, a person chooses perverted paths.

The flip side of an inferiority complex is often the so-called superiority complex - a person strives by all means to rise above other people in order to thereby compensate for his inferiority. Arrogance, arrogance and self-satisfaction take over in him. The means of achieving superiority are usually all kinds of social symbols - material and status.

To compensate for this complex, a person can strive to enrich himself, emphasizing in every possible way the importance of money as a measure life success, or to the acquisition of all kinds of titles and high positions, allowing him, despite his modest abilities, to assert his superiority over others. So unbridled careerism, the pursuit of tools and symbols of power (one of which, quite obviously, is human society money appears) - in many cases it is not so much a manifestation of strength as a symptom of weakness.

It is typical that all kinds of guides to getting rich and achieving success in life, instructions on manipulating people are the favorite reading of many. So the arrogant nouveau riche, who considers everyone who is not as rich as him to be beggars, and the tyrant boss, and the titled narcissist, whose business card densely dotted with his high-profile titles, and a domestic tyrant, tormenting loved ones with nagging - all of them are most often victims of complexes.

Another manifestation of complexness may be the desire for one’s own exclusivity by opposing oneself to others, leaving a full-fledged social life“into oneself” or into a closed caste of equally notorious individuals. For a psychologist, it is obvious that the majority of adherents of all kinds of exotic teachings and delusional theories are weak, helpless people who do not know how to assert themselves in the ways accepted in society. Contrasting themselves with the “uninitiated” helps them to imbue them with an illusory sense of superiority and thereby overcome the oppressive feeling of their worthlessness.

Complexity can also be expressed in exaggeration, emphasizing one’s weakness, even to the point of “flight into illness.” Desperate to achieve recognition from others, unable to reinforce his own self-esteem with real successes and achievements, a person sometimes begins, paradoxically, to revel in failures, defeats and even illnesses. Moreover, it can unconsciously provoke the occurrence of various painful symptoms in order to at least attract attention to itself and evoke the compassion of loved ones.

Having noticed a tendency towards such behavior in yourself, it’s time to really think about getting rid of your complexes. And to do this, you need to abandon perverted ways of self-affirmation, try to earn encouragement for your real merits and achievements. Let people say: “You are not worthless! You are worth something!” And for this, of course, you need to be at least something interesting and useful to people. So let's take care of it!

Sergey STEPANOV, psychologist
Health, 10.2004

Which lies in a person’s persistent confidence in his own inferiority as an individual. Ph.D. was discovered by A. Adler, who studied the forms of compensation that develop in children with defects in organic development. Adler first considered their feeling of inferiority as a consequence of a defect, then as a universal driving force of personality development, and even later as a consequence of frustration of the need to overcome unfavorable circumstances. The inability to compensate for a defect or cope with a life situation and thereby overcome the feeling of one’s own inferiority entails the latter’s development into K. n.

Brief psychological dictionary. - Rostov-on-Don: “PHOENIX”. L.A. Karpenko, A.V. Petrovsky, M. G. Yaroshevsky. 1998 .

Inferiority complex

(low value complex)

The syndrome leading to neurotic deviations is psychopathological, which consists in a person’s persistent confidence in his own inferiority as an individual. It was discovered by A. Adler, who studied the forms of compensation that develop in children with defects in organic development. He first considered their feeling of inferiority as a consequence of a defect, then as a universal driving force of personality development, and even later as a consequence of frustration of the need to overcome unfavorable circumstances. The inability to compensate for a defect or cope with a life situation and thus overcome the feeling of one’s own inferiority entails the development of the latter into an inferiority complex. The “feeling of inferiority” that is formed in early childhood is caused by the natural experience for every child of a feeling of personal insufficiency arising from various unfavorable circumstances. external conditions, and has an exceptional influence on the formation and entire life activity of the individual. Later, this feeling is repressed into the unconscious, due to which it is given the character of constant insatiability. The desire for a positive experience of a sense of competence - for self-affirmation (socialization) among other people - stimulates various types of activities in which real or imaginary success is possible. The individual tries to overcome - “compensate” for - inferiority by simulating creative possibilities and thus sometimes achieves exceptional results (overcompensation). S. Freud sometimes also used this concept, but did not recognize such an exceptional role for it. According to the French writer Jean Dutour, the worst thing about an inferiority complex is that it is not the people who should have it.

Dictionary practical psychologist. - M.: AST, Harvest. S. Yu. Golovin. 1998.

Inferiority complex Etymology.

Comes from Lat. complexus - combination.

A theoretical construct of individual psychology designed to explain human activity.

It denotes the energy potential of mental activity caused by each person’s experience in early childhood of a feeling of personal insufficiency. In this case, this feeling is repressed into the unconscious and, due to this nature, gives it constant insatiability. The desire for a positive experience of a sense of competence stimulates various types of activities in which real or imaginary success is possible.

Feelings of inferiority.

Psychological Dictionary. THEM. Kondakov. 2000.

Inferiority complex

   INFERIORITY COMPLEX (With. 311) - a heightened, exaggerated experience of one’s own weakness and imperfection. One of key concepts individual psychology of Alfred Adler, to whom this term belongs. The concept is widely used in everyday speech in a not entirely adequate meaning. In this case, as a rule, it is meant that a person does not value himself highly and suffers from self-doubt. This phenomenon, which actually occurs quite often, would be more accurately defined in terms of low self-esteem. However, in Adler's view, the content of an inferiority complex is not identical to low self-esteem or, at least, is not exhausted by it.

Adler formulated his concept of inferiority, initially based on the results of a study of children suffering from various physical defects. He believed that a physical defect gives rise to a natural feeling of one’s own imperfection and inferiority; At the same time, the child has a desire to overcome and compensate for the defect, and it is precisely the desire for compensation that is driving force development. This idea was creatively rethought and developed by LS Vypotsky (although Vygotsky’s references to Adler are few, his influence can be traced quite clearly), who laid the foundations of Russian defectology; one of the central principles in Vygotsky’s defectological concept is the principle of defect compensation.

Subsequently, Adler extended his ideas to all children, including those not burdened with physical defects. He believed that a child who is still small, weak and inept in comparison with adults is thereby already doomed to feel inferior. Man, unlike animals, is born weak, defenseless and helpless, that is, from the moment of birth he constantly experiences insufficient strength and limited capabilities.

It is extremely important, however, that for Adler the idea of ​​inferiority is not identical to pathology. He wrote: “Feelings of inferiority are not in themselves something painful or abnormal. They are the cause of all improvements in the condition of mankind."

In individual psychology, feelings of inferiority are viewed as general condition human existence. It is inherent in all people without exception from birth. While not a mental disorder, it, on the contrary, contributes to the healthy development of a person and his achievement of success in life.

Feeling dissatisfied with his weakness, a person intensifies his activities - he strives to compensate for the shortcomings he has from birth, overcome his inferiority, and assert himself in life. Weighed down by his imperfections, he does everything to become more perfect. In this regard, the feeling of inferiority is a stimulus for the development of one’s life activity and becomes the driving force behind a person’s socially useful activity.

There are examples from history when the desire to overcome one's inferiority led to outstanding results. Thus, Demosthenes, who suffered from speech defects from birth, thanks to his desire to cope with the disease, became the greatest orator. Or, for example, the legendary commander Suvorov - as a child he was extremely weak and sickly, but at the cost of dedicated exercise he managed to achieve exceptional physical stamina and endurance.

At the same time, it is quite obvious that the painful experience of one’s own inferiority can give rise to a person’s lack of self-confidence, which does not at all contribute to his social adaptation and creates numerous problems. And at any age. On this occasion, Adler aptly remarked: “In their dreams, children express their ambitions. Most of their fantasies begin with the words “when I grow up”... There are many adults who also live as if they have not yet grown up.”

Exacerbation of feelings of inferiority can lead to pathological manifestation of this feeling. That is, according to Adler, it is not the inferiority itself that is decisive, but the strength and nature of its perception by a person. If experiences of inferiority begin to dominate a person’s mental life, coloring it in negative emotional tones, the person loses the ability to positively develop his creative powers and talents. Not feeling the strength to truly compensate for the deficiency, he chooses perverted compensatory paths. This is the pathological nature of the inferiority complex.

In the ordinary mind, a person suffering from an inferiority complex appears as a timid, shy creature, prone to despondency and self-flagellation. According to Adler's observations, the manifestations of this disorder are completely different. The flip side of an inferiority complex is often the so-called superiority complex - a person strives by all means to rise above other people in order to thereby compensate for his inferiority; Arrogance, arrogance and self-satisfaction take over in him. The means of achieving superiority are usually all kinds of social symbols - material and status. To compensate for his complex, a person can strive to enrich himself, emphasizing in every possible way the importance of money as a measure of success in life, or to acquire all kinds of titles and high positions that allow him, despite his modest abilities, to assert his superiority over others. So unbridled careerism, the pursuit of tools and symbols of power (one of which, quite obviously, in human society is money) in many cases is not so much a manifestation of strength as a symptom of weakness. It is typical that all kinds of guides to getting rich and achieving success in life, instructions on manipulating people are the favorite reading of losers. So the arrogant nouveau riche, who considers everyone who is not as rich as him to be beggars, and the tyrant boss, and the titled narcissist, whose business card is thoroughly covered with his high-profile titles, and the domestic tyrant, who torments his loved ones with his nagging - all of them most often victims of the notorious complex.

Another manifestation of an inferiority complex may be the desire for one’s own exclusivity by opposing oneself to others, withdrawing from a full-fledged social life - “into oneself” or into a closed caste of the same notorious individuals. For a psychologist, it is obvious that the majority of adherents of all kinds of exotic teachings and delusional theories are weak, helpless people who do not know how to assert themselves in ways accepted in society. Contrasting themselves with the “uninitiated” helps them to imbue them with an illusory sense of their superiority and thereby overcome the oppressive feeling of their worthlessness.

An inferiority complex can also be expressed in exaggeration, emphasizing one’s weakness, even to the point of “flight into illness.” Desperate to achieve recognition from others, unable to support his self-esteem with real successes and achievements, a person sometimes begins, paradoxically, to revel in his failures, defeats and even illnesses. Moreover, he can unconsciously provoke the occurrence of various painful symptoms in order to at least in this way attract attention and evoke the compassion of loved ones.

According to Adler, neurosis develops on the basis of an inferiority complex. When faced with intractable problems, a neurotic does not try to solve them and avoids constructive activity. He finds or creates his own own field activities in an imaginary world. Thanks to various tricks, the neurotic achieves “success” in this imaginary world, which allows him to feel like an outstanding person. He surrenders to the power of delusions of grandeur, forcing those around him to reckon with their whims, focusing only on his own - mostly perverted - ideas and ignoring those of others.

Alfred Adler

Adler believed that the origins of the inferiority complex should be sought in childhood. In his opinion, the emergence of a complex is provoked, firstly, of course, by natural organic imperfection and weakness (children with all kinds of disorders here, in fact, turn out to be the most vulnerable), and secondly, by defects in education, of two kinds. Both hypocare, a lack of attention and educational influence on the part of parents, and hypercare—excessive attention and care—can lead to an aggravation of feelings of inferiority. And since a rare family manages to achieve a golden mean between these two extremes, the emergence of an inferiority complex in the emerging personality is a very likely prospect.

The goal of psychotherapy according to Adler is to rid a person of the destructive consequences of an exaggerated sense of inferiority. Thanks to treatment aimed at correcting errors in upbringing, a person’s sense of community with other people (“public interest”) is awakened. Refusal of perverted ways of compensating for inferiority, the emergence of a desire for self-affirmation through well-deserved encouragement by others of a person’s real merits and achievements means movement in the direction of mental health.

Nowadays, when the cult of individualism foolishly borrowed from outside is being obsessively propagated, many people are wary of the very concept of “public interest” introduced by Adler. And it would not be out of place to listen to his words, which have not lost their relevance to this day: “A person who is not interested in his fellow men experiences the greatest difficulties in life and causes the greatest harm to those around him. It is among such people that losers appear.”

Popular psychological encyclopedia. - M.: Eksmo. S.S. Stepanov. 2005.

See what an “inferiority complex” is in other dictionaries:

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