Inferiority Complex: What It Is, Causes, And Tips To Overcome It
What assessment do you make of yourself?
Our society requires constant self-improvement and always doing things well. But we must understand that it is normal for us to make mistakes in order to improve and that no one is born doing everything perfect; What’s more, perfection does not exist, and pursuing it will only lead us to frustration and not knowing how to recognize and value our achievements.
We should not normalize feeling inferior to others, since it is something we can work on and thus improve our self-esteem, self-confidence, and ultimately our self-concept.
In this article you will learn more about the phenomenon of inferiority complexes. what causes and what symptoms are linked to it and how to deal with it so that it decreases.
The inferiority complex is defined as the feeling of inferiority, of being worth less than others. That is, by inferiority complex we understand the spontaneous tendency to place oneself below other people. Thus, the characteristics we compare can be both physical and psychological (abilities or abilities), always being below those of other individuals.
This difference with respect to the other can be real or fictitious. but the point is that it affects and creates discomfort in the individual, often having repercussions on their life.
Common symptoms or signs of inferiority complex
Although each person is different and can express the same characteristic differently, there are common symptoms that individuals with this condition show, and that can alert us to intervene and prevent possible more serious alterations.
One of the most typical characteristics of the inferiority complex is low self-esteem. The esteem that these subjects have for themselves is low, they do not have a good regard for them, thus placing themselves below others and considering themselves less than them. We see a negative thought towards the person themselves where it is also common to think that one is not up to the task or not to recognize and value the positive things that one achieves.
This belief of inferiority also generates insecurity that is reflected in difficulty making decisions, deciding to act, defending your own rights, expressing your opinion. They constantly think that their criteria are not valid and have more confidence in the beliefs or opinions of others, always trying to please them.
Given the severity of these symptoms, it has been observed that They can end up developing a mental disorder such as depression or anxiety thus being even more dysfunctional for the individual and requiring psychological intervention in any case.
Causes that can lead to inferiority complex
The feeling of inferiority can appear for different reasons, It depends on both biological factors and the learning generated in different experiences. , with the reinforcement or punishment of certain behaviors. Therefore, it may be that we have observed this feeling of inferiority since we were children.
Although there are various variables that can produce this complex, there are some that occur more frequently, such as: a physical trait that we do not like, that makes us different from others or that is not valued positively in society as it could. Whether it is overweight or criticism received during childhood from adults or peers, it may happen that as children their parents have only pointed out their negative characteristics, causing these to prevail and acquire more importance compared to the positive ones.
In the same way, children learn and are governed a lot by models, figures whose actions they imitate. If they have seen inferior behavior in their parents, perception of insecurity and lack of esteem, it is more likely that when they are older they will also show this behavior. Another variable that influences is self-demand, this can also have both a biological and acquired tendency. Those who always demand more will never find any of their achievements enough. and, therefore, they will not reward themselves or value their abilities or skills.
This disposition of only seeing the bad in oneself and not valuing oneself is self-destructive and invalidating since it is the individual himself who, due to his way of being, stops acting or trying to achieve his goals because he believes that he will always fail or that it is impossible for him to achieve it. The subject becomes his own worst enemy, entering a loop of only seeing the negative, stopping doing or trying things because he does not see himself capable, and thus continuing in a negative state. The perception of inferiority and non-action, not doing anything to improve, feed off each other, making the individual’s conception of himself increasingly worse.
In addition, overprotection in childhood can also lead to an inferiority complex; If parents do not let their children try and make mistakes, let them learn that not everything in life is positive, but that with work everything can improve, it is likely that when they grow up and experience some negative situation or failure they will not know how to deal with it, staying anchored in this negative feeling.
Like any psychological alteration, the first necessary step for change is for the subject to recognize their problem and want to change, since if this is not the case, any intervention will be useless. To reduce the inferiority complex we must look at the causes that generate it and confront them in order to work on them and thus reduce the symptoms and discomfort.
Below we propose some strategies that can help you reduce the perception of inferiority and also improve all the variables that we have pointed out that are linked to this perception, such as self-esteem or insecurity.
We should not downplay this alteration. as we have said, it can lead to a mental disorder, therefore if you see that you cannot cope with the situation, that you are overcome by it and it is beginning to have an impact on your life, the best option is to go to a professional to than receiving a more personalized intervention that controls your condition.
1. Never compare yourself
Comparing ourselves is a behavior that we do many times, often occurring in an uncontrollable way, but we must be skilled at cutting off this thought when we see it appear. So, since it is difficult to control what we think and not wanting to think about something means doing it more the strategy will not be to deny ourselves the action, but when we see that we are doing it, we will end this thought, understanding that it is a behavior that only affects us and does not bring us anything good.
The positive abilities or skills that others have should help you want to improve and self-improve, but without this implying that you feel inferior to them. In the same way that they stand out in one behavior or trait, you do so in others, in any case this cannot sink you, it has to serve as an impulse to achieve your goals.
2. Do not acquire a passive attitude
It is common that, faced with this perception of inferiority, subjects become complacent and believe that there is no possible improvement, that they will always feel this way. Far from reality, people have the right to feel good for this reason, if you feel discomfort or are not good with yourself, face this situation, do not take a passive attitude or role, act and look for a way to be better, since despite receiving help, you must be the one who takes the reins of change and improvement.
People who suffer from inferiority complex have tendency to present generalized and negative thoughts where it is stated that: “Nothing goes well for me” or “I do everything wrong.” Faced with these thoughts in terms of “black or white” and not at all real (since it is impossible for someone to always do everything wrong or not be good at anything), we have to modify the thought and pose it in a relative, specific and situational way, For example, we will say: “this task did not go well” or “I must improve this skill.”
We thus point out that they are concrete events that do not always occur and much less define our identity and that we can work on our difficulties. If we define what we are bad at or where we can improve, it will be easier to focus our action objective. As we have said before, we cannot avoid having certain thoughts, but we can be aware of them and change them for more functional ones.
Related article: “Cognitive schemes: how is our thinking organized?”
4. Don’t be so demanding of yourself
Nobody is perfect, and Just as we can understand that people around us can make mistakes or do something wrong, we also have the right to do so. Failing is part of life, since no one is born doing everything right, making mistakes is what allows you to realize where the error occurred and where you can work to improve.
Just as you notice the negative things that happen to you, also take into account the good and reward yourself for that. Functional criticism is those that present real arguments and always with respect, what we know as constructive criticism. Any criticism that does not reflect reality or that we constantly make will not be functional and will not serve to improve.
