Inferiority complex facts for kids
In psychology, an inferiority complex is a strong personal feeling that you are not good enough. It often makes you believe you are somehow lacking or worse than other people.
According to Alfred Adler, a famous psychologist, these feelings can come from how you grew up. For example, if you were always compared to a sibling. They can also come from physical or mental limits you might have. Or, they can come from experiences where you felt you had a lower social status. This could be if friends treated you unfairly.
An inferiority complex might make someone try too hard to make up for what they feel they lack. For instance, a person who feels inferior because they are shorter than average might worry a lot about how others see them. They might wear special shoes to look taller. Or they might spend time with people who are even shorter than them. If this goes too far, it can become a serious problem.
It can also make someone act in showy ways. This might include trying to get a lot of attention. Or they might be overly competitive and aggressive. They do this to try and hide their real or imagined weaknesses.
Contents
What is an Inferiority Complex?
An inferiority complex is when someone wrongly believes they cannot handle parts of life. This is because they feel they have a real or imagined weakness. It can also involve feelings of sadness and giving up on trying to cope in that area. In simpler terms, it is a general feeling of being less than others.
How Did We Learn About It?
The idea of an inferiority complex was first talked about by Alfred Adler. He was a very important psychologist. He started a type of psychology called classical Adlerian psychology. His ideas were similar to what another psychologist, Pierre Janet, called a feeling of being incomplete.
Adler believed that many problems people had came from trying too hard to make up for these feelings of inferiority. He pointed out that even great speakers, like Demosthenes who stammered, achieved amazing things. They might have been trying to overcome a weakness.
Today, people often use the term "lack of self-esteem" instead. This means not feeling good about yourself.
Why Do People Get It?
An inferiority complex happens when feelings of being less than others become very strong. This can happen if someone feels discouraged or fails often. People who might develop this complex often show signs of low self-esteem. They might also feel they have a low standing in their group of friends. They might even show signs similar to feeling sad or depressed.
Children who grow up in homes where parents expect too much might also develop an inferiority complex.
Adler explained that everyone has some feeling of being less than others. He said this feeling is not a sickness. Instead, it can push us to try harder and grow in a healthy way. It only becomes a problem when the feeling of not being good enough takes over. When this happens, it stops people from doing useful things. It can make them sad and unable to grow.
Types of Inferiority Feelings
In Adlerian psychology, there are two main types of inferiority feelings:
- Primary Inferiority Feeling: This feeling starts when a child is very young. Young children naturally feel weak, helpless, and dependent on others. This feeling can get stronger if parents do not show enough love or acceptance. It can also grow if a child has a physical weakness. Comparing themselves to brothers, sisters, or adults can also make this feeling worse.
- Secondary Inferiority Feeling: This happens when adults feel they cannot reach a secret goal they set for themselves. This goal is often about feeling safe and successful. They create this goal to make up for their earlier feelings of inferiority. When they feel far from this goal, they feel sad or negative. This can bring back the original feelings of inferiority. This mix of feelings can feel overwhelming.
How Does It Affect People?
When an inferiority complex is strong, it can affect how well someone does things. It can also hurt their self-esteem. Hidden thoughts and feelings can make it hard for a student to learn new things. It can also make them overly cautious. This happens because they cannot accept or understand their own hidden feelings of being less than others.
One study found that students who struggle with math might link the subject to an inferiority complex. This can lead to low motivation and not believing in their own abilities. It can also make them feel unsafe or worried.
In mental health care, this complex sometimes appears with other problems. These can include certain types of schizophrenia, mood disorders, and personality disorders. Alfred Adler believed an inferiority complex was one reason for some unhealthy behaviors in children.
People with stronger feelings of inferiority tend to hide more about themselves. This can lead to feeling more loneliness and less happiness.
Superiority Complex
A "superiority complex" is related to the inferiority complex. It is a way someone tries to protect themselves. A person with a superiority complex acts like they are better than everyone else. This outward show of being superior actually hides their feelings of inferiority.
Adler said this is different from a normal wish to be recognized by others. A superiority complex leads to showy displays of self-worth or status. These actions come from hidden feelings of being inferior. Sometimes, observers might even think the person is pretending or being fake.
See also
In Spanish: Complejo de inferioridad para niños
