According to Adler, “When a person reacts fatalistically to an unfortunate situation that he or she has experienced and does not try to fix or improve this situation, he experiences an inferiority complex. This should not be confused with the feeling of inferiority that every person, especially every child, experiences in certain situations and which normally encourages successful development”
Feeling of inferiority and striving for superiority
Feeling of inferiority and striving for superiority while it is a “healthy” way for the person; Inferiority and superiority complexes represent an “unhealthy” state.
Being human means having feelings of inferiority, says Adler in Individual Psychology. According to Adler, feelings of inferiority are universal feelings and are not a disease, they cause people to strive for success. However, if these feelings are not resolved, an inferiority complex emerges, in which the feelings of inferiority that individuals cannot compensate for are dominant.
Let's see how this feeling arises...
Adler, inferiority believes that feelings of inadequacy begin in childhood. Since the human baby is quite helpless and weak and needs the adults around it to survive, it experiences a long period of dependency. In the face of this experience, the feelings of inferiority (inadequacy) of the child, who encounters older and stronger adults around him, will continue throughout his life and will constitute the beginning of the effort to gain superiority in the face of the environment and to become perfect. According to Adler, striving for superiority, "competence" is the main guiding force in life. Therefore, everything people do is designed to overcome inferiority feelings. However, feelings of inferiority may take an extreme dimension in some people for one reason or another.
Inferiority complex is when a discouraged person uses a real or assumed deficiency for a specific purpose or benefit. This benefit is generally; It manifests itself in the form of not participating in an activity, making an excuse for withdrawal, and requesting special services/attention. The person is fully aware of this process and tries to impress others with their shortcomings.
Despicable Three main reasons for the development of the complex:
⚫ 1- organ defects: I'm not handsome, I don't have an arm, I'm short etc… (if there is no equality…) ⚫ 2-indulgence: parental relationships
⚫ 3 - insufficient attention (neglect)
Every individual strives to improve more and become a better person. No one can endure the feeling of inferiority for too long because this feeling inside puts the individual in a state of tension. This tension forces him to take an action with all his relentlessness. This action is the “striving for superiority”. When the sense of superiority loses its normal shape and becomes excessive, it becomes harmful and dangerous. Whatever the circumstances that lead to feelings of inferiority, the situation that arises when someone reacts to it with overcompensation is superiority complex. The superiority complex includes the tendency to exaggerate a person's physical, intellectual, or social skills. This, in turn, will result in a superiority complex and, as a result, inclination towards smugness, arrogance, self-centeredness and cynicism. Since such an individual can feel valued only by humiliating others, his level of self-acceptance is high.
The function of the superiority complex is to mask the underlying inferiority complex by showing superiority. Sense of superiority consists of feeling of inferiority; superiority complex is also the result of inferiority complex.
The superiority complex is the overcompensation of feelings of inferiority. Adler stated that when there is a superiority complex, there is definitely an inferiority complex, either in sight or in the background, more or less. The function of the superiority complex is to mask the underlying inferiority complex by pretending to be superior. Individuals with this complex may believe that they are very superior, and they can also take part in efforts and feelings to be very successful. Therefore, they are perceived by other people as arrogant, egocentric, bragging, and critical because of this attitude.
People who exhibit superiority complex can often be smug, self-centered, arrogant or cynical. These types of people are most likely to make fun of others. they feel important by squeezing or crushing them. They want to interfere in everyone's affairs; because they think that they think better than others. They easily criticize others.
Well, what can be done to minimize the damage caused by these feelings...
In order to get rid of the feeling of inferiority, the feeling of inferiority does not increase if the person gains a place in the society, is accepted and feels valuable. but if the opposite situation happens, this situation turns into a complex, inferiority complex... The person copes with his feelings of inferiority by resorting to "balancing", which is a natural tendency to be successful. Just as a blind person balances his/her visual deficiency by developing a superior sense of hearing, the individual balances the feeling of inferiority by developing in areas of life where he/she can feel successful. Reaching the sense of superiority in the right way; means helping others through work, social pursuits, education or similar methods.
ADLER IN BRIEF… (ALFRED ADLER was a theorist who lived between 1870-1937.) “Man is the master of his life, not the victim of his destiny…” He suffered from diseases, his mother also took care of these diseases, and after the birth of his younger brother, this special attention shifted to his brother. Adler, who was warned by his teachers because of his failure at school and had to deal with his feeling of inferiority, spent most of his childhood in the shadow of his brother's success. As a result of these experiences he had during his childhood, he felt weak, inferior, inadequate and rejected. However, this situation caused Adler to be more motivated, and he managed to overcome these feelings by working hard and participating in sports activities. As a result of all these achievements, he achieved self-confidence and social acceptance. He studied medicine in Vienna and met Freud there. While they had a good friendship who participated in the "Wednesday conversations" with Freud, they were behind due to their deep differences of opinion. their mountains are over. It is known that he witnessed the First World War and even served in the army. He has studies on war and neurosis that have worked with the trauma of soldiers returning from war.
Introducing the theory of individual psychology, Adler evaluates the individual in society and states that social factors play an important role. He does not look at personality like Freud
Adler. While Freud or Watson discusses personality with biological factors, Adler states that social factors also play an important role in the development of personality. In other words, according to him, he states that sexual instincts are not that effective in human personality, as Freud said: but where is the free will and development potential of human beings? says. He says that social motives and conscious thoughts are important instead of unconscious and sexual desires, leaving Adler and Freud... superiority complex,
• social interest and
• birth order concepts
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