Inferiority complex: what it is, causes, and tips to overcome it

What assessment do you make of yourself?

Our society demands of us 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 nobody is born doing everything perfect; Moreover, 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 in which we can work and thus improve our self-esteem, our self-confidence, and ultimately our selfconcept.

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.

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How do we define the inferiority complex?

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 that we compare can be both physical and psychological (capabilities 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 in his life.

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Common symptoms or signs of inferiority complex

Although each person is different and we can express the same characteristic differently, there are common symptoms that shown by subjects with this affectation, and that can alert us to intervene and prevent possible alterations more serious.

One of the most typical characteristics in 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 the others and considering themselves less than them. We see a negative thought towards the person himself 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 generates in the same way insecurity that is reflected with difficulty in making decisions, in deciding to act, in defending your own rights, in 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 in any case requiring psychological intervention.

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Causes that can lead to an inferiority complex

The feeling of inferiority can appear for different reasons, It depends both on biological factors and on the learning generated in different experiences., with the reinforcement or punishment of certain behaviors. Therefore, it may be that we already observe this feeling of inferiority since childhood.

Although there are several 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 is not valued positively in society, such as being overweight or criticism received during childhood by adults or children. peers, it may happen that as children their parents have only pointed out their negative characteristics, causing them to prevail and acquire more importance compared to the positive.

In the same way, children learn and are governed a lot by models, figures whose actions they imitate, if they have seen a behavior of inferiority in their parents, perception of insecurity and lack of esteem are more likely to also show this when older conduct. Another variable that influences is self-demand, this can also have both a biological and an acquired tendency. To the subjects who always demand more, none of their achievements will ever seem 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 that, due to his nature, he stops acting or trying to achieve his goals because he believes that he will always fail or that it is impossible for him to do so get. The subject becomes his worst enemy entering a loop of only seeing the negative, stopping doing or trying things because he does not see himself capable and thus continue in a negative state. The perception of inferiority and non-action, not doing anything to improve feed each other, worsening the conception that the individual has of himself.

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 everything with work can improve, it is likely that when they grow up and experience a negative situation or some failure they do not know how to face it, staying anchored in this feeling negative.

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How to improve self-perception of inferiority

Like any psychological alteration, the first necessary step for change is that the subject recognizes her problem and wants to change, since if this is not the case, all intervention will be useless. To reduce the inferiority complex, we must look at the causes that generate it and face them in order to work on them and thus reduce the symptoms and discomfort.

Here are 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 unsafety.

We should not underestimate this alteration, as we have said can lead to a mental disorder, therefore if you see that you cannot cope with the situation, that you find yourself overcome by this and is beginning to affect your life, the best option is to go to a professional to receive a more personalized intervention and control your condition.

1. never compare yourself

Comparing ourselves is a behavior that we do many times, occurring on many occasions in an uncontrollable way, but we must be skillful in 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 us the action, but when we see that we are making it finish with this thought, understanding that it is a behavior that only affects us and does not give us anything Okay.

The positive abilities or skills that others have should serve you to want to improve and improve yourself, but without this meaning that you feel inferior to them. In the same way that they stand out in a behavior or trait you do in others, in any case this cannot sink you, it has to serve as an impulse to achieve your goals.

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2. Do not acquire a passive attitude

It is common for subjects to conform to this perception of inferiority and believe that there is no possible improvement, that they will always feel that way. Far from reality, people have the right to feel good for this reason if you feel discomfort or you are not well with yourself face this situation, do not take a passive attitude or role, act and find a way to be better, since despite receiving help you must be the one to take charge of change and improvement.

3. Modify your thoughts

People with an inferiority complex have tendency to present generalized and negative thoughts where it is stated that: “Nothing goes right 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 has not gone well for me" or "I must improve this ability".

Thus, we 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.

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4. Don't be so demanding with yourself

Nobody is perfect, and just as we can understand that the people around us can make mistakes or do something wrong, we also have the right to do it. Failure 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 notice the good and reward yourself for it. Functional criticisms are those that present real arguments and always with respect, what we know as criticism. constructive, any criticism that does not reflect reality or that we make constantly will not be functional and will not serve to to get better.