Inferiority complex is a very common psychological condition. It is often subconscious but at times it may be a conscious realization which is a consequence of social attitude towards a person or a certain trait of the person. Inferiority complex is very rarely self induced. It is in most cases an eventuality of socioeconomic, cultural and racial prejudices. The exact opposite of inferiority complex is superiority complex.
Inferiority complex can be best described as a lack of self worth or low self esteem emanating from a particular reason. That reason could be physical, emotional, psychological, cognitive or mental, social, cultural, political or economic among others. Typical cases of inferiority complex deal with physical factors. A short person may feel inferior to tall people. Culturally and socially, tall people are deemed to be more desirable and thus also more acceptable. There is no real stigma pertaining to being short but the perception of society induces a sense in a person who is short that being short is equivalent to being fair. In societies where thinness is revered, a fat person will think of himself or herself as inferior. The same applies to the color of the skin, eyes, any physical disability or abnormality, psychological conditions, emotional problems or socioeconomic and cultural background. A poor farmer’s son who gets a scholarship to a major college meant for the rich may feel inferior to his fellows. There are various kinds of inferiority complex and it is a very complicated subject.
Assessing Inferiority Complex
Before exploring the tips on overcoming inferiority complex, it is necessary to shed some light on understanding what it is and how it can impact a person’s upbringing, psyche and eventual life as an adult.
Inferiority complex is not self induced. Even if it seems to be a figment of a person’s imagination, there are triggers around him or her that have compelled the person to feel that way or to imagine that way. A person may not be compelled to feel inferior. There may not be extravagant bullying or any discrimination based on the specific attribute that leads to the formation of inferiority complex. A person may remain aloof from everything in the society and yet develop inferiority complex simply because of what he or she learns from the world around pertaining to that specific trait or attribute.
A child with dyslexia may have a self induced reason to feel inferior, so does someone who has a deformed foot or finger, but one with completely normal physicality, psyche, cognitive skills and emotional or mental strength really doesn’t need to feel inferior.
It has to be noted that inferiority complex is not about inferiority but a perception that one is inferior. It is more of a perceived inferiority than an actual one. Thus, most cases of inferiority complex really don’t have any sound bases other than the perception but in some rare cases, there is legitimate or rational reasoning for inferiority complex.
A child with learning disability will not be wrong if he or she feels inferior. Likewise, a person with a physical disability will also, naturally, feel inferior. These are considered to be more serious reasons to have inferiority complex but even then the understanding is not entirely correct. Disabilities don’t exactly make one inferior. It may limit the capabilities of a person to an extent. Such incapability doesn’t naturally mean or imply that one is inferior. Besides, there are always ways to overcome such limitations.
Overcoming Inferiority Complex
1. The first step to overcoming inferiority complex is to accept your worst fears. If you are short and think that it is the reason for your inferiority complex, then the first thing you should do is accept that you are short. There is nothing you can do about it. If you have less money than your friends because you come from a poor family, then you cannot change that right now. If someone has a better job than you, then possibly they deserve it and you should rather accept that you have a bad job and do something about it instead of feeling sad and bogged down with your situation. Overcoming inferiority complex becomes easy when you accept what the reality is, regardless of whether the reason for your perception is right or wrong.
2. Once you stop living in constant tussle and denial of hope, you must understand and accept that the inferior complex is your creation and there is nothing real about it. After years of feeling inferior, you may start to be inferior in your mind and body and thus you need to think of superiorities to counter that old psyche. You must stress on what you are good at. Lionel Messi, arguably the best footballer of this generation is also one of the shortest footballers of all times. So were Diego Maradona and Pele. Some of the hottest celebrities in Hollywood have physical deformities, some of which are very noticeable and some are not. Some of the greatest minds in the world were dyslexic as a child or at least late bloomers. Very few people become a Bieber or a Zuckerberg, who are phenomenal successes at a very young age. Even they have enough attributes which could make a good case of inferiority complex. Mark Zuckerberg still struggles to talk well and Bieber is a skinny short guy with a strange behavior in the public eye hated by millions of people. Does Mark focus on his billion strong network and Bieber focus on his millions of followers or should they focus on the good enough causes for inferiority complex?
3. While accepting reality and focusing on your strengths are certainly the first two steps of overcoming inferiority complex, they are not going to help you stick to your newfound freedom. For that, you will have to stop allowing people and archaic or irrational social norms or customs to rule your head. It doesn’t matter what others say. It doesn’t matter if someone is better off than you. It also doesn’t matter if you don’t have everything sorted or right at the moment. Not everything is supposed to be right anyway. The moment you stop allowing your subconscious to be filled with perceptions of others, you will be able to break free of your inferiority complex. Sure, success helps and makes the process easier but you may not succeed for a long time and you certainly cannot keep living with the inferiority complex for that long. Imagine if you were successful, would your perceived inferiority bother you?
4. You must always talk about your inferiority complex with your family, friends and those who are close to you. Overcoming inferiority complex becomes easy when you have a strong support system that makes you realize how wrong your perception is and how valued you are.
Throughout history, people with inferiority complex have achieved unprecedented success. It has happened in science, medicine, astronomy, literature, education, technology, wars, politics and media and entertainment among others. In psychology, it is believed that people with inferiority complex have a greater chance of unparallel success because they tend to achieve something that others haven’t to counter their inferiority, which is anyway perceived and not real.
If a perception, even that of inferiority complex, can drive one to unprecedented success, then so be it.