Inferiority complex
Inferiority complex is a psychological term referring to the state of mind said to occur when an insecure person - or a person driven by a private sense of personal inadequacy - sees imaginary obstacles to their success supposedly planted by others, or believes they themselves to be inferior than those around them. People with inferiority complexes can feel ostracized by others, often irrationally, or have fears that they are being a fraud by presenting an outward show of confidence and success when this is not how they feel inwardly. It can be caused by physical defects, feeling less intelligent than others, or imagined shortcomings. Childhood experiences, such as feeling unvalued, being criticized, or being neglected, can also contribute to an inferiority complex.
See also
Opposite:
External links
- What To Know About an Inferiority Complex, WebMD
- Is It Confidence or an Inferiority Complex?, VeryWellMind.com
- What to know about an inferiority complex, Medical News Today
- All About Inferiority Complex: Definition, Health Effects, and How to Cope, Everyday Health website
- What Does It Really Mean To Have An “Inferiority Complex”?, Wayne Health
- Study links inferiority and superiority complexes to specific personality traits, PsyPost
- What's Holding Blacks Back? by John H. McWhorter, City Journal Winter 2001
