Jonah complex

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Jonah and the Whale (1621) by Pieter Lastman

The Jonah complex is the: fear of success; fear of change; fear of personal growth, fear of reaching one's potential; fear of achieving one's aspirations and dreams; and fear of meeting one's social and God-given responsibilities (golden rule, etc.).[1][2][3]

The Jonah complex may interfere with an individual's achievement orientation and hinder a person's ability to achieve organizational/societal aims and goals.[4]

The Jonah complex is more evident in neurotic people.[5][6]

Etymology of the term

Abraham Maslow, who is credited with originating the concept of the Jonah Complex, stated: "So often we run away from the responsibilities dictated (or rather suggested) by nature, by fate, even sometimes by accident, just as Jonah tried—in vain—to run away from his fate".[7]

Symptoms of the Jonah complex

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.[8]

Symptoms of the Jonah complex include:[9]

- Low goals. See: Goal setting

- Procrastination

- Missing of opportunities

- Perfectionism

- Quitting (Just when an individual is on the verge of success, he may quit)

- Self-destructiveness

- Self-sabotage

Causes of the Jonah complex

A Venn diagram showing the relationship between self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-esteem.

Causes of the Jonah complex include:[10][11][12]

- Unsure of one's abilities. See: Self-efficacy

- Low self-esteem and feelings of unworthiness. Imposter syndrome. Inability/difficulty seeing oneself in a position of authority/prominence.[13]

- Fear of the spotlight due to shyness or introversion. Desire not to be the center of attention. Fear that others will be envious. See: Interpersonal skills

- Avoidance of the increased responsibilities, work and stress. See: Mental toughness and Psychological resilience

- Fear that if one achieves a goal, one may still feel unfilled/unhappy

- A narrow, limiting and fixed view of success. See: Growth mindset and Change management

- Fear that success may change you, but in a negative way. See: Change management

- Fear of seeming to be self-centered or arrogant[14]

- Childhood trauma. Lack of parental support.

Overcoming the Jonah complex

The half a glass of water helps illustrates of two different mental attitudes, optimism (half full) and pessimism (half empty)

Ways of overcoming the Jonah complex include:[15][16][17]

- Adopting a growth mindset. Realizing that accomplishing goals is a matter of progress and not perfection.

- Have a positive attitude. Identify and challenge false, negative, unrealistic and limiting beliefs.

- Note how the Jonah complex manifests. Engage in goal setting. Avoid procrastination, missing opportunities, perfectionism, bad attitudes, limiting/false beliefs, quitting, self-destructive/self-handicapping behaviors.

- Stepping out of one's comfort zone and adopting an achievement orientation. Practice experiencing discomfort and build a tolerance to it.

- Developing grit, mental toughness and psychological resilience. Persistence is often necessary for achievement.

- Increasing one's abilities. See: Self-efficacy

- Learn stress management strategies/techniques

- Improving one's interpersonal skills

- Track success via goal setting/tracking, journaling, etc.

- Visualizing success and see all the likely/possible benefits

- Greater willingness to take reasonable/calculated risks. Having a sense of adventure. See: Risk and Risk management

- Accepting one's social/God-given responsibilities. Engaging in continual spiritual growth.

- Explore the origins of one's Jonah complex in terms of one's childhood, later experiences, attitudes, beliefs and actions.

See also

External links

Videos:

References

  1. ↑ Abraham Maslow (October 1993). "The Jonah Complex". The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. ISBN 9780140194708.
  2. ↑ Department of Cognitive Science, Chris VerWys. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Personality Psychology, Abraham Maslow
  3. ↑ Desacralizing Life and its Mystery: The Jonah Complex Revisited by Pierre-E. Lacocque. Journal of Psychology and Theology, Volume 10, Issue 2, https://doi.org/10.1177/009164718201000202
  4. ↑ Abraham Maslow (October 1993). "The Jonah Complex". The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. ISBN 9780140194708.
  5. ↑ Feist, Gregory; Feist, Jess (2009). Theories of personality (7th ed.). New York McGraw-Hill Higher Education. p. 300. ISBN 978-0-07-338270-8.
  6. ↑ Desacralizing Life and its Mystery: The Jonah Complex Revisited by Pierre-E. Lacocque. Journal of Psychology and Theology, Volume 10, Issue 2, https://doi.org/10.1177/009164718201000202 (See: JSTOR copy of the journal article)
  7. ↑ Abraham Maslow (October 1993). "The Jonah Complex". The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. ISBN 9780140194708.
  8. ↑ SMART Goals
  9. ↑ Explaining the Fear of Success, Healthline.com
  10. ↑ Is it Fear of Failure or Fear of Success?, PsychCentral
  11. ↑ Explaining the Fear of Success, Healthline.com
  12. ↑ What Is the Fear of Success? by Kendra Cherry, MSEd
  13. ↑ Sumerlin, J. R.; Bundrick, C. M. (1996). "Brief index of self-actualization: A measure of Maslow's model". Journal of Social Behavior and Personality. 11 (2): 253–271. doi:10.2466/pms.1998.87.1.115. S2CID 146163708.
  14. ↑ Eric Dodson. "Course Notes for Humanistic Psychology (PSYC 2000)". University of Western Georgia.
  15. ↑ Is it Fear of Failure or Fear of Success?, PsychCentral
  16. ↑ Explaining the Fear of Success, Healthline.com
  17. ↑ What Is the Fear of Success? by Kendra Cherry, MSEd
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