Jonah complex
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 ability to achieve organizational/societal aims and goals.[4]
The Jonah Complex is more evident is 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
Symptoms of the Jonah Complex include:[8]
- 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
Causes of the Jonah Complex include:[9][10]
- Unsure of one's abilities. See: Self-efficacy
- Low self-esteem and feelings of unworthiness. Inability/difficulty seeing oneself in a position of authority/prominence.[11]
- 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
- Fear of seeming to be self-centered or arrogant[12]
External links
- Explaining the Fear of Success, Healthline.com
- What Is the Fear of Success? by Kendra Cherry, MSEd
- Is it Fear of Failure or Fear of Success?, PsychCentral
References
- ↑ Abraham Maslow (October 1993). "The Jonah Complex". The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. ISBN 9780140194708.
- ↑ Department of Cognitive Science, Chris VerWys. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Personality Psychology, Abraham Maslow
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Abraham Maslow (October 1993). "The Jonah Complex". The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. ISBN 9780140194708.
- ↑ Feist, Gregory; Feist, Jess (2009). Theories of personality (7th ed.). New York McGraw-Hill Higher Education. p. 300. ISBN 978-0-07-338270-8.
- ↑ 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)
- ↑ Abraham Maslow (October 1993). "The Jonah Complex". The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. ISBN 9780140194708.
- ↑ Explaining the Fear of Success, Healthline.com
- ↑ Is it Fear of Failure or Fear of Success?, PsychCentral
- ↑ Explaining the Fear of Success, Healthline.com
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Eric Dodson. "Course Notes for Humanistic Psychology (PSYC 2000)". University of Western Georgia.