In psychology, an inferiority complex is a belief that others are more better than one. This may lead to feelings of inferiority or inadequacy.
The term originated from Dr Alfred Adler, one stubborn student of Sigmund Freud. It’s also related to what Pierre Janet called a feeling of incompleteness (sentiment d’incomplétude).
Causes of inferiority complex.
Most of causes stem from childhood and the environment we grew up in. They include;
1. Lack of Parental affection and Acceptance.
2. Unfavourable comparison to a sibling or others by parents.
3. Physical and mental limitations eg being short
4. Criticism and hostile upbringing.
5. Experiences of lower status for instance being treated unfavorably by peers or being low status in groups.
6. Parents who had overbearing expectations.
Effects of Inferiority complex.
1. It leads to one having low self-esteem.
2. Social isolation to avoid perceived rejection.
3. Hypervigilance – always worried about what others think of you.
4. Selection of worse romantic partners.
5. Constant comparison to others while inflating their qualities.
6. Fear of taking risks or challenges due to fear of failure and judgement.
7. Loose boundaries and people pleasing.
Compensation for Inferiority Complex.Â
According to Alfred Adler, Individual strive to compensate their feelings of inferiority with opposite traits for instance; An individual who is insecure about his height wearing high shoes to appear tall, Girl insecure about her esteem compensating by applying excessive make up. Kids who were raised in environments that made them feel powerless grow up and strive to compensate by seeking position of power in the society. Superiority complex and flashy outward traits such as ; Bragging, excessive attention seeking, aggressiveness and demeaning others might be masking underlying real or perceived insecurities.
References
Gregory, R. L., & Zangwill, O. L. (Eds.). (1987). The Oxford companion to the mind. Oxford University Press.
Inferiority complex. (2025, October, 28th). In Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferiority_complex
Matsumoto, D. R. (2009). The Cambridge dictionary of psychology. Cambridge University Press.
Hoffman, R. (2020, May 17). Alfred Adler – Individual psychology. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Inferiority complex. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved November 12, 2020, from dictionary.apa.org
AlleyDog. (n.d.). Inferiority complex. Retrieved August 27, 2022, from www.alleydog.com