What Is An Inferiority Complex? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, And ...

We all worry at times about our abilities. Although it’s distressing, it’s normal to question whether we measure up to others or to feel momentarily incompetent for, say, scoring lower on a test than those around us, not performing as well as our coworkers, or for not yet being as well-situated in life as our friends. Most people are able to move on from these incidents fairly quickly, but some are so caught up in deeply rooted feelings of inferiority that their self-doubt becomes debilitating.

What Is Inferiority Complex?

First introduced in 1907 by Austrian physician and psychotherapist Alfred Adler, inferiority complex is defined by the American Psychological Association as a basic feeling of inadequacy and insecurity that can lead to behaviors ranging from withdrawal (rooted in fear and shyness) to excessive competition and aggression as a way to overcompensate. The feeling could be rooted in a real physical or psychological deficiency, or an imagined one.

Importantly, inferiority complex is different from occasional feelings of inferiority. For most of us, these feelings are highly situational or occasional — like not making the team, being unhappy with your relationship status, or watching friends hit certain life milestones that aren’t happening for you right now. When they arise, you may brood about them for a time and then move on, deal with them by reminding yourself that you have other strengths, or use them as motivation to master the underlying problem, says James E. Maddux, PhD, psychologist and author of Subjective Well-Being and Life Satisfaction and coauthor of Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding.

Even when major events cause our self-doubt to flare — being fired from a job or being dumped by a romantic partner — most people are able to turn to friends and family and eventually find other ways to feel secure, engaged, and productive.

But if you have an inferiority complex — which Dr. Maddux says is an old-fashioned term for what clinicians now call chronic low self-esteem — you respond differently. You call yourself names, lament your shortcomings, and believe that your intense self-criticism is reasonable. Just when your self-esteem is most fragile, you attack it even further. This cycle is so deeply rooted that it consistently holds you back personally and professionally.

It’s different from the phenomenon known as impostor syndrome, which, according to the American Psychological Association, typically refers to highly accomplished individuals who believe they don’t deserve their success. Generally, impostor syndrome is situational — for example, low self-esteem at work or at school — whereas inferiority complex is marked by low self-esteem across all aspects of your life.

The good news is there are things you can do to curb these unhealthy responses, overcome your psychological distress, rebuild your self-esteem, and enjoy a more fulfilling life, Maddux says.