The superiority complex is the reverse side of the inferiority complex, in which a person constantly feels self-doubt and tries to achieve superiority in everything. Many people who have problems with self-esteem often believe that this will not affect them - although in reality they strive to gain power over others and constantly convince themselves that they can demand attention from them. With the help of our checklist, you can understand whether your superiority over others is just an illusion of the psyche.
Psychology about shortcomings
A. Adler is an Austrian scientist who formed the theory of complexes. In his works, he argued that they can lead a person to success both in relationships with people and in financial well-being. A. Adler's psychology is based on the assertion that these complexes complement each other, that is, if a person strives for superiority, then it is quite possible that this is due to his inferiority complex. It’s a paradox, but today the world knows many people whose success was precisely due to the painful awareness of their shortcomings. For example, celebrities such as:
- Glucose;
- George Clooney;
- Beyonce;
- Robert Pattison;
- Lady Gaga;
- Tom Cruise.
Treatment of "delusions of grandeur"
Manic delirium cannot be corrected; to get rid of it, it is necessary to treat the underlying disease that caused it.
The nature of the occurrence of diseases, the consequence of which is “delusions of grandeur”, treatment of this deviation is reduced mainly to drug therapy: long-acting neuroleptics, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants and lithium-containing drugs are used for this.
However, treatment of any mental illness should be comprehensive and include not only pharmacotherapy, but also psychotherapy that helps the person return to normal life: it is recommended to use cognitive-behavioral and family psychotherapy.
For mild forms of the disease, outpatient observation is carried out; for moderate forms, a daytime visit to a psychoneurological dispensary is carried out; in severe cases, hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital is necessary.
Reasons for the appearance of complexes
Adler regarded the inferiority complex and the superiority complex as a lever to success, because at the beginning of his career he began to observe that adults with any shortcoming often try to compensate for it with the help of hard work, exhausting training and exercises, which directly leads to the development of mastery or strength. A. Adler believes that the reason for this must be sought in childhood. When a child begins to realize that he is not like everyone else, or is not good enough for his parents, he begins to look for ways to prove the opposite. He will devote a lot of time to any activity, saying: “Look, I have succeeded in this matter, don’t look at my shortcomings!” The reasons for this behavior can be very different:
- internal acceptance and exaggeration of one’s shortcomings;
- ridicule of others;
- comparing oneself with others;
- reproaches from loved ones.
But this is not always good. Inferiority and superiority complexes are the causes of neuroses, unhealthy self-esteem, aggression, depression, chronic fatigue, etc., which does not have the best effect on human health.
Why do we feel morally superior?
“The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.” Oscar Wilde
The study, conducted by Ben Tappin and Ryan McKay, not only confirms that most of us consider ourselves “better than average” - it examines whether this illusion is justified or not.
It's hard to evaluate someone we don't know. This is why people attribute "average" values to others and "exaggerated" values to themselves when asked to evaluate morality.
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According to research, moral superiority is a “uniquely powerful and widespread form of illusion”; it makes you feel better than another person or group .
However, there is a certain amount of rationality in this. We have much more information to evaluate ourselves than people we don't really know. Therefore, it makes sense to be more careful when evaluating others. We are also hindered by our self-defense mechanism. From a survival perspective, it is safer to assume that someone is less trustworthy than we are.
The illusion of superiority can protect us from liars or cheaters —moral skepticism can reduce our chances of being deceived.
However, there are also negative consequences. Complacency makes you focus on yourself rather than trying to understand others. This reduces our willingness to cooperate or compromise—it creates a wall between “us” and “them.”
People who value morality highly cut corners and then create situations to make themselves feel good.
The selfish excuses we make when we deliberately violate ethical rules mitigate the threat to our moral self—we are doing “wrong” by thinking we are being moral. Take, for example, a man who invites his father to an expensive restaurant to show him that he is doing well. He justifies the expense of dinner by saying that his father “always gives good business advice.”
The laziness of assumed moral superiority can be fatal in politics, business or religion - it leads to intolerance and violence. As Tappin and McKay wrote: “When opposing sides believe they are right, escalation of violence is most likely.”
The influence of complexes on personality
A person with an inferiority complex tries to make up for his shortcomings. Adler, on the contrary, characterized the superiority complex as an unhealthy desire to overtake another in something, that is, if an ordinary person sets a goal to complete certain tasks, then an individual with an inferiority complex sets a goal to perform tasks twice as well as someone else . The influence of these two complexes on personality is great:
- people who have these complexes become withdrawn;
- they feel uncomfortable in society;
- they are afraid to express their opinion or consider it the only correct one;
- become owners of too high an opinion of themselves or devalue their own strengths and themselves as a person;
- there is a desire to avoid difficulties;
- excessive workaholism;
- out of a sense of superiority, people can start killing, robbing, and raping;
- There are constant attempts to justify one’s inaction by fatigue, lack of resources, etc. leading to a halt in personal development.
When to ask for help
Anyone who has mental health symptoms that interfere with their work or personal life should seek help from a doctor. Health care providers can evaluate the problem and recommend treatment.
If a person is in a relationship with someone who has narcissistic traits, they may need help. Abuse may include:
- physical abuse such as hitting, scratching, and kicking
- emotional abuse, including guilt
- verbal abuse such as yelling and threats
- financial abuse in which a person seizes control of a partner's money
- sexual violence
Consequences of complexes
An inferiority complex, a superiority complex, or a lack of confidence can lead to different consequences. It depends on the person himself. Thanks to them, some become successful and famous, while others sink to the bottom of life. But these complexes have one common consequence. A person suffering from one of them will feel uncomfortable, no matter who he is. Possible consequences are:
- Family breakdown. Often couples break up due to a pronounced inferiority or superiority complex of one of the partners.
- Suicide. For some people, the presence of one of the complexes leads to despair, as a result of which they decide to commit suicide.
- Loneliness. Unhealthy self-esteem can cause a negative reaction from society towards a person, which threatens loneliness.
Prevention of "delusions of grandeur"
The disappearance of ideas of delusions of grandeur directly depends on the results of treatment of the underlying disease: if therapy for the original pathology leads to remission, then ideas of delusions of grandeur disappear along with its other symptoms. It is important to note that the risk of relapse is very high, therefore, to prevent the recurrence of delusions of grandeur, regular medical monitoring of the patient’s condition is necessary.
There are no specific methods for preventing delusions of grandeur, since the causes of its occurrence lie in mental disorders of various origins. However, it is possible to minimize the risk of both primary and recurrent occurrence of delusions of grandeur if:
- promptly diagnose mental illnesses and psychotic conditions with organic lesions of the central nervous system;
- monitor your general health;
- learn to cope with stress correctly and avoid stressful situations;
- stop taking alcohol and drugs.
Our online program “Psychoregulation” will definitely help you learn to manage your mental and emotional states, and in the online program “Human Health” you will learn how to keep your body in good shape, as well as timely monitor and eliminate problems that arise in various systems of the body, which will allow you can prevent the occurrence of mild abnormalities and minimize the risk of developing more serious diseases of any origin.
We wish you good luck and sincerely believe that you will certainly be able to take care of your health correctly!
And if you wish, you can take a short test to find out how well you managed to understand and remember the material in the article:
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Is it possible to get rid of complexes?
It is impossible to completely eradicate complexes, because the root of all problems lies in deep childhood, and it is quite difficult to completely remove it as an adult. If you still decide to fight a superiority or inferiority complex, then you should contact a specialist to approach this problem more correctly and wisely. But there are several universal recommendations that will help solve this difficult problem.
- You should love yourself. It's not easy and it takes a lot of effort, but we need to understand and accept the fact that we are not perfect and it is natural to have flaws.
- You need to believe in yourself. You need to check what you are capable of, test yourself in action.
- Self-respect. Start doing what gives you pleasure, don’t communicate with those who are unpleasant, start enjoying the moments of life.
- Treat criticism with detachment. Consider all advice that is given as a moment for adjustment, but not as an insult to yourself.
How to react
Regularly interacting with people who have covert NPD can be challenging. Close friends or family members may find that the narcissistic behavior of a person with NPD is affecting their own mental health. In these cases, it may be helpful to set some boundaries. For example, a person may limit their interactions with a friend or family member with NPD, and only communicate on certain days or during certain periods.
If someone has experienced abuse or trauma as a result of a relationship with someone who has NPD, they may need to cut off contact with them completely.
Tips for parents
A superiority complex, just like an inferiority complex, can create insecurity, shyness, and phobias in a child. It is impossible to say with certainty that in the future he will be able to become successful thanks to complexes, so it is not worth promoting their emergence. What to do to avoid developing inferiority and superiority complexes in a child? To do this, you must follow the following recommendations:
- There is no need to compare your child with someone else. The thing to remember is that your baby will never look like your friend’s “perfect” baby. Forget forever about comparing your child with someone, because by doing this you make the child jealous and feel unworthy of your love.
- There is no such thing as too much praise. Many people mistakenly believe that if you praise your child, he will stop trying. This is absolutely not true. Children are similar to adults in this matter. Imagine that you are not praised at all, but on the contrary, they make comments and criticize you. Agree, you won't like it. Your baby feels the same. So don't be stingy with your praise.
- Don't abuse your child's custody, but don't be indifferent either. These two extremes are equally bad for parenting. Make your child feel needed, give him freedom, let him feel responsible. This is important because it prevents the formation of complexes and teaches the child independence.
- It is not the child's fault that you are unhappy. Do not make your child a hostage to the situation and the culprit of your troubles. Remember: everything that happens in your life is influenced only by you.
What is narcissism?
Narcissism is an umbrella term that covers several personality traits, including:
- feeling of superiority
- rights to special treatment
- vanity
The term comes from the ancient Greek myth of Narcissus, a young man who fell in love with his reflection.
Anyone can behave narcissistically at times. However, someone who exhibits strong narcissistic traits in all situations may have NPD.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), NPD is a long-term mental health condition characterized by symptoms such as:
- constant need for admiration
- unrealistic sense of self-importance
- lack of empathy
- difficulties forming close relationships
It is worth noting that self-esteem
- this is not the same as
narcissism
. A person with correct self-esteem feels needed and does not feel the need to assert his superiority over others.
For this reason, people with NPD have low self-esteem, as their self-esteem depends on comparing themselves to other people. A 2013 study found that people with NPD scored lower on self-esteem tests than people without the disorder.
