Superiority complex: the insecurity that cannot be seen

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Surely you know a haughty person, who believes himself to be ruthless and better than anyone else. Most likely he has a superiority complex. Here we tell you more about the insecurity that hides behind it.

Given the feelings of inferiority or insecurity that we may harbor or experience, some people see their self-esteem eroded, they undervalue themselves and remain in the background. However, others try to compensate for them and develop what in psychology is called a superiority complex.

This term security complex was coined in the 90s by the psychologist Alfred Adler and refers to the psychological mechanism by which certain people focus on and highlight their positive qualities to highlight or distract from their less desirable qualities. Next, we will delve a little deeper into this mechanism, its causes and symptoms.

The superiority complex

People who have a superiority complex are, on the surface, confident people, with a high perception of personal worth. So much so that They tend to behave in a condescending manner and with a certain contempt. They see others as inferior and, therefore, believe they deserve priority treatment.

The key to this mechanism is that the people who suffer from it they actually feel inferior to others and need to show a more positive appearance and speech on themselves to feel better. The problem is that they destroy people wherever they go, treating people badly and denigrating them.

Traits and symptoms

The superiority complex is reflected in the attribution of inferior traits to other people, just as one’s own skills and qualities are inflated. This is manifested through different behaviors and attitudes that are easily detectable.

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Very high expectations and unrealistic about oneself and others.Need to draw attention.Ease of feeling hurt or offended.Tendency to reject opinions of others and to overvalue one’s own. Social isolation due to feeling that others are different. Unpleasant and even mocking treatment.Exaggeration and boasting about her intelligence, abilities, beauty, etc.Need for admiration and constant reinforcement. It is difficult for them to take responsibility, because they do not consider that they make mistakes or that those they do do not have the consequences that they actually have. They think that other people may be envious of them or that they are the object of criticism.

Causes of superiority complex

It is difficult to understand and describe all the reasons that lead a person to have a superiority complex. However, we can try to understand what experiences may have determined this psychological protection mechanism. Taking into account that those who suffer from it actually hide feelings of insecurity and inferiority, It is possible that this attitude has been built as a wall to not show vulnerability.

Feeling superior, seeing others as less valuable, and needing approval are related to self-esteem. This psychological dimension is built throughout childhood and adulthood. Thus, it is possible that these people have had experiences that have damaged and weakened your own perception. For example, having suffered bullying at school or not having received all the love and support that they needed from their family.

Furthermore, it is possible that throughout the construction of their self-esteem and personality, they have had similar adult models. That is, it may be that the father or mother acted in the same way, which means that the boy or girl learns to defend himself and relate to his environment in a distorted way and based on erroneous value judgments. It could even be that his parents had helped him, through the education he received, to create an exaggerated image of his qualities and led him to generate a need to “measure up” that is difficult to maintain.

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Definitely, They have not learned to communicate with others assertively and, much less, to value their environment, their resources and those of others, in a realistic way. Therefore, it is important, at any moment in life, to reflect on the mental schemes that we manage and understand that all people have virtues and defects and that this does not make them better or worse people.

How to treat people with this complex

Once the behaviors of these people and their most frequent motivations are understood, It is appropriate to treat them with caution and respect. No one likes receiving a bad answer or being treated with contempt, but we gain little or nothing by responding in the same way. There are other types of assertive responses that can prevent the escalation of a plausible conflict.

Furthermore, no one is to blame for being the way they are; Let us not forget that this way of being or positioning oneself towards life also usually results in a good dose of pain and suffering. If possible, offer help. If not, distance yourself and give him time to resolve his issues if he considers it necessary.. However, if that person bothers you or hurts you, you can always assertively tell them what response or behavior was harmful.