 superiority complex is a psychological defense mechanism in which a person's feelings of superiority counter or conceal his or her feelings of inferiority.http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/superiority+complex - superiority complex the term was coined by alfred adler as part of his school of individual psychology. it was introduced in his series of books, including "understanding human nature" and "social interest". ==definition by adler== the superiority complex is an exaggerated striving for superiority in which the individual hides their feelings of inferiority. the inferiority complex, in contrast, is an exaggerated feeling of inferiority in which the individual hides their striving for superiority. while everyone has feelings of inferiority and strive to overcome them, to be called a complex, the feeling or striving must be pathological in nature. in the case of superiority complex, the individual would deny any feelings of inferiority, any attempt to uncover it would likely be met with resistance, or violence. while a patient may exhibit one complex or the other, adler believed that if one complex was present, then the other can be found hidden in the patient's actions. also, adler believed that in every case of mental illness, an exaggerated feeling of inferiority will be found. patients are defined not by whether or not they have an inferiority complex or superiority complex, but how it manifests itself in the patient's actions. "we should not be astonished if in the cases where we see an inferiority [feeling] complex we find a superiority complex more or less hidden. on the other hand, if we inquire into a superiority complex and study its continuity, we can always find a more or less hidden inferiority [feeling] complex." "if a person is a show-off it is only because she or he feels inferior, because she or he does not feel strong enough to compete with others on the useful side of life. that is why she or he stays on the useless side. she or he is not in harmony with society. it seems to be a trait of human nature that when individuals - both children and adults - feel weak, they want to solve the problems of life in such a way as to obtain personal superiority without any admixture of social interest. a superiority complex is a second phase. it is a compensation for the inferiority [feeling] complex."{{cite book | author=ansbacher, heinz l., and ansbacher, rowena r., ed. |title= the individual psychology of alfred adler - a systematic presentation in selections from his writings|publish
Complex_(psychology) Popular_psychology Psychoanalysis