Talk:Inferiority complex

message: Feelings of inferiority
Adler said “To be human is to feel inferior”.  Everyone from the moment of birth experiences feelings of inferiority.  Adler defines feelings of inferiority as more than just feeling inferior to another person or a group, but any feeling of inadequacy, inability, or insecurity the person may experience.  
Superiority
Just as inferiority is more than feeling inferior to other, superiority is more than just feeling superior to others, but encompasses wide range of both good and bad feelings and states.  Superiority may mean dominance over others but may also mean mastery of a task, such as learn to read.  
Striving towards superiority
When a person has feelings of inferiority or negative feelings, they naturally envision a state of superiority or a positive state.  This positive state is the final solution to the problem.  Any action the person takes is, from their perspective, a movement from a negative to a positive.
For example, a person is thirsty (negative state), they drink water (the action) and are no longer thirsty (positive state).
Inferiority complex
An inferiority complex is a pathological state caused by intense feelings of inferiority.  The feelings of inferiority can be exaggerated for many reasons.  The path to superiority may be blocked.  A thirsty person may have no access to water, such as a desert situation.  The person with an inferiority complex will avoid any action in which there is a chance of failure.  The person will avoid new situations and remain only in familiar situations.  In extreme cases the person may become a shut in.  In this restricted environment, the person acts normally.  It is only when faced with a threat of failure that the feelings of inferiority reemerge and defensive behaviors appear.  A person suffering from an inferiority complex is still striving towards superiority in the form of safety, or control.
Superiority Complex
In the case of the superiority complex, the person also has a intense feeling of inferiority, but the person hides it, and instead takes on the image of a person with high self esteem.  The person is often overly confident in his abilities, and will become defensive when confronted with tasks they unable to do.  They always have an excuse ready to save their self esteem when defeated, blame the other person of cheating, or call for a redo.  Their striving for superiority takes the form of appearing to be the best, of appearing perfect.     — Preceding unsigned comment added by 162.58.82.136 (talk) 17:41, 27 August 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: What the inferiority and superiority complex really is

message: Hello Users,
If your going to claim that the man is "overcompensating" for being only 5 feet 3 inches tall, PLEASE put up a photo of his WHOLE body.
I believe that the term originally preferred by was "inferiority feeling". This should be put either here in the wikipedia article on Alfred Adler. A. Carl 11:21, 13 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Can Someone PLEASE change that photo!!??

message: Going to make this article a stub it's to short. Whispering 04:00, 24 November 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Stub 

message: Big Bird is a fictional character and cannot have an inferiority complex.  In fact, the entire "famous people" line seems to be vandalism.  I'm going to remove it.  If there is any truth to this please cite your sources and revert my changes.
HarrisX 19:04, 26 November 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Big Bird has a complex? 

message: Intro says, "An inferiority complex ... is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. .... Unlike a normal feeling of inferiority ...". This is inconsistent. Shouldn't the first sentence specify that the feeling must be abnormal? Nurg 08:42, 14 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: The first sentence does. The word "complex" implies that abnormality. 67.42.14.57 21:39, 3 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Abnormal feeling 

message: How info on how the complex is developed and/or treated? ESachs 23:48, 16 February 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Causes and Treatment? 

message: Cite them or remove them. StardustDragon 14:14, 23 July 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Causes 

message: Did Adler coin the phrase? If so, please say so. --1000Faces (talk) 16:21, 11 June 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Origin of the phrase? 

message: Paragraph 1:
"It is often unconscious, and is thought to drive afflicted individuals to overcompensate..."  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.228.219.48 (talk) 06:03, 11 December 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  unconscious or subconscious? 

message: Current: An inferiority complex, in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. Describing an inferiority complex as simply a "feeling" is too fuzzy. We need a description that clearly distinguishes a complex from normal feelings of inferiority. Jojalozzo 19:33, 15 July 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Current lead sentence needs work 

message: 76.120.17.197 (talk) 15:18, 14 May 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Hi 76.120.17.197! This problem arises when you compare yourself to others in order to get a feeling of self-worth. However, this feeling should come from within - "I am who I am and I am okay". If this is your basic feeling about yourself, you won't have an inferiority complex, even if you don't achieve as well as others do. Lova Falk talk 11:09, 29 May 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  What if you actually are inferior to others? 

message: People of color and women are prone to inferiority complex.
Are inferiority complexes only prevalant in other races and women? Will change it in a week if no-one has any objections against the change.
Little green buddha (talk) 09:25, 3 October 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Potential discrimination issue under "Causes"