The term “inferiority complex” is sometimes tossed around as an easy, almost judgmental description of someone who seems to lack confidence or who seems to exhibit low self-esteem. But an inferiority complex actually describes a mindset that can often originate in childhood and affect educational achievement, work, relationships, and quality of life well into adulthood.
Fortunately, it’s possible to recognize an inferiority complex and take steps to shift your mindset toward a healthier outlook that can keep some of those negative thoughts from holding you back, says Massachusetts General Hospital psychiatrist Susan Sprich, PhD.
What Is an Inferiority Complex?
While an inferiority complex isn’t an official diagnosis, such as an anxiety disorder or clinical depression, it is recognized by mental health professionals as a very real collection of thoughts and emotions.
“It generally refers to people having feelings of inferiority and comparing themselves negatively to others,” Dr. Sprich says. “There are often associated feelings of sadness, frustration, regret, and jealousy. People might also have thoughts like ‘I’m not smart enough to do this’ or ‘I could never do that.’ The behaviors that go along with having an inferiority complex include avoidance of situations where the person is worried about failure, which often leads to underachievement.”
An inferiority complex can do more than affect how people see themselves. It can affect how they behave in school, the workplace, and in relationships with friends, family members, and romantic partners.
Key Signs and Symptoms
Many people have doubts about their abilities and accomplishments from time to time. But for people with an inferiority complex, those feelings can be paralyzing, and no matter how successful they are, their achievements never seem like enough.
Likewise, feeling insecure and unworthy much of the time can be symptoms of inferiority complex. These feelings can be exacerbated by constantly comparing yourself to others—something that is almost unavoidable in the age of social media.
Other common signs and symptoms of inferiority complex include:
- Frequent use of self-deprecating humor
- Difficulty accepting compliments or positive feedback
- People-pleasing and difficulty setting or accepting boundaries
- Either attention-seeking or social withdrawal
- Avoiding new opportunities or experiences due to heightened fears of failing
- Perfectionism, especially when it gets in the way of productivity
- Over-competitiveness with others
Common Causes and Contributing Factors
There are no primary causes of inferiority complex, though the roots of the problem can usually be traced to a person’s experiences and influences early in life.
“Individuals develop beliefs about themselves and the world that usually stem from things that they learn as children,” Dr. Sprich says. “They can be altered, but it usually requires work on the part of the individual (often with the help of a therapist) to articulate the beliefs and then examine whether the beliefs are accurate and/or useful to them.”
Individuals who grow up in environments with overly critical and unsupportive parents or caregivers may be more likely to develop an inferiority complex. Frequent comparisons to a sibling can have long-lasting impacts, as can being the victim of bullying or neglect.
As a teen or adult, unrealistic societal standards and struggles in school, at work, or in relationships can trigger feelings of inferiority and insecurity. People who get caught up in negative self-talk and who fail to recognize and accept their successes can, over time, develop an inferiority complex, too.
Other potential causes of inferiority complex include experiencing prejudice based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Struggles in social or romantic relationships, or enduring financial hardships can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. The same is true for people who feel self-conscious about physical differences, including weight, height, facial features, or traits such as a speech impediment or medical conditions that may be obvious to others.
While it can be helpful to explore possible causes of inferiority complex, what’s more important is that you address the condition in a healthy way. Overcoming an inferiority complex may help prevent complications affecting your long-term physical and mental health.
Inferiority Complex Vs. Superiority Complex
Interestingly, one other common symptom of an inferiority complex is an opposing disorder called a superiority complex. Someone with a superiority complex appears to have an exaggerated opinion of their own abilities and achievements. They tend to brag and may actually invent accomplishments that never took place.
If you have an inferiority complex, you may develop a superiority complex to overcompensate for feelings of inadequacy and mask your low self-esteem.
How Inferiority Complex Affects Health and Well-Being
The constant feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem can affect your mental well-being. Like many mental health phenomena, an inferiority complex can contribute to the onset of depression and anxiety. Constantly feeling that you will never be good enough can lead to hopelessness, negative self-talk, and other symptoms of depression. And the ongoing fears of failure and extreme sensitivity to criticism can fuel anxiety.
People with low self-esteem often tend to withdraw socially, which then feeds into feelings of isolation and loneliness.
And while some people with an inferiority complex may set high or unrealistic expectations for themselves, the condition also makes it even harder to reach self-determined goals. Having an inferiority complex can lead to slowed thinking and difficulty concentrating, as well as constant second-guessing, which can interfere with productivity and success.
Long-term feelings of inferiority may also contribute to chronic stress, which can affect your physical health. Stress contributes to headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and a weakened immune system. Chronic stress is also a risk factor for high blood pressure, heart disease, and low-grade inflammation throughout the body.
Other physical symptoms of inferiority complex can include insomnia and other sleeping difficulties, eating disorders and/or body dysmorphia, feeling nervous, and experiencing a rapid heart rate, heavy breathing, and other signs that you sense danger or threats.
Practical Steps to Overcome an Inferiority Complex
If you suspect you’ve been suffering from an inferiority complex, you may benefit from at least talking with a therapist about your feelings and how they’ve affected your life. “Therapy can be helpful in learning to challenge thoughts and beliefs,” Dr. Sprich says, suggesting that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be especially useful. “CBT helps the individual to track their thoughts, uncover their underlying beliefs, examine the evidence for and against, and learn to challenge their thoughts and beliefs. A CBT therapist would also likely encourage the individual to do some behavioral experiments to test the validity of their beliefs. For example, if someone had the thought, ‘No one would want to talk to me if I went to the library book club,’ the therapist might encourage them to test it out.”
Dr. Sprich also suggests that another form of psychotherapy, called acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), can help people accept their thoughts and feelings—even the difficult ones—as natural responses. Instead of fighting or suppressing them, you acknowledge them and commit to making behavioral changes that more closely align with your values and goals.
“A very helpful strategy that comes from ACT is to label thoughts and beliefs as just thoughts and beliefs,” Dr. Sprich says. “For example, if you have the thought ‘I am a loser’ in your head, it feels like a fact. If you insert, ‘I just had a thought that…I am a loser,’ it starts to give you a different perspective. Another tool is to write down the thoughts because it seems different when you see the thoughts in writing as opposed to when they are just running through your head. Finally, asking yourself, ‘What would I say to a friend in this situation?’ can be very helpful since we are generally kinder to others than we are to ourselves.”
Another practical tip is limiting your time on social media platforms that leave you feeling insecure. You may find yourself comparing your unfiltered “real life” with another’s ideally curated and filtered “perfect life.”
As much as possible, focus on your strengths and other positive attributes. Think about your values and priorities, and focus on how much you embody those things. Also, you may find that you feel more successful and productive when you set and achieve smaller, realistic goals, rather than striving for the unattainable. When you do accomplish something and reach a certain goal, celebrate your success.
And when you’re feeling especially low or hopeless, think about how you can help someone else. Maybe it’s through volunteering or simply reaching out to a friend, relative, or neighbor with a friendly word and kind thoughts. Oftentimes, the more people can turn their attention and energy toward others and away from their own problems or worries, the better they feel.
