{"id":121622,"date":"2021-02-11T11:00:41","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T11:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=121622"},"modified":"2023-03-06T10:17:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T10:17:36","slug":"what-is-a-superiority-complex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-a-superiority-complex.htm","title":{"rendered":"Is it a &#8216;Superiority Complex&#8217; that&#8217;s the Problem?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_121624\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/2731901459_322f6fa470-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121624\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-121624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/2731901459_322f6fa470-1-400x215.jpg\" alt=\"superiority complex\" width=\"400\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/2731901459_322f6fa470-1-400x215.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/2731901459_322f6fa470-1.jpg 499w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-121624\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/marionenkevin\/2731901459\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Kevin<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #333399;\">by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/is-dealing-with-difficult-colleagues-affecting-your-mental-wellbeing.htm\">colleague<\/a> or acquaintance so full of themselves it makes you want to scream? Alway bragging and showing off? Is it a superiority complex, or something different? <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><em>And why does it matter?<\/em><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The original definition of \u2018superiority complex\u2019 <\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>A &#8216;superiority complex&#8217; is a term that was first coined in the<\/strong> early 1900s by respected Austrian psychotherapist Alfred Adler ( a peer of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/freuds-main-theories-psychoanalysis.htm\">Freud, <\/a>although they didn\u2019t like each other!). <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #333399;\">Adler\u00a0 proposed that a superiority complex is when a person acts as if they are better than and above others, even being dismissive and disdainful to others. They might also have a desire to be special and a hero. It&#8217;s not, however,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0because they believe they are better. <\/span>But because deep down they have an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/inferiority-complex.htm\"><i>inferiority <\/i>complex<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>So a superiority complex is a well-played disguise for<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-compassion.htm\">low self-esteem<\/a> that leads to a sense of entitlement, and to\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/flashback-vs-hallucination-vs-delusion.htm\">delusional<\/a> fantasies of power.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Why would I have a superiority complex?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Adler felt it was related to childhood. It comes from the way a child must<\/strong> absolutely depend on parents. If parents don&#8217;t encourage a child&#8217;s gradual independence, this can leave the child floundering in feelings of incompetence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/323291052_Validation_of_Adlerian_inferiority_COMPIN_and_superiority_SUCOMP_complex_shortened_scales\">recent research study<\/a> attempting to prove the relevance of the concept of a superiority complex explains it like this:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">&#8220;The feeling is triggered by the child\u2019s perception that others possess all the power, and that struggling against that kind of power is hopeless. Asa result, the child feels inferior and less capable.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"pdf-viewer-page js-lazy-load-page display-page\" data-lazy-batch=\"1\">\n<div class=\"pdf-lazy-load\">\n<div id=\"pf3\" class=\"pf w0 h0\" data-page-no=\"3\">\n<div class=\"pc pc3 w0 h0\">\n<h2 class=\"pdf-bg bi x0 y29 w3 h9 lazyload\" data-bg=\"profile\/Dorde_Cekrlija\/publication\/323291052\/viewer\/AS:596143553667073@1519143107933\/background\/3.png\">How has the meaning of a superiority complex changed?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u00a0A &#8216;superiority complex&#8217; has become a turn of phrase<\/strong> to describe someone arrogant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">But in &#8216;psychology speak&#8217;, Adler&#8217;s theory has fallen out of favour, <\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">like many ideas from the beginnings of psychotherapy (including many, if not most, of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/freuds-main-theories-psychoanalysis.htm\">ideas put forth by Freud<\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Social psychology has instead put forth the idea what it has renamed &#8216;illusory superiority&#8217; comes from <\/strong>social comparison.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We all compare ourselves to others in order to fit in and thrive.<\/strong> And this can lead to &#8216;self-related bias&#8217;, where we favour ourselves, including &#8216;superiority bias&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Self-esteem is still involved, as we want to feel better<\/strong> about ourselves, what <span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/247505886_Self-Enhancement_and_Superiority_Biases_in_Social_Comparison\">Danish social psychologist Vera Hoorens<\/a> refers to as &#8216;self-enhancement and self validation&#8217;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>But it&#8217;s also in part an unconscious cognitive process,<\/strong> with our minds overlooking some things and exaggerating others in our favour.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_121625\" style=\"width: 277px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121625\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-121625\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/janko-ferlic-G-jo31ESuRE-unsplash-1-267x400.jpg\" alt=\"what is a superiority complex\" width=\"267\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/janko-ferlic-G-jo31ESuRE-unsplash-1-267x400.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/janko-ferlic-G-jo31ESuRE-unsplash-1-401x600.jpg 401w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/janko-ferlic-G-jo31ESuRE-unsplash-1.jpg 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-121625\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo by Janko Ferlic<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2018\/04\/180412130756.htm\">research study out of Michigan University<\/a> looked at six studies around people who felt their political beliefs were superior than those of others. The study showed that these same people consistently overestimated their own knowledge, thinking they knew more than they did.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder <\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em><span class=\"s1\">So what about Adler&#8217;s original idea? Of a complex that makes someone domineering, but arises from low self-esteem? <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>If there was a term that has replaced and become far more popular than \u2018superiority complex\u2019, it might be<\/strong> \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-a-narcissist.htm\">narcissist<\/a>\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Technically, a narcissist is someone who loves themselves. If you<\/strong> use people for your benefit, and pretend to be more than you are, you have the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/personality-disorder-vs-personality-trait.htm\">personality trait<\/a> of narcissism. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>And at the heart of narcissistic traits are<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/negative-thoughts.htm\">low self-esteem<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/shame-definition.htm\">shame<\/a>. Despite all your posturing and cold manoeuvres, you don\u2019t actually like yourself that much.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #800080;\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/233747740_How_much_do_narcissists_really_like_themselves_Using_the_bogus_pipeline_procedure_to_better_understand_the_self-esteem_of_narcissists\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">study out of Western Carolina university<\/span><\/a> looked at over 75 women with narcissistic traits. Despite claiming they felt good about themselves, test subjects who were then told they would be monitored by lie detecting technology admitted to low self-esteem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_121626\" style=\"width: 277px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121626\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-121626\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/alexis-reyna-8eCKyqvW25Q-unsplash-267x400.jpg\" alt=\"superiority complex\" width=\"267\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/alexis-reyna-8eCKyqvW25Q-unsplash-267x400.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/alexis-reyna-8eCKyqvW25Q-unsplash-400x600.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/alexis-reyna-8eCKyqvW25Q-unsplash.jpg 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-121626\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo by Alexis Reyna<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">What you really need to know about these labels<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #333333;\">Here\u2019s the question. What is it that drives you to want to label the other person who is annoying you? <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #800080;\">It\u2019s easy to write someone off as being a narcissist or having a superiority complex. But it can be a way to also blame and write off the other person entirely, and not look at ourselves. We avoid our own responsibility in a situation. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Nowhere is this more clear than googling narcissism on the internet. <\/strong>There are forums full of people convinced everyone around them is a narcissist as they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/live-life-like-victim-12-ways-tell.htm\">play the poor victim<\/a> to perfection. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Yes, there are people who are maladjusted, and who have<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/a-personality-disorder-diagnosis-helpful-or-a-trap.htm\">personality disorders.<\/a>\u00a0Or who are truly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/shadow-self.htm\">living from their dark side<\/a>. And if this is the case, recognition can help us with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-care-and-depression.htm\">self care<\/a> and walking away. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>But if you are seeking to label someone as having a superiority complex so you can<\/strong> scorn them? Or make them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/am-i-a-good-person.htm\">the bad \u2018other\u2019<\/a> you can gossip about? You are essentially making yourself better than them. Which could mean that you have\u2026. a superiority complex.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Worry your ego is out of control? Or can&#8217;t stop being attracted to bad relationships and need help? We connect you with some of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/therapists.htm\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">London&#8217;s best talk therapists<\/span><\/a>. Or use our booking site now to find a <a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Mid%20Post\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">UK-wide registered therapist<\/span><\/a> or<a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Post%20End\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"> online counsellor<\/span><\/a> and start talking.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-117271 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-150x150.png\" alt=\"Andrea M. Darcy\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-50x50.png 50w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673.png 268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><strong>Andrea M. Darcy<\/strong> is a health and wellbeing writer as well as mentor who often writes about trauma, relationships, and ADHD. Find her on Instagram @am_darcy<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Andrea M. Darcy Is a colleague or acquaintance so full of themselves it makes you want to scream? Alway bragging and showing off? Is it a superiority complex, or something different? And why does it matter? The original definition of \u2018superiority complex\u2019 A &#8216;superiority complex&#8217; is a term that was first coined in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":121625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[223,6,125],"tags":[118,208,379],"class_list":["post-121622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personality-disorders","category-relationships","category-self-esteem","tag-low-self-esteem","tag-narcissistic-personality-disorder","tag-relationships","has_thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is it a &#039;Superiority Complex&#039; that&#039;s the Problem? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is a superiority complex? 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Darcy","author_link":"#"},"uagb_comment_info":1,"uagb_excerpt":"by Andrea M. Darcy Is a colleague or acquaintance so full of themselves it makes you want to scream? Alway bragging and showing off? Is it a superiority complex, or something different? And why does it matter? The original definition of \u2018superiority complex\u2019 A &#8216;superiority complex&#8217; is a term that was first coined in the&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121622"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137421,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121622\/revisions\/137421"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}