Superiority Complex!!??

It is nowadays common to hear the accusation “She suffers from superiority complex; she thinks too much of himself.” And the pity is there are some people who even confess, “ You see, Sir, I have a little bit of this superiority complex.” These people think that superiority complex is actually healthy; they think that they have got 110 out of 100 in the exam of life. Nothing could be more ridiculous.

But I had real enlightenment on superiority complex while I was talking to a psychologist friend of mine. He said categorically, that there is nothing called superiority complex. I was stunned, to say the least.

His explanation was very convincing. “You see a person who is really superior does not have any complex.”

“But what about persons who think they are superior, while they are not?” I asked vehemently.

“These people also suffer from inferiority complex.”

He explained that there is only inferiority complex and it manifests in two ways. One, the person thinks very low of himself and this feeling is directly brought out in his speech and action. But another set of people who also think very low of themselves, actually project themselves as superiors. They know in the heart of their hearts that they are worthless. But to cover this feeling they create an image as if they are very superior. Dictators, wife-beating husbands, the person who always trumpets about himself – all these people are also suffering from severe inferiority complex. But the complex manifests in the opposite direction – projecting a false superiority.

While on this I remember a profound joke I read in a psychology book.

Patient: “Doctor, I am suffering from inferiority complex.

The Doctor (after several hours of psychotherapy) concludes: “No, you are not suffering from inferiority complex. You are really inferior.”