<P> "If a person is a show - off, it is only because he feels inferior because he does not feel strong enough to compete with others on the useful side of life . That is why he stays on the useless side . 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 ." </P> <P> "The superiority complex is one of the ways that a person with an inferiority complex may use as a method of escape from his difficulties . He assumes that he is superior when he is not, and this false success compensates him for the state of inferiority which he cannot bear . The normal person does not have a superiority complex, he does not even have a sense of superiority . He has the striving to be superior in the sense that we all have ambition to be successful; but so long as this striving is expressed in work it does not lead to false valuations, which are at the root of mental disease ." </P> <P> From Alfred Adler's point of view, an individual faced with a task wants to overcome or master the task . This is known as striving for superiority . For a well - adapted individual, this striving is not for personal superiority over others, but an overcoming of the task, or finding useful answers to questions in life . When faced with the task, the individual will experience a feeling of inferiority or a sense that the current situation is not as good as it could be . This feeling is similar to stress . If the individual has not been properly trained, the task may seem too much to overcome and lead to an exaggerated feeling of inferiority, or intense anxiety . The individual may, after several unsuccessful attempts to accomplish the task, give up on mastering the task, experiencing the inferiority complex, or a depressed state . The individual may also make several attempts at solving the problem and find a solution to the problem that causes problems in other areas . An individual who answers the question "How can I be thin?" by not eating will become thin, but at the cost of their overall health . </P> <P> An individual who is not properly trained to answer life's problems may turn from striving for superiority in useful ways to that of a personal superiority at all cost . If an individual cannot be better than another on their own merit, they will attempt to tear down another person or group to maintain their superior position . </P>

Why do i feel the need to be superior