When an individual is suffering from a superiority complex, they adopt an attitude of superiority that is able to conceal their true feelings of failure and inferiority.
It is a defense mechanism that is used to prevent feelings that may be difficult to handle at a specific moment. Then, over time, this health issue can develop an exaggerated feeling of self-importance in specific areas or in general terms.
Symptoms of a Superiority Complex
The most common symptom of a superiority complex is exaggeration. People will magnify every situation to make themselves feel more important. Even something simple, like a slight bruise, becomes an event that could change the world, with the goal of gaining more sympathy from the situation.
People with this issue will also create numerous excuses for the events and circumstances of their life. Any personal shortcomings are the fault of someone else. Failures are justified because there were external factors that prevented success.
A superiority complex can also be fueled by a foundation of aggression. There is a need to be seen in a specific way when an individual is dealing with this issue. If that perception is not present, then the individual becomes hurtful, rude, and eventually violent.
People with a superiority complex are often projective, depreciative, and accusatory.
How to Treat a Superiority Complex
To cope with a superiority complex, it becomes necessary to address the root causes of the symptoms being displayed. It is a paradox, because it is inferiority which causes a superiority complex. People must learn how to cope with failure and difficult feelings.
There are numerous ways to cope, from writing in a journal to speaking with a trusted family member or friend. When a superiority complex is present, the individual affected may be living in a fantasy world of their own creation. It may be necessary to avoid triggering statements by an individual as these are intended to stop the treatment process.
Over time, if thinking errors can be identified and corrected, it becomes possible to overcome a superiority complex. It takes time, patients, and the care of loved ones who are willing to deal with the symptoms of this health issue to help them begin to fade.
Above all else, hold people with a superiority complex accountable to their actions.