What are the types of complexes: classification, signs, tips

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You can take a test and find out what psychological complex you have.

The complexes we have affect how we see ourselves and behave towards others.

They are deeply rooted in our psyche and have a huge impact on our lives.

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It is not completely known how we acquire psychological complexes, whether we are born with them or whether our environment contributes to their formation.

Characteristics of the problem

The concept of complexes in psychology is a combination of thoughts, impressions, and experiences accumulated consciously and subconsciously, which have become the reason for the formation of new behavioral attitudes. In most cases, they are formed in childhood, when the psyche is most vulnerable and susceptible to the opinions of others, especially close people. A person is tormented by a distorted idea of ​​his own shortcomings, often exaggerated:

• physical;
• mental;
• moral.

He experiences them in silence, trying to hide what worries him. Tries to find indirect ways to talk about his problem with others, but does not dare to ask directly. Subconsciously hopes to get a refutation of his fears.

Complexes are imposed on a person by society and its stereotypes. However, in most cases, these psychological doubts are formed as a result of ridicule of his shortcomings. The cause of most complexes is emotional trauma from the past. In childhood, when the concept of tact has not yet taken root in our minds, we are able to make fun of our peers, thereby undermining their self-confidence, which they carry through the years.

It is very difficult to systematize the complexes due to their huge number. But we can classify them according to the principle: which complexes affect what - the body or the soul.

Physical types of complexes arise from dissatisfaction with the shortcomings of one’s appearance - the shape of the nose, the size of the ears, physique, height, etc. This also includes racial prejudices. It is not necessary that these parameters are truly unaesthetic. They do not correspond to a person’s own idea of ​​the ideal.

Mental (mental) types of complexes are a consequence of lack of confidence in one’s own abilities or any negative actions committed in the past. These complexes affect our mentality and soul.

Psychological complexes can have a negative impact on a person, giving rise to negative emotions and behavior. But they can also have a positive influence on the individual. So, for a person who is dissatisfied with his appearance, the complex will become an impetus to overcome the disadvantage and take care of himself. As a result, taking care of your appearance will lead to its improvement and, as a result, self-confidence will appear. If a person looks fear in the eye and finds the real reason that caused it, he will be able to defeat himself.

There are a huge number of complexes, but let’s look at the most common ones. Are all of them surmountable?

Reasons for the development of human complexes

The origin of one or another complex always occurs due to pathological changes in a person’s mental functions in his brain. The important thing is that this can be prompted by completely different conditions and factors surrounding us. We also cannot talk about the instantaneousness of this process, because it takes people a considerable amount of time to develop such attitudes. In addition, there are many reasons for human complexes that lead to their occurrence.

Today, there are several sources of origin of complexes, including:

• Family
  . As already mentioned, the entire mass of development of this thinking occurs in childhood. Then, when the child is just forming as a person, he gets to know himself and the whole world around him. The only people who influence his perception the most are his parents. Therefore, a careless father’s word about the child’s appearance or character can affect his self-esteem in the future. The atmosphere in which children are raised becomes the main one in their lives and brings into it its own reflection of reality. This is how she will remain in the memory of a person in the future.
• Friends
  . Those people who deserve to be the closest outside of blood ties also play a huge role in everyone's life. All this is because it is their opinion that now becomes the main one, and the criticism is the most fair. As a result of this type of thinking, you need to understand how carefully you need to choose your friends. After all, the way they see a person shapes not only his personality, but also his independent perception.
• Favorite person
  . This part of life almost always comes first. At the moment of admiration for the opposite sex, people listen to him more than anyone else in the world. Even if his opinion is considered absolutely absurd, it is still taken seriously. It often happens that a previously independent and self-sufficient person retained his opinion and self-esteem throughout his life, and only after meeting the owner of his heart acquired several types of complexes at once.
• Society
  . What surrounds us cannot but affect our lives. It has already happened that at certain times their own generally accepted canons of behavior and more are formed. Growing up in such an environment, each person strives to be like others and conform to existing standards. Unfortunately, this is not always possible and not everyone succeeds. Due to the presence of different layers in society, not everyone is able to protect their interests. It is these people who often develop many mental complexes from early childhood to old age.
• The man himself
  . Sometimes the cause of all troubles must be sought directly in people. Sometimes they create a lot of complexes for themselves through their actions and pathological thinking. It is believed that people with a melancholic type of temperament are more susceptible to this behavior. They are characterized by isolation, uncertainty, tearfulness, are afraid of everything and do not like change. Based on these features, it can be assumed that it is they who force a person to distort himself from the inside for fear of seeing a truthful reflection. Such actions soon lead to a change in personality, the emergence of a new complex person.

Infanta complex

More and more often you can meet so-called adult children who are not able to make their own decisions, are afraid of responsibility and live with their parents until they are gray. In childhood, such children were overprotected, protected from all sorts of troubles and adversities, or were taught that they themselves would not achieve anything and were not capable of anything.

We are also talking about dreamers living in imaginary worlds and unable to take a sober look at life. Such people postpone making decisions, prefer to remain on the sidelines, and are highly dependent on the opinions of others.

Only a collision with reality can force an infantile personality to learn to make decisions for himself and build his own life.

In the dictionary D.N. Ushakova

COMPLEX, complex, male. (Latin complexus, lit. plexus). 1. A set, a combination of phenomena or properties. A complex set of social relationships. A complex of painful manifestations. Complex of representations. 2. (kick only complex). A teaching method in which primary education subjects are taught not separately from each other, but together, in a common connection (neol. ped.). 3. A set of sexual ideas that unconsciously manifest themselves in a person’s mental structure (Freudian term; medical, psychic). Oedipus complex.

Dependence on other people's opinions

Related to the previous one, this complex can exist on its own. Fear of expressing one's opinion, low self-esteem and excessive dependence on the approval of others lead to an individual's excessive adaptation to others. Any critical remark leads to embarrassment, and in the future the person tries to hide his own thoughts, trying to please others, acting on the “chameleon” principle. The consequences may be as follows:

• inability to clearly formulate and defend one’s own opinion;
• loss of authority in society and in one’s own eyes;
• overestimation of someone else's opinion, blind adherence to it.

A complex personality who has become a victim of the dictatorship of an outside opinion can be used by self-interested authoritarian people for their own purposes. Often sectarians lure such pliable people into their organizations. Difficulties await a person with a similar psychological problem in relationships with others. People who are unable to communicate their opinions to society are not taken seriously. It is difficult for such people to build relationships and create a family.

Signs and symptoms ↑

The presence of complexes in a person can potentially be indicated by the following indicators:

• excessive worries and increased attention about one’s behavior or inappropriate actions as a reaction to the actions of other people;
• atypical and unusual reactions of the individual to various life situations and surrounding people;
• excessive constraint - physical and psychological - in situations of evaluation by other people;
• increased fear and anxiety in circumstances related to meeting and interacting with significant others.

Excellent student complex

Excessive perfectionism can develop into a real psychological illness.

1. To the one obsessed with her, it seems that everything he undertakes, he does not do well enough.
2. In the pursuit of perfection, a person forgets about the essence of the matter itself; he only cares about leadership.
3. If it is not possible to achieve championship, the person with the excellent student complex suffers from a feeling of guilt.

According to psychologists, women are most susceptible to this psychological diagnosis, and it begins to develop during school years. The girl is trying to achieve praise, to get an A by any means. In the future, it can manifest itself both in the career and personal spheres. In moderation, perfectionism drives you forward and is equated with determination, but it can develop into obsession.

This complex interferes with building relationships and family, making a person an outcast in society. Any critical remark can cause a person to have an acute reaction, stress, which over time develops into neurosis.

To get rid of the syndrome, you need to realize that ideal people do not exist. Just do your job and do it well without competing with others. Attribute any criticism not to your personality, but only to your actions.

An excellent student complex often develops in girls during their school years.

What is it ↑

Upon closer examination, a person’s complexes are directly related to a person’s distorted idea of ​​his personality - the characteristics of the mental, physical and psychological spheres.

Experiencing a painful attitude towards his own shortcomings - imaginary or actually expressed, a person is in a state of internal tension, trying in any way and way not to show his own difficulties in the psyche.

The existence of complexes in humans manifests itself in 2 variants:

1. When they are not realized, they are in the subconscious and invariably affect a person’s life, preventing them from living and developing normally.
2. Complexes are present in the human mind as a persistent mental phenomenon that is very difficult to overcome.

The stability of the complexes is due to several reasons:

• their occurrence in early childhood, when all comments are perceived uncritically;
• their consolidation in the subconscious and constant impact on the psyche;
• their close connection with all mental phenomena of the individual, the protective mechanisms of the psyche.

Guilt

Often, against the backdrop of a constant desire for justice, a person develops a constant feeling of guilt, even regarding those situations that concern him only indirectly. Being only a witness to some unfortunate incident, he begins to reproach himself for not being able to prevent it.

A person suffering from a complex tends to overestimate his capabilities, trying to “jump in over his head.” In most cases, he takes full responsibility and blame upon himself. Probably, in the past he committed some bad deed, which instilled a feeling of guilt for many years, and now the individual is trying with all his might to atone for it. We must try to understand that it is impossible to save everyone and everything.

Consequences of a guilt complex

Be philosophical about your own mistakes

Perhaps as a child you were scolded or criticized for something. This could happen at home, at school or in a creative circle. Systematically or once, but “for life.” Returning to the first point on this list, we note that most complexes appear in childhood. All this is in the past.

Now you are an adult, wise person - not the child whom they tried to force to be perfect and imposed thoughts like “there is no right to make mistakes.” Everyone has it. Along with the chance to correct any mistake, unless you personally really need it.

Cinderella and Peter Pan

The basis for the formation of these syndromes is insufficient faith in one’s own strength. Has a close connection with infantilism.

1. The “followers” ​​of Peter Pan are most often men who do not want to grow up. They avoid responsibility, are reluctant to make decisions, do not make plans and live for today. Any hint of having a family and children causes them horror. Mostly they live with their parents until the maximum possible time. They criticize the structure of society, secretly hoping that one day success will unexpectedly fall on them.
2. Women, mostly young ones, suffer from the Cinderella complex. They are looking for their patron in this huge and hostile world, who would protect them from adversity. This happens from the fear of loneliness, the desire to hide. These are the girls who were pampered in childhood and kept in hothouse conditions, or those who were sorely lacking in attention.

Try to act on the contrary

Complexes are a kind of rebellion of your psyche against yourself. Even in ancient times, the sages came to one simple thought: “If you can’t defeat a rebellion, lead it.” Take dominance over your own complexes by completely immersing yourself in them.

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Try doing what you're afraid of. Are you afraid of being ridiculed for not being able to dance or sing? Dance your heart out or belt out your favorite song in a crowded karaoke club. Taste your complexes in full, savor them and... forget them completely!

Own inferiority

These people feel they are not as successful/beautiful/charming as others. In their own opinion, they do not live up to the standards accepted in society. This complex can arise both in childhood and in adulthood. People with such a complex speak about themselves in a self-deprecating tone and perceive praise addressed to them as ridicule.

A person suffering from this complex is unsure of himself, is very dependent on the opinions of others, cannot defend his opinion, and is unable to speak publicly. If we are talking about a woman, such behavior is caused by dissatisfaction with her appearance. She tries to be inconspicuous, speaks quietly, dresses gloomily and grey. A child with such a problem does poorly at school, does not communicate with peers, and is antisocial.

Usually such people neglect their needs, limit themselves in everything, thinking that they are so imperfect and insignificant that it is not worth taking on the task, they will not achieve success anyway.

An inferiority complex in women is manifested by trying not to stand out

Say no to fear

In particular, we are talking about fear of public opinion. If you act based on it, then one day you may realize that you are not living your life. You can't please everyone - there will always be as many opinions as there are people. Don't be afraid to seem funny and even ridiculous.

Take risks, make mistakes, and don’t get hung up if you fail, and sooner or later you will show your true self and feel like you are living your life exclusively. This is a wonderful, incomparable feeling, in which, perhaps, lies true happiness and the meaning of life.

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Self-dislike

Arises due to low self-esteem, especially one’s appearance, and also if close people criticize it. Such a person believes that he does not deserve love, completely neglects self-care, and has no purpose in life.

This is one of the most common complexes in the modern world. A person may carefully hide this from others and not even admit to himself that the problem exists. In this case, the help of a psychologist is necessary, because the person suffers due to lack of love and self-esteem.

The main key to overcoming a list of complexes is to boldly look them straight in the face. A self-confident person can never be embarrassed by an offender. It is difficult for an unprepared person to cope with problems that are sometimes inconvenient to talk about. Don't be shy to face your fears, whatever they may be. In modern psychology, there are a huge number of methods and techniques that will help you get rid of complexes that prevent you from living a full life. There is no shame in seeking help from a professional psychologist.

How to get rid of it: advice from psychologists ↑

The main tips for getting rid of complexes should involve working on yourself and with yourself, you should change a person’s attitude towards himself as an integral person, as well as his attitude towards the world around him (social and material).

The action plan could be like this:

1. “What exactly do I do well?” This question is not only worth asking, but it is also necessary to find a successful answer to it. For every person there is his outlet - an activity where everything works out, to which his soul lies, where a person perceives himself as a professional specialist, for which those closest to him appreciate him. This is not necessarily something global; it’s quite simple, for example, to cook a delicious dish or brew tea. Such a “zest” in a person’s personality will always remind him that he, too, is of undoubted value, will give the necessary confidence, and will be the basis for a more adequate perception of himself.
2. “Do I have to compare myself to others?” If you constantly do this, nearby (for example, on TV!), you will definitely find someone more handsome, or rich, or successful, or famous. But there are also many examples of comparisons in the opposite direction. This should give motivation to achieve more, and not “paint” a reason to feel unsuccessful and unlucky. It is precisely to be positive that you need to set yourself up, compare your own results and see your own achievements in order to understand where a person needs to move in the course of self-development.
3. “Am I confident in myself, and how much?” More often, this becomes clear in the process of communicating with people: if there is no leadership position in a particular team, it is still worth fighting for the right to vote and authority. You can’t achieve this “brazenly”, but you can practice developing a confident manner of communication, a loud voice and continuity of presentation of thoughts. By practicing hard and developing your skills, you can achieve a lot!
4. “Which opponent can I handle?” Complexes make a person feel insecure. Lack of faith in their strengths and capabilities ruined many potential geniuses and champions - it was this that fettered all initiatives and attempts even at the conception stage! It’s important to try, to become someone’s rival – what if the result is favorable and you won’t have to regret it? Although losing is not the end, it is a good lesson to take into account unsuccessful actions and highlight the positives.
5. “Am I living in harmony with my inner world?” A person with complexes can literally be paralyzed by even an insignificant and innocent critical remark. But who said that it is necessary to meet the expectations of every person around you? Criticism is very often unfounded and too subjective. It can only apply to individual actions or actions of a person, but not to the entire person. A harmonious attitude towards your strengths and weaknesses will allow you to have an adequate position regarding yourself, to create your own “real value”!

When looking for answers to the above questions, the most important thing is not to give up. Psychological complexes are precisely the phenomenon that requires constant action and daily work - these means must become a habit at the level of human nature. Then there will be a positive result!