Features of Bulgarian Mentality: Inferiority Complex

Статията на български

NB* With the one verification at the start - all written comes from my personal observations or experience and although these could be quite comprehensive so I might use generalizing or summarizing linguistic units they wouldn't throw the pretension to speak out in the name of the Whole. Plus one assurance to prevent misunderstanding - the pure intention of exposing greyish shirts in open is to bleach them in the sun.

Inferiority complex is one of the most common harmful effects of the vicious models of education of the Bulgarians, even in comparison with Superiority complex, whose dominance in mentality, in my opinion, is inherent in other European nations. Inferiority complex complicates with age, of course, if not treated, integrating in one's personality and lifestyle; however, the most typical time, to appear as a feeling and develop in a complex, is childhood. This article is dedicated to children in celebration of their holiday, but mostly for the reason to allow more publicity on the damage that we, adults in Bulgaria inflict upon them while pretending loudly that they are our future and that our care for them is a priority.

It is much written and spoken about the physical upbringing of our issues while ignoring at the same time the question of psychological development, so fundamentally important to the individual's health and survival as is the first. Whether the mentioned underestimation is a fact, because most negative consequences cause by the psychological and emotional abuse towards the infant members of our society and families are bombs of delayed detonation, mines, which we set in their present, on to explode in their future when we adults will have our hands washed from our own responsibility from a long time since then?! One thing is certain, though, what happens to our children in their early years, comes out in their present and has results in their future is "due" entirely to us, their parents and older citizens.

The sense of inferiority within family, their normal living environment, occurs and is natural in children, following their dependence from adults. However, if not properly addressed by parents, this feeling is strengthened and deepened, and with growth and development of personality turns into a complex. The main mistakes that lie entirely upon parents' responsibility, and the other responsible's next, respectively, are mainly in two directions. The first way of creating an inferiority complex are the critical comparisons made of some children to other or to older individuals on the ground of the latter's superiority and/or achievements, lacking in the first. The second way to psychologically traumatize a child's person is when the necessarily satisfactory performance is required of the parents' expectations, no matter whether extreme or reasonable they are. Thus, momentary manifests of weakness, the lack of given or sufficient qualities, normal to every human being, turns into a permanent sense of insecurity or inability, even when such is actually absent, resulting in the need to be compensated, yet not resolved.

Inferiority complex is a vicious circle, which has its initial point and consequences along the same rotary path, but the exit is outside it, not to its opposite, but in a different direction. Resolving a problem begins with its recognition and acceptance, but the critical point in this case is namely in the afflicted person's admission that they perceive themselves of not (enough) quality. The main reason is in what people with such problem do, and particularly, experiencing a permanent need to prove before the world and hence to themselves that they are valuable, more valuable, the most precious, perfect. Even only in the subjective perception, acceptance of imperfection is an impossible task, so compensation has objectively large sizes, attributes with large sizes, pretentions with large sizes, great illusions about the large size of the capital letter in "Me".

The sense of inferiority is the path to the complex, but the difference between the two is comprehensive, at least, the first is a normal state for every human being, while the second is a condition. In more simple words, when a non-afflicted feels inferior in some way, for them it is a motive and incentive for improvement, making it for themselves, and within the real possibilities and objectives. In the case of an afflicted, the sense of inferiority generates a more negative experience, overloading to the existing problem, and fear of it showing up a reality blocks the path to acceptance and appropriate resolution is replaced by a relief through compensation. Goals over the real or really needed are aimed, which expected following failure rotates the cycle again. Rather than an actual improvement, even extreme efforts are enforced in "giving an impression" of such. Thus, the lives of those affected by the complex become an existing illusion while their problem - from an illusion comes into real existence.