Understanding the Superiority Complex from a Feminist Perspective
Hattie Ocal; Counsellor, Feminist Therapist and Supervisor, https://hattieocal.co.uk
Superiority complex is not classified as a mental health condition. It is not recognised by the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)). In contrast, an edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published about 20 years after Alfred Adler's works disagreed that the superiority complex (under the formal name of grandiose delusion in the DSM IV) resulted solely from the effects of an inferiority complex (IC).
Psychologist Alfred Adler first described the superiority complex in his early 20th-century work. He explained that the superiority complex is essentially a defence mechanism against feelings of inadequacy and for covering inferiority that we all struggle with, and this was evident in his individual therapy work. Therefore, I will attempt to examine and analyse the original meaning of the superiority complex as described from a male perspective, and draw my own conclusion about what the superiority complex can look like and how it manifests itself in the real world today.
The original meaning of the superiority/inferiority complex has been seen within individuals as a defence mechanism, which some scholars in the field have disputed. Therefore, Ada Kahn has argued that superiority and inferiority complexes cannot coexist within the same individual, since someone with a superiority complex genuinely believes they are better than others. She claimed that, “whereas an inferiority complex may manifest through behaviours intended to demonstrate superiority—such as expensive material possessions or an obsession with vanity and appearances to hide feelings of inadequacy.” I personally believe that individuals with a superiority complex do not necessarily care about image or vanity, as they possess innate feelings of superiority and generally do not concern themselves with proving their superiority to others.
Experimental social psychologist, Vera Hoorens, states that “those exhibiting the superiority complex have a self-image of supremacy”. While individuals with an inferiority complex aim to present themselves in the best possible light, those with a superiority complex do not even attempt to make themselves look good or express their superiority to others. Individuals with SP speak as if they are better than others, but ultimately do not care if others think so, much like the cognitive bias known as illusory superiority. In social psychology, illusory superiority is a cognitive bias where individuals overestimate their qualities and abilities compared to others. (https://behavioralinquiry.com/2017/10/09/illusory-superiority)
In short, individuals with a superiority complex often exhibit boastful attitudes towards those around them. bell hooks - in her book – The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity and Love describes male power as “Psychological patriarchy is the dynamic between those qualities deemed “masculine” and “feminine” in which half of our human traits are exalted while the other half is devalued. Both men and women participate in this tortured value system. “Psychological patriarchy is a dance of contempt,” a perverse form of connection that replaces true intimacy with complex, covert layers of dominance and submission". hooks, bell. The Will to Change (pp. 32-33). However, although I appreciate bell hooks' view of the above quote, I do not fully agree and brace up to her stance on the description of both men and women participating in a tortured value system, as I view women as being much more harshly treated under patriarchy. In contrast, the majority of men often benefited from the androcentric patriarchal system in one way or another. Because the patriarchy is a system in which males lead socially, economically, politically, and most likely more in the less fortunate countries around the world.
It mainly originates from a shift that led to the development of more agricultural systems before capitalism, which created a need to protect crops and cattle. Men assumed the role of defending their property, while women settled to watch the children and manage other community matters. The current androcentric patriarchal system emphasises and promotes male superiority over women. Men are generally regarded as the stronger and better sex and consequently receive better treatment and opportunities. Meanwhile, women are expected to submit to this and stand behind their husbands or fathers or even take their names to live under a pretend identity when they get married.
The superiority complex can also shape historical colonial attitudes towards other nations, which have been somewhat overlooked by mainstream and male-dominated disciplines like psychology, as well as by political influencers such as neo-liberals and progressive political parties. However, this has been addressed by feminist scholars like bell hooks in the field so far. Nonetheless, due to the Western portrayal of the condition, the effort to view it as a local issue was deemed justified in 20th-century Europe, which has been viewed as evidence that psychology is overall Eurocentric and neglects the psychological dimensions of people from other regions and nations.
Superiority Complex vs Inferiority Complex
A superiority complex (SC) is an exaggerated sense of self-worth. It masks genuine feelings of inferiority. A superiority complex also describes behaviour where a person believes they are better than others. It has been widely discussed and debated in psychology that, although not an official diagnosis, its symptoms can be present in conditions such as low self-esteem, ADHD, and childhood traumas.
An inferiority complex (IC), on the other hand, is an exaggerated sense of inadequacy, both about oneself and in comparison to others. It often conceals true motivations, like a desire for control over one's life or the ability to succeed. Inferior behaviours can also undermine one's self-worth by valuing others too highly. In societies characterised by an unequal gender structure, women often develop an inferiority complex, which sustains male dominance and upholds the androcentric patriarchal system. bell hooks, in her book – ‘The Will to Change’, states that “we have been so well socialised in patriarchal culture to be silent on the subject of men, but also more than silenced, we have been socialised to be the keepers of grave and serious secrets: hooks, bell”. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. What is different here is that, in a contextual sense, the psychological process of becoming is shaped by patriarchal cultural values and the systemic sexist model, which creates divisions in the way the sexes define themselves and others. In an androcentric patriarchal society, thus, the intentional construction of personalities causes men to develop SC and women to develop IC.
Simone de Beauvoir (1953) suggests that women are often the primary audience for ideological messages that promote traditional roles and encourage tolerance of inequality and oppression, all in exchange for promised rewards in the afterlife, which is dominated by religiosity that goes hand in hand with the patriarchal values of division and control. She argues that androcentric religious teachings often encourage “women to be meek and to endure inequality, exploitation, and suffering with the belief that such compliance will be rewarded later on”, so the supposed compliant behaviour can lead women to develop IC. This helps explain why women tend to be more compliant with these ideologies across different cultures and religions than men. These attitudes are shaped by the androcentric patriarchal system, which similarly influences political structures in the Global North to exercise colonial power over less fortunate countries in the Global South.
The Politics of a Superiority Complex in the 21st Century
A SC can also be seen as an individual holding a belief in Supremacism, which is the idea that a specific group of people is superior to, and should have authority over, all others. Any group that considers itself superior can be characterised by age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, language, social class, ideology, nationality, culture, generation, or other human characteristics. From a feminist perspective, it clearly demonstrates how the masculine patriarchal system operates to primarily enable the male gender to dominate other groups without any dubiety about their deficiency. The nature of the patriarchal system depends on asserting control over others. It is divided into classes, namely the ruling class, middle class, and working class, as class division forms the backbone of capitalism. This means that gender superiority is symptomatic of an internal inadequacy to confront male failures or shortcomings.
This can be extended to autocratic conservative systems to regard any other minorities as second-class citizens, or simply to deny their equal existence in any given society. Can we form a connection between the original superiority complex and the current political climate which includes gender apartheid in some countries, ethnic cleansing in others, and the persecution and discrimination of women and minority groups in the US? Male superiority complex, stemming from and boosted by an androcentric patriarchal system, has led to death and destruction both at home and globally, and there does not seem to be an end to it unless the male supremacy is effectively challenged and changed.
The basis of Western individual psychology is the idea that everyone aims to overcome feelings of inadequacy or inferiority, or that becoming the best version of ourselves can help us develop skills and build a meaningful life of connection and achievement. It also proves that whilst striving to overcome inadequacies, we are causing death and distraction by virtue of our position in the world as a Western nation. Feminism should reject the historically ingrained patriarchal worldview regarding humans and their relationships within both local and global communities. This includes psychological frameworks based on male interpretations of human beings and their psyche functions. The evidence of human pain and suffering clearly arises from male shortcomings in the West, as the Eurocentric approach has historically influenced the field of psychology throughout Europe, the US, and other Anglo-Saxon countries in the West.
In our post-MeToo society, feminism remains an essential force for change, as full equality has yet to be achieved. Women must unlearn the low self-worth and inferiority complex they have been conditioned to develop through years of misjudgment by men and negative patriarchal cultural portrayals supported by media outlets such as the BBC and similar institutions.
A BBC study in September 2023 revealed that the sexual abuse of female surgeons in the NHS shows a shocking number of men with a superiority complex believe they can mistreat women and get away with it, without consequences. Some people argued that female doctors needed to “toughen up” in a letter responding to research that found a third of female surgeons had been sexually assaulted by colleagues in the previous five years. This was called a “snowflake generation” of young doctors who “should toughen up.” Studies have repeatedly shown that it would be naive to assume that all the battles for women’s rights have been won in the West, especially when women are still objectified in the workplace and suffer from high levels of an inferiority complex. On one hand, this exposes a failure of the NHS, but on the other hand, it shows how poorly women are represented by society.
Women in the UK, in general, have had the right to vote equally with men since 1928, yet many still face perceptions of inferiority in their own homes. This is demonstrated by the societal expectation that a woman will take her husband’s name and undertake household chores. Most women perceive this expectation as usual due to the negative portrayal of their roles and responsibilities by the mainstream media, which naturally fosters an inferiority complex in the culture at large.
Women in the UK also have the same access to education as men do, but the same is not true for women in Taliban-run Afghanistan. Again, women in Britain are fortunate enough to have access to legal abortion, but this is not the case for millions of women in a variety of countries in the world. The conduct of the Trump administration last year has also meant that not all women in the United States have been afforded the right to make decisions about their own bodies. For feminism, women anywhere are not equal until women everywhere are.
