Website owner: James Miller
Q. Can one hope to help a person with an inferiority complex by
rational argument, by the use of reason? Can one hope to
convince the person, by argument, that his general mental
powers are as great as those of anyone, and thus replace his
general self-doubts and feelings of lack of confidence with
a general, stable, buoyant spirit of confidence? How would
one attempt it?
A. Whether one could hope to be successful or not in removing
an inferiority complex through rational argument is a good
question. I don't know, but have my doubts. One could
attempt to do it through the use of the following types of
arguments:
- Stress that every person is very complicated with many
facets and abilities and everyone has a variety of
strengths and weaknesses.
- List different kinds of abilities and help the person
analyze himself and find out in which ones he is strong
and in which he is weak.
- Cite examples of important, successful people who had
definite strengths and point out some of their
weaknesses.
- Cite examples of important people who had inferiority
complexes to show that inferiority feelings do not imply
a lack of ability.
- Get the person to re-examine his personal values and
priorities as to what is important in life. Show him
that goodness, honesty, simplicity and truth are more
important than any mental ability and that a good,
honest, moral person is much to be preferred to a highly
gifted one; that we ought not worry about the opinions
of society and people --- only of God.
Aug 1977
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