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Psychological Phenomena

Superiority Complex

Clinical and Motivational Phenomena

A superiority complex is a defense mechanism that develops over time to help a person cope with underlying feelings of inferiority. Alfred Adler coined the term in the early 1900s as part of his school of individual psychology. People with a superiority complex tend to come across as arrogant, prideful, and disdainful toward others, and may treat other people in an imperious, overbearing, or even aggressive manner.

Facts
Partially Attested
First Described Year
1900 1
The term was coined by Alfred Adler in the early 1900s. (w-bbfill-psychology6-0926)
Classification
Type of Phenomenon
Emotional Phenomenon 1
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Superiority complex
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Wikipedia article text
    The term was coined by Alfred Adler in the early 1900s.
  • lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
    A superiority complex is a defense mechanism that develops over time to help a person cope with feelings of inferiority.
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