An excellent entry by someone I found randomly, and also now I know what I am suffering from - the Messianic/Redeemer complex, complex of excellent student and complex of guilt :)
[Source : http://analyticalpsychology.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/types-of-psychological-complexes/]
Complex of Oedipus\Elektra
A
famous mental dilemma of a child that has to choose between his father
and his masculine desire for his mother has grown into psychological
disturbance known as a Complex of Oedipus (for boys) or Complex of
Elektra (for girls). It`s been believed that the heroes from the Greek
mythology Oedipus and Elektra fell in love with their parents and in
order to fully possess them they had to kill another parent, the father
in a case of Oedipus and a mother in a case of Elektra. However, having
committed the murder, none of them felt satisfied as they were not in
position to have intimate rapports with the loved ones neither to marry
them, which would be publically considered as incest, nevertheless, the
myth hides these details.
Since
that time the enormous love for one of the parent to the exclusion of
another is considered to be the sign of Oedipus\Elektra Complex.
However, not all love of such kind shall be undoubtedly regarded as
such. Notably the complex is manifested by:
- The deep affection, which becomes publically evident for the parent of the opposite sex;
- The brusque attitude to the parent of the same sex;
- The perception of the parent as the center of the child`s life in all its manifestations;
- The expressed desire to “marry” the parent;
-
The ultra-sensitive reaction to the emotional or physical rejection of
the parent, which carries the unconscious sexual character, especially
in early childhood;
- The fantasying about the sexual relations with the parent, which might also be unconscious;
The
complex has to be cured as it carries the danger for the harmonious and
healthy mental development of a child. The complex may be transformed
during the psychoanalytical sessions, wherein the “object of adoration”
will be eliminated. If not cured, the complex might give rise to the
incurred difficulties in finding the proper couple in adulthood as all
candidates will be compared and leveled up to the parent and therefore
impossible to find the one who resembles him/her.
Ego Complex
‘The
Ego Complex’ stems from the conviction that ‘I am the center of the
Universe’ and that one`s own desires should be satisfied instantly,
whereas those of the others might wait. Still the practice shows that it
is not always true, which hurts the egoists and makes their Ego complex
vulnerable and insatiable. Usually such ‘Egoists’ were the only child
in the family, who were used to the situation when all their desires
were accomplished momentously. Having grown into the adults, they do not
seek to change the reality, but they are eager to nourish their
‘self-love’ at all costs. However, it is not always the case. Those
people, who suffer from the Ego complex might have been also deprived
from the main wells in childhood and the satisfaction of one`s own Ego
has become their only interest and daily care.
Such
people can be easily defined from the crowd as all they care about is
the satisfaction of their own needs, whenever they are, whatever they
do. Shall it be the canteen they will be the first to receive the hot
dish, shall it be the demonstrations they will be the ones, who shout
the loudest. Having satisfied their needs they do not seem to be willing
to help the others and often prefer not to be disturbed and would love
to avoid all sorts of contacts that go in different direction with their
personal goals. The communication of such people is usually limited to
the topics that are interesting to the person`s ego, which might be also
called ‘business deals’. The contacts, which do not serve to their own
pleasure, are usually eliminated.
The
complex does not normally need cure, as it presents no evident danger,
neither for the personal health nor to the society. These people are
efficient in finding what they want to, however as soon as their goals
are achieved they tend to rest lonely.
Father Complex
This
complex derives from the natural habit of the constant preoccupation
and care about the child, which soon might grow into a complex. The
possessors of this complex are usually those who are publically called
‘the good fathers’ or “the ideal fathers”, that is to say, the ones, who
give to their offspring the best in deficiency of oneself without
asking any remuneration or gratitude in return. In this mental dilemma,
the child becomes a kind of the parent`s obsession, which cannot be
dealt with easily, and even when the moment comes when all the needs of
the child are satisfied, the parent rests constantly perplexed and ready
to run to ‘the child`s rescue’ as he/she used to. And if he does not do
so he becomes worried. And even when he does so he is worried as well.
So, the dilemma has two ends, that is why this complex resembles a sort
of vicious circle.
Mother Complex
The
‘Mother complex’ stems from the same roots as the ‘Father complex’,
however in the mother`s case it might take more serious and bigger
dimensions as the mother is the one, who constantly remains with the
child throughout all her life. The ‘Mother complex’ differs from the
‘Father complex’ also for the cause of her pregnancy and the necessity
to carry a child throughout 9 months, which can be also saturated with a
fear to lose a child or to give a birth to unhealthy person. The mother
is the one, who is most tightly connected to the child and all her life
revolves around the urgent necessity to care about him/her.
The
complex’s manifestations are practically the same as in the father`s
case, however, it might take the feminine forms in particular
situations, which is individual for each case.
The
‘Mother`s Complex’ is not grave as long as it does not grow into
obsession and does cause complications for the mother`s life and that of
the child.
Complex of Don Juan
The
complex derives from the constant personal frustrations incurred in the
intimate relations with women. The sad love story with a
broken-heart-end or the sexual traumatic experience might also be in the
roots of this masculine complex.
The complex`s manifestations vary from case to case, whereas, the common aspects are the following:
- The psychological perception of a woman as a source of pleasure, which can and should bring satisfaction to a man;
- The ignorance about women;
- The easy-going and superficial attitude towards all women without exception;
- The tendency to change the intimate partners frequently, without concentration on someone in particular;
- The dramatization of the relations with women, e.i. leaving without saying ‘good-bye’ etc.;
- The habit to live at woman`s cost;
- The incapacity to truly love a woman and to build the long-term and stable relations with her.
Unfortunately,
such people are not capable to create a family, and in a case when the
person aims at changing his life, the psychoanalysis and
personal-relations therapy shall be applied.
Messianic/Redeemer Complex
The
complex may start manifesting itself already at the early stage, that
is to say, from the time when a child gains consciousness of himself as
of an individuality, which, for the most of the part, is a period, when
the complex may be conceived. Such children usually stand out in the
crowd and perform themselves as the guides of the specific causes. The
role of ‘the Chosen One’ may serve as a pretext to the majority of the
social demarches (i.e. not going to school) or the excuse for the
deviant behavior (i.e. certain habits). The complex might be formed also
at the more mature age due to non-possibility of self-realization and
as a consequence of the life crisis.
The
person, who suffers from the ‘messianic complex’, feels a certain
mission confined to him and that he has to fulfill at any cost. The
paradox is that during the whole lifetime the person might spend in
search of that ‘mission’. And not having found it, there is only a
feeling left of the ‘exclusiveness’, which provokes a bunch of
miscomprehension between him and the society, and most often leads the
conflicts inside himself. Among the symptoms there are: irrational
belief in one`s ‘uniqueness’; haughtiness; a tendency to the isolation; a
manner to express oneself in prophetic phrases when one does not know
what to answer;
The complex does not carry any danger to life as long as it does not grow into mania.
Complex of Cleopatra
A
Complex of Cleopatra or a Complex of a Queen, as it is more widely
known, is an ancient psychological complex, which is inherent to a big
number of powerful women. The complex is mainly caused by the excessive
amount of the feminine hormones and the reservoirs of the sexual energy,
which are increased by the permanent state of consciousness concerning
her uniqueness and total power above the rest of the world owing to her
eminent beauty, great talent or other outstanding personal or
professional qualities.
At
first sight such a woman might seem frigid and disinterested in the
company of the men, as a priori she considers that no man deserves her.
Throughout her life she might choose one or several partners, from who
she would demand total adoration and veneration as that is what her
sensation of exclusiveness urges. And in a case when it is not received,
the consequences might be dramatic and even tragic for both parts. Any
competitor might be eliminated instantly as such a woman asks a man to
be to completely loyal to her and especially to ‘their common ideas’.
It
is difficult to name at least one powerful woman who would not
experience ‘the dilemma of Cleopatra’ to the point that it is frequently
considered as an elite mark rather than a psychological disorder.
However, the complex might present a danger at its final stage if no
psychoanalytical intervention is applied, as a woman, who possesses a
‘Complex of Cleopatra’ risk significantly to commit suicide rather than
the one, who does not have it.
Complex of Napoleon
The
person with a ‘Complex of Napoleon’ is the one, who experiences certain
physical disadvantages (or those of the other nature) and at the same
time happens to be a head above all others at his/her specialization,
which gives him/her high reputation and publically-acknowledged
leadership.
The primary syndromes are:
• The obvious physical disadvantage(s) and the evident tentative to hide it (them);
• The
self-centrism (or rather complex-centrism) and as a consequence
self-isolation, which facilitates the person to preserve and bring up
his/her unique talent in a special area (usually in the most specific
and rare one);
• The leadership and the ability to lead the masses;
• The great number of followers;
• The popularity.
The
complex does not endanger life, it is rather good psychological
stimulation for the development of the unique talent that each
‘Napoleon’ has.
Complex of Lolita
The
complex appears as a consequence of difficult relations between a
daughter and a father in a childhood, or it might also be provoked by
childhood brought up in the absence of a father. The lack of father`s
love that this girl did not obtain at childhood she tries to find it at
the men of the senior age and, therefore, compensate her psychological
crave.
The
complex is usually attributed to the teen girls, however, it is also
frequent at the adult women (20-30 ages) and it is demonstrated as
following:
• The adoration of a man, who could probably be her father;
• The search of attention from the men of senior age;
• The complete disregard of her peers and inability to obtain satisfaction with them;
• The tendency to avoid women`s company and friendship.
Usually the complex does not bring about the complications as long as both partners consent to such relations.
Complex of Inferiority
This
type of complex is usually caused by the suppression of one`s feelings
due to certain social rules or by the society itself, which further on
grew into the amalgam of the personal insufficiency and perception of
one`s inability to be ‘like others’.
Due
to its deep roots that it takes at the personal level, the complex has
developed specific psychological nature and can be either ‘apparent’ or
‘hidden’. Its common features can be listed as follows:
• The careless attitude to one`s self;
• The ungrounded self-restriction, which, in grave cases, might grow into auto-deprivation and self-torturing;
• The lessening of one`s own needs when addressing about oneself or talking about oneself in a diminutive manner without respect;
• The difficulty in expressing one`s own point of view or inability to formulate one`s own desire;
• The tendency to the masochism.
The
complex needs the intervention of the specialist and the successive
course of the psychoanalysis aimed at the elimination of the complexes`
associations and the consecutive psychological cure.
Complex of Superiority
This
complex stems from the inner perception of oneself being better than
the others. The complex can be transmitted by heritage, or, in rare
cases, gained throughout the life. In the first case the complex is
demonstrated in all life`s spheres disregarding any conditions, whereas
in the latter one it is rather concentrated on the area, where it rose
from (work, social relations etc.).
Its features are namely:
• The protracted belief of one`s eminence above the rest of the world;
• The consideration of others as those who do not deserve their company or even ‘retarded’;
• The personal relations building in specific schemas, wherein in the centre there is always gain;
• The incapacity to develop friendship relations;
• The aim to control any life`s situation at any cost.
The
complex does not require psychological intervention at the early stage,
however, it might be needed so at the later stages, when the complex
might gain the complete control of the personality.
Adonis Complex
This
masculine complex stems from the perception of the uniqueness of one`s
own beauty, which is enhanced by the tremendous effect that it has on
the surrounding people. The Adonis Complex is remarkably influenced by
the role of the public opinion played in its primary conception, further
consolidation and final consequences.
The complex is demonstrated in the following psychological aspects:
• The constant perception of one`s eminent physical attractiveness;
• The comprehension of the power that one`s charm gives above the others;
• The constant reclamation of due attention, which usually grows into exaggerated forms;
• The sensation of one`s exclusiveness that needs to be constantly stimulated;
• The extreme selfishness.
Sometimes
the Adonis Complex takes up grave forms and might threaten the safety
of the others, which leads to the forceful isolation of the ‘sufferer’
from the rest of the world. The psychotherapeutic intervention would be
required only in grave cases.
God Complex
‘The
God Complex’ is a widespread psychological illusion of unlimited
personal potential, which misguides the person and can sometimes be the
cause of serious troubles between the person and the society. This
misleading idea of the omnipotence can be caused by the abuse of the
doping substances as well by the constant stimulation of the brain core.
The
complex might demonstrate itself from different sides in dependence of
the area of its cultivation, varying from the easy-apparent to the
highly-apparent signs, all of which might be resumed to the following:
- The ungrounded conviction of one`s own unlimited power;
- The persistent demonstration of one`s abilities;
- The incurring of the constant life-threatening risks;
- Aiming at the top difficult tasks and the constant attempts to accomplish them;
- The high self-concentration and the ignorance of the opinions of others if they do not agree with the personal position;
- The stubbornness and categorical unwillingness to admit one`s own faults.
The complex tends to grow into the maniac syndrome, so the preventive medical assistance shall be rendered at once.
Cassandra complex
It
is in 1949 when the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard coined the term
‘Cassandra Complex’ to refer to a belief that the destiny can be known
in advance. In psychology, ‘the Cassandra metaphor’ is applied to the
individuals who experience physical and emotional suffering as a result
of distressing personal perceptions, and who are disbelieved when they
attempt to share the cause of their suffering with others.
It is not difficult to recognize the ‘Cassandra Complex’ as soon as the following features are noted:
- The feeling of the certain important mission to accomplish;
- The constant warnings about the consequences of incorrect behavior;
- The permanent appeal to the moral principles and the common order;
- The ability to feel the grief of the other to the point that it becomes one`s own;
- The sufferings caused by the people`s ignorance and disobedience.
The
Complex might cause the inconveniences only to the one who possess it
as it practically eliminates the sensation threshold, thus making the
‘sufferer’ vulnerable to any exterior troubles. In this case the session
of the psychotherapy might bring relief.
Hero Complex
The
inability ‘to find oneself’ in the specific craft or the failure to do
so in the professional realization might be considered as the main
factors of the appearance of ‘the Hero Complex’. This psychological
dilemma is characterized by the following syndromes:
-
The perception of one`s self as a hero whereas certain actions are
considered to be weird from the point of view of the social norms;
- The acceptance of one`s ‘heroic’ burden to carry;
- The constant complaints about one`s uneasy destiny and miscomprehension from the part of the society;
- The noble impulse to come to rescue of the sufferers even when there is no necessity;
- The possible temporary auto-reclusion or the rejection from the part of the society.
‘The
Hero Complex’ does not provoke grave complications as long as the
person stays occupied with one`s own ‘mission’. However, as soon as it
is ‘accomplished’, there comes the period of the confrontation with the
reality, which provokes nothing more than the deception and the
depression. So, among the most common psychological consequences of ‘the
Hero Complex’ is the disillusionment.
Martyr Complex
In
contrast to the ‘Hero Complex’, with which ‘the Martyr Complex’ has got
quite a lot of features in common, the destiny of the latter is even
more tragic, as the “Martyr” not having received the sought sympathy of
the others would fall into dementia and cause the sufferings as hard as
he/she has gone through. The main syndromes can be observed in such
cases:
- The life is considered to be as the grave challenge, wherein the sufferings are the only way to achieve one`s own aims;
- The attempts to influence other people by the demonstration of the ‘tortures’ that he/she goes through;
- The tendency to the exhibition of one`s own poor state;
- The strong belief that all the sufferings will be compensated;
- The obtaining of pleasure in the moral and physical torments.
As
it has been noted, ‘the Martyr Complex’ is one of the most serious
psychological crushes that influence deeply the whole psycho processes
and risks to grow into psychosis. In such a case the final
hospitalization is urgent.
Persecution complex
‘The
Persecution Complex’ is one of the most common psychological syndromes
of the modern globalized world. Being constantly in a
hurry and feeling lack of time, the person can easily obtain its
syndromes, which are namely the following:
-
The permanent illusion of being spied at, which is accompanied by the
feeling of the presence of somebody even if the person is alone;
- The experience of constant harsh;
- The tendency to accomplish one`s own duty in a hurry due to the lack of time;
- The apparent mistrust towards the rest of the world;
- The fear of being caught.
Having
chosen the modern style of life, the person even does not suspect, what
psychological consequences it might lead to, and, notably the
acquisition of the ‘Persecution Complex’. The Complex might take
different variations; however, it cannot disappear as long as the same
pace of life is preserved.
Complex of Indecisiveness
‘The
Complex of Indecisiveness’ might develop in childhood as well as in the
adult age due to the impediment, stress or chock that occurred during
the decision-making process. That is to say, at the time of taking the
important resolution, the flux of the reflections of the person was
disturbed and he/she lost the confidence, which, therefore, led to the
failure to complete the certain task in his/her life.
The complex shows the following syndromes:
-
The apparent disorientation in life;
-
The lack of confidence;
-
The inability to take serious decisions independently;
-
The high dependence on the opinion of others;
-
The tendency to change one`s mind at the last moment.
‘The
Complex of Indecisiveness’ might be the cause of the major troubles in a
life, such as an ability to speak in public, sound out one`s own
opinion on the subject, defend one`s own position. The complex shall be
fought up with definitely with the psychological practices that boost up
one`s proper confidence.
Complex of Castration
All
men without exception possess ‘the Complex of Castration’. At the base
of the major part of the typically masculine acts lies ‘the Complex of
Castration’, which is also the cause of the great feminine-masculine
miscomprehension, as the last ones do not possess penis and, therefore,
cannot realize fully its importance to a man. From time to time each man
can sense such syndromes:
-
The high dependence of one`s self-esteem on one`s masculine power;
-
The unconscious realization of the urgent necessity to protect the masculine organ, which is demonstrated verbally or physically;
-
The tendency to accept the threats of the exterior world as those aimed at the penis;
-
The ungrounded beliefs that certain women`s attitude aims at the liquidation of their penis, and, therefore, considered as dangerous;
-
The demonstrated aggression in the above-mentioned case.
The
complex makes up the part of the natural development of each man and,
therefore, there is no necessity to fight against it. The complex
becomes more evident when there is an imminent threat and it is less
demonstrated when the situation presents no menace to the masculine
power.
Complex of Virility
Being
a man in any situation – that is how the Complex of Virility might be
paraphrased differently. The complex takes its onset from the very
childhood, when the parents were teaching a small boy to behave like ‘an
adult man’ and learn to endure any difficulties. Since that time, a
small boy grew up, however, the psychological directive engraved so
deeply that henceforth it would regulate the whole life of a man. The
complex can be observed as follows:
-
The anxiety caused by the constant necessity to take responsibility, whether it carries a minor or major character;
-
The tendency to fall into depression, which, however, is scrupulously hidden from the rest of the world;
-
The constant psychological tensions;
-
The public demonstration of one`s masculine traits in a explicit or implicit ways;
-
The aggression.
‘The
Complex of Virility’ is a natural state of the normal masculine
development, and shall be regarded as an advantage rather than the
opposite.
Complex of an Excellent Student
It
is true that ‘the Complex of an Excellent Student’ may be conceived at
the school age and its effect may last throughout the whole life.
Therefore, it demonstrates itself in any life sphere, where the
responsibility and the complete accomplishment are required, from the
working up to the intimate relations as it follows:
-
The high exigency from oneself concerning the duty performance;
-
The unconscious fear to get ‘a bad mark’;
-
The high level of stressfulness;
-
The possible inadequate behavior if ‘the lesson was unprepared’;
-
The ultra vulnerability to all types of critics.
This
complex is all about the relations between oneself and the sense of
responsibility. Once the priorities are settled up correctly, the person
feels less tensed, and the complex has no more control over him/her.
Complex of Non-Love to One-Self
The
complex might be caused by possible traumatic experience concerning
one`s own appearance, which was unfavorably judged by the others,
especially the close people, whose opinion is the most valuable.
-
The ungrounded perception that one doesn`t merit the love of others and, therefore, one`s own love;
-
The extremely low self esteem;
-
The rejection of the possibility that somebody might like this person;
-
The neglectfulness towards the personal care;
-
The careless attitude towards one`s own destiny.
‘The
Complex of Non-Love to One-Self’ is, indeed, one of the most widespread
complexes in the modern world, which, however, might not be recognized
and be well concealed from the others. The complex only provokes the
unnecessary sufferance, which can be avoided owing to a practical
psychological assistance. In this case, the courses of the elevation of
the self-esteem will be of high effectiveness.
Complex of Loneliness
‘The
Complex of Loneliness’ appears as aresult of unsuccessful and unhappy
contacts with the exterior world. A person rests with an idea that ‘it`s
better to be alone than with somebody else’, which consequently brings
about the social isolation and even volunteer reclusion. Its main
features are:
-
The unconscious will of isolation, or to hide oneself;
-
The ungrounded belief that nobody would understand his/her situation, sufferings etc.;
-
The difficulty of finding the contact with others;
-
The recurring failures to build permanent relations;
-
The habit of finding comfort and happiness in solitude.
The
Complex should be fought against instantly at its onset. The good
company and family support, either the psychological counseling would be
of necessary assistance.
Complex of the Oppression of the Sexuality
In
the majority of the cases, at the base of this complex lies the
oppressed libido, which leads to the frigidity hidden in the form of the
sexual disinterest.
-
The avoidance of the intimate relations;
-
The unnatural disinterest towards the opposite sex;
-
The categorical unwillingness to get enlightened about the sexual matters;
-
The paranoic vision of the sexual relations;
-
The pervasive perception of the sexual life.
This
complex is unhealthy reflection of one`s oppressed sexual energy, which
might lead to the grave consequences in the intimate relations. The
complex shall be eliminated instantly by the consultation with the
sexologist or psychoanalyst.
Complex of Guilt
‘The
Complex of Guilt’ derives from the eternal aspiration to the justice
and when something goes wrong, the person, who possesses this complex,
starts feeling personal guilt for it. The complex might also appear due
to the sublimation of the certain traumatic events (e.i. witnessing the
accident) that took place in the past and which the person wanted to
revert, but cannot.
-
The obsessed idea “that everything could have been done better”;
-
The readiness to accept the responsibility even if one didn`t commit wrongdoings;
-
The inability to judge objectively;
-
The miscomprehension of the person`s limits and the constant attempts to surpass them;
-
The high sensitivity to the opinions of others.
‘The
Complex of Guilt’ provokes, undoubtedly, the sufferings and the major
inconvenience in the rational vision of the surrounding people and
current events. It should be liquidated as soon as possible. Its
complete cure requires the deep psychoanalytical approach with intensive
restoration analytical therapy.
Complex of Incapability to Say “No”
It
is widely believed that the people, who accept the reality with their
emotions, rather than with their judgment, tend to possess ‘the Complex
of Incapability to Say “No”’. Its main indications are the following:
-
The incapacity of the analytical judgment of the situation;
-
The disturbed optimistic vision of the reality;
-
The excessive sense of responsibility;
-
The permanent fear that if the person answers negatively, then the whole world would turn his/her back to him/her;
-
The desire to help the others even if there is not such a possibility to do so.
As
long as this complex causes no disturbances, it can be considered as a
particularity of the individualism, however, it depends entirely on the
person if he/she wants to change one`s approach to life or not.
May your life be
without complexes!
