Hello, question asker! I'm Jiang 61.
First of all, thank you for trusting us and being willing to tell us about your situation so that we can help you. You are always troubled by feelings of inferiority, and you don't know what to do.
Now, let's look at how to overcome this inferiority complex.
1. Inferiority complex
1. Vanity
You said, "I once met a man I really liked through an introduction. He was a master's degree holder from a key university, while I was a junior college graduate. I felt inferior, anxious, and powerless. I knew deep down that I wasn't good enough for him, but I was afraid to tell him about my disadvantages and couldn't muster the courage to tell him about my inner anxiety."
Instead, I acted vainly, finding all kinds of excuses to show off that I wasn't that bad, just to prove to myself that I was worthy of him. Looking back, I was pretty foolish.
Later on, he stopped contacting me, probably because he was disgusted with me. He never hurt me, and I think he's a gentleman, so I feel even more that losing him is because of my incompetence.
You feel inferior because of your low level of education and worry that you're not good enough for other people. This makes you anxious and worried that others will look down on you. You want to show off your abilities in front of others, but you're actually insecure and can't face your shortcomings.
2⃣️, psychological
You say, "My biggest insecurity is that I didn't do well in school and have a low level of education. I'd love to find a partner who did well in school."
You're looking for a partner who can make up for your shortcomings. I imagine you've considered the next generation and hope to complement each other's strengths. This is probably why you're looking for someone who is better at studying than you are, so that you can feel at ease about your future family.
3⃣️, lack of self-confidence
You say, "I'm married and my husband treats me well, but I still feel inferior and very self-conscious. I feel that I'm incompetent and despised by the type of person I like. I admit to myself: He's an intellectual, and I'm mediocre. I'm not worthy of him."
It might sound a bit childish, but it's how I really feel.
You're married and should be living a comfortable life. You've also found someone with more knowledge than you.
However, you still feel insecure living in this environment because you worry about the disparity in knowledge. You feel inferior to others because of this.
You can't even hold your head up. Your inferiority complex is really just a lack of confidence in yourself.
2. What causes inferiority?
1⃣️ Psychology and thinking
You have a tendency to compare yourself to others.
From what you've shared, it seems like your inferiority complex stems from focusing on the strengths of others while overlooking your own shortcomings. You tend to compare yourself to others, and when you see how others excel in certain areas while you struggle in those same areas, it can make you feel inferior.
Rigid thinking
Because your thinking is so rigid, you think that as long as someone is better than you in one way, you're not good and you'll be seen as inferior. You've eliminated all your other strengths that are superior to others, which forms a self-attack.
2⃣️, a sense of worthlessness
You worry about what other people think.
You're always worried that you're not as good as others at school, so you focus all your energy on how others see you and trying to prove yourself. You'll cater to other people's opinions or pretend to know something when you don't, just to cover up your narrow knowledge.
You don't often think about how you can improve your knowledge and abilities to become truly outstanding. This makes you hesitant when doing things, and the more you try to hide it, the more you feel that others have already seen your problems.
If you second-guess yourself too much, you'll end up being less productive.
Not seeing yourself as valuable
From the moment you described feeling rejected by the boy you liked, to still feeling inferior after you got married, it seems like you've been denying your own worth. You've been putting others on a pedestal and feeling like you lack a sense of self-worth.
3. Upbringing
One of the main reasons for your inferiority complex, lack of self-confidence, love of comparison, and concern about what others think is that your family constantly criticized you, accused you of things, and compared you to others to put you down. This made you believe that you really are bad and have no self-confidence. You are used to seeing yourself in this way.
Even as an adult, you still put yourself down to prove that you're not good enough.
3. Change
You say you understand the need to grow yourself, but the idea that you are "not good enough for him" is making you feel down. You ask, "After breaking up, I can't find a sense of self-worth anymore. How do I get rid of this mentality?"
You know your own problems, but you think it's tough to change your mindset. So, you want to get help through the platform to get rid of your mindset and inferiority complex and gain a sense of self-worth. I have a few suggestions for you.
1. Know yourself.
As Chairman Mao once said, "No gold is pure red, no one is perfect." We all have our strengths and weaknesses.
The first step to getting rid of a lack of self-confidence and a sense of self-worth is to be able to view and understand yourself objectively.
It's important to know yourself.
It's important to recognize your strengths.
Have you ever thought about what attracted your husband to you in the first place? He must have had a reason for being good to you. That's your strength.
You have other strengths. Without them, you wouldn't be able to hold your own in society. Try to discover and recognize your strengths.
Find out what you enjoy doing in your free time.
As you discover your strengths, don't forget to pay attention to your preferences and give them time to do the things you enjoy.
Be okay with who you are.
When you realize that you're not great at reading, try to accept it and stop feeling sad or stressed about it.
Play to your strengths.
By focusing on your strengths, you can become better at the things that matter most to you. For instance, if you focus on the things your husband values in you, you can become better at them. This will make him appreciate you more, care about you more, and love you more. The same applies at work: if you do what you're good at, you have a better chance of success and greater self-confidence.
2. Build self-confidence.
Create a portfolio of your achievements.
Make a book of merit for yourself. In it, you can record your achievements in your areas of strength, your own successful experiences, and the lessons you've learned. Take the time to understand what makes you successful and what holds you back. This will help you become a better version of yourself.
Self-motivation is key.
When you hit a goal or make progress in a strength area, treat yourself! It could be a meal, a small gift, or something else that lets you celebrate and keeps you motivated.
Building Self-Confidence
Taking the time to reflect on your progress and achievements helps you recognize your abilities and feel a sense of self-worth. When you have abilities and see achievements, you'll gain self-confidence.
When you have self-confidence, you're not going to worry about what other people think because you know you're the best judge of your own abilities. That means you're in control of your own success or failure, and it all comes down to how you see yourself and your ability to control your own actions.
Building self-confidence also comes down to this.
3⃣️, switch up your mindset
Take a look at yourself from a developmental perspective.
People aren't static; they can change and improve with time, knowledge, and experience. So, if you want to change yourself, stop focusing on your shortcomings and look at yourself with a developmental and positive perspective. See the differences between your past and present, and where you've improved.
This will help you track your own progress and growth, see the changes in yourself, and boost your confidence.
The idea of developmental thinking is…
Apart from making you feel inferior to others and discouraging you by making you compare yourself with others, it's also important to recognize your rigid thinking, which makes it difficult for you to envision your own future.
It's time to change your way of thinking. Try using "if...then..." divergent thinking to look at problems from multiple angles and find solutions. This can help you develop new paths in life.
For instance, if I'm not a top student but I'm great at socializing, I can still put in the work and be more confident than others. I'll definitely be better at it than others and will gain more connections and better interpersonal relationships, achieving more.
Developmental thinking can help you see things differently, think more flexibly, and boost your confidence and sense of self-worth. So, it's important to make the most of it to help you move on from feeling inferior and start thinking about your future.
That's all the advice I can offer you, and I hope it helps you gain some confidence.
I wish you the best of luck!
Comments
I can relate to feeling inadequate sometimes. It's important to remember that value doesn't solely lie in academic achievements. Everyone has their unique strengths and qualities that make them special. I've learned to focus on personal growth and selfacceptance, which has helped me gain confidence.
It's heartbreaking to feel like we fall short of someone else's standards or our own expectations. But over time, I've realized that the right person will appreciate you for who you are, not just what you've achieved on paper. Building a relationship based on mutual respect and understanding is what truly matters.
Reflecting on past experiences, I now see that comparing ourselves to others can be misleading. What's more crucial is recognizing our own worth and striving to become the best version of ourselves. It's taken me a while to understand that true connection goes beyond degrees and accolades, it's about shared values and genuine affection.