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		<title>Inferiority Complex and the Self-Image</title>
		<link>https://www.towerofpower.com.au/inferiority-complex-and-the-self-image</link>
					<comments>https://www.towerofpower.com.au/inferiority-complex-and-the-self-image#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joshua Uebergang aka "Tower of Power"]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:05:42 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Confidence and Fear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Speaking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alfred Alder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anthony Robbins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CBT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creative imagination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[criticism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[failure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[goal-setting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inferiority complex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maxwell Maltz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[positive thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[satisfaction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-image]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social anxiety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[superiority complex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visualization]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.towerofpower.com.au/?p=89</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Mitchell walks into a room full of high-flying executives. He scans the room to see the executives dressed in expensive suits, sipping champagne, and mingling amongst each other. He feels &#8220;different&#8221; to the executives. He feels less than the executives who are dressed in suits while he wears a basic business shirt and slacks. He <!-- more-link -->[&#8230;] <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/inferiority-complex-and-the-self-image" class="more more-link">Read more</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="dropcap">M</span>itchell walks into a room full of high-flying executives. He scans the room to see the executives dressed in expensive suits, sipping champagne, and mingling amongst each other. He feels &#8220;different&#8221; to the executives.</p>
<p>He feels less than the executives who are dressed in suits while he wears a basic business shirt and slacks. He poorly knows the executives and finds it hard to socialize with them making him feel even less as a person. Regardless of the superficial reason for his difference, the real problem is his inferiority complex.<span id="more-89"></span></p>
<h2>What is an Inferiority Complex?</h2>
<p>A psychologist in 1912 by the name of Alfred Alder wrote a book titled <em>The Neurotic Character</em>. His research in the book founded a popular area of psychology known as the <em>inferiority complex</em>, a term that describes a sense of inferiority an individual feels about oneself towards others. It revolves around social status, power, ego, and dominance. You have an inferiority complex when you feel less than people. You think other people are better than you.</p>
<p>An inferiority complex can arise when you experience an imagined or conditioned feeling of inferiority. For most people it is a combination of imagination and subtle conditioning. You feel inferior when an event takes place. This makes you feel less than others (conditioning aspect). Your mind (imagination aspect) blows out your understanding of the event beyond what seems reasonable to another person.</p>
<p>Mitchell in our example feels inferior because he thinks the executives are better. His inferiority has nothing to do with not knowing the executives, being dressed differently, or having a less prestigious job. His interpretation of the situation makes him feel below standard and creates inferiority.</p>
<p>The conditioning aspect in Mitchell&#8217;s example is his actual differences to the executives. He is wearing different clothes to the executives and he is not “a part of the group” based on his employment status. The imagination aspect for Mitchell is his clothes fall below standards (if there was a dress code, it would be part of conditioning), the executives are better than him, the executives want nothing to do with him because of his difference, plus other irrationalities he thinks make him less of a human. The big difference between conditioning and imagination hold the answer to cure your inferiority complex.</p>
<h2>How Your Inferiority Started: Conditioning</h2>
<p>“The inferiority complex is all in the mind. Simply stop thinking you&#8217;re inferior because you&#8217;re not.” That is a lie. If it were that easy, millions of people at sometime would not experience feelings of inferiority. The inferiority complex is society&#8217;s psychological black plague that devours too many lives.</p>
<p>My main motivation for writing this article is to give you accurate information to overcome the problem based on what works. This is a collection of the most useful advice on the inferiority complex I synthesized over the years, along with specific lessons I developed to overcome my inferiority complex; unlike personal development teachers I know of who solely emphasize positiveness to overcome feelings of inferiority.</p>
<p>I did some brief browsing on the web to see what information was available on the inferiority complex, and most of the advice offered is harmful. “Experts” were telling people “things will get better”, “be more positive”, or “it&#8217;s not so bad”. If you have the inferiority complex and someone says similar things, you understand the massive frustration caused from the misunderstanding when <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/4-reasons-advice-and-other-solutions-kill-relationships">someone gives you such poor advice</a>. </p>
<p>Positive thinking can be nicely understood through an analogy in a Bible verse. In Luke chapter five (NKJV), Jesus was talking to complaining Pharisees. Jesus replied to them in a parable so they would be more likely to understand:</p>
<blockquote><p>No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.</p></blockquote>
<p>The garment and the wineskins examples are what positive thinking does to our self-image. A new patch over the bad garment improves the garment a little bit, yet it is still its same old self. If new wine (positive thinking) is poured into old wineskins (your poor self-image of feeling inferior), then nothing good will result. It is a battle of willpower and what is known as creative imagination.</p>
<p>Positive thinking can slightly improve the situation, but in the end it usually results in frustration as your willpower becomes exhausted. Willpower results in an oscillation between the <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/why-problem-solving-doesnt-solve-the-problem-and-the-real-solution-to-permanent-change">problem and an absence of the problem – failing to create a permanent solution</a>. You cannot use self-determination to cure feelings of inferiority. Whenever willpower fights creative imagination, creative imagination is the victor. I repeat for emphasis: Your creative imagination, which consists of images and feelings, will always conquer your willpower.</p>
<p>From personal experience and coaching others, I know first hand that a better self-image where you do not feel inferior cannot be achieved through positive self-talk, affirmations, and the like. It is unfortunate that people continue to teach positive self-talk to overcome feelings of inferiority. Positive self-talk is often nothing more than an attempt to live deliriously from reality, ignoring what really takes place.</p>
<h2>When Doing Becomes Being – How Failure and Criticism Fuel Inferiority</h2>
<p>Everyone has heard “you suck”. Some individuals are abused so much yet they are confident with high self-esteem. What makes high self-esteem people different to those who feel like others are better?</p>
<p>Primary factors of conditioning that determine whether you become inferior or rise above the circumstance is your attitude towards criticism and failure. Do not forget about the creative imagination component – the stronger influence of feeling inferior – yet criticism and failure most powerfully influence the conditioning component.</p>
<p>Criticism and failure will always bang at your door to success – more so as you achieve your goals. I have noticed that as readers of my newsletter (<a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/free/">ToP Tips</a>) and articles increase, so does the criticism. I get excited with this because I know the criticism signals achievement. Any criticism and failure has nothing to do with me – in fact, it usually has more to do with the other person.</p>
<blockquote class="alignright" style="width: 30%;">Inferiority arises when doing becomes being.</blockquote>
<p>You and I will always have our critics if we avoid mediocrity. Anyone that has achieved anything notable, sooner or later receives harsh criticism. Find a dark corner where you can hide from the world if you want to avoid criticism (but then again, you will be criticized for hiding). The Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”</p>
<p>People criticize you because they either want to improve your life, desire to release their frustration, or have their own problems. Failure and criticism say nothing about you; rather, let them signal personal growth. You can take criticism as a sign of progressing in life. If I had not experienced feelings of inferiority, I would not have worked on myself and personally grown. No way would I be writing this article today. I am <em>certain</em> I would not teach any communication skills.</p>
<p>You will never eliminate criticism or failure. The conditioning aspect of inferiority will never vanish. This means to overcome the inferiority complex you cannot expect to avoid failure, dodge criticism, and achieve perfection. You must learn, move on, and maintain a goal-focused attitude to overcome an inferiority complex.</p>
<p>Criticism and failure will never stop as long as you pursue goals. Problems arise when you let the two burglars get a foot hold within your life. You come to feel inferior by associating criticism and failure with how you see yourself. The thieves steal valuable mental goods important to your success.</p>
<p>You will always do things in an inferior way to what other people can do – there is no ignoring that – but a secret to overcome your inferiority complex is to stop associating yourself with your actions. Stop letting failure and criticism form your identity. Inferiority arises when doing becomes being. When you associate what you do with yourself, actions of doing become actions of being.</p>
<p>A young guy gets poor results at school. He associates his grades with his intelligence – leading him to believe he is dumb. Is he really dumb because he was too lazy to study? No. A guy who gets poor results at school and does not feel inferior, dissociates himself from the result. He does not let his lack of study and effort over the school year make him feel he is the outcome.</p>
<p>When you feel criticism is a signal of your unworthiness, only then does it stimulate inferiority, shame, and failure. Do not take criticism personally and think of yourself as a failure. Just criticism can be used as feedback to adjust what you do on the path of your success. Criticism can actually make you thrive.</p>
<h2>The Three Factors of Criticism – Don&#8217;t Let These Get You Down</h2>
<p>The reason some people feel inferior from criticism and failure, while other people flourish, is how they react to the three components of criticism: the power of the sender, intensity, and frequency. You cannot control the three components of criticism – as is true for any conditioning aspect of inferiority – but you can control your reaction to them (the imagination component).</p>
<p>If you are passionate about boxing and Muhammad Ali said you are a hopeless boxer, his power and status intensifies the criticism. If his criticism was delivered in an intense outburst, the criticism would make a bigger impact on you feeling inferior as a boxer. If Ali also constantly reminded you how hopeless you are at boxing, this would stimulate further inferiority. The sender, intensity, and frequency of positive and negative messages impact how we feel about ourselves.</p>
<p>What matters, however, is your reaction. Think of a time when the power of the sender, intensity of the criticism, and the frequency of criticism made you feel inferior. If you can – and I suggest you do – make your selected memory one related to your current feelings of inferiority. If you are a shy person, perhaps think of a time when someone told you to stop talking because you have nothing good to say.</p>
<p>Once you remember one or several experiences, ask yourself these questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>What were you thinking when the person made you feel inferior?</li>
<li>What emotions did you experience?</li>
<li>What self-talk followed the person&#8217;s negative feedback?</li>
<li>How long did these feelings and thoughts last?</li>
<li>How intense were these feelings and thoughts?</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="alignleft" style="width: 30%;">The thoughts and feelings you experience after the event determine whether your inferiority grows or dies.</blockquote>
<p>After answering these questions, if you reacted poorly to the negative feedback given to you in these situations, you should now be aware of how your feelings of inferiority develop. This is big. If you have the inferiority complex or know someone with it, I hope you&#8217;re getting excited about this insight.</p>
<p>The powerful lesson to learn from this is that people&#8217;s criticism and other types of negative feedback have no power over you. Events do not make you inferior – it is your reaction to the events that do. The thoughts and feelings you experience <em>after</em> the event determine whether your inferiority grows or dies. The conditioning aspect of inferiority partly manifests through the criticism of others – if you let it. Your reaction to the event determines how you feel about yourself.</p>
<p>When you believe criticism signals your unworthiness, your self-worth plummets. You train yourself to feel inferior through self-criticism. You become your worst enemy. The failed events and experiences shape your identity, making you appear a failure.</p>
<p>Harmful feelings trail behind harmful thoughts. You start to feel inferior. You use your creative imagination poorly to evoke images of failure, misery, shame, unworthiness, and low self-esteem. All the negative messages you accepted over time mold your self-image to make you feel inferior. You eventually believe you are inferior. That is essentially how an inferiority complex develops – through poor use of your creative imagination.</p>
<h2>How Your Inferiority Grows: Creative Imagination</h2>
<p>Animals are preprogrammed with a set of functions for survival. I am amazed at the simple yet effective preprogramming given to birds. When the season changes, some birds fly thousands of miles straight to a destination they have never visited. Birds build nests without ever attending “Nest Building 101” or taking a course in materials engineering.</p>
<p>Like animals, we are preprogrammed with a <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/how-to-not-care-what-people-think-of-you">set of functions that enable us to survive</a> threats, gather food, and procreate. We have one huge difference to animals: we are <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/on-achieving-goals-part-2-how-to-be-self-motivated">goal-driven</a>. Humans have the option to <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/setting-smart-achievable-personal-goals">select goals</a> while animals do not have this ability. Animals are preprogrammed from birth to live a certain life. They survive and procreate. Humans are different. We can create goals and set out to achieve them with our creative imagination.</p>
<p>I feel this to be the greatest part of all personal development. My creative imagination is something I get excited about. It gives me the ability to literally become who I want and so yours can with you.</p>
<p>The creative imagination is not so much about idea generation – though it is a wonderful technique to generate ideas. Your creative imagination gives you the ability to dream goals and visualize them so vividly that your nervous system cannot tell if the visualizations is fake or reality. You make your entire body think that intense visualization from your creative imagination is realism.</p>
<blockquote class="alignright" style="width: 30%;">People unknowingly use their creative imagination to create their inferiority complex. They create scenarios and thoughts of inferiority from their imagination.</blockquote>
<p>Unfortunately, many people waste their creative imagination. It is as if they have a billion-dollar check in their wallet and they do not cash it in at the bank. In fact, it is more like they have a billion-dollar gold nugget they do not convert to cash so they are burdened with the impossibility of getting through life by carrying it around. They let this great opportunity go to complete waste. Unless you awaken this inner giant, it will lie asleep, dormant, and do nothing productive.</p>
<p>The first common way your creative imagination is wasted is through aimless daydreaming and fantasizing. This lets it go to complete waste. Your mind aimlessly wanders off into a fantasy that cannot be created or which you have no desire to experience.</p>
<p>The second common way your creative imagination is wasted is using it to create bad events in your life. This is where the inferiority complex is derived. People unknowingly use their creative imagination to create their inferiority complex. They create scenarios and thoughts of inferiority from their imagination. They imagine rejection, failure, criticism, shame, hatred, scarcity, and loneliness; instead of acceptance, lessons, love, abundance, and togetherness. A huge difference exists here in the parallels of thinking.</p>
<p>The images you evoke of failure, unworthiness, and shame wastefully use your creative imagination to bring further bad events into your life. If you have fear, anxiety, or worry about what others think of you, you make this common mistake and waste your creative imagination.</p>
<p>There are three common ways psychologists say the creative imagination is wasted contributing to an inferiority complex: napoleon complex, cultural cringe, and superiority complex. Many more ways of waste exist yet these will help you understand the problem and how to better your self-image. Though a problem may not apply to you, learn from it.</p>
<h2>1. Napoleon Complex (and a Sad Email)</h2>
<p>A part of Alfred Alder&#8217;s work of the inferiority complex developed the <em>Napoleon complex</em>, which is a specific feeling of inferiority about one&#8217;s height. Alder named the Napoleon complex after the great military leader <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-532448/Is-PROOF-short-men-feel-insecure.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Napoleon Bonaparte</a> who was said to be motivated in battle from insecurities about his height.</p>
<blockquote class="alignleft" style="width: 30%;">The images you evoke of failure, unworthiness, and shame wastefully use your creative imagination to bring further bad events into your life.</blockquote>
<p>People with a Napoleon complex make up for their “inferiority” through aggressive behaviors. They feel handicapped because of their smaller stature and attempt to counter this perceived problem through aggressive behavior and a superficial layer of toughness. A smaller stature is not a true handicap as it just a perceived handicap made from the creative imagination.</p>
<p>Diagnosing this type of inferiority lies in identifying overcompensating behaviors from a perceived inferiority. You would have the Napoleon complex and demonstrate overcompensating behavior when you aim to put-down others who are taller than you. You would have that little extra desire to do better than those who are taller than you. You would try to make taller people look bad. The worst possible symptom of this feeling of inferiority is physically hurting taller people because of their stature. This specific Napoleon complex is derived from one&#8217;s personal feeling of inferiority and fear that taller people are better than shorter persons.</p>
<p>I received the below email in response to an earlier version of this article from a lady who lost her son to the Napoleon complex. The email is unchanged and used with her permission:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I am married to a wonderful man and I am a mother of three beautiful teenage children. Last October 31st, 2008, my 17 year old son committed suicide. It has been the most devastating experience of my entire life. I would like to stress first of all, that our home life was not what you would consider tumultuous. We had and still have a very loving home life. I would like to share with you my son&#8217;s story:</p>
<p>Jacob&#8217;s childhood was truly an awesome experience for a typical boy. He played hard and got dirty. He and Joel (our eldest son) with help from their father would pitch tents, dig tunnels, and build forts. As Jacob grew up, it became abundantly clear that he was very concerned over his spiritual affairs. I had the opportunity to teach him in Sunday-School classes and later on in his teens I would assist in teaching Confirmation classes. He was keenly aware of the many blessings we enjoyed being a Child of God. He wanted to understand the works of our Heavenly Father. When we would pray together as a family, he was very earnest and sincere for such a young man.</p>
<p>When Jacob turned 13, things started to change in him. He was unusually short for his age and it bothered him tremendously. I had initially thought that the &#8220;teenage idiot gene&#8221; had kicked in because he had become very short tempered, easily agitated, and extremely defensive. Because of his stature, Jacob had developed an inferiority complex. Because he was now attending middle school, I noticed he had also developed a chip on his shoulder and would easily get in anyone&#8217;s face if they picked on him. His coping methods made me uncomfortable and we constantly tried to coach him and teach him to accept himself for the talents he had. At one point, one person asked Jacob what was he worried about&#8230;many great men in history were short. He very quickly responded with the comment, “Yeah&#8230;that is because they all had to prove themselves.” In spite of his quick wit, Jacob dealt with the day to day stress of school by becoming a ghost. He rarely spoke to many kids and kept to himself most of the day.</p>
<p>Jacob went into the ninth grade at High School with the same issues he had in middle school. He was embarrassed at how short he was and the chip on his shoulder seemed to get bigger. Fist fights between Jacob and his brother seemed to be increasing in frequency too. The hardest part about those sibling fights was the fact that even though Jacob was considerably smaller than Joel, he would go into the fight with absolutely no fear of getting hurt. Ninth grade was very hard for us as parents to stand by and watch our son mentally mutilate his self-esteem. No matter how hard we tried to turn that tide, he would never allow himself to be consoled.</p>
<p>Eventually, Jacob did become taller. By the 11th grade he had filled out into a very good looking young man. He was extremely comical and made many people laugh. However, he never truly learned to like himself. He had a hard time talking to people unless he was using humor as his shield.</p>
<p>Ultimately, his low self-image got the better of him and he ended his life. He was more afraid of living than he was of dying.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I cried when I read the email. Inferiority is a real emotional problem not corrected by the physical defect or positive self-talk. People <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/review-of-the-new-psycho-cybernetics-by-maxwell-maltz">return to plastic surgery</a> not to remove physical defects, but because they have emotional defects.</p>
<h2>2. Cultural Cringe (a Worldwide Problem)</h2>
<p>The cultural cringe is an area of the inferiority complex where people feel inferior due to their culture. Genetic appearance, pronunciation of words, or other factors of the human body vary between cultures that make the individual feel less than people in other cultures.</p>
<p>A few days ago I came across a lady who was experiencing the cultural cringe about her physical appearance. She had a poor self-image as she complained about the unusual features of her body. She loved how Asians looked. “If only I could look like an Asian lady,” she said. Her idea that other cultures are better than hers made her feel inferior.</p>
<p>Feelings of inferiority damage your communication with yourself and others. The cultural cringe makes you hate certain people, cultures, situations, and events. Your subconscious will be so poisoned with imaginary beliefs that are powerful enough to destroy your happiness and relationships.</p>
<h2>3. Superiority Complex (and the Biggest Myth About Fixing an Inferiority Complex)</h2>
<p>The superiority complex is a feeling of superiority over other people. Some experts and bloggers dangerously suggest it is the solution to an inferiority complex.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s return to the scenario where Mitchell is in a room full of successful executives. If Mitchell had a superiority complex or attempted to feel superior, he would criticize the executives to pull down their status to feel better. Another form of the superiority complex is demonstrated when Mitchell tries to lift his status by portraying how better he is than the executives. Both of these techniques attempt to lift his status relative to the executives and fail to overcome his inferiority complex.</p>
<p>I was tricked to believe from books and blogs that feelings of superiority were the secret to overcome inferiority. After years of frustration, I can tell you feelings of superiority cause you more pain than what it removes. </p>
<p>You fail to overcome feelings of inferiority by becoming superior. You try to feel bigger, faster, smarter, wiser than peers. This only leads to frustration and inferiority. This solution is a temporary patch on a wound too big. It takes most people an experience of significant superiority, such as earning a million dollars or being popular with the opposite sex, to realize they still feel inferior.</p>
<blockquote class="alignright" style="width: 30%;">If you try to feel superior, you still compare yourself to the false measurement stick that judged the inferior you.</blockquote>
<p>If you try to feel superior, you still compare yourself to the false measurement stick that judged the inferior you. External validation is required to prove your superior self-image. If you are put out of place through ignorance or you are made to feel less superior, you attempt to grab back your non-existent podium of superiority by criticizing others and using similar behaviors to lift you status.</p>
<p>If a person&#8217;s need to compete against another is driven from insecurity to feel superior, does a superiority complex exist? I think it does exist, but an inferiority complex can be used to explain someone with a superiority complex.</p>
<h2>What is Your Perception of People You Aspire To?</h2>
<p>Everyone is superior to you in some way, but they are not superior in who they are. There is no question people are better looking, more popular, and wealthier than you. The problem is the transition from doing to being. Sufferers of the inferiority complex overcompensate for these differences.</p>
<p>Referring back to the Napoleon complex, most of us tend to be controlling or aggressive beyond height. All of us have our own – often strange reasons – for feeling inferior that we dare not share with anyone.</p>
<p>A common example of overcompensating behavior is when an attractive lady feels insulted purely because of another woman&#8217;s looks. Women are very competitive in dating and can feel inferior to a more attractive lady so they criticize, tease, and display other insecure behaviors. A shallow woman tries to raise her self-esteem by being better than other women.</p>
<p>It disgusts me to hear both men and women pull another person down. I too often see unsuccessful, unhappy people criticize a successful, happy person. These critics are no better or inferior than the people they criticize.</p>
<p>What is your attitude towards people who are better than you in certain areas of your life? How do you feel towards people who are more attractive than you? How do you feel towards people who are your superiors at work? Do you feel inferior? Do you feel they are better than you? Do you need to pull them down from their podium by criticizing? Are you inspired, excited, and thrilled to see others succeed?</p>
<p>Take your time to think of and relive relevant experiences. Your recollections hold important understandings of your inferiority complex.</p>
<h2>How to Accept Yourself No Matter How Much You Suck</h2>
<p>A secret to overcoming the inferiority complex is accepting who you are as a person. When you accept your uniqueness, you no longer compare yourself to mystical standards. I estimate 50% of people have the inferiority complex. Our perceived standard is a joke! You are not inferior or superior to anyone nor is anyone inferior or superior to you. We are ourselves. You are you. Mitchell is Mitchell.</p>
<p>People say, “<a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/just-be-yourself">Just be yourself</a>”. That is awful advice. If you continue to be yourself, you continue to have poor habits, thoughts, feelings, and results.</p>
<p>Being yourself is different than accepting your uniqueness. A guy who knows he is unique can grow as a person and “not be himself”. He accepts his uniqueness and still becomes more than he was yesterday. He becomes his best self. No matter what he does, he will always be unique. When he accepts his uniqueness, he does not compare himself to other people.</p>
<p>Next time you feel inferior, challenge those thoughts by investigating why you feel inferior. You will realize your comparison is based on a mystical benchmark. The people you measure yourself against are not the true measurement stick. They are not you. You are your true measurement. Compare yourself with the person you were instead of contrasting you with other people. <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/topic/nlp">Neuro-linguistic programming</a> calls this technique a “self-to-self comparison”.</p>
<p>If you are shy in conversations, do not compare yourself to the extrovert, blabbermouth, social butterfly. Compare your present shyness to your shyness one month ago. Get satisfaction from knowing you&#8217;re becoming a better person. Many variables make you unique – your family, friends, co-workers, upbringing – the list goes on. It is foolish to compare yourself to others.</p>
<p>You can enjoy your journey of personal development without realizing your ultimate goal by seeing progression in bettering yourself. When you make your past the benchmark, you begin to heal. (Read Anthony Robbins&#8217; <em><a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/review-of-awaken-the-giant-within-by-anthony-robbins">Awaken the Giant Within</a></em> to learn more about enjoying your journey. Robbins teaches you how to adjust your values so you become happier and self-motivated on your journey instead of relying on an end result to be happy.)</p>
<h2>Self-Image: The Human Thermostat</h2>
<p>The core secret to overcome your inferiority complex is changing your self-image. The self-image is how you perceive yourself. It is a mental picture of who you are. It does not have to be truth as you have seen in the inferiority complex where you are not inferior. The self-image is your image of yourself.</p>
<p>The great Dr. Maxwell Maltz, author of <em>Psycho-cybernetics</em>, was a plastic surgeon in the mid 1900s. He operated on many individuals who felt inferior due to their “unusual” looks. Most of the individuals did not look unusual; it was their self-image that blew their looks out of proportion. They had used their creative imagination to create a dangerous false image of their physical appearance.</p>
<p>Dr. Maltz operated on many who despite successful plastic surgery remained feeling inferior. They returned to him requesting more surgery as they sought to look like famous individuals. He would again operate on them only to have the clients still dissatisfied with their appearance.</p>
<p>For some of his patients, this was not the case. Some individuals&#8217; feeling of inferiority disappeared after plastic surgery while others even had their emotional scars cured without ever going under the knife. This made Dr. Maltz curious. Why did some people with healed “outer scars” like facial deformations that were successfully operated on still have “inner scars” of inferiority? From his research emerged modern self-help psychology. He is the founder of visualization, creative imagination, self-talk, and changing the self-image.</p>
<blockquote class="alignright" style="width: 30%;">Your self-image&#8230; controls what you can and cannot do. If you see yourself as inferior to others, this self-image ensures you remain inferior.</blockquote>
<p>Dr. Maltz discovered that each hurtful word, thought, and experience over a person&#8217;s lifetime accumulated to form a poor self-image. He began to teach people how their self-image was shaped and how they can be more careful with their own words in shaping another person&#8217;s self-image. What mattered most was what he called the “creative imagination” that contained the self-image. He discovered a person&#8217;s creative imagination shaped one&#8217;s self-image to determine feelings of inferiority. We have been working on yours throughout the article.</p>
<p>Your self-image has tremendous powers. Your self-image controls what you can achieve. It controls what you can and cannot do. If you see yourself as inferior to others, this self-image ensures you remain inferior. No amount of positive thinking, willpower, or self-determination cures a feeling of inferiority when an inferior self-image exists. Dr. Maltz in <em><a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/review-of-the-new-psycho-cybernetics-by-maxwell-maltz">The New Psycho-cybernetics</a></em>, profoundly explains the power of the self-image to shape our behavior and achieve what we desire:</p>
<blockquote><p>The self-image controls what you can and cannot accomplish, what is difficult or easy for you, even how others respond to you just as certainly and scientifically as a thermostat controls the temperature in your home. Specifically, all your actions, feelings, behavior, even your abilities, are always consistent with this self-image. Note the word: always. In short, you will &#8216;act like&#8217; the sort of person you conceive yourself to be.</p></blockquote>
<p>A person that weighs 250 pounds can drop to 210 pounds through willpower and determination. If the weight-loss took place out of willpower, however, the person will return to his true self-image weight of 250 pounds. You can decrease the girth of your stomach through grunt force, but if your self-image has not adjusted to your new weight, your old weight will return. The room temperature can fluctuate a few degrees depending on who enters and leaves the room, yet the thermostat always returns the room to its set temperature. (For more discoveries on this fluctuating problem, read <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/why-problem-solving-doesnt-solve-the-problem-and-the-real-solution-to-permanent-change">this article</a> titled “Why Problem Solving Doesn&#8217;t Solve the Problem and the Real Solution to Permanent Change”.)</p>
<p>The same rule holds true to become more muscular. If your self-image is a thin-body, you will have a tough time packing on muscle. Arnold Schwarzenegger at 15-years was thin. What set him apart from other bodybuilders was his self-image. He would visualize his new muscular body each time he performed a rep at the gym while other bodybuilders would fantasize over bikini models. In 1980, Schwarzenegger claimed his seventh Mr. Olympia title and become the icon of bodybuilders.</p>
<p>A person that aims to lose weight through willpower uses forward goal-setting. If you use forward goal-setting, where you set a goal to achieve and work towards it, you will fail. As I have repeatedly said, positive willpower cannot overcome a negative creative imagination. Your creative imagination will always win.</p>
<p>Apply this to other areas of your life. Stop trying to use willpower to overcome your inferiority complex or to achieve some other goal. It cannot be done for permanent results. What you need to do for all your goals is use backward goal-setting where you set a goal to achieve and begin doing the things now that you would do upon achieving that goal.</p>
<p>To do this you need to awaken your creative imagination by immersing yourself in an imaginary environment where you achieved your goal. Your aim is to visualize yourself immersed in an environment so real that it feels like you achieved it.</p>
<p>I will run through a complete exercise you can do right now to overcome your inferiority complex. You are to primarily rely on this technique to overcome feelings of inferiority. When the technique is used over time on a frequent basis, your inferiority complex will evaporate.</p>
<h2>Exercise to Cure Your Inferiority Complex and Boost Your Self-Image</h2>
<p>The exercise is an intense visualization. The nervous system cannot tell a real event from a fake event. Studies have repeatedly shown that when we visualize, the <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/how-to-make-people-happy-and-yourself-feel-great">body experiences physiological responses that mimic action</a>. The mirror neurons in the premotor cortex of the brain become activated from visualizations in the same manner as doing the action.</p>
<p>This is not the exercise, but imagine you are in a real fight. Hear the yelling, swearing, and abuse. Feel the air. Taste the blood. See the people gather around you. Look at your angry opponent. By immersing yourself in the environment your physiology will appropriately respond. Your body will release doses of adrenaline as your heart rate increases along with a heightened awareness. The more real your visualization is, the more your body responds as if it were a real experience.</p>
<p>To demonstrate the exercise I encourage you to use on a daily basis, I will walk you through what I would do in Mitchell&#8217;s situation.</p>
<div class="bonusboxleft">
<p class="bonusboxheading">Cognitive Behavioral Therapy</p>
<p>Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of therapy fast becoming popular for its effectiveness. CBT acknowledges a person&#8217;s feelings and reactions originate from his or her thoughts. The therapy can systematically break down your thoughts, feelings, and images so they empower you. There are thousands of qualified CBT therapists who can help you overcome an inferiority complex.</p>
</div>
<p>I firstly slow down my breathing. Notice present tensions in my body and make a conscious decision to relax that part of the body. Next, I visualize myself walking confidently into the room full of executives. Shoulders are back, posture is erect, neck is straight, and my strides are slow. I make strong eye contact when others look at me. I smell the champagne and hear the chatter and smile at hearing the occasional loud laugh. I see the gray walls and people&#8217;s black shoes.</p>
<p>I feel the wrinkles around my mouth as I smile when greeting an executive. I feel a person&#8217;s hand as I give them a firm handshake. People are warming up to me as I communicate complete comfort with myself. I am poised. I love myself and have no need to compare myself to other&#8217;s standards. I am proud in knowing that I am becoming a better person. I am a unique individual.</p>
<p>That is a brief example of what I would feel and see in my mind&#8217;s eye. I encourage you to go into more depth. Create more details. Visualize what it is like to <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/how-to-not-care-what-people-think-of-you">not worry what people think of you</a>. Smell the air and touch the surfaces that are around the non-inferior you. Thorough details are extremely important. Make it so vivid that it becomes real. Use your five senses: taste, touch, sight, smell, and hearing. These focused visualizations will give you a new self-image.</p>
<p>Run through constructive visualizations everyday. It may seem like a lot of effort, but this is your life we are talking about. You are important. You run through visualizations everyday. The exercise has you control imagery you would otherwise waste.</p>
<p>I also encourage you to use positive thinking, which I earlier “bashed”. Positive thinking is a valuable tool when used in conjunction with your creative imagination. Combine these two great tools together with the many other tips in this article and you will soon overcome your inferiority complex. After all, your inferiority complex developed by using these tools in a negative fashion.</p>
<p>You will never eliminate all thoughts of inferiority because it is human nature to think the occasional demeaning thought. You do not need to feel inferior, however. The difference is whether you let the occasional thought and feeling grow.</p>
<p><em>If you still feel helpless from feelings of inferiority, please book an appointment with a therapist. I don&#8217;t want you to end up like Jacob.</em></p>
<p>(Please <a href="#comment">post a comment or story</a> about your inferiority along with how this article has changed your life. You are by far from alone in experiencing inferiority. I could have easily charged for this report, but decided not to. I want as many people to read this as possible. This can be more easily accomplished with your help by telling your friends, family, and co-workers about the article. You do not know the feelings of inferiority someone could have that is damaging their life. Do them a favor. They could be forever thankful for your thoughtfulness. Email them by clicking the social media buttons below.)</p>
<p>(I have reposted people&#8217;s comments below from an older version of the article.)</p>
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		<title>Why Smart People Have Poor Communication Skills &#8211; and What to Do About It</title>
		<link>https://www.towerofpower.com.au/why-smart-people-have-poor-communication-skills-and-what-to-do-about-it</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joshua Uebergang aka "Tower of Power"]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:59:21 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Attraction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Confidence and Fear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conversation Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emotional Intelligence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[approach anxiety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daniel Goleman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David DeAngelo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ego]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emotion versus logic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emotions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[genius-failure paradox]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Howard Gardner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inferiority complex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Malcolm Gladwell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Power of Now]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rapport]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soft skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[superiority]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.towerofpower.com.au/?p=45</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[On October 23, 1990, David Pologruto, a high school physics teacher, was stabbed by his smart student Jason Haffizulla. Jason was not a teenager you think would try to kill someone. He got straight A&#8217;s and was determined to study medicine at Harvard, yet this was his downfall. His physics teacher gave Jason a B, <!-- more-link -->[&#8230;] <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/why-smart-people-have-poor-communication-skills-and-what-to-do-about-it" class="more more-link">Read more</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="dropcap">O</span>n October 23, 1990, David Pologruto, a high school physics teacher, was stabbed by his smart student Jason Haffizulla. Jason was not a teenager you think would try to kill someone. He got straight A&#8217;s and was determined to study medicine at Harvard, yet this was his downfall. His physics teacher gave Jason a B, a mark Jason believed would undermine his entrance to Harvard. After discovering his B, Jason took a butcher knife to school then stabbed his physics teacher before being reprimanded in a struggle.</p>
<p>Two years following the incident in a <em>New York Times</em> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/23/us/student-who-stabbed-teacher-has-a-warning.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">article</a>, it was reported Jason raised his grade average to 4.614 (exceeding the perfect average of 4) by taking advanced courses and graduated with highest honors. He was smart.</p>
<p>Jason got better than perfect grades and still emotionally lost himself by trying to wound or kill his teacher. He could never improve his grade by stabbing his teacher. How can someone as smart as Jason do something so dumb?<span id="more-45"></span></p>
<p>The answer? <em>Smart can be dumb</em>. Studies show there is little to no correlation between IQ and <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/topic/emotional-intelligence">emotional intelligence</a> and that smart people are as likely to be good at communicating as “dumb people”. But I&#8217;ve observed smart people with poor communication skills make common mistakes in their communication. Intelligence can work against you.</p>
<h2>How to Be Successful and Smart</h2>
<p>I regard myself as an intelligent guy. I was no Einstein but got good marks in Mathematics, Physics, and other technical subjects. I graduated high school with the highest marks of my year level. I began a degree in Engineering, majoring in Mechatronics, an area of study that integrates mechanics, electronics, and computing. I would be able to design robotics and cybernetic systems – the wave of the future. Such skills would surely give me an edge in life.</p>
<p>After one year of study with decent marks, I began to see two major classes of students. The first category of student turned up to few lectures, partied every weekend, enjoyed a great social life, and did minimal work to pass courses. The second category of students were intelligent, hard workers, got good grades, and were very focused on their studies. Surely these intelligent, hard-working students would fill the great jobs before the lazier class of student?</p>
<p>Not so. Students are often shocked upon graduation that their technical qualifications are unimportant. Students in school are lead to believe their academic knowledge is the primary determinat of a great job and success. Howard Gardner in <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&#038;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.ca%2FFrames-Mind-Theory-Multiple-Intelligences%2Fdp%2F0465025102&#038;tag=toptop-20&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences</a></em> defines various types of intelligence and emphasizes that schools are too focused on logic and linguistic intelligence. Robert Kiyosaki in <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&#038;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FRich-Dad-Poor-Money-That-Middle%2Fdp%2F0446677450&#038;tag=toptop-20&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rich Dad, Poor Dad</a></em> is a more famous author that demotes the common belief that the government&#8217;s education system leads students to wealth and success. Malcom Gladwell&#8217;s <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&#038;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FOutliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell%2Fdp%2F0316017922&#038;tag=toptop-20&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Outliers</a></em> contains further proof that IQ has little correlation with achievement.</p>
<p>Daniel Goleman in his book <em><a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/review-of-emotional-intelligence-by-daniel-goleman">Emotional Intelligence</a></em>, says that IQ is too narrow to predicate success. The implications of emotional intelligence, which is summarized as an understanding of your emotions and the emotions of other people, are profound in communication and many areas of life. “Emotional Intelligence is a master aptitude, a capacity that profoundly affects all other abilities,” says Goleman, “either facilitating or interfering with them.”</p>
<p>Graduates enter the workforce only to realize that co-workers hate them, less intelligent people are the ones receiving promotions, and sucking up to the boss doesn&#8217;t help personal earnings. The students have “hard skills” such as technical know-how, but they lack the “soft skills” like conflict management and <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/89-social-etiquette-rules">social etiquette</a>. The transition for intelligent people from being goal-oriented to process and people-oriented is usually realized through experience.</p>
<blockquote class="alignright" style="width: 30%;">It&#8217;s not that people dislike you because of your intelligence; it&#8217;s that people dislike you because you&#8217;re rude, not understanding, or annoying to be around.</blockquote>
<p>If you have experience in hiring people, you know the importance of people skills. A person&#8217;s knowledge can be useless in some industries when the person has no people skills. You can have great ideas, theories, and solve complex problems, but if you cannot effectively communicate that material in a persuasive and exciting manner by relating to your fellow human, you face an uphill battle in whatever challenges you encounter. It&#8217;s not that people dislike you because of your intelligence; it&#8217;s that people dislike you because you&#8217;re rude, not understanding, or annoying to be around. The intelligent person with poor communication skills is insensitive.</p>
<p>Hopefully I can reveal the elusive obvious to you in this little exercise. I want you to think back to primary school or high school. Perhaps even college. Select the most memorable class to you.</p>
<p>I want you to categorize, and roughly rank, class members based on two sets of criteria: intelligence and popularity. You don&#8217;t need to go through every class member, but recall those at the end of each spectrum. That is, remember the smartest few in the class and the most popular few in the class. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest, give a person a rank of ten in intelligence if you feel they were the most intelligent in the class. For the students who had lots of friends, give them a ten in the popularity category. Try to categorize roughly six students. If you have problems remembering, quickly write the ranks down on paper.</p>
<p>Now, with the students you have ranked in one category, rank them in the other category. So if you have ranked the smartest student as a ten in the intelligence category, give the person a rank you feel is appropriate in the popularity category. Do the same for students you ranked in the popularity category.</p>
<p>Now that you have several people in each category, think about the difference between the student-types.</p>
<h2>Genius-Failure Paradox</h2>
<p>Did you noticed a distinguishable difference in the students you ranked during the exercise? No difference may exist, but most who do this exercise notice the intelligent lack friends. The smartest were generally not very popular because they had poor social skills. Presumptuous? Likely, no.</p>
<blockquote class="alignleft" style="width: 30%;">Smarter, wealthier, or generally people who have feelings of superiority, refuse to seek help in dealing with people.</blockquote>
<p>All intelligent people do not have poor people skills just like all unintelligent people do not have good people skills. You may think, “But I know someone who is smart and great with people.” Good. So do I. Intelligence and people skills are not mutually exclusive characteristics. Having one does not mean you cannot have the other.</p>
<p>Academically intelligent people fail in predictable areas of their lives for predictable reasons. What makes matters worse is they avoid solving the dilemma because of pride. The <em>genius-failure paradox</em> describes that people who want to feel smarter, wealthier, or generally superior to others refuse to seek help in dealing with people. You can feel <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/inferiority-complex-and-the-self-image">inferior</a> learning a skill like communication that you believe should be natural. To learn such a skill is an admission to your weakness and stupidity.</p>
<h2>How the Problem Begins in Childhood</h2>
<p>A study titled <em>Reading Difficulties, Behavior, and Social Status</em> published in the <em>Journal of Educational Psychology</em>, found that 81% of children referred to aggression and social behaviour as the number one reason for disliking another child. As children age, the researchers found that a child&#8217;s academic performance increased their peer acceptance.</p>
<p>The study also found that achievement and other factors are influential to peer acceptance. We do need to keep in mind that peer acceptance does not equate to only social skills. Peer acceptance can increase due to one variable that is completely unrelated to communication. What we can take from this study is that right from the beginning of our social interactions, we are liked or dislike based on our behaviour and social skills.</p>
<p>Herpreet Kaur Grewal in an article titled <em>Lack of Social Skills Can Make Poor Even Poorer</em>, refers to a study done by the Institute for Public Policy Research. The study confirms that the economy makes interpersonal skills as important as academic skills. Grewal says, “Those with good social skills born into poor families are 14% more likely to be well-off by age 30 than a similarly under-privileged person with average social skills.” The study presents a few interesting points that are worth noting for the purpose of this article.</p>
<p>Firstly, social skills and other communication skills were found to be more important later in life. Maybe you&#8217;ve experienced the same thing. When you were young, you could get away with yelling at other kids. You could even fight with little or no repercussions. Should you punch someone at work in the face tomorrow (I hope I haven&#8217;t given you any ideas) because of your inability to resolve conflict, the quality of your professional and personal life will suffer.</p>
<p>A second finding of interest to us is that the best way children can develop the communication skills required for life are through organized activities. These groups should have children of diverse ages, experiences, and interests, as well as adult leaders that provide guidance to the young group. The adult leaders typically have a goal they want the children to achieve together. Team sports are a good example of activities that fit the described criteria to help children develop their social skills. Even for mature adults, interacting with diverse individuals improves their communication skills because it requires a person to adapt and understand different people.</p>
<p>The implications of these findings on this article are vague, but I present them to you for your curiosity. Do smarter people participate in fewer organized activities that fit the criteria of developing children&#8217;s social skills? Do smarter people participate in more singular extra-curricular activities like learning to play a musical instrument? Is their a trade-off between social interaction and increasing your intelligence? Do the less-intelligent individuals spend their time in these socially-beneficial activities instead of studying? </p>
<p>One thing we do know is that <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au">social skills</a> and other communication skills need to be frequently practiced. While people can naturally have the gift of the gab, be emotionally intelligent, or easily win friends, communication skills atrophy without use.</p>
<p>Poor communication skills can put you in a dangerous cyclic effect. Poor communication deters you from situations that require those skills, further decreasing your social skills. If a boy has poor communication skills during developmental years because he did not participate in activities like football that Grewal speaks of as important for social development, he can struggle to get out of the rut due to the cyclic effect of avoiding social situations.</p>
<h2>Common Mistakes Smart People Make in Communication</h2>
<p>Intelligent people solve problems with their superior logic. The individuals use rational thinking to eliminate problems. A dilemma arises when they attempt to solve an emotional problem with their logic.</p>
<p>The logic dilemma is partly given birth from an intelligent person&#8217;s love of information. Locating information makes life easier. With the Internet being a superhighway for information, intelligent people are inclined to read, learn, and analyse their issues via the World Wide Web. (Maybe that&#8217;s why you&#8217;re reading this article).</p>
<p>However, communication skills are <em>skills</em>. Communication skills are not information. Any skill develops through practice. If you are an intelligent person, I still want you to learn about communication skills, but know that acting on your knowledge is more likely to be a bottleneck in your personal development than gathering more information.</p>
<blockquote class="alignleft" style="width: 30%;">Intelligent people see problems and provide solutions – a harmful formula for human relations.</blockquote>
<p>Back to the logic dilemma, people are an illogical formula. If people were a formula they would be defined by 1 + 1 = 3. Logic and intelligence cannot explain the complexities of human emotion. Dale Carnegie, author of <em><a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/review-of-how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people-by-dale-carnegie">How to Win Friends and Influence People</a></em>, emphasizes the importance of emotion in human relations and the little influence logic has on our behavior. “When dealing with people,” says Carnegie, “remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” </p>
<p>In my <em><a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/secrets/">Communication Secrets of Powerful People</a></em> program, I define two distinguishing behaviors of people that fall into the logical trap. Firstly is a common mistake we all make: we point out the obvious. Stating the obvious is frustrating and emotionally ignorant. Some examples include:</p>
<ul>
<li>“Breaking up with a guy is tough. Don&#8217;t worry, there&#8217;s the right man for you out there somewhere.” This starts well, but then the person says the emotionally-ignorant obvious.</li>
<li>“I can&#8217;t believe you burned my toast. That&#8217;s stupid.” Do you really think he or she burned the toast on purpose?</li>
<li>“Wow. I&#8217;m so sorry to hear about the burglar breaking into your car. You really should have locked your doors.” Thanks for the advice&#8230; Idiot!</li>
</ul>
<p>The second common logical mistake is making factual statements. People make the factual statement mistake when they talk about an emotional issue with logic and rational. An indicator of this type of mistake is when the respondent says, “You don&#8217;t get it” or “You&#8217;re missing the point”.</p>
<p>As an example of the factual statement mistake, Jill is talking to her good friend Michael, an intelligent guy, about her recent break up. Jill begins to “open herself up” and discuss her broken relationship. The emotions she communicates are uncomfortable to Michael. As is common with smart people, Michael perceives Jill&#8217;s affliction and his own discomfort in clear terms. He does not see muddled emotions. He sees pain; not resentment and anguish; or hatred; not partial likeness and hatred.</p>
<p>Michael wants to resolve Jill&#8217;s hurt. In his black and white world, Michael sees clear emotions, problems, and provides a solution. He thinks giving her advice is best for her wellbeing. He may use his intelligence to give advice, provide reassurance, or create some other <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/secrets/">communication barrier</a>. Intelligent people see problems and provide solutions – a harmful formula for human relations.</p>
<p>The logic-driven communication used by Michael frustrates Jill. Jill isn&#8217;t after a solution; she wants someone to empathize with her and understand what she feels. Michael is too intent on resolving problems and providing advice.</p>
<p>People want to emotionally connect with you. You cannot connect and make friends, however, when you erect an emotional barrier with advice and factual statements. To overcome this problem, I strongly recommend you get the <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/secrets/">Communication Secrets of Powerful People</a> program then read chapters 9 and 10.</p>
<h2>Combating Emotions with Logic</h2>
<p>People today think they need to conquer their emotions. The smart, possibly think this more so because of their problem-solving habits and intellect. <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/myths-and-dangers-of-self-help">Popular self-help myths</a> lead us to believe that emotions like depression and anger must be manipulated to achieve happiness. </p>
<p>Goleman says, “Even the most academically brilliant among us are vulnerable to being undone by unruly emotions.” Take for example, anxiety. The smart often try to suppress an emotion such as anxiety with self-talk (“I shouldn&#8217;t be worried about this”) to free themselves from what they do not want to feel. The secret <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/social-anxiety-disorder-cure">cure to social anxiety</a>, however, is acceptance of anxiety and doing what you are afraid of. Through this action day-by-day you can live on purpose. Goleman says that our fears, anxieties, anger, and emotions guide our everyday lives.</p>
<p>When intelligent people cannot resolve an issue, they may complain and blame others for the outcome. Their knowledge and past experience in solving problems causes them to look beyond themselves to explain why the problem remains. Even when they blame outsiders, a smart person may conclude that because a problem in unsolved, it cannot be solved or it is not worth the effort to solve.</p>
<p>Pat Wagner from <em><a href="http://www.pattern.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pattern Research</a></em>, a Colorado company that provides organisations with a communication programs, says smart people tend to convert their self-diagnosed failings into virtues. They use their intellect to convert emotional weaknesses into strengths. Wagner terms them as <em>smart flaws</em>.</p>
<p>One particular smart flaw I used that Wagner mentioned was not starting a conversation because it would be a waste of time. The real reason I didn&#8217;t start a conversation was my fear. I was scared ****less. Now I am more aware of my most common smart flaws, I stop myself in my tracks when I use them then identify the real reason why I rationalize my behavior. Whenever I do not talk to someone because “it is a waste of time”, I now realize it could be because I am not dealing with my emotions. I maybe hiding: the fear of talking to strangers, feelings of unhappiness, or the anxiety that I will be boring.</p>
<p>Another emotional weakness with smart people – particularly guys when they want to approach a woman – is fear. “A smart guy&#8217;s strength is his mind,” says <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/review-of-double-your-dating-by-david-deangelo">David DeAngelo</a>, a dating coach for men. “His weakness is often his emotions. Smart guys are often immobilized by fear.”</p>
<p>Women wonder why men struggle to walk up then talk with them even when a woman sends obvious signals of interest that she wants to chat. A guy&#8217;s analytical mind switches on immobilizing him from action. A thousand crazy scenarios and potential problems race through his head in psychological war.</p>
<blockquote class="alignright" style="width: 30%;">The problem for intelligent people who think a lot is they think a lot.</blockquote>
<p>The analytical mind has its purpose. The mind has served humanity well in the past to get us where we are today. It has identified predators, threats, and immediate dangers.</p>
<p>The problem for intelligent people who think a lot is they think a lot! They tend to plan everything before taking action, which causes them to lose spontaneity and be boring. Such behavior may result in neediness, validation, and indecisiveness.</p>
<p>In social situations, over-analysis is a killer mistake. Intelligent people try to <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/how-to-not-care-what-people-think-of-you">mind-read people in conversations</a>. They micro-manage their interactions based on analytical feedback. This drives their fear and uncertainty in conversations.</p>
<p>The next time you catch yourself micro-managing your conversations and worrying what the other person thinks, remember the other person is likely to be more concerned with what you think about them. Remind yourself that you cannot mind-read – and trying to do so only creates anxiety. Live in the moment more often and you will notice people naturally attract to you.</p>
<p>A few last points I want to make on logical strength and emotional weakness deal with conversation. We hunger for emotional connection in conversations. We love drama, fun, and controversy. Facts, logic, and technical subjects are often boring and too complex. The emotional side of conversations engage people. Academically intelligent people may focus too much on logical topics. Women are especially interested in any type of drama. Watch their eyes light up when you talk about the latest celebrity fashion stuff ups and other popular dramas.</p>
<p>Another emotional weakness, in addition to the subject of conversations, is the vocabulary used. Academics often use technical vocabulary to prove their intelligence – a killer of rapport. Simple, duh-duh, language is more effective than technical linguistics and non-methodologically circumstantial language that homosapiens find distateful. The same goes for writing to keep people interested. I try to write in a casual way – similar to how a conversation goes; not technical stuff, things, and other types of stuff, you know? This last reason is why so many great findings in academic journals go hidden for years. The general public cannot be bothered reading jargon.</p>
<p>On that last point of being too technical for people, something that may interest you is how some people write emails to me. I teach communication, but that does not mean being technical, using complex vocabulary, and trying to be intelligent helps build rapport. You can tell the difference. Here&#8217;s one example of a technical email I received last week:</p>
<blockquote><p>Dear Joshua. Allow me to extend my formal gratitude in your beautiful array of teachings&#8230;</p></blockquote>
<p>The intent behind such emails is great. The problem when you speak in jargon is the person you talk or write to does not feel connected with you. Lots of organizations fail hard with this principle when handling complaints.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s compare that email example with this one:</p>
<blockquote><p>Hey Joshua. Thanks heaps for the articles. I&#8217;ve learned that&#8230; You&#8217;ve helped me improve my relationship with my partner because&#8230;</p></blockquote>
<p>Can you sense the difference? The last example is more friendly, but not overly casual. The person in the first example who appears intelligent does not “connect” because they are too technical. Even if you are intelligent and have a complex vocabulary, use terminology the other person uses to build rapport. Do not try prove your intelligence. We want to improve your communication skills, not boost your ego.</p>
<h2>A Little-Known Secret to Learn Communication Skills</h2>
<p>Take a moment to imagine you have traveled back in time to the Stone Age with a smart friend. You and your friend arrive amongst a tribe when two saber-toothed tigers approach. What choice do you make: 1) Do you get help from your intelligent friend? or 2) Do you rely on tribe members that are intelligent as your dog back home, but you know they have spent their lifetime surviving and adapting to the environment?</p>
<p>Our trip in time to the Stone Age shows us that intelligence does not equate to survival and other important skills. Stone Age dwellers were far from the level of intelligence people have today. I remember hearing a strange statistic that the decisions we make when reading a newspaper (such as skimming sections, understanding an article, and selecting what to read) in one day exceeds the total decisions made by prehistoric people in their lifetime.</p>
<blockquote class="alignleft" style="width: 30%;">Intelligence doesn&#8217;t equate to effective communication skills.</blockquote>
<p>Intelligent people must acknowledge their expertise is limited. You cannot be an expert in everything. Intelligence does not equate to effective communication skills. A person from the Stone Age is sure to teach you something. Instead of being right, concede you do not know everything about communication.</p>
<p>Find the first steps you need to take to develop expertise in an area of your interest – even from someone of less intelligence. If you are interested in how to hold a conversation, the dumbass you hate may teach you a lot. Find what you need to do first then take the next step.</p>
<h2>The Attitude You Need to Develop an Amazing Life</h2>
<p>What happens to intelligent people who struggle in their social life? They keep quite. Intelligent people are habituated in solving problems, being an expert, and working things out themselves so they refuse to ask for help. They choose to freeze themselves with fear and uncertainty than ask someone about social skills. There are several interesting reasons for rationalization and smart flaws.</p>
<p>Not in all cases, but smart people look down on less intelligent people. No way will an intelligent person ask someone less intelligent for help. If the intelligent person is also wealthy, not in a million years. To seek help from someone with less intelligence is demeaning to the ego and a sign of weakness.</p>
<p>People of less intelligence are not inferior. Their friends are not weird or immature. These are smart flaws. I sometimes catch myself thinking that someone with less intelligence or less skill cannot teach me. What a dangerous lie that is. You can learn from someone with an IQ of 60. Accept it. You will be more desirable when humbling yourself.</p>
<div class="bonusboxleft">
<p class="bonusboxheading">Boost Your EQ</p>
<p>Follow this short cheat-sheet to boost your emotional intelligence and become better with people:</p>
<ol>
<li>Think emotions, not logic. Humans are emotional creatures. Putting emotions in your limelight enables you to deal with them.</li>
<li>Focus on people&#8217;s needs. That is how you manage emotional situations and persuade people.</li>
<li>Withhold advice. Give a listening ear instead.</li>
<li>Compliment people. Praise makes people feel great.</li>
<li>Develop self-awareness to be more people-aware. Tune into your anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, and joy.</li>
<li>Accept your emotions. Stop beating yourself over certain emotions.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<p>When helping an intelligent person improve their communication, it is good to explain how their expertise will strengthen when their communication skills strengthen. Dale Carnegie talks about appealing to those characteristics you want in others to create those characteristics. Intelligent people know they are smart. One such statement in appealing to those good characteristics for changing the intelligent person&#8217;s behavior would go along the lines of, “You and I know you&#8217;re an intelligent person. Improving your communication is another way of showing people your intelligence, expertise, and good skill-set.”</p>
<p>Another explanation of why smart people do not seek help is that social skills are assumed to be natural. People skills can be a laughable skill to develop. If you need to develop your people skills, you could be labeled as a “loser”. Intelligent people cannot risk humiliation when they ask for help. They need to maintain their feelings of importance.</p>
<p>It is easy to talk about the necessity of seeking help, but seeking help is tough. No one by their own can gather the life skills to overcome personal problems. There is no shame in seeking help; only shame in not seeking help.</p>
<p>Quietening your ego proves your expertise more than stubbornness. People will be attracted to you when you are not obsessed with being right. Asking for advice is a secret technique to make people feel important and increase your personal magnetism. Withholding your intelligence can win you friends, even if you do not play dumb like Arthur Schopenhauer suggests:</p>
<blockquote><p>It is a real recommendation to be stupid. For just as warmth is agreeable to the body, so it does the mind good to feel its superiority; and a man will seek company likely to give him this feeling, as instinctively as he will approach the fireplace or walk in the sun if he wants to get warm. But this means that he will be disliked on account of his superiority; and if a man is to be liked, he must really be inferior in point of intellect.</p></blockquote>
<p>There are millions of lessons waiting for you to be discovered in conversations. Listen, empathize, and make friends to discover the lessons. Then you will be smart.</p>
<p>(I have posted people&#8217;s comments from an older version of the article below.)</p>
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		<title>Review of The New Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz</title>
		<link>https://www.towerofpower.com.au/review-of-the-new-psycho-cybernetics-by-maxwell-maltz</link>
					<comments>https://www.towerofpower.com.au/review-of-the-new-psycho-cybernetics-by-maxwell-maltz#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joshua Uebergang aka "Tower of Power"]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:12:28 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Confidence and Fear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[automatic-success mechanism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creative imagination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inferiority complex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maxwell Maltz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[psycho-cybernetics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-image]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visualization]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.towerofpower.com.au/?p=30</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[This is a book review of Dr. Maxwell Maltz&#8217;s The New Psycho-Cybernetics: The Original Science of Self-Improvement and Success That Has Changed the Lives of 30 Million People. Maxwell Maltz became a plastic surgeon in the 1920&#8217;s and successfully changed people&#8217;s physical appearance for decades. In his private New York practice he operated on people <!-- more-link -->[&#8230;] <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/review-of-the-new-psycho-cybernetics-by-maxwell-maltz" class="more more-link">Read more</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>his is a book review of Dr. Maxwell Maltz&#8217;s <em>The New Psycho-Cybernetics: The Original Science of Self-Improvement and Success That Has Changed the Lives of 30 Million People</em>.</p>
<p>Maxwell Maltz became a plastic surgeon in the 1920&#8217;s and successfully changed people&#8217;s physical appearance for decades. In his private New York practice he operated on people like well-known celebrities from around the world. People entered Maltz&#8217;s practice with poor perceptions of themselves as they underwent operation in hope to look and feel like a new person.</p>
<p>Some clients following their operations left Dr. Maltz&#8217;s practice feeling happy with the surgery he performed. Other times, patients left feeling unhappy even after a successful surgery. It wasn&#8217;t too long until Dr. Maltz operated on them again to correct another “wrong feature” of their body. Dr. Maltz became curious.<span id="more-30"></span> He wondered why some individuals maintained unusual perceptions of their body despite undergoing successful plastic surgery and correcting their unlikable body features. He investigated why people had inflated and distorted pictures of their physical “defects”.</p>
<p>After years of research and experience, Dr. Maltz came up with the reason plastic surgery did not solve people&#8217;s image problems: plastic surgery successfully healed people&#8217;s physical defects, but these people still had “emotional scars” from their <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/inferiority-complex-and-the-self-image">inaccurate self-image</a>. After coaching athletes, patients, salespeople, and many others who become interested in his findings, he came to write <em>Psycho-Cybernetics</em>.</p>
<p>Passing away in 1975 at the age of 76, Dr. Maltz&#8217;s teachings have more than survived over the years. Dr. Maltz is the founder of modern self-improvement. All teachings after 1960 about visualization, creative imagination, and relaxation, stem from <em>Psycho-Cybernetics</em>.</p>
<p><em>The New Psycho-Cybernetics</em> is an updated version of the author&#8217;s original teachings, edited and updated by Dan Kennedy, a well-known copywriter and entrepreneurial genius. Kennedy has successfully kept Maltz&#8217;s style of writing in tact throughout the new version, which includes more examples and elaboration on Maltz&#8217;s original teachings.</p>
<blockquote class="alignright" style="width: 30%;">Dr. Maltz is the founder of modern self-improvement.</blockquote>
<p>Throughout the book, Maltz and Kennedy focus on the self-image because Maltz says it determines whether you achieve a goal. Along with the self-image is an in-depth discussion on what the original author calls the “automatic-success mechanism”, which each of us has within ourselves. We all have what it takes to achieve our goals, but we fail to achieve them by poorly using this mechanism. We are raised to believe we <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/myths-and-dangers-of-self-help">must experience pain, work hard, and use willpower</a>, but this fights our creative mechanism to easily get what we want. One way we stimulate the automatic-success mechanism is by vividly visualizing our future – and by doing this we create a new self-image that helps us achieve our goals.</p>
<p><em>The New Psycho-Cybernetics</em> contains 31 exercises you can use for various circumstances. Some remove anxiety when you phone a customer or start a conversation, while other exercises direct at long-term goals like gaining a promotion at work. The techniques mentioned in the book will help anyone lose weight, slow down the aging process, improve their athletic performance, <a href="https://www.towerofpower.com.au/topic/confidence-and-fear">become more confident</a>, make more sales, and improve their relationships. Why? The self-image and creative imagination shapes our lives.</p>
<p>In terms of communication, <em>The New Psycho-Cybernetics</em> is a must-read for anyone that experiences anxiety, fear, or worry in situations like public speaking, meeting the opposite sex, talking with someone famous, and the list goes on. The book is definitely not limited to these areas – as it will change the way you think and feel about anything – but I felt these were its strong points. Maltz provides thorough explanations and mental exercises for relaxation and developing a success-type personality in a way that transcends many modern day teachings. His experience as a plastic surgeon seems to give him insights about visualizations and self-perception that others fail to grasp.</p>
<p>As <em>The New Psycho-Cybernetics</em> is an updated version of <em>Psycho-Cybernetics</em> – the origin of modern day self improvement material – this book is a must-have in any person&#8217;s bookshelf. With millions of lives already changed, the book speaks for itself. It changed my life because I realized the severe degree my mental theater shapes who I am. I cannot emphasize enough the impact <em>The New Psycho-Cybernetics</em> will have on your life. It will change how you think and perceive yourself in an easy way that doesn&#8217;t use the hard work of willpower. If you are after an easy way to achieve what you want, grab your copy of the book now from Amazon by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&#038;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FNew-Psycho-Cybernetics-Maxwell-Maltz%2Fdp%2F0735202850&#038;tag=toptop-20&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">clicking here</a>.</p>
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