Types of compensation in psychology examples

What is overcompensation

The term “overcompensation” was coined by the Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler. Literally this word is translated as “overcompensation.”

Overcompensation is an exaggerated manifestation of a quality that causes a feeling of inferiority and allows one to exalt oneself over others. This is often an unconscious mechanism not controlled by a person. And sometimes the person himself admits that he wants to prove, take revenge, surpass. Examples of overcompensation:

• the intrusiveness and talkativeness of a shy person;
• sexual promiscuity of a girl who is afraid of close relationships;
• demonstrative and inappropriate behavior of an insecure person;
• aggression of a passive and weak person;
• risky behavior of an indecisive person;
• the desire of a frail guy to gain muscle mass in order to “heap on” the offenders.

With overcompensation, a person puts in too much effort to overcome his real or fictitious defect (complex), which results in its opposite. Moreover, the last, extreme degree of opposite. For example, a person who feels dependent and dependent turns into a tyrant.

Overcompensation that gets out of control harms the individual. It sends girls to the plastic surgeon's operating table, forces men to constantly risk their lives to confirm their masculinity, etc.

There are also positive manifestations of overcompensation. Those who were afraid of heights become rock climbers, and those who were afraid of dogs become tiger trainers. Or a child, bullied by classmates, becomes an outstanding scientist.

Afterword

Psychological defense is a person’s reaction to a conflict situation. Moreover, psychological defense mechanisms are activated when a person is not aware of the contradiction between his real self and his ideal self. The mechanism turns on, but self-development and personality changes do not occur. When the discrepancy between an individual’s behavior and his own beliefs (or other people who are significant to him) becomes conscious, then the path of self-regulation begins.

This difference in the inclusion of the conscious and unconscious is usually due to self-perception and self-esteem. When a person has a generally positive attitude towards himself, he notices individual negative actions or traits. If his attitude towards himself is generally negative, then he does not notice this “drop in the ocean.” Conclusion: to be healthy and manage your emotions yourself, you need to have adequate self-esteem and self-perception. But you need to control your consciousness yourself, because psychological defenses do not have the desired result and do not prevent conflicts, except intrapersonal ones (the exception is the sublimation method). Psychological mechanisms are good in rare and emergency situations, but if used frequently they cripple the personality

Therefore, it is important to work on your stress resistance so that every little thing is not perceived by the psyche as a critical situation and a call to turn on the backup power.

Overcompensation and compensation

Compensation is a defense mechanism similar to overcompensation, but in this case there is a desire for success in another area.

For example, men compensate for short stature with large cars or long-legged models. And little Napoleon became a conqueror for the same reason. Or a woman who has not realized herself as a person goes into raising children and running a household.

Of course, this is not a strict criterion or indicator. It cannot be said that any housewife or man with a big car compensates for his “ugliness.” After all, psychology is not an exact science. But the fact remains: just as a person with poor eyesight sharpens his hearing, so a physically weak person’s desire for intellectual development intensifies.

This type of protection carries fewer risks. Especially with correct compensation. For example, when a girl who is unattractive in appearance knows how to win her over due to her intellectual abilities.

What is the point of the theory?

It lies in a person’s readiness and desire to overcome his inferiority with the help of overcompensation. There is a possibility of several outcomes for this type of defense, the outcome will depend on the level of development of the sense of community.

A child who grew up in a healthy psychological family and was not deprived of love, care and attention will gain a developed sense of community. In adulthood, he will improve himself in order to benefit society.

If a sense of community is not developed, overcompensation will be aimed at achieving dominance and power, with the goal of subjugating society through the use of aggression and other anti-moral norms of behavior and means. As an example, A. Adler presented the activities of A. Hitler and N. Bonaparte.

Let's give an example of compensation in psychology. “Since I can’t draw, I’ll put all my efforts into a new business where it works out better, and I’ll start studying chemistry.”

Causes of overcompensation

The source of overcompensation is an inferiority complex. It, in turn, is formed in childhood. The reason for a person’s conviction of his own defectiveness can be anything, but two groups can be distinguished:

• real physical handicap;
• fictional flaw.

Experiences about a real deficiency are formed on the basis of criticism of the environment, reproaches, remarks, and insults. Excess weight, birthmarks, crooked teeth, and disabilities are common causes of childhood bullying.

Imaginary shortcomings and a feeling of general inferiority are formed during a destructive family upbringing, often overprotection or rejection. Violence at school and non-acceptance of the child by the class also contribute. In general, feelings of helplessness and insecurity, and lack of love are the sources of an inferiority complex.

It is worth noting that authorities have a separate influence. A girl may not react in any way to remarks about excess weight until her lover reproaches her for this. The result is trauma, overcompensation in the form of anorexia.

The influence of social stereotypes, attempts to “comb everyone with the same comb,” and ignoring individual personal characteristics also contribute to the formation of a feeling of inferiority and the impossibility of achieving success in life without those qualities that an individual lacks. As a result, he tries to develop those abilities for which he may not have the inclination. Instead of productively realizing oneself in the area for which one has an inclination.

Classification of decompensations. Symptoms and treatment

In medicine, decompensation is a disorder in the functioning of an organ or organ system. Its causes can be long-term serious illnesses, general exhaustion, intoxication, and disruption of adaptation mechanisms to the environment. All these effects disrupt the functioning of organs and the normal interaction between the body and the external environment.

For some time, the organ still copes with increased or changed load - for example, the heart muscle increases or the kidneys secrete more fluid. This condition is called compensation.

But after some time or when additional harmful factors appear, the organ stops coping with the job and decompensation occurs - heart or kidney failure, private infectious diseases, breathing problems.

In psychiatry, decompensation is a sharp exacerbation of psychopathic symptoms of an illness, combined with emotional disorders and having a mental nature.

Symptoms of decompensation in psychiatry

The main manifestations of the state of decompensation are as follows:

• inappropriate behavior
• lack of criticality towards one’s condition,
• increasing mental changes,
• decreased intelligence,
• deterioration in performance,
• violation of social adaptation.

The outcome of an episode of decompensation of mental illness is always a deepening of the personality defect.

Classification of decompensation options

Manifestations of decompensation depend on temperament, characterological characteristics, environment and upbringing, and accentuation of the patient’s personality. Sometimes the symptoms of decompensation are influenced by the cause that caused it.

For most mental illnesses, the decompensation stage is manifested by an exacerbation of the main psychopathological symptoms. For example, in schizophrenia these are attacks of delusions and hallucinations, in depression – suicide attempts.

The most common classification of decompensation of mental illness is based on the type of personality response, which is similar to character accentuation and consists in the way the patient responds to external stimuli that cause disruption of the adaptive mechanisms. Factors influencing the type of response are:

• motor skills,
• mental activity,
• rigidity or, conversely, mobility of mental processes,
• intra- or extraversion of the patient,
• the presence of various individual reactions.

There are also various options for decompensation depending on the effectiveness of the individual and the activity of responding to influences:

• asthenic – a weak type in which any external irritants easily exhaust the body,
• sthenic – strong type, impacts cause increased activity,
• dissthenic – combines features of both types listed above.

Decompensation of psychopathy

The signs of decompensation of psychopathy are particularly diverse due to the large variability of symptoms within this group of diseases. Each clinical case has basic symptoms, which are used to determine the clinical type of decompensation of psychopathy. There are three basic types:

• neurotic type,
• affective type,
• abnormal personality type.

The neurotic type of decompensation of psychopathy can occur in the following scenarios:

Asthenization - fatigue, feeling of weakness, inability to concentrate, headaches, autonomic disorders (sweating, palpitations, indigestion and salivation), decreased motor activity, sharpening of personality traits.

Hypochondriacal syndrome is a belief in the presence of a serious or fatal illness, fixation on the state of health and tracking of all its manifestations, the use of an imaginary or existing illness to manipulate others.

Obsessive-phobic syndrome - repeated fears and obsessive thoughts, painful, exhausting, leading to constant monitoring and double-checking of actions. Usually there is a noticeable connection with the situation that caused the decompensation.

Hysteroneurotic type – demonstrative, exaggerated manifestation of symptoms with not so significant severity, autonomic disorders, tendency to hysteria.

The affective type of decompensation of psychopathy includes several syndromes:

• Affective instability is a constant change in mood, variability in the manifestation of affective disorders, their frequent change.
• Explosive-dysphoric syndrome - reduced mood, gloominess, irritability, anger, gloominess, tendency to conflict, excitability.
• Subdepressive type - the general background of mood is low for a long time, there are no aspirations and desires, sleep is disturbed, expressed dissatisfaction with everything around, gloominess, anxiety.

The abnormal personality type is characterized by increased manifestation of pathological personality traits. Characteristic of schizoid, paranoid and psychasthenic psychopathy.

The duration of decompensation of psychopathy is usually several months. Repeated states of decompensation are possible, up to several times a year.

Treatment

Therapy for decompensation is symptomatic - tranquilizers are used to relieve attacks of motor agitation, antipsychotics are used for severe productive symptoms, and antidepressants are used for suicidal attempts. Most patients with decompensated mental illness are prescribed sedatives.

After the main manifestations have subsided, it is possible to connect a psychologist or psychotherapist to the treatment to adapt the patient to his condition and subsequent socialization.

Source: //onevroze.ru/klassifikaciya-dekompensacij-simptomy-i-lechenie.html

Signs of overcompensation

The integral elements of overcompensation are:

Depending on the trait being compensated, loud speech, defiant behavior, promiscuity, or pretentious appearance are added. Anyone who doubts his own erudition is always being smart, putting in his “five cents.” And if you ask him something in more detail, he hesitates, since he hasn’t learned anything other than the top tips and the illusion of knowledge. But it happens the other way around, a person is really so smart that he turns into a bore.

Overcompensation forces a person to humiliate others and make them feel worthless. The spheres and methods of realizing such aspiration are different, but the goal is the same everywhere. A person with overcompensation feels significant only in conditions of superiority over others and their humiliation.

Decompensation of behavior

Definition 1

Decompensation is a disruption of the functioning of a specific organ or group (system) of organs.

The causes of decompensation are prolonged severe illnesses, general exhaustion of the body, various types of intoxications, and disruption of the mechanisms for human adaptation to the environment and society. Due to these reasons, organ functioning is disrupted and deviations from the physiological norm of the body’s interaction with the external environment occur.

When one of these reasons appears, the organ that is affected continues to try for some time to independently cope with the changed load; this condition is called compensation. However, after some time, it can no longer cope with the load and ceases to cope with its functions, resulting in decompensation.

Similarly, decompensation manifests itself in mental processes, which are clearly visible in human behavior.

Definition 2

Decompensation of behavior is a violation of mental processes caused by exacerbations of psychosomatic symptoms of the disease, combined with emotional disorders of a mental nature.

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The main signs of behavioral decompensation are:

• inappropriate behavior;
• decreased or complete absence of criticality towards one’s condition;
• systematically increasing changes in the psyche;
• noticeable decrease in intelligence;
• decreased performance;
• disturbances in the processes of social adaptation.

Note 1

Regardless of the causes and course of behavioral decompensation, its final outcome is always a deepening of a person’s personality defect.

Classification of decompensation options

The type of behavioral decompensation largely depends on the character and temperament of the person, his level of education and environment, as well as the accentuation of the personality. Sometimes the type of decompensation is influenced by the cause that caused it.

For most mental illnesses, the stage of behavioral decompensation is a consequence of an exacerbation of the main psychopathological symptom. For example, in schizophrenia, behavioral decompensation includes attacks of hallucinations and delusions. In depression, decompensated behavior includes suicide attempts.

One of the most common classifications of behavioral decompensation due to mental illness is the classification depending on the type of individual response to external stimuli that cause disruption of the adaptive mechanisms.

The main factors that influence the type of behavioral decompensation are:

• mental activity;
• motor skills;
• extra- and introversion of a person;
• mobility or rigidity of mental processes;
• the presence of individuality in response reactions to various stimuli.

In addition, there are such variants of decompensation of behavior, which manifest themselves depending on the effectiveness and activity of the individual, response to external influences:

1. The asthenic type of behavioral decompensation is a weak type in which external stimuli of any kind easily exhaust the personality.
2. The sthenic type of behavioral decompensation is a strong type; when exposed to external influences, increased activity of the individual occurs.
3. The dysthenic type of behavioral decompensation is a combination of asthenic and sthenic types.

Decompensation of psychopathy

A wide variety of behavioral decompensations are decompensations that are caused by various types of psychopathy. Each type has its own clinical picture and basic symptoms, according to which the type of decompensation is determined.

Currently, there are three main basic types:

• affective type;
• abnormal personality type;
• neurotic type.

The neurotic type of decompensation of behavior occurs according to the following scenarios:

1. Asthenia – fatigue prevails, a feeling of “being overwhelmed”, headaches, concentration is difficult, various autonomic disorders are noted (palpitations, sweating, salivation, etc.), decreased motor activity.
2. Hypochondria is characterized by self-hypnosis that there is a serious and even fatal illness, an obsession with one’s own health, and manipulation of others with one’s non-existent illness.
3. Obsessive-phobic syndrome is characterized by repeated fears, obsessions, which are painful, exhausting and lead to constant re-examination and control of one’s own actions. With this type, the relationship between behavioral decompensation and the cause (situation) that influenced its development is especially noticeable.
4. Hysteroneurotic type - represented by an exaggerated and demonstrative manifestation of symptoms, with a slight severity of disorders, there is also a tendency to hysteria.

The affective type of behavioral decompensation includes the following types of syndromes:

1. Affective instability – there is instability in behavior, constant changes in mood, frustration and frequent changes in the manifestation of affective disorders.
2. Explosive-dystrophic syndrome - there is a decrease in the general background of mood, irritability, gloominess, gloominess, anger, easy excitability and a tendency to conflicts.
3. Subdepressive type - characterized by a long-term decrease in the general background of mood, lack of desire and desire to do and decide something, there is sleep disturbance, dissatisfaction with others and everything that happens, anxiety and gloominess.

The abnormal personality type is characterized by increased manifestations of the pathology of changes in personality traits. This type is characteristic of paranoid, schizoid and psychasthenic psychopathy.

The duration of treatment and correction of behavioral decompensation takes on average several months. However, relapses are possible, so a person who has undergone treatment should undergo observation and corrective classes several times a year.

The treatment of behavioral decompensation is based on drug therapy, which consists of stopping the attacks accompanying decompensation. For example, when attempting suicide, antidepressants are prescribed, and antipsychotics are prescribed to control excitability.

After the main manifestations have subsided, it is possible to connect a psychologist or psychotherapist to the treatment to adapt the patient to his condition and subsequent socialization.

Source: //spravochnick.ru/pedagogika/dekompensaciya_povedeniya/

Results

Thus, overcompensation involves getting rid of a deficiency and developing a few more steps in this area. For some it helps to succeed in life, but for others it ruins their life. Overcompensation is the transformation of an inferiority complex into a superiority complex over other people.

Overcompensation does not allow the individual to grow and develop, or build meaningful relationships. Instead of productive interaction, a person is busy asserting himself at the expense of others. Gradually he finds himself alone, isolated from society. This flows into neuroses and depression, mental disorders. Overcompensation requires large personal costs, which over time leads to moral and physical exhaustion.

The defensive unconscious mechanism of overcompensation must be replaced with rational problem solving. That is, by overcoming the inferiority complex and adequate personal self-realization (art, science, sports, cooking, fashion, etc.).

Source

Overcompensation is... Compensation and overcompensation in psychology

Human psychology has many facets. Any disruption to the normal functioning of his physical or social capabilities can cause a kind of defensive reaction. Overcompensation is, first of all, a unique psychological phenomenon.

Usually it begins to manifest itself after the emergence of a real or fictitious reason due to which the individual feels inferior compared to others. Moreover, the cause can be both a physical deviation and a mental disorder. As a result, a person will try to overcome the problem that has arisen through compensation.

Overcompensation: the history of the origin of the term

The origin of this term is based on fictionalism, discovered by Hans Vaihinger. It lies in the idea that the practical majority of the planet's inhabitants build their goals and behavior based on false social concepts. This refers to the perception of any generally accepted norms and concepts that do not always have practical application or do not correspond to the real state of affairs.

One of these false statements is “all people are equal in their capabilities.” The term overcompensation itself appeared thanks to Alfred Adler, who introduced it into the scientific community. In his opinion, if a person follows the wrong path, then he has only two ways to achieve success. And the first of them is compensation.

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Example of compensation

That is, any person strives to feel like a full-fledged member of society and does not want to be worse than others. Therefore, the psyche, trying to protect itself from the realization that the individual is worse in some way, forces him to compensate for this deficiency. And then he begins to develop those skills for which he has the most predisposition, in order to hide the missing experience and opportunities in others.

For example, a child noticed that he is in good physical shape, but he solves mathematical problems worse than others. And in order to somehow compensate for his difference from other students, he begins to develop in sports. As a result, after some time, his physical fitness results are amazing. But since he was already not strong in science, and also paid less attention to the development of this skill, the deficiency begins to cause difficulties in life. And the more he invests in sports, the more difficult it is for him to comprehend scientific knowledge, he will begin to study worse, will not keep up with the program, and so on.

How to replace harmful products?

• The desire to eat ice cream indicates a lack of tryptophan and calcium in the body. These minerals can be obtained from eating foods such as chicken, rabbit or turkey.
• An insatiable craving for chocolate indicates a lack of magnesium. It can be replenished by eating buckwheat, pine nuts, lettuce, cashews.
• * The love for coffee, which is observed in many people, indicates a lack of sulfur and phosphorus in the body. These microelements can be replenished by eating seeds, milk and cranberries.
• * Soda and fried foods are the most loved not only by children, but also by adults. This indicates a lack of calcium, which is replenished with foods such as cheese, sesame seeds, broccoli, and new potatoes.
• * Beer and kvass are favorite drinks for men. Women themselves often indulge in them. What does this mean? About the lack of nitrogen, which is found in fish and nuts.
• * Smoked meats attract those who lack fat in the body. They can be easily replenished by eating yogurt, fermented baked milk, and kefir.

The craving for harmful foods is manifested due to their pleasant aroma and flavoring additives. In fact, the body simply requires replenishment of certain microelements. A balanced diet is precisely aimed at ensuring that a person consumes all foods, thereby compensating for deficiencies. If you eat right, that is, eat healthy foods, then the craving for unhealthy foods will disappear.

Compensation in psychology is a way of supplementing what is missing or replacing bad with good. Usually compensation occurs in other areas of life than the one in which the problem arose. For example, a man who is dissatisfied with his social position can assert himself in his family. Being a loser in society, he will be the head of the family, command his wife, even beat her for disobedience.

Overcompensation often occurs in the same area in which a person notices shortcomings. For example, if you have poor ability to sing beautifully, a person will begin to train hard, go to vocal classes, perform in a group of his friends, and even try out for various competitions.

The compensation may seem reasonable at first glance. However, its main problem is that a person often does not eradicate his lack, emptiness, but, on the contrary, strengthens it even more. So, a man can live with poor parents, convinced that poverty is an evil, a vice, a grief. Now, as an adult, he is trying with all his might to get rich. He can achieve success, he can do everything. Only in this case:

1. He continues to feel poor, which irritates him and pushes him to new quests to achieve wealth.
2. He gets irritated every time he encounters poverty. For example, temporary difficulties can “knock him out of the rut” and he may start drinking.
3. He gets angry in any situation when he is surrounded by poor people.

In other words, the man seems to have ceased to be poor, but has not solved the problem of poverty itself, which may periodically arise in his life. When compensating, a person usually does not solve his internal problem, but simply runs away from it in an attempt to forget about it, veil it, cover it up with some things. This can be compared to trying to put new wallpaper on old wallpaper in the hope that it will not fall off, or trying to cover a hole in the wall with a closet in the hope that the room will become warmer.

It is very easy to get confused in such a feeling as love. Here psychologists highlight the most diverse ways to replace true love. People think that they love or are loved, but in reality this is not the case.

• You can love not a person, but his capabilities and qualities. Thus, men choose women based on their beauty, and women choose women based on the large sums of money they have. When they find what they want, they say: “I love you!”
• You can love because you are loved. In other words, you don't really love your partner, but you are grateful for the feelings he shows towards you.
• You can perceive passion or infatuation as love. You can read about why these feelings are not love in other articles.
• You can love for the status a person gives. Often, spouses maintain a family for the sake of children or the desire to maintain the status of married people, while they themselves say that they love each other.

A person’s reluctance and inability to admit to himself a lack of feelings forces him to look for evidence of at least something pleasant and acceptable. Often people are mistaken not about their own feelings, but about the love of their partners. Let us take as an example a saying such as “Hitting means loving.” A person is ready to believe that love manifests itself in this way if he is not ready to admit the truth of his partner’s feelings and leave him.

Phenomenon among famous personalities

Vivid examples of this phenomenon are observed in many famous people. For example, Olga Skorokhodova lost her sight at the age of five, and over time she lost her hearing. But, trying to overcome complexes and feelings of inferiority, she graduated from Moscow State University and reached great heights in Soviet science, being a scientific defectologist.

Many consider her literary works on raising children with visual and hearing impairments to be a very important contribution to science.

The well-known works of the talented composer Ludwig Beethoven were written by him after losing his hearing at the age of 26. This is overcompensation in its direct manifestation, despite the presence of a serious defect, he still continued to work in the same field, trying to prove to himself that he had not become worse.

Other examples of the phenomenon

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky lost his hearing due to illness at the age of ten, but did not give up and taught himself science. It was this man who became the founder of Soviet theoretical cosmonautics and developed the first space rocket.

And in 1982, Nick Vujicic was born, who had been missing arms and legs since birth. In his case, overcompensation is what drove him all his life.

He knows how to swim, work with a computer, plays football, received a higher education and was the first in the world to motivate people with tetra-amelia syndrome to self-development. All these examples show the positive effect of this phenomenon on the development of a person’s personality. But in fact, individual psychology has recorded that in the overwhelming majority, such a deviation provokes a negative picture of development. It is expressed in a person’s feeling of superiority over other people and in a general hatred of society.

Negative side

A similar reaction of the human psyche can develop if the need to prove usefulness in society turns into an end in itself. In other words, an individual is able to feel that he is significant only by humiliating his opponent. The negative manifestation of this psychological defense is well described by the phenomenon of Don Juanism.

It is expressed in compensation for the sexual inferiority complex. The man begins to spread false rumors about himself that he is the best among everyone in the intimate sphere, constantly courting new ladies. But as soon as it comes to bed, he immediately breaks off all ties with them.

Why does this phenomenon appear?

Alfred Adler recorded three main reasons that can influence the development of the negative manifestation of the phenomenon in the early childhood of an individual.

Presence of physical disabilities. If parents or society have given the child incorrect instructions regarding any physical disability, he will begin to perceive it as an obstacle to a normal existence. With such development, even if a child achieves success in life, he will still perceive reality negatively. He will always have the awareness that people perceive him as an inferior member of society.

If the parents are too protective of the baby. The main reason for high self-esteem in people is considered to be excessive care and love from parents. Therefore, when faced with a real picture where no one gives the child the same attention as his relatives, he does not understand what is happening. As a result, there is a feeling that he is rejected and not respected, which is why psychological defense is activated.

Dictatorial education. If a child is raised too strictly and harshly, then over time he becomes heartless. In this regard, he begins to perceive everyone around him as personal enemies who want to harm him. The child may also develop a disgusted attitude towards society.

Causes and remedies

Adler identified three reasons contributing to the development of negative overcompensation in early childhood:

1. Physical disabilities. If parents or society have incorrect attitudes, the child begins to perceive physical disabilities as obstacles. Even having achieved success in life, such a person may continue to perceive the world around him negatively, because he believes that society considers him inferior.

2. Excessive care from parents. During childhood, parents may show too much care and love for their child, as a result of which he may develop inflated self-esteem. When such a child first encounters the real world, he feels “expelled from paradise”, since society does not give him super-attention and honor.

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3. Tough upbringing. Directive parenting leads to the development of heartlessness. A child raised in this way sees everyone as an enemy and is disgusted with people.

From the 20th century to this day, the topic of overcompensation in psychology has been relevant; millions of people want to know how to get rid of its negative consequences. Psychologists use the following scheme in their work:

• Work on realizing that you have incorrect, erroneous judgments about the world and yourself (fiction).
• Elimination of false goals and values ​​based on these fictions.
• Defining new, positive life goals.

How to get rid

Overcompensation has been a fairly current topic in psychology since the twentieth century. Many people want to get rid of this phenomenon. When working with patients, psychologists use a certain scheme of actions. First, a person must realize that he has a problem, expressed in an incorrect perception of himself and the world around him. When defining fictions, distorted values ​​and unnecessary goals must be eliminated.

At the last stage, a person must set new positive priorities and aspirations in life. By doing this kind of work on yourself, you can get rid of a false perception of the world and not allow incorrect attitudes and distortions of reality to destroy your life. Of course, history also knows positive manifestations of overcompensation, but, unfortunately, most often they negatively affect a person’s life and his relationships with society.

Source

Student and follower of S. Freud - Alfred Adler

Alfred Adler, like his colleague, believed that a child develops as a personality until the age of five. But contrary to Freud, he considered man in the context of social relations, from the very beginning classifying him as a social being. He believed that the social factor in the development of personality prevailed over biological instincts (as Freud believed). He viewed the individual as one with society.

The theory of compensation and overcompensation is his main work, according to which compensation in psychology is the formation of an individual as a personality, through overcoming inferiority by making up for deficiencies. Thanks to compensation, he believed, it was possible to compensate for missing character traits, real or imaginary mental illness.

Definition of overcompensation of inferiority complex

This term denotes exaggeration of the qualities of manifestation of feelings of inferiority and exaltation over others. A person begins to act against his principles, personal qualities and usual behavior. He becomes the opposite of who he used to be. An example could be the aggression of a weak-willed person, talkativeness and excessive intrusiveness of a previously shy person, or the exposed inappropriate behavior of a modest person.

The individual tries to overcome himself, his complexes, to hide the so-called “defects”, which are often fictitious. Overcompensation can very easily get out of control, thereby greatly affecting the state of the individual. As a result, all opposites begin to gather into one. All the qualities that were there before suddenly try to turn into the opposite. Childhood trauma greatly affects these processes.

Overcompensation and compensation

These terms are very similar to each other. The difference is that compensation “transfers” some deviations from the normal in a person’s understanding to other areas of activity. Overcompensation “translates” this “into itself”, into the qualities and manners of a person, without transferring it to anything else.

This type of defense mechanism, such as compensation, is not so dangerous. As an example: a short person buys a large car. But that doesn't mean all short people with big cars should be compensated.

Let's find out the meaning of the term

From Latin - “compensation”. Compensation in psychology is the reanimation of the destroyed balance of mental and psychophysiological processes by reviving the opposite reflex or stimulus. The term “defense mechanisms” was introduced by the Austrian psychologist S. Freud in 1923.

Many experts believe that compensation in psychology is an autonomous model of protection from existing complexes. The individual will try to fill with triumph the area in which he felt inferior. From the position of compensation, the immorality of adolescents and their behavior with hostile illegal actions aimed against the individual are also analyzed.

Another demonstration of the defense mechanism will be the replenishment of unfulfilled desires and unrealized events through over-realization in other areas of life. For example, a frail, physically undeveloped person who is unable to fight back “with his fists” gains moral pleasure by humiliating his pursuer with the help of his sharp mind and erudition. People who use compensation as the most appropriate type of psychological defense, as a rule, are dreamers who are in search of an ideal in different areas of life.

This is nothing more than a protective mechanism of the psyche, which independently eliminates or replenishes negative character traits of a person. By resorting to this method, a person either compensates for negative characteristics or develops new ones. Let's say a short person suffering from this complex directs all his efforts to the status growth of his personality. Achieves this goal thanks to his high motivation.

Influence and spheres of influence on inevitable processes

Very often, having received some remark, or heard an offensive statement addressed to oneself, a person simply does not notice it until a certain moment. And this moment is the pronouncing of everything by a certain person. They can be a friend, comrade, soul mate, relative, in other words, someone who has inalienable authority in a person’s mind. The one whose opinion comes first. The one whom you not only listen to, but hear. Sometimes these words help, sometimes they hurt.

Statements at school that were formed incorrectly result in childhood trauma for life. Criticism at work, at home, in the company. All this is reflected in mental processes. A girl who was not completely thin, hearing ridicule directed at her, can drive herself to anorexia. A boy who has been abused, beaten and humiliated turns into a male tyrant at home. A person with speech impediments simply stops communicating and withdraws into himself. And there are many such examples that can be given. The effect of overcompensation can be extremely serious.

Helplessness and insecurity, lack of love and understanding leads to an inferiority complex, the formation of qualities of egocentrism, arrogance in behavior, boasting and aggressiveness, which, in turn, are the main reasons for overcompensation. Very rarely, a person benefits from the influence of this protective mechanism, and he achieves something for which he had to worry very much in the past, and then continues to live an ordinary life, without negative consequences. Even at an early stage of development, you can get rid of this psychological phenomenon.

Problem and solution

Overcompensation does not allow the development of full-fledged relationships in society; it mainly creates unfriendly qualities. The unconscious defense mechanism must be addressed in a structured and conscious manner, otherwise in the future it may even affect your health, causing mental disorders, endless depression, constant physical and mental exhaustion, and panic attacks.

First of all, on the path to a solution, it is important to recognize your problem, readiness and sufficient patience to solve it. The right psychoanalyst, support and self-confidence. It is necessary to replace it with rational methods of overcoming the psychological barrier. Switch your attention to other areas of activity, “direct” your thoughts in another direction - into sports, science, cooking, and the like.

Any psychological problem is not a death sentence. The main thing is the ability and desire to solve it. Vikium has effective courses that will help you cope with overcompensation, get rid of feelings of inferiority, accept and believe in yourself. For example, "The Mentalist". By solving logic problems, puzzles, using various exercise equipment and doing exercises, you develop intellectual abilities. This means you begin to understand yourself, your emotions and feelings more. The realization will come that you are individual. And at the same time, you will stop feeling inferior.

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What can you do consciously on your own?

Psychological defense mechanisms are activated at an unconscious level, that is, the person himself can use other methods of resolving conflicts

First of all, it is important to know the peculiarities of information transformation, in fact, why so many conflicts arise (picture below)

Transformation of information during communication

Thus, it is important to manage your emotions well and identify feelings as accurately as possible. But at the same time, you need to learn to express these feelings, that is, develop communication skills and self-control.

I suggest you get acquainted with some ways of self-regulation and optimization of mental state.

Self-massage

Ideal for relieving tension. Walk the backs of your hands over your body from forehead to toes. You will relax your muscles, which will reduce anxiety and stress, and reduce agitation.

Relaxation

Give yourself 15 minutes every day to relax your body and free your thoughts. It is recommended to conduct the lesson in dim light, in a chair, freeing yourself as much as possible from clothing and other accessories (including contact lenses). Tighten alternate muscle groups 2 times for 5 seconds. Perform an action, for example, lift your leg as high as possible, and then release it. Keep your breathing even.

Breathing exercises

Exhale as deeply as possible, slowly inhale all the air in the room, hold for 5 seconds. Now exhale smoothly. Do you feel a change in consciousness and thoughts? Repeat the exercise. After several repetitions, calm down, count to ten, feel how your consciousness becomes more and more clear with each count.

Neurolinguistic programming for anxiety

NLP (neurolinguistic programming) is a popular direction in the psychology of consciousness correction

I offer you a technique that reduces anxiety, which is so important, because it is the harbinger of the activation of defense mechanisms

1. Describe your anxiety in detail: its essence, form, content, or even appearance.
2. How many times a day (week, month) and for how long do you devote yourself to it?
3. Determine a place and time when and where anxiety never visits you.
4. At this time, offer your brain a playful game of “let's worry.” Yes, like that, wedge by wedge. Think only negative things, but at this time and in this place. Gradually you will ban your anxiety there.
5. Finally, thank your mind: “Thank you, brain, we did a good job. I knew you wouldn't let me down."

As a result of such regular exercises, your resistance to stress will increase and your attitude towards failure will change. You will not experience them as emotionally and difficultly as before.

The NLP technique does not have an unambiguous attitude towards it among specialists and clients; some consider it dubious, others consider it the optimal method of correcting consciousness. I think that the method itself is not bad, but it is not suitable for everyone.

Imaginarium

1. Imagine your strongest and most current negative feeling at the moment or what you want to get rid of.
2. Imagine yourself as a cartoon (film) character. Don't limit yourself. The only thing you should have in common with him is emotions and feelings, and the rest is up to you.
3. Now take a closer look at your surroundings. What and/or who do you see?
4. Now imagine a story where your hero’s emotions change for the better. Don't be limited by reality. In the imaginarium, anything is possible.

This exercise reveals your inner reserves, suggests answers, and develops the ability to feel and express your feelings.