Feelings of inadequacy arise when we feel we're not enough or not good enough. These feelings generally have nothing to do with our actual performance or abilities. In fact, these feelings may have a lot more to do with low self-esteem or low self-confidence than any objective measure of ability or competence.
Most often, feelings of inadequacy are rooted in childhood experiences, like having had overly critical parents, cruel peers, shaming authority figures, or, perhaps, having not had opportunities to engage in positive, challenging experiences that help children gain feelings of competence and adequacy.
When it comes to personal inadequacy, other people may or may not be involved. For example, I might feel inadequate at my job, I might struggle to have confidence in my ability to manifest my dreams, or I might feel like I'm failing at adulting. This type of inadequacy can emerge in anything and everything we do.
In psychology, an inferiority complex is an intense personal feeling of inadequacy, often resulting in the belief that one is in some way deficient, or inferior, to others.
People with avoidant personality disorder have chronic feelings of inadequacy and are highly sensitive to being negatively judged by others. Though they would like to interact with others, they tend to avoid social interaction due to the intense fear of being rejected by others.
There is no obvious cognitive disability in patients with this disorder, but they have trouble adapting to new situations, tend to have low stamina both physically and emotionally, have difficulty mastering skills, and show both poor judgment and poor social skills. This is all the information given by the DSM-II.
If you have low self-esteem you may have difficulty with relationships and problems at work or school. You may become very upset by criticism or disapproval and withdraw from activities and people. You may avoid doing anything where you may be judged or measured against other people.
Causes of low self-esteem
Unhappy childhood where parents (or other significant people such as teachers) were extremely critical. Poor academic performance in school resulting in a lack of confidence. Ongoing stressful life event such as relationship breakdown or financial trouble.
If someone has feelings of inadequacy, they feel that they do not have the qualities and abilities necessary to do something or to cope with life in general. The feeling of inadequacy was overpowering.
Psychiatry. ineffectual in response to emotional, social, intellectual, and physical demands in the absence of any obvious mental or physical deficiency.
Feelings of unworthiness can stem from childhood trauma, previous rejection, or shame. Feeling unworthy, at its extreme, is a symptom of depression, a potentially life-threatening illness.
The main causes of inferiority feelings are personal experience, social interaction, love relationship, etc. People feeling inferior about their personal experiences usually are largely influenced by their ways of thinking and life attitudes.
Research studies have shown that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective treatments for low self-esteem.
People who struggle with low self-esteem are consistently afraid about making mistakes or letting other people down. Having self-esteem issues can be detrimental to your health and negatively affect your personal and professional relationships.
Low self-esteem isn't a mental health problem in itself. But mental health and self-esteem can be closely linked. Some of the signs of low self-esteem can be signs of a mental health problem. This is especially if they last for a long time or affect your daily life.
Poverty and Low Self-Esteem
People living in poverty often experience low self-esteem. Being unable to afford food and other essentials can make people feel that they are failures. They may internalize negative stereotypes that they must be poor because they are incompetent and deeply flawed as people.
The Three Key Signs. Perhaps more importantly, and even more telling than specific symptoms associated with particular disorders, are matters of duration, rigidity, and globalism of the vexing behaviors.
Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPDs) become overwhelmed and incapacitated by the intensity of their emotions, whether it is joy and elation or depression, anxiety, and rage. They are unable to manage these intense emotions.
A person who feels that they have no personality might have low self-worth. We tend to think that our rational mind determines what we feel. However, it is the other way around. Our emotions, especially the negative ones, affect our capacity to be rational.
Treating antisocial personality disorder
But antisocial personality disorder is one of the most difficult types of personality disorders to treat. A person with antisocial personality disorder may also be reluctant to seek treatment and may only start therapy when ordered to do so by a court.
Narcissists are never happy. They are euphoric, elated, or manic - but never happy. Happiness is an amalgam of positive emotions. Narcissists have very few positive emotions.