God complex
A god complex is an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility.[1] The person is also highly dogmatic in their views, meaning the person speaks of their personal opinions as though they were unquestionably correct.[2] Someone with a god complex may exhibit no regard for the conventions and demands of society, and may request special consideration or privileges.[2]
God complex is not a clinical term nor diagnosable disorder and does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The recognized diagnostic name for the behaviors associated with a god complex is narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). A god complex may also be associated with mania or a superiority complex.
The first person to use the term "god complex" was Ernest Jones (1879–1958).[3][better source needed] His description, at least in the contents page of Essays in Applied Psycho-Analysis, describes the god complex as belief that one is a god.[4]
Jehovah complex
[edit | edit source]Jehovah complex is a related term used in Jungian analysis to describe a neurosis of egotistical self-inflation. Use included in psychoanalytic contributions to psychohistory and biography, with, for example, Fritz Wittels using the term about Sigmund Freud in his 1924 biography[5] and H. E. Barnes using the term about George Washington and Andrew Jackson.[6]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
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- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Deep Blue Archived 2012-01-20 at the Wayback Machine at the University of Michigan umich.edu Retrieved 2012-01-22
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Sigmund Freud: His Personality, His Teachings and His School, by Fritz Wittels, 1924
- ^ "Some Reflections on the Possible Service of Analytic Psychology to History", by H. E. Barnes, Psychoanal Rev 1921, 8(1):22-37
External links
[edit | edit source]
- "The Shrink with a God Complex" by Ronald Hayman (April 22, 2001), Newsday, at McLemee.com
