SubEditor: Maryam Sayyed
By Sanjay Sonawani
The Inferiority complex is one major reason for the rise of many social and personal disorders. While psychotherapy can help overcome it, we have yet to find effective measures to tackle social inferiority.
This inferiority complex has spread like an epidemic In India that has affected almost 80% of people. Students in schools inevitably fall victim to it. The visible effects include a lack of confidence, confusion in comprehension, weak expression, and a sentiment of oppression or neglect.
Whatever education is imparted or when such students take up roles as teachers, professors, or other political or administrative positions, this inferiority complex continues to haunt them throughout their life. The complex suppresses creativity, development, a sense of security, and free expression, leading to a decline in the overall psychological standard of society. However, our educational philosophy ignores this, making corrective measures a distant thought.There are numerous elements active in our society that promote this social inferiority.
These elements are sometimes applied unknowingly and, at other times, quite systematically. Language, caste, religion, and dominance-driven tendencies are some of the elements that have created psychological tendencies that are pulling back overall Indian society resulting in slowed down overall progress. Let’s first discuss the inferiority caused by language. We can observe how this inferiority primarily affects the lower castes or rural populations. Statements like, “A chief minister belonging to superior caste can pronounce words correctly, whereas the other chief ministers belonging to inferior castes cannot …” This linguistic approach has been nourished so much so that it subtly promotes this inferiority in the classes belonging to lower castes. Children are entangled from a young age in the artificial conflict between dialects and standard languages. Linguistic inferiority starts to develop at an early age and it becomes a challenging norm for such students to speak correctly if they want to be equal with the high castes in linguistic matters. In this process, most of the students lose their confidence. In fact, according to educational principles, a student’s comprehension and natural expression should be considered the standard, which is not the case.
For example, in a school in Khandesh, a new teacher was explaining the concept that the Earth revolves around its axis in the local dialect. “Pirthi thaike n thaike firas,” he said, using the students’ own dialect to explain his statement. The supervisor harshly reprimanded him. In reality, the students understood the concept more easily because it was in their language. However, the supervisor engulfed in the superiority complex of the standard language, couldn’t grasp this, as educational theory hadn’t taught him so.As a result, when rural students come to metropolitan areas for higher education, they are preoccupied with concerns like, “This is how we speak, what will people think, and how do we talk to them?” These irrelevant worries take over. They hesitate to ask questions or answer them in classrooms. Even if a new idea occurs to them, they fear expressing it, and creativity begins to falter. Their linguistic confidence is lost, and naturally, so is their expression.Caste and economic status are massive factories of producing inferiority complex. Thoughts like, “I must be ignorant because I am from a lower caste, then why express though I feel strongly that I am correct!” or “Given my financial situation, how can I compete?” generate inferiority complexes that essentially is rooted in caste and economic status. Economic conditions are largely linked to the caste system, making it even harder to break free from the shackles of inferiority.
Thus, students begin to form groups based on their village, caste, and economic background. This groupism standing on the social inferiority complex is entirely incapable of challenging the existing system. It’s merely an emotional protective shell. It doesn’t contribute to mental or intellectual progress. This habit, formed in youth, continues into adulthood. Even in administrative roles, people form groups based on caste and create pressure tactics.
At the university level, how these caste-based factions form can be attested to by those in the field. However, those who reach these levels in large numbers are the ones who participate in these caste-based strong groups. Those with minimal or no representation remain trapped in their inferiority complex. The dominant group operates on the principle of inferiority-based dominance, forming new caste-based alliances rather than fostering knowledge or excellent administrative or industrial performance. This is the failure of our system.
And this complex begins to solidify in our educational system. From the time children start to understand the socially accepted philosophy, rituals, and hierarchy, these feelings of inferiority begin to root. Education should be the remedy to these psychological problems, but the realities in our education system are contrary to this principle. As young individuals prepare to achieve intellectual and economic equality, they are met with factors that tell them, “This is not your place.”
For example, when my philosophical novel ‘Shunya Mahabharat’ was published, someone from the upper class who believed they monopolized knowledge came to meet me and said, “…Now even people like you are writing such works.” This comment wasn’t an expression of praise, but it had concern for the achievements of the, what they normally think, rival and a subtle reminder that no matter what, “you are inferior.” I’m sure many have had similar experiences.
Due to such ingrained habits, even if someone comes up with new scientific or business ideas, they are rarely nurtured. These ideas are killed before they even have the chance to grow. The social inferiority is such an evil which has to be eradicated first.
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