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The term “inferiority complex” was coined at the turn of the 20th century by Australian psychologist Alfred Adler. Adler believed that we are all born with some amount of inferiority, which is exacerbated by negative events in our childhood. In his view, most of the subsequent choices we make are designed to “compensate” for this debilitating sense of inferiority.

Adler is one of the seminal figures in the field of psychology, and when you understand his life experience, it gives some weight and credence to his ideas. Every profession has its rivalries, and psychology is no different. Adler had a complex relationship with Sigmund Freud, who is considered the father of the field. During their lifetimes, Freud’s ideas and his popularity greatly eclipsed that of Adler, a fact of which Adler was keenly aware. “Do you think,” Alfred Adler once demanded of Freud, “that it is such a great pleasure for me to stand in your shadow for the whole of my life? I have always thought that it was Interesting that the man who coined the phrase suffered from it himself.

I agree with Adler.

We all have areas where we may feel inferior.

Where I disagree with Adler is that sometimes those feelings aren’t based on the facts. And even if they are, we do not have to surrender to them. We must learn how to fight our feelings.

If Adler didn’t want to be in Freud’s shadow, he could have moved. LOL.

If we apply some science to Adler’s theory, some interesting truths emerge.

Here is how Dictionary.com defines a shadow:

a dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light.

There are 3 basic facts about shadows:

1. A shadow is light blocked by an object.

2. The object can block all or part of the light.

3. Shadows change size based on how close they are to the light source.

So basically, shadows are formed when something comes between you and a light source.

Well, boom!

Adler allowed Freud to come between him and the light. Hence, he always felt as inferior. The way to get out of the shadows is to move closer to the light.

Light is always used in the scriptures as a metaphor for God. 1 John 1:5 informs us that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” So it seems that one source of inferiority is who we allow to be our light! Whenever we allow others to stand between us and God, they block us from the true source of identity, satisfaction and meaning, and cause us to linger in the shadows.

An incident in the Book of Numbers perfectly illustrates this truth. God directs Moses to send some men out to investigate the Promised Land. After conducting the investigation for a 40 day period, they return with two basic facts:

Fact #1: The land is incredibly fruitful

Fact #2: The land is occupied by very tall and ferocious looking people.

The overwhelming majority of those who conducted the investigation allowed those facts to make them feel inferior. Here is a summary of the debate that they had:

Caleb calmed down the crowd and said, “Let's go and take the land. I know we can do it!”

But the other men replied, “Those people are much too strong for us.” Then they started spreading rumors and saying, “We won't be able to grow anything in that soil. And the people are like giants. In fact, we saw the Nephilim who are the ancestors of the Anakim. They were so big that we felt as small as grasshoppers.”

Numbers 13:30-33 CEV

The men that they saw in the Promised Land may have been tall. But that fact did not have to make them feel inferior.

They felt inferior because they allowed the so called giants to block them from the light of God’s promise, the light of God’s protection, and the light of God’s provision.

Worse, their feelings led them to forfeiting an enormous opportunity because they defined their possibilities by their environment and their opposition, but not by their God. They allowed someone to block them from the light.

Who are you allowing to block you from the light?