Individuality complex is a term in psychology to describe the attitude that one possesses an individuality of great worth or is otherwise different from other people. Individuality complex can be observed in three general peaks for its occurrence, all which typically occur during adolescence in most cases. The first peak occurs at age 11-14, when children believe they are the center of attention and generally overestimate their capabilities.
The second peak occurs at puberty, with people investing time and energy into self-presentation due to sexual awakening and peers challenge them to become more unique from their peers. The third peak occurs at 18 – 24 years old – when college students are overwhelmed with independence following graduation. These summit times contribute heavily to the increase in identity crisis patients in the society. These peaks also contribute to why adolescence is rated as one of the most psychologically difficult stages of life; perhaps even more difficult than adulthood, especially for young people who are transitioning into their social roles.
The exact cause of individuality complex disorder is not known at this time. However, like many other psychological disorders it occurs when a combination of biological and environmental factors contribute to a person’s psychological makeup.
Individuality complex is a term in psychology to describe the attitude that one possesses an individuality of great worth or is otherwise different from other people. Individuality complex can be observed in three general peaks for its occurrence, all which typically occur during adolescence in most cases. The first peak occurs at age 11-14, when children believe they are the center of attention and generally overestimate their capabilities.
The second peak occurs at puberty, with people investing time and energy into self-presentation due to sexual awakening and peers challenge them to become more unique from their peers. The third peak occurs at 18 – 24 years old – when college students are overwhelmed with independence following graduation. These summit times contribute heavily to the increase in identity crisis patients in the society. These peaks also contribute to why adolescence is rated as one of the most psychologically difficult stages of life; perhaps even more difficult than adulthood, especially for young people who are transitioning into their social roles.
The exact cause of individuality complex disorder is not known at this time. However, like many other psychological disorders it occurs when a combination of biological and environmental factors contribute to a person’s psychological makeup.
An individuality complex is not an actual medical condition but a term coined by Tennessee Williams. It’s the theory that some in society long to be unique and set themselves apart, leading to insecurity when they come up against other people who are very similar.
What is true for many people with insecurity over their individuality can often drive them towards developing a personality disorder of some kind including narcissism or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Often this can manifest in people who idolize famous people or celebrities which makes it difficult if you end up within strikingly similar circumstances of your own life as theirs…making it hard for one to compete because they were never given anything substantial enough so others could see that person as being worthy of high status anyway.
The intensity of this complex is determined by how much the person yearns for their uniqueness and individuality to set them apart from everyone else. There are three known levels of this complex (4 if you include a lack of the complex). The first level being independence, where one does not care about being different from others in order to get their point across even if they know it will anger people. This can stem from many situations like parental renunciation or intellect superiority for example; those with independence tend to have very strong wills and when crossed would likely retaliate harshly. The second level that would be typical rebellion, which is characterized by trying out new things just for the sake of being different. This level is usually seen in adolescents who are just beginning to discover the world and what they think about it. A third level would be unyielding authenticity, where an individual strives for their individuality so badly that if anyone tries to alter them in any way they will fight back with everything they have got.
An individuality complex could be a serious mental condition that manifests in disorders such as schizophrenia and may require medication. It can also be something less severe, which if left untreated could progress into the former. Symptoms are manifold and only those most relevant to this discussion will be highlighted. Examples of symptoms include paranoia of invisibility, delusions in which the individual believes they have beneficial powers or feels they have supernatural forces at their disposal, an exaggerated sense of self-importance (grandiosity) that doesn’t seem rational when you take it from many angles or viewpoints (see next paragraph), high sensitivity to criticism such that opinions people usually disregard become hurtful threats instead, especially when combined with entitlement and contempt for others who don’t share one’s same abilities, and a constant need for validation. This last symptom can manifest in many ways: profound concern with how other people perceive them, excessive self-consciousness and deliberate attention-seeking behaviors such as excessively drawing attention to oneself (e.g., dressing differently from those around you), using social media as an outlet for incessant rants about one’s own life, and expected appointments with friends to discuss personal experiences.
It’s when you feel so different from others that you are convinced that the only way to relate to anyone is by thinking of them as not like you.
When one feels a sense of alienation and disconnection with such intensity that the thought of relating to others becomes in itself a source of discomfort, emotional exhaustion and social ridicule, then we refer to the condition as an ‘individuality complex’. Less dramatic forms of this complex might appear in many types: feeling “different” but also being able to shrug it off; feeling somewhat ostracized, but still having intellectual interests common with peers; or needing some “alone-time”, but not so much as if a person just didn’t need people at all.
An Individuality Complex (IC) is a personality disorder where an individual displays inflated feelings of self-importance, preoccupation with fantasies about success, power or beauty, and unwillingness to listen to any point of view other than their own. ICs are often narcissistic and have a sense of entitlement. They may at first be likable by being upbeat and outgoing but they can quickly turn into what appears as rude individuals who lack empathy for others’ feelings.
This is a term that would be referred to as an identity disorder. Everyone has one and it stems from having difficulty distinguishing thoughts, memories and feelings experienced as belonging uniquely to the self from those ascribed by others or arising from external impressions.
Every personality has an “individuality complex,” which means they have difficulty differentiating their thoughts, memories, feelings with those of other people or simply attributing them externally. Psychologist Carl Jung discusses this in his book Psychiatrie und Neurologie where he states that each individual builds up a new individuality through the projection of these archetypes based upon their experiences or fantasies; but also we should not forget that every person has a deep unconscious which contains dark wishes and primal impulses. Our individuality complex is formed by our instinctual roots and unconscious, the things that have always been with us.
It’s rather difficult to explain in words but when you start looking into it or researching it further then it will be quite clear when you see for yourself what an individuality complex actually is. I don’t like to use labels on people so I won’t be sticking one on myself, but this is just something that will stick out more to each individual.
It’s not actually a disorder though it is seen as an identity disorder by some psychologists. It’s quite similar really to narcissistic personality disorder or antisocial behavior which is associated with narcissism and sociopathy. Although individuality complex is not an actual disorder it can affect your life and the way others perceive you.
For instance, someone may believe that they possess magical powers or their perception of reality is distorted to such a degree which causes them to become delusional (think of David Icke). Another example would be megalomania; this is when someone has an inflated sense of self-importance. They believe they are superior to others and have power over them, or that other people cannot do the same things as they can do. This may also involve delusions where you begin to think that you’re more powerful than God himself which ultimately leads down to having hallucinations (seeing things in reality which don’t exist).
The term ‘complex’ in psychological terms refers to patterns of thoughts, memories, and behaviors that are connected together. In this regard, an individuality complex could be seen as a pattern of thinking where the individual is primarily focused on their uniqueness as distinguished from how they’re alike to others.
In other words, these patients feel primarily unique rather than generic – the former manifests itself in grandiosity and entitlement issues while the latter reveals itself in depression and worthlessness. Feelings of loneliness often seem to be universal here too because they’re not ‘seen’ by others but nonetheless felt very deeply by sensitive individuals.
Deficiency in concentration, unstable emotions, persecution-type paranoia and a hyperactive imagination all work together to alienate the person from reality.
The word “complex” refers to an excessive or irrational fear. This type of phobia is not just a fear of being alone but a strong belief that being by oneself would be completely intolerable or dangerous. The approximate one third of people with this condition are extreme cases; either they have difficulty with handling situations or issues relating to isolation and solitude where other people are present; only the features previously mentioned apply. On the other hand, there are others who often isolate themselves on their own and for no reason in particular because they still feel uncomfortable around others but do not isolate themselves because it’s particularly unbearable.
A person with the condition typically has a strong desire to be with others and worries excessively about losing contact with others; they fear being abandoned by those close to them and that is why they try their best to keep people around them. This, of course, worsens their relationships and can result in social anxiety disorder or avoidant personality disorder.
