History Main / InferioritySuperiorityComplex

May be a trait of TheLibby, the JerkJock or the BrokenAce. In real life [[https://www.sju.edu/academics/centers/ivrp/pdf/Baumeister.pdf studies]] have failed to find a link between low self-esteem and aggression.

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* Tieria Erdes From ''{{Gundam00}}'' acts all high and mighty but as soon as his super-computer fails him it's revealed that he's too insecure to do anything on his own without it.

* Titania, of [[SheHulk She-Hulk's]] RoguesGallery. The short and scrawny Mary [=MacPherran=] was the butt of the wealthy, popular crowd's cruel jokes and nicknamed "Skeeter" for mosquito. Resenting her lot in life, she dreamed of gaining superpowers to enact revenge upon her tormentors and be admired. After lying about being Spider-Woman backfired, Mary got her wish by hastily agreeing to be experimented on by Dr Doom, becoming a [[StatuesqueStunner tall]], [[AmazonianBeauty buff]], [[SuperStrength mighty]], [[TheBrute brute]] and SmugSuper. Spider-man was the first to beat Titania, but she's maniacally obsessed with her second loss because [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter She-Hulk reminds Titania of being skeeter]].

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* In MenInBlack, Edgar made a huge deal about [[SonOfAnApe humans being realated to monkeys]], and how this makes them primitive, but he was just hiding his feeling of inferiority from being a space-cockroach.

* ''TheTwilightZone'' episode "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Piano_in_the_House A Piano in the House]]". A cruel, arrogant bully buys a player piano that causes listeners to reveal their true personalities. When it works on him, he admits that he's actually frightened, immature and jealous of the people around him.

* [[{{Life}}Detective Charlie Crews]] thinks this about the universe.
-->'''Charlie:''' It was the universe that makes fun of us all.
-->'''...'''
-->'''Reese:''' Why exactly would the universe make fun of us all?
-->'''Charlie''' Maybe it's insecure.
* A variation: As noted in a DVD [[WordOfGod commentary]], [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]] has a superiority complex in that she's the Slayer and believes herself better than those she protects (pretty much everyone), but this makes her feel bad so she has a inferiority complex about having the superiority complex. This was also pointed out in-universe by a vampire psychology student who opted to put Buffy on the couch while she was trying to kill him. It actually worked for a while.
* Rachel from {{Glee}}, despite always protesting that she is the best singer in the club. The biggest example comes to mind at the start of season 2, where a eager singer, who was just as talented, if not more than Rachel, wanted to join the Glee Club. Rachel responded by [[spoiler: sending her to a crack house.]]

* The loud, proud BoisterousBruiser Donna Noble of DoctorWho seems to have a touch of this: she's been described by the Doctor as "shouting at the world 'cause no one's listening."

[[AC: RealLife]]
* Supposedly a trait of bullies. Well, some of them anyway. Others are just [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bastards]] in it ForTheEvulz.

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* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has [[BadassPrincess Princess]] [[DaddysLittleVillain Azula.]] She initially comes across as [[ArrogantKungFuGuy arrogant]], [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative]] and extremely brilliant. She constantly belittles her older brother and treats her friends like the help. Season three slowly reveals her extreme MommyIssues, her tendency to put down those she secretly envies (she outright admits this to Ty Lee) and her utter dependence on her father's "love". By the season final, her friends have left her and her father has made it clear that he's only using her. [[ItGotWorse It]] [[CryForTheDevil doesn't]] [[VillainousBreakdown end]] [[TearJerker well.]]
* ''[[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'' has Rainbow Dash, a skilled, super-speedy pegasus who ''knows'' she's talented and isn't afraid to let everybody ''else'' know it. However, she's also a LazyBum who enjoys shirking work and hates dealing with strict rules, something which led to her either dropping out or outright ''failing'' Flight School. Perhaps because of this, she's extremely sensitive about losing, to the point where the thought of screwing up in something as big as the Best Young Flyer Competition leaves her practically paralyzed from fear.

* [[spoiler:Eddy]] from EdEddNEddy is revealed to have this at the end of TheMovie. [[spoiler:There were hints given throughout the series that he might not feel as awesome as he claims himself to be, however; and it turns out that his Jerkass tendencies and high opinion of himself were a mere facade to cover up a nasty Inferiority Complex. You can thank his brother for that.]]

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* Subverted in ''OzyAndMillie'', when an arc centering on JerkJock Jeremy's ceaseless bullying of Ozzy, brings up the 'bullies are really just insecure and have low self-esteem' stereotype. The arc closes with a look into Jeremy's head, where we see that he's actually an egomaniac with a vastly inflated sense of self-worth.
* Arguably the case of Galatea in ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' While she has a massive conceit about her intellect, she's also a raving paranoid who was starved for affection from birth, and has a very difficult time believing anyone can really love her.

[[AC: WebOriginal]]

** TheNostalgiaChick counts too. She abuses the hell out of Nella to boost her damaged self-esteem and to make herself feel better.
* There are a lot of hints in ''{{Homestuck}}'' that this might be some of the reason Karkat's always an angry jerk.

May be a trait of TheLibby, the JerkJock or the BrokenAce. In real life [[https://www.sju.edu/academics/centers/ivrp/pdf/Baumeister.pdf studies]] have failed to find a link between low self esteem and agression.

* Arguably the case of Galatea in ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob.'' While she has a massive conceit about her intellect, she's also a raving paranoid who was starved for affection from birth, and has a very difficult time believing anyone can really love her.

* Jenna on ''ThirtyRock''. She acts the TedBaxter, but it's made clear that she's really afraid of becoming a WhiteDwarfStarlet. This is PlayedForLaughs.

* On ''ThirtyRock'', Jenna follows this in an extremely obvious, PlayedForLaughs way. She acts like a TedBaxter, but is paranoidly threatened by anyone who might upstage her and constantly whines about being thought old.

* A variation: As noted in a DVD [[WordOfGod commentary]] [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]] has a superiority complex in that she's the Slayer and believes herself better than those she protects (pretty much everyone) but this makes her feel bad so she has a inferiority complex about having the superiority complex. This was also pointed out in-universe by a vampire psychology student who opted to put Buffy on the couch while she was trying to kill him. It actually worked for a while.

* On ''ThirtyRock'', Jenna follows this in an extremely obvious, PlayedForLaughs way. She acts like a TedBaxter, but is paranoidly threatened by anyone who might upstage her.

* On ''ThirtyRock'', Jenna is this in an extremely obvious PlayedForLaughs way. She acts like a TedBaxter, but is paranoidly threatened by anyone who might upstage her.

'''Jenna''': IF IT'S A BLONDE WOMAN, I WILL KILL MYSELF!

'''Jenna''': IF IT IS A BLONDE WOMAN, I WILL KILL MYSELF!

May be a trait of TheLibby, the JerkJock or the BrokenAce.

* Titania, of [[SheHulk She-Hulk's]] RoguesGallery. The short and scrawny Mary [=MacPherran=] was the butt of the wealthy, popular crowd's cruel jokes and nicknamed "Skeeter" for mosquito. Resenting her lot in life, she dreamed of gaining superpowers to enact revenge upon her tormentors and be admired. After lying about being Spider-Woman backfired, Mary got her wish by hastily agreeing to be experimented on by Dr Doom, transforming her into a [[StatuesqueStunner tall]], [[AmazonianBeauty buff]], [[SuperStrength mighty]], [[TheBrute brute]] and SmugSuper. Spider-man was the first to beat Titania, but she's maniacally obsessed with [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter avenging her second loss]] because She-Hulk reminds Titania of being skeeter.

* Titania, of [[SheHulk She-Hulk's]] RougesGallery. Once the short and scrawny Mary [=MacPherran=], the to be [[EvilIsSexy supervillainess]] was the butt of the wealthy, popular crowd's cruel jokes and nicknamed "Skeeter" for mosquito. Resenting her lot in life, she dreamed of gaining superpowers to enact revenge upon her tormentors and be admired. After lying about being Spider-Woman backfired, Mary got her wish by hastily agreeing to be experimented on by Dr Doom, transforming her into a [[StatuesqueStunner tall]], [[AmazonianBeauty buff]], [[SuperStrength mighty]] [[TheBrute brute]] and SmugSuper. Spider-man was the first to beat Titania, but she at least has the consolation of being stronger than him. She's maniacally obsessed with [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter avenging her second loss]] because She-Hulk reminds Titania of being skeeter.

* Titania, the {{Archenemy}} and EvilCounterpart of [[SheHulk She-Hulk]]. Once known as the short and scrawny Mary [=MacPherran=], the the soon-to-be [[EvilIsSexy supervillainess]] was the constant butt of many of the wealthy, popular crowd's cruel and sadistic jokes (she was even nicknamed "Skeeter", slang for mosquito) and soon came to resent her lot in life. She also dreamed of gaining superpowers so that she could enact revenge upon her tormentors and finally be admired. One day, after her attempt to gain popularity by lying about herself being Comicbook/{{Spider-Woman}} backfired, Mary got her wish. DoctorDoom needed superhumans for his plans, and Mary hastily agreed to be experimented on, transforming her into a [[StatuesqueStunner tall]], [[AmazonianBeauty buff]], and [[SuperStrength mighty]] [[TheBrute brute]]. Her changes were also mental in nature; she became a SmugSuper and thought of herself as invincible. Thus, whenever She-Hulk [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter gets an upper hand]] (which happens ''[[TheWorfEffect a lot]]'' despite the two being virtually even as the strongest two females in the MarvelUniverse), Titania flips out and becomes ''[[FoeYay maniacally obsessed]]'' with defeating Shulkie because she hates being weak. Yes, Titania is a JerkassWoobie with both an inferiority ''and'' a superiority complex.

* Sasuke Uchiha from ''{{Naruto}}''. If anyone outstrips him in anything he has a major internal crisis.
* In ''FullmetalAlchemist'', this is pretty much the reason the hommunculi sadistically torment humans. This is most explicitly brought up in the case of [[GreenEyedMonster Envy]].

* A variation: As noted in a DVD [[WordOfGod commentary]] [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]] has a superiority complex in that she's the Slayer and believes herself better than those she protects (pretty much everyone) but this makes her feel bad so she has a inferiority complex about having the superiority complex.

* A variation: As noted in a DVD [[WordOfGod commentary]] [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]] has a superrior complex in that she's the Slayer and believes herself better than those she protects (pretty much everyone) but this makes her feel bad so she has a inferiority complex about having the superiority complex.

* In Judy Blume's ''Otherwise Known As Sheila The Great'', Sheila Tubman has an inferiority complex about her various fears and the fact that she cannot do certain things (such as swimming and working a yo-yo) that other kids her age can do. It causes her to act boastful, which makes even her friends feel uncomfortable around her -- and she even acts mean to her neighbour and classmate, Peter Hatcher (the protagonist of some of Judy Blume's other books).

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