Reading Notes on "Inferiority and Superiority"#
Some Reflections#
This book is considered a classic in psychology, but I feel like I read it as a book on children's education 🤣 haha
From the title, one might think this is a book that teaches you how to cultivate self-confidence, but after reading it, I found it to be more than that. Although it discusses feelings of inferiority and superiority, it focuses more on the reasons behind these two psychological states and their impact on individuals.
This book should be read with a critical mindset. Many things seem simple at first glance, but tracing them back reveals fundamental factors at play. Even dreams, which you might think are random, actually involve your subconscious.
The importance of childhood development, the influence of family, and the impact of school are all decisive factors for a person's future. Reflecting on my own experiences, I can only say that I am grateful for my father's strict discipline, my mother's encouragement, the school, and the friends I've met along the way (feels a bit like an acceptance speech).
Growing through adversity, learning to cooperate, cultivating social interests, and pursuing one's own values are the main points. These are all common truths that everyone understands. I won't say much more, but I do think that when I have children in the future, I would like to revisit this book and nurture them well! 😂
Selected Excerpts#
The Meaning of Life#
- We will find that each individual's self-perceived meaning of life may contain some erroneous elements; no one possesses an absolutely correct meaning of life.
- We cannot rely solely on guesses or hope for luck; we must exhaust all possible methods within our reach to steadfastly seek answers.
- The standard of what is called true "meaning of life" is: they are all shared meanings, meaning they are significances that others can share and can be recognized as valid by others.
- In fact, personal meanings are completely meaningless; meaning only has the potential to exist in interactions with others.
ps: Explore the meaning of your own life, appreciate the brilliance of others' lives, suppress the selfishness of human nature, and the manifestation of personal value lies in the affirmation and appreciation of others.
Mind and Body#
- You certainly have thoughts; otherwise, you wouldn't take action.
- The field of psychology is: exploring the meanings of various expressions of individuals, seeking to understand their goals, and comparing them with the goals of others.
- Emotions will never oppose lifestyles; once a goal is set, emotions will adapt to achieve it.
- Emotions grow and develop according to the necessary directions and degrees for others to achieve their goals.
Early Memories#
- Early memories are particularly important; they reveal the roots of an individual's lifestyle and its simplest expressions.
- Among various memories, the most enlightening are the ways in which he begins to tell stories and the earliest events he can recall.
ps: To deepen your understanding of a person, it might be worthwhile to talk to them about their earliest memories.
Dreams#
- Dreams are attempts to find solutions to problems; they reveal a loss of personal courage.
- Dreams themselves are not particularly important; what matters is the latent thoughts behind them.
- Dreams attempt to establish a connection between an individual's lifestyle and their current problems while unwilling to impose new demands on their lifestyle.
- In dreams, we deceive ourselves; each dream is a form of self-indulgence and self-hypnosis, with the sole purpose of inducing a mindset that prepares us to deal with certain problems.
- Within the human psyche, there are various methods already stored to execute lifestyles and make them fixed and reinforced, one of the most important methods being the ability to stimulate a mindset.
The Influence of Family and School#
- During children's growth, one very important thing is to make them aware that family is a unit of society, and there are many trustworthy people and friends outside the family.
- In the educational process, we should strive to enhance children's courage and confidence and help them eliminate various limitations imposed on their abilities due to their interpretations of life.