Jonah Complex

Jonah Complex is the fear of success which prevents self-actualization.[1][2] It is the fear of one's own greatness or the evasion of one's destiny.[3]

Contents

Causes

  1. Fear of the sense of responsibility that often attends recognizing our own greatness, talents, potentials.
  2. Fear that an extraordinary life would be out of the ordinary, and hence not acceptable to others.
  3. Fear of seeming arrogant, self-centered, etc.[4]

Etymology

Name probably comes from the Biblical story of Prophet Jonah's evasion of the destiny to prophesy the destruction of Ninevah.[4]

References

  1. ^ Department of Cognitive Science, Chris VerWys. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Personality Psychology, Ambraham Maslow
  2. ^ Abraham Maslow, The Farther Reaches of Human Nature
  3. ^ Haronian, Frank (12-15-1967). The Repression of the sublime. http://synthesiscenter.org/articles/0130.pdf. Retrieved 5 October 2011. 
  4. ^ a b Eric Dodson's Course Notes for Humanistic Psychology (PSYC 2000)

See also