In Adler’s psychology, people sometimes feel like they’re not good enough at something—this is called inferiority. That’s not a bad thing by itself! It can actually help us grow.
When someone works hard to get better at something or make up for what they feel they lack, that’s called compensation. For example, if a kid feels small and weak, they might try to become really smart or kind to feel important in other ways.
But sometimes people feel so discouraged that they stop trying altogether—that’s called resignation. They believe they can’t win, so they give up.
On the flip side, some people go to the extreme to prove they’re not weak—that’s called over-compensation. They might act super confident, bossy, or obsessed with being the best, all to hide how insecure they really feel inside.
So, compensation helps us grow, resignation holds us back, and over-compensation can make us act bigger than we really feel. Adler believed the goal is to grow in a healthy way, be useful to others, and feel like we belong—not just to cover up what we’re scared of.