Jonas complex: the curious fear of success
The vast majority of psychologists will be familiar with the concept of self realisation of Abraham Maslow . We all know that we must eat, drink or sleep, but once these physiological needs are met, we aspire to other needs of a higher level according to the theory of the Maslow Pyramid.
In the highest part of this pyramid are the needs of self-realization: the psychological and spiritual needs that make us feel fulfilled. Maslow was the father of humanistic psychology, a psychological current that postulates the existence of a basic human tendency (self-realization) towards mental health and well-being.
The Jonah Complex
Maslow however, in opposition to self-realization, coined the term "Complex of Jonah "To refer to the fear of one's own greatness, to the avoidance of one's destiny or the flight of our best talents.
When investigating on his concept of self-realization, the humanistic psychologist asked himself the following question: If we are born with unlimited potential to self-develop, "Why can not everyone achieve the goal of self-realization? "One of the reasons that Maslow raises in his book The Farther Reaches of Human Nature published in 1971, is the Jonas Complex.
Who is Jonah?
The Jonah Complex is inspired by the biblical figure of Jonah, a man who was a merchant and tried to resist the call of God to fulfill an important mission. His destiny was to become a prophet, but his first reaction was flight, for fear of not being up to the task.
Maslow's explanation to the Jonah complex is that just as we fear the worst of ourselves, we also fear the best, we fear our maximum possibilities. It scares us to become what we imagine, in our best moments, our ideal conditions. We enjoy and even delight ourselves before the divine possibilities that we discover in our peak moments, but in the same way, we agitate ourselves before the fear or the weakness of those same possibilities, perhaps for not wanting to leave the comfort zone .
Leave the comfort zone
Many times the fear of leaving the comfort zone is what limits us to continue growing or what causes us anxiety. In fact, on many occasions we even prefer the bad rather than risk seeking our self-fulfillment, our well-being. Staying anchored in the comfort zone, avoiding self-reflection to keep growing, can cause us to remain anchored to our fears without stepping hard on the uncertainties.
We already commented in the article "Personal Development: 5 reasons for self-reflection" that constantly living our desires and our unfulfilled desires, without betting on them, generates low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, social withdrawal, little assertiveness, stress and anxiety constant, psychosomatic problems and poor emotional well-being.
Unlock to be able to move towards success
Although the reflection towards the personal development could seem easy to the naked eye, there are many people who go to professionals of the coaching to be able to unlock. The coach, as a facilitator of personal development, gets the client to reflect through socrácticas questions, allowing him to continue growing as a person. The coach helps to connect with desires and emotions, favoring self-realization and allowing to reach the place where one wants to be.
In summary, life drives us to follow the path to self-realization . Throughout our experiences, we are encountering various difficulties that prevent us from clearly looking to the future, and that generate fears, insecurities and make us feel lost. Some wait and wait for everything to happen and re-fit alone, others pursue again and again what makes them feel alive , what makes them feel well. It is the best way to abandon pessimism or bad habits that prevent us from achieving the goals we set for ourselves.
