Can inferiority complex be seen as an informal fallacy?
Historical archive only. New interaction is disabled.
Original Question
I've noticed people can even be in self-contradiction when "hating" others but at the same time want to affiliate with them so badly.
For example X hates Y and brags about imaginary "superiority." But at the same time X tries to affiliate with Y because they recognize some superior traits.
Basically, anything that will make X look better than Y or improve its status.
I call this the fallacy of self-contradiction. But we also know this to be inferiority complex.
Can the inferiority complex be seen as an informal fallacy?
Comments on Question
Answers
2This appears to me to be more of a psychological issue than a logical one.
This would not be a fallacy like any of the others. If it were in argument form, it would be a non sequitur then you make the case that it is common enough to justify being a named fallacy. But I cannot even think how this can be an argument form, so I would just classify this under "human behavior."
Master Logical Fallacies Online
Take the Virversity course and sharpen your reasoning skills with structured lessons.
View Online Course
A complex itself? No, that's an issue for psychology, not logic.
However, are you trying to refer to the manifestation of such a complex, which may result in the person having it denying that they have it?
Dr Bo was wondering about the argument form, and I imagine something like this:
Gemma: I hate Chloe. She's always acting like she's better than me when she isn't. (1)
Also Gemma: Chloe is better than me at X and Y. I should try to learn from her. (2)
If (1) refers to Chloe being better at something, then this looks like conflicting conditions - Gemma is saying that Chloe isn't better than her (at anything), and then says that Chloe is better than her (at something). This is better referred to as doublethink though, as Gemma - and most people - are not logically oblivious enough to say an outright contradiction like that.
If Chloe really is better at certain things than Gemma, and she says (1), then this looks like a person in denial. But again, that's not a fallacy.