It is common for anyone to admire what another has done or acquired in order to have a reference of success. However, what happens when it becomes automatic to feel ashamed of ourselves when we compare ourselves to someone else? We invite you to better understand the meaning of mongrel complex Its characteristics and examples of this behavior.

What is a mongrel complex?

In short, the mongrel complex designates a self-deprecating behavior of someone who is always putting himself down while praising others To be clear, one ends up belittling one's own culture, intelligence, economy, and morals while speaking well of others.

As an individual's pride in his or her own nature diminishes, admiration for what is in others increases. For example, think of a person who criticizes the national cinema, but always praises all cultural products coming from the U.S. When we observe the mentality of individuals like this we see that they consider everything that comes from abroad to be superior to what is made in our country.

The Origins

The idea of Brazilians as inferior appeared in the 20th century when Arthur de Gobineau landed here in 1845. According to the French Count, the Cariocas were "real monkeys". Besides him, Oliveira Viana, Nina Rodrigues and Monteiro Lobato defended white supremacy, claiming that miscegenation was the cause of our ills .

According to Roquette-Pinto, Brazil's ignorance and not its miscegenation was the source of our inferiority. Monteiro Lobato, in addition to racism, showed great pessimism towards the Brazilian people. In his own words, "the Brazilian was a worthless type who could not grow without the support of a pure race.

Moreover, it was believed that living in the tropics, where the climate is hot and humid, would contribute to the laziness of the local inhabitants. Geographic determinism pointed out that only "worthy" civilizations could survive in a temperate climate.

The Mongrel Complex in Nelson Rodrigues

The expression "mongrel complex" originated with writer Nelson Rodrigues when he talked about a Brazilian trauma in 1950, when the Brazilian team was beaten by Uruguay in the World Cup in the Maracanã stadium. It was only in 1958 that this shock was overcome with Brazil's first World Cup victory.

Although he initially applied the concept to soccer, Nelson Rodrigues stated that the expression could be used in any area. According to him, the "mongrel syndrome" is a voluntary inferiority about everything that comes from the world. ends up creating a reverse narcissism, making the person value the other before himself .

Features

The characteristics of the mongrel complex can be summarized as:

Low self-esteem

Those who have the mongrel syndrome cannot see any value in themselves, so they always value other people, so that whenever they think of themselves and their heritage, they cannot be proud of themselves, so much so that many only see bad things about everything around them, thus marketing themselves negatively to others.

Willingness to accept

This inferiority complex leads a person to constantly seek approval from others in order to be accepted. In other words, when someone he admires and considers superior welcomes him, this reception means for him the same thing as being blessed. However, bad-mouthing oneself or one's culture can be a price to pay to fit in .

Valuing the external

Everything that comes from outside and is not part of the complexed is immediately embraced, to the detriment of himself. Thus, for him, domestic products or his actions are bad while what comes from outside is gold.

The dependence on external approval

According to scholars, the dependence on external approval is a consequence of the post-colonial period. After all, the custom of pleasing a foreigner just because he is a foreigner continues, even if this person acts coldly towards us, external approval becomes a seal of approval to value our culture in the world .

When it comes to trade, there are those who find this appreciation beneficial, because pleasing someone from abroad could help us improve our domestic production. For example, it could help us improve the way we raise poultry, slaughter them, cut them up and sell them for import and export. After all, by meeting the demands of foreigners, domestic producers improve themselves inits insertion in the world market.

On the other hand, many point out the damage that this syndrome does to our way of producing knowledge and passing it on to young people. How is it possible under these circumstances to have a genuinely national cultural producer instead of a propagator of external knowledge? Can respect for the world be obtained without erasing the individual's mother culture?

Mongrel Complex in Psychology and Psychoanalysis

According to the psychological and psychoanalytical view, most Brazilians don't want to get out of their objectified place and become the possessor of something. If they did, they could have the autonomy to act according to their own characteristics instead of using external culture. Unfortunately, the debasement is created before they even attempt the conquest of their desires and longings for growth.

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In this way, those with the syndrome end up lowering their heads instead of investing in their own desires by comparing themselves too much to others. It is necessary to have a better perspective on one's own capabilities, so as not to waste opportunities for growth In addition, you must seek inspiration firstly from the people with whom you share your home, without losing your unique identity.

Examples

The mongrel complex is more present than you might think. Unfortunately, it can bring some damage to an individual's relationship with his or her own nationality. Understand this issue better:

Foreign Heritage

Surely we know someone, famous or not, who is proud of his family tree because he has a foreign nationality, for example, "I am Brazilian, but my family is descended from French people", in a clear action of self-affirmation as a foreigner. In this way, this person can feel special and superior to others because he or she does not have to carry the "burden" of being Brazilian .

Appreciation of external music

It is not wrong in any way for you to appreciate products and services that are not part of your culture, but the problem exists when you use these elements to nullify your own cultural cradle. For example, there are many people who don't watch national movies because they automatically consider them bad, but they consume and acclaim American movies.

Final thoughts on the mongrel complex

Unfortunately, the mongrel complex serves as a request for acceptance and abdication of one's own image A good part of the Brazilian people do not understand themselves as such and, for this reason, avoid the feeling of belonging to their country.

Therefore, it is necessary to let go of these limiting thoughts and emotions regarding one's own culture. When we do this exercise, we can even get to know ourselves better, understanding the extent of our potential without depending on anyone else.

You can guarantee this achievement by enrolling in our online Psychoanalysis course. With our classes, it is possible to work on your self-knowledge, fully understanding your inner power and your capacity for change. Through Psychoanalysis, you have the perfect tool to deal with any limitation in your path, including the mongrel complex .