Definition

1. Noun:
   • Inferiority Complex: A persistent feeling of being inadequate, less capable, or of lower status than others, often leading to a lack of confidence.
   • Guilt Complex / Sense of Guilt: A persistent, often irrational feeling of guilt or remorse about a past action or circumstance.
   • Complex (Psychology): In a broader psychological sense, a related group of emotionally significant ideas or impulses that are repressed and that cause abnormal behavior or mental states.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ấy có mặc cảm về xuất thân nghèo khó của mình. (He has an inferiority complex about his poor background.)
  • Cô ấy sống với mặc cảm tội lỗi sau tai nạn. (She lives with a guilt complex after the accident.)
  • Đừng có mặc cảm khi nói tiếng Anh. (Don't have a complex when speaking English.)

Advanced Usage

• "mặc cảm tự ti": This is the specific term for an inferiority complex.
  • Mặc cảm tự ti ngăn cản anh ấy phát biểu ý kiến. (His inferiority complex prevents him from voicing his opinions.)
• "mặc cảm tự tôn": This is the specific term for a superiority complex.
  • Thái độ kiêu ngạo của anh ta bắt nguồn từ mặc cảm tự tôn. (His arrogant attitude stems from a superiority complex.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cảm giác tự ti (n): A feeling of inferiority (less clinical than "mặc cảm").
  • Cô ấy có cảm giác tự ti về ngoại hình. (She has feelings of inferiority about her appearance.)
• Tội lỗi (n): Guilt, sin (refers more to the act or fact, not the persistent psychological state).
  • Anh ấy cảm thấy tội lỗi. (He feels guilty.)

Synonyms

• Inferiority complex: The primary synonym for "mặc cảm (tự ti)".
• Guilt complex: A synonym for the guilt-related meaning.
• Hang-up (informal): An emotional or psychological problem or inhibition.

Related Idioms

• Mang mặc cảm: To carry/have a complex.
  • Cô ấy mang mặc cảm mình không đủ giỏi. (She carries a complex that she is not good enough.)

noun

1. inferiority complex