Jonah complex

Jonah and the Whale (1621) by Pieter Lastman

The Jonah complex is the: fear of success; fear of change; fear of personal growth, fear of reaching one's potential; fear of achieving one's aspirations and dreams; and fear of meeting one's social and God-given responsibilities (golden rule, etc.).[1][2][3]

The Jonah complex may interfere with an individual's achievement orientation and hinder a person's ability to achieve organizational/societal aims and goals.[4]

The Jonah complex is more evident in neurotic people.[5][6]

## Contents

* 1 Etymology of the term
* 2 Symptoms of the Jonah complex
* 3 Causes of the Jonah complex
* 4 Overcoming the Jonah complex
* 5 See also
* 6 External links
* 7 References

## Etymology of the term[edit]

Abraham Maslow, who is credited with originating the concept of the Jonah Complex, stated: "So often we run away from the responsibilities dictated (or rather suggested) by nature, by fate, even sometimes by accident, just as Jonah tried—in vain—to run away from his fate".[7]

## Symptoms of the Jonah complex[edit]

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.[8]

Symptoms of the Jonah complex include:[9]

\- Low goals. See: Goal setting

\- Procrastination

\- Missing of opportunities

\- Perfectionism

\- Quitting (Just when an individual is on the verge of success, he may quit)

\- Self-destructiveness

\- Self-sabotage

## Causes of the Jonah complex[edit]

A Venn diagram showing the relationship between self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-esteem.

Causes of the Jonah complex include:[10][11][12]

\- Unsure of one's abilities. See: Self-efficacy

\- Low self-esteem and feelings of unworthiness. Imposter syndrome. Inability/difficulty seeing oneself in a position of authority/prominence.[13]

\- Fear of the spotlight due to shyness or introversion. Desire not to be the center of attention. Fear that others will be envious. See: Interpersonal skills

\- Avoidance of the increased responsibilities, work and stress. See: Mental toughness and Psychological resilience

\- Fear that if one achieves a goal, one may still feel unfilled/unhappy

\- A narrow, limiting and fixed view of success. See: Growth mindset and Change management

\- Fear that success may change you, but in a negative way. See: Change management

\- Fear of seeming to be self-centered or arrogant[14]

\- Childhood trauma. Lack of parental support.

## Overcoming the Jonah complex[edit]

The half a glass of water helps illustrates of two different mental attitudes, optimism (half full) and pessimism (half empty)

Ways of overcoming the Jonah complex include:[15][16][17]

\- Adopting a growth mindset. Realizing that accomplishing goals is a matter of progress and not perfection.

\- Have a positive attitude. Identify and challenge false, negative, unrealistic and limiting beliefs.

\- Note how the Jonah complex manifests. Engage in goal setting. Avoid procrastination, missing opportunities, perfectionism, bad attitudes, limiting/false beliefs, quitting, self-destructive/self-handicapping behaviors.

\- Stepping out of one's comfort zone and adopting an achievement orientation. Practice experiencing discomfort and build a tolerance to it.

\- Developing grit, mental toughness and psychological resilience. Persistence is often necessary for achievement.

\- Increasing one's abilities. See: Self-efficacy

\- Learn stress management strategies/techniques

\- Improving one's interpersonal skills

\- Track success via goal setting/tracking, journaling, etc.

\- Visualizing success and see all the likely/possible benefits

\- Greater willingness to take reasonable/calculated risks. Having a sense of adventure. See: Risk and Risk management

\- Accepting one's social/God-given responsibilities. Engaging in continual spiritual growth.

\- Explore the origins of one's Jonah complex in terms of one's childhood, later experiences, attitudes, beliefs and actions.

## See also[edit]

* Self-doubt

## External links[edit]

* Explaining the Fear of Success, Healthline.com
* What Is the Fear of Success? by Kendra Cherry, MSEd
* Is it Fear of Failure or Fear of Success?, PsychCentral
* 12 Ways to Stop the Fear of Success From Ruining Your Life
* Why Fear of Success Is Holding You Back More Than Fear of Failure, Inc.
* Finding Your Calling. Obstacles to Embracing Your Vocation

Videos:

* Jonah complex videos, Video playlist

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Abraham Maslow (October 1993). "The Jonah Complex". The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. ISBN 9780140194708.
2. ↑ Department of Cognitive Science, Chris VerWys. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Personality Psychology, Abraham Maslow
3. ↑ Desacralizing Life and its Mystery: The Jonah Complex Revisited by Pierre-E. Lacocque. Journal of Psychology and Theology, Volume 10, Issue 2, https://doi.org/10.1177/009164718201000202
4. ↑ Abraham Maslow (October 1993). "The Jonah Complex". The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. ISBN 9780140194708.
5. ↑ Feist, Gregory; Feist, Jess (2009). Theories of personality (7th ed.). New York McGraw-Hill Higher Education. p. 300. ISBN 978-0-07-338270-8.
6. ↑ Desacralizing Life and its Mystery: The Jonah Complex Revisited by Pierre-E. Lacocque. Journal of Psychology and Theology, Volume 10, Issue 2, https://doi.org/10.1177/009164718201000202 (See: JSTOR copy of the journal article)
7. ↑ Abraham Maslow (October 1993). "The Jonah Complex". The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. ISBN 9780140194708.
8. ↑ SMART Goals
9. ↑ Explaining the Fear of Success, Healthline.com
10. ↑ Is it Fear of Failure or Fear of Success?, PsychCentral
11. ↑ Explaining the Fear of Success, Healthline.com
12. ↑ What Is the Fear of Success? by Kendra Cherry, MSEd
13. ↑ Sumerlin, J. R.; Bundrick, C. M. (1996). "Brief index of self-actualization: A measure of Maslow's model". Journal of Social Behavior and Personality. 11 (2): 253–271. doi:10.2466/pms.1998.87.1.115. S2CID 146163708.
14. ↑ Eric Dodson. "Course Notes for Humanistic Psychology (PSYC 2000)". University of Western Georgia.
15. ↑ Is it Fear of Failure or Fear of Success?, PsychCentral
16. ↑ Explaining the Fear of Success, Healthline.com
17. ↑ What Is the Fear of Success? by Kendra Cherry, MSEd