All this comes about because we have allowed our­selves to be hypnotized by the entirely erroneous idea that "I should be like so-and-so" or "I should be like every­body else." The fallacy of the second idea can be readily seen through, if analyzed, for in truth there are no fixed • standards common to "everybody else." "Everybody else" is composed of individuals, no two of whom are alike.
The person with an inferiority complex invariably com­pounds the error by striving for superiority. His feelings spring from the false premise that he is inferior. From this false premise, a whole structure of "logical thought" and feeling is built. If he feels bad because he is inferior, the cure is to make himself as good as everybody else, and the way to feel really good is to make himself supe­rior. This striving for superiority gets him into more trouble, causes more frustration, and sometimes brings about a neurosis where none existed before. He becomes more miserable than ever, and "the harder he tries," the more miserable he becomes.