Questões de Inglês

God Complex: What It Means and Why People Have Them

(1^st §) A god complex is a pattern in which an individual believes they have great power, ability, infallibility, influence, and are superior to others. It often refers to behaviors associated with narcissistic personality disorder or mania.

(2^nd §) Someone like this may feel entitled to special treatment, act as though rules don't apply to them, and generally disregard the needs of others. They can also become intensely jealous and controlling.

(3^rd §) What Gives Someone a God Complex?

The development of a god complex can be related to many different factors, including low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness, or unresolved childhood issues. They may also have an overly protective or enabling parent who fostered these feelings with constant unrealistic praise. GinaMarie Guarino, a licensed mental health counselor, suggests that "a child may be at risk of developing a god complex if they were overly praised or not held accountable for their behavior."

(4^th §) Steve Carleton, LCSW, CACIII, licensed clinical social worker and executive clinical director at Gallus Detox Center, explains that “a god complex may also be caused by experiences of success or admiration, which boost a person’s ego and make them believe that they are superior to others." Other causes, notes Carleton, include “narcissistic personality disorder, lack of emotional intelligence or even a mental illness such as bipolar disorder.”

(5^th §) How This Complex Impacts Behavior

When someone has a god complex, their behavior can be destructive and damaging to those around them. They may be overly critical of others or attempt to control situations through manipulation or force. Because they feel superior, they may not recognize the impact of their actions on other people, leading to problems in relationships. Additionally, they might have difficulty accepting mistakes or criticism and will often place blame on others instead of taking responsibility for themselves.

(6^th §) It is important to remember that everyone has moments when they feel more powerful than usual —this does not necessarily mean that a god complex is present. However, if you or someone you know is exhibiting persistent signs of a god complex, it is important to seek help.

(7^th §) Signs and Symptoms

Guarino suggests "behaviors and attitudes that come off as arrogant or inflexible and intolerant of other people’s points of view can be signs of a god complex. They may lack empathy, disregard the boundaries of others, and struggle with relating to others or being sensitive to the needs and feelings of others." A person with a god complex may display a variety of signs and symptoms. When left unchecked, this type of behavior can lead to serious issues in relationships, work, and personal life.

(8^th §) God Complex vs. Superiority Complex

Although they are often used interchangeably, the term “god complex” and "superiority complex" have somewhat different meanings. Superiority complex is a term first used by the psychoanalyst Alfred Adler (1870-1937) referring to a defense mechanism that develops to deal with feelings of inferiority. Jason Shiers, a certified advanced transformative coach and transactional analysis psychotherapist, explains that “a god complex is distinguished from a superiority complex by a more intense and delusory sense of self-importance and invincibility."

Available at: Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-god-complex-7112056. Accessed in: 8th apr. 2025. (Adapted)

Mania and “hyper-religiosity”

(1^st §) Just this past week, I traveled with my wife and our seven-month old son to Winona, Minnesota, La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Viroqua, Wisconsin to share my experiences of living with bipolar disorder with four different audiences. At the end of two of the presentations, I was asked a question that I am often asked when I present my story. The question was “Why is it so common for hyper-religiosity to be part of mania?” This question often comes up because I speak to people about my manic and psychotic episodes which have all included feelings of understanding and knowing God and noticing an unquestionable faith, a faith that is more difficult to maintain when I am stable. At the most extreme of these experiences was the time that I actually thought that I was Jesus, followed by my manic and psychotic mind taking the delusion even further into believing that I was God. An enormous amount of information flooded my brain as I seemed to take on super-natural powers, acquiring knowledge that I believed was flowing from other dimensions that “normal” people are unable to detect. However, now experiencing stability, I don’t have all of that false information, nor do I have the answer to the question “Why is it so common for hyper-religiosity to be part of mania?”

(2^nd §) Not only have I been asked this question at public speaking events, but also over the phone by a man who stumbled upon my website and read my book. He was curious about why so many manic episodes revolve around religion, and he asked me if I knew of any studies done on this subject. I know of no such study, but maybe someone else does. If you do, please send me an email.

(3^rd §) This man spoke on the phone of similar religious experiences with his manic episodes. I know of many others who can also tell similar stories. Maybe it all revolves around the common and basic struggle of defining one’s faith and religion, and part of a person’s process in defining their belief system. I don’t expect that I will understand why these experiences are common, at least not anytime soon, but maybe someday someone will be able to explain it to me. For now, I have to acknowledge that these experiences stem from my personal experience with religion and from unconscious thoughts that may only surface during a manic episode.

Available at: Source: https://ibpf.org/mania-and-%C2%93hyper-religiosity%C2%94/. Accessed in: 1st apr. 2025.

Mania and “hyper-religiosity”

(1^st §) Just this past week, I traveled with my wife and our seven-month old son to Winona, Minnesota, La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Viroqua, Wisconsin to share my experiences of living with bipolar disorder with four different audiences. At the end of two of the presentations, I was asked a question that I am often asked when I present my story. The question was “Why is it so common for hyper-religiosity to be part of mania?” This question often comes up because I speak to people about my manic and psychotic episodes which have all included feelings of understanding and knowing God and noticing an unquestionable faith, a faith that is more difficult to maintain when I am stable. At the most extreme of these experiences was the time that I actually thought that I was Jesus, followed by my manic and psychotic mind taking the delusion even further into believing that I was God. An enormous amount of information flooded my brain as I seemed to take on super-natural powers, acquiring knowledge that I believed was flowing from other dimensions that “normal” people are unable to detect. However, now experiencing stability, I don’t have all of that false information, nor do I have the answer to the question “Why is it so common for hyper-religiosity to be part of mania?”

(2^nd §) Not only have I been asked this question at public speaking events, but also over the phone by a man who stumbled upon my website and read my book. He was curious about why so many manic episodes revolve around religion, and he asked me if I knew of any studies done on this subject. I know of no such study, but maybe someone else does. If you do, please send me an email.

(3^rd §) This man spoke on the phone of similar religious experiences with his manic episodes. I know of many others who can also tell similar stories. Maybe it all revolves around the common and basic struggle of defining one’s faith and religion, and part of a person’s process in defining their belief system. I don’t expect that I will understand why these experiences are common, at least not anytime soon, but maybe someday someone will be able to explain it to me. For now, I have to acknowledge that these experiences stem from my personal experience with religion and from unconscious thoughts that may only surface during a manic episode.

Available at: Source: https://ibpf.org/mania-and-%C2%93hyper-religiosity%C2%94/. Accessed in: 1st apr. 2025.

Dysorthography: Is it a Real Disorder?

(1^st §) Some people use the term Dysorthography to refer to a dysgraphic disorder related to dyslexia. It features significant spelling mistakes while writing, and such errors can include confusions, omissions or inversions of letters and syllables, remarkably flawed conjugation, and arbitrary word breaks.

(2^nd §) Experts are still trying to pinpoint what may predispose children to develop Dysorthography. Under normal circumstances, the brain processes the information it receives through senses and stores it for later use. When kids start writing, their brains retrieve information from the short-term and long-term memory to express what they’re thinking through writing characters. In the case of children suffering from Dysgraphia, some researchers think organizing information stored in the brain or getting words onto paper by writing or typing the characters, or both of these steps in the process of writing, go off track. But there is some debate as if Dysorthography is a real mental disorder or a pedagogical issue. Those who argue in favor of conceptualizing Dysorthography as a learning disability cite Dysgraphia and Dyslexia as actual disorders related to the inability to write correctly.

(3^rd §) These people argue that nowadays children learn and adapt to this technological age a lot faster than most adults, so several experts are quick to point out the possibility of this being the result of recent changes in the way children are learning their language. Technology is a double-edged sword. It can make life and work easier, but using it in excess is making children lose their motor skills, body awareness, and skills of self-correction in writing. In fact, computers and most smartphones are capable of autocorrecting words, eliminating the need of putting an effort in our orthography.

(4^th §) While this “condition” is still a matter of debate, dyslexia and dysgraphia are still issues that people need to deal with within our current generation. That is why those who have children who display any of the usual signs of dysgraphia must seek help from professionals in the fields of mental disorders and learning disabilities.

Adapted from: https://hoool.com/dysorthography/. Accessed September 4 2024

    For 35 years, toy Garfield phones have inexplicably washed up onto the beaches along the coastal waters of Brittany, France, and now we finally know why. As it happens, the astonishing phenomenon of the lasagna-loving cat phones making their way to the French coast for years started at the height of the comic strip star’s popularity in the mid-80s when people were warming up to Jim Davis’s cartoon creation. As many as 200 Garfield’s parts were discovered strewn across France’s beaches just last year, according to FranceInfo.

    The environmental activist group Ar Vilantsou didn’t give up on finding the source. They even made Garfield the kid-friendly face of the mission to clean up the ocean pollution in the area. Recently, a farmer got in touch with the organization to say that he discovered that a metal shipping container with a massive stash of the orange Garfield telephone cargo was tucked away in the deepest recesses of a cave after a storm back in the ’80s. Both Ar Viltansou and local officials told the BBC that they are going to continue to collect these phones.

Internet: time.com/ (adapted).

    There have always been myths about immortality, that is, being able to live forever. Well, our Marine Biologists have found a creature that comes close – a tiny transparent jellyfish. While it has the unofficial name of Immortal Jellyfish, its official name is Turritopsis dohrnii. After an adult male T. dohrnii squirts his sperm into the ocean waters, some of them end up inside a female T. dohrnii. This creates the fertilised eggs, which then turn into tiny free-swimming larvae called “planula”. After a while, the planula give up swimming, dive down to the sea floor, and attach themselves to a rock. They then change shape entirely into columns of highly branched polyps. After a few days, another change of shape happens. Tiny jellyfish (about 1 mm across) “bud” off from the tips of the polyp and, like miniature asexual umbrellas with tentacles, float through the ocean. After 2-4 weeks, they become sexually mature males or females.

    Now T. dohrnii jellyfish can be eaten by bigger creatures – so they are not truly immortal. But when T. dohrnii suffers a physical attack, instead of dying, they change firstly into a tiny blob, and then back to the polyp stage within 3 days. They become another polyp colony sitting on a rock. The polyp is genetically identical to the original jellyfish – but is packaged differently.

    Did that original jellyfish die? Not really. Did that original jellyfish continue to live in the same body? No. It’s kind of like a butterfly that instead of dying changes back to a caterpillar – or an aged chicken turning back into an egg. So technically it’s more like “Regeneration”, but it’s the closest that we have to immortality. And once we learn how T. dohrnii does it, we could apply this knowledge to medical science for humans.

Internet:www.natgeokids.com (adapted).