Development of Social Interest

The healthy, normal course of development is for individuals to overcome
their feelings of inferiority and develop social interest. This involves a feeling
of community, or humanistic identification, and a concern with the wellbeing
of others, not only one’s own private feelings. Social interest is reflected
in and reinforced by cooperative and constructive interactions with
others. It starts in childhood, when the youngster has nurturing and encouraging
contacts with parents, teachers, and peers.
Later, the three main pillars of social interest are friends, family, and career.
Having friends can help overcome inferiority, because it allows one to
be important in the eyes of someone else. Friends share their problems, so
one does not feel like the only person who has self-doubt and frustration.
Starting one’s own family reduces inferiority feeling in much the same way.
One feels loved by spouse and children, and one is very important to them.
Having an occupation allows one to develop a sense of mastery and accomplishment
and provides some service to others or to society at large. Therefore,
those people who have difficulty establishing and maintaining friendships,
succeeding as a spouse or parent, or finding a fulfilling career will
have less opportunity to develop a healthy social interest and will have a
greater susceptibility to lingering feelings of inferiority.