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I am not sure whether this is exactly fear of success. I think it may be fear of failure, or more specifically fear of discovering that one does not have talent
by hristov 17y ago
I am not sure whether this is exactly fear of success. I think it may be fear of failure, or more specifically fear of discovering that one does not have talent.
For example, take somebody that is smart, is a great conservationist in parties, makes great jokes and has read the entire literary cannons of several countries. All his friends say he should be a writer. He has always dreamed of being a writer. Yet he never starts writing. Is that fear of success? Or fear of trying and discovering that despite everything he did not have talent?
Anyway, while we are on the subject linked below is a hilarious episode of Black Books that is about this. BTW I think the main character of that show is someone like the person in my example.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/114471/black-books-elephants-and-hens#x-0,vepisode,1,0 http://www.hulu.com/watch/114471/black-books-elephants-and-h...
- sree_nair 17y agoI am yet to meet anyone who is afraid of success, I think it more a case of the fear of Failure.
- mojuba 17y agoIn some particular cases - yes, you are afraid of going too high because the fall would be most painful. But still there may be, for example, some (latent or not) religious fears of too much wealth.
- araneae 17y agoThat sounds like Freud, who is pretty much discredited on everything. There's really no evidence for "latent" or "subconscious" processes that are analogous to conscious processes, such as fear. Fear is always pretty damn conscious.
- sophacles 17y agoNo, it's fear of success. "If I do well, they will expect more of me, and I don't want to deal with taht, however if i fail or only do OK, they will leave me alone". It is fundamentally a fear of others expectations.