The Icarus complex is a term in
psychoanalysis
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might ...
and
personality theory first used by
Henry A. Murray
Henry Alexander Murray (May 13, 1893 – June 23, 1988) was an American psychologist at Harvard University, where from 1959 to 1962 he conducted a series of psychologically damaging and purposefully abusive experiments on minors and underg ...
[Sperber, Michael A. "Albert Camus: Camus' the Fall: The Icarus Complex" ''American Imago'' (1969), 26:269-280.] to describe a particular type of overambitious character.
Psychosynthesis
Psychosynthesis is an approach to psychology that expands the boundaries of the field by identifying a deeper center of identity, which is the postulate of the Self. It considers each individual unique in terms of purpose in life, and places value ...
has applied it to those in whom spiritual ambition exceeds their personality limits, leading to a
backlash.
Psychoanalysis has been criticized as lacking an empirical basis and proof of effectiveness.
Etymology
Icarus
In Greek mythology, Icarus (; grc, Ἴκαρος, Íkaros, ) was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, King Minos sus ...
was a
Greek mythological
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of d ...
figure who tried to escape imprisonment in
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
with his father
Daedalus
In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. He is the father of Icarus, the uncle of Perdi ...
, using wings Daedalus crafted out of feathers and wax. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun or too low to the sea. Overwhelmed with the excitement of flying, Icarus flew much too high, and as a result the wax melted and his feathers fell off. Down Icarus plunged into the sea, and indeed into death as well. The story of Icarus is often used to signify the dangers of over-ambition.
Characteristics
It is seen in a personality type that contains many or all of the following attributes:
* cynosural
narcissism
Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others.
Narcissism exists on a co ...
(
attention seeking
Attention seeking behavior is to act in a way that is likely to elicit attention. Attention seeking behavior is defined in the DSM-5 as "engaging in behavior designed to attract notice and to make oneself the focus of others’ attention and admir ...
or admiration seeking narcissistic behaviors)
* ''ascensionism'' (the notion that the future is not dictated by the past or present, and no destination or goal is unreachable) combined with an ''anticipation of falling'' (a foreboding sense of a future "crash and burn")
*
Cathexis
In psychoanalysis, cathexis (or emotional investment) is defined as the process of allocation of mental or emotional energy to a person, object, or idea.
Origin of term
The Greek term ''cathexis'' (κάθεξις) was chosen by James Strache ...
of fire (an emotional drawing towards, or fascination with, fire)
* possible
enuresis (bedwetting) or
incontinence
Incontinence or Incontinent may refer to:
*Fecal incontinence, the involuntary excretion of bowel contents
* Urinary incontinence, the involuntary excretion of urine
* Lack of moderation or self-control, especially related to sexual desire - see ...
in childhood, linked to an abundance of water imagery.
Ancillary consequences of this personality complex are:
* a craving for immortality (reascension)
* a conception of woman as an object to be used for narcissistic gains (sex as
narcissistic supply
In psychoanalytic theory, narcissistic supply is a pathological or excessive need for attention or admiration from codependents, or such a need in the orally fixated, that does not take into account the feelings, opinions or preferences of othe ...
)
*
Oedipal defiance.
*
Perpetual adolescence.
Criticism
Doubt has been expressed as to the therapeutic value of the diagnosis of Icarus complex.
[C. Martindale, ''Ovid Renewed'' (1990) p. 53]
See also
*
Complex (psychology)
A complex is a structure in the unconscious that is objectified as an underlying theme—like a power or a status—by grouping clusters of emotions, memories, perceptions and wishes in response to a threat to the stability of the self. In psy ...
*
Confidence
Confidence is a state of being clear-headed either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Confidence comes from a Latin word 'fidere' which means "to trust"; therefore, having ...
*
Dunning–Kruger effect
*
Grandiose delusions
Grandiose delusions (GD), also known as delusions of grandeur or expansive delusions, are a subtype of delusion that occur in patients with a wide range of psychiatric diseases, including two-thirds of patients in manic state of bipolar disord ...
*
Haughtiness
*
Hubris
Hubris (; ), or less frequently hybris (), describes a personality quality of extreme or excessive pride or dangerous overconfidence, often in combination with (or synonymous with) arrogance. The term ''arrogance'' comes from the Latin ', mean ...
*
Narcissism
Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others.
Narcissism exists on a co ...
*
Overconfidence effect
*
Self-serving bias
A self-serving bias is any cognitive or perceptual process that is distorted by the need to maintain and enhance self-esteem, or the tendency to perceive oneself in an overly favorable manner. It is the belief that individuals tend to ascribe succe ...
*
Vanity
Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic ...
References
{{Reflist, 2}
Further reading
* Daniel Ogilivie, 'The Icarus Complex' ''Psychology Today'' (Dec 1968) 31ff
Complex (psychology)