Insecurities

What Is Insecurity? Insecurity is a feeling of inadequacy (not being good enough) and uncertainty. It produces anxiety about your goals, relationships, and ability to handle certain situations.  Everybody deals with insecurity from time to time. It can appear in all areas of life and come from a variety of causes. It might stem from a traumatic event, patterns of previous experience, social conditioning (learning rules by observing others), or local environments such as school, work, or home. 

Types of Insecurity There are almost limitless areas of potential insecurity. Moreover, insecurity often bleeds over from one area of life into another. However, there are some types of insecurity that appear frequently. 1. Relationship Insecurity One of the most common kinds of insecurity concerns relationships or “attachments.”  Attachment theory originated out of a desire to connect the attachment patterns of early childhood to later relationship patterns and expectations. When a child’s “attachment figures,” often parents or guardians, aren’t reliably available and supportive, the child often feels insecure, forms a negative self-image and relationship models, and experiences greater emotional distress and maladjustment later in life.

2. Job Insecurity Job insecurity occurs when you are anxious about your continued employment or about the continuation of certain benefits attached to your employment. It can be triggered by anxiety over your own job performance or anxiety over factors beyond your control, such as the economy, industry trends, workplace conflict, or the danger of company restructuring or failure. High rates of unemployment and temporary work increase job insecurity on a national scale and contribute to widespread mental health problems

3. Body Image Insecurity A common source of insecurity is body image. Many people feel insecure about the way they look and question whether they measure up to an imposed ideal. There is no necessary connection between actual body health or appearance and body insecurity. People of all body types can experience this type of insecurity.

4. Social Insecurity/Anxiety Another common type of insecurity surrounds the way we are perceived by our peers and the ease with which we interact with them. This insecurity can be a recurring, low-level problem or can blossom into full-blown social anxiety disorder or social phobia.

Signs of Insecurity 1. Low or Superficial Self-Esteem 2. Perfectionism 3. Self-Isolation 4. Anxious or Avoidant Attachment Styles 5. Poor job performance 6. Depression or anxiety