Last Updated on September 2, 2024
Since the dawn of time, the true nature of humanity has always been a cause for debate. Some argue that selfishness and self-preservation are the true nature of humankind. This belief also serves as the basis for the argument that true altruism can never exist. Some pose the counterargument that humans are born pure and unadulterated. In addition, they argue that it is the various interactions and experiences with the environment that soils that purity.
What then do we believe? In my honest opinion, I believe that the true nature of humanity rests in our fears and self-expression. It only makes sense that a person’s fears give you a key into the soul of that individual. This logic holds since fears are rooted in traumatic or life-changing experiences. As is often said, “we are the products of all our experiences.”
Take, for example, an individual who fears failure. Due to that fear, such an individual might grow up to be a perfectionist, putting in enormous effort to clinch success. That fear of failure essentially tells us that we are dealing with a goal-driven individual. Similarly, the fear of losing loved ones tells us about the strong family bonds such an individual possesses. Ultimately, I believe that our fears are keys to the inner workings of our souls.
Now that you have a grasp of the nuances of fear, we can move on to the subject at hand. This article shall discuss the inner workings of one of the most ludicrous yet engaging concepts known to man; mephobia!
What is Mephobia?
The term mephobia comes from two words: “me,” referring to oneself and “phobia,” referring to an irrational and persistent fear of an object or circumstance.
Ultimately, mephobia encapsulates the fear of success being too great to the extent that humanity cannot handle it and suffers untimely destruction. In looser terms, the urban dictionary defines mephobia as “the fear of becoming so awesome that the human race can’t handle it and everybody dies.”
At first glance, the entirety of this concept seems utterly absurd. Upon closer inspection, the concept still appears ludicrous! How can one’s success be so great that it could cause the death of humankind? Is that even possible? How can a single individual affect the entirety of humanity?
While the concept seems utterly unacceptable, there are some reasonable aspects of mephobia. Take, for example, the fear of success. This fear is quite logical as some people are genuinely afraid of what they’re capable of. Some don’t even feel like they deserve to be capable of great things. This concept forms the basis of impostor syndrome. We shall thoroughly discuss these concepts in the course of this article.
Now that we have obtained conceptual clarification let us discuss the nuances and psychology behind mephobia.
The Nuances and the Psychology Behind Mephobia
Whenever I think of mephobia, one concept consistently pops into my head without fail: narcissism! The thought that your awesomeness could end the human race is not only ludicrous but immensely narcissistic. How self-absorbed can an individual be to genuinely believe that the human race cannot handle their greatness?
While it is perfectly fine to believe that you’re capable of magnificent things (I think we all are, regardless of our backgrounds), I find it quite disturbing that an individual could believe that his greatness comes at the expense of the human race.
Some argue that the individual fears this success (seeing as it comes at humanity’s detriment). They say that this exudes modesty rather than narcissism. I view this as an impure, diluted form of modesty. What good is the modesty of an individual if it is born out of narcissism? Some might wonder why I see narcissism as the foundation of this faux modesty.
This view is owing to the unmistakable fact that the initial thought that your greatness could lead to the detriment of humanity can only come from a self-absorbed soul.
However, I don’t think that narcissism is all that there is to mephobia. I believe that impostor syndrome also plays its fair part. We shall discuss these pillars of mephobia in the next section of this article.
The Pillars of Mephobia
As I discussed earlier, the entirety of mephobia is rooted in the core concepts of impostor syndrome and narcissism. Ultimately, mephobia can be easily split into two core principles or concepts.
The first is the thought that you’re not deserving of success or achieving remarkable things. This thought can easily lead you to fear the very nature of success so that you wouldn’t have to feel like a fraud. This principle is akin to impostor syndrome.
The second core principle is the thought that your success could be so great that it would lead to the destruction of humanity. The self-absorption required to view a situation in such a selfish manner can only be accredited to narcissism. These two core concepts are thoroughly explained below.
Impostor Syndrome
According to recent studies, nearly 70% of individuals have experienced some form of impostor syndrome in their life. As such, its importance cannot be overstated.
Impostor syndrome is an internal belief that you are incompetent and underserving of your current position or achievements. In essence, impostor syndrome makes you feel that you are not as competent and dependable as other people think you are. In severe cases, this could lead to a genuine fear of success.
This fear of success is our topic of concern. To sum it up, the fear of success is the first pillar of mephobia. You see, this fear serves as the foundation of the phobia in itself. When individuals fear their success and ability, they could find some ludicrous reason not to be successful. You guessed it! That ludicrous reason is the basis of mephobia.
Narcissism
Narcissism is the second pillar of mephobia. Without it, mephobia would be a severe case of impostor syndrome. In simple terms, narcissism is immense self-absorption or self-involvement to the extent that the individual in question completely ignores the needs of those around them. I call it the crème de la crème of selfishness.
Occasionally, everyone displays some form of narcissism in one way or the other. Narcissism has many faces, such as being absorbed by a new job or a school project. However, true narcissism exists when one completely discards the feelings of others.
At this point, one might wonder what narcissism could have to do with mephobia. It’s simple. I believe that an individual must be truly self-absorbed to consider that their impending success could wipe out the entirety of humanity.
When you couple this narcissism with the impostor syndrome, you would easily arrive at mephobia.
To sum it up, mephobia is undeniably a ludicrous yet intriguing concept. The whole concept seems ridiculous. However, when you break it down into its core concepts, you begin to find some meaning behind the madness. If you have any reservations, please visit our FAQ section below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Is mephobia a real disorder?
A: No. Officially, the American Psychological Association does not recognize mephobia as an actual disorder. However, its core concepts (impostor syndrome and narcissism) are recognized social disorders.
Q: If I’m scared of my success, does that mean I have mephobia?
A: Absolutely not! We’ve already ascertained that mephobia is not a recognized disorder. If you’re scared of your success and capabilities, you probably have a severe form of impostor syndrome.
Q: Is there a test for mephobia?
A: Nope. There aren’t even tests for recognized phobias such as megalophobia. However, diagnosis can only be done by a trained professional. If you’re feeling some symptoms of severe impostor syndrome or narcissism, I suggest you seek help from a trained professional.
