By Lawrence D. Blum, M.D.

        Having previously lived in New York and Boston, I was struck when I moved here by what a wonderful city this is, and by how little pride Philadelphians take in it. As a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, I often see patients who feel inferior, and it is tempting to compare Philadelphia’s “inferiority complex” with patients’ feelings of inferiority. With all the visitors we are expecting with this summer’s Republican convention, this is a good time for Philadelphians to address how we feel about and present our city.

        Our feelings about ourselves as Philadelphians have been evident in our dealings with visitors. Until recently there were few road signs: Philadelphians already knew their way around, and surely no one else would have any interest in being here. If a tourist asks a Philadelphian “Are you from around here?” the Philadelphian does not say, “Yes, I live in Philly.” Rather, he is likely to reply, “No, I live in South Philly” (the Northeast, West Philly, etc.) There is no identifying with Philadelphia as a whole, as if it is somehow less than the sum of its parts. A low level of civic pride and leadership, at least among the city’s financial elite, also has been apparent in the difficulty of obtaining funding for our new performing arts center. Similarly, Philadelphia has been slow to capitalize on its opportunities to participate in the expanding hi-tech economy. Hi-tech? Us??

        If the problem were modesty, one might be tempted to attribute it to our city’s Quaker origins, but Philadelphia suffers from self-disparagement rather than modesty. This may derive from our nearness to the financial, artistic, and excess capital of New York, and the political capital of Washington, D.C. Philadelphia seems to regard these neighboring cities as big brothers or superiors, and is unduly deferential to them.

        My patients sometimes voice this deference quite directly. If they buy a garment in Philadelphia, they feel it must be inferior to one from New York. They may consult a surgeon practicing in New York, thinking he (or she) must be superior by virtue of location, even when Philadelphia surgeons may have a national reputation in the particular specialty.

        The second-rate feeling has effects in surprising places. When it comes to sports, Philadelphia has a national reputation for being hard on its athletes. Well-known athletes have admitted to not wanting to play for Philadelphia teams because of this. Fans everywhere want their teams to bring them a feeling of superiority. But Philadelphians display a special sense of angry desperation. We have no time for patience and development; we demand instant results. Anyone who fails to deliver promptly is booed out of town, a bum like us. Just ask almost any recent Eagles quarterback. Watch out, McNabb!

        Patients’ feelings of inferiority frequently prove to result from unconscious guilt and anxiety about doing well. Although unaware of it, they believe that if they advance themselves, they will be attacking a big brother or, more fundamentally, a parent. Successes thus make them feel guilty and fear retribution.

        Some people are so afraid of success that they become expert at “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” Sometimes we see athletes who become well known for “choking,” golfers who tend to bogey when they have the chance to win a tournament, or baseball players whose batting average plummets when players are in scoring position. In the business world one sees people who unwittingly work against themselves to prevent their advancement, or who suddenly get nervous or can’t sleep after getting a promotion. Sometimes people make sure they lose out in love. For a person to stop defeating herself (or himself) often requires a good deal of hard, but very worthwhile, work in psychotherapy.

        What does one do for a city? Former mayor Ed Rendell did an outstanding job of encouraging Philadelphians to have a more positive attitude toward the city. With patients this is often not enough, and it likely isn’t with Philadelphia either. As in psychoanalytic therapies, self-awareness is necessary, for one can’t overcome an obstacle one doesn’t see. We Philadelphians should recognize our pattern, our hidden tradition, of collective self-disparagement; this is the first step in stopping it. Stopping the self-disparagement enables a realistic appreciation of the person’s, or city’s, strengths and weaknesses, opening up new possibilities. Further, Philadelphia has to stop deferring to the authority of its rivals, New York and Washington. Rather than feeling like a lesser New York or D.C., it has to be its own excellent Philadelphia.

June, 2000