Identifying Secondary Gains in Psychology

Identifying PSYCH-K secondary gains may help you achieve greater results with your health and life.

Are you not seeing the results you want despite trying different healing methods? Do you feel stuck or unable to make progress? We’re here to help you uncover the root of these challenges by exploring secondary gains and how they can impact success in every area of your life.

Secondary Gain Psychology

In psychology, a secondary gain occurs when you unconsciously benefit from a problem. It refers to receiving advantages from unwanted conditions, circumstances, or limitations. In other words, you may experience hidden benefits from not overcoming a problem. While the problem itself isn’t positive, these benefits can make it harder to resolve, as they unconsciously support keeping the issue rather than solving it.

Though secondary gains may seem like a paradox, they’re quite common in psychology. You might think you’d prefer to overcome challenges, but the hidden advantages of staying stuck often explain why action isn’t taken. From a psychological perspective, secondary gains offer insight into these hidden dynamics.

When problems persist because they offer benefits, it can feel easier to maintain the status quo than address the root causes. However, addressing these secondary gains is key to long-term growth. Understanding the hidden benefits of keeping problems can help you break free from limiting patterns and move forward with healthier behaviors.

What Are Secondary Gains?

Secondary gains can manifest as health issues, injuries, addictions, or other unhealthy behaviors.

For example, if you crave attention and accidentally injure yourself, the injury may result in people caring for you. While you get the attention you desire, it’s at the expense of something unwanted (the injury). Although achieving the desired outcome may feel beneficial, it perpetuates the problem. Many secondary gains persist until they are addressed at a subconscious level.

Secondary Gain Examples

Below are examples of secondary gains. Each starts with the problem or unwanted condition, followed by the positive benefits that may be gained from it.

You accidentally injure yourself. 

Secondary gain example: You take time off work, your family cares for you, and you receive extra attention. While the situation may be challenging, the added care and attention can feel rewarding.

You break up with every person you date for no good reason.

Example: You avoid letting people get close to you, which means no one sees the real you. As a result, your flaws and vulnerabilities remain hidden, providing a sense of safety.

You suffer from anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

Example: People become friendlier and more caring. There are fewer expectations placed on you, and others make more of an effort to spend time with you. Your partner remains supportive and stays with you.

You’re addicted to smoking/alcohol.

Example: Your addiction helps you relax and fit in socially. Addictions often have hidden benefits that may provide what you’re seeking, but these come with significant costs.

Secondary Gains with Health

You put on weight and can’t lose it no matter what you do.

Secondary gain example: You may feel more relatable to your friends. Perhaps you don’t believe you deserve attention, or past experiences made you feel it’s not safe to be perceived as attractive. As a result, you might unconsciously carry extra weight as a way to fit in and protect yourself.

You have health issues, such as chronic fatigue or pain.

Example: It may prevent you from being social, working, or engaging in activities you’d rather avoid. You can stay home and do less. Although your fear of failure causes anxiety and stress, not having to take action means you don’t have to face the possibility of failure.

You get diagnosed with chronic illness.

Example: You quit a job you dislike, allowing you to focus on activities you enjoy, such as reading, yoga, and cooking healthy meals. Your family becomes more supportive and offers additional help.

You experience infertility.

Example: You no longer worry about your fears of being a bad parent, and your stress decreases since you don’t have to navigate supporting another person. Alternatively, if you love your job, you may feel relieved that you don’t have to take time off work.

Overcoming Secondary Gains With PSYCH-K

Why are secondary gains a problem?

When it comes to achieving your PSYCH-K goals and Belief Statements, secondary gains can both help and hinder your progress. While they may assist in reaching your desired outcome, it’s often not in the way you intended. They can also block solutions, prevent growth, and perpetuate issues, leading to more unhealthy patterns over time.

How does this make it difficult to change?

The benefits of secondary gains can prevent you from making changes because these gains may hold more value than your desired goal. Even if you’re unaware of them, they can keep you stuck, leading to temporary progress followed by a return to old habits. To fully resolve unwanted patterns, it’s important to address these underlying issues.

Identify Your Problems & Gains

Secondary gains can stem from experiences in adulthood, childhood, or even past lives. Start by examining your problems: What benefits do you receive from them? Is something keeping you stuck? What fears are present? PSYCH-K can help you address and transform fears around losing those benefits. It can also shift old beliefs and perceptions, allowing you to create new outcomes. Together, we can find healthier ways to achieve what you want while meeting your needs.

For example, a smoker may find relaxation through smoking. Replacing that habit with healthier activities like HeartMath, yoga, meditation, or exercise could provide the same sense of relaxation. The key is to find something more motivating and fulfilling than the old behavior.

Another example is someone who seeks attention and gets injured as a result. How else can attention be received without an injury? Is the need for attention from others, or from yourself? It may be helpful to focus on giving yourself more attention through practices like self-love and self-care.

Ready to break free from limiting patterns? Explore PSYCH-K today and start transforming your life.