Is the saviour complex codependency ?
What causes someone to have a savior complex ?
Is the saviour complex codependency ?
Even without a mental disorder , developing some form of a saviour complex in relationships is possible . For instance , codependency isn ’ t an official disorder but a psychological state of mind where you ’ re overly dependent on another person . One person acts in a similar way to a saviour . Codependency is more extreme , and the saviour complex is only one aspect . In codependency , you essentially lose yourself in the other person . Your identities become so enmeshed that you struggle to differentiate whose needs are whose .
This Brunel University thesis explores a group of people ’ s experience of codependency and refers to codependency as being like a seesaw . They experience a big hole deep down inside that they try to fill by being overly perfect as a partner , parent , worker , and across all their roles in life . Then they swing to self-care as they realise they ’ re about to break . This comes with feeling guilty that they ’ re not doing enough for other people . They are uncomfortable with their emotions , so they flip back into high-activity mode again . On the other hand , hero complex psychology is only about saving someone else . You still know yourself and your needs but choose to sacrifice them . Moreover , you don ’ t experience such deep helplessness over your feelings like codependents .
What causes someone to have a savior complex ?
All our behaviours are driven by our deep inner beliefs and the feelings that go with them . Saviour complex psychology explains how beliefs of , for example , omnipotence could lead to a male saviour complex . For example , in some cases , caregivers can come across as disorganised regarding emotions and how they run their lives . Children then pick up the need to find ways to support them , or they internalise that they need to be perfect to be accepted .
So , they grow up with the belief that they need to help people to feel good . Essentially , helping others becomes their purpose in life . The attachment style we developed as we grew up as children is closely linked to codependency , as this article on codependent avoidant relationships explains . Similarly , the saviour complex in relationships is linked to attachment issues because there ’ s an imbalance .