{"id":6719,"date":"2022-08-19T17:33:16","date_gmt":"2022-08-19T17:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=6719"},"modified":"2022-08-19T17:33:16","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T17:33:16","slug":"savior-complex-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/savior-complex-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Savior Complex  \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did someone just accuse you of having a \u2018<strong><em>savior complex<\/em><\/strong>?\u2019 What are they talking about, and is it a problem? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u2018<em>savior complex\u2019<\/em> means someone has <u>a mental issue where they feel responsible for another person\u2019s safety or well-being<\/u>. However, in reality, the other person doesn\u2019t need them at all. In fact, by intervening, <u>the individual with the savior complex may cause harm or problems to the individual or group they\u2019re trying to help.<\/u><\/p>\n<p>Typically, people with a \u2018<em>savior complex\u2019<\/em> are <u>narcissistic<\/u>. The \u2018<em>savior complex\u2019<\/em> also goes by the name \u2018<em>messiah complex\u2019<\/em> or \u2018<em>Christ complex<\/em>.\u2019 It refers to someone who <u>thinks they have the solution to others people's problems<\/u> but <u>fails to deliver any beneficial solution to the individual or group.<\/u><\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWhy is it that social justice warriors have such a savior complex? They\u2019re always sticking their nose in other people\u2019s business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat guy has a real savior complex. He\u2019s trying to help that community, but he\u2019s only making things worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s drop the savior complex there. I don\u2019t need your help. I don\u2019t care if you think you know what\u2019s best for me. Leave me alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease, stop it with the savior complex. You can do nothing to help, and by going there, you\u2019ll create a dangerous situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6720\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Savior-Complex-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"137\" height=\"183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Savior-Complex-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Savior-Complex.jpg 277w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 137px) 100vw, 137px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6721\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Savior-Complex-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"279\" height=\"140\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>Language experts are unsure of the origin of the term \"savior complex.\" However, some believe the phrase emerged in the 2000s. The term 'white savior complex' is more common on social media. Writer Teju Cole coined the term 'White savior complex' in the wake of the release of the 2012 documentary 'Kony.'<\/p>\n<p>Cole went on to unpack the term's meaning in a seven-part series of tweets. Cole also wrote an article on the meaning of the expression in 'The Atlantic.'<\/p>\n<p>\"Savior Complex\" is the name of the eighth track on Phoebe Bridger's album \"Punisher,\" released in 2020. The song lyrics involve how a savior complex impacts a relationship.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Savior Complex: When \u2019helping\u2019 hurts you \u2014 Susan Winter\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NU4aVHGOk6E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Savior Complex<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>White savior complex.<\/li>\n<li>Narcissism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Savior Complex<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine assistance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Savior complex.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Savior Complex Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Some people may use the phrase to refer to someone's genuine acts of charity or goodwill. A person with a savior complex is narcissistic, and they only help others because there is something in it for them. Using the term to describe a social worker or peace corps officer would be incorrect, as these individuals have a genuine approach to helping people.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Savior Complex<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the phrase 'savior complex' when referring to someone who feels they have to help people. However, their action of involving themselves with others may be detrimental to the other person's health or safety. You could say a person has a savior complex if they help others to make themselves feel good or elevate their community status.<\/p>\n<p>Essenti9ally, people with a savior complex aren't helping others for goodwill. They help others to make themselves feel important. If a white person feels they have a duty to help black people, they may have a 'white savior complex.' They think that they can make a difference in black and brown people's lives because they are white.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Did someone just accuse you of having a \u2018savior complex?\u2019 What are they talking about, and is it a problem? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u2018savior complex\u2019 means someone has a mental issue where they feel responsible for another person\u2019s safety or well-being. However, in reality, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6719"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6719"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8052,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6719\/revisions\/8052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}