Savior complex

This article is about the state of mind. For the television series, see Savior Complex (TV series).

In psychology, a savior complex is an attitude and demeanor in which a person believes they are responsible for assisting other people.^[1] A person with a savior complex will often experience empathic episodes and commit to impulsive decisions such as volunteering, donating, or advocating for a cause.^[2] A person with the complex will usually make an attempt to assist or continue to assist even if they are not helpful or are detrimental to the situation, others, or themselves.^[3] It is often associated with other disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and is commonly used interchangeably with the similar term 'Messiah complex'.^[4]

See also

• Hero syndrome
• Messiah complex
• Superman complex
• White knight
• White savior