Superman complex
A Superman complex is an unhealthy sense of responsibility, or the belief that everyone else lacks the capacity to successfully perform one or more tasks. Such a person may feel a constant need to "save" others.
The expression seems to have been first been used by Dr. Fredric Wertham in his 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent and his testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency. He claimed that children reading Superman comic books were exposed to "phantasies of sadistic joy in seeing other people punished over and over again while you yourself remain immune."
See also
- Messiah complex
- Superiority complex
- God complex
- Chronic Hero Syndrome
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/12/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.