Table of Contents
Hero complex
- Attention seeker
- Love doing welfare work
- Facing situation which affects them
- they need developed got to be needed
What is the hero complex?
A hero is someone who saves somebody else, sort of a superhero. However, “hero complex” or “hero syndrome” features a more negative meaning. Someone with a hero complex is someone who is so hooked into saving people, in order that they make “accidents” happen and save people afterward. for instance, a firefighter with a hero complex might set a building ablaze then save everyone inside. Everyone will treat him as a hero. this is often what someone with a hero complex wants – to be a hero.
The reason might be anything. the purpose could also be trying to point out their self-worth or be seen as brave by others.
It’s fine if someone needs help and you’ll be there heroin the instant .but repeatedly being a hero can consider enabling, which isn’t actually helpful.
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What causes the hero complex?
Well, since we’re not talking a few specific people here, I feel better to offer a solution aside from ‘it depends.’ a minimum of partially. It still depends on the spread of circumstances and psychological makeup.
Let’s check out a couple of reasons why an individual might develop a hero complex (self-sacrifice for somebody they discovered doing something for others actually made them happier and increased their sense of self-worth. this will be both good and bad. Good if they feel good and advance, bad if they over-extend themselves and don’t engage in self-care. they’ll have gotten many love and a spotlight in their lives, but discovered this gave them a touch boost, a touch extra, and now they only keep doing it.lse’s well-being certainly fits the martyr category).
They need the attention they lacked earlier in life. Some people have been neglected by parents, peers, and/or siblings, and in order to compensate, learned that if they did things for others, they got the attention they needed. They formed the association that if they do for others, they get praised. That praise feels good, even if it doesn’t come directly from the person they’re doing it for. Think about a person who says, “I work and I slave for this family and no one ever thanks me for it.” What typically happens after that? “Oh, X, I do appreciate it.” Or, “Oh, X, you sacrifice so much for your family and they just don’t know how much you’re worth.” Boom, just like that, the person gets acknowledgement and attention.
They discovered doing something for others actually made them happier and increased their sense of self-worth. This can be both good and bad. Good if they feel good and move on, bad if they over-extend themselves and don’t engage in self-care. They may have gotten plenty of love and attention in their lives, but discovered this gave them a little boost, a little extra, and now they just keep doing it.
They were once (or more often) in need of rescue and had no one to rescue them when they needed it. There are some who, during their formative years, experienced traumatic events and had no one to help them get through it, or prevent it from happening. I have heard more than once from people who were molested as children go on to counsel victims, enter into social work and do home visits/abuse prevention and intervention, or other similar work because no one helped them when they needed it.
They were once rescued from a terrible situation and it made an impact. This is converse in some ways to the former point, but for some, they were so grateful for their hero, they became one themselves. I remember a person I met who was a firefighter because they were once saved from a house fire when they were a child. While some find a good balance and don’t martyr themselves, some don’t and get too carried away in that hero complex. I’ve met paramedics, too, who have had similar experiences—a parent or even themselves rescued—so they emulate their emancipators, in a manner of speaking.
They are approval-seeking and require outward validation. A person who was unable to learn how to approve and validate their inner world will sometimes seek approval and validation from others to the point where they are willing to nearly die for it. Those who have this reason for their hero complex have inner worlds of insecurities abounding, and they need that other person or other people to help them feel like they’re worth something.
Glory craving. Some people just really get off on glory and headlines, whether we’re meaning literal headlines in the paper, or being the star of their own real-life family sitcom. It feeds them and keeps them going, for no other reason than they just love to hear how great they are. Why? See all the above bullet points.
They have been pushed into the role by others in a family/group dynamic. Families and peer groups can lead to people being forced into a niche in the group to keep it functioning. Ever had to do a group assignment and you or someone else winds up being the person that does all the work, never gets credit, then finally complains to someone about it and gets the acknowledgement for being hero of the day? Yeah, like that. They were pushed into the role and chose it. In some situations, they get stuck in those roles until a catalyst helps them choose to get out of it.
They’ve developed a need to to be needed. Some people, for several of the reasons above, develop a need to be needed by others and cannot see themselves in any other capacity. Some people sacrifice self-care because their identities have intertwined with being “the reliable one,” or “the hero.” Without it, they’ve lost their identities.
Why do people act heroically?
Heroes Are Concerned With the Well-being of Others consistent with researchers, empathy, and compassion for others are key variables that contribute to heroic behavior. people that rush in to assist others within the face of danger and adversity do so because they genuinely care about the security and well-being of people.
Is the Hero Complex a mental disorder?
No. While the Hero Complex is especially a psychological phenomenon, it’s not a diagnosable disorder or a clinical term. However, the reported symptoms of the Hero Complex (such as an exaggerated sense of self-worth), is analogous to a grandiose delusion, also referred to as delusions of grandeur. Patients of GD consider themselves famous, wealthy, and powerful, sometimes even pertaining to themselves in divine terms.
The Dangers of the Hero Complex
Bitter and hostile environments – As you’ll imagine, having one person consistently boast about their achievements and skills can get older pretty quickly. In teams that need communication and teamwork, the one with Hero Complex may annoy and alienate his teammates
Conclusion
These are just a few reasons why a person could develop a hero complex to the point of a martyr complex. Take a look at some of your favorite comic book or action movie superheroes. See if any of these fit. For example, Bruce Wayne was once in need of rescue from Joe Chill when Chill murdered his parents.[1] Now, that would fit my third point of gaining a hero complex. Batman was born out of the need to save himself, and his parents, from an unnecessary death. Some heroes are born out of trauma.
The hero complex is not always so bad it becomes a martyr complex, but like anything, it can be taken to its extremes, and extremes are usually not healthy.
