Often called the god complex or saviour complex, the messiah complex is a psychological
construct in a person’s mind that drives behaviour to help people. It makes people want to
desperately seek out others who need help and assist them. The problem with this complex
is that, opposed to most complexes, it brings up the questions – whether this behaviour is
beneficial to others and whether it is beneficial to the person himself.
All of this begs the moralistic questions – Are there certain situations when helping is not
alright, even when done with the purest of intentions? Is it alright to help someone to make
yourself feel good? Is the assistance somehow tainted because it wasn’t done completely
altruistically? So basically, if being honestly selfless and having a messiah complex leads to
the same result, does the action mean different things?
In extreme forms, this complex is considered a pathological symptom of disorders like
bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The problem with a person taking responsibility for
other people’s happiness is that they take on too much. Believing that you have the
responsibility for a number of people’s happiness is a lot of pressure. However, the person
helping does have him/her rewards. It is very likely that a person committed to helping
others will receive love and affection for the same. So, this quality could help them form
bonds based on mutual dependence and belief in each other.
An added benefit would be if the person is aware of this complex. When Jung proposed the
concept of Complexes, he also proposed that it was possible for people to be conscious of
them, despite their inherently unconscious root. If a person knows of this behaviour-driving
force, they are able to understand and control their behaviour. They can limit the number of
people they allow themselves to believe they are responsible. This reduces pressure and
produces a higher chance of reciprocation for their actions.
If a person is unaware of this complex, there is no denying that the person would often find
themselves frustrated and unhappy because those around them are not happy. A lack of
understanding of this feeling would be very confusing, leading to even more frustration,
further leading to a pretty unpleasant cycle. However, this is not necessary. It is also
possible that the person can be happy and loved just like a person aware of their complex.
In a world where everyone is consistently “cutting themselves off” from anything which
hurts them, isolating themselves, being responsible for only you, becoming more and more
selfish people who care lesser and lesser about people around them, happiness is becoming
a scarce commodity. Keeping this in mind, you must ask yourself as to whether it is so bad
that a person is out there, who are driven to just help no matter what. In fact, think about it in
a more micro situation, wouldn’t you love a friend who thinks it’s his/her responsibility to
help you as opposed to some who don’t?
But all of this is one side of the coin. It is assuming that this person is extremely self-
controlled. It is assuming that the person would not take on too much. It ignores the part
that if a person believes that they are responsible for everyone’s happiness, they are also
responsible for everyone’s unhappiness. They take everything personally ignoring rationality telling them otherwise. The major problem is that so much unconditional support is likely
to be taken for granted. The problem wouldn’t stop there as since saviour complex dictates
that the person puts others before his own interest, it would lead to a stalemate where
neither would stop preying on the other. This relationship will inevitably end at a point
when the person tries to help in a situation when they aren’t wanted and be shunned from
the other’s life.
It’s an unfortunate conclusion, to say the least. However, the point of writing is this is to
heighten your sense of awareness. Next time you help someone, just take a moment and
think. Introspect. It might surprise you. The thing about the messiah complex is that a little
bit of it inevitably enters one or more of our relationships, if not all. And hence, we can
always see little facets of it peeking out in our everyday life. Whether we decide to embrace
and control it or shut it out, is up to us.
Coming to terms with her seniority, 18-year-old Josika is a second-year student of Psychology at Lady Shri Ram College for Women. With an eccentric range of hobbies ranging from learning Mandarin Chinese to musing about the weirdest of topics, Josika’s existence is validated only by her dog (as of now).
Bubbling with excitement at the prospect of debating the self-esteem out of anyone, you would find her interrupting every teacher that teaches her or thinking of new ways to save the world.
