Messiah complex

For the comic book, see X-Men: Messiah Complex.

The messiah complex is a mental state in which a person believes they are a messiah or prophet and will save or redeem people in a religious endeavour.[1][2] The term can also refer to a mental disorder in which an individual believes that they are responsible for saving others.

Religious delusion

The term messiah complex is not addressed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), as it is not a clinical term nor diagnosable disorder. However, the symptoms as a proposed disorder closely resemble those found in individuals with delusions of grandeur or with grandiose self-images that veer towards the delusional.[3] An account specifically identified it as a category of religious delusion, which pertains to strong fixed beliefs that cause distress or disability. It is the type of religious delusion that is classified as grandiose while the other two categories are persecutory and belittled.[4] According to philosopher Antony Flew, an example of this type of delusion was the case of Paul, who declared that God spoke to him, telling him that he would serve as a conduit for people to change.[5] The Kent–Flew thesis argued that his experience entailed auditory and visual hallucinations.[5]

Examples

In terms of the attitude wherein an individual sees themselves as having to save another or a group of poor people, there is the notion that the action inflates their own sense of importance and discounts the skills and abilities of the people they are helping to improve their own lives.[6]

The messiah complex is most often reported in patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.[7] When a messiah complex is manifested within a religious individual after a visit to Jerusalem, it may be identified as a psychosis known as Jerusalem syndrome.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Messiah Complex Psychology". flowpsychology.com. 11 February 2014. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  2. ^ Kelsey, Darren (2017). Media and Affective Mythologies: Discourse, Archetypes and Ideology in Contemporary Politics. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 155. ISBN 978-3319607580.
  3. ^ Haycock, Dean (2016). Characters on the Couch: Exploring Psychology through Literature and Film: Exploring Psychology through Literature and Film. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 151. ISBN 978-1440836985.
  4. ^ Clarke, Isabel (2010). Psychosis and Spirituality: Consolidating the New Paradigm (2d ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 240. ISBN 978-0470683484.
  5. ^ a b Habermas, Gary; Flew, Antony (2005). Resurrected?: An Atheist and Theist Dialogue. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 9. ISBN 0742542254.
  6. ^ Corbett, Steve; Fikkert, Brian (2014). Helping Without Hurting in Short-Term Missions: Leader's Guide. Moody Publishers. ISBN 978-0802491886.[page needed]
  7. ^ Goldwert M (1993). "The messiah-complex in schizophrenia". Psychol Rep. 73 (1): 331–335. doi:10.2466/pr0.1993.73.1.331. PMID 8367574.
  8. ^ "Dangerous delusions: The Messiah Complex and Jerusalem Syndrome". Freethought Nation. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2015.


Stub icon

This psychoanalysis-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.