Cinderella complex

English

Etymology

From the title of a 1981 book by Colette Dowling, The Cinderella Complex: Women's Hidden Fear of Independence; named after the girl from the fairy-tale Cinderella, who is rescued from her life of poverty and mistreatment by a prince.

Noun

Cinderella complex (plural Cinderella complexes)

1. The situation where a woman has an unconscious desire to be taken care of by others, and thus requires help from some outside force, usually a man.