English Explanatory Dictionary

Cinderella complex

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  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.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Cinderella complex.wav

Word forms

Cinderella complex Cinderella complexes

Etymology

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

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