From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
State of mind where a person believes they are a savior or will be
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 state of mind in which an individual believes that they are responsible for saving or assisting others.
Religious delusion
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
. 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
.
[7]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Messiah Complex Psychology"
.
flowpsychology.com
. 11 February 2014.
Archived
from the original on 21 March 2014
. Retrieved
25 July
2015
.
- ^
Kelsey, Darren (2017).
Media and Affective Mythologies: Discourse, Archetypes and Ideology in Contemporary Politics
. Cham, Switzerland:
Palgrave Macmillan
. p. 155.
ISBN
978-3319607580
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
Clarke, Isabel (2010).
Psychosis and Spirituality: Consolidating the New Paradigm
(2d ed.). Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley & Sons
. p. 240.
ISBN
978-0470683484
.
- ^
a
b
Habermas, Gary; Flew, Antony (2005).
Resurrected?: An Atheist and Theist Dialogue
. Oxford:
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
. p. 9.
ISBN
0742542254
.
- ^
Corbett, Steve; Fikkert, Brian (2014).
Helping Without Hurting in Short-Term Missions: Leader's Guide
.
Moody Publishers
.
ISBN
978-0802491886
.
[
page needed
]
- ^
"Dangerous delusions: The Messiah Complex and Jerusalem Syndrome"
.
Freethought Nation
.
Archived
from the original on 16 December 2013
. Retrieved
25 July
2015
.
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