Etymology

Cinderella complex

Today it means: 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. Full definition →

Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.