CINDERELLA COMPLEX: A META-ANALYTIC REVIEW

Abstract

Women’s dependency has been a widely debated topic all over the world. A woman is always expected to do only what is appropriate in contemporary society since infancy, and they are not prepared for independence or self-sufficiency from the moment they are born. The idea of female dependency began to cause confusion and discontent among the ‘new independent women’. The fear of being independent then termed as the Cinderella Complex. Cinderella Complex refers to the fear of being independent, causes unconscious desire to be taken care of by others (C. Dowling, 1981). Here the investigator planned to go through the studies conducted in India as well as outside to have a deep understanding on the concept of Cinderella Complex, its dimensions, method of study, related concepts, implications etc. The investigators used meta-analysis as the method for approaching the problem. Six studies which met the inclusion criteria were selected for this study. Findings of the study show that it is interpreted that women having high scores in Cinderella Complex are bound to show negative motivation towards personal growth. Furthermore, an interventional approach is being developed to motivate and train young women towards personal growth. KEYWORDS: Cinderella complex, Meta-analysis, Women, Dependency