Martyr Complex

In psychology, a person with a martyr complex seeks out suffering or persecution because it meets a physical or psychological need or lets the person avoid responsibility, sometimes from a belief that they have been singled out for persecution because of exceptional ability or integrity. Other forms involve willing suffering in the name of love, duty, or a larger collective rather than for the person alone, a pattern noted especially in poor families and in codependent or abusive relationships. Some writers class the desire for martyrdom as a form of masochism or as one of several patterns of pain and suffering seeking behavior alongside asceticism and penance.