Codependency
A relationship pattern where one person excessively prioritizes another's needs over their own, often rooted in childhood roles of emotional caretaking.
A relational dynamic in which one person becomes overly focused on meeting another's emotional or practical needs at the expense of their own wellbeing, boundaries, and identity. Often develops when someone takes on adult emotional responsibilities in childhood (parentification). The codependent person may struggle to recognize their own needs, fear abandonment, and feel responsible for managing the other person's emotions or problems.
What this means in real life
A partner constantly checks in on their spouse's mood, adjusts their own plans to prevent conflict, and feels anxious and guilty when unable to 'fix' their partner's bad day—even when the partner hasn't asked for help.
What it isn’t
Codependency is not simply being a caring or supportive partner. Healthy interdependence involves mutual give-and-take; codependency is one-sided, driven by fear or compulsion, and leaves the codependent person depleted and unable to maintain their own identity.
Commonly misused online
Social media often labels any relationship with imbalance or conflict as 'codependent,' when the term actually describes a specific pattern of self-abandonment and compulsive caretaking rooted in deeper psychological wounds.
Based on 1 reference source, including NIH material. Last verified July 16, 2026.