Compulsive behavior of taking responsibility for others' emotions, problems, or well-being, often at the expense of one's own needs. It differs from healthy caring by being driven by anxiety, guilt, or fear rather than genuine choice.
Originally meaning 'temporary management' from 'care' (Old English 'caru' meaning anxiety/sorrow) and 'take.' The psychological meaning evolved in the 1980s through codependency research, distinguishing unhealthy caretaking from healthy caregiving.
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