History Main / ForYourOwnGood

* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': {{Exaggerated}} on a global scale by [[Characters/MonsterVerseEmmaRussell Emma Russell]]. Unlike [[MisanthropeSupreme Jonah]], Emma genuinely doesn't want ''all'' of humanity to go extinct. She rationalizes her plan to let the Titans devastate civilization as a necessary evil to prevent mankind from causing our own extinction via {{global warming}}, as she's overly confident that {{the government}} (whom [[VillainHasAPoint she points out Monarch can't stop this late into the game, a pointer for which no-one has a real retort]]) will succeed in exterminating the Titans if they try. Mark directly calls Emma out for thinking that she alone has the right to dictate the fate of the entire human race all on her own.

* ''Fanfic/DannyPhantomStranded'': During ''Empowered,'' Tucker [[CompressedVice becomes obsessed with Nasty Burger]] after a doctor criticizes its food for being unhealthy. To protest and prove that there is nothing wrong with the food, he starts to eat excessive amounts of fast food from there, much to the concern of his friends. He also ignores how detrimental his actions are, even when they begin to take a toll on his health, still insisting that he isn't doing anything wrong and continuing his "protest." Eventually, it gets to the point where Sam bribes the Nasty Burger into banning him from the establishment, much to his shock. Tucker quickly figures out that Sam is behind this and calls to confront her about it. She doesn't deny it and says this trope almost word for word to justify her actions. Tucker remains stubborn and accuses Sam of trying to push her views onto people like she tried to do in ''Mystery Meat''. However, Sam argues it's not the same and she is doing this to protect Tucker's health. She later tells his parents what he's been doing, and they punish their son by cutting off his allowance, mandating vegetables in his diet for a month, and forcing him to get a physical checkup to make sure there's no lasting damage, with Tucker's father also citing this very trope.

* ''Fanfic/DannyPhantomStranded'': During ''Empowered,'' Tucker becomes obsessed with the Nasty Burger food after a doctor criticizes it for being unhealthy. To protest and prove that there is nothing wrong with the food, he starts to eat excessive amounts of fast food from there, much to the concern of his friends. He also ignores how detrimental his actions are, even when they begin to take a toll on his health. Even so, he still insists that he isn't doing anything wrong and continues his "protest." Eventually, it gets to the point where Sam bribes the Nasty Burger into banning him from the area, much to his shock. He quickly figures out that Sam is behind him getting banned and calls to confront her about it. Sam doesn't deny it and says this trope almost word for word to justify her actions. Tucker remains stubborn and accuses Sam of trying to push her views onto people like she tried to do in ''Mystery Meat''. However, Sam says it's not the same and that she is doing this to protect Tucker's health.

* Literature/HarryPotter:

* In ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', a rather large portion of Edward's actions are for what he considers Bella's own good, whether or not she agrees--though she usually does. These actions include following her without her consent, breaking into her room every night to watch her, forcing her to flee Forks when James hunts her, leaving her in New Moon because she might be killed if she stays with him, stealing her car engine so she can't visit Jacob, etc. The list goes on, right to the end of the series.

* Kreia in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' has an unfortunate habit of [[SocialDarwinist setting large and unpleasant threats on your party in order to toughen you up]].

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* An unusual example in ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert''. Mortelli beats up the protagonist while shouting, “This is for your own good!” [[spoiler:It actually ''is'' for his own good, as it‘s part of a plan to get the protagonist acquitted of breaking and entering.]]

[[folder:Web Amimation]]
* ''WebAnimation/OverlySarcasticProductions'': Red discusses this in her Trope Talk on Post-Apocalypses, specifically the Robot Apocalypse scenario, commenting, "If anyone or anything is ever motivated by 'save you from yourself', you get the heck out of there as fast as you can because no good has ever come from that sentence."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* WesternAnimation/BugsBunny does this sarcastically when he spanks Ant Hill Harry, a.k.a. Baby Face Finster ("Baby Buggy Bunny").

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' episode "Dough Ray Me", this is Scrooge's rationale for not advancing Huey, Dewey or Louie their allowance - or giving Fenton Crackshell a raise. Scrooge claims that, if he gives them more money, they'll take money for granted, spend it foolishly, and end up homeless and begging on the street corner!

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls:''

* At the end of one episode, WesternAnimation/{{Robotboy}} says to the boy that takes care of him something like "Tommy does not love Robotboy. He does not shout at him." Tommy laughs.

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': This is Dr. Nefario's excuse for having the kids taken back to the orphanage so they stop distracting Gru from his evil plan.

* In Psalms 51 of ''Literature/TheBible,'' King David compares his [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone remorse]] at having [[UriahGambit Uriah killed]] to having God crush every bone in his body. ''David thanks Him for it.''

* In the [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist 2003 anime version]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' anime, this is basically Hohenheim's excuse for leaving his family: [[spoiler:because of his immortality, his body is slowly rotting away and he didn't want his family finding out. There's also the matter of Dante and the Homunculi keeping tabs on him.]]

All too often, when someone is forced to do something they don't want to do, they will be told, "It's for your own good!" This will usually be said by a parent. Other variations may include "We're doing this because we love you", "We're doing this because we care." or "You'll thank me for this later."

All too often, when someone is forced to do something they don't want to do, they will be told, "It's for your own good!" This will usually be said by a parent. Other variations may include "We're doing this because we love you" or "We're doing this because we care."

* In many ''[[Fanfic/TheConversionBureau Conversion Bureau]]'' [[RecursiveFanfiction spin-off fics]] the Equestrians see their AssimilationPlot as noble and good because HumansAreTheRealMonsters. The PER take it further by forcibly ponifying people under the pretense of "saving" them, whether they want it [[BalefulPolymorph or not]]. It's pretty easy to see why detractors of the TCB Universe compare the ponies in these fics to [[ScaryDogmaticAliens conquistadors]] or [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazis]].

* WesternAnimation/BugsBunny does this sarcastically when he spanks Ant Hill Harry, a.k.a. Baby Face Finster ("WesternAnimation/BabyBuggyBunny").

* WesternAnimation/BugsBunny does this sarcastically when he spanks Ant Hill Harry, a.k.a. Baby Face Finster ("WesternAnimation/Baby Buggy Bunny").

* WesternAnimation/BugsBunny does this sarcastically when he spanks Ant Hill Harry, a.k.a. Baby Face Finster ("Baby Buggy Bunny").

* This was a common explanation in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} for why the good guys had spent the whole issue behaving like jerks to their {{Love Interest}}s / {{Sidekick}}s / {{Mentor}}s. The person in question would always accept this without complaint and things would go right back to normal. It is one of the main excuses for [[Website/{{Superdickery}} Superman being a dick]].

* ''Film/AirplaneIITheSequel''. At the "[[TakeThat Ronald Reagan Hospital for the Mentally Insane]]", the sign reads ''"We Cure People the Old Fashioned Way"''. Cut to a bunch of orderlies [[BedlamHouse beating a patient with slapjacks]], while telling him "It's for your own good!"

* In the book ''The D- Poems of Jeremy Bloom: A Collection of Poems About School, Homework, and Life (Sort Of)'', one of the titular poems is about this trope and why anything that's "for your own good" is generally horrible and depressing.
* In Psalms 51 of ''Literature/TheBible,'' King David compares his [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone remorse]] at having [[UriahGambit Uriah killed]] to having God crush every bone in his body. ''David thanks Him for it.''

* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': In "Spare That Rod!", Principal Osgood Conklin's rationale for his strict discipline policy (read dictatorial) at Madison High School. Well, it's either that, or he just likes making everybody miserable!

* ''Series/SexEducation'': What Headmaster Groff says when he [[spoiler:sends his son, Adam, to military school against his wishes]].

* ''Series/TheBarrier'': Begoña, the neighborhood TheStoolPigeon for the PoliceState, justifies reporting people as it being for everyone's own good, including that of the people being reported themselves. Another state informer is shown to think people are better off dead than part of LaResistance.

* Music/ImogenHeap's song "Hide and Seek" in its bridge:
--> . . .Mm what'd'ya say? Hmm, that it's all for the best? Of course, it is.

** "Pretty convenient how every time ''I'' build character, ''he'' saves a couple hundred bucks."

* The whole in-character idea behind Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s Right To Censor stable, even invoked by name by the leader, [[Wrestling/StevieRichards Steven Richards]]. Out of character, it was a pretty blatant TakeThat against the Parents Television Council.
* Valentina was left alone in SCW before and Wrestling/{{TNA}} after but discouraged from joining Women's Extreme Wrestling by her sister, [[Wrestling/MickieJames Alexis Laree]], on the grounds it was a racy {{garbage wrestling}} fed (yes, even more so than early TNA)

* Wrestling/MadisonRayne advised Brittany to stop trying to help in her feud against Wrestling/TheBeautifulPeople insisting that only years of dealing with them could make someone ready and that kind of prolonged exposure to them would not be worth it. Rayne took an even harder stance on the issue after Wrestling/AngelinaLove and Wrestling/VelvetSky gave Brittany a concussion.

* Alex Shelley's reason for cancelling Wrestling/LioRush's cancellation of a flight to Germany and kicking him out of the tournament to be a third of Ring Of Honor's first World Six Man TagTeam champions in favor of KUSHIDA. It turned out to be part of a complex gambit to give Rush a ''better'' chance at winning the whole thing, a better chance at assuring a team like The Kingdom lost, though the Kingdom won anyway.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Mystara}}'' when the Alphatian point of view is voiced, they are resentful over the lack of appreciation Thyatian "barbarians" show for conquering and enslaving, er, patronizing and "educating" them in general, and over "perverting our teachings" (not becoming TheMagocracy too after they kicked Alphatians out) in particular.

* David Sarif from ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' gave Adam all of his augments without his consent, at the cost of removing stuff that didn't even [[EmergencyTransformation need to be removed]]. But given Sarif's views on Augmentation and how much he sees it as a benefit to anybody, he genuinely sees what he did as a favor more than anything else.
* Toriel in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' wants to keep the player character from leaving the ruins for this exact reason, even going far enough to attack you if you insist on leaving anyways. [[spoiler:Her concern is 100% sincere, since she wants to protect the player from the same fate as the other humans who left. She makes the player fight to prove they can survive out there, and makes her attacks avoid the player if their health drops too low.]]

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has Tarquin finishing [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0758.html an overview of his scheme]] of creating three empires with puppet rulers controlled by him and his pals playing [[GoodCopBadCop bad empire - good empire]] until they subsume the whole continent with "It's for their own good". Because [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything once everyone else is conquered, there's going to be peace, right?]]
** Haley wanted to [[spoiler:[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0773.html bust her father out of prison]]]] against his will when she lost patience with his self-important paranoia.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' episode "Dough Ray Me", this is Scrooge's rationale for not advancing Huey, Dewey or Louie their allowance - or giving Fenton Crackshell a raise. Scrooge claims that, if he gives them more money, they'll take money for granted, spend it foolishly, and end up homeless and begging on the street corner!
* In the original ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' cartoon, [[BigGuy Omega Supreme]] tries to undo the brainwashing done to his enemy, Devastator, using this phrase in the process. Devastator throws the phrase back into his face during a later fight.

* At the end of one episode, WesternAnimation/{{Robotboy}} says to the boy that takes care of him something like "Tommy does not love Robotboy. He does not shout at him." Tommy laughs.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "The Safety", Darwin uses this to justify his extreme [[SafetyWorst safety measures]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' episode "Arrivederci, Odie!" Jon takes Odie to the vet, Odie refuses by trying to stay in the car, Jon tells him that he is going and that is that, and it is for his own good.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "Frankendoodle", [=SpongeBob=] says this verbatim when erasing [=DoodleBob=] to stop him from rampaging across Bikini Bottom.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse:'' The Gems and Greg use the "because we love you" version when grounding Steven and forbidding him from watching TV (for a thousand ''years'') when he and Connie try running away. The watching Maheswarans approve, especially Dr Maheswaran.
-->'''Dr. Maheswaran:''' That was a masterful use of the "because we love you" shutdown. Personally, I'm fond of the "it's for your own good!" myself.

* A near-catchphrase of the Tau Empire in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', along with For The Greater Good, to justify all ''sorts'' of things. The thing to bear in mind is that they mean it -- their belief in acting on TheNeedsOfTheMany is absolute and they would much rather be your friends, but if you're going to force the situation to be hostile... what else can they do?
** The Imperial Guard actually have a rule called "For Your Own Good", where a Psyker that comes under psychic assault while using their powers is summarily killed as a precaution if a Commissar is in the squad.

* In ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldandFriends'' episode "Arrivaderci, Odie!" Jon takes Odie to the vet, Odie refuses by trying to stay in the car, Jon tells him that he is going and that is that, and it is for his own good.

* The only ''really'' valid reason for Literature/HarryPotter's return to his ridiculously unfit guardians every summer was that pesky blood-protection bit [[EccentricMentor Dumbledore]] thought so much of. 'Twas for his own good, but only in the most basic-survival sort of way.
** Dumbledore also points out a couple times that it was rather useful in stopping Harry from becoming full of himself due to being exposed to fame at a too-early age. Whether it was worth the abuse he got instead is up for debate...

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'': If, during Tali's LoyaltyMission, Shepard decides to ignore her incredibly strident pleas and [[spoiler:get her father struck down as a traitor]], once back on the ''Normandy'', Shepard will justify themselves on these lines. Tali... ''[[WhatTheHelloHero disagrees]]''.

* In the [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist 2003 anime version]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' anime, this is basically Hohenheim's excuse for leaving his family: [[spoiler:because of his immortality, his body is slowly rotting away and he didn't want his family finding out. There's also the matter of Dante and the Homonculi keeping tabs on him.]]