Victim mentality is an acquired personality trait
in which a person tends to recognize or consider themselves as a victim
of the negative actions of others, and to behave as if this were the
case in the face of contrary evidence of such circumstances. Victim
mentality depends on clear thought processes and attribution.
In some cases, those with a victim mentality have in fact been the
victim of wrongdoing by others or have otherwise suffered misfortune
through no fault of their own. However, such misfortune does not
necessarily imply that one will respond by developing a pervasive and universal victim mentality where one frequently or constantly perceives oneself to be a victim.
The term is also used in reference to the tendency for recognizing one's misfortunes on somebody else's misdeeds, which is also referred to as victimism.
Victim mentality is primarily developed, for example, from family members and situations during childhood. Similarly, criminals often engage in victim thinking, believing themselves to be moral and engaging in crime only as a reaction to an immoral world and furthermore feeling that authorities are unfairly singling them out for persecution.
The term is also used in reference to the tendency for recognizing one's misfortunes on somebody else's misdeeds, which is also referred to as victimism.
Victim mentality is primarily developed, for example, from family members and situations during childhood. Similarly, criminals often engage in victim thinking, believing themselves to be moral and engaging in crime only as a reaction to an immoral world and furthermore feeling that authorities are unfairly singling them out for persecution.
Foundations
In
the most general sense, a victim is anyone who experiences injury,
loss, or misfortune as a result of some event or series of events.
This negative experience, however, is insufficient for the emergence of
a sense of victimhood. Individuals may identify as a victim if they believe that:
- they were harmed;
- they were not the cause of the occurrence of the harmful act;
- they were under no obligation to prevent the harm;
- the harm constituted an injustice in that it violated their rights (if inflicted by a person) and/or in that they possessed qualities (e.g., strength or goodness of character) making them persons whom that harm did not befit;
- they deserve sympathy.
The desire of empathy is crucial in that the mere experience of a
harmful event is not enough for the emergence of the sense of being a
victim. In order to have this sense, there is the need to perceive the
harm as undeserved, unjust and immoral, an act that could not be
prevented by the victim. The need to obtain empathy and understanding
can then emerge.
Individuals harbouring a victim mentality would believe that:
- their lives are a series of challenges directly aimed at them;
- most aspects of life are negative and beyond their control;
- because of the challenges in their lives, they deserve sympathy;
- as they have little power to change things, little action should be taken to improve their problems.
Victim mentality is often the product of violence. Those who have it
usually had an experience(s) of crisis and/or trauma at its roots.
In essence, it is a method of avoiding responsibility and criticism,
receiving attention and compassion, and evading feelings of genuine anger.
Features
A victim mentality may manifest itself in a range of different behaviours or ways of thinking and talking:
- Identifying others as the cause for an undesired situation and denying a personal responsibility for one's own life or circumstances.
- Exhibiting heightened attention levels (hypervigilance) when in the presence of others.
- Awareness of negative intentions of other people.
- Believing that other people are generally more fortunate.
- Gaining relief from feeling empathy for oneself or receiving empathy from others.
It has been typically characterized by attitudes of pessimism, self-pity, and repressed anger.
People with victim mentality may develop convincing and sophisticated
explanations in support of such ideas, which they then use to explain to
themselves and others of their situation.
People with victim mentality may also be generally:
- realist, with a general tendency to realistically perceive a situation; yet may lack an awareness and/or curiosity about the root of actual powerlessness in a situation
- introspective
- likely to display entitlement and selfishness.
- defensive: In conversation, reading a negative intention into a neutral question and reacting with a corresponding accusation, hindering the collective solution of problems by recognizing the inherent conflict.
- categorizing: tending to divide people into "good" and "bad" with no gray zone between them.
- unadventurous: generally unwilling to take even small and calculated risks; exaggerating the importance or likelihood of possible negative outcomes.
- exhibiting learned helplessness: underestimating one's ability or influence in a given situation; feeling powerless.
- self-abasing: Putting oneself down even further than others are doing.
A victim mentality may be reflected by linguistic markers or habits, such as pretending
- not to be able to do something ("I can't..."),
- not to have choices ("I must...") ("I have no choice..."), or
- epistemological humility ("I don't know").
Victims of abuse and manipulation
Victims of abuse and manipulation often get trapped into a self-image
of victimisation. The psychological profile of victimisation includes a
pervasive sense of helplessness, passivity, loss of control, pessimism, negative thinking, strong feelings of guilt, shame, self-blame and depression. This way of thinking can lead to hopelessness and despair.
It may take a long period of time for therapists to build a trusting
relationship with a victim. There frequently exists a distrust of
authority figures, and the expectation of being hurt or exploited.
Breaking out
In 2005, a study lead by psychologist Charles R. Snyder indicated that if a victim mentality sufferer forgives himself and/or the situation leading to that mental state, symptoms of PTSD and/or hostility can be mediated.
For adolescent victims, group support and psychodrama
techniques can help people gain a realistic view of past traumas. These
techniques emphasis the victims' feelings and expressing those
feelings. Support groups are useful in allowing others to practice assertiveness techniques, and warmly supporting others in the process.
However, successful identified techniques have included therapeutic teaching methods regarding concepts of normative decision theory, emotional intelligence, cognitive therapy, and psychological locus of control.
These methods have proven helpful in allowing individuals with a victim
mentality mindset to both recognize and release the mindset.
Politics
One
may consider collective victimhood in political settings. If the leaders
of a country, and the citizens who support them, collectively feel like
victims of neighboring countries (e.g. following past border disputes),
those leaders may be more likely to advocate violent conflict
resolution or suppression of freedom of speech.
Political psychologists Bar-Tal and Chernyak-Hai write that
collective victim mentality develops from a progression of
self-realization, social recognition, and eventual attempts to maintain
victimhood status.
