What is Victim Mentality?

The victim mentality is an acquired personality trait that may have found its grounds in one's traumatic past. People who suffer from the psychological condition of victim mentality believe that many aspects of their life is out of their control.

This draining mentality causes them to live in a mindstate that regularly avoids responsibility. Instead, they are constantly living in a fearful state and are oftentimes angry at those around them, as well as situations that they are in.

Am I Suffering From Victim Mentality?

Anyone can potentially feel like a victim. However, a lot of people who do suffer from a victim mentality have endured trauma in their past, like sexual abuse or violence.

Others may have witnessed their family members playing the victim and learned to follow suit. Additionally, co-dependent relationships can cause people to adopt this mindset.

The first step to come out of it is to address you feel this way and then move towards growth.

Here are some signs of victim mentality:

• You constantly blame others for situations in your life
• You feel pessimistic and that you are stuck
• You have adopted a "life is against me" philosophy
• When considering your own problems, you don't see the perspectives of others
• You feel powerless and, therefore, when facing any problem in your life, you have trouble coping
• When given constructive criticism and feedback, you feel attacked
• You tend to attract people who complain and blame
• You suffer from constant negative self-talk
• You find it hard to self-reflect and make changes
• You find pleasure in feeling bad for yourself
• You seek sympathy from others

Benefits to Victim Mentality

You may be wondering if the victim mentality is full of negativity, then what does someone gain from this mindset?

Interestingly, there are aspects of this way of living that provide people with certain "benefits." While these aren't actually beneficial in the long run, these feelings provide brief satisfaction and pleasure to those who suffer from constantly feeling victimized.

These feelings may include:

1. Attention and Validation:
   • People with victim mentality often receive the attention of others who feel bad for them. This could feel good for some time. But, once people realize it's constant, they may be less willing to give up their attention.
2. Less Risk-taking:
   • If you feel like a victim, you probably won't take many risks or expose yourself to vulnerability. While this protects you from rejection, it also limits the amount of opportunities you can grow from and experiences you can have.
3. Less Responsibility:
   • Taking responsibility for your own life and actions can feel heavy and burdensome. Playing the victim means you can convince yourself that things are just happening to you and you don't have control.
4. Feeling Right:
   • If you're playing the victim, you may convince yourself that someone is acting wrong or in the wrong. Then, you receive short-lived joy from "being right."