Victim Mentality

Some people never come clean
I think you know what I mean
--The Eagles

A victim is someone who has been harmed. Victims can be harmed by the actions of others that injure the victim's person or property in some way (e.g., murder, rape, robbery). People can also be 'victims of circumstance' unrelated to the actions of others (e.g., struck by lightning, disease).

It is possible for people to develop victim mentality. People with victim mentality see themselves as victims regardless of whether they really are. Victim mentality is a learned mindset--learned from past experiences or from observation of others' experiences.

The power of suggestion might also play a role. If people tell you that you are a victim, then you might start believing it.

People who think that they are victims engage in various unproductive behaviors, such as blaming others for problems, believing that success is largely the result of luck, and relishing in the mistakes of others.

Victim mentality is also likely to drive a sense of entitlement. Others are thought to 'owe' the victim for past harms committed. Retribution in the form of suppressing the freedom of others, so that everyone operates with the same perceived handicaps as the victim, is possible.

Victim mentality becomes particularly problematic in democratic societies where government is authorized to redistribute wealth. If enough people convince themselves that they are victims, then this group could become a powerful special interest group that buys political favor and appropriates economic resources produced by others.

There is an argument to be made that such a corrosive situation contributes to our current predicament.