Victimization is... Concept and types of victimization

Victimization is a concept that in some psychological modalities is interpreted as the process of becoming a victim. According to one of the founders of the doctrine of positivist victimology, B. Mendelssohn, the concept of “victim” is the opposite of the concept of “criminal”.

The very term “victim” and the theory that a person, unconsciously or consciously, by his behavior provokes a criminal to commit violent acts, causes a lot of controversy among psychologists.

Factors that give rise to a tendency towards victimization

Victimization in psychology is a special understanding of the world when a person, with all his thoughts and actions, stimulates the attraction of troubles towards him, and he himself acts as a victim.

The development of victimization does not occur on its own, but under the influence of certain factors, which are conventionally divided into 2 groups:

• phenomenological;
• social.

Social factors

Educators and psychologists unanimously believe that a person who grew up in a normal environment does not have a subconscious desire to harm himself and becomes a victim. In addition, the instinct of self-preservation inherent in nature prevents the emergence of victim traits.

Based on these facts, many experts see the reason for the development of victimization in a dysfunctional environment, when a child from childhood has formed distorted ideas about himself, about relationships with other people, and about moral values.

Areas of study

Before talking about such a social phenomenon as victimization, as well as identifying the reasons for its development and influence on other processes of social development, it is necessary to clarify the basic concepts of this term. It must be said that this problem is dealt with in such areas of scientific knowledge as psychology, sociology, pedagogy, jurisprudence, etc., which elevates this topic to the ranks of the most pressing.

How to stop being a victim?

Some victimized people like to feel like a victim: by arousing pity, they get rid of the need to decide something and bear responsibility even for themselves.

In this situation, the person must first of all be influenced by the environment, which needs to stop feeling sorry for him, especially if there are no serious reasons for this. This action will push the victimized person to leave his comfort zone if he is interested in getting out of his condition.

In the absence of a desire to change anything, a victimized person may become offended by his environment, which has ceased to perceive him as a victim, which will indicate that this role was simply convenient for him and he has no need to leave it. In this case, it will be quite difficult to help from the outside.

For those who are aware and understand their problem, the following advice from a psychologist can help:

• you need to learn not to worry about trifles;
• do not be afraid to express your opinion, learn to defend your interests;

• Don’t get too hung up on problems and beat yourself up;
• you should get used to taking responsibility, not giving in to difficulties, but trying to overcome them;
• you need to stop shifting the blame for your failures onto others;
• Get used to making decisions in your own life on your own.

The concept of victimization in psychology

Some psychologists express the opinion that there is a special victim behavior. This behavioral model implies that a person constantly finds himself in the position of a victim, attracting rapists, maniacs and other people who like to make fun of him.

The concept of “victimization” first appeared in criminology. There is even a corresponding branch of criminology - victimology, which studies the process of becoming a victim of a crime. Subsequently, some psychotherapists armed themselves with this concept, who began to view victimization as a complex of pathological properties of a person who constantly finds himself in the position of a victim. Nowadays, this phenomenon is studied in various spheres of human life, but most of all in family relationships.

A person suffering from this “pathology” constantly finds himself in unpleasant situations in which he is harmed in some way. In this case, the cause of harm can be not only another person, but also anything: an animal, bad weather, a natural disaster, any unfortunate combination of circumstances.

Proponents of the existence of victimization may encounter objections, because it seems that they are blaming the victims for the misfortunes that happen to them: the notorious “it’s your own fault” argument. In reality this is not the case. The guilt of the criminal in the crime has not yet been canceled, as well as the accident in circumstances and the existence of natural disasters. It's just that some researchers have noticed certain patterns in terms of, for example, how criminals choose their victims or why some people attract the unhealthy attention of villains, while others do not.

Proponents of this phenomenon point out that victimization behavior is especially characteristic of adolescents. A person at this age is endowed with enormous ambitions and qualities - such as youthful maximalism; however, insufficient knowledge of life leads to the fact that, under the influence of his ambitions, he constantly finds himself in unpleasant situations. Dissatisfaction with the result gives rise to the desire to “take revenge,” which leads to new troubles - and so on.

It has been noticed that some people tend to enter into conflicts over the slightest issue, even when disagreements can be avoided. On the other hand, no one doubts that school hooligans choose a special type of classmates for their atrocities - physically weak, naive, vulnerable, stupid, stooped, with a mincing gait, etc. Such people behave “funny” and cannot give back.

Examples of victimization behavior

1. When teenagers start doing something as a bet: who can jump from a certain height, who will drink more or steal a car. As a rule, such disputes end in disastrous events.
2. If a girl walks home alone late at night in a short miniskirt through a seedy and unlit neighborhood.
3. High school girls who start flirting with older men. This doesn't lead to anything good either.
4. A person who brags or displays a large amount of money. Most likely, greedy people will become interested in it and will forcibly take away the funds.

By my own stupidity

They are usually called bunglers. The person seems to understand everything, but he didn’t finish it there, he forgot, he didn’t think well here. He didn’t turn off the oven, didn’t fix the brakes in time, and was daydreaming while crossing the road. This is inattention, carelessness and negligence in relation to one’s own safety.

There is more of a character trait here that is difficult to fight. You just need to learn to live with it. If you forget about the oven, buy one with an electronic timer; If you forget to take timely measures to save your own life (such as fixing brakes or insulating an exposed wire) - make “reminders”; sleep on the go - choose safe routes.

But the peak of stupidity occurs among lazy people. When you are too lazy to reach a pedestrian crossing, it shortens the path through a busy highway. Too lazy to go to a car service center, and he drives a broken car. Too lazy to do it right - so he does it anyway. And then - oh, how did that happen? Probably just...

No, guys, nothing happens on its own. If you want to live happily ever after, engage in self-education and eradicate laziness.

Types of victimization

Victimization is a large complex of features that are considered as the cause of aggression and illegal actions. Researchers have identified several types of victimization.

Behavioral - manifests itself in the position “I am guilty” and “I am innocent.” A person who takes the position of an innocent person often provokes aggression towards himself and deliberately chooses dangerous situations. Being in the position of the innocent, he falls into it by accident, he does not provoke the aggressor in any way.

Based on the number of victims, mass and individual victimization are distinguished. With mass victimization, a large group of people (often of a certain nationality, with physical characteristics) suffers. In the case of individual victimization, there is only one victim.

Victimization Case Study

In order to understand under what circumstances an ordinary person becomes a victim of crime, it is necessary to conduct a number of studies.

Victimization and its degree are determined if total data on the number of all victims is available. This does not depend in any way on the severity of the crime, its outcome or the presence of other factors that provoked the incident.

Simply put, victimization is the totality of all cases in which an object suffered moral or physical damage.

In addition, thanks to the study of the degree of predisposition to becoming a victim, we can talk about such a concept as crime. If we draw parallels between the cause and effect of these phenomena, the conclusion suggests itself. The more victims, the higher the crime rate, which means that human destructiveness is actively developing as an element of the social life of society.

Victimization and its types

Since victimization is a complex set of behavioral acts, researchers identify a number of its types according to different parameters:

• According to the behavior of the victim: guilty and innocent. In the first case, the victim actually provokes the aggressor or deliberately ends up in a dangerous situation; in the second case, a person falls into the victim state by accident or does not deliberately provoke the aggressor. Example: in the first case, a group of people beat up a gopnik who himself threatened to attack them. In the second case, the gopnik himself “runs into” a person who looks physically weak.
• By number of victims: individual and mass. In the first case, one person becomes the victim; in the second - some kind of social group (for example, representatives of a certain nationality).

Process communication

To prove this, it is worth noting that these two phenomena are inextricably linked. Any action aimed at achieving the state of victim has its logical conclusion.

This means that at the moment when a person is attacked, regardless of what the outcome of the event was, he automatically acquires the status of a victim. In this case, the attack itself is victimization in the process concept. And the person against whom the crime was committed is the result.

That is why victimization is the process of influence of one event on another. The more crimes occur, the higher the risk of becoming a victim.

Victimization, how to get rid of it

Severe victimization is considered a deviation that requires treatment. Therapy for people exhibiting victimized behavior is carried out comprehensively. A person whose victim behavior was formed in childhood needs the help of a team of specialists - a psychologist, a psychotherapist (psychiatrist).

Medications prescribed by a specialist can reduce the intensity of depression, ease anxiety, and normalize sleep. All this provides a resource for further psychological and psychotherapeutic study of problematic topics.

The work of a psychotherapist or psychologist with a victimized client is aimed at:

• revision of the attitude towards the events of the past, the formation of a strong feeling that something that happened before does not affect the situation today;
• formation of a stable, positive self-perception, increasing the degree of self-esteem, developing a sense of independence;
• correction of views, attitudes, changes in behavior patterns, revision of the value system;
• developing the ability to understand your emotions and feelings, control, analyze thoughts and actions;
• developing the ability to adequately communicate with others, interact productively, and correctly assess the attitude of other people and their intentions.

All of the listed areas of psychological work are very important, but they must be complemented by the formation of an environmentally friendly, friendly environment in which a person lives. It is important to reconsider your immediate environment, stop communicating or minimize contact with people who make you feel fear and feelings of inferiority. It is necessary to direct energy to those activities in which you can get good results and achieve success. All this is not avoidance or an attempt to hide from danger, but necessary measures of mental hygiene.

Victimization is... in pedagogy

By the way, according to pedagogical theories, there are several age stages at which the risk of developing victimization is increased. There are 6 of them in total:

1) The period of intrauterine development, when the influence is exerted through parents and their incorrect lifestyle.

2) Preschool period. Ignoring parents' need for love, misunderstanding of peers.

3) Junior school period. Excessive care or, conversely, its absence on the part of parents, the development of various defects, rejection by teachers or peers.

4) Adolescence. Drunkenness, smoking, drug addiction, molestation, influence of criminal groups.

5) Early youth. Unwanted pregnancy, attribution of non-existent defects, alcoholism, failures in relationships, bullying by peers.

6) Youth. Poverty, alcoholism, unemployment, failures in relationships, inability to further study.

Main symptoms of victimization

A person with victimization may exhibit a variety of behaviors. Among them are the following:

• a high level of neuropsychic stress is expressed in indecisiveness and shyness, difficulty remembering and concentrating, decreased intellectual performance, which results in difficulties in communication;
• emotional instability , that is, unpredictable expression of emotions, which manifest themselves in a lack of self-control and impulsiveness, irritability, sudden changes in mood;
• increased level of conformity , that is, instability to group pressure, inadequate craving for submission, absolute compliance and pliability to the opinions of others, lack of independence, unquestioning agreement with the opinions of society;
• increased level of anxiety , which is expressed in a depressed emotional state, apathy, dissatisfaction with one’s appearance and oneself, loss of interest in activities that brought pleasure, in any situation, a tendency to see an unfavorable outcome, an increase in blood pressure, increased sweating, increased heart rate is also likely;
• lack of criticality , that is, the inability to abandon prejudices, the lack of an opinion on some issue;
• easy suggestibility, gullibility, timidity;
• inadequately low self-esteem is expressed in constant complaints about life, a tendency to blame others and complain about them, a feeling of self-pity, a focus on one’s shortcomings, any comments are taken personally, an unjustified feeling of guilt, a feeling of constant fear of making mistakes, lack of friends;
• excessive conscientiousness and high moral responsibility , which determines the “readiness” to be a victim;
• pronounced provocative behavior (a person does not understand that his behavior provokes violence), for example, a wife expresses her dissatisfaction and complaints to a drunken husband;
• inability to take responsibility for making decisions in problematic situations;
• conflict and contradictory behavior , for example, openness is manifested through accusations and ridicule, the need for support is manifested by the threat of breaking relationships, sociability is manifested by imposing contact with other people;
• a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness manifests itself in a concentration on survival, constant fear, and a lack of ability to predict the results of one’s actions and behavior;
• a distorted perception of one’s feelings can be expressed, for example, in perceiving the desire for openness and sincerity as an expression of weakness, or the need for support as proof of one’s uselessness and uselessness.

Let's meet, beauty?

It is believed that victims of rapist attacks are exceptionally beautiful young ladies in miniskirts. But no - they attack the decently dressed, the ugly, and those who are well over their age... It's not a matter of appearance or clothing - the problem is behavior.

Of course, there is no need to wander around half naked at night in a crime-prone area. It's clear as day. But women are raped in quiet areas, in elevators, in hallways, and even in their own homes.

The most dangerous behavior is expressed by girls who flirt with strangers for sexual reasons. She herself may not understand what she is doing - she just likes to flirt. But you can flirt in different ways. Violence occurs in cases where a man with a predisposition to aggressive behavior decides that the lady does not mind. And when it turns out that she was just flirting and had no intention of doing anything like that with him, a whole series of negative reactions are triggered. She decided to ditch me! Oh, so, are you planning to play? Along with physical arousal, resentment, anger, and the desire for revenge grow.

“Our motto is invincible - we will excite and we will not give in!” Such games are still possible with guys you know well, who are guaranteed not to raise their hand. But this, at least, is not beautiful. But in the case of a stranger, retribution can follow immediately.

Well, of course, you don’t need to visit strangers. Never, under any pretext. Even to very polite ones.

If we talk about the situation of a girl/rapist/dark street, then a cowardly and insecure woman is most at risk of becoming a victim of a maniac. Limp signals and silent horror are perceived by the attacker as permission to act. But if a girl intends to defend her honor in all possible ways, the rapist will read it on her face and prefer to choose another, more “compliant” one. Because no one wants to walk around with a scratched face or get their knee hit by a crime weapon.

***

Accidents are not accidental - this is what the hero of the film “Route 60” said. And indeed, our future is mostly determined not by chance, but by our own actions. And as can be seen from everything written, what seems like an evil fate and an unpleasant surprise is just a pattern emanating from certain actions. We just need to open our eyes and realize our own responsibility for what is happening to us, learn to live safely and, as little as possible, create situations leading to tragic consequences.

Examples

Each of us could observe examples of victimization in everyday life. Here, let's say, is the situation when a girl returning home from a party late at night walks instead of calling a taxi. Consciously or unconsciously, it provokes an attack by intruders, especially if the action takes place in a disadvantaged area.

Another common situation is when a person gets involved in a conflict with a drunken hooligan, rowdy, while he could have walked by.

As already mentioned, when a person finds himself in a victim situation, many illiterate people cause such a speculative reaction as justifying the rapist. This is also common in many traditional societies, including Islamic ones. There, for example, no one stands up for a raped woman, since it is believed that she dressed and behaved too “provocatively” - she was on the street without a burqa, without a man accompanying her, wore open clothes, trousers, etc. In some countries (as in In Saudi Arabia, a raped woman is officially brought before a Sharia court as the culprit because she “provoked the sinful behavior” of her attacker.

In Russian society, of course, such legislation does not exist; however, victim blaming is widespread. This is facilitated by the extremely low level of education and culture of Russians, outdated ideas about “rules of decency,” as well as a criminal gang mentality, a tendency to live “by convention” and extol villains.