Victim Mentality Is a Trauma Response, Too

"When someone has had an experience or series of experiences wherein they were powerless, that sense of helplessness can get stamped onto their perceptions. Psychologists have known this for decades. As early as 1967, an experiment subjected dogs to repeated shocks in such a way that the dogs could not predict when they would be shocked (Overmier and Seligman, 1967). Over time, the creatures simply accepted the shocks and became docile."

"A victim's mentality is a trauma response. Similarly, entering unsafe relationships or predicaments time and time again can be a way of re-enacting the past. This is not to say that the person is to blame for the abuse, but that due to having been harmed in the past, they may be primed toward what is familiar, while predatory abusers take advantage."

Repeated, unpredictable painful experiences can imprint a sense of helplessness onto perceptions, producing learned helplessness. The 1967 experiment by Overmier and Seligman subjected dogs to unpredictable shocks; over time the animals became docile and stopped attempting escape, even after shocks ended. Traumatic experiences like abusive homes can create a victim's mentality and prime people to re-enact unsafe relationships. A victim's role is a trauma response and does not imply blame for the abuse. Predatory abusers can exploit familiarity with harm. Healing can occur through corrective exposure-like experiences that reverse helplessness.

Read at Psychology Today