Recent Innovations in Psychology

Recent Innovations in Psychology

Examining and Describing the Victim Mentality in People with Borderline Personality Disorder

Document Type : In English

Authors
Peyman Dousti 1
Narges Hosseininia 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Ph.D. in Health Psychology, Department of Health Psychology, Kish International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish Island, Iran
10.22034/rip.2024.459160.1035
Abstract
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a prevalent psychological disorder in clinical and community settings. A significant portion of people with BPD seem to carry a victim mentality with them throughout their life years. Therefore, this qualitative study aimed to examine and describe the victim mentality in individuals with BPD using content analysis. The sample consisted of 134 psychological records of individuals diagnosed with BPD who attended a psychological clinic in Tehran between 2021 and 2023. Data saturation was reached after analyzing 33 records. The information obtained from the psychological records was organized, and then the collected data was classified. The findings revealed that the victim mentality in individuals with BPD manifests in five categories, characterized by 12 states and 30 indicators. These categories include: (1) Abandonment of Responsibility, (2) Belief in Being Defeated in Life, (3) Blaming Others and Inducing Guilt, (4) Chronic Feelings of Loneliness, and (5) Feeling Chronically Abused. The findings suggest that the victim mentality in BPD is not merely a role-playing strategy but a deeply ingrained schema about I am a victim.
Keywords
borderline personality disorder
victim mentality
interactive pattern
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 24 May 2024
  • Revise Date 07 June 2024
  • Accept Date 21 June 2024
  • First Publish Date 29 November 2024