Victimhood

In a country beset by identity politics it seems as though the common denominator among many such disparate identities is rooted in victimhood. In such a polarized nation, our focus article (Why People Feel Like Victims) would suggest, victimhood is "a badge of honor . . and gives people strength." 

We will discuss the research behind the assertion that this form of claimed and/or exaggerated victimhood "has aggression inside it, a lack of empathy and rumination" and serves to elevate the moral status status of the claimant and becomes self-reinforcing such that "the more you feel like the victim, the more you extend those feelings to all your interpersonal relationships."

The threshold question is whether this phenomenon, with its very own label, “Tendency toward Interpersonal Victimhood (TIV),” is best described as a personality disorder, a mere cultural tendency exhibited by “normal” people, or a cynical device to further political agendas.

The question would seem worth pursuing in that while there are, to be sure, so many examples of legitimate historic and contemporary grievances there are also instances where the connection between any alleged wrongdoing and the party purportedly aggrieved is tenuous at best, even laughable. 

The distinction becomes especially important when identity politics is front and center in tearing at the very fabric of our Republic.