Does Your Child Have A Victim Mentality? 4 Steps To Turn It Around

“It’s not fair! You’re always yelling at me, even when it’s not my fault!”

Sound familiar? The minute you say no, or set limits, or try to enforce the rules, your child immediately says that you’re not being fair and that you always pick on him. He overreacts constantly to routine requests and takes no responsibility for his behavior. No matter the circumstances, he is always the one who has been wronged or unfairly put-upon—in other words, the victim.

If this is a pattern—your child’s typical response—she is displaying a victim mentality. And she does so because it gives heran excuse for her bad behavior that works for her.

When children take on a victim mentality, it becomes a form of defiance, used to avoid taking appropriate responsibility and being held accountable. And when it plays on our emotions as parents—getting us to question whether, maybe, we have been too tough or unfair, or making us feel guilty about any limit we try to set—rules are forgotten, limits ignored, and we lower our expectations.

Tag » When Your Mother Plays The Victim