Victimisation (also spelled victimization) is the state or process of being victimised or becoming a victim. The academic field that studies the process, rates, incidence, effects, and prevalence of victimisation is called victimology.
Types of Victimisation
Peer Victimisation – The experience among children of being a target of aggressive behaviour by other children who are not siblings and not necessarily age-mates. Peer victimisation is correlated with an increased risk of depression and decreased well-being in adulthood.
Secondary Victimisation (also known as post-crime victimisation or double victimisation) – Refers to further victim-blaming from criminal justice authorities following a report of an original victimisation.
Revictimisation – A pattern wherein a victim of abuse and/or crime has a statistically higher tendency to be victimised again, either shortly thereafter or much later in adulthood. This is particularly notable in cases of childhood sexual abuse. Mechanisms include maladaptive learning (where the victim comes to view abusive behaviour as "normal") and learned helplessness.
Self-Victimisation (or victim playing) – The fabrication of victimhood for reasons such as justifying abuse of others, manipulation, coping, or attention seeking.
Victim Mentality – A self-image of victimisation characterised by a pervasive sense of helplessness, passivity, loss of control, pessimism, guilt, shame, self-blame, and depression.
Measurement
In the United States, criminal victimisation is measured through the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which collects data from a nationally representative sample of approximately 77,200 households (nearly 134,000 persons) on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimisation. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, violent crime rates in the U.S. declined from 1994 to 2005, reaching the lowest levels ever recorded at that time.
Key Findings
- In 2010, the U.S. National Institute of Justice reported that American adolescents were the age group most likely to be victims of violent crime, American men were more likely than women to be victims of violent crime, and Black Americans were more likely than other racial groups to be victims of violent crime.
- Research indicates that offenders sometimes select pre-traumatised victims, as these individuals may display subtle cues (such as a "freeze" response) that make them easier targets.
