Siege mentality

Siege mentality is a shared feeling of victimization and defensiveness. It is a state of mind whereby one believes that one is being constantly attacked, oppressed, or isolated and makes one frightened of surrounding people. This can cause a state of being overly fearful leading to a defensive attitude.

Although the term evolved from real sieges, fortress of military defences, today it may refer to persecution feelings by anyone in a group that views itself as a threatened minority. This can be used in the field of sports, where coaches or managers often create a siege mentality in their players by highlighting an environment of hostility from outside the club (whether the hostility is real or exaggerated does not matter). Siege mentalities are particularly common in business, the result of competition or downsizing. Some religious groups may have this paradigm, particularly if they are not traditional mainstream groups. In addition to these sociological applications, this mentality also has political ones. For instance, dictatorships have been known to encourage this point of view among their own people, since it justifies the continuance of those in power. (See Isolationism & Xenophobia)

Etymology

Middle English: sege, from Old French: seat, from Vulgar Latin: sedicum.

See also

Related psychological behaviours:

• Defence mechanisms: can arise when one feels the need to defend oneself while being under siege.
• Persecution complex: may develop because one feels victimized and/or the need to defend against an outgroup.