Siege mentality

Siege mentality is a shared feeling of victimization and defensiveness—a term derived from the actual experience of military defences of real sieges. It is a collective state of mind whereby a group of people believes themselves constantly attacked, oppressed, or isolated in the face of the negative intentions of the rest of the world. Although a group phenomenon, the term describes both the emotions and thoughts of the group as a whole, and as individuals.

The result is a state of being overly fearful of surrounding peoples, and an intractably defensive attitude.

Characteristics

Among the consequences of a siege mentality are black and white thinking, social conformity, and lack of trust, but also a preparedness for the worst and a strong sense of social cohesion.

Examples

At a national level, siege mentalities existed in Bolshevik Russia, Communist Albania, Rhodesia, Apartheid South Africa, and recently in Syria from 2011 to 2013 as a result of ideological isolation; while a similar mentality is currently to be seen in Bahrain, Cuba, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, Israel, and Venezuela where it is arguably encouraged by the leadership to help justify their continuance in power.