Page 111 - Fearless Leadership

98 FEARLESS LEADERSHIP

VICTIM

Purpose:
Purpose:
PERSECUTOR
Being Right
Being Right

CO-CONSPIRATOR

EXHIBIT 4-2: The Roles in the Victim Triangle

you fall into victim mentality, you get to be right and totally power-
less. By definition, victims do not take accountability and let others
dictate their actions.
What keeps victims stuck is denial. They don’t believe they are
victims; in fact, most perceive themselves as highly responsible. The
more fervently someone denies that they are a victim, the greater the
likelihood that they are.

The Persecutor. Where there is a victim, there is always an enemy
or persecutor. Victims feel forced into a bad situation or into doing
something against their better judgment or will. The people who are
perceived as inflicting pain are called the persecutors, the bullies, or
tormentors. The persecutors can be individuals, groups, or circum-
stances. This is important in the victim triangle because the perse-
cutors fuel the victims’ need to blame and fight against something
or someone.