Siege mentality 1471522 197555909 2008-03-11T20:30:38Z Mattisse 1386816 change cats A '''siege mentality''' is a shared feeling of helplessness, victimization and defensiveness. Although the term evolved from real [[siege]]s, today it refers to persecution feelings by anyone in the minority, or of a group that views itself as a threatened minority.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/siege_mentality/|title=What the Siege Mentality Is|publisher=www.beyondintractability.org|accessdate=2008-03-05|last=|first=}}</ref> Siege mentalities are particularly common in business, the result of competition or downsizing. Some churches may have this paradigm, particularly if they are not traditional mainstream groups. Dictatorships have been known to encourage this point of view among their own people, since it justifies the continuance of those in power. A contemporary example is that seems of [[North Korea]].<ref>{{citebook|title=Understanding Korean Politics: An Introduction|author=Soong-hoom Kil, Chung-in Moon|year=2001|publisher=SUNY Press|| pages=295|id=ISBN 0791448908}}</ref> This is also very commonly 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 or not the hostility is real or exaggerated doesn't matter). ==References== {{refs}} [[Category:Sieges ]] {{psych-stub}}