Encouraging Student Proficiency through Adversity: Cultivating Resilience to Overcome a Victim Mindset

This research addressed the need for effective strategies to increase student proficiency and learning competencies by reducing victim mentality in academic settings. Victim mentality is a state of mind in which individuals feel helpless or that the world is against them. The characterization of a victim mentality is predicated on the tendency to shift the blame for academic performance to external factors and perceived limitations, which can significantly impact student achievement and morale. This research study also addressed the role of academic culture, environment, and instructor interactions that can either cultivate or mitigate this state of mind. By understanding the cognitive concepts associated with victim mentality among students, instructors can identify components that build competence and resilience for students. The findings indicated that students with higher levels of resilience experienced increased academic performance. Similarly, students with higher levels of self-victimization experienced lower academic performance.