When people talk derisively of a "victim mentality" I think they're referring to someone who (in their opinion) is falsely claiming being badly done to, in order to get some reward. imo a REAL "victim mentality" is inadvertent masochism and defensiveness following some kind of authentic trauma, which is NOT going to get better by deriding or attacking the person!!! A genuinely fearful and self critical person is just going to absorb any further unwarranted criticism as if it were true.