Christy Manson's List: Annotatedbibliography

Ellison, Sharon. "Eliminating Our Own Victim Mentality". n.d. n.p. Web. 19 Feb. 2011.

Sharon Ellison in her webpage “Eliminating Our Own Victim Mentality” argues that by following the advice given on the webpage people struggling with victim mentality will overcome it and know how to better face it. Ellison supports her argument by giving various circumstances and how someone with victim mentality would react versus how someone who is not effected by that mindset would react. Her purpose is to help people who struggle with the mindset and do not know what to do. The author writes the examples and various paragraphs in a light tone and manner that is not intimidating to the intended audience of people who live with victim mentality. 

Ellison builds her support to her argument with numerous examples of everyday circumstances. This would be important on the solution part of my research paper and project. Since the examples seem very likely to happen to most people, knowing how to deal with these everyday type situations would in fact help the inside struggle of thinking like a victim. This webpage is also helpful because it explains what victim mentality is in a down to earth and non-intimidating manner. 

Halper, June A. "Stop the Bellyaching". USA Today Magazine. May. 2007. Web. 24 Jan. 2011.

June Halper in her article "Stop the Bellyaching" proves that victim mentality effects not only the person who's life it controls, but to effect others as well. Halper uses evidence such as percentages, numbers and basic facts to prove her point. The author uses a mild tone but is able to grab the reader's attention by including information on victim mentality that is very intriguing. Halper's use of a mild, yet intriguing style of writing suggests that the audience would be business people, big corporations, or people interested in mentalities of a victim and what goes on in their head.

This article will be really useful to draw ideas and refer to in my research paper. Out of all the sources I have found, this one does the best job at describing what victim mentality is and how it effects the person as well as others. My introduction will have citations from this article to make it a good attention grabber and a well written and thought out introduction on my topic.

Harper Steven. "The Victim Mentality".  14 Mar. 2010. Web. 19 Feb. 2011.

 
Steven Harper posted his "The Victim Mentality" onto a church website, in which argues that by turning to God can play a role in helping overcome the mentality of thinking like a victim. The author is very preachy and talks about religion and weaves inside the solution to overcome victim mentality. Harper's purpose is to intertwine the reader, this specific mindset, and God. By tying in all of these elements together he supports his argument by quoting scripture and giving off a preacher vibe. The author's tone is very preachy and almost is intimidating, definitely for an audience looking for commanding religious guidance more than looking for advice with  resolving victim mentality. 

This was a very interesting post about victim mentality. However, not everyone believes in God, and people who are dealing with this mindset have probably blamed God for things that have happened in their life. I do not think that linking God into this matter will be productive in helping people deal with this mindset, since the only person who can change you is you. The use of this would weaken my research paper as well as the solutions I present.

Herzfeld, Noreen. "Open wounds". 26 Jul. 2003. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.

Noreen Herzfeld, in the article "Open wounds" argues that victim mentality can be found and looked at on a bigger scale; instead of it being one person who suffers, the author writes to show the damages victim mentality causes on a national level, effecting it's country, government, cities, communities, and finally back on a personal level as well. The author's augmentative and historical style of writing/tone indicates she wrote this for an audience looking for a good debate on government or world events, or anyone interested in the state of other countries.

What makes this source different from other ones I have found, is that it relates victim mentality on a bigger scale. I would use this article for my research paper because it has the right kind of information my paper needed to be more provoking and attention grabbing. Pointing out that victim mentality effects people on a bigger scale seems to make it more important due to the fact that it effects more people on a larger scale. Parts of this article talk about why victim mentality would be a good thing, something that I am arguing. Knowing the other side of the argument potentially helps you prove your point by knowing what to say and what not to say, which would help you win the argument in the end.

"How to Break Out of a Victim Mentality: 7 Powerful Tips". 14 Nov. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.

"How to Break Out of a Victim Mentality: 7 Powerful Tips" shows that victim mentality can take over lives. In this type of blog set-up, the author writes and addresses what most people arguing victim mentality would not not include, which would be the benefits of being a victim and having a victim mentality. As a whole this author's tone, word choice and topics are centered around how to escape ones own mentality. The audience would be anyone dealing or coping with victim mentality and trying to come out on top.

Making a point of how there are benefits of being a victim and then comparing them to all the negative outcomes that it leads to will shock the reader, and make them lean more to being against the idea of thinking like a victim. Another reason this source would benefit my article would be that it slyly hints to victims of victim mentality are not victims at all. Realizing that some people aren't victims at all, just insecure people looking for a way to fit in, looking for sympathy, and just looking for a friend, yet they have not found the attention they crave so that is why they turn their normal mentality to a victim mentality, so maybe for all of us to just reach out to our peers, instead of sympathizing them, will put an end to teen suicide and depression caused from victim mentality.

Nia. "Getting Out of Victim MEntality". 13 May. 2010. Web. 19 Feb. 2011.

Nia, the author of the blog: “Getting Out of Victim Mentality” proves that everything that has been researched about victim mentality is true. Nia talks about the struggles she faced dealing with this mentality and supports her claims by expressing her feelings of what it was like. The author has two purposes of posting this blog. The first was for themselves, having a place to express their feelings is key to getting through their mentality. The next was for people who are also dealing with this problem can come and read and comment or ask question to the blogger. The author writes in first person and the tone indicates it was written for in particular people who have this mentality.

Unlike research papers done on this topic that explains what victim mentality is, a blog that talks about what its like has a better effect, since it is from the actual victims point of view.  This blog will help with my research project because it is real. Sure facts are facts, but having from someone who actually has gone through this mentality and came out on top would be great evidence on why this is important. Nia talks about her thoughts and how happy it is to be free of this mentality, also another important aspect of using this as a part of my paper.

"Our culture is to blame for widespread bullying". USA Today. MAS Ultra - School Edition. 16 Apr. 2010. 22 Feb. 2011.

The online comments, in response to an article written by Caitlyn Kelly describing the effects of bullying and the story of a 15 year-old girl who killed herself due to be harassed, were published in USA Today Magazine, demonstrate that victim mentality is the source of other problems. The authors' purpose of responding to Kelly's article was to mainly voice their opinion, and argue their view point of the situation and topic. The audience would be anyone interested in the topic of teen suicide, and the tone of the comments are argumentative and trying to prove a point which makes them more interesting to read. 

These three to four comments made were written by anonymous people who have an opinion on teen suicide. The comments also  discretely but distinctively suggest that being a victim leads to bigger problems such as suicide. The use of this source in my research paper would be beneficial due to the fact that it is such a different perspective/outlook on victim mentality. I think that it would make my paper stronger since it is such an out of the box perspective on the matter.

Perera, Karl. "Victim mentality - You Don't Have to Suffer!". n.p. n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.

Karl Perera in the article "Victim Mentality - You Don't Have to Suffer!" demonstrates that people don't have to be a victim; by breaking down the definition, cause, and solution for victim mentality he is helping numerous people who suffer with this mindset. The author supports his ideas by role-playing situations in which having the mentality of a victim verses taking control of our lives plays out. Of course the role of being in control is more effective than thinking and pursing victim like thoughts. Perera's purpose is change they way people view the world. Perera writes to inform anyone who is honestly interested or concerned about his or her situation. 

Karl Perera uses specific insight, and helpful information on how to turn people who are suffering from thinking like a victim lives around. His solutions are both reasonable and practical that can really effect people who truly want to change. This article would be to my advantage to use because of how honest and helpful the writer talks. Also by emphasizing the word 'you' throughout his insightful article, really speaks out to the readers by making it pertain to themselves.

Roberts, Selena. " A Young Man's Fall to Grace". Sports Illustrated. 17 May. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.

Selena Roberts in "A Young Man's Fall to Grace" published in Sports Illustrated, establishes that victim mentality can lead to bigger problems if left un-dealt with. Roberts uses a condoling tone when talking about Jordan Burnham's suicide and how he over came it. The audience would be teenagers, high school teachers, and parents of high school students, also reading this article can help students parents and teachers recognize signs and what to do to help their peers.

Although this article does not talk about victim mentality, victim mentality can cause depression which could lead to suicide so to have an article on the emotions and thought process of a suicide survivor who ended up turning his ways, and now is an advocate for depression and teens suffering from suicide like thoughts would make my research paper touch lives and get onto a personal level. Also for part of my action plan, contacting Jordan Burnham and perhaps talk to him about what his thoughts were before and after he attempted suicide would then in turn give me the understanding of suicide victims which leads to my ultimate goal of helping teenagers who suffer with victim mentality to not let it get to this point.

"Victim mentality - how it will stop you from ever achieving anything, ever!" 19 Jul. 2010. Web. 19 Feb. 2011.

In this online article "Victim mentality - how it will stop you from ever achieving anything, ever!" (2010), discusses how having victim mentality effects our ability to get things done while living a life of fear. By making it personal, the author of the article supports the argument and ideas by giving his or her real struggle against victim mentality by talking in first person throughout the article.  The author's purpose is that by showing the effects of victim mentality in turn can help people become more aware of how to come out on top, like the author explains he/she accomplished. The author's word choice indicates this article is for anyone, most likely middle aged persons interested in or have struggled with having the mentality of a victim, looking for a way out of their silent downward spiral. 

This article is written in first person, which gives it a more powerful effect. By using information from their own experiences, makes it capable of touching many more people verses an informational medical article. The author uses profound words such as 'vicious downward cycle', 'sucking the life out of me', 'I believed the whole world was against me', etc… To use the information given in this article would be to my advantage for my research paper and proposal. Real experiences of the struggle of this mindset highly more effective than just researched facts about this mindset.

Barker, Barbara. "Victim Mentality". Self Growth. n.p. n.d. 30 Mar. 2011. Web.