The Phenomenon of Victimization in the Context of the Thesaurus of Socio-Psychological Victimology of Personality

Victimology as a special scientific direction is developing at the junction of sciences: criminology, sociology, philosophy, pedagogy and psychology. This creates serious methodological problems when conducting a particular study. Using the concept of “victimhood”, a criminologist means vulnerability to crime, a sociologist – social status, a teacher – the consequences of violence in the educational system, and a psychologist means a special combination of personal characteristics. The author aims to conceptualize the concept of “victimhood” within the framework of the methodology of socio-psychological victimology, the authorʼs direction developed by E. V. Rudensky. A semantic analysis of the concepts of “victim” and “victim” is carried out, the phenomenon of victimhood as a socio-psychological vulnerability of an individual to critical life situations is substantiated. A difficult life situation, a risk situation becomes a kind of catalyst for the victimhood of an individual. The article reveals the essence of victimhood as a consequence of interactive victimogenesis and pathology of interpersonal relationships. The author presents the phenomenology of victimization by form and type of existence. In the end, the author summarizes the theoretical and methodological analysis of the phenomenon of victimization. Victimization in the thesaurus of socio-psychological victimology is a multifaceted and complex socio-psychological phenomenon that has its own specificity and destructive dynamics.