Trauma bonding is the attachment an abused person feels for their abuser, specifically in a relationship with a cyclical pattern of abuse.Post-Woke is a reader-supported publication.
I used to call it "battered voter syndrome". It's creepy. The victims are proud of being chumped and abused. They see it as a form of realism and maturity. Most of them will sabotage anything outside the familiar pattern of abuse. To top it off, they see themselves as morally superior to vote boycotters and any others who see the electoral system as a dead end in most circumstances.
I've also witnessed what you describe, James. The pride you mention is where it all diverges from the domestic abuse metaphors we're both making. I mean, people literally wear buttons and display bumper stickers to signal their support for the predators.
I used to call it "battered voter syndrome". It's creepy. The victims are proud of being chumped and abused. They see it as a form of realism and maturity. Most of them will sabotage anything outside the familiar pattern of abuse. To top it off, they see themselves as morally superior to vote boycotters and any others who see the electoral system as a dead end in most circumstances.
I've also witnessed what you describe, James. The pride you mention is where it all diverges from the domestic abuse metaphors we're both making. I mean, people literally wear buttons and display bumper stickers to signal their support for the predators.