Betrayal In Psychology

Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a trust or confidence that produces a moral and psychological conflict within a relationship between people. This act usually discloses information that was not supposed to be shared with other individuals. This act also produces a lot of distress upon the person who is betrayed. Another definition of betrayal is to disappoint the hopes and expectations of individuals who are close to us. Both definitions are important because they illustrate how betrayal is a terrible action that should not be done.

The biggest consequence of betraying someone is a strong sense of loss of trust. Trust can be broken by being stolen from, lied to, misled or cheated on in different levels. Additionally, trust …show more content…
There are various psychological effects to betrayal. The most prominent psychological effects of betrayal are shock, loss and grief, morbid preoccupation, damaged self-esteem, self-doubting and anger. The initial feeling that most people experience with betrayal is shock. People do not genuinely expect their close friends or loved ones to betray them. The betrayal is shocking because it is not expected and leaves the victim confused on how to feel. This confusion leads to the a sense of denial with the victim of the …show more content…
People who have been betrayed experience stages of the grief. They go through a period of denial, where they wish they did not have to accept the harsh reality of the situation. Then they come to terms with their feelings of either sadness or anger. Eventually, they come to realization acceptance where they decide to either move on from the situation or forgive the perpetrator. Individuals experience grief due to the lost of trust in the relationship that has occurred between both the perpetrator and the victim. The victim also experiences grief due to realization of the potential lost of the relationship and how it might not be able to be