What Is Work?

Moving on to the “definitions” series, let’s explore the definition of work.

Work is defined as purposeful human activity, involving the transformation of natural resources to meet human needs. (Universal Encyclopedia, vol. 3. Warsaw 1997 p. 729).

I always find statements like these intriguing, almost like clever jokes. If I were hiring for a job, I’d ask these questions during an interview, just to see how people react.

What exactly is work? What about activity? How about life?

There’s a set of terms often used to define other terms. In a way, this process is somewhat like trying to chop someone’s legs off to ask about walking. It’s like asking what time is by instead asking: what is a measure?

Oh, I’d probably be quite the unusual head hunter.

Shifting gears a bit, did you ever watch this movie? It’s a fascinating experiment. As it turns out, there are objects strangers avoid, like a wallet outlined with a circle, and even people.

What Is Victimology?

Just a couple of days ago, I had a friendly chat with my thesis promoter in Psychology. This occurred after completing the PhD defense.

There, we discussed life, death, and the unique traits of Polish society. Above all, what struck me was his mention of feeling out of place to avoid confrontation.

This surprised me, as I grew up in a housing estate with Paktofonika and Kaliber 44 influences. In fact, 85% of the folks wear tracksuits there.

I’ve traveled alone extensively. Furthermore, I have lived alone in Praga Południe for a year, even visiting places like San Francisco’s homeless district at 2 AM. 

Yet, no one ever approached me. Well, perhaps someone did, just to share a smoke, offer a drink, or give me a lift.

Later, the guardian mentioned that I seem to have a unique “victimogenic potential.” He even referred to a separate discipline of science called “individual victimology,” which focuses on analyzing who might become a target due to specific characteristics (like reduced physical fitness or lacking defense mechanisms).

What Are the Classic Victim Typologies?

There’s a classic victim typology by von Henting. Specifically, he identified those at a higher risk of crime. This included young people, women, the elderly, mentally challenged individuals, immigrants, minorities, and more.

According to von Hentig (1948), this early victim typology was significant. It was one of the first systematic attempts to analyze how certain personal or social characteristics correlate with a heightened risk of victimization.

According to Mendelsohn (1956), a founder of victimology, victims fall along a spectrum of culpability. This spectrum ranges from the completely innocent victim to the victim who is more guilty than the offender.

 Ellenberger introduced the concept of a “born victim,” someone who attracts criminals due to a constant predisposition to being victimized. Notably, he identified several groups with a higher predisposition. These included those with a masochistic approach to life, those discouraged from life, and those with Abel’s syndrome, who were unable to bear constant success while facing others’ failures.

According to Dussich (UNAFEI), Ellenberger counts among the pioneers of victimology for his 1950s work on victim-offender psychodynamics.

Still, his “born victim” theory itself didn’t play a major role in the development of victimology. Or maybe it should have…

The “Games” That Sparked These Questions

Back in high school, my friends and I had a quirky habit. Instead of hanging out for drinks like many Polish youths, we had a different routine. We used to meet in the afternoons to discuss the world around us, completely sober.

One day, we asked, “Who in our class would be best suited to be tied to a chair and tormented?” We each drew names and wrote down five individuals, and remarkably, our lists were quite similar.

It might sound like a strange question with odd answers, but it wasn’t. Then, we gave various reasons.

Because they’d handle it well. Because they deserved it.

Because they seemed innocent. Because something about them just fit.

Interestingly, the people we identified were not characterized by extremes. They weren’t extremely skinny or overly tough, nor were they necessarily more beautiful or uglier than others, or smarter or dumber. It was just something… off.

I recall another “game.” The question was, “What color do you associate with each person in our class?”

Surprisingly, unlike most people, whom we often linked to colors like green, brown, beige, or blue, these individuals got white, different shades of gray, and black. Overall, I have a hunch that there’s a group of people who can provoke more aggression in others than usual.

According to Wolfgang (1957), some victims play an active, measurable role in precipitating the violence directed at them. In particular, he termed this specific pattern victim-precipitated homicide. Ultimately, it might not be about behavior; it could be about their aura, as some would say.