a 25-year-old nursing student from Alabama who falsely claimed she was kidnapped. On July 13, 2023, Carlee Russell called 911, reporting she saw a toddler on the side of the highway. She then disappeared for 49 hours, sparking a large-scale search12.

Russell returned home on July 15 and initially claimed she had been abducted. However, on July 24, she admitted through her lawyer that she had fabricated the entire story2. She was later charged with two misdemeanors for filing a false police report and was sentenced to a year’s probation, community service, and ordered to pay restitution34.

Carlee Russell incident brings about the question, is self-victimization an overall good attribute to have in a fast-moving world like the united states?