Betrayal

Betrayal is the breaking or violation of one's contract, trust or confidence that actually produces moral and psychological conflict between individuals in a friendship amongst two people. Often, the act involves supporting a rival group of people or a rival company. Someone who betrays another is considered a traitor, and is a commonly used literary element and other forms of fiction as well.

Emotional consequence
An act of one's betrayal can create a sense of grief for the victim, and negative behaviors, thoughts and feelings in both victims and perpetrators who may exhibit guilt or shame and may express remorse. After the perpetrator has expressed regret over the act, when the victim is angry, can cause the betrayer to become defensive. Acceptance of an individual's betrayal can be allowed if victims forgo the demands of atonement and retribution, but only revealed if the victims do not continue to demand apologies, or reminding the individual responsible of the original act, or endlessly review the incident repeatedly, over and over again. If no apology, penalty, or a plan to change one's behaviors are present, then the one who is betrayed can accept that it has happened, and that the perpetrator is willing to do it again. The alternative is to trespass into the perpetrator's life, but often, accepting the betrayal and cutting ties is the best route forward.

Betrayal may result in the end of a friendship or association between two people. A form of trauma does occur if the person who initially trusted the perpetrator suddenly cut ties with them in this act, and is reliant on that individual for support and survival. The BTT theory addresses some situations where a person or institution, which a person relies on for protection, resources and survival violates the trust or well-being of that individual. BTT suggests that an individual or a dependent for support may have a higher need to disassociate traumatic experiences from awareness to preserve the relationship.