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When suffering begets suffering: The Psychology of competitive victimhood between adversarial groups in violent conflicts

Noor

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Abstract

Inter-group competitive victimhood (CV) describes the efforts of members of groups involved in violent conflicts to establish that their group has suffered more than their adversarial group. Such efforts contribute to conflicts’ escalation and impede their peaceful resolution. CV stems from groups’ general tendency to compete with each other, along with the deep sense of victimization resulting from conflicts. The authors point to biases that contribute to groups’ engagement in CV, describe five dimensions of victimhood over which groups may compete, and contend that such competition serves various functions that contribute to the maintenance of conflicts. Drawing on the Needs-Based Model, they suggest that CV may reflect groups’ motivations to restore power or moral acceptance. They then review evidence of the negative consequences of CV for inter-group forgiveness and suggest potential strategies to reduce CV. Finally, the authors discuss potential moderators and directions for future research.

Acceptance Date Mar 29, 2012
Publication Date Nov 1, 2012
Journal Personality and Social Psychology Review
Print ISSN 1088-8683
Publisher SAGE Publications
Pages 351 - 374
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868312440048
Keywords competitive victimhood; inter-group relationships; violent conflicts; victims; perpetrators
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1088868312440048

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