Cited by 419Social and Intergroup PsychologyForgiveness and Related BehaviorsPolitical Conflict and Governance

When Suffering Begets Suffering: The Psychology of Competitive Victimhood Between Adversarial Groups in Violent Conflicts

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Noor, Masi, Shnabel, Nurit, Halabi, Samer, Nadler, Arie·2012·Personality and Social Psychology Review

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.

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Crossref · 10.1177/1088868312440048

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193 of 193 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Groups in the gray zone may engage in competitive victimhood dynamics with other groups, demanding to be recognized as the veritable victim.

    “These groups may also engage in competitive victimhood dynamics with other groups demanding to be recognized as the veritable victim (Noor et al., 2012).”

    From Collective Trauma and the Social Construction of Meaning (2018) · cites this paper as Noor et al., 2012

  • Acknowledgment of in-group culpability creates dissonance between the motivation to believe that the group is good and its past misdeeds, and this dissonance can be resolved either by assuming a defensive representation of history that vindicates the group or by distancing from the group.

    “Acknowledgment of in-group culpability creates dissonance between the motivation to believe that the group is good and its’ past misdeeds.”

    From Collective Trauma and the Social Construction of Meaning (2018) · cites this paper as Noor et al., 2012

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Authors
Noor, M., Shnabel, N., Halabi, S., & Nadler, A.
Affiliations
  • Canterbury Christ Church University (GB)
  • Tel Aviv University (IL)
  • Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo (IL)
Venue
Personality and Social Psychology Review
Published
2012-03-29
Volume
16
Issue
4
Pages
351-374
ISSN
  • 1088-8683 (ISSN-L)
  • 1532-7957
OpenAlex
W2143901602
Cited by
419
References
195
Citations by year
2026: 38 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 38 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 2
FWCI
61.18
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Personality and Social Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Keele Research Repository (Keele University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Forgiveness and Related Behaviors
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Conflict and Governance
Keywords
competitive victimhood, intergroup conflict, victimhood, conflict escalation, intergroup forgiveness, power system restoration, intergroup competition, violent conflict
MeSH terms
Culture, Group Processes, Humans, Social Behavior, Social Identification, Stress, Psychological, Violence, Crime Victims

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