Powerful victims: A dynamic approach to competitive victimhood between high- and low-power groups

Competitive victimhood has significant implications for intergroup attitudes, including discrimination and hostility. The current two studies reveal the dynamic and context-dependent nature of competitive victimhood. We directly and simultaneously compared competitive victimhood among members of two groups: high-power and low-power. In Study 1, we found that under the transient threat circumstances of COVID-19, the high-power group (secular Israelis) experienced higher levels of competitive victimhood compared to the weaker group (ultra-Orthodox Israelis), indicating that intergroup threat may override group power in determining competitive victimhood. Study 2 further highlighted the dynamic nature of competitive victimhood by revealing, 18 months later, when the COVID-19 situation had changed, a contrasting image of the results obtained in Study 1, demonstrating that relative competitive victimhood levels can shift among the same groups when the transient threat and circumstances change. The findings suggest that competitive victimhood is a more agile and context-dependent construct than previously believed, especially in the context of power dynamics. The current research suggests a unique approach to conducting research: namely, a “mirror study,” in which two different groups provide a detailed reflection of the “same” reality, but through their own unique perspectives.