Most intergroup conflicts are asymmetric in power and victimization.

Evidence

The proposed model therefore appears to be built on the assumption that conflicts are symmetrical and the same processes affect both sides. However, most intergroup conflicts are asymmetrical, that is, characterized by often stark differences in regard to power, international status, and degree of endured victimization. — Johanna Ray Vollhardt and Michelle Sinayobye Twali, Emotion-Based Reconciliation Requires…, 35

Categorization

• XREF: Core to the reading purpose — the attack on symmetry assumptions in emotion-regulation reconciliation models is exactly the structural-asymmetry critique being tested. Echoes the logic of ‘Complaints About Immodesty’ where moral-universal norms actually carry class/identity asymmetry. — connects to: Dominant majority and the group it harmed show asymmetric victimhood dynamics. — R. C. Tripathi, R. Kumar, and V. N. Tripathi, When the Advantaged Feel Victimised:…, 127; Asymmetric violence suppresses guilt while symmetric victimization of both groups raises it. — Sandra Penic, Guy Elcheroth, and Dario Spini, When Is Collective Exposure to War…, 111; A victim culture grounded in resentment undermines intergroup solidarity and reconciliation. — Nurit Shnabel and Johannes Ullrich, Identity Needs in Intergroup Relations:…, 134
• DEEPTHINKING: The claim that a putatively symmetric psychological model smuggles in an implicit assumption of symmetric conflicts is a charge that generalizes well beyond reconciliation to any ‘even-handed’ intervention framework dealing with unequal parties.

Broader Connections

• Dominant majority and the group it harmed show asymmetric victimhood dynamics. #exemplifies (0.85) — R. C. Tripathi, R. Kumar, and V. N. Tripathi, When the Advantaged Feel Victimised, 127
• Asymmetric violence suppresses guilt while symmetric victimization of both groups raises it. #qualifies (0.78) — Sandra Penic, Guy Elcheroth, and Dario Spini, When Is Collective Exposure to War…, 111