Vengeance

Vengeance is the basic desire to confront those who offend. Satisfaction of this desire produces the joy of vindication, whereas frustration stimulates the fighting spirit and possibly anger.

The desire for vengeance motivates the competitive spirit. Competitive people are not necessarily physically aggressive, but they are quick to confront others. Competitive people value winning.

The primal provocations are threats to your status, your territory, and your children; competition for resources; access to potential mates; strange or unfamiliar people; and aggressive or unfriendly displays by other people (see Aureli & de Waal, 2000).

We have the potential to use peacekeeping and reconciliation behavior to manage aggressive impulses. These behaviors include submissive displays, sharing, cooperative play, apologies, holding hands, and kissing. Reconciliation behavior signals the end of a conflict and serves to reduce future conflict (see Aureli & de Waal, 2000).

The inclination toward aggressiveness is stable over much of the lifespan. Relative to the people your age, you are predicted to be about as aggressive 10 or 20 years from now as you are in the current phase of your life. Researchers have shown, for example, that disproportionate numbers of schoolyard bullies grow up to become criminals.

People with a STRONG BASIC DESIRE FOR VENGEANCE are quick to confront others. They value competitors and winners. Personality traits that may describe them include competitor, fighter, pugnacious, and perhaps aggressive, angry, argumentative, combative or mean.

People with a WEAK BASIC DESIRE FOR VENGEANCE avoid confrontation, fights, and violence. Often their first impulse is to cooperate rather than to compete. They may search for ways to settle problems amicably. Personality traits that may apply to them include cooperative, kind, merciful, non-aggressive, and peacemaker.