« Back to story "Revenge and the people who seek it"

Comments for Revenge and the people who seek it »

Posted By tehranchik 6 months, 3 weeks ago in Science & Technology

Historically, there are two schools of thought on revenge. The Bible, in Exodus 21:23, instructs us to "give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" to punish an offender. But more than 2,000 years later, Martin Luther King Jr., responded, "The old law of 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind."

Who's right? As psychologists explore the mental machinery behind revenge, it turns out both can be, depending on who and where you are. If you're a power-seeker, revenge can serve to remind others you're not to be trifled with. If you live in a society where the rule of law is weak, revenge provides a way to keep order.

But revenge comes at a price. Instead of helping you move on with your life, it can leave you dwelling on the situation and remaining unhappy, psychologists' research finds.

Considering revenge is a very human response to feeling slighted, humans are atrocious at predicting its effects.

Read Full Story at apa.org »

RSS Join the Discussion

+ Add Comment
Comments So Far: 7
- Display
  • 100%
    tehranchik6 months, 3 weeks ago

    This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

    http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/06/04/r...

    (comment_max_expanded_depth : 100000) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 100000)
    Reply
    loading loading ...
    • 100%
      frctm56 months, 3 weeks ago

      This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

      Revenge should not be confused with justice.

      (comment_max_expanded_depth : 100000) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 100000)
      Reply
      loading loading ...
      • 100%
        Mutainia6 months, 3 weeks ago

        This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

        It seems to me that a vengeful person is a PRIDEful person. Get rid of your pride and see clearly, where, possibly, you might find that the other guy who hurt you actually did you a favor and, doesn't need to be counter-attacked AT all.

        (comment_max_expanded_depth : 100000) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 100000)
        Reply
        loading loading ...
        • Neutral
          reallypsst6 months, 3 weeks ago

          This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

          That is why common sense needs to be applied before making any laws,but somehow our judicial system often ignores it !

          (comment_max_expanded_depth : 100000) (comment depth : 2) (recursion depth : 1) (max_comment_reply_depth : 40) (comment_max_render_depth : 100000)
          Reply

          1 Reply

          loading loading ...

        Add a Comment

        Sign In With Your Propeller Account

        Forgot your password?

        Please keep your comments relevant to this story.

        To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

        Submit a Story

        Advertisement

        Story Tags ?

        hand exodus bible seek foot psychologists eye tooth law mlking life revenge

        Hey! If you Sign In, you can add tags to this story!

        Dropping This Article

        view all »

        Groups Watching This

        No groups are watching this story. Why not share it with your groups?

        Also Submitted By

        No one else has submitted this story.