ABSTRACT
Revenge is a phenomenon that both fascinates us and leaves us fearful. At some moment in our lives, we have all felt the primal urge to get even when harmed, and the passion of that moment makes revenge feel like the right thing to do. It is not only when we are harmed personally that revenge feels like the righteous response; for, we vicariously experience that righteous feeling when others are harmed or when swift vengeance is dealt the perpetrator of harm (Bies & Tripp, 1998a; Jacoby, 1983). Indeed, witness the audience's applause and approval of acts of revenge in such films as Dirty Harry and The First Wives Club.
