ABSTRACT
Thus far, we have described the mechanisms of revenge on the individual level. Now we take a step further and turn our focus to the group. Many revenge spirals in society are connected to group psychological mechanisms. One example is the escalating violence between rival teenage gangs. The group phenomenon also plays a central role in everyday hostilities. It manifests itself in prejudices and the orthodoxy that can develop out of these. On the individual, relational, and societal levels, a complex interaction takes place between cruelty, trauma, and counterbalances. We refer to classical social psychological studies.
