ABSTRACT
The major motivation for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United states was taking revenge for offense against Islam and for American presence in Saudi Arabia. Everyday thoughts and acts are revenges for erotic unfaithfulness, indiscretions, having been slighted, having been cheated, having had one's bicycle stolen, unfriendly words, lacks of attention. Desire for vengeance poses several major problems for the analysis of emotion. The power of vengeance, and the violence of its violence can be expected to derive from the concerns at stake, and from how deeply the offenses threaten to damage them, and from the resulting control precedence. Deterrence by threat of revenge not only occurs as cool strategy, but may flow from wrath. Disturbed sense of equity directly generates feelings of disturbance, from discomfort over resentment to anger to revenge. Sense of justice and desire for revenge both may well come from the emotional turmoil caused by the upsetting of equity caused by unavenged wrongs.
