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The Why Factor: Revenge

Revenge

09/12/2016 GMT

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Revenge

Why did this type of aggressive behaviour evolve?  And what purpose does it serve?

What goes on in the mind of a vengeful person and why did this form of aggression evolve?  Mike Williams examines what lies behind the desire to get even.

The desire for vengeance – to harm those who’ve harmed you - is part of human  nature.   Whether it’s getting your own back on a cheating partner or settling a score with a childhood bully, many of us have considered retribution against the person who’s done us wrong.   Yet often we decide not to act on that instinct. 

So what motivates someone to take revenge and why did this kind of aggressive behaviour evolve?   Mike Williams talks to a perpetrator who found it sweet and hears the tragic story of a victim of impossibly cruel revenge. 

Contributors:
“Annie”, who took revenge
Michael McCullough, Professor of Psychology, Miami University 
Dr David Chester, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University
Sarah Heatley, mother of Nina and Jack 
Philippe Sands QC, International Human Rights lawyer and author, East West Street 
Professor Jack Levin, Co-Director, Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts

Presenter: Mike Williams
Producer: Sally Abrahams 

(Photo: White Voodoo doll with red pins on cork background.  Credit: Shutterstock/Scott Rothstein)

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