Symposia
Anger
Michael Wydo, ABPP, Psy.D.
US Dept. of Justice / Federal Bureau of Prisons
San Pedro, California
Revenge refers to a retaliatory behavior following a perceived harm to one’s well-being (Elshout et al., 2015; Schuman & Ross, 2010). It can include yelling, berating, and minor aggression (Raver & Barling 2008), as well as more extreme violence. Revenge has been identified as a causal factor in homicides, school shootings, and bombings (New York City Police Department, 2012; Bur. Alcohol Tob. Firearms, 1999; Vossekuil et al., 2012). Despite the importance of understanding revenge, little is known about its different components, thus making it difficult to prevent and treat. Vengeance among prison inmates is especially concerning given their propensity for aggression. Despite this, very little is known about revenge among prisoners, as much of the research on revenge focuses on undergraduate students and the general population. As such, it is important to understand vengeful experiences among prisoners. In this study, 300 prison inmates will be asked to complete the trait anger scale, general questions about revenge, and questions about incident reports and a specific vengeful experience. They will answer questions about what triggered the vengeful experience, their cognitions during the event, what they did, their emotions prior to and after engaging in revenge, and the outcomes of vengeful experience. It is hypothesized that trait anger and irrational cognitions will be positively associated with vengeful behavior. In addition, this study hopes to identify the different components of revenge (e.g., triggers, physiological arousal, thoughts, emotions, behaviors), as a first step to establishing treatment targets for vengeful behavior in prison inmates.