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An Eye for an Eye: Examining Personality-Based Predictors of Trait Vengefulness
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by Sean E. Wisnieski - Shepherd University
Categories: Personality | Emotion
Vengeance is a form of aggression aimed at retaliating against another for some perceived transgression. Previous research suggests a strong basis for the prediction of vengefulness from individual personality traits. The present study examined unforgivingness, narcissism, self-esteem, locus of control, trait anger, self-control, age, and sex as possible predictors. Participants (N = 110) completed measures of trait anger, externality of personal control, subclinical narcissism, forgivingness, vengefulness, and global self-esteem. Only age and externality failed to contribute to the model's predictive power, which otherwise accounted for more than half the variance in vengefulness scores. The results suggest a strong basis for predicting vengefulness at the individual level independent of situational factors.
Summer 2010 | Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research (Vol. 15, No. 2, p. 97), published by Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology (Chattanooga, TN). Copyright, 2010, Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology. All rights reserved.