Combating the Sting of Rejection With the Pleasure of Revenge: A New Look at How Emotion Shapes Aggression

@article{Chester2017CombatingTS,
  title={Combating the Sting of Rejection With the Pleasure of Revenge: A New Look at How Emotion Shapes Aggression},
  author={David S. Chester and C. Nathan DeWall},
  journal={Journal of Personality and Social Psychology},
  year={2017},
  volume={112},
  pages={413–430}
}
  • D. Chester, C. DeWall
  • Published 1 March 2017
  • Psychology, Medicine
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
How does emotion explain the relationship between social rejection and aggression? Rejection reliably damages mood, leaving individuals motivated to repair their negatively valenced affective state. Retaliatory aggression is often a pleasant experience. Rejected individuals may then harness revenge’s associated positive affect to repair their mood. Across 6 studies (total N = 1,516), we tested the prediction that the rejection–aggression link is motivated by expected and actual mood repair… Expand
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