Revenge as social interaction: Merging social psychological and interpersonal communication approaches to the study of vengeful behavior

Abstract The purpose of this essay is to review and assess the benefits of merging social psychological and communication theory‐based approaches to the study of vengeful behavior in interpersonal interactions. We first outline the parallel but complementary perspectives that each discipline takes to the conceptualization of revenge. From there, we identify some of the core features that would be present in an integrated approach that conceptualizes revenge as an interpersonal process (i.e., an interaction or exchange), and then highlight new directions for both inquiry and theory building that an integrative approach reveals as worthy of scholarly pursuit. We argue that conceptualizing and studying revenge in ways that blend both social psychological and communication‐based views offers numerous opportunities to examine the dynamics between a provoking party and an avenger, and provides a richer and more insightful theoretical understanding of vengeful behavior than either perspective could offer alone.