The Ash Twins Blog

In an article on emotions in economic theory, Elster (1998) writes,

In societies where blood feuds are common, revenge can be a lifetime obsession. In his outstanding study of blood feuds in nineteenth century Corsica, Stephen Wilson (1988, pp. 30, 280) refers to one case in which a man killed six persons who had testified in the trial of his brother, and to another in which a man killed all 14 witnesses who had testified against his brother. Other studies of feuding (Milovan Djilas 1958, Miller 1990) confirm the view that the passion for revenge or “”wrath” (Frijda 1994) can be a lifetime concern. Unlike love or limerence, however, the durable thirst for revenge is not a universal phenomenon. The spontaneous urge to retaliate may be universal, but its transformation into a lifelong passion occurs only in societies where it is amplified by strong social norms.