3D illustration showing a phone with a revenge concept.
getty
The why of revenge
Revenge is a leading cause of committing crimes, particularly relationship crimes such as stalking and image-based sexual abuse. It also explains most murders. It is a global phenomenon that manifests itself in practically all societies and persists over a long period of time. It was a recurring theme in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Revenge manifests in different ways depending on whether it is carried out by a single person or a group. On an individual level it is more intense.
What is revenge?
Revenge is an aggression, a behavioral response by an individual based on the perception of an injustice being done to the individual – and thus becoming the aggressor. It is directed against the person whom the attacker identifies as having caused the injury sustained. It is important that the person seeking revenge feels they have been hurt and realizes that the harm they feel they have suffered is not involuntary. Revenge and anger are usually closely related, and anger is generally a good predictor of revenge. The link between anger and revenge has led to research linking the three variables that currently make up what is known as the dark personality triad (dark triad) to revenge. This research found evidence of the link between narcissism and revenge.
The “dark triad”
Psychologists identify three traits that make up the “dark triad”: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
Individuals displaying this trifecta of dark personality types have unique difficulties dealing with others, and their sense of self is at odds with prevailing moral codes. They are extremely uncomfortable, lack empathy, are very selfish and/or manipulative.
Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy are socially aversive personality traits that are strongly associated with violent behavior.
The “dark triad” and the use of children in family court proceedings
The relationship between the “dark triad” and the way some parents use their children to attack the other parent after a couple breaks up is an example of a higher level of dark triad traits and a willingness to focus on to engage in judicial manipulation. Dark Triad traits are indicators of judicial manipulation.
The cases
In our legal practice, particularly in contentious custody cases, we have encountered cases referred to as the “dark triad” in which parents intentionally seek to manipulate the court, or lie to the court about the other parent, with no regard for how it is done lying can ultimately affect their children.
pippin Pepin is the father of two daughters aged 15 and 9. The older daughter has addiction problems and is a self-destructor. The child reacts by secreting alcohol and knives. The mother only reports behaviors that she can attribute to the father and uses any child relapse as a basis for reducing the child’s time with the father. In one child swap, the mother intentionally put gas in her car while the father tried to buckle the younger child into the seat with the back door open while the father’s feet were still on the pavement, dragging the father in the moving vehicle. Each meeting with the child’s mental health professionals is a meeting where the mother judges the father in the presence of the child. The mother sends hundreds of emails to everyone involved, laying out her version of events, essentially hiding the child’s psychological needs and any concerns the father may have in order to remove him from the children’s lives. The mother is so obsessed with revenge that she is pathological.
Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a victim of domestic violence. She received a protection order against her husband for stalking her after he tried to break down her front door while the children were home with a babysitter and demanded to know “who she is”. [the Wife] “was on a date with,” which terrified the kids. Her two sons, aged 8 and 10, want to see their father, but only under supervision. The father declines the offer of extra time with the children and keeps canceling his visits to the boys, which disappoints them. The husband objects to any childcare and unreimbursed medical expenses for the children and refuses to pay them despite court orders. All he cares about is his mother and his revenge on her for filing for divorce and leaving him.
gina Gina fled to her home state with her daughter after being married to her husband for ten months, during which he locked her out in August, locking her in the bedroom and turning off the air conditioner while she was pregnant and denying her any money. He refused Desperate to leave her home, she pushed and bruised her arms in the process. For a whole year the father did not spend time with his daughter, constantly insisting that his wife return to live with him. He fought her in court in her home state and in upstate New York and continues to fight her for custody of the child he does not know and who does not know him.
What must be done to recognize the “dark features” and revenge?
The association between dark traits and manipulating children to attack the other parent has not been studied. Research is ongoing to determine whether people in the breakup phase of a couple who are willing to lie about their children have higher levels of the three dimensions that make up the dark triad. “The dark triad and exposing parental justice manipulators. Developing a Judicial Manipulation Scale.” The authors hypothesize whether people with higher levels of Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and/or narcissism (i.e., the “dark personality”) would admit that they are more capable of deception, and that lying are of practical interest in court when deciding on custody of children. The aim of this research is to create a court manipulation scale for the willingness to lie and abuse children to harm the other parent that could be used in professional practice. The author’s main hypotheses are that this scale correlates with each of the traits in the dark triad, such that these traits could be used as potential indicators of judicial manipulation during or after a custody battle. Dark triad variables are therefore expected to be predictors of an individual’s consent to “dirty” justice behavior. The importance of the scale is to help the justice system determine which parent is best suited to be named custodial parent.
Diploma:
A scientifically valid scale that psychologists working in the court system could use to identify parents who exhibit the “dark traits” as those most likely to use the courts to seek revenge purely for revenge would be extremely helpful to help identify the appropriate parent to grant custody of.
Comments are closed.