This volume brings together research on revenge across childhood and adolescence to explore how revenge is a part of normative development, but also arises from maladaptive social environments. The chapters demonstrate the ways in which revenge is intertwined with social, emotional, cognitive, and moral development as well as being informed by interpersonal experiences within familial, educational, community, and cultural social settings. The book summarizes international scholarship on revenge across early childhood to late adolescence from a wide variety of interdisciplinary perspectives to provide a comprehensive overview of the field. The authors address how individual differences in revenge emerge as an adaptation to the challenges faced when growing up in adverse social and societal conditions. They then suggest a range of avenues for effective intervention that take account of the complexity of revenge as a psychological and social phenomenon.

‘The editors bring together an impressive group of international researchers who explore both developmental similarities and cross-cultural differences in revenge. This is an essential resource for scholars, educators, and anyone interested in child development.’

William Arsenio - Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Yeshiva University, USA

‘This is a very important and timely contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of aggression and violence in childhood and adolescence. Revenge often has been overlooked as a driver of violence, and preventive interventions have not paid enough attention to this powerful motive.’

Nancy Guerra - Dean of the School of Social Ecology and Professor of Psychological Science, University of California Irvine, USA

‘This is the most comprehensive and in-depth investigation of the topic of revenge in children and adolescents currently available. It has a distinguished and international roster of contributors examining revenge at multiple levels from the person to society and in the context of children's lived experience and development.’

Charles C. Helwig - Professor of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada

‘This is a gem of a book. It addresses an overlooked aspect of moral development. The editors brilliantly set the stage for this wonderful volume. The chapters are all highly original contributions from the very best researchers in the field of moral development.’

Larry Nucci - Adjunct Professor of Human Development and Learning Sciences, University of California Berkeley and Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA

‘This is an insightful, thought-provoking, and theoretically sophisticated new volume. It shows how we struggle with vengeance beginning in early childhood, pondering the moral status of revenge and its complex relations with justice, retribution, retaliation, forgiveness, and mercy.’

David Moshman - Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA

‘Parents, counselors working with youth, and school administrators seeking an informed understanding of revenge and the retaliatory behaviors youthful actors present will value this work … Recommended.’

R. E. Osborne Source: CHOICE