The Anger-Aggression Bidirectional-Causation (AABC) Model’s Relevance for Dyadic Violence, Revenge and Catharsis

Abstract

In this article, the multifaceted theoretical underpinnings of V. J. Konečni’s Anger Aggression Bidirectional-Causation (AABC) model of interpersonal aggression are described, along with a large body of supporting data, mostly from laboratory experiments. The AABC model’s utility in the clarification of several complex issues of long standing in various scholarly domains is discussed, such as: Catharsis and the “cathartic effect”; adaptationist accounts of revenge; and intrafamilial dyadic violence.