Psychologie anormale et comportementale

The Anger-Aggression Bidirectional-Causation (AABC) Models Relevancefor Dyadic Violence, Revenge, and Catharsis

Abstract

Vladimir J. Konecni

In this article, the multifaceted theoretical underpinnings of KoneÄÂ�ni’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.