Abstract: Vengeance is a phenomenon which the victim starts an attack in order to punish or harm others, based on the motivations of the offender, it carries out after the victim appraises the severity of the offense he has received. Previous researches explored the psychological implications and definitions of the vengeance and the author argued that it should consist of cognitive, emotional and behavioral factors. Also, the present article covers the researches on the relationship between vengeance and forgiveness, relevant theoretical models and the related factors. Future studies about vengeance should mainly focus on the enrichment and improvement of the definition and theories, research approaches improvement, and empirical research on related factors.

Key words: vengeance, forgiveness, narcissism, rumination, mental health