<p>The killing of Al Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden did not fully quench Americans' desire for revenge. Instead, according to research, US citizens have a stronger desire to take further revenge against those who were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks.<br /><br /></p>.<p>As the third anniversary of bin Laden's death falls May 2, a team of social psychology researchers has questioned whether this instance of vicarious revenge led to feelings of satisfaction and re-established justice within the American public - including whether bin Laden's assassination ignited craving for more revenge.<br /><br />Vicarious revenge, where the need for justice is felt not by the victims, but by people in the same group, has been shown to feel similar to personal revenge. <br /><br />Mario Gollwitzer of Philipps University of Marburg developed two studies designed to test the notion "that Americans' vengeful desires in the aftermath of 9/11 predicted a sense of justice achieved after bin Laden's death…"<br /><br />The data suggest that those Americans who believed that bin Laden's assassination sent a message to the perpetrators ("Don't mess with us") were also the ones who thought that his death balanced the scales of justice.<br /><br />The second important finding from the study is that bin Laden's death did not fully quench Americans' desire for revenge. <br /><br />"Although justice might be achieved, the avengers might not feel psychological closure. <br /><br />Re-establishing justice, successfully asserting one's message, does not necessarily close the chapter in the case of revenge," the researchers maintained.<br /><br />The third important finding showed that Americans were more satisfied with fact that bin Laden was killed intentionally than the possibility of bin Laden being killed accidentally. <br /><br />The study, titled "Vicarious Revenge and the Death of Osama bin Laden", has been published online in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.</p>
<p>The killing of Al Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden did not fully quench Americans' desire for revenge. Instead, according to research, US citizens have a stronger desire to take further revenge against those who were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks.<br /><br /></p>.<p>As the third anniversary of bin Laden's death falls May 2, a team of social psychology researchers has questioned whether this instance of vicarious revenge led to feelings of satisfaction and re-established justice within the American public - including whether bin Laden's assassination ignited craving for more revenge.<br /><br />Vicarious revenge, where the need for justice is felt not by the victims, but by people in the same group, has been shown to feel similar to personal revenge. <br /><br />Mario Gollwitzer of Philipps University of Marburg developed two studies designed to test the notion "that Americans' vengeful desires in the aftermath of 9/11 predicted a sense of justice achieved after bin Laden's death…"<br /><br />The data suggest that those Americans who believed that bin Laden's assassination sent a message to the perpetrators ("Don't mess with us") were also the ones who thought that his death balanced the scales of justice.<br /><br />The second important finding from the study is that bin Laden's death did not fully quench Americans' desire for revenge. <br /><br />"Although justice might be achieved, the avengers might not feel psychological closure. <br /><br />Re-establishing justice, successfully asserting one's message, does not necessarily close the chapter in the case of revenge," the researchers maintained.<br /><br />The third important finding showed that Americans were more satisfied with fact that bin Laden was killed intentionally than the possibility of bin Laden being killed accidentally. <br /><br />The study, titled "Vicarious Revenge and the Death of Osama bin Laden", has been published online in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.</p>