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Abstract

The prime objective of the present study was to evaluate the two popular theoretical explanations of vindictive behavior. It was also intended to gauge the validity of the evolutionary model of vindictive behavior. The present study was undertaken to compare both perspectives in psychiatric patients and normative group. The sample comprised of Clinical Group 1 consisting of psychiatric patients with no history of treatment (n = 37), Clinical Group 2 comprising of psychiatric patients who were undergoing treatment (n = 45), and normative group from general population with no history of psychiatric illness (n = 50). The ages of the participants ranged from 18 to 63 with 60% comprising of women. Results of One-way ANOVA followed by post hoc test and zero-order correlation provided empirical evidence for the disease model. However, non-hierarchical cluster analysis suggests that the relationship of vindictive behavior with mental illness may not be as straightforward.