The Payback Paradigm

College "ragging" used to be a raging phenomenon in the last century in this country, especially in residential academic courses and programs, until a law was passed declaring it as a serious offence. But I suspect that this practice continues even today in many institutions. As I could observe, the rationale for ragging had a perverse twist: students entering such institutions would be "bullied" by the senior students under the pretext of being "welcomed" and "oriented" to the campus culture within the first one or two months. In the next academic year, these "juniors" would treat the newly admitted batch in a similar fashion, the logic being "Well, I was ragged when I joined, so now its my payback time!" The sad part though, is that the so-called "revenge" is being inflicted on an innocent few who would perpetuate the practice to keep the vengeful spirit alive - revenge in a "pay-it-forward" mode.

"Vengeance" is a strong word that may evoke intense emotions in any person. After observing daily human behavior at close and distant quarters across the spectrum of life around me, I am beginning to believe the scientific discovery that the gene(s) for retaliation, revenge, reprisal or "tit-for-tat"- whatever we choose to call it- is embedded deep within us as a species. Perhaps this is one of the factors that differentiates the fictitious "Vulcans" (of the "Star Trek" TV series fame) from human beings, the former race being deemed to hold a higher status in the order of evolution.

The blockbuster Hollywood movie, "First Blood" is a classic example of an ego issue between two individuals going horribly wrong, where anger morphs into vengeance, leading to large-scale violence and devastation.  However, in daily life, I see several examples of "giving-it-back", among children, teenagers, families, corporate circles, public spaces etc. Of course, anyone would pass these seemingly simple behaviors as normal and natural.

• A parent praises one of the siblings and berates the other; the second one harbors resentment and at some point in time, attacks the beneficiary, out of a feeling of "being denied and wronged".
• In a coffee-table conversation, one individual voices his opinion strongly, coming across as imposing on the rest, and someone in the group retaliates with sarcasm to the point of trading insults. A feeling of "we are being pushed" is triggered that leads to a burst of "retaliation".
• Whatsapp chats these days between apparent strangers in groups also are replete with examples of "tit-for-tat" repartees. The emotion of wanting to have the "final word" at any cost in seemingly mundane conversations tends to prevail.
• In a corporate setting, a colleague scores a brownie-point with the senior management in a meeting at the expense of a peer; the latter "gets back" at a later date after feeling waves of anger spiced with urges of "payback".
• At the level of nations, vengeance plays out, big-time! The international arena is filled with incidents of vengeance, across geographies, continents and time. History repeats itself, as far as reprisals are concerned.

What is it about "revenge" that makes it such an attractive and compelling proposition? To even the "balance" of scores? Is it an issue of fairness? Or justification? Even in trivial matters or in prosaic conversations, we need to have the final say, the last word or prove our point, at the cost of hurting the other person in the transaction. As the old saying goes: "Revenge is sweet".

The urge to "get even" seems to be an innate genetically encoded human need, and it is either latent or explodes with volatility at the extremes. The seeds of revenge are buried in the subconscious, which I suppose are expressed to varying extents or suppressed differentially in different people. "Vengeful" behavior is overtly or covertly demonstrated, and can be cloaked in sweetness and camaraderie, depending on intent and strategic maneuvering by shrewd or manipulative individuals. Nevertheless, the element is present, lurking as subconscious embers in the human race that erupts with volcanic vigor when triggered by "errant" human behaviors. 

Prof. Nitin Nohria (Faculty, Harvard Business School) has described four basic human needs - the need to acquire, the need to bond, the need to learn and the need to feel secure. Perhaps, the need to "get even" (when perceived to have been wronged) is the fifth...

A team of Swiss scientists have postulated that the desire for retribution against "rule breakers" has a deep-seated, biological explanation. Apparently, the act of retribution- the punishing of "wrong-doers"- activates the same pleasure center in the brain involved in recreational drug use and falling in love. An article pertaining to this hypothesis has been published in the journal Science in 2004.

And hence, I must hasten to add that we may not be the most evolved species in the galaxy. I am wondering whether the mental model of revenge that we operate with either directly or subtly is undermining us from realizing our ultimate potential and destiny towards a higher evolutionary order in the universe.

Can the human race conceive a superior alternative to the subconscious paradigm of payback?