Abstract

Revenge is an act aimed at punishing the perpetrator or returning the inflicted harm, driven by vengefulness. Despite its considerable impact on interpersonal relationships, there remains a valid lack of scales in Korea to systematically measure vengeful tendencies. Consequently, this study sought to validate the Korean version of the Brief Scale of Vengeful Tendencies-11 (K-BSVT-11). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on a sample of 292 Korean adults, revealing that a two-factor model provided the best fit. While the original scale included a three-factor structure (planning of revenge, resentment, and justification of revenge), this study consolidated these into a two-factor structure: "planning and execution of revenge" and "justification of revenge." This modification may reflect Koreans' tendency to suppress negative emotions, which leads to a greater emphasis on the behavioral and cognitive dimensions over emotional responses in self-report assessments. The K-BSVT-11 exhibited strong internal consistency, and both its convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed. Moreover, men scored significantly higher than women on all subscales of the K-BSVT-11. In terms of age differences, individuals in their 30s registered higher scores in "planning and execution of revenge" compared with those in their 50s. These findings affirm that the K-BSVT-11 is a psychometrically sound measure of vengeful tendencies within the Korean cultural context. The scale is well-suited for use in both research and applied settings to facilitate the early identification of vengeful tendencies and to inform prevention and intervention strategies.