Delving into preschool teachers’ revenge – a mediated-moderated model that explores the deeper nuances of hot and cold revenge among preschool teachers

Abstract While revenge has captured the attention of researchers, certain nuances have been disregarded. Some studies have recognized the existence of two distinct forms of revenge — “hot” or “cold” — but the specific conditions underlying these variants have been overlooked. The present two studies delve into the boundary conditions that differentiate hot and cold revenge. By analyzing data collected from 172 and 107 preschool teachers in studies one and two, respectively, this research confirms the presence of both emotional (hot) and calculated (cold) revenge responses. Furthermore, it uncovers the mechanisms driving these two revenge types and identifies a trade-off between vertical solidarity motivated by pragmatic ambitions and revenge, representing divergent resource acquisition strategies. The findings' relevance for decreasing vindictive behaviours and future research avenues are discussed.