Cultural differences in revenge fantasies using drawings: A comparative study between Indians and Thais

Abstract Unjust events cause humiliation and can elicit revenge fantasies. The present study explored cultural differences between Indians and Thais expressing revenge fantasies through drawings and narratives. A matched convenience sample of 100 adults, that is, 50 participants each (35 females and 15 males) from India and Thailand were recruited. The qualitative measures administrated include drawings with two prompts: ‘Draw an unjust event you experienced’ and ‘Draw what you would prefer to happen to the person who unjustly treated you’, followed by narratives about the drawings. The participants also filled in demographics, The Traumatic Events Checklist (TEC), and The Injustice Experiences Questionnaire (IEQ). Analysis revealed that Thais were more likely to report known individuals as perpetrators than Indians. In contrast, Indians were more likely to report strangers and family members than Thais. Indians preferred avoidance as revenge fantasy more than Thais. Thais in contrast preferred revenge by proxy more in comparison to Indians. Indians had higher scores for sexual abuse, loss of family members, and other unspecified events, than Thais. The drawings and IEQ scores also showed associations for full sample and for Thais alone ( p < 0.05). The cultural differences shed light on how revenge fantasy is expressed between Indians and Thais.