Who Acts Out Aggressive Fantasies?

Aggressive fantasies may foster violent behavior in some people but not others.

Fantasy is often an important part of a person’s inner life, as it allows one to imagine alternative selves that are not constrained by reality. For some people, fantasies about violent and aggressive actions might be harmless. However, there is evidence that, at least for some people, having aggressive fantasies is linked to later aggressive behaviour.

Why some people choose to act out aggressive fantasies, while others do not, is not well understood. A recent study…