Why would someone who is already in pain wish to inflict it upon others?

This is very common. Basically, someone who's going through pain is at a bad place. Our mind cannot handle being in a bad place, which leads to a chain of unhealthy coping mechanisms, some are directed at harming ourselves, others at harming others. Inflicting pain on others could serve as a distraction, or as a means to punish someone, anyone, for the pain they're experiencing. It's a sort of tit-for-tat logic that's skewed, but people often say that they have terribly tragic backstories and they're so hurt they start inflicting pain on others. Think of stories; almost all fictional villains have bad backstories. They aren't right; just suffering.

When you are in pain, you can find it difficult to regulate your emotions. Sometimes hurting someone else feels like you are redirecting the pain away from yourself. By hurting someone else, you can forget your own pain temporarily. However, this never resolves the problem and can create feelings of guilt and shame later. As a society, we are not taught to manage our emotions, to understand them, label them or accept them. We are often taught anger is bad when it can be useful. Emotions are never good or bad, they just are. But when we tell ourselves our emotions are bad, this can have negative consequences.

1) They may want to do this as a form of revenge. When somebody is hurt, they might want the person who made them feel that way to experience the same thing that they did. They do this because they feel that they didn't deserve what happened to them and that the other person deserves the same thing. 2) They might also do it because they don't want to be the only one who feels that pain. Sometimes you just don't want to be alone in something, and as wrong as it sounds to want somebody else to hurt just for you to feel comfort, it happens.

In Germany we have a saying that says something like "Shared suffering is half suffering." This actually refers to talking openly about what bothers you and venting so for example someone might feel better after they came here and opened up to a Listener and so "shared their suffering" with them. Yet there might be people who suppress things going on with them so much that they don't even realize and they kind of shift that negative energy and use the other person as an outlet which might be consciously or even without them realizing they are hurting someone (talking about emotional pain). Another explanation would be that they feel it is "fair" that if they suffer others have to do so as well. These are just example answers and I am sure there are more possibilities. As you already stated a person that hurts others can (doesn't have to) be in (emotional) pain themselves. If you feel like they are not completely suppressing it and running away from it it might be an idea to carefully confront them with what you observe (without being judging or they will probably shut you out) and lend them an open ear so they can "share their suffering" at a way that is healthier for both, for example by venting. You might also let them know that there are options like 7cupsoftea where they can open up anonymously to strangers if it is nothing they want to talk about with you or anyone in real life. Yet it might be that the person does not even realize their behavior or that they suppress their own negative feelings so that there is no guarantee for that to succeed.

Yes, it is an indeed interesting proposition, if one has suffered then why would someone like to replicate it to others? I guess the difference in action lies in how the person who experienced misfortunes processes them? One of the people who was cheated would consider it as a social problem and might try to solve the issue by spreading knowledge among other fellows while the other one having the same experiences could process it differently to become a cheat himself, professing the world is evil and hence it deserves so. Lack of empathy often stems from the lack of experience of love and compassion during one's younger years.

It’s hard to feel like you’re the only one going through and feeling what you’re feeling. Often times we try to bring people to our level, and in a case like this, the thought could be “the more misery and pain, the better”. We may want to blame others for our hurt, and may want them to feel the suffering we believe they have caused. Understanding it’s not about anyone else, finding support from those who truly want happiness for you is a great place to start. Your suffering because you are allowing yourself to suffer. You have to want to change your thoughts and feelings, and learn new ways to do that, to help you see things differently. 7Cups, like so many other organizations is a good place to help you sort through those feelings, helping you to learn the basis of your hurt and how it’s brought you to such thoughts. You are never alone, even though at times it feels so lonely. There are always people who care and genuinely want the best for you and your life

Hurt people hurt people. so if someone is in pain and hurt they might want someone else to feel as they do. in most cases, that's not okay. it's important that you heal yourself first so you don't have those negative thoughts anymore. it will be hard but it's a learning experience. once you figure out your issue and fix it everything will work out. it's best to take time to yourself and don't allow just anyone in your space if you feel like causing pain to others because you are in pain yourself, take that time and find ways to heal and become the best you.

Sometimes people in pain inflict it on others as 1) its what they know and experience so are inflicting pain as they have no other response, 2) they are not meaning to inflict it. Some people inflict pain without the realisation they are doing it, so its hard for them to stop their behaviour if they are unaware. 3) They want other people to feel there pain - some people want other people to feel pain so they can try and understand how they are feeling and making them feel pain the person may see as the best way of doing it.

There are some people in this world who want others to hurt just as badly as they do. It's unfortunate that they've come to this point but it's usually because they've been quite bitter for a long time. Have you considered the importance of your relationship with this person? Is there anything you can do to take care of yourself, especially if the relationship is important to you? Sometimes it's better to take care of ourselves because we're not going to be able to change the person. The only thing we can change in this world is ourselves and how we handle situations.

Someone who is already in pain may wish for others to feel their pain to make them understand. If someone was beaten up as a child they may also beat up their children because they may not know another way to approach the problem. If someone has been in pain for a little bit now they may be mind-controlled in a way to make them beat up others. Some people who are bullied may target others like him because he was bulied. that is why someone in pain may hurt others.