Righteous aggressors

Halbertal (On Sacrifice, 72-3) offers this fine analysis of the self-justificating moves of aggressors:

“The mind can play complicated games, and among them is the accusation that an aggressor directs toward his victim for causing him to become violent, which all too easily turns into a justification for further violence. This cycle seems to be an integral feature of abuse. A person who feels guilty toward someone begins to see that person as his tormentor, which gives him a reason for further aggression, causing an escalation of guilt, which in turn provides the rational for more aggression. . . . . 

“Guilt, as an instrument of reversal, has an even finer quality. It bears immediate witness to the perpetrator’s righteousness. Since guilt is self-inflicted, it is not a punishment from an outside force; it is a sign of the aggressor’s sensitivity and virtue. The circle of reversal is therefore completed. The guilty party is not only the actual victim but also a righteous victim.”