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[I]t is impossible to overlook the extent to which civilization is built up upon a renunciation of instinct, how much it presupposes precisely the non-satisfaction (by suppression, repression, or some other means?) of powerful instincts. (Freud, 1930/1961, pp. 51–52) One of the most salient things about “maturing ” is how one handles conflict. Toddlers instinctively hit, bite, scream, and throw tantrums—and are coached to “use words ” instead. Older children often resort first to aggression even after years of such coaching; adults, having had the socially acceptable behaviors more ingrained, resort to the outwardly less objectionable passive aggression. And this is what we find in Carnage, a film based on the play God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza (2009), who coauthored the screenplay with the director, Roman Polanski. Presenting Problems The social dilemma opening the film is familiar: One adolescent boy has hurt another—some teeth are knocked out in a schoolyard dustup—and the respective parents meet to figure out how to handle the situation. The Cowans, a married couple (both master