Resentment can be triggered by an emotionally disturbing experience felt again or relived in the mind. When the person feeling resentment is directing the emotion at themself it appears as remorse Remorse is an emotional expression of personal regret felt by a person after he or she has committed an act which they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or violent. Remorse is closely allied to guilt and self-directed resentment. When a person regrets an earlier action or failure to act, it may be because of remorse or in response to various other.[1]

Contents

Psychology

Causes

Resentment can result from a variety of situations, involving a perceived wrong done to an individual, and often are sparked by expressions of injustice Injustice is the lack of or opposition to justice, either in reference to a particular event or act, or as a larger status quo. The term generally refers to misuse, abuse, neglect, or malfeasance that is uncorrected or else sanctioned by a legal system. Misuse and abuse with regard to a particular case or context may represents a systemic failure or humiliation Humiliation is the abasement of pride, which creates mortification or leads to a state of being humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It can be brought about through bullying, intimidation, physical or mental mistreatment or trickery, or by embarrassment if a person is revealed to have committed a socially or legally unacceptable act. Common sources of resentment include publicly humiliating incidents such as accepting negative treatment without voicing any protest, an object of regular discrimination CERD · CEDAW · CDE · ILO C111 · ILO C100 · ILO C169 · Protocol No. 12 ECHR or prejudice A prejudice is a prejudgment: i.e. a preconceived belief, opinion, or judgment made without recourse to reason; drawing typically instead upon received information or upon instinctual preference. The word prejudice is most commonly used to refer to a preconceived judgment toward a people or a person because of race, social class, gender, ethnicity,, envy Envy can also derive from a sense of low self-esteem that results from an upward social comparison threatening a person's self image: another person has something that the envier considers to be important to have. If the other person is perceived to be similar to the envier, the aroused envy will be particularly intense, because it signals to the/jealousy Jealousy is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, such as a relationship, friendship, or love. Jealousy often consists of a combination of emotions such as anger, sadness, and disgust. It is not to be confused with envy, feeling used or taken advantage of by others, and having achievements go unrecognized, while others succeed without working as hard. Resentment can also be generated by dyadic interactions, such as emotional rejection or denial by another person, deliberate embarrassment or belittling by another person, or ignorance, putting down, or scorn by another person.[2] Often resentment can begin early, as in the case of children who are unequipped emotionally to respond otherwise to the divorce of the parents.

Signs

Unlike many emotions, resentment does not have physical tags exclusively related to it that telegraph when a person is feeling this emotion. However, physical expressions associated with related emotions such as anger and jealousy may be exhibited, such as furrowed brows or bared teeth.[3]

Resentment can be self-diagnosed by looking for signs such as the need for emotion regulation Emotional self-regulation, also known as Emotion Regulation or simply ER, is being able to properly regulate one's emotions. It is a complex process that involves the initiating, inhibiting, or modulating the following aspects of functioning:, such as faking happiness while with a person to cover true feelings toward them or speaking in a sarcastic or demeaning way to or about the person. It can also be diagnosed through the appearance of agitation- or dejection-related emotions, such as feeling inexplicably depressed Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines a depressed person as experiencing feelings of sadness, helplessness and hopelessness. In traditional colloquy, feeling "depressed" is often synonymous with feeling "sad", but both clinical depression or despondent Categories: Emotion | Symptoms | Mental illness diagnosis by DSM and ICD | Psychology, becoming angry for no apparent reason, or having nightmares A nightmare is a dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the sleeper, typically fear and/or horror. The dream may contain situation of danger, discomfort, or psychological or physical distress. Sufferers are usually woken in a state of distress, and might be unable to go back to sleep for a prolonged period or disturbing daydreams about a person.[4]

Effects

Resentment is most powerful when it is felt toward someone whom the individual is close to or intimate with. To have an injury resulting in resentful feelings inflicted by a friend or loved one leaves the individual feeling betrayed as well as resentful, and these feelings can have deep effects.[5]

Resentment is an emotionally debilitating condition that, when unresolved, can have a variety of negative results on the person experiencing it, including touchiness or edginess when thinking of the person resented, denial of anger or hatred against this person, and provocation or anger arousal when this person is recognized positively. It can also have more long-term effects, such as the development of a hostile, cynical, sarcastic attitude that may become a barrier against other healthy relationships, lack of personal and emotional growth, difficulty in self-disclosure, trouble trusting others, loss of self-confidence, and overcompensation.[2] By contrast, resentment does not have any direct negative effects on the person resented, save for the deterioration of the relationship involved.

To further compound these negative effects, resentment often functions in a downward spiral. Resentful feelings cut off communication between the resentful person and the person he or she feels wronged them, which can result in future miscommunications and the development of further resentful feelings.[6]

Because of the consequences they carry, resentful feelings are dangerous to live with and need to be dealt with. Resentment is an obstacle to the restoration of equal moral relations among persons,[5] and must be handled and expunged via introspection and forgiveness.

Psychologist James J. Messina recommends five steps to facing and resolving resentful feelings. (1) Identify the source of the resentful feelings and what it is the person did to evoke these feelings, (2) develop a new way of looking at past, present and future life, including how resentment has affected life and how letting go of resentment can improve the future, (3) write a letter to the source of the resentment, listing offenses and explaining the circumstances, then forgive and let go of the offenses (but do not send the letter), (4) visualize a future without the negative impact of resentment, and (5) if resentful feelings still linger, return to Step 1 and begin again.[2]

Comparison with other emotions

Resentment is considered to be synonymous with anger, spite, and other similar emotions; however, while it may incorporate elements of these emotions, resentment itself differs from these emotions in several key ways. Aside from sharing similar facial expressions, resentment and anger differ primarily in the way they are externally expressed. Anger results in aggressive behavior, used to avert or deal with a threat,[7] while resentment occurs once the injury has been dealt and is not expressed as aggressively or as openly.

Resentment and spite also differ primarily in the way they are expressed. Resentment is unique in that it is almost exclusively internalized, where it can do further emotional and psychological damage but does not strongly impact the person resented. By contrast, spite is exclusively externalized, involving vindictive actions against a source of wrong. Spiteful actions can stem from resentful feelings, however.

Academic perspectives

In Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (German pronunciation: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈniːtsʃə]; in English UK: /ˈniːtʃə/, US: /ˈniːtʃi/) was a 19th-century German philosopher and classical philologist. He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science, using a distinctive style and displaying a’s book The Anti-Christ The Anti-Christ (also could be translated as The Anti-Christian) is a book by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, originally published in 1895. Although it was written in 1888, its controversial content made Franz Overbeck and Heinrich Köselitz delay its publication, along with Ecce Homo. The German title can be translated into English as both &, resentment is used to explain why certain religions view their God God is the English name given to the singular omnipotent being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism as they do. For instance, the Jewish God of the Old Testament The Old Testament is the collection of books that forms the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. The contents of the Old Testament canon vary from church to church, with the Orthodox communion having 51 books: the shared books are those of the shortest canon, that of the major Protestant communions, with 39 books changed from the God of the Jewish people to the One True God of everyone because of the oppression of the Jews during the Roman occupation of Palestine. The Jews’ desire to see their oppressors punished spawned a conception of a God to whom all would be accountable, and this conception was driven by their resentful feelings toward the Romans.[8] Philosopher Robert C. Solomon Robert C. Solomon was a professor of continental philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin in the USA wrote extensively on the emotion of resentment and its negative effects on those who experience it. Solomon describes resentment as the means by which man clings to his self-respect, and as humanity at its lowest ebb.

In modern culture

The Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement claiming over 2 million members and declaring that its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety". AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith (Bill W. and Dr. Bob) in Akron, Ohio. Along with other early members, Wilson and Smith organization cites resentment as the number one offender, and one of the greatest threats to an alcoholic.[9] Several of the Twelve Steps A twelve-step program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems. Originally proposed by Alcoholics Anonymous as a method of recovery from alcoholism, the Twelve Steps were first published in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred of AA involve identifying and dealing with resentment as part of the path toward recovery, including acknowledging one's own role in resentment and praying for the person resented.[10]

Resentment can also play a role in racial and ethnic conflicts, both in the United States and abroad. Resentment is cited as having infected the structure of social value, and is thus a regular catalyst in conflicts sparked by inequality.[11] It can also be one of the emotions experienced during class conflict Class conflict refers to the concept of underlying tensions or antagonisms which exist in society due to conflicting interests that arise from different social positions. Class conflict is thought to play a pivotal role in history of class societies by Marxists who refer to its overt manifestations as class war, a struggle whose resolution in, particularly by the oppressed social class Social classes are the arrangements of people in society in economic or cultural groups. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.babylon.com/definition/resentment/English
  2. ^ a b c http://www.livestrong.com/article/14691-handling-resentment/
  3. ^ Oatley, Keith, Dacher Keltner and Jennifer M. Jenkins. Understanding Emotions. Blackwell Publishing, 2006, p 88.
  4. ^ http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/living/how-to-get-rid-of-resentment/
  5. ^ a b Murphy, Jeffrey G. “Forgiveness and Resentment.” Midwest Studies in Philosophy. Vol 7, Issue 1, pp 503–516. 28 Jun 2008.
  6. ^ http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/anger-in-the-age-entitlement/200806/emotional-abuse-is-your-relationship-headed-there-you-might
  7. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anger Anger is an emotion. The physical effects of anger include increased heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline. Some view anger as part of the fight or flight brain response to the perceived threat of harm. Anger becomes the predominant feeling behaviorally, cognitively, and physiologically when a person makes the
  8. ^ http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/travis_denneson/antichrist.html
  9. ^ AA Services. Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 4th edition; 2002.
  10. ^ http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/has61016.page
  11. ^ McCarthy, Cameron, et al. “Danger in the Safety Zone: Notes on Race, Resentment, and the Discourse of Crime, Violence and Suburban Society.” Cultural Studies. Routledge, Vol 11, No 2; 1997.
Emotions Emotion is a complex psychological and physiological phenomenon involving an individual's state of mind and how it interacts between that individual and their environment. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience". Emotion is associated with mood, temperament, (list Robert Plutchik created a wheel of emotions in 1980 which consisted of 8 basic emotions and 8 advanced emotions each composed of 2 basic ones)
Affection Affection is a "disposition or state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love. It has given rise to a number of branches of philosophy and psychology concerning: emotion ; disease; influence; state of being (philosophy); and state of mind (psychology). "Affection" is popularly used to denote a · Ambivalence Ambivalence is a state of having simultaneous, conflicting feelings toward a person or thing. Stated another way, ambivalence is the experience of having thoughts and emotions of both positive and negative valence toward someone or something. A common example of ambivalence is the feeling of both love and hate for a person. The term also refers to · Anger Anger is an emotion. The physical effects of anger include increased heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline. Some view anger as part of the fight or flight brain response to the perceived threat of harm. Anger becomes the predominant feeling behaviorally, cognitively, and physiologically when a person makes the · Angst If Wiktionary has a definition already, change this tag to {{}} or else consider a soft redirect to Wiktionary by replacing the text on this page with {{}}. If Wiktionary does not have the definition yet, consider moving the whole article to Wiktionary by replacing this tag with the template {{}} · Annoyance Annoyance is an unpleasant mental state that is characterized by such effects as irritation and distraction from one's conscious thinking. It can lead to emotions such as frustration and anger. The property of being easily annoyed is called petulance, and something which annoys is called a nuisance · Anticipation Anticipation or being enthusiastic, is an emotion involving pleasure in considering some expected or longed-for good event, or irritation at having to wait. Robert Plutchik listed anticipation as one of the eight basic emotions in his psychoevolutionary theory. See also hope. A name for pleasured anticipation is excitement · Anxiety Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components. These components combine to create an unpleasant feeling that is typically associated with uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry. Anxiety is a generalized mood condition that can often occur without an identifiable · Apathy Apathy is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest or concern to emotional, social, or physical life. They may also exhibit an insensibility or sluggishness. The opposite of apathy is flow. In positive psychology, apathy is · Awe Awe is an emotion comparable to wonder but less joyous, and more fearful or respectful. A person may feel wonder or joy while seeing a large rainbow, but typically a person does not feel in awe of a rainbow. In general awe is directed at objects considered to be more powerful than the subject, such as the breaking of huge waves on the base of a · Boredom Boredom is an emotional state experienced during periods lacking activity or when individuals are uninterested in the opportunities surrounding them. The first record of the word boredom is in the novel Bleak House by Charles Dickens, written in 1852, in which it appears six times, although the expression to be a bore had been used in the sense of · Compassion Compassion is a virtue —one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy (for the suffering of others) are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnectedness and humanism —foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood · Compersion Compersion is said to be a state of empathetic happiness and joy experienced when an individual's romantic partner experiences happiness and joy through an outside source, including, but not limited to, another romantic interest. This can be experienced as any form of erotic or emotional empathy, depending on the person experiencing the emotion · Confusion Confusion of a pathological degree usually refers to loss of orientation , sometimes accompanied by disordered consciousness and often memory (ability to correctly recall previous events or learn new material). Confusion as such is not synonymous with inability to focus attention, although severe inability to focus attention can cause, or greatly · Contempt Contempt is an intense feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless—it is similar to scorn. It is also used when people are being sarcastic. Contempt is also defined as the state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace, and an open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority of a court of law or · Contentment Some of the earliest[citation needed] references to the state of contentment are found in the reference to the midah of Samayach B’Chelko. The expression comes from the word samayach (root Sin-Mem-Chet) meaning "happiness, joy or contentment", and chelko (root Chet-Lamed-Kuf) meaning "portion, lot, or piece", and combined · Courage Courage, also known as bravery, fortitude, will, and intrepidity, is the ability to confront fear, pain, risk/danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular · Curiosity Curiosity is an emotion related to natural inquisitive behavior such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in human and many animal species. The term can also be used to denote the behavior itself being caused by the emotion of curiosity. As this emotion represents a drive to know new things, curiosity is the fuel of · Desire Desire is a sense of longing for a person or object or hoping for an outcome. The same sense is expressed by emotions such as "craving" or "hankering". When a person desires something or someone, their sense of longing is excited by the enjoyment or the thought of the item or person, and they want to take actions to obtain · Disappointment Disappointment is the feeling of dissatisfaction that follows the failure of expectations to manifest. Similar to regret, it differs in that the individual feeling regret focuses primarily on the personal choices that contributed to a poor outcome, while the individual feeling disappointment focuses on the outcome itself. It is a source of · Disgust Disgust is an emotion that is typically associated with things that are regarded as unclean, inedible, infectious, or otherwise offensive. For example, "I am disgusted by the stench and sight of that heap of rotting viscera." In The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, Charles Darwin wrote that disgust refers to something · Doubt Doubt, a status between belief and disbelief, involves uncertainty or distrust or lack of sureness of an alleged fact, an action, a motive, or a decision. Doubt brings into question some notion of a perceived "reality", and may involve delaying or rejecting relevant action out of concerns for mistakes or faults or appropriateness. Some · Ecstasy Ecstasy is subjective experience of total involvement of the subject, with an object of his or her awareness. Because total involvement with an object of our interest is not our ordinary experience since we are ordinarily aware also of other objects, the ecstasy is an example of altered state of consciousness characterized by diminished awareness · Embarrassment · Empathy · Emptiness · Enthusiasm · Envy · Euphoria · Fear · Frustration · Gratification · Gratitude · Grief · Guilt · Happiness · Hatred · Homesickness · Hope · Hostility · Humiliation · Hysteria · Interest · Jealousy · Limerence · Loneliness · Love · Lust · Mono no aware · Nostalgia · Optimism · Panic · Patience · Passion · Pessimism · Pity · Pride · Rage · Regret · Remorse · Repentance · Resentment · Righteous indignation · Sadness · Saudade · Schadenfreude · Sehnsucht · Self-pity · Shame · Suffering · Surprise · Suspicion · Sympathy · Weltschmerz · Wonder · Worry
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NBC Chicago (blog) Brady won the primary by exploiting Downstate's resentment of Chicago's influence over Illinois. And those resentments re-surface when he holds a Tea Party ...
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Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:17:11 GM

Helping a child while feeling . resentment. does her no favor in the long run! Take care of your own needs first. Go for a walk, take a nap do whatever you need to do to get yourself feeling full, happy, and generous again before you ...

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How do I move on and stop harbouring resentment?
Q. I have realised that I am harbouring a lot of resentment and I would really like to move on but I don't know how. I have a memory like an elephant and remember every wrong doing that everyone has ever done. It is driving me crazy now. How do I just get over it?
Asked by rennie z - Sat Dec 23 16:55:14 2006 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments

A. remembering what people do, how they behave and what they say is sane and sensible... we all do it.. it is wise to learn from past mistakes.. having said that let me also say that if your energies are focussed on resenting these people then you are robbing yourself of good times, good thoughts, and good experiences. The way to move away from resentment towards simply remembering and learning from the past is to say to yourself. I have learned from that experience and know not to trust that person again, however I do know there are others I can trust. Focus your attention on positive people, people who are caring and friendly, people who are genuine. Do remember that no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes the best… [cont.]
Answered by wollemi_pine_writer - Sat Dec 23 17:08:23 2006

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