Resentment

Resentment (also called ranklement or bitterness) is a complex, multilayered emotion - rather than one of Ekman's six basic emotions (surprise, disgust, happiness, sadness, anger, and fear) - which has been described as a mixture of disappointment, anger and fear. Disgust, sadness and surprise, as well as the perception of injustice, are also related emotions, as are envy and spleen. Resentment (also called ranklement or bitterness) is a complex, multilayered emotion - rather than one of Ekman's six basic emotions (surprise, disgust, happiness, sadness, anger, and fear) - which has been described as a mixture of disappointment, anger and fear. Disgust, sadness and surprise, as well as the perception of injustice, are also related emotions, as are envy and spleen. Resentment can be triggered by an emotionally disturbing experience felt again or relived in the mind, and is a compound emotion (including cognitive elements) elicited in the face of insult and/or injury. Robert C. Solomon, a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, places resentment on the same continuum as anger and contempt, and he argues that the differences between the three are that resentment is anger directed toward a higher-status individual; anger is directed toward an equal-status individual; and contempt is anger directed toward a lower-status individual. The word originates from French 'ressentir', re-, intensive prefix, and sentir 'to feel'; from the Latin 'sentire'. The English word has become synonymous with anger, spite, and holding a grudge. Resentment can result from a variety of situations involving a perceived wrongdoing from an individual, which are often sparked by expressions of injustice or humiliation. Common sources of resentment include publicly humiliating incidents such as accepting negative treatment without voicing any protest; feeling like an object of regular discrimination or prejudice; envy/jealousy; 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. 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 envy may be exhibited, such as furrowed brows or bared teeth. Resentment can be self-diagnosed by looking for signs such as the need for emotion regulation, faking happiness while with a person to cover true feelings toward him, 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 or despondent, becoming angry for no apparent reason, or having nightmares or disturbing daydreams about a person. 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. 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.