Resentment
- Date: 1619
Definition
- a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury
Description
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.
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 or humiliation. Common sources of resentment include publicly humiliating incidents such as accepting negative treatment without voicing any protest, 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.[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.[1]
