What is Resentment?

Imagine a person who feels like he is being underestimated all his life, being treated unfairly, and success going to other – less worthy. She is not just offended, she accumulates this image, turning it into the foundation of her worldview. This is resentment <TAG1> is a complex feeling that goes beyond the usual image and becomes a key prism of perception of reality.

Term "resentment" comes from French ressentiment, which means «deep sense of resentment». This is not just a short-term indignation, but a long-term experience of injustice, which is accompanied by a feeling of powerlessness.

The most famous analysis of this phenomenon was made Friedrich Nietzsche. He believed that resentment is inherent in people who cannot act directly, so they accumulate resentment and look for the culprits in their misfortunes. It is on the basis of resentment, according to Nietzsche, that it is formed "slave Morality" <TAG1> when weak people, not having the strength to change their situation, begin to devalue the strong, declaring them evil or unfair.

Resentment usually develops due to the following factors:

🔹 Feeling unfair <TAG1> man is convinced that the world treats him cruelly and he can do nothing about it.🔹 Passivity <TAG1> inability to directly respond to an insult or change the situation contributes to the accumulation of anger.🔹 Self-justification <TAG1> a person begins to look for the culprits in his troubles: the government, the boss, neighbors, certain social groups.🔹 Change of moral guidelines <TAG1> instead of striving for success or strength, a person begins to devalue those who have managed to achieve more.

Resentment changes thinking so that a person constantly lives in a state of hidden or obvious dissatisfaction:

🔻 Chronic insult <TAG1> the person remembers and analyzes all cases of injustice, constantly returning to them in thought.🔻 Depreciation of other people's achievements <TAG1> if someone is lucky, then they don't deserve it or got it all dishonestly.🔻 Thirst for punishment <TAG1> desire that those who – blame«for her failures suffer, even if it does not give anything good to the person himself.🔻 Life as a victim <TAG1> a constant sense of one's own inability and shifting responsibility to external forces.

Resentment – is not only a personal problem. It can provide the basis for broad social and political processes.

📌 Populism <TAG1> politicians who exploit resentment incite hatred against elites, immigrants, the rich or any other group to gain the support of the disaffected.📌 Culture of images <TAG1> as society begins to cultivate the role of victim, everyone is looking for something to be offended by instead of solving problems.📌 Radicalization <TAG1> people who live long in resentment can be involved in extremist movements seeking revenge on the system.

Yes, but for this you need to do a difficult internal work:

✔ Stop living in the past <TAG1> learn to let go of old images and direct energy to your own development.✔ Take responsibility for your life <TAG1> instead of looking for the culprits, it's worth finding what you can change in yourself and your actions.✔ Focus on actions, not complaints <TAG1> act even in small things that change the situation for the better.

Resentment can turn a person into an eternal critic who only blames others for his problems. However, awareness of this mechanism gives a chance for change: instead of getting stuck in the role of a victim, you can take control of your life and learn to turn negative emotions into constructive actions.