contempt
Sign in to savethumb|right|200px|This picture of Thomas Ward, arrested for stealing a £1 coin, can be seen as showing contempt. thumb|A painting by Louis-Léopold Boilly (ca. 1797).The woman has been interpreted as a [[prostitute (who is disdaining the inadequate coin proffered by the fashionable gentleman getting his shoes shined at left).]]
AI overview
Contempt is a feeling of disrespect or disdain that someone shows toward another person or thing they consider worthless or beneath them. It matters because it can be expressed through actions and expressions—as shown in historical images—and reflects how people judge and treat others they regard as inferior or undeserving.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Cultural context
- Characteristics
- Defining features
- Virtues
- Response
- Contempt in relationships
- Gender differences
- Marriage
- In racism and misogyny
- Power and distance
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|right|200px|This picture of Thomas Ward, arrested for stealing a £1 coin, can be seen as showing contempt. thumb|A painting by Louis-Léopold Boilly (ca. 1797).The woman has been interpreted as a [[prostitute (who is disdaining the inadequate coin proffered by the fashionable gentleman getting his shoes shined at left).]]
In colloquial usage, contempt usually refers to either the act of despising, or having a general lack of respect for something. This set of emotions generally produces maladaptive behaviour. Other authors define contempt as a negative emotion rather than the constellation of mentality and feelings that produce an attitude. Paul Ekman categorises contempt as the seventh basic emotion, along with anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness and surprise. Robert C. Solomon places contempt on the same emotional continuum as resentment and anger, and he argues that the differences between the three are that resentment is anger directed towards a higher-status individual; anger is directed towards an equal-status individual; and contempt is anger directed towards a lower-status individual.