Resentment falls under complex, secondary/tertiary emotions, blending primary feelings like anger, disappointment, and disgust with cognitive elements of perceived injustice, making it a lingering state of bitterness and indignation over a past wrong or unfair situation that is repeatedly replayed. It's essentially "anger that lingers" and festers over time due to a sense of being wronged, often combined with rumination, according to this article on the Holistic Wellness Australia blog and this Psychology Today article on resentment.
Resentment is a buildup of negative emotions such as anger, frustration, and disappointment. It often comes from feeling like you've been wronged. Signs include behavior such as withdrawing and acting out. If not addressed, it can damage your relationships and lead to mental and physical health issues.
The word originates from French "ressentir", re-, intensive prefix, and sentir "to feel"; from the Latin "sentire".
An imbalanced liver and gallbladder can be caused by longstanding feelings of repressed anger, such as resentment, frustration, and irritability. Also, as the same with other organs, imbalance can be caused by a poor diet, body pollutants such as chemicals, drugs and moulds etc.
Last publications view resentment as a “tertiary emotion,” which means a blend of primary emotions, such as anger, surprise, and disgust, along with secondary emotions, including contempt, shock, and outrage.
Resentment can be described as a complex, multilayered emotional reaction to being mistreated or wronged by another person, situation or series of circumstances. Often, resentment feels like a merging of anger, bitterness, disgust, disappointment and disapproval toward the person or events that led to your perspective.
Ekman proposed seven basic emotions: fear, anger, joy, sad, contempt, disgust, and surprise; but he changed to six basic emotions: fear, anger, joy, sadness, disgust, and surprise.
Write in a journal, pray or use guided meditation. Or talk with a person you've found to be wise and compassionate, such as a spiritual leader, a mental health provider, or an impartial loved one or friend. Be aware that forgiveness is a process. Even small hurts may need to be revisited and forgiven again and again.
If you sit in frustration, the lower back is a common place for storing repressed anger. For relief, learn to articulate frustration constructively and address conflicts with others.
The classics usually associate anger with the Liver, which is why the Liver is the General, but in fact [the emotions of] the Liver include melancholy, hatred, neuroticism, and all the Seven Emotions 七情.
Resentment is a complex emotional response that often arises from frequent arguments, perceived injustice, unmet needs, or repeated disappointment. It's the accumulation of unspoken anger, hurt, and frustration that develops over time.
Chronic stress and anxiety: Chronic resentment can cause the body to remain in a state of heightened alert. This can lead to increased stress hormones and chronic stress or anxiety, as the body and mind constantly react to the negative emotions associated with the resentment.
Resentment means to re-sense, or to re-feel pains of the past. The root of resentment is an instinct of survival that teaches us to remember and avoid the things that hurt us. But resentment takes this instinct too far. Carrying resentments can be addictive because resenting makes us feel powerful through self-pity.
Develop and practice conflict resolution skills. This involves learning to stay calm and control your emotions. Doing so will allow you to respond respectfully to the situation and peaceably express your feelings. Practice forgiveness through empathy and reframing.
While each person and situation are unique, here are some common signs of resentment: Passive aggressive comments or behaviors, including sarcastic remarks. Increased agitation towards the person that feels unexpected. Feeling like you want to escape the relationship or becoming emotionally withdrawn.
Anger and resentment go hand in hand, creating a toxic emotional environment that hinders healthy communication and connection. Unresolved resentment becomes a heavy burden, leading to emotional distance and strain between partners.
Resentment is not a pure emotion, but rather a particular manifestation of anger. Broadly speaking, we feel anger when our expectations are violated or when our boundaries are crossed. In the case of resentment, we have expectations regarding things we deserve to get from the world.
Experiencing sudden warmth, heat waves, or blushing in the body may be another sign of trauma release. Physical sensations are often linked to the body processing past stress or emotional memories. They're another sign that the body is changing as it lets go of stored trauma, such as from difficult memories.
The “90-second rule,” introduced by Harvard neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, reveals that an emotional surge in the body lasts only about 90 seconds—unless we mentally keep it alive.
Resentment Prayer: A simple but powerful practice asking for peace and goodwill toward those you resent. Humility and Gratitude: These attitudes are antidotes to resentment.
Behavioral signs
Resentment changes how you act. Common behaviors include rumination (constantly thinking about the offense), withdrawal, isolation, and avoidance. You might notice yourself: Replaying past hurts over and over in your mind.
Commonly prescribed antidepressants for anger issues
Research shows that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might be an effective anger medication for some people. Some commonly prescribed SSRIs for rage or anger include: Citalopram (Celexa) Fluoxetine (Prozac)
Theorists have conducted studies to determine which emotions are basic. A popular example is Paul Ekman and his colleagues' cross-cultural study of 1992, in which they concluded that the six basic emotions are anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.
The 27 emotions: admiration, adoration, aesthetic appreciation, amusement, anger, anxiety, awe, awkwardness, boredom, calmness, confusion, craving, disgust, empathic pain, entrancement, excitement, fear, horror, interest, joy, nostalgia, relief, romance, sadness, satisfaction, sexual desire, surprise.
But all for all, those are the five primary emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust and why they're useful for us.