What emotion is behind resentment?
Asked by: Miss Christa Ritchie Sr. | Last update: September 9, 2025Score: 4.5/5 (61 votes)
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.
What is the primary emotion of resentment?
Resentment (also called ranklement or bitterness) is a complex, multilayered emotion that has been described as a mixture of disappointment, disgust and anger. Other psychologists consider it a mood or as a secondary emotion (including cognitive elements) that can be elicited in the face of insult or injury.
Is resentment a trauma response?
Feeling resentment and anger means that you are attempting to process past trauma. It is a positive sign compared to the alternative- little or no memory of traumatic events and no emotion associated with them. If you allow the feeling of resentment to be processed, it will help you heal those memories.
How does resentment show up in the body?
Resentment and bitterness are like toxic fuel for stress. When you harbor these negative emotions, your body's stress response is continually activated, releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
What is the spirit of resentment?
Resentment is an awful unforgiving spirit that starts and ends when you feel misunderstood, or when someone forgets to acknowledge how much you've sacrificed for them, or when you expect so much more from others because you would have been willing to do much more for them.
The Only Cure for Resentment
What is the root cause of resentment?
There is no single cause of resentment, but most cases involve an underlying sense of being mistreated or wronged by another person. Experiencing frustration and disappointment is a normal part of life. When the feelings become too overwhelming, they can lead to resentment.
What is the bitter root of resentment?
Bitterness and resentment relate to anger. When we let anger at others or frustration at our situation fester and build up in our hearts, we can begin to develop bitterness and resentment. Often bitterness takes root when we are hurt by others or we think a situation we are put in is unjust or unfair.
What is the psychology behind resentment?
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.
What organ does resentment affect?
Liver. Digestion and the processing of nutrients are primary functions of this vital organ. 5 In TCM, the liver is associated with anger, depression, and the below physical symptoms: Emotions: Anger, resentment, frustration, irritability, bitterness, and "flying off the handle"
What does God say about resentment?
Ephesians 4:30-32
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Where is resentment held in the body?
Resentment is not held in a specific physical location in the body, but it can manifest as tension, stress, or physical symptoms due to the emotional distress it causes.
What can resentment turn into?
Resentment can cause real changes and imbalances in a relationship. If you're holding a grudge, you can lash out at a person in very obvious ways or even participate in passive-aggressive behavior. Resentment can also lead to the ending of a relationship, as it can become grating on anyone involved in the situation.
How do you defuse resentment?
It's okay to take a breather, gather your thoughts, and tackle the problem after. Self-calming techniques such as mindfulness or meditation may be the perfect outlet here. Take on the challenge of being kind to the one you resent. Trust me when I say being unkind to the person you resent is not the answer.
What is the base or root of resentment?
1600, "feel pain or distress" (a sense now obsolete); 1620s, "take (something) ill, consider as an injury or affront; be in some degree angry or provoked at," from French ressentir "feel pain, regret," from Old French resentir "feel again, feel in turn" (13c.), from re-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see re-), + ...
Can you resent someone you love?
Can You Love And Resent Someone At The Same Time? Yes. Emotions are complicated and usually not logical. You can love someone who has hurt you even thought you don't like them in the moment.
How to release resentment from the body?
- Acknowledge that you are full of resentment. ...
- Recognize the cause of resentment. ...
- Take responsibility for your emotions. ...
- Practise being present. ...
- Cultivate forgiveness. ...
- Find relaxation techniques that work for you. ...
- Exercise daily. ...
- Take a break.
Where is grief held in the body?
“The imprint of trauma doesn't 'sit' in the verbal, understanding, part of the brain, but in much deeper regions- amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, brain stem – (similar to the grief response) which are only marginally affected by thinking and cognition.
What emotion is stored in the colon?
'' Thus, contractions of the sigmoid colon are associated with anger17 and pallor and hypomotility of the gut with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. 18 Such associa- tions would account for the frequent and widespread use of gut metaphors to describe emotions.
What is the toxicity of resentment?
Resentment is a powerful and often overlooked emotion that can silently erode our mental well-being, relationships, and overall quality of life. As Nelson Mandela's poignant quote illustrates, resentment is a bitter poison that we consume, hoping it will somehow harm those who have wronged us.
Whose fault is resentment?
Blaming your resentments on others is misplaced blame; it is also incredibly disempowering to you. Resentments happen because of your response—or lack of response—to the behavior and actions of others. Resentments are about things unspoken and unaddressed.
What is resentment trying to tell you?
Resentment is a feeling, and like all feelings, it has a root purpose. That root purpose isn't to show you are an irredeemably unenlightened person. The purpose of resentment is to cast a big bold spotlight on boundary issues. When we dig around underneath feelings of resentment, we usually find vestiges of anger.
What part of the brain controls resentment?
Amygdala: The amygdala plays a role in how you experience emotions and feelings (like anxiety, anger and fear), memory and social interpretations (information about others).
How to release bitterness resentment?
- Practice empathy. ...
- Ask yourself about the circumstances that may have led the other person to behave in such a way. ...
- Reflect on times when others have forgiven you.
- Write in a journal, pray or use guided meditation. ...
- Be aware that forgiveness is a process.
What is the fruit of resentment?
Envy, greed, jealousy, covetousness are bitter fruits of discontent that could poison one's entire life, inhibit one's capacity for enjoyment of their life, and dampen the zeal to achieve to one's optimum potential for personal growth and development.
What did Jesus say about resentment?
What the Bible does tell us is to let go of any resentful feelings towards others. Ephesians 4:31 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Jesus does not want us to hold bitter feelings toward others in our lives.