Humiliation is one of the most powerful stimuli to which the human psyche reacts extremely painfully. Nevertheless, this phenomenon can and should be fought.
Definition
Humiliation is the behavior of an individual, aimed at suppressing a sense of dignity both in the person himself and in the eyes of others. This action can be either unconsciously or intentionally, for the purpose of self-affirmation or in the process of education. It is worth noting that humiliation can cause serious psychological trauma and nervous disorders.
For the object to which such activity is directed, humiliation is a serious shock and blow to well-being. Self -esteem and humiliation is the fourth step in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Thus, a person consciously tries to avoid humiliating situations, which often leads to sociability and sociopathy.
Fear of humiliation
Humiliation is definitely an unpleasant feeling. Fear is largely due to the fact that everyone can find themselves in such an unpleasant situation, which is absolutely impossible to foresee. However, much depends on personal psychological characteristics. So, if an individual is self-confident and psychologically stable, he will calmly survive an unpleasant situation (it is possible that it will not leave a trace). But humiliation can break a weak personality, which sometimes leads to tragic consequences.
Subjugation and humiliation are undesirable feelings that are especially painful for teenagers. It is during this period that the character and perception of the world is formed. Having survived the humiliation in adolescence, a person is wary of others and closes in on himself. Trying to eliminate the likelihood of a recurrence of the situation, he becomes unsociable and aggressive, which complicates the process of adaptation in society.
Can humiliation be avoided?
Submission and humiliation will not be pleasant to anyone. It is only natural that people try to avoid such situations, even if they have not previously encountered similar feelings. As a rule, people are humiliated during a conflict. If you feel that the situation is heating up, you can use these tricks:
- Try to understand the mood of your interlocutor. If he is aggressive, do not try to express your opinion, even if it is the only correct one.
- Try to defuse the situation by changing the subject. This must be done carefully so as not to offend the interlocutor.
- If you feel that humiliation is the main goal of the interlocutor, you should not even try to prove your case. Even if you are overwhelmed with emotions, just turn around and leave.
How to survive humiliation?
The humiliation of human dignity is a way of asserting oneself, revenge, etc. Nevertheless, for a person who has been exposed to such an impact, this is a serious shock that can leave a mark on the rest of his life. There are cases when a humiliating situation became the cause of suicide (especially in adolescents). To survive an unpleasant situation without serious consequences for the psyche, it is worth paying attention to such tips:
- Common is the “strikeout" technique. You must live and communicate with others as if there was never an unpleasant incident.
- If you can’t erase the humiliating situation from your memory, try to use visual images. When in a relaxed state, imagine that your memories and sensations associated with them are washed away by water or the wind blows away.
- Find some unnecessary item (for example, a cracked plate, an old toy, a broken watch) and put all your negativity into it. Next, this thing needs to be destroyed.
- If you consider yourself to be strong people, accumulate negative energy and direct it to active actions. Your success will certainly block all negative emotions caused by humiliation.
- Take this situation not as a shock, but as a life lesson. Carefully analyze what happened to understand its causes. It is also worth developing a strategy of behavior that will help you avoid humiliation in the future.
Should I contact a psychologist?
Many take the insult to feelings lightly. Nevertheless, this can cause serious psychological trauma. It should be understood that all people are different. Someone will calmly endure humiliation, someone will get out of the oppressed state on their own, and for some, even the support of loved ones will not be a consolation. In the latter case, you must certainly consult a psychologist. The specialist will help you to feel like a full-fledged person again. In addition, a qualified psychologist will give you valuable advice for the future, which will allow you to leave dignified situations with dignity.
Cultural and psychological humiliation
Insulting feelings can have a different background. So, most often there is cultural humiliation. It is aimed at exposing a person in an unsightly light in front of others, provoking ridicule and persecution. Most often, this applies to some features of appearance, behavior, personal life, and so on.
Nevertheless, no matter how strong the fear of public condemnation, psychological humiliation is much worse. It affects the state of mind, painful situations and topics. As a result, a person can become deeply depressed.
How to humiliate a person (not to be taken as a guide to action)?
People are often careless in communicating with each other. They do not even suspect that a carelessly spoken word can cause serious psychological trauma. How to humiliate a person? Much easier than it might seem. Such words and situations are derogatory:
- A demonstration of obvious things. For example: "You need to brush your teeth!", "You need to iron your clothes!", "You can not champ at the table!" Thus, a person tries to hint at the low level of intellectual, physical and social development of the opponent.
- Criticism of the personality of an abstract person, which is actually aimed specifically at the interlocutor. For example: "He who smokes tobacco is a fool!" This is the most harmless example. Often people affect personal feelings or more serious situations.
- It would seem that giving advice is harmless and even noble. Nevertheless, there may be some hidden subtext. Trying to give a useful recommendation, people often put their interlocutor in an unflattering light or demonstrate intellectual superiority.
- Not only the phrase itself, but also the intonation with which it is spoken, can humiliate a person. So, a dismissive or arrogant tone can offend, even if some ordinary thing is said.
- Non-constructive criticism affecting a person’s hobbies and beliefs. For example, arguing that all boxers are mentally retarded, that all artists are alcoholics, and musicians are drug addicts, a person tries to discredit your lifestyle.
- In communication with a specialist in a particular field, people often praise his competitors. Nevertheless, this can be regarded as a desire to belittle the professional qualities of the interlocutor.
- Laughter or jokes during the dialogue. The man will undoubtedly be offended by the inappropriate laughter that followed the serious and meaningful phrase.
- An unexpected change of topic when the interlocutor talks about something extremely important for himself. This is a demonstration of neglect and disrespect.
- Appearance features are one of the most painful topics. It is very simple to insult a person and cause internal complexes in him, if you indicate to him the flaws of the figure or some defects.
Conclusion
It is not easy to survive moral and physical humiliation. If you are faced with such a situation, you need to properly form your attitude towards it. It is worthwhile to understand that when trying to insult another, a person first of all humiliates himself. When you understand this, it will be much easier for you to survive an unpleasant situation without plunging into a depressed state.