Humiliation is an experience of disappointment that attacks the bodily self, humiliates it, and takes away consistency and energy. In itself, humiliation is a hidden but active presence, since a humiliated person is deeply wounded on an emotional level.
Still, anyone who has found themselves experiencing, at least once in their life, a feeling of humiliation can undoubtedly declare from their own personal experience that it is not a pleasant situation. On the contrary, , can affirm that this has a high negative impact on the subject. In this Psychology-Online article we will see then what is humiliation and how to heal it. In addition, we will reveal what types of humiliations exist and examples of them.
What is a humiliation
Humiliation is a social emotion that exerts an important negative influence on the person and their social dynamics such as family, school or work. That emotion that is triggered when one feels that one’s own social status is reduced considerably, compared to that of others, due to its serious deficiencies.
What is humiliating a person? The etymology of the word derives from “humus”, the earth, so it refers to feeling lowered to the ground. According to Klein’s thesis (1991), there are at least three interpreters in the dynamics of humiliation:
- The one who humiliates: a person willing to take advantage of the humiliation of others.
- The humiliated: the one who is unable to become independent from others for acceptance and self-respect.
- The witness: a person who, when faced with humiliation, can flee for fear of also being a victim.
Between the humiliated and the humiliated there is a social difference that reaffirms who is the strongest, but degrades, confuses, makes vulnerable and attacks the humiliated, who feels powerless and stripped of his identity.
Types of humiliation
Humiliations can manifest themselves in different ways. Let’s see how they do it with different examples:
direct humiliation
Direct humiliation means all those acts or words that directly hurt to others. Here are some examples of direct humiliation:
- The explicit attack: the subject is spoken with words that hurt and humiliate him deeply.
- The implicit attack: The person is asked to provide information about a topic that is uncomfortable for them and about which they are ashamed.
- The cunning attack: the ironic devalued joke made at a time when the subject is unwilling or unable to react.
- The devaluation: the subject is treated with , that is, out of nowhere they are spoken ill of and belittled. In a couple, it may happen that during a fight they are humiliated by criticizing their sexual performance or their lack of masculinity or femininity.
- The indifference: for example, the health professional who does not sufficiently protect our privacy and intimacy (a man after the urologist’s visit finds himself with his pants down in front of a door opened by the doctor, who goes without caring that the patient is still He is wearing.
indirect humiliation
The forms of indirect humiliation refer to attitudes and non-calls that hurt the dignity of the person. Some examples are the following:
- The person who cares for the other quickly and impersonally, verbalizing the need to be quick and professional. It makes him feel “like a sack of potatoes.” Especially when the other has difficulties reacting, whether due to age, mental deficiencies or character problems.
- All those pious looks or spare.
How to heal humiliation
What to do when faced with humiliation? When one feels attacked, there are several paths to follow to try to get out of what seems like a tunnel of negativity. Next, we will show you how to defend yourself from humiliation:
- If it’s an innocent misunderstanding between friends, dust off the book of kind words and speak privately with the interested party or with one or two testimonies maximum.
- If we are faced with a true violation of our rights, we may have to resort to third parties that, lucidly, they can rectify the deadlock.
Humiliation comes in various forms ranging from rejection, to even public exposure for the mistakes made. Still, understanding the link between it and the brain’s reactions may be the best way to respond efficiently and probably prevent or cope with the intense pain that this emotion can cause.
So what’s the best way to heal a humiliation? Here are some simple and effective suggestions:
- Avoid harmful situations.
- Be humble: List your strengths and weaknesses.
- Increase your self-esteem: Avoid comparing yourself to others.
- Seek expert help. In this sense, in this article, we show you.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Collazioni, A. (2016). When the other one flies. Una review sul tema dell’umiliazione. Retrieved from: http://www.psicoterapeutiinformazione.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/1-collazzoni-1.pdf
- Fresh, A. (2016). Umiliazione: Quali effetti sul Cervello? Retrieved from: https://www.psicologo-milano.org/quellemozione-che-fa-davvero-male-al-cervello-la-chiamano-umiliazione/
- Klein, D. C. (1991). The humiliation dynamic: An overview. Journal of Primary Prevention12(2), 93-121.
- Pedrinelli Carrara, L. (2019). When I perché ci we feel umiliati? Retrieved from: https://www.laurapedrinellicarrara.it/argomenti-di-psicologia/psicologia-delle-emozioni/quando-e-perche-ci-sentiamo-umiliati/