Editing Contempt (section)

{{Short description|Disgust and anger towards something or someone}}
{{Other uses|Contempt (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Disdain|the EP by Alien Huang|Disdain (EP)}}
{{Redirect|Disrespect|the Twitch streamer|Dr Disrespect}}
{{Not to be confused|Contempt of court}}
[[File:Thomas Ward, arrested for stealing a sovereign (23114652176).jpg|thumb|right|200px|This picture of Thomas Ward, arrested for stealing a £1 coin, can be seen as showing contempt.]]{{Emotion}}
[[File:Boilly-Point-de-Convention-ca1797.jpg|thumb|A painting by [[Louis-Léopold Boilly]] (ca. 1797).<br>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.<ref>TenHouten, W.D. (2007), ''A General Theory of Emotions and Social Life''. Routledge.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-20 |title=Definition of CONTEMPT |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contempt |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref> 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 [[Emotion#Basic emotions|basic emotion]], along with [[anger]], [[disgust]], [[fear]], [[happiness]], [[sadness]] and [[Surprise (emotion)|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.<ref name="Solomon">Solomon R.C. (1993). ''The Passions: Emotions and the Meaning of Life''. Hackett Publishing.</ref>{{page needed|date=May 2017}}