Amanda Chappell

Disrespect involves having low regard or low esteem for someone or something. Disrespect is a universal experience and has the potential to negatively impact relationships (Hawkins, 2015). Disrespect is typically associated with negative outcomes, like aggression and hostility (Shwalb & Shwalb, 2006). Currently, there is a lack of literature on emotional responses to being disrespected, especially in older adulthood. The current study examined individual characteristics that predict reactions to being disrespected. Younger (ages 19-25) and older adults (ages 50-77) imagined that a person they knew had disrespected them in six different hypothetical situations. For each situation, participants rated their sensitivity to disrespect and their emotional reactivity. Age, gender, personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism), and social rejection were entered in simple linear regressions that predicted people’s sensitivity and emotional response to being disrespected. Social rejection (being ignored by a person/group; feeling like one does not belong in a group) was the only significant predictor. People who felt more socially rejected reported greater sensitivity to disrespect and had stronger emotional responses (p<.001). Disrespect is relevant for virtually all settings, and there is a need for studying disrespect, especially in today’s social climate.

Amanda Chappell is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Lifespan Developmental Psychology program at West Virginia University. She received her B.S. in Psychology at Longwood University, and her M.A. in Experimental Psychology at Radford University. She currently researches emotion regulation, emotion socialization, disrespect, and parenting.