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How dare you not recognize the role of my contempt? Insight from experimental psychopathology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2017

Alessandro Grecucci ,
Jon Frederickson  and
Remo Job
Alessandro Grecucci
Affiliation:
Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, CLIAN, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, 38068 (TN), Italy. alessandro.grecucci@unitn.itremo.job@unitn.ithttp://r.unitn.it/en/dipsco/clian
Jon Frederickson
Affiliation:
Washington School of Psychiatry, Washington, D.C. 20016. jf1844@gmail.com Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy Institute, ISTDP, Washington, DC 20016. http://istdpinstitute.com/
Remo Job
Affiliation:
Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, CLIAN, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, 38068 (TN), Italy. alessandro.grecucci@unitn.itremo.job@unitn.ithttp://r.unitn.it/en/dipsco/clian
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Abstract

Gervais & Fessler argue that contempt is an attitude state defined as a lack of respect that potentiates the activation and deactivation of two different clusters of emotions. However, clinical and experimental findings do not support this view. We provide evidence that contempt is not an emotion, nor an attitude, but a reactive defensive mechanism evolved to help individuals avoid shame.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 40 , 2017 , e238
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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