People might begin to hate another person or group when they: Feel envy or want what the other person has. They may consider it unfair that someone has what they lack. Have contempt for another person or believe them to be inferior.
Key points. Research shows that being insulted makes people more likely to demean others. Freud argued that people cope with negative views of themselves by perceiving other people as having those same traits. Researchers have discovered that threatened self-esteem drives a lot of aggression.
A sudden onset of aggressive behavior can be caused by many different substances, including drugs and alcohol, as well as age-related dementias like Alzheimer's. Individuals may be more aggressive if they have a sudden onset of a psychological condition like schizophrenia or a long term lack of sleep.
Meanness is not a clinical term or a personality disorder in the DSM-5. However, people with certain personality disorders have the tendency to be mean. People with antisocial and narcissistic personality disorder can be intentionally cruel.
According to Florida State University's Allison Daurio and Jeanette Taylor (2021), the quality of meanness is one of 3 defining features of psychopathy, the personality trait characterized by lack of remorse, inability to feel empathy, and a certain amount of ruthlessness.
Psychologists reveal why nice people sometimes get punished with meanness for their good behaviour. People who are generous and cooperative can get punished by others for being 'too good', research finds. Humans in all cultures can be suspicious of those who appear nicer or better than the rest.
Intense and sometimes inappropriate rage is a characteristic of borderline personality disorder (BPD). A person with this condition has difficulty regulating their emotions or returning to their baseline. Extremes of rage and other intense emotions may last longer than might be expected, from a few hours to a few days.
Elderly people may be jealous of your social life, have low self-esteem, or just feel lonely. Their quest for attention may manifest as anger, just like a young child would when they are not sure how else to communicate.
What causes anger issues? Many things can trigger anger, including stress, family problems, and financial issues. For some people, anger is caused by an underlying disorder, such as alcoholism or depression. Anger itself isn't considered a disorder, but anger is a known symptom of several mental health conditions.
In healthy relationships, people experience anger. When that turns to violence — such as getting into physical fights or punching a wall — that's a major red flag. “You should each be able to express anger and not be afraid of it,” said Saltz.
But antisocial personality disorder is one of the most difficult types of personality disorders to treat. A person with antisocial personality disorder may also be reluctant to seek treatment and may only start therapy when ordered to do so by a court.
Risk factors
Family history of personality disorders or other mental illness. Abusive, unstable or chaotic family life during childhood. Being diagnosed with childhood conduct disorder. Variations in brain chemistry and structure.
Wide mood swings lasting from a few hours to a few days, which can include intense happiness, irritability, shame or anxiety. Ongoing feelings of emptiness. Inappropriate, intense anger, such as frequently losing your temper, being sarcastic or bitter, or having physical fights.
If people are being mean to you--or you think "Why is everyone mean to me?"--remember these three things: They could be dealing with something major in their own life. You could be seeing something that's not really there. They could be legitimately being mean to you because you have something they want.
When we hurt someone for no reason, it's because we fear rejection or disconnection from that person. We hope that, by lashing out, they'll show us more love, attention or understanding. As a result, we'll feel 'safer' in the relationship. So, we behave badly because we want to feel 'safe'.