Humiliation

Emotion of status loss with profound psychological and social effects.

S. Bollmann · CC BY-SA 4.0

Humiliation is the abasement of pride, creating mortification or a state of being humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It is an emotion felt when a person's social status decreases, either by force or willingly, and can be brought about through intimidation, mistreatment, trickery, or embarrassment. Humiliation is currently an active research topic and is seen as an important and complex core dynamic in human relationships, with implications at intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and international levels.

Quick Facts

Known for

Emotion of status loss
dynamic in relationships
research topic

Contexts

Punishments
interrogations
mob justice
shaming practices

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

Humiliation involves the abasement of pride, leading to mortification or submission. It can be inflicted through intimidation, physical or mental mistreatment, trickery, or embarrassment when a person is revealed to have committed a socially or legally unacceptable act. Unlike humility, which can be sought alone, humiliation must involve other persons, though not necessarily directly or willingly. The emotion is currently an active research topic, recognized as a core dynamic in human relationships at multiple levels.

Did You Know?

The same brain regions active during painful sensory experiences are activated during intense social rejection, making humiliation feel like physical pain.
In 2010, Chinese police in Dongguan and Guangdong were reprimanded by the national Ministry of Public Security for parading arrested prostitutes to humiliate them.