If you act or speak with the desire to hurt, bother, or infuriate someone
, you are being spiteful. You could deliberately hurt someone’s feelings or embarrass them with your spiteful words, or you could watch a jealous child give her friend a spiteful shove.
What causes spiteful behavior?
Spiteful behaviour is
motivated by being hurt
. … When someone says something with malicious intent to hurt, to get their point across, they’re being spiteful. That person won’t think about the other person’s reasoning behind why they say what they say, instead they will simply lash out.
How do you deal with a spiteful person?
Remember, you cannot control another person’s actions but you can control your reaction. Do not continue to react in ways that encourage the behavior. Do not, say, get angry, emotional, or become overly accommodating to avoid negative feelings. Instead,
work on remaining calm and emotionally disengaging
.
What are the characteristics of a spiteful person?
Researchers found the personality traits that were associated with spitefulness included: “
aggression, psychopathy, Machiavellian-ism, narcissism, and guilt-free shame
,” while the personality traits that were associated with opposite of spitefulness included: “self-esteem, guilt-proneness, agreeableness, and …
What is an example of being spiteful?
The definition of spiteful is someone who purposely does harm to another. An example of spiteful is
walking up to someone and spitting in their face
. adjective.
What is the difference between spiteful and vindictive?
As adjectives the difference between vindictive and spiteful
is that vindictive is having a tendency to seek revenge when ,
vengeful
while spiteful is filled with, or showing, spite; having a desire to vex, annoy, or injure; malignant; malicious.
What is a vindictive personality?
A person described as vindictive is usually
someone who holds a grudge and who always tries to get back at people who they think have wronged them in some way
. Vindictive people retaliate against others for any insult or perceived slight.
What are the traits of a toxic person?
- You feel like you’re being manipulated into something you don’t want to do.
- You’re constantly confused by the person’s behavior.
- You feel like you deserve an apology that never comes.
- You always have to defend yourself to this person.
- You never feel fully comfortable around them.
What causes a person to be vindictive?
Common triggers of vindictive behavior in NPD
Underneath an apparent sense of superiority
, there might also be an exaggerated need to feel approved and loved, and a vulnerable self-esteem. In this sense, some people with NPD might experience any hint of rejection as a trigger for vindictive behavior.
How do you outsmart a toxic person?
- Avoid playing into their reality. …
- Don’t get drawn in. …
- Pay attention to how they make you feel. …
- Talk to them about their behavior. …
- Put yourself first. …
- Offer compassion, but don’t try to fix them. …
- Say no (and walk away) …
- Remember, you aren’t at fault.
What do you call a spiteful person?
snide
, barbed, vindictive, malicious, catty, vicious, ornery, cruel, hateful, venomous, angry, dirty, evil, ill-natured, malevolent, malign, malignant, mean, waspish, wicked.
What makes a toxic woman?
Irwin describes a person with toxic qualities as
anyone who is abusive, unsupportive, or unhealthy emotionally
— someone who basically brings you down more than up. “You may begin to feel dependent on him or her for their opinion, doubting your own,” she says.
How do I change my spiteful behavior?
Spiteful social behavior can evolve by
natural selection
if the costs imposed to the recipient are greater than the costs suffered by the actor.
What does it mean if you are spiteful?
:
having or showing a desire to harm, anger, or defeat someone
: having or showing spite. See the full definition for spiteful in the English Language Learners Dictionary. spiteful. adjective.
Is it bad to be spiteful?
“Spite can become very destructive
,” says David Marcus, a psychologist at Washington State University and the lead author of a study published in the journal Psychological Assessment. Someone in the midst of a divorce may hurt themselves financially or even risk alienating their kids just to get back at their ex.
What is a spiteful woman?
adj full of or motivated by spite; vindictive. ♦ spitefully adv. ♦ spitefulness n. career woman n.
an ambitious woman who thinks her career really matters more
than many things and is not willing to compromise on it.
