The Moral Psychology of Resentment

Philosophers and psychologists explore the metaphysics, psychology, and normativity of resentment, a reactive attitude that is essential to our interpersonal moral accountability practices.

Although resentment gets a lot of bad press for undermining relationships and polarizing people, it is also essential to our interpersonal moral accountability practices.

We blame others by resenting them and we forgive them by forswearing this resentment. Moreover, resentment often seems to be the most fitting response to disrespect, injustice, and enmity. Therefore, if we want to better understand our interpersonal responsibility practices and how to respond to injustice, we need to better understand resentment. Does resentment necessarily involve a desire for revenge? Is it an emotion or a sentiment? What makes resentment fitting? What gives someone the standing to resent another person? How is resentment related to self-respect? Is resentment the only morally appropriate way to respond to wrongdoing, injustice, or injury? Does being resentful negatively affect our well-being? Is resentment politically valuable?

These are among the important questions grappled with in this collection, edited by Antti Kauppinen and Max Lewis, which presents cutting-edge research on the metaphysics, psychology, and normativity of resentment from preeminent scholars in philosophy and psychology. Given the rising interest in reactive attitudes, having a better grasp of the nature, normativity, and value of resentment will be indispensable for a clearer picture of the reactive attitudes in general and specific reactive attitudes—such as gratitude and guilt—in particular.