Every day we interact with people on a variety of levels and situations.
Sometimes we are put in a position where someone is being disrespectful to us, but often we don’t know what the signs are and whether or not the behavior is justified.
Respect is a big deal, and it’s something that’s sorely lacking in our society today. There are many different types of disrespect – some more obvious than others –
Dealing with disrespect is never easy. It can range from the inconvenient to the downright harmful, but there are a few different common signs of disrespect that it’s time to take a stand – and in some cases, to leave altogether.
Those little things can be taken as an indicator of disrespect from others, but it isn’t. Most people are trying to be nice and polite when they should be aware of their own rights and feelings.
That’s particularly true in power relationships. The scariest thing about social psychology is that even if you try hard to avoid causing others to feel bad about themselves, you can’t always succeed.
The good news is that you can learn to recognize these common signs of disrespect from others—and stop themselves before they escalate.
Recommended reading for you: Why do people disrespect me: Your guide to deal with disrespectful behavior
Common signs of disrespect
1. They treat you like a servant
If someone treats you like a servant then they are disrespecting you. This is because if it were not for them, there would be no servants. This can be anyone from your parents to your teachers to your boss.
A person who treats you in such a way respects no one at all and doesn’t value anyone else either. They respect only themselves and treat others in their lives as second-class citizens.
So, in order to avoid treating people in such a manner, we must learn how to forgive ourselves.
When it comes down to it, living our lives with self-respect is more important than anything else we do because if we cannot even respect ourselves who will?
We need only look at our own nature and see that we will never truly change or grow until we respect ourselves enough to let go of our mistakes and truly learn from them.
Until we accept responsibility for our actions and stop denying things that make us feel bad about ourselves, we cannot move forward with life or grow emotionally.
2. Insults you in front of others
You respect someone when you consider them an equal. You don’t look down on them or think of them as beneath you. If someone tells you something and it upsets you, don’t let them get away with it.
If someone insults you in public, say something instead of defending yourself. You never want to give the impression that you are afraid or intimidated by anyone.
There is nothing anybody can do to intimidate you, so don’t defend yourself if somebody tells you to go away.
3. They are always negative towards you
If someone is always negative towards you then it’s a sign of disrespect. The person, not only doesn’t respect your ideas but also doesn’t appreciate what you do.
If people keep criticizing every move that you make, they don’t see your potential and they don’t think highly of you. Also, most probably they feel threatened by your success.
When something good happens to them, their first thought is to demean your achievements rather than applauding it and trying to learn from it.
4. Shaming or abusive behavior
One of the most common signs of disrespect from people is shaming you. We all do it from time to time, and some people even go so far as to make a habit out of it, but either way, shaming or using abusive and toxic behavior is destructive.
It’s disrespectful to you and your potential. By pointing out your flaws without reason, they’re essentially saying that you are not good enough just as you are.
It doesn’t matter whether these judgments come because of body language or appearance either way they can impact your happiness and hold you back from becoming who you really want to be.
In order to deal with such a situation, you should walk away from such people without even giving them a second chance. Because, even if you try to change them, they won’t even think to harm you physically.
5. They overstep your boundaries
One of the common signs of disrespect is someone who is not valuing your boundaries.
Whether it’s physical or psychological, having somebody repeatedly violate your space or ignore what you’ve said has a significant impact on how you feel about yourself, and it will do wonders for your self-esteem.
If somebody isn’t respecting you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t care for you—but if there are so many instances where they overstep their bounds, then respect becomes an issue to address.
You have to learn to set boundaries in order to create healthy relationships with others, but also with yourself. This means being confident in yourself enough to know when something makes you uncomfortable and communicating that clearly.
Solution: If they keep violating your boundaries, make it clear that their actions bother you. Sometimes people don’t even realize how much their words or actions affect us.
So if there’s an instance where someone has crossed a line, talk to them about it directly.
However, if somebody hasn’t listened to you, you may need to detach yourself from that relationship or situation in order to maintain self-esteem and psychological health.
It might be difficult at first (and painful), but once you do break away from somebody who can’t respect your boundaries, you’ll start feeling better about yourself almost immediately.
6. Not keeping promises.
One of the common signs of disrespect is not keeping promises. Forgetting an anniversary or birthday. Skipping family events or shunning friends and relatives, just to avoid criticism.
Making excuses about being too busy. Ignoring pleas for assistance. Forgetting to apologize after causing hurt feelings or damaging someone’s property.
Disregarding requests for emotional support during times of transition or upheaval, regardless of who needs help more.
Refusing to show appreciation for another person’s time and effort even though it is easier than returning an item to a store for a refund—which isn’t always possible, anyway!
7. Picking up fights
Picking up fights is a common sign of disrespect from people Whether you’re a spouse, a parent, a sibling, or a friend, healthy relationships don’t involve disrespectful behavior.
But figuring out what constitutes disrespect in any given situation can be tricky. The truth is that it depends on your relationship with another person and his or her beliefs about what behaviors are appropriate for people in their position.
An unruly teen might think yelling at an adult is disrespectful but not see her actions as disrespectful when dealing with peers her own age.
How one partner perceives disrespectful behavior in their relationship is likely different from how another partner views similar actions.
Ultimately, respectfulness in relationships boils down to one question: How would I feel if someone did that to me?
8. Betrayal
Betrayal is a sign of disrespect. Emotional cheating is different from physical cheating. It could even be worse because it’s more difficult to spot.
You could think that your spouse or partner loves you and then find out that they were having an emotional affair without ever physically touching someone else. So what are some of these common signs?
Emotional infidelity can take many forms, including communicating (with text or otherwise) with another person about intimate details; ignoring relationship responsibilities; or making plans with friends but not inviting their spouse or partner to join them on social outings.
When you feel like your partner doesn’t want to spend time with you, but would rather go elsewhere instead—that might be a sign that there is someone else who he/she wants to spend time with in addition to you.
9. Treating rudely and unkindly
Even if they aren’t aware that they’re doing it, there are many ways in which people can do so accidentally or without realizing how serious it really is.
They may brush off your ideas or laugh at them behind your back with their friends.
Solution: Remember, it’s normal to have different opinions and values from others. Everyone sees life through his or her own filter, so any differences in perspective don’t automatically mean that someone is intentionally offending you or trying to hurt your feelings.
10. They create problems out of everything you do.
The first thing you should do when someone is not giving you their full support is to question what they are doing and if there is something wrong with it.
Do they have a reason for their conduct, or are they just being disrespectful? This technique is especially useful if someone is causing you problems: if you feel unfairly criticized, you will likely think twice about what they are doing and decide soon
11. Ignoring a person
When such behavior occurs repeatedly, it is a good idea to seek answers from them and evaluate the situation from their viewpoint.
If there is nothing you can do about it, it may mean that your actions and attitudes toward others are not adjusting well enough for
12. They lie and act without regard for your feelings
Solution: Counteract such disrespect with ‘No way’ motions or other polite language without getting verbally abused back. However, it may take time and resources to repair the damage if it has already been done.
Therefore, if you observe family members regularly ignoring or defying you in some way, seek professional help.
It may be tempting at first to simply ‘cut them out of my life and forget about it, but this would only make the problem worse and may ultimately cause them to get even more severe with you.
13. They talk to others about you behind your back
One of the most common signs of disrespect among people is talking behind your back or not giving you their full support.
If you feel that certain people are not giving you their full support, there are several ways you can let them know that you disagree with what they are saying or doing.
14. Being argumentative or argumentative-oriented
Disrespect occurs when neither party seems to value the opinion or feelings of the other. When this happens, people may become frustrated or angry.
It’s not easy to deal with disrespect, and we may feel like we have no other choice but to fight back.
But disagreement is part of growing up and learning how to deal with others. It’s important to remember that when we disagree we are not attacking or demeaning the other person. We are just trying to get our point across.
15. Don’t agree with whatever you say.
First of all, you should not expect your parents to always agree with you. Though it may seem like they want to, they often have their own ideas about how things should be run.
Not only that but any disagreements you have with them will be treated as nothing but an irritation rather than a serious problem that needs some attention.
If you do try to speak up for yourself or your feelings, however, you may find yourself in the position of having to go away for an extended period of time without explanation or time to get things done.
16. Judge you without knowing the truth.
Many people treat you like you’re another person. Some will compliment you and give you their complete attention, even if they’re telling a fib. Others will flatter you and make you feel inadequate.
Solution: Whenever you feel like people are treating you differently because of your looks or social status, remind them that you’re just a person too.
Break the ice. Tell them how nice they look and that you find them attractive too. Stop comparing yourself to others and start celebrating your uniqueness.
17. Not allowing others to share their opinions
People disrespect you because they don’t think of you as human. When someone treats you badly, doesn’t care about your feelings, or treats you differently because of who you are – whether it be an employee or customer – it shows that they don’t respect you as a person.
You deserve to be treated with respect because you are a person with feelings and feelings and deserve to be treated with care.
Many people are not aware of how rude and inconsiderate they can be to others. When someone is rude to you, know that it’s not just a mistake—it’s a reflection of their low self-esteem.
Being verbally abused will make you unsure of yourself and this can lead to negative feelings toward others.
Solution: The best way to avoid disrespecting others is by learning how to lighten the mood when someone is upset. People who look down on others often find themselves in stressful situations where they need to prove themselves more than others.
So being aware of these psychological motives can help prevent situations from turning into controversies and arguments.
Most common signs of disrespect
1. Door Slamming
2. Never apologizes even after hurting you
3. Disrespectful looks
4. Using disrespectful nicknames
5. Change in behavior as per their needs
6. Refuses to talk
7. By being rude, they threaten to hurt you physically, emotionally or with verbal abuse.
8. Interrupting
9. Failing to pay attention
10. Not valuing the other person’s time
11. Show disinterest in every matter that matters to you.
12. They deliberately intrude on your privacy
13. Being slow to give answers or give excuses.
14. Turn your back on someone
15. Lack of eye contact
