science

Spite (sentiment)

Spite (sentiment) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Spite (sentiment) rather than just read about it. In short: Spite or spitefulness refers to action derived from, or a tendency to engage in malevolence. Spitefulness is a general personality trait which refers to the capacity and desire to harm others, specifically due to no clear and overt cause.

Key takeaways

Spite (sentiment) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Spite (sentiment) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Spite (sentiment) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Spite or spitefulness refers to action derived from, or a tendency to engage in malevolence. Spitefulness is a general personality trait which refers to the capacity and desire to harm others, specifically due to no clear and overt cause. Vindictiveness is not a hallmark of this spitefulness, because then it may be justified, or be derived from an identifiable cause: spitefulness refers to a general desire to cause harm. Further, spite can often be traced back to envy, as the bitterness of one's disposition is the main identifier of this mental state. According to the American Psychological Association there is "no standard definition of spitefulness. Spite can be broadly defined to include any vindictive or mean-spirited actions. Alternatively, a narrower definition includes the requirement that spiteful acts involve some degree of self-harm." One possible definition of spite is to intentionally annoy, hurt, or upset even when there might be no (apparent) gain, and even when those actions might cause the person spiting harm, as well. Spite has been theorized also as productive. Spiteful words or actions are delivered in such a way that it is clear that the person is delivering them just to annoy, hurt, or upset. In his 1929 examination of emotional disturbances, Psychology and Morals: An Analysis of Character, J. A. Hadfield uses deliberately spiteful acts to illustrate the difference between disposition and sentiment.

In psychology Spite has also been studied as a trait of human personality; although in general spite has been largely ignored in academic literature. University of Washington researchers David K Marcus, Virgil Zeigler-Hill, Sterett H Mercer, and Alyssa L Norris were the first to develop a personality scale designed to measure and assess the trait of spitefulness which was published in 2014 in Psychological Assessment. In his 1929 examination of emotional disturbances, Psychology and Morals: An Analysis of Character, J. A. Hadfield uses deliberately spiteful acts to illustrate the difference between disposition and sentiment.

See also Cruelty Cutting off the nose to spite the face The Dog in the Manger Sadism Spite (game theory) Schadenfreude Spite fence Spite house

References

Further reading "Why We Behave Spitefully: Spitefulness is expensive. So why do we do it?". Psychology Today. October 9, 2021. Leon F. Seltzer (June 19, 2019). "Spite: What We Do for the Sweet Sake of Revenge". Psychology Today. Maanvi Singh (April 23, 2014). "Why Are We Spiteful, Even Though It Bites Us Back?". NPR.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Spite (sentiment)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Spite (sentiment) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Spite (sentiment) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Spite (sentiment) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Spite (sentiment)

In research: Spite (sentiment) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Spite (sentiment) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Spite (sentiment) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Concepts in ethics, Emotions, Hatred, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Spite (sentiment) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Spite (sentiment) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Spite (sentiment) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Spite (sentiment) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Spite (sentiment) in simple terms?

Why does Spite (sentiment) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Spite (sentiment)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Spite (sentiment).