A lack of respect can destroy relationships, even those that seemed to have been established for years. Perhaps you have ever felt a certain humiliation inside you or how a feeling of emotional uncertainty invaded your interior after having had a contact with another person. It is important to know that respect is necessary for interpersonal relationships, but it is just as important that they have it for you as you have it for others.
When you lack respect in a relationship, the relationship between these people is gradually destroyed. It does not matter if the relationship is a couple, family, professional or friendship ... If respect disappears, the relationship dies.
What is
Respect is moral and ethical. When there is respect there is value towards others, their dignity is recognized. Respect is a recognition of the rights that are innate in people just because they are. Although there must also be respect for nature, animals and life in general.
Respect, therefore, is essential for human relationships and to be able to live in harmony within a community. Respect is a right and also an obligation, so it is necessary for everyone to know and understand the importance it has in people's daily lives. You have the right to demand treatment commensurate with your dignity and you also have the obligation to offer that treatment to the people around you.
Disrespect has many different faces since it is shown in attitudes, in verbal and non-verbal language ... not everyone treats their peers with respect and it is important to identify it in time, so that, if necessary, limits can be set to people who do not know how to behave properly. Some causes of disrespect between people include:
- The egocentrism
- The arrogance
- The intolerance
- Contempt
- The lack of education
- Lack of empathy
- The absence of values
- Bad coexistence
How Disrespect Affects
If there is lack of respect in a community, in a family, in the relationship between friends ... it will always generate conflicts and violence in the different areas where the problem originates. Nobody likes to be disrespected and for that reason, it is so important that you respect others as much, as you know how to demand respect for yourself.
In society there are too many areas where there is lack of respect such as: domestic violence, violence in schools, family violence, random attacks only to make fun of others, manipulation, humiliation, labor exploitation, lies , reckless driving, uncivil behavior, etc.
All these behaviors generate discomfort in the affected people, feelings of resentment, wanting revenge towards the other, feelings of learned helplessness ... it will depend on the personality of the affected person who some feelings or others originate, but in no case the feelings are positive.
How to avoid it in four steps
If they disrespect you, it is necessary that you set limits and that you protect yourself from direct or indirect aggression that lack of respect towards you entails. You don't have to put up with other people trying to humiliate you or just not knowing how to treat you respectfully. Although it is true that you cannot control the behavior of others, you can set limits and set consequences every time it happens.
The first step is NOT to normalize disrespect, much less in power relations. For example, never allow a boss to disrespect you just because they are your boss, no one should be disrespectful to anyone! You don't have to "put up with" anyone who doesn't know how to respect you. Have those limits well marked in your life.
The second step is to know what you tolerate and what you do not tolerate in relationships with others. Both with your family, as with your friends or colleagues. Make an effort to know when you feel like someone else is pushing boundaries that make you feel uncomfortable. Your body always warns you when another person is not having the respect you deserve, so you must listen to your body when it speaks to you in order to be aware of what is happening.
The third step is to remember that no one is superior to anyone and therefore no one has the right to hurt you or hurt you in any way. Do not give the power to other people to be capable of disrespecting you and hurting you, the most powerful respect that exists and the one that It will mark the respect that others will have for you, it is the respect that you have for yourself.
The fourth step is to put limits on people so they know they have to respect you. If someone makes you feel bad, do not silence your discomfort because you would start to poison yourself. Do not consent to the undesirable behaviors of others because then they will think they can do it. Work on your assertiveness to be able to say with good words and without hurting anyone that there are behaviors that you do not tolerate and that you must respect. If that person doesn't change their behavior towards you, Show respect towards yourself and stay away from that person who is only toxic to you.
Everyone deserves respect
Everyone deserves respect and if you don't think so, then it will be important that you start working on your scale of values. If you think that others do not deserve respect, it is because you most likely do not believe that you also deserve it or perhaps, you do not know how to make them respect you or you do not know how to respect yourself. For there to be respect in your life, you must start with yourself.
You don't deserve to be disrespected by anyone at any point in your life. You have to ask yourself if it is better to carry pain in the appearance of a smile or to assume what is happening and not allow others to exceed the limits that cause a lack of respect. It is worth it that you begin to respect yourself and that you do not allow others to cross that imaginary line but that is so important to keep in mind. In the same way, it is essential that you also know where that line is in the lives of others so that you do not cross it. They deserve the same respect as you.
