CONTEMPT DEFINITION:A lack of reverence or respect; to hold in disregard PHYSICAL SIGNALS AND BEHAVIORS: Crossing one’s arms to show a closed body posture A downturned mouth One’s head tilting away Sneering Shaking the head and sighing or muttering Mocking another through words or derogatory actions Rolling the eyes Using sarcasm Gossiping Snorting loudly Buzzing the lips to be rude (blowing a raspberry) Baiting the other person Turning the body at an angle instead of facing the other person head-on Walking away Waving dismissively while refusing to answer a question because it’s not worth the effort Stiff posture Fingers curling Refusing to respond or engage Lowering the chin to look down on someone A cold look (devoid of emotion, head tilted down during eye contact, etc.) A pinched mouth A hard, distinctive jaw line Smirking as the person speaks Ugly laughter Making jokes at another’s expense Adopting a hard tone and using forceful language Flashing a cold smile to show insincerity Spitting in the direction of the one provoking contempt Sticking a tongue out Holding a wide stance, with the chest thrust out Talking over someone, ignoring them, or refusing to recognize their input Revealing someone’s mistakes to peers or publicly calling them out Refusing to acknowledge someone’s contribution or position INTERNAL SENSATIONS: Rising blood pressure A tightening in the chest Stiffness in the neck and jaw A roiling heat in the belly MENTAL RESPONSES: Negative thinking Unkind observations and mental insults A hyperawareness of the one causing this feeling (even when pretending to ignore them) A desire to verbally tear down or hurt another person Wanting to expose the subject’s ignorance ACUTE OR LONG-TERM RESPONSES FOR THIS EMOTION: Swearing and offering insults Yelling and arguing High blood pressure A vein throbbing visibly in the forehead Thoughts of violence Breaking rules or ignoring processes because one has no respect for those who made them Angrily dismissing someone from one’s presence Leaving the room (excusing oneself, cutting a meeting short, etc.) SIGNS THAT THIS EMOTION IS BEING SUPPRESSED: Flushed skin Biting at the inside of the cheek Pressing the lips together to keep from speaking Dry washing one’s hands Purposefully not looking at the source Feigning interest in something else Turning away to ignore the source Becoming unresponsive Pushing on the diaphragm to keep the anger in Leaning back with one’s arms crossed Moving away and creating more personal distance MAY ESCALATE TO:Disgust,Scorn,Anger MAY DE-ESCALATE TO:Agitation,Conflicted,Indifference,Pity ASSOCIATED POWER VERBS: Belittle, betray, convict, destroy discard, dismiss, disrespect, expose eye, glare, ignore, insult loathe, mistreat, overlook, override prosecute, provoke, punish, reject sabotage, scorn, sidestep, sneer spit, spurn WRITER’S TIP:When revising, look for instances where emotions are NAMED. Nine times out of ten, this indicates a lack of confidence that the emotion is shown clearly through thought, sensations and body language. Strong verbal and nonverbal cues negate the need to explain the emotion to the reader.