Today our toolbox topic is "Schadenfreude Examples". There is a word in German for this complex emotion: schadenfreude ( schaden means "misfortune" and Freude means "joy"). What do you call a person who likes to hurt others and enjoy? You already know what kind of guys I'm talking about. Someone who enjoys hurting or humiliating others is a sadist. Sadists feel other people's pain more than normal. And they enjoy it. Sadism involves taking pleasure in another person's humiliation and pain.
However, it is often said that dehumanizing people is what allows us to be cruel. It is used a lot to annoy newcomers. That is actually a cruel thing. Almost every newcomer in his work is a little confused, everything is new and strange for him, and it is easy to ridicule him. It is the moment when he needs a hand to guide him, someone to help him.
I don't know why some people get some pleasure in joking with new people. I don't get it. They must have a cruel mind and there is a word for this kind of mind: sadism. He's not pretty, but he is.
The four traits of schadenfreude examples
- It is an opportunistic pleasure that we feel when encountering the misfortune of others, a misfortune that, by the way, we have not caused.
- It is a secret, furtive emotion, and an excess of joy in the face of another's evil is generally viewed by organizations as a sign of evil.
- We often allow ourselves to feel it because we think that the person in question deserves punishment: for his hypocrisy, for breaking the law, etc.
- It can be experienced as a relief, since other people's failures can often be our envy or low self-esteem, making us feel superior even for a moment.
Others have the good sense to save their pranks for hours outside of work, but they do them in the rest shelter or mess hall. They fight, and they tickle each other, with the best intention in the world to have a little fun, but they forget that this can cause a slip, or a bump, which can result in a broken arm or leg.
Who experiences this feeling?
Various workers reveal that people with low self-esteem and mild or moderate depression are much more likely to experience schadenfreude. But they are not the only ones: we live in an ideal context for this type of behavior. You only need to log on to Twitter for a few minutes to observe the daily outbursts of moral indignation, harassment, and verbal aggression practiced by trolls and ordinary people.
To change this pattern of behavior we must deepen our empathy and stop seeing others as foolish. Not in vain, the other side of the coin of schadenfreude is empathy, a feeling just as human as its negative reverse.
What it would be about here is making the decision to feed one or the other. We can ask ourselves if we are feeling inferior or inadequate compared to other people, and if so, take small actions that little by little can help us walk in another direction.
The effects of these actions and decisions, as always, will directly affect our daily well-being. Because it is possible that when we see how the other person falls we experience momentary pleasure, but in the long term that is not going to help us feel safer or happier.
How to deal with schadenfreude
Yes, it is a serious problem at some workplaces and can hit you hard as you begin your first day. Although it is a punishable violation in some organizations, mainly due to unreported cases and lack of implementation of rules and regulations, violators go unpunished.
Trust is always appreciated. Don't be too timid, this can
serve as a weak point for you. Be confident and reflect an optimistic
personality of yourself.
In case you witness any kind of verbal abuse or offensive
comments, try to ignore it initially, but if you are continuously attacked, it
is recommended to ask the health and safety management directly for help.
Make friends, talk to your coworkers who are also new to the
organization. The discomfort will seem evident if you isolate yourself. If you
interact and have companions with you all day, there is a good chance that you
will avoid being a victim and if you do, at least you will have friends to
accompany you.
This is for all people with an aggressive nature. Stay calm
in case you are picked up by seniors. They will tease you while interacting and
may make some kind of offensive comment that may trigger you, but you must
absorb all the anger into yourself and stay calm, report it.
Conclusion
Another key may be to stop comparing ourselves, neither for better nor for worse. Let's look at our own worth, establish some clear, motivating goals, and analyze what our purpose in life is. All of them are strategies that will distance us from toxic emotions.
If you don't pay any attention to it because you don't look at it or see it because it has been there so long, you are also setting yourself up for an accident. Remember humans are the glory and the dross of the universe. Humans often do things to obtain pleasure or avoid pain. Most of us, when we hurt someone we should feel their pain.
