Ressentiment , in
philosophy and
psychology, is one of the forms of
resentment or
hostility. It is the
French word for "resentment" (fr. Latin intensive prefix 're', and 'sentir' "to feel"). Ressentiment is a sense of hostility directed at that which one identifies as the
cause of one's frustration, that is, an assignment of blame for one's frustration. The sense of weakness or inferiority and perhaps
jealousy in the face of the "cause" generates a rejecting/justifying value system, or
morality, which attacks or denies the perceived source of one's frustration. This value system is then used as a means of justifying one's own weaknesses by identifying the source of envy as objectively inferior, serving as a
defense mechanism that prevents the resentful individual from addressing and overcoming their insecurities and flaws. The
ego creates an enemy in order to insulate itself from culpability.