Embitterment-a larger perspective on a forgotten emotion

Abstract

In the general literature as well as in earlier contributions in Psychology, bitterness was ofen termed as an emotion. Feeling bitter was seen as a consequence of a social rejection that is perceived as unjust. In academic Psychology, bitterness is rarely seen as a separate emotion identity and never as a basic emotion (Ortony and Turner 1990). Why then bother with bitterness? In many encyclopedias Bitterness is defined as a taste, some see bitterness also as a state of mind. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Vienna.