"Devaluing" is the act or perception of just what it sounds like, removing value from a person or object.
The person or object was considered valuable before, but now the person or object is considered by the viewer as having less value and worth.
The DEVALUED (targeted) person is typically rejected, discarded, "shunned", or attacked, and in some cases even attacked with the intention of destroying either their reputation, their life, relationships, career, family, home, finances, or their physical body.
(The diamond was considered priceless, but on closer inspection it was found to have less clarity and more flaws than previously thought, so it was devalued.)
verb (used without object), de·val·ued, de·val·u·ing. 3. to undergo devaluation: The currency has devalued at a rapid rate
Most times when one person DEVALUES another, it's not because the targeted person has done something terrible or heinous, such as stealing or physical attack, or even lying or betrayal.
It's more often than not that they've done something that anyone else would consider quite normal, every day human behavior such as wanting to have a conversation about something specific, or playing cards, telling jokes, dressing up, being polite to others, expressing one's point of view, fixing or building things, caring for plants, hiking, caring for animals, disagreeing in a conversation, going to school, etc ~~~ OR nothing at all,
~~~ OR some kind of trivial slight that others might have barely noticed (forgot to put the bike in the garage so it got rained on, forgot to return the borrowed drill, forgot to pay back a small borrowed amount of money, forgot to put the trash out
~~~ but most frequently, it was something that tweaked the EGO of the devaluer, such as standing up for one's self against manipulation, rudeness, unfairness, disrespect, or abusiveness, or standing up for someone else, or "catching" the devaluer doing something "wrong".
~Or, NOT giving the devaluer something they want, something they expect, something they demand, that's outside of the parameters of what one expects in a healthy relationship, such as extra recognition, extra privilege, extra leniency, extra 'understanding', extra control, extra resources, extra help, or extra praise above and beyond what someone is able, and above and beyond what the devaluer would ever do for the other person.
Sometimes a devaluer will target another person because they noticed some kind of physical "flaw", such as a missing tooth, or crooked or unbleached teeth, or a lazy eye, a receding hairline, a body that doesn't look like TV, movie, or magazine characters', grey hair, short or long hair, thinness, heaviness, shortness, tallness, darker or lighter skin, frizzy hair, etc. etc. ad infinitum. They may target another person for devaluation because of illness, injury, or disability, or because of their age.
Sometimes a devaluer will target a person's job, or lack of a job, or career goals, or where they live, or their car (or lack thereof).
Legitimate "devaluation" is done only to inanimate objects, for example a car loses its value over time except in cases of certain "classics", and most other objects lose their value with wear and age. For a gem to be devalued would mean that it was previously thought to have less flaws, or perhaps a certain history (such as being a part of a royal crown), but it was found out to be not so clear or well-cut, or to not have any kind of special story. Computers usually lose their value the minute they're taken out of the box. Gold's value is based on the "market value" per ounce, as is silver, and it can go up or down according to many variables, AND it's only valued that way because humans decided that it was valuable.
The popular act of placing monetary value on animals has been going on for a very long time, and is directly related to ownership over animals. That which is not owned does not have financial value. So animals are often "valued" by whatever it is the buyers and sellers want to use the animal for, and also how rare, unique, or hard to acquire the animal is, just like inanimate objects.
Since animals are living beings, the practice of owning animals tends to blur the line for many humans between owning objects and owning people, and therefore valuing or devaluing them.
~
One does not value or devalue something unless they see it as an object that can be acquired or owned, even if the perception is only subconscious. Therefore those who devalue other humans see them as something that can be acquired and owned; an object, a thing, not a "PERSON" that can not be measured in "value", but who is a living being like themselves, OUTSIDE of the definition of an ownable object that can be weighed and measured by another.
So when a person suddenly treats another person like they're NOT AS GOOD, UNWORTHY, NOT VALUABLE, NOT WORTHY OF THEM, they are most likely viewing the person more like an object and less like a person, a fellow human being.
They may SAY that they are not doing that, but the fact is that DEVALUATION directly implies that the object in question is an object, because an object can be owned and therefore assigned value, and then either kept or discarded; not a person, who cannot be owned (rightfully) and therefore cannot be valued or devalued.
(Only those with serious sociopathy (mental illness) conspire to buy or sell human beings, which is called "slavery". Of course many children grow up seeing this as part of their culture, so they may think it's normal when they grow up. However a self-aware human being would eventually be able to realize that the "slaves" around them are human people, just like themselves, and after this realization, they are making a conscious choice to participate or not).
~
Typical "devaluation", however, is done more within the parameters of social interaction and relationships, especially in Western cultures and other Free countries, although human trafficking does occur in those cultures to a disturbing degree, kept "under wraps".
~
Devaluing another human being whom one is in a personal relationship with, or whom one knows personally, is a symptom of some sort of mental illness or personality disorder. Not only because of the practice of viewing a human being as an object that can be "valued" or "devalued", but also because of the perception problem that goes with the act of devaluation: "Black and White Thinking".
The person is seeing people and the world in "black and white" terms, without the ability to deal with or comprehend anything in between. Something is either "Right" or "Wrong", or "Good" or "Bad", and so are PEOPLE in their minds.
~They are not able to deal with variables, changing circumstances, or human personalities, emotions, needs, or with interaction with others that does not go as they expect or want.
~They may not be able to deal with the fact that stereotypes are not real, and may actually see a person who doesn't fulfill the stereotype that they LOOK LIKE as being "wrong" or "bad" (like a male hairdresser, kindergarten teacher, nurse, or botanist, or a female engineer, carpenter, politician, or boxer).
~They may not understand that there is more information that they don't know about, and they may not be able to fathom that they might not comprehend what they see or hear.
They don't understand VARIABLES, OR the fact that OTHER people besides themselves have real lives, real emotions like them, real life experiences including traumas, real needs like they do, deserve the same respect and UNDERSTANDING as they do or anyone else does as a human being, and are just as important as they are, or as anyone else. (What kind of illness or disorder they may have would need to be determined via an extensive evaluation; it could be a serious condition requiring lifetime treatment, or it could be an effect of something else less permanent and more prone to healing such as trauma or developmental delay.)
They tend to want people to be either ONE THING or THE OTHER: that is,
"Perfect" or "Defective",
"Righteous" or "Unclean",
"All Knowing Experts" or "Completely Clueless",
"Important" or "Insignificant",
"Right" or "Wrong",
"Genius" or "Stupid/Ignorant",
"Worldly-Street Wise" or "Sheltered/Ignorant",
"Clever" or "Slow"
"Superior" or "Inferior"
"Beautiful" or "Unattractive"
"Strong" or "Weak".
"Completely Sane" or "Unstable/Crazy"
"Enlightened" or "Utterly 'asleep'"
"Good" or "Bad"
"Morally Good" or "A Bad Person"
"Fully Aware" or "Completely Unaware"
"Positive" or "Negative"
"A Happy Person" or "A Whiny Person"
They also tend to categorize themselves in the POSITIVE category, in other words they would always be one of the "Enlightened" people but not one of the "Asleep" people, or one of the "Righteous" people but not one of the "Unclean" people.
(The only time they would switch from being the "best" to the "worst" is when they think it will make them look cool, or get them out of some kind of blame.)
Those who devalue others will treat a person one day as if they are for all the world a good friend, or their great love, or a respected coworker or boss, or a beloved family member, or a client or patient whom they care about and respect, or as if they care for, like, and admire them.
Then for some reason often completely unknown to the targeted person, or something they did see but could not have expected such a severe reaction having to do with the devaluers inner world; emotional issues, past, or ego. Or in the case of a person with Narcissism for example, he or she may simply "discard" a person because they don't find them "useful" anymore, in the way one would throw away a jar of jelly when there is no jelly left.
Those who devalue others see the world in "black and white", so the people they interact with are either useful or not useful; "good" or "bad"; "great" or "inferior", "winners" or "losers", etc. When they are valuing a person as useful, good, great, or a winner, they tend to treat them with some measure of respect or even care; when they have any ill feelings toward the person, or just a lack of interest or admiration, they devalue the person, so the "good person" becomes a "bad person" overnight in their mind.
Many have also learned to USE this behavior as a way to control and manipulate others, because of the way people tend to REACT to being devalued and discarded. Most people become confused, hurt, upset, and suffer feelings of loss, grief, and abandonment when abruptly turned on in such a cold or vicious way. Since it's almost always about nothing terrible that the target has done, and in fact it's more often the case that the target was standing up for themselves, this sends the message to the target that it's not SAFE to STAND UP FOR ONE'S SELF, or to even BE one's self, because it will result in being rejected, attacked, and abandoned.
Those who use discarding and rejecting are often seeking a feeling similar to "self-righteousness", where one feels that they are morally above and superior to the targeted person. They are looking for a feeling of vanquishment, vindication, and triumph, which also gives a feeling of being above reproach and above blame. The targeted person PAYS THE PRICE for the person's ardent desire to feel these specific feelings, in order to make themselves feel good, or worthy, or powerful.
This desire can and often does become a compulsion, where a person regularly seeks to devalue and trash or reject others in order to get this "fix" of feeling superior. They may even seek connections and situations with others for this purpose.
It's not at all the same thing as distancing one's self from an abuser or manipulator, and in fact it's usually the other way around: those who devalue others are much more likely to be abusive and manipulative, and targets of abuse and manipulation are much more likely to be targets of devaluation.
Most people generally fall into one of two categories:
those who DO devalue other people, and those who DO NOT devalue other people.
It's not really something that anyone might do if they're in a bad mood, although it's possible that a person can be "pushed" to do it after dealing with so much disrespect or abuse from others, but even then, they tend not to discard, reject, attack, slander, or shun the person, and see them or treat them as if they're "no good" or as "garbage".
Mostly, a person either DOES IT, or they DON'T.
Those who do it will do it easily, with very little provocation, or with no legitimate reason at all.
It's a matter of one's own larger Point Of View regarding the world, other people, and mostly themselves.
Either one respects life itself, which means they respect themselves and others as living, precious human beings, or they don't.
Those who place "object value" on themselves, as if they are an object that can be valued like gems or metals, (or race cars, or race horses, commodities, or draft animals), will place it on others.
The person or object was considered valuable before, but now the person or object is considered by the viewer as having less value and worth.
The DEVALUED (targeted) person is typically rejected, discarded, "shunned", or attacked, and in some cases even attacked with the intention of destroying either their reputation, their life, relationships, career, family, home, finances, or their physical body.
(The diamond was considered priceless, but on closer inspection it was found to have less clarity and more flaws than previously thought, so it was devalued.)
devaluing
de·val·ue
[dee-val-yoo]verb (used without object), de·val·ued, de·val·u·ing. 3. to undergo devaluation: The currency has devalued at a rapid rate
Most times when one person DEVALUES another, it's not because the targeted person has done something terrible or heinous, such as stealing or physical attack, or even lying or betrayal.
It's more often than not that they've done something that anyone else would consider quite normal, every day human behavior such as wanting to have a conversation about something specific, or playing cards, telling jokes, dressing up, being polite to others, expressing one's point of view, fixing or building things, caring for plants, hiking, caring for animals, disagreeing in a conversation, going to school, etc ~~~ OR nothing at all,
~~~ OR some kind of trivial slight that others might have barely noticed (forgot to put the bike in the garage so it got rained on, forgot to return the borrowed drill, forgot to pay back a small borrowed amount of money, forgot to put the trash out
~~~ but most frequently, it was something that tweaked the EGO of the devaluer, such as standing up for one's self against manipulation, rudeness, unfairness, disrespect, or abusiveness, or standing up for someone else, or "catching" the devaluer doing something "wrong".
~Or, NOT giving the devaluer something they want, something they expect, something they demand, that's outside of the parameters of what one expects in a healthy relationship, such as extra recognition, extra privilege, extra leniency, extra 'understanding', extra control, extra resources, extra help, or extra praise above and beyond what someone is able, and above and beyond what the devaluer would ever do for the other person.
Sometimes a devaluer will target another person because they noticed some kind of physical "flaw", such as a missing tooth, or crooked or unbleached teeth, or a lazy eye, a receding hairline, a body that doesn't look like TV, movie, or magazine characters', grey hair, short or long hair, thinness, heaviness, shortness, tallness, darker or lighter skin, frizzy hair, etc. etc. ad infinitum. They may target another person for devaluation because of illness, injury, or disability, or because of their age.
Sometimes a devaluer will target a person's job, or lack of a job, or career goals, or where they live, or their car (or lack thereof).
Legitimate "devaluation" is done only to inanimate objects, for example a car loses its value over time except in cases of certain "classics", and most other objects lose their value with wear and age. For a gem to be devalued would mean that it was previously thought to have less flaws, or perhaps a certain history (such as being a part of a royal crown), but it was found out to be not so clear or well-cut, or to not have any kind of special story. Computers usually lose their value the minute they're taken out of the box. Gold's value is based on the "market value" per ounce, as is silver, and it can go up or down according to many variables, AND it's only valued that way because humans decided that it was valuable.
The popular act of placing monetary value on animals has been going on for a very long time, and is directly related to ownership over animals. That which is not owned does not have financial value. So animals are often "valued" by whatever it is the buyers and sellers want to use the animal for, and also how rare, unique, or hard to acquire the animal is, just like inanimate objects.
Since animals are living beings, the practice of owning animals tends to blur the line for many humans between owning objects and owning people, and therefore valuing or devaluing them.
~
One does not value or devalue something unless they see it as an object that can be acquired or owned, even if the perception is only subconscious. Therefore those who devalue other humans see them as something that can be acquired and owned; an object, a thing, not a "PERSON" that can not be measured in "value", but who is a living being like themselves, OUTSIDE of the definition of an ownable object that can be weighed and measured by another.
So when a person suddenly treats another person like they're NOT AS GOOD, UNWORTHY, NOT VALUABLE, NOT WORTHY OF THEM, they are most likely viewing the person more like an object and less like a person, a fellow human being.
They may SAY that they are not doing that, but the fact is that DEVALUATION directly implies that the object in question is an object, because an object can be owned and therefore assigned value, and then either kept or discarded; not a person, who cannot be owned (rightfully) and therefore cannot be valued or devalued.
(Only those with serious sociopathy (mental illness) conspire to buy or sell human beings, which is called "slavery". Of course many children grow up seeing this as part of their culture, so they may think it's normal when they grow up. However a self-aware human being would eventually be able to realize that the "slaves" around them are human people, just like themselves, and after this realization, they are making a conscious choice to participate or not).
~
Typical "devaluation", however, is done more within the parameters of social interaction and relationships, especially in Western cultures and other Free countries, although human trafficking does occur in those cultures to a disturbing degree, kept "under wraps".
~
Devaluing another human being whom one is in a personal relationship with, or whom one knows personally, is a symptom of some sort of mental illness or personality disorder. Not only because of the practice of viewing a human being as an object that can be "valued" or "devalued", but also because of the perception problem that goes with the act of devaluation: "Black and White Thinking".
The person is seeing people and the world in "black and white" terms, without the ability to deal with or comprehend anything in between. Something is either "Right" or "Wrong", or "Good" or "Bad", and so are PEOPLE in their minds.
~They are not able to deal with variables, changing circumstances, or human personalities, emotions, needs, or with interaction with others that does not go as they expect or want.
~They may not be able to deal with the fact that stereotypes are not real, and may actually see a person who doesn't fulfill the stereotype that they LOOK LIKE as being "wrong" or "bad" (like a male hairdresser, kindergarten teacher, nurse, or botanist, or a female engineer, carpenter, politician, or boxer).
~They may not understand that there is more information that they don't know about, and they may not be able to fathom that they might not comprehend what they see or hear.
They don't understand VARIABLES, OR the fact that OTHER people besides themselves have real lives, real emotions like them, real life experiences including traumas, real needs like they do, deserve the same respect and UNDERSTANDING as they do or anyone else does as a human being, and are just as important as they are, or as anyone else. (What kind of illness or disorder they may have would need to be determined via an extensive evaluation; it could be a serious condition requiring lifetime treatment, or it could be an effect of something else less permanent and more prone to healing such as trauma or developmental delay.)
They tend to want people to be either ONE THING or THE OTHER: that is,
"Perfect" or "Defective",
"Righteous" or "Unclean",
"All Knowing Experts" or "Completely Clueless",
"Important" or "Insignificant",
"Right" or "Wrong",
"Genius" or "Stupid/Ignorant",
"Worldly-Street Wise" or "Sheltered/Ignorant",
"Clever" or "Slow"
"Superior" or "Inferior"
"Beautiful" or "Unattractive"
"Strong" or "Weak".
"Completely Sane" or "Unstable/Crazy"
"Enlightened" or "Utterly 'asleep'"
"Good" or "Bad"
"Morally Good" or "A Bad Person"
"Fully Aware" or "Completely Unaware"
"Positive" or "Negative"
"A Happy Person" or "A Whiny Person"
They also tend to categorize themselves in the POSITIVE category, in other words they would always be one of the "Enlightened" people but not one of the "Asleep" people, or one of the "Righteous" people but not one of the "Unclean" people.
(The only time they would switch from being the "best" to the "worst" is when they think it will make them look cool, or get them out of some kind of blame.)
Those who devalue others will treat a person one day as if they are for all the world a good friend, or their great love, or a respected coworker or boss, or a beloved family member, or a client or patient whom they care about and respect, or as if they care for, like, and admire them.
Then for some reason often completely unknown to the targeted person, or something they did see but could not have expected such a severe reaction having to do with the devaluers inner world; emotional issues, past, or ego. Or in the case of a person with Narcissism for example, he or she may simply "discard" a person because they don't find them "useful" anymore, in the way one would throw away a jar of jelly when there is no jelly left.
Those who devalue others see the world in "black and white", so the people they interact with are either useful or not useful; "good" or "bad"; "great" or "inferior", "winners" or "losers", etc. When they are valuing a person as useful, good, great, or a winner, they tend to treat them with some measure of respect or even care; when they have any ill feelings toward the person, or just a lack of interest or admiration, they devalue the person, so the "good person" becomes a "bad person" overnight in their mind.
Many have also learned to USE this behavior as a way to control and manipulate others, because of the way people tend to REACT to being devalued and discarded. Most people become confused, hurt, upset, and suffer feelings of loss, grief, and abandonment when abruptly turned on in such a cold or vicious way. Since it's almost always about nothing terrible that the target has done, and in fact it's more often the case that the target was standing up for themselves, this sends the message to the target that it's not SAFE to STAND UP FOR ONE'S SELF, or to even BE one's self, because it will result in being rejected, attacked, and abandoned.
Those who use discarding and rejecting are often seeking a feeling similar to "self-righteousness", where one feels that they are morally above and superior to the targeted person. They are looking for a feeling of vanquishment, vindication, and triumph, which also gives a feeling of being above reproach and above blame. The targeted person PAYS THE PRICE for the person's ardent desire to feel these specific feelings, in order to make themselves feel good, or worthy, or powerful.
This desire can and often does become a compulsion, where a person regularly seeks to devalue and trash or reject others in order to get this "fix" of feeling superior. They may even seek connections and situations with others for this purpose.
It's not at all the same thing as distancing one's self from an abuser or manipulator, and in fact it's usually the other way around: those who devalue others are much more likely to be abusive and manipulative, and targets of abuse and manipulation are much more likely to be targets of devaluation.
Most people generally fall into one of two categories:
those who DO devalue other people, and those who DO NOT devalue other people.
It's not really something that anyone might do if they're in a bad mood, although it's possible that a person can be "pushed" to do it after dealing with so much disrespect or abuse from others, but even then, they tend not to discard, reject, attack, slander, or shun the person, and see them or treat them as if they're "no good" or as "garbage".
Mostly, a person either DOES IT, or they DON'T.
Those who do it will do it easily, with very little provocation, or with no legitimate reason at all.
It's a matter of one's own larger Point Of View regarding the world, other people, and mostly themselves.
Either one respects life itself, which means they respect themselves and others as living, precious human beings, or they don't.
Those who place "object value" on themselves, as if they are an object that can be valued like gems or metals, (or race cars, or race horses, commodities, or draft animals), will place it on others.
