D102

Grievance Maintenance Style

BD07 Empathy & Prosociality
Derived LayerMML-2

Version v1.2.4

Definition

A tendency to retain resentment over time and repeatedly reuse past harms as motive, argument, or justification for distance and punishment.

Poles

Each HES element is a spectrum, not a category: the Low and High poles describe how it presents at its two extremes, while the Reference marks the typical, everyday middle. The poles map variation across the range — neither end is inherently better or worse.

Low Pole

Past harms fade; cooperation can reset more easily.

High Pole

Past harms are kept “active” and reactivated across contexts.

Reference

Triggered mainly by certain violations (betrayal, disrespect), not all.

Measure

Primary: Reactivation rate - how often a past harm is re-invoked as motive, argument, or justification in new situations.

Measuring Methods

Longitudinal event logs: count re-invocations of the same past transgression across distinct new conflicts; control for fresh violations.

Empirical Anchor

Grudge holding / unforgiveness (McCullough et al., 2001); transgression-related interpersonal motivations (TRIM).

Notes

Often a contrast to forgiveness, but not a strict opposite in every person. Distinct from C068Grudge Holding: C068 measures how long the ledger is kept (retention); D102 measures how often it is deployed (reactivation).

Citation

APA

Human Elements System. (2026). Grievance Maintenance Style (HES Passport D102, v1.2.4). hestable.com. https://hestable.com/passport/D102

BibTeX

@misc{hes_D102, author = {{Human Elements System}}, title = {{Grievance Maintenance Style}}, year = {2026}, note = {HES Passport D102, v1.2.4}, howpublished = {\url{https://hestable.com/passport/D102}} }