Originally Posted by
chtampa
Why do people insult other people?
Most people who insult other people are insecure. They think that it will make them feel better if they put someone else down, or they insult the other person to take attention off of themselves. Sometimes people who are angry insult other people because they are not mature enough to think of a different way to handle their anger except to try to start a fight or to try to make the other person feel bad.
Mature people can communicate with others without insulting them. Any ideas can be discussed between mature adults without fighting or insulting each other. Mature people can "agree to disagree" and give each other the right to have different opinions.
The best way to handle an insult is to ignore it, because what the immature person wants is to make you upset. If you cannot ignore the insult, you can say something like, "Mature people don't have to insult each other to communicate," and walk away. Walking away is always best because the immature person is not going to change and suddenly stop acting immature.
Other reasons could include boredom; desire to be funny, genuine or learned hatred of another person or culture. Insults could depend on the situation, and it could be a person's way of taking their anger out on one person instead of the thing they are angry at.
Insults can also be used as a form of control, whether it is to control another person, to control a conversation. Insulting outbursts are often used by people who are angry that their lives are out of control in other ways.