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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0052 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Appeal to Spite

Rejecting an argument because of dislike for the source or beneficiary.

Emotion Fallacy·Logical Fallacy·Grade B·stub· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Rejecting an argument because of dislike for the source or beneficiary.

Plain-English Definition

Rejecting an argument because of dislike for the source or beneficiary.

Feynman Explanation

Burn the company before they get their bonus.

Core Principle

Rejecting an argument because of dislike for the source or beneficiary.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Rejecting an argument because of dislike for the source or beneficiary.

Behavioral Economic

Pending editorial review.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Pending editorial review.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Burn the company before they get their bonus.

Examples

Everyday
  • Internal politics overriding business logic.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Spite is one of the most consistent line items in the strategy budget.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

Pending editorial review.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Spite is one of the most consistent line items in the strategy budget.
Amplifying Incentives
Spite is one of the most consistent line items in the strategy budget.
Org Failure Modes
Spite is one of the most consistent line items in the strategy budget.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Diagnostic Questions

Pending editorial review.

Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0052 · COG
Appeal to Spite
ATATAppeal to EmotionATAppeal to FearATAppeal to PityAHAd HominemATAffirming the Conseq…AEAnecdotal EvidenceATAppeal to AuthorityATAppeal to Common SenseATAppeal to ConsequencesATAppeal to Ignorance

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.