why respect is importantgoing back in time， respect played an important role in survival. if we think of a small tribe wandering in the desert，we can imagine that a person not respected by anyone could be left behind and die. such a person was considered to have no worth， no importance， no value to the group.
this， i believe is the foundation of our psychological need to feel respected.
nowadays it seems much more possible to survive without being respected. someone could， for example， inherit a large sum of money， have many servants and employees and have salesmen constantly calling on him and catering to him，yet not be respected in the least. someone could also make a lot of money through having a particular talent which is valued， such as being able to dunk a basketball yet not really be respected， perhaps because of the way he treats others.
still， there is a value to respect which money can＇t buy.
though someone＇s life might not depend on it， there are times， many times in fact， when another person has the chance to make a personal decision--a judgment call. when that person feels sincere respect for someone else， they will make a different decision than if they feel no respect， even if they have customarily shown a false， pseudo-respect to the person.
in summary， it is for both evolutionary and practical reasons that respect is important， and also why we simply feel better when we are respected.