What is Indignation?

The basic concepts in Jaak Panksepp's Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions (Series in Affective Science) 1st Edition provide a good network of ideas one can use to break emotions down into more fundamental units.

The emotion of "indignation" is at the core of much of the alternative media. Indignation is really the emotion that's associated with injustice. It's the idea that what is shouldn't be, or what shouldn't be is. SHOULD is the key word here. Indignation is perhaps a reaction to "shoulds" being violated.

In Panksepp's scheme, indignation is possibly a species of rage. Rage is about being physically trapped and unable to move. Rage is the reaction that fuels escape or fight. Indignation is sort of a midget version of rage.

Another component of indignation seems to be a wish for time to halt. The indignant feels the game needs to stop and the rules updated or strictly adhered to. It's a desire for intervention by an invisible third party referee.