title: Schadenfreude: an all too common affliction.
abstract: The ADA Code of Professional Conduct requires that care be taken that criticism of colleagues' work is justifiable. Several cases are presented where this standard appeared not to have been met, and the consequences were dire for all involved. Sometimes unjustified criticism can be as inadvertent as ambiguous body language; sometimes it is possible to interpret unjustified criticism as being driven by envy or by what the Germans call schadenfreude--satisfaction at others' misfortunes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endodontics, Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine, New York City, NY, USA. csroots@aol.com
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Solomon
mesh_terms: D032781:Codes of Ethics; D003729:Dental Care / Q000941:ethics*; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics; D003815:Dentists / Q000941:ethics*; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D004990:Ethics, Dental; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations / Q000941:ethics*