In my mind, respect is like a meter that rises and falls based on actions among other things.
It starts at a basic level, for all people
[IIIII------------------------] something like this. Then depending on things they say/do/reveal, the meter will rise and fall. The meter will never go negative, but once it reaches zero it becomes almost revulsion. To reach something this low you've got to do something real nasty, like screw desperate college students over with loans they know they won't be able to repay, or punching pregnant woman for twisted entertainment. That's when I've lost respect, they lose any privileges or support from me. However, I will not go against them as I am a firm believer in lead by example.
for example, let's say I walk up to someone I've never seen before. we'll refer to them as susan. Susan's bar is at that of a basic person.
[IIIII------------------------] as she approaches, I take note of things like her posture, her scent, her walking style, etc. etc. these things add up to a cumulative +I, so now she's at a whopping [IIIIII---------------------] for whatever reason, she feels the need to greet and talk to me, so she approaches, shakes my hand, gives me her name, and states some sort of intent. I giver her another +I for clearly defined purpose, as well as etiquette.
Those are shallow things, so they only give initial points. Once we get into the deep and I over-analyze everything she says and does, she'll continue scoring points based off of how I see her. After a long time of this I will of established a relationship, and her points stabilize. She'll no longer gain or lose for the small things, and even some of the bigger things, and I also compare who she is now to how she acted when we first met. I then re-analyze and re-tally points based on who she's presented herself as. At this point, the only way to increase points would be to actually go through dynamic character development, and essentially change who she is as a person.
This is at least a more technical version of how I treat respect. It's a little more pragmatic than this, but this is the gist of it.
