I have a problem where I swing between two sorts of situations.

Say I perceive that I am being disrespected by someone.

If I confront the individual, I always seem to end up coming off as needy. I have made it known that the way this person treats me bothers me, and that intrinsically insinuates that this person has some power over me. Even if I do get the other person's behavior to change, there is always a sense of, "He should have sucked it up." or, "Wow, that guy is sensitive and needy." from the other person.

Alternatively, if I do nothing, I can successfully impart the fact that I am not dis-empowered by anyone external to myself, however these people still end up disrespecting me/don't change their behavior at all.

In an ideal world, I can cut contact with these people, ignore them, and find other company. The problem with this is that a) there are some people that you can't cut contact with abruptly, such as a coworker, wife (If you're married and commited. I am not married), or family and b) this precludes too many people to be an effective social strategy. If I wanted to be a hermit, this wouldn't be a problem, but I am a healthy human being and regular social interaction is, I believe, part of my nature.

Any advice?