Shame Veiled and Unveiled: The Shame Affect and Its Re-Emergence in the Clinical Setting

Abstract

The paper examines the psychoanalytic theory of shame and the importance of developmental aspects of the shame affect. In a clinical setting, the discovery of the shame affect, stemming from unconscious and early traumatic situations, is an important and useful approach in helping the patient access painful memories and defenses against them. The defenses disguise the underlying shame affect; furthermore, vision is being bound up with the searing painful affect of shame. The anticipatory dread of scornful gaze of another person, similar to objective self-awareness can cause mortification. Fear of mortification and being exposed emerges in the clinical setting. Through the recognition of enactments in the transference and countertransference interchange, the analyst helps the patient working through them. Several case vignettes demonstrate these important concepts. Finally, the author discusses how shame in certain situations can be a powerful, positive motivator for human interactions.