Shame Responses Research Articles

Why Individuals Protest the Perceived Transgressions of Their Country

The present research examined emotions as predictors of opposition to policies and actions of one's country that are perceived to be illegitimate. Two studies investigated the political implications of American (Study 1) and British (Study 2) citizens' anger, guilt, and shame responses to perceived harm caused by their countries' occupation of Iraq. In both studies, a manipulation of pervasive threat to the country's image increased participants' shame but not guilt. The emotions predicted political action intentions to advocate distinct opposition strategies. Shame predicted action intentions to advocate withdrawal from Iraq. Anger predicted action intentions to advocate compensation to Iraq, confrontation of agents responsible, and withdrawal from Iraq. Anger directed at different targets (ingroup, ingroup representative, and outgroup representative) predicted action intentions to support distinct strategies (Study 2). Guilt did not independently predict any political action intentions. Implications for the study of political action and emotions in intergroup contexts are discussed.

Shame Reactions to Everyday Dilemmas are Associated with Depressive Disorder

This study examined whether emotional reactions to everyday dilemmas are associated with depressive disorders in a sample of 195 undergraduates. Depressive disorder was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). Compared to controls, individuals in current depressive episodes, as well as individuals with a past history of depressive disorder who were in remission, reported more shame in response to both hypothetical interpersonal and real life everyday dilemmas. In contrast, guilt was not significantly associated with depressive disorder. These results raise the possibility that everyday dilemmas and shame responses may play important roles in depressive disorders.

Individual Differences in Experiences of and Responses to Guilt and Shame: Examining the Lenses of Gender and Gender Role

How are experiences of and reactions to guilt and shame a function of gendered views of the self? Individual differences in guilt and shame responses were explored in a sample of 104 young adults, most of whom were European American. Results indicated that, although women reported greater proneness to guilt and shame, men reported more trait guilt. Heightened levels of guilt- and shame-proneness were observed among both men and women with traditionally feminine gender roles, whereas a more traditionally masculine self-concept was associated with decreased shame-proneness for women. Gender schematic women favored verbal responses to ameliorate the experience of guilt, whereas gender schematic men preferred action-oriented responses. These results are discussed as gendered outcomes of schematic versus aschematic gender role socialization.

Never good enough--part 1: Shame or borderline personality disorder?

This paper takes a deconstructive approach to the historical, clinical, and social context of the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). This is undertaken by providing an overview of pertinent literature, an examination of the diagnostic criteria, a discussion of the development of the shame affect, a discussion of women's narratives and a reinterpretation of the symptoms of BPD as an overwhelming shame response. An argument is developed that shame is an integral but neglected feature in the experiences of mental distress that are characteristic of BPD. This discussion is supported with evidence of shame in narrative quotes from women with a diagnosis of BPD. There are striking similarities between what is currently pathologized as BPD and an overwhelming shame response. Recognizing the influence of shame may assist mental health nurses to provide mental health nursing care that best meets the needs of women experiencing these symptoms.

Never good enough--part 2: Clinical implications.

This paper is the second part of two papers that explore the affect of shame and its role in the manifestation of symptoms that could be regarded as evidence of mental disorder. The clinical implications for nursing a person with an overwhelming shame response are discussed in this paper. It is proposed that a discursive approach to nursing care may assist mental health nurses to provide care that best meets the needs of people experiencing these symptoms. The paper suggests that this nursing care involves recognizing the impact of shame; making connections between how the person has learned to cope with shame and their current mental distress; situating shame in its socio-cultural context; focusing on subject-object differentiation and promoting acceptance of difference and exploring alternative subject positions for managing feelings of shame. The focus of these interventions is to encourage awareness of interactions with others, how the person positions her or his self in relation to others, and the communication patterns that perpetuate feelings of shame. It also involves helping the person to integrate the ideal image of her or his self with subject positions that are more flexible.

Listening to the Erotic Commentary on Paper by Eric Sherman

In this commentary I examine homoerotic countertransference within the context of the analyst's erotic countertransference experience. Discussing male analysts' difficulties receiving and experiencing homoerotic feelings as a function of their dominant erotic desires (along gender lines), I propose both cognitive and affective explanations to illuminate their defenses. I suggest that Sherman's erotic countertransference is best understood when viewed as a product of both induced feelings emanating from his patient's dissociated sexual abuse and also his anxiety and shame in response to particular relational configurations with his patient that arouse him. Finally, I point to the site of the transgressive as integral to the construction of erotic desire and suggest shifts that need to occur in the erotic subjectivity of this dyad so that the treatment can move forward.

Shame and Bulimia - A Sickness of the Soul

"Abstract: Where shame plays a central role, as it does in eating disorders, Kaufinan (1 989) beIieves that 'accepted theories and methods of treatment have largely failed'. In this paper I argue that it is likely that the bulimic client has experienced insuficient support in the field for important needs, and consequently, has experienced a significant rupture in the intersubjective field. Bulimic behaviour is their creative adjustment to their current environment, the client's way of managing 'unacceptable' feelings and needs. I conclude that it is essential that the therapist understands the dynamics of shame and knows how to work with the client's shame response in a way that enables the buhic client to meal the hidden (messy) part of herseifl. In this paper I offer an overview of the cmt thinking on shame hm a Gestalt perspective and relate this to the cIinical practice of working with bulimic clients, dmwhg on real case material to illustrate the implications for clinical practice. Key wad: shame, Bulimia Nervosa, eating disorders, intex~ubjectivity~ sense of self, co-created field."

The Shame Response to Rejection

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book ReviewFull AccessThe Shame Response to RejectionAbraham L. Halpern, M.D.Abraham L. HalpernSearch for more papers by this author, M.D.Published Online:1 Jun 2000https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.51.6.826AboutSectionsView EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail This small book, consisting of ten short chapters in only 51 pages of text, carries a powerful message. It discusses a concept few, if any, mental health professionals will have learned about in their academic studies or subsequent experience.According to the author, a psychoanalyst with years of experience in correctional settings, the shame response is a primitive physiological response to rejection, which can lead to great anger and violence. An understanding of this phenomenon can be of enormous help to the clinician working with young people in school or with probationers, parolees, or prison inmates.The recent upsurge of violence in society in general and schools in particular has left both policy makers and mental health clinicians with feelings of frustration and powerlessness. This book offers a therapeutic mechanism that can be applied in many cases in the service of violence prevention. It should be required reading in training programs in psychiatry, psychology, social work, and psychiatric nursing.Dr. Halpern is professor emeritus of psychiatry at New York Medical College in Valhalla.by Herbert E. Thomas, M.D.; Sewickley, Pennsylvania, Albanel Publishers, 1997, 56 pages, $21 FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 51Issue 6 June 2000Pages 826-826 Metrics History Published online 1 June 2000 Published in print 1 June 2000

The Shame Response to Rejection. Herbert E. Thomas

Perspectives in Psychiatric CareVolume 34, Issue 4 p. 40-40 The Shame Response to Rejection. Herbert E. Thomas First published: 16 January 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6163.1998.tb01014.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume34, Issue4October 1998Pages 40-40 RelatedInformation

Differences in Pride and Shame in Maltreated and Nonmaltreated Preschoolers

This study examined the expression of shame and pride in maltreated and nonmaltreated preschool children. 84 4-5-year-old children and their mothers participated in the study: 42 had a history of child maltreatment and 42 served as matched controls. Children were presented with easy and difficult tasks and their emotional responses of shame and pride were observed. No shame was shown when subjects succeeded on the tasks and no pride was shown when they failed. Maltreating mothers offered more negative feedback, particularly to their daughters, than nonmaltreating mothers. Maltreated girls showed more shame when they failed and less pride when they succeeded than nonmaltreated girls. The relation between differential socialization practices and the self-conscious emotions is explored as it relates to observed gender differences in emotionality and self-concept.

A guide to the literature on aggressive behavior

A guide to the literature on aggressive behavior

An exploration of shame measures—II: psychopathology

The relationship between shame measures, in particular the Other As Shamer Scale (OAS), and self-report measures of psychopathology was explored in a non-clinical population. Results indicate that beliefs about negative evaluations by others is associated with measures of clinical relevance. Additionally, shame scales which tap into global negative beliefs, including the OAS, are more strongly associated with measures of psychopathology than scales which focus on shame responses to specific events.

Shame and the origin of physician-patient conflict

Shame is a powerful negative emotion that motivates much intrapersonal and interpersonal conflict. The relationship between patient and physician can turn to conflict if the medical environment elicits shame in the patient; conflict arises when the patient externalizes the cause and blames the physician for negative feelings. Patients who suffer from hyperactive and reactive shame responses may require particularly sensitive care. Including the assessment of shame reactivity in the medical history can help identify such persons. Measures that reduce shame should improve compliance and reduce the incidence of malpractice suits.

Differences in Shame and Pride as a Function of Children's Gender and Task Difficulty

3-year-old children were presented with easy and difficult tasks and their emotional responses of shame and pride were observed. No shame was shown when subjects succeeded on the tasks and no pride was shown when they failed. Significantly more shame was shown when subjects failed easy tasks than when they failed difficult tasks, and significantly more pride was shown when subjects succeeded on difficult than on easy tasks. While there were no sex differences in task failures, girls showed more shame than boys. There were no sex differences in pride when subjects succeeded.

Psychological aspects of genetic counseling. III. Management of guilt and shame

Reactions of guilt and shame are conspicuous in the context of genetic counseling, and the relief of their distressing aspects is a widely held goal of genetic counselors. They are in a unique position to accomplish this; however, guidelines as to how one might proceed are not readily available. We have considered guilt and shame responses and have attempted to differentiate them, dynamically and developmentally, and have pointed out how each might be manifested in the course of genetic counseling. The major counseling tactics by means of which the alleviation or reduction of feelings of guilt and shame might be achieved are outlined and case illustrations are provided in which actual and potential counseling situations are explored and discussed.