Year: 2003
Type: article
Abstract: Purpose: This paper argues for a theoretical \napproach to chronic shame which emphasises \nsocial factors in the development of psychological \nproblems. Some of the implications of this for \nresearch and clinical practice are considered. \nContext: Clinical psychologists are increasingly \ndrawing on the concept of shame to inform \ntherapeutic work. However, a comprehensive \nreview of clinically-orientated research on shame \nover a four-year period revealed that this has \nmostly been restricted to the investigation of \nindividual differences, conceptualising shame as \nan attribute of the individual. \nKey Points: It is argued that the notion of shame \nas a context-free intrapsychic variable has \ndistracted clinical researchers from investigating \nshame as a lived emotional experience and has \nmade the social constitution of shame less \nvisible. As such, there is very little data available \non the avoidance, management and repair of \nexperiences of shame and little exploration of \nhow shameful identities might emerge in \nparticular social contexts. Several suggestions \nare made for alternative ways in which \nsusceptibility to shame could be conceptualised, \nwhich consider the individual’s social world and \nthe importance of the roles or subject positions \navailable. \nConclusions: To better inform clinical practice, \nresearch needs to focus more explicitly on the \nsocial and interpersonal processes which either \nenable or inhibit the avoidance, management and \nrepair of shame. The implications of a more \ncontextualised understanding of shame for \npractitioners include a willingness to (a) work with \nclients at achieving real changes in their social \nworlds and (b) to develop services which offer \npositive identities for users
Authors: Dawn Leeming, M. Boyle
Language: English
Topic: Emotions and Moral Behavior
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2614059142