Shame and Release Scale (SRS): A PRISMA Systematic Literature Review and Multi-Domain Psychometric Instrument Development Rationale for Indian Organisational Contexts
Year: 2026
Type: review
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: Background Shame is a universal emotion with profound implications for mental health, workplace functioning, and social cohesion, yet its measurement remains critically underdeveloped in South Asian organizational contexts. Despite the global burden of unmeasured shame in organizational and development settings, no validated Hindi or Indian general shame instruments have been reported in the literature. This gap is particularly acute in workplace shame measurement for South Asian populations, where culturally specific constructs such as sharam (shame), izzat (honour), and lajja (shame/modesty) shape emotional experience in ways not captured by Western instruments [5]. Furthermore, no existing shame instrument combines the measurement of shame (wound) with release (healing), leaving a critical void in understanding pathways from shame to recovery. The absence of instruments addressing structural shame rooted in colonial trauma and caste hierarchies, as discussed in diaspora contexts [8], further limits the capacity to measure and address inherited shame in Indian organizational contexts. Methods A comprehensive systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Searches were performed across SciSpace, Google Scholar, and PubMed for peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2026. A two-stage LLM-based screening process was employed with a relevance threshold of 3.0/5.0, focusing on eligibility criteria that addressed shame constructs, cultural context, psychometric evaluation, workplace dynamics, and therapeutic processes. Studies were included if they reported on shame measurement instruments, cultural manifestations of shame in South Asian or collectivist contexts, workplace shame dynamics, structural or inherited shame, or shame release interventions. Results The search identified 3,479 records, of which 479 duplicates were removed. A total of 3,000 records were screened, 216 records were assessed for eligibility (2 in full text, 214 on title, abstract and metadata), and 205 studies were included in the final synthesis. Key evidence domains included psychometric instruments such as the External and Internal Shame Scale (EISS) [3], Other as Shamer Scale (OAS) [11], Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3), Internalized Shame Scale (ISS) [10], Guilt and Shame Proneness Scale (GASP) [12], and culturally specific scales including the Interpersonal Shame Inventory for Asian Americans [13] and the Crime-Related Shame and Guilt Scale for Philippine prisoners [1]. Evidence on cultural manifestations of shame in South Asian contexts highlighted the role of honour-shame dynamics [5], caste-based intergenerational trauma [8], and silence as both defense and survival in collectivist societies [2]. Workplace shame dynamics were documented across healthcare [6], fast food industry crises [7], and academic settings [9], with findings on collective shame, turnover intentions, and organizational dehumanization. Limited evidence was found on structural shame rooted in colonial and caste systems, though qualitative work has explored politicizing pain and caste-based trauma [4] [8], and shame release interventions remained underexplored in organizational contexts. Conclusions Critical gaps persist in culturally adapted shame measurement for South Asian populations, particularly the absence of validated Hindi instruments and tools addressing structural shame rooted in colonial trauma and caste hierarchies. No existing instrument combines shame and release dimensions, limiting the capacity to measure pathways from shame to healing in organizational settings. The development of the Shame and Release Scale (SRS) addresses these gaps by integrating culturally salient shame constructs with a release subscale, offering a novel psychometric tool for Indian organizational contexts. Future validation efforts must prioritize community engagement, cultural adaptation, and rigorous psychometric evaluation to ensure the SRS meets the needs of South Asian populations.
Author: Luis Miguel Gallardo
Institution: Shoolini University
Language: English
Topic: Emotions and Moral Behavior
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W7222621079