Much to do lately about shaming.
A kind of last resource of the many powerless to get their opinion and influence heard, when people in the establishment behave badly, and seem to act without a moral conscience
Also: many people and articles do not differentiate that much between guilt and shame, as if it would be the same.
My feel is that in ordere to rectify a bad behaviour.... shame is a poor substitute for guilt in cases where appealing to good conscience would still be enough.
My main consideration is that guilt keeps the door open to improve and shame is a shut off mechanism.
This is basically the point of view on which I invite to a discussion here.
Some possibly helpfull statement in a big scientific article:
from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3083636/
A good and long read.
"Shame and guilt are not equally “moral” emotions
One of the consistent themes emerging from empirical research is that shame and guilt are not equally “moral” emotions. On balance, guilt appears to be the more adaptive emotion, benefiting individuals and their relationships in a variety of ways (Baumeister et al. 1994, 1995a,b; Tangney 1991, 1995a,b), but there is growing evidence that shame is a moral emotion that can easily go awry (Tangney 1991, 1995a,b; Tangney et al. 1996b)"
"Hiding versus amending
Research consistently shows that shame and guilt lead to contrasting motivations or “action tendencies” (Ketelaar & Au 2003, Lewis 1971, Lindsay-Hartz 1984, Tangney 1993, Tangney et al. 1996a, Wallbott & Scherer 1995, Wicker et al. 1983). On the one hand, shame corresponds with attempts to deny, hide, or escape the shame-inducing situation. Physiological research has linked the shame experience with elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokine and cortisol (Dickerson et al. 2004a), which can trigger postural signs of deference and self-concealment (see New Directions in Research on Shame and Guilt: Physiological Correlates of Shame). Guilt, on the other hand, corresponds with reparative actions including confessions, apologies, and undoing the consequences of the behavior. On the whole, empirical evidence evaluating the action tendencies of people experiencing shame and guilt suggests that guilt promotes constructive, proactive pursuits, whereas shame promotes defensiveness, interpersonal separation, and distance"
"Why might shame, but not guilt, interfere with other-oriented empathy? Shame’s inherently egocentric focus on the “bad self” (as opposed to the bad behavior) derails the empathic process. Individuals in the throes of shame turn tightly inward, and are thus less able to focus cognitive and emotional resources on the harmed other (Tangney et al. 1994). In contrast, people experiencing guilt are specifically focused on the bad behavior, which in turn highlights the negative consequences experienced by others, thereby fostering an empathic response and motivating people to “right the wrong.”
EDIT
some notes:
Recent articles on shame and guilt are often from christian (US) sources, I think relecting the basic 1;1 relation with the Christian God based on guilt on sinns.
Other western cultures than the White Anglosaxon, have much lower use of the word shame.
And ofc Japanese culture is reknown for her shame culture.
a graph of the frequency of the two words over the last centuries, showing the recent increase in the word shame.
A kind of last resource of the many powerless to get their opinion and influence heard, when people in the establishment behave badly, and seem to act without a moral conscience
Also: many people and articles do not differentiate that much between guilt and shame, as if it would be the same.
My feel is that in ordere to rectify a bad behaviour.... shame is a poor substitute for guilt in cases where appealing to good conscience would still be enough.
My main consideration is that guilt keeps the door open to improve and shame is a shut off mechanism.
This is basically the point of view on which I invite to a discussion here.
Some possibly helpfull statement in a big scientific article:
from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3083636/
A good and long read.
"Shame and guilt are not equally “moral” emotions
One of the consistent themes emerging from empirical research is that shame and guilt are not equally “moral” emotions. On balance, guilt appears to be the more adaptive emotion, benefiting individuals and their relationships in a variety of ways (Baumeister et al. 1994, 1995a,b; Tangney 1991, 1995a,b), but there is growing evidence that shame is a moral emotion that can easily go awry (Tangney 1991, 1995a,b; Tangney et al. 1996b)"
"Hiding versus amending
Research consistently shows that shame and guilt lead to contrasting motivations or “action tendencies” (Ketelaar & Au 2003, Lewis 1971, Lindsay-Hartz 1984, Tangney 1993, Tangney et al. 1996a, Wallbott & Scherer 1995, Wicker et al. 1983). On the one hand, shame corresponds with attempts to deny, hide, or escape the shame-inducing situation. Physiological research has linked the shame experience with elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokine and cortisol (Dickerson et al. 2004a), which can trigger postural signs of deference and self-concealment (see New Directions in Research on Shame and Guilt: Physiological Correlates of Shame). Guilt, on the other hand, corresponds with reparative actions including confessions, apologies, and undoing the consequences of the behavior. On the whole, empirical evidence evaluating the action tendencies of people experiencing shame and guilt suggests that guilt promotes constructive, proactive pursuits, whereas shame promotes defensiveness, interpersonal separation, and distance"
"Why might shame, but not guilt, interfere with other-oriented empathy? Shame’s inherently egocentric focus on the “bad self” (as opposed to the bad behavior) derails the empathic process. Individuals in the throes of shame turn tightly inward, and are thus less able to focus cognitive and emotional resources on the harmed other (Tangney et al. 1994). In contrast, people experiencing guilt are specifically focused on the bad behavior, which in turn highlights the negative consequences experienced by others, thereby fostering an empathic response and motivating people to “right the wrong.”
EDIT
some notes:
Recent articles on shame and guilt are often from christian (US) sources, I think relecting the basic 1;1 relation with the Christian God based on guilt on sinns.
Other western cultures than the White Anglosaxon, have much lower use of the word shame.
And ofc Japanese culture is reknown for her shame culture.
a graph of the frequency of the two words over the last centuries, showing the recent increase in the word shame.
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