Shame can silence, subjugate and damage us - a philosopher considers its implications

"To read Frederic Gros's A Philosophy of Shame is to be reminded of how vulnerable we are to the emotion's inhibitions and agonies. We shame, we are ashamed, and we expend significant energy imagining shameful situations so we might avoid them. Shame makes us vulnerable to humiliation and ruin, and provides a method by which we can humiliate and ruin others. The cycle is often self-perpetuating: shame begets shaming."

"While themes and ideas repeat throughout, Gros avoids relying on a straightforward thesis. Instead, he elaborates a series of examples that reveal the power shame exerts over us. He rightly points out that: we spend an awful lot of our lives striving to make a good impression, making sacrifices for ghosts and forcing ourselves to correspond to what we believe to be other people's expectations. Gros demonstrates shame's expansive role in regulating our behaviour and shaping our self-image, while seeking out its positive potential."

Shame causes vulnerability to humiliation and ruin, and furnishes a method to humiliate and ruin others. The cycle often self-perpetuates as shame begets shaming. A claim crowns shame as the major emotion of our time and the signifier of new struggles, though that claim is presented without substantial argument beyond a foreword. Themes and ideas repeat across varied examples, which reveal shame's power to regulate behavior and shape self-image. Shame leads people to expend energy imagining shameful scenarios, strive to make good impressions, and make sacrifices to meet perceived expectations.

Read at The Conversation