Descent of Shame paper

Olivia Fisher
Philosophy of Emotion
November 20th, 2014
Summary: The Descent of Shame
In this article, professor Maibom discusses the concept of shame and what co factors are inherent in situations in which an individual experiences shame. Shame is a negative emotion one feels when they do not meet up to personal or societal standards. One does not need to personally strive for or even agree with standards in order to feel shame upon failing at them; social norms are in place and we are all subject to judgment at the whim of our peers. Despite the heteronomous nature of shame, it is not uncommon for a person to experience shame even when they fail in private because the individual is looking at his or herself as he or she would be looked at by society and making judgments on his or herself based on this external self-examination.

Shame and morality do not go hand in hand. A person who has stolen something from a store without being caught might feel a pang of guilt for what they have done, but whether or not they feel shame will vary from person to person. If the individual does not feel as though stealing is a way of failing to meet up to societal standards, then they would likely experience no personal shame for what they have done. This proves that both guilt and morality are not necessarily intertwined with experiencing shame. This same person might experience shame if they are caught in the act of stealing, however, because now it is a public failing of meeting societal standards and as I previously mentioned, it is impertinent that the object of the individual’s failure coincides with the perpetrator’s personal standards and values.

Another important role in the concept of shame is the quality of the audience present in the tentatively shameful situation. People are more or less likely to be shamed depending on whether they are surrounded by respected colleagues, close friends, family, or strangers of varying social classes. This supports the idea that shame is a primarily social emotion.