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ABSTRACT
Although shame is one of the most primitive and universal of human emotions, it is often still considered a taboo topic among researchers, practitioners, and clients. This paper presents the empirical foundation for shame resilience theory-a new theory for understanding shame and its impact on women. Using grounded theory methodology, 215 women were interviewed to determine why and how women experience shame and to identify the various processes and strategies women use to develop shame resilience. The article describes the major theoretical categories, including acknowledged vulnerability, critical awareness, and mutually empathic relationships, and introduces the concept of "speaking shame." Practice implications are explored, including the importance of psychoeducational group work in building shame resilience.
Once largely misunderstood and discounted by social scientists, a growing number of researchers and practitioners are examining shame and its role in a wide range of mental and public health issues including self-esteem/concept issues, depression, addiction, eating disorders, bullying, suicide, family violence, and sexual assault (Balcom, Lee, & Tager, 1995; Dearing, Stuewig, & Tangney, 2005; Hartling, Rosen, Walker, & Jordan, 2000; Jordan, 1989; Kalafat & Lester, 2000; Lester, 1997; Mason, 1991; Nathanson, 1997; Sabatino, 1999; Talbot, 1995; Tangney & Dearing, 2002). As mounting empirical evidence points to shame's importance, some researchers now describe shame as "the master emotion of everyday life" (Scheff, 2003) and "the preeminent cause of emotional distress in our time" (Karen, as cited in Trout, 2000).
In 1971, marking the end of a 50-year period that yielded very little shame research, Helen Block Lewis published the findings of her analysis of hundreds of psychotherapy sessions in Shame and Guilt in Neurosis. In this foundational book, Lewis identified shame as the dominant emotion experienced by clients, exceeding anger, fear, grief, and anxiety. Lewis' findings regarding the importance and prevalence of shame continues to be supported by shame researchers employing diverse methodologies and working from various fields of study (Balcom et al., 1995; Dearing et al., 2005; Hartling et al., 2000; Nathanson, 1997; Scheff, 2000, 2003; Tangney & Dearing, 2002). Given the prominent role social workers play in addressing mental and public health issues, it is imperative that social work researchers and practitioners become more invested in both understanding shame and contributing to the growing body of shame...