Shame - by Michael Lewis (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Shame, the quintessential human emotion, received little attention during the years in which the central forces believed to be motivating us were identified as primitive instincts like sex and aggression. Now, redressing the balance, there is an explosion of interest in the self-conscious emotion. Much of our psychic lives involve the negotiation of shame, asserts Michael Lewis, internationally known developmental and clinical psychologist. Shame is normal, not pathological, though opposite reactions to shame underlie many conflicts among individuals and groups, and some styles of handling shame are clearly maladaptive. Illustrating his argument with examples from everyday life, Lewis draws on his own pathbreaking studies and the theory and research of many others to construct the first comprehensive and empirically based account of emotional development focused on shame. In this paperback edition, Michael Lewis adds a compelling new chapter on stigma in which he details the process in which stigmatization produces shame.

From the Back Cover

Shame, in some sense the quintessential human emotion, received little attention during the years in which the central forces believed to be motivating us were identified as primitive instincts like sex and aggression. Now redressing the balance, there is an explosion of interest in the self-conscious emotion. Much of our psychic lives involves the negotiation of shame, asserts Michael Lewis, internationally known developmental and clinical psychologist. Shame is normal, not pathological, though opposite reactions to shame underlie many conflicts among individuals and groups, and some styles of handling shame are clearly maladaptive. Illustrating his argument with examples from everyday life, Lewis draws on his own pathbreaking studies and the theory and research of many others to construct the first comprehensive and empirically based account of emotional development focused on shame. He traces the precursors of a sense of self in infancy and early childhood, and describes the consequences of shame which goes unacknowledged, such as sadness, rage, or depression. Lewis also explores the many ways in which shame is induced and expressed, reflecting on the broader implications of these differences--for instance, the divergence, early in life, of men's and women's experiences of and responses to shame; he finds that women are more ashamed, more of the time. Cultures, Lewis argues, are shaped by the ways in which children are taught to deal with shame. What many have seen as a rise in narcissism in contemporary America, following years of emphasis on self-actualization and personal freedom as opposed to commitment and community is associated with an increase in shame. Narcissism is in somesense the ultimate attempt to avoid shame, albeit a doomed one. Lewis shows how approaches to shame differ not only among cultures, but religions as well. Judaism and Christianity for instance, hold different approaches to shame. He explores the major tenets of each belief including mainstream Protestantism, Catholicism, and fundamentalist Christianity and discusses the relative degree of orientation of each toward shame or guilt. Understanding shame is the first step toward coping with it effectively. This book offers a new way of understanding fights between husband and wife, parent and child, nation and nation, and it will be, for many a crucial impetus to take or to help others take that first step.

Review Quotes

Contemporary Psychology I heartily recommend [Shame] to scientists and practitioners alike, for I think with time it will become acknowledged as a pivotal text for how emotion, the self-system, and interpersonal relations are inextricably linked in human development.

Paul Ekman, Ph.D. Author of Telling Liesand Why Kids Lie Lewis brilliantly illuminates the nature of shame and its impact in our daily life, uniquely combining scholarly research, stories from everyday life, and clinical cases from his own practice. Lucid and insightful, it is must reading for scholars and laymen, researchers in emotion and development, and clinical practitioners.

Joseph J. Campos, Ph.D. Director of the Institute of Human Development, University of California, Berkeley ...a major contribution to the study of emotional development by one of the most creative figures in contemporary psychology...Dr. Lewis sheds light in an engaging and provocative manner on what shame is, how it develops, and why it is so significant for personality development.