Emotional Politics of Shame and Identity

Shame occupies a pivotal position at the intersection of emotion, power and social identity. Far from being a purely private affect, it is mobilised in political discourse to regulate behaviour, enforce norms and shape collective belonging. Whether wielded by states to marginalise dissenting groups or experienced within communities as a mechanism of social control, shame contributes to the construction and negotiation of individual and group identities. Contemporary research reveals how shame emerges in public arenas—from digital campaigns that spotlight moral transgressions to transitional justice processes that employ collective shame to redress historical wrongs. At the same time, studies demonstrate that chronic or unacknowledged shame can undermine social cohesion, exacerbate mental health difficulties and perpetuate stigma. Understanding the emotional politics of shame thus involves tracing its dual capacity to constrain and to catalyse change, with implications for policy, clinical practice and the cultures of rights and recognition that underpin democratic societies.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent work has articulated the concept of shame-sensitivity as a vital extension of trauma-informed practice. This approach reframes shame not merely as a by-product of trauma but as a distinct barrier to effective engagement with care and social services. By delineating principles for shame-sensitive practice—such as fostering environments in which clients can acknowledge and express shame without fear of further exclusion—researchers argue for its centrality in promoting recovery and resilience. Empirical analyses demonstrate that interventions designed around shame-sensitivity improve service uptake, reduce attrition and support more integrated pathways to healing.

Emotional Politics of Shame and Identity publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in emotional politics of shame and identity across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Shame-sensitivity: A framework for recognising and addressing shame as a discrete obstacle within trauma-informed services, aiming to foster trust and engagement.

Dispositional shame: An individual’s trait-like tendency to experience shame across diverse situations, influenced by personal history and attachment patterns.

Shame-coping styles: Behavioural and cognitive strategies—such as self-attack, other-attack, withdrawal or avoidance—that individuals employ to manage shame.

Hermeneutical injustice: A form of epistemic injustice whereby certain experiences of shame remain misunderstood or unarticulated due to gaps in collective interpretive resources.

References

1. Beyond a trauma-informed approach and towards shame-sensitive practice. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2022).
2. A Serial Mediation Model of Insecure Attachment and Psychological Distress: The Role of Dispositional Shame and Shame-Coping Styles. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023).
3. What Is There to Be Ashamed Of? Nietzsche and Plato. Philosophies (2024).
4. A Comparative Study of Shame as Denoted by Hrī, Apatrāpya, and Xiuwuzhixin. Religions (2024).