ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 probes the social psychological dimensions of the pain of humiliation. In general, such pain can be as innocuous and fleeting as a pinprick or as severe and prolonged as a rupture to one’s core sense of self. The severe cases tend to linger in cycles of thought about what another person or group thinks about “me.” With such thoughts comes a persistent monologue in one’s mind, experienced as brooding sentiments about one’s perceived debasement in the eyes of others. After summarizing recent findings by social psychologists, the chapter examines the cognitive complexity of severe cases of humiliation pain. Such cases tend to foster three sorts of thoughts: (1) one’s sense of being denied, typically through an insult; (2) a response of disbelief by the humiliated person; and (3) a feeling of indignation. Such kinds of thought reveal the similarities and differences between humiliation and shame.
