ABSTRACT
This chapter explicates the concept of shame and situates it in the context of the social psychological and sociological literatures. Starting with a range of definitions, it goes on to assess the seminal contribution of Erving Goffman on stigma and the various ways his work has been applied, most notably in ‘personal tragedy’ approaches to the study of long-term or chronic illness. This is followed by a brief discussion of the question of measurement in quantitative and qualitative studies of stigma and shame. Challenges to orthodox understandings of the ‘individualisation’ of shame are then considered. Referring to the work of disability theorists and activists, it is maintained that shame and shaming can be seen as a form of ‘social oppression’ rather than a personal tragedy. Indeed, there is an interesting and important dialectic between shame (stigma) and blame (deviance). This introduces the concept of power. People can only be effectively shamed – and held personally responsible for their shame – if they are not in a position to resist such attributions; and this has clear political ramifications, as is shown. Modes of resistance to shame and shaming are discussed, ranging from education at one end of the spectrum to protest at the other. Shame, in conclusion, is both an extremely personal, and sometimes all-consuming, experience, and also a social phenomenon linked to distributions of power.
