ABSTRACT
Observing the direct correlation between past and present shame and between internalized and acute shame in the preceding two chapters, we now examine some significant empirical findings that can be deduced from my two-year study on shame in an Eastern context. Indeed, it is found that there is strong bivariate correlation between the number of past shame experiences and its impact . There are also significant bivariate correlations between one’s current intensity of shame and the number of past shame experiences, as well as the impact of past shame. In addition, there are strong bivariate correlations between shame and social invalidation, between social invalidation and grief, and between shame and grief. Shame is found to be a strong mediator between social invalidation and grief, so that greater social invalidation predicts greater shame, which in turn predicts greater intensity of grief. Further, there is a strong inverse bivariate correlation between shame and self-esteem, while there is no significant bivariate correlation between higher education and self-esteem or shame. The latter implies that in facing a shameful situation, a person’s higher level of education may do little to buffer her self-esteem nor ameliorate her shame.
