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Section II

Shame and Social Control Revisited

Pages 109-120
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
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The author elaborates on her 1975 article by showing the evolutionary value of shame in maintaining social structures by enforcing values. Specific shame-related survival conclusions, taken into the organism at various stages of development, operate in the same manner as instinct does in lower animals to enforce survival strategies and corresponding behaviors throughout life. Vulnerability to shame is necessary to maintain standards, but it can also lead to dysfunctional reactions in adults because of harmful shaming in childhood. Antidote treatment for such experiences is described, and the technique is illustrated with case examples. Emphasis is placed on how shame and guilt must be distinguished from one another in clinical treatment. At their origin, shame reactions are nonverbal and require “translation” into language, whereas guilt reactions are formed at later stages when the child possesses linguistic ability.

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Author information

Fanita English

Fanita English, M.S., ACSW, is a certified Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (clinical and organizational) who founded a TA Institute in Philadelphia, developed existential pattern therapy, and taught in Europe for the past fifteen years. She is the recipient of the 1978 Eric Berne Memorial Scientific Award and now lives at 2, Townsend Street, Apartment 813/N, San Francisco, California 94107, USA.
 

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