Shame in Two Cultures: Implications for Evolutionary Approaches

Abstract

Cross-cultural comparisons can a) illuminate the manner in which cultures differentially highlight, ignore, and group various facets of emotional experience, and b) shed light on our evolved species-typical emotional architecture. In many societies, concern with shame is one of the principal factors regulating social behavior. Three studies conducted in Bengkulu (Indonesia) and California explored the nature and experience of shame in two disparate cultures. Study 1, perceived term use frequency, indicated that shame is more prominent in Bengkulu, a collectivistic culture, than in California, an individualistic culture. Study 2, comparing naturally occurring shame events (Bengkulu) with reports thereof (California), revealed that shame is associated with guilt-like accounts in California but not in Bengkulu, and subordinance events in Bengkulu but not in California; published reports suggest that the latter pattern is prominent worldwide. Study 3 mapped the semantic domain of shame using a synonym task; again, guilt was prominent in California, subordinance in Bengkulu. Because shame is overshadowed by guilt in individualistic cultures, and because these cultures downplay aversive emotions associated with subordinance, a fuller understanding of shame is best arrived at through the study of collectivistic cultures such as Bengkulu. After reviewing evolutionary theories on the origins and functions of shame, I evaluate these perspectives in light of facets of this emotion evident in Bengkulu and elsewhere. The available data are consistent with the proposition that shame evolved from a rank-related emotion and, while motivating prestige competition, cooperation, and conformity, nevertheless continues to play this role in contemporary humans.

Conceptual and empirical challenges to the “authentic” versus “hubristic” model of pride.

“…According to Tracy et al, HP is linked to these antisocial features of personality because HP mediates dominance-based status striving, whereas AP is thought to correlate negatively with these traits because AP mediates striving for status through prestige (see especially Cheng et al, 2010), that is, social position granted in light of success in culturally-valued activities (Barkow, 1975;Henrich & Gil-White, 2001 Fessler, 1999;2001;2004;2007), then AP scores should correlate with coercive, dominancerelated behaviors. However, the self-enhancing AP signature observed in the previous studies led us to suspect that assessments of dominance-related behaviors framed in nonpejorative language would be more likely to elicit affirmative responses.…”

“…We concur that the human motivational system likely co-evolved with human social structures such that discrete emotions or facets thereof underlie these two strategies. Indeed, one of us developed a similar theory with regard to the evolution of pride and its opposite, shame, having demonstrated that the latter emotion is characterized by two distinct eliciting conditions, one concerning subordinance in a dominance hierarchy, the other concerning failure to conform to cultural standards for behavior (Fessler, 1999(Fessler, , 2001(Fessler, , 2004(Fessler, , 2007.…”

Mapping Shame and Its Functions in Relationships

“…The perceived discrepancies focal in shame do not necessarily result in action tendencies intended to convey helplessness or passivity, however. Instead, their intent can be to convey a submissive or apologetic stance, functioning to communicate awareness of having violated the standard and to avoid rejection or attack by others involved in the situation (Fessler, 2004;Gilbert, 1998;Keltner & Gross, 1999;Keltner & Harker, 1998). In other cases, individuals who perceive the self, or are perceived by others, as having violated standards will respond angrily.…”

Cultural logics of emotion: Implications for understanding torture and its sequelae

“…However, cultures vary in the extent to which they distinguish between the two forms. To take the examples offered by Fessler (2004), in North American English, the word "shame" tends to be applied mainly to feelings in situations of failure to conform to social norms and expectations. In Bengali and some other Indian languages, lajja refers primarily to a sense of shame associated with status inferiority (Sinha & Chouhan, 2013).…”