Shame, Guilt, and the Body

Shame is a powerful self-conscious emotion that arises from being perceived as imperfect, inferior, insufficient, or weak. External shame is a socially contextualized feeling defined as the uneasy belief that others see one's own inner self and exterior physical traits as undesirable, leading to others ignoring, criticizing, or rejecting one.

Whatever we are doing, we are certainly doing it with our bodies. We rely on our bodies from the minute we wake up, whether consciously or unconsciously. When we glance in the mirror, we may notice changes in our bodies, and even tiny alterations can impact how we feel about ourselves. The image we have of our bodies impacts how we feel our bodies in daily life.

Shame can be found in the bedroom, at the beach, in the doctor's office, and in the therapist's office. Shame can be seen in the mirror and on camera. It has many consequences, from low self-esteem to addiction, from rare medical attention to suicide. Shame is a health and wellness issue and a community and family issue that is both deeply personal and publicly political.