A szégyen szerepe a mentális zavarok kialakulásában I. - Elméleti háttér [The role of shame in development of the mental disorders I. Theoretical background]

Abstract

Shame is a particularly intense, often incapacitating negative emotion involving feeling of inferiority, powerlessness and self-conciousness, along with the desire to hide or disappear. The experience of shame is an adaptive and natural reaction until it becomes a chronic and painful emotion as a result of environment and temperamental factors. According to studies of the last decade chronic shame is a central feature of the social interactions as well as of a variety of psychopathologies including anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, and personality disorders. This study presents an overview of the definition and the major theories of shame describing developmental factors of shame and ways to coping with it. The research results concerning the relationship between shame and different disorders will be summarized in a following study.