A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE EXPERIENCE OF SHAME IN PSYCHIATRICALLY HOSPITALIZED, CONDUCT DISORDERED ADOLESCENTS.
Item
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Title
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A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE EXPERIENCE OF SHAME IN PSYCHIATRICALLY HOSPITALIZED, CONDUCT DISORDERED ADOLESCENTS.
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Identifier
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AAI8614664
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identifier
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8614664
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Creator
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CASSORLA, ALLAN ABRAHAM.
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Contributor
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I. H. Paul
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Date
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1986
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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The experience of shame is both ubiquitous and extremely painful. Nevertheless this crucial affective experience has received comparatively little attention in the literature to date. Rycroft (1968) referred to shame as "the Cinderella of unpleasant emotions," because it has received considerable less attention than anxiety, guilt, and depression. Even more noteworthy is the paucity of studies undertaking an empirical investigation of the various manifestations of the shame experience. Given the above, this study represents an attempt to address this deficiency by undertaking an examination of manifestations of shame in psychiatrically hospitalized, conduct disordered adolescents. Adolescence is a turbulent developmental stage which lends itself to the investigation of numerous affective experiences. However, owing to the dramatic physiological and psychological changes which attend this period, opportunities for experiences of shame are particularly abundant. The conduct disordered adolescent, with his/her penchant for acting out intolerable tensions, provides fertile ground for observing shame reactions. The method of investigation employed in this study involves the administration of a semi-structured clinical interview in conjunction with several structured scenarios specifically designed to be evocative of both shame and fear under a variety of different circumstances. This protocol was administered to 9 male and 7 female conduct disordered adolescents during a period of psychiatric hospitalization. The most significant finding of this study was that shame is a common affect with powerful motivating functions in this population. Some of the issues addressed in the results include an explication of sources of self-reported shame; defenses employed in relation to shame; and the relationship between shame and sexuality, and shame and depression. Sex difference with regard to experiences of shame are explored. The implications of the findings for treatment with this population are discussed, and a specific model of group psychotherapy is offered. Considerations for future research in this area are proposed.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
