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During the Puritan times, if you were to be publicly shamed, you could always move or change your identity and put that behind you. Living in a digital world, as soon as our humiliation is put on the internet, it's there forever, and you can't escape it.

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Hester Prynne committed adultery, and was publicly humiliated for it, and from them on had to wear a bright red letter "A" stitched onto her chest. After that humiliation, people didn't want to be associated with her whatsoever, connecting to the political cartoon below.

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Shame is a destructive emotion that can cause a lot of harm to a person. "According to Gerald Fishkin, a California-based psychologist and author of The Science of Shame, the experience of shame is connected with the limbic system." Shame is our bodies response to certain situations. It is a raw reaction, and our body has practically no control over it. Our bodies first instinct is to self-protect, and in doing so, it causes a long-term biological change. This connects to Chapter 15, because Hawthorne describes what the shame of the scarlet letter is like for Hester Prynne. Whenever she passes people on the road, her first instinct is to cover the letter, and to look downcast. Hester begins losing faith in herself, and has no reprieve from the public shaming she got on a daily basis.

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Systemic racism isn't anything new, but many white people are newly grappling with their complicity in white supremacy - which can lead to some complicated emotions. While a healthy dose of guilt over the collective role in anti-Black racism can motivate people to listen, learn, and do better, experts say wallowing in shame could accomplish the opposite.

Both guilt and shame stem from a perceived sense of wrongdoing, but understanding the difference can affect your ability to disengage from damaging behaviors. Jena Field, a London-based psychologist, says guilt is focused on a behavior - that's why researchers call guilt a " moral and adaptive emotion "- while shame is focused on the wrongdoer's identity.

"[Shame] causes a fear response that makes us either get defensive or hide, which doesn't allow us to step back and see what we can do differently," Field says.

Lea Flego, a marriage and family therapist in Oregon, says shame might keep you from changing behaviors, which can be damaging in the fight against systemic racism. "If we experience shame as allies, then we won't want to acknowledge the times we've benefited from a racist society," she says. "The criticism feels so bad, and naturally as humans we try to avoid that kind of pain."

The threat response many people experience during shame is a big part of why it's so counterproductive. According to Gerald Fishkin, a California-based psychologist and author of The Science of Shame, the experience of shame is connected with the limbic system. That's the part of the brain that influences the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for the fight-or-flight response.

Guilt, Fishkin says, is associated with activity in the prefrontal cortex, the logical-thinking part of the brain. Guilt can also trigger activity in the limbic system. (That's why it can feel so anxiety-provoking.) But since that stress response is associated with prefrontal activity, the adrenaline rush helps move you forward to repair whatever you did wrong.

"Guilt is a cognitive reaction to the breach of a learned value, and it requires thought and action," Fishkin says.

Acute shame experiences, which some therapists call a "shame attack," can trigger immediate physical changes associated with a fear response.

Shame, however, is more raw and typically doesn't involve cognitive processes like logical thinking or reasoning. It's an automatic stress response that "hijacks" the brain. Research shows that when your brain's limbic stress response is more active, the prefrontal cortex, which controls logical thinking, is less functional.

Scientific research also links shame with the physiological urge for self-protection: The experience of shame recruits the same brain circuits that prompt people to hide from physical danger. "Shame isn't associated with cognition at all. At the precise moment shame is triggered, we are emotionally hijacked, and there's no prefrontal activity," Fishkin says. "We automatically want to be anonymous and invisible."

That specific type of stress, the automatic desire to hide, can trigger immediate and long-term biological changes. Acute shame experiences, which some therapists call a "shame attack," can trigger immediate physical changes associated with a fear response. Field says shame often leads to a "sunken" body posture, a physical expression of wanting to disappear. And because it's a type of stress response, it can also lead to common symptoms of sympathetic activation, like blushing cheeks, increased body temperature, sweating, or queasiness.

Many times, shame arises from trauma and isn't actually tied to someone's wrongdoing. For example, Fishkin says infants who experienced trauma or kids who never formed secure attachments to their parents often experience what he calls "toxic shame" later in life - a type of deep-seated feeling of being unlovable and unworthy.

Most people experience fleeting moments of shame from time to time, but people who experience toxic shame experience it in every area of their identity. "[Toxic] shame is our greatest fears on steroids," Fishburn says. "It's the fear of not being good enough, not mattering, and being a failure."

This type of shame can have long-term physical and mental effects. The ongoing "I'm broken" or "I'm bad" messages in the brain can trigger feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, which Arielle Schwartz, a Colorado-based clinical psychologist, says can look a lot like depression.

In scientific research, this type of shame is associated with increased depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Clinically, Field says she finds shame is lurking beneath anger, depression, and anxiety in the vast majority of her clients: "If you uncover all the layers, you will get to the core of shame."

"With shame, I don't want to look inside and acknowledge my mistakes, because if I do, then I'm buying into the narrative that I am bad or not good enough."

According to Fishkin, toxic shame can also increase the risk of substance abuse and addiction, largely because it's inherently isolating. People who view themselves as worthless may abuse alcohol or drugs, largely because they've missed out on those warm, fuzzy feelings associated with oxytocin, the social bonding hormone.

"Especially during times of significant stress, like with the pandemic and social and political strain happening right now, this is a time where we should be trying to connect with each other," Flego says. "But shame causes us to look down and keeps us from making contact with others."

Shame - unlike guilt, which usually propels people to change - can also prevent personal change and growth, which can cause people to feel "stuck." That's the paradox of shame: You feel like a horrible person, and you want to feel better. But the self-reflection required to improve your life probably feels threatening. So you stay in fight-or-flight mode as a way to protect yourself, and the cycle continues.

"With shame, I don't want to look inside and acknowledge my mistakes, because if I do, then I'm buying into the narrative that I am bad or not good enough," Flego says. "And if we can't see ourselves clearly, we can't do better."

For many mental states, like anxiety and depression, the gold standard for treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on challenging thoughts that may result in negative behaviors. But since shame is an autonomic response to a threat, not a cognitive process, it typically requires a different approach.

Fishkin uses a therapeutic modality called compassion-focused therapy, which encourages people to see themselves and others through a more compassionate lens. Emerging research shows that it's effective: In one 2016 study, the majority of participants with trauma-based shame experienced a drastic decrease in both shame and trauma symptoms.

For people who face shame in any capacity, Schwartz says self-compassion is probably the most important piece of the puzzle. Psychological researcher Kristen Neff, who developed the widely used "self-compassion scale," defines self-compassion as being kind and understanding toward oneself during pain and failure and perceiving one's experiences as part of the larger human experience. And her research shows that it helps people overcome fear and anxiety, connect with others, and improve overall psychological well-being.

Practically, Flego says, being more compassionate with yourself might mean working on letting yourself off the hook when you mess up or reminding yourself that you aren't the only one who makes mistakes - it's just part of the collective human experience. If your brain isn't getting the message, Neff's research finds that compassion from others can have a similar effect.

It's a scientific process: When you're in a state of stress, your body needs an outside signal that the threat is gone and it's safe to go back to homeostasis. Feeling connected in relationships with others and yourself is a way to turn off that fear response and turn on your prefrontal cortex, which will allow you to learn and grow - and be a better human.

"When we can most lovingly accept our own pain or shame, we can actually do a better job being in someone else's shoes," Schwartz says. "In that way, shame can be a good teacher - it can connect us with empathy."

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Systemic racism isn't anything new, but many white people are newly grappling with their complicity in white supremacy - which can lead to some complicated emotions. While a healthy dose of guilt over the collective role in anti-Black racism can motivate people to listen, learn, and do better, experts say wallowing in shame could accomplish the opposite.

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5 Ways Shame can Impact your Life- Source 2

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5 Ways Shame can Impact your Life- Source 2

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1. People with shame often avoid intimate relationships/community
2. People with shame tend to hide their emotions
3. People with shame can often develop depression or anxiety
4. People with shame are less likely to take good risks
5. People with shame will often do the problem behaviors that gave them their shame in the first place
In the book, you can definitely see #2 and #3.  In Chapter 15, the author reveals that Hester doesn't express emotions often. When people see her on the street, they don't see a person, but a ghost gliding along with how little her face expresses.

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Shame is a powerful emotion that has the potential to shape peoples' lives in significant ways. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines shame as "a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute." People who experience shame feel worthless, embarrassed, humiliated, and unclean.

People experience shame for a number of reasons. Shame is often felt when someone experiences, commits, or associates with a shameful act. Perhaps the most common precursor of shame is trauma. When something terrible happens to a person, they often feel a great deal of shame over what happened. Shame is also experienced by people who commit reprehensible crimes, live in addiction, or experience stigmatized mental illness.

Shame is so powerful that it can impact the whole trajectory of a person's life. Because of shame's power, it is important to understand the specific impact it has on people. It is important to consider the way out of shame.

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The Impact of Shame

Here are five ways shame shapes peoples' lives.

1. People who live with shame often avoid relationships, vulnerability, and community. Research shows that shame leads people to hide and self-conceal.[i] People who feel ashamed hide from community and friendship. They avoid vulnerability and never share their true selves with the world.

2. People who live with shame are prone to suppressing their emotions. Shame is associated with suppression of emotions, particularly in women.[ii] People who feel ashamed of who they are or ashamed of something that happened to them often keep their thoughts and feelings wrapped up inside.

3. People who live with shame often feel worthless, depressed, and anxious. Shame can be a contributing factor in depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.[iii] People who are constantly ashamed live out a difficult emotional and mental battle each and every day.

4. People who live with shame are less likely to take healthy risks. One way that shame has been conceptualized is as "a defense against being devalued by others."[iv] Shame keeps people from making decisions that would lead others to devalue them. Sometimes this leads to avoiding healthy risks. People who deal with shame sometimes only make decisions about jobs, relationships, and school that they feel certain will end well.

5. People who live with shame are more likely to relapse back into problem behaviors. Research shows that people who struggle with alcoholism are more likely to relapse back into drinking if they experience shame. [v] People who are ashamed of their behavior sometimes purposefully continue in that behavior because they don't believe that change or healing is possible. Shame can be the reason people choose not to take steps towards healing. People who live with shame believe they are worthless, and so they often begin to treat themselves as though they are worthless by engaging in behaviors that they know are bad for their health and well-being.

The Way Out of Shame

1. Seek out relationships and commit to vulnerability with safe people. Do everything in your power to find community. Shame begins to disappear when it is shared in a safe place.

2. Move out of your head and into the open. Don't keep everything inside. Put your shame out into the world. Write about the shame. Share your story of shame. Create artwork that represents your shame. Shame finds healing when it is taken outside of ourselves and placed into the world in some way.

3. Develop self-compassion. Consider what you would say to a friend who was feeling the same things you feel. Begin to respond to yourself with love and care and concern, just as you would respond to others with love and care and concern.

4. Take one small risk. Attempt something that might end in failure. Do something that is difficult. You will either succeed and find hope that you can do more than you thought. Or, you might fail and realize that failure isn't the end of the world. Either way, you begin to find healing for your shame.

5. Believe that healing is possible. Make one good decision in the right direction and see how you feel. Believe that you can choose to make good choices over and over again until your life is completely changed.

One of the best places to take these steps is in counseling with a mental health professional. If shame is controlling your life, we can help. Reach out today. We are happy to help in any way we can.
References:
[i] Tangney, J. P., Stuewig, J. & Mashek, D. J. (2007). Moral emotions and moral behavior. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 345-372

[ii] Garofalo, C., Bottazzi, F. & Caretti, V. (2016). Faces of shame: Implications for self-esteem, emotion regulation, aggression, and well-being. Journal of Psychology, 151(2)

[iii] Gilbert, P. (2000). The relationship of shame, social anxiety, and depression: The role of the evaluation of social rank. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 7(3), 174-189.

[iv] Shame closely tracks the threat of devaluation by others, even across culture. Proceedings of the National Academcy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(10), 2625-2630

[v] Randles, D. & Tracy, J. L. (2013). Nonverbal displays of shame predict relapse and declining health in recovering alcoholics. Clinical Psychological Science, 1(2)

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Shame is so powerful that it can impact the whole trajectory of a person's life. Because of shame's power, it is important to understand the specific impact it has on people. It is important to consider the way out of shame. Are you or a loved one struggling with shame?

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Examining the Effects of Public Shaming on Mental Health- Source 3 

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Examining the Effects of Public Shaming on Mental Health- Source 3 

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While in some cases, public shaming may be effective, singling out a person to do so isn't. It can have long-time psychological effects that can damage a persons mental health, but also physical health and career. After being publicly shamed, many people went into a form of depression, or even had signs of PTSD. You can see signs of this in Hester. The author stated that Hester would often meet eyes of other girls who most likely went through the same experience at some point in their life, and they have to look away with guilt.

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In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the character of Hester Prynne is publicly shamed for having a child out of wedlock (Clausen, 2018). Made to stand in the town square and then wear a red letter "A" on her clothes, she was forever shamed by those around her, living in isolation for the rest of her life (Clausen, 2018). Yet while Hester Prynne's story is a fictional one, public shaming has a long and very real history. Whether making students wear a dunce cap, locking up transgressors in stockades, or parading adulterers through streets, the practice of public shaming has been followed for centuries (Leopold, 2015) (Tracy, 2015).

In fact, public shaming has evolved in new ways with the advent of the internet. A recent survey uncovered that "66 percent of adults have witnessed online harassment while 41 percent have been victims themselves" (Scheff, 2017). Among young adults, the problem is even more pronounced, given that "70 percent of young people (age 18-29) say they have experienced some form of digital hate" (Scheff, 2017).

This rise in public shaming has lead many experts to examine the effects it has, as well as its impact on mental health.

Public Shaming in the Information Age

Public shaming takes on many forms, and as a result can't easily be categorized as singularly good or singularly bad. It has, for example, been instrumental to many important social movements. Many experts praise "Twitter hashtags, such as #blacklivesmatter, #whyIstayed and #Yesallwomen, for highlighting social issues that were once hidden." (Leopold, 2015)

At the same time, experts also caution against certain instances of public shaming, warning that it can have a lasting and negative impact on those who are singled out. At first glance, it might be easy to think that being shamed on social media would be an experience that a person could easily shrug off and recover from. However, many of those who have been the target of internet shaming often face lasting and damaging consequences. For example, when Jennifer Connell broke her wrist hugging her nephew, she needed to find a way to pay for her medical bills (Goldhill, 2015). Given that her insurance company offered little compensation, she filed a lawsuit against her nephew in order for his homeowners insurance to compensate her (Goldhill, 2015). Both her and her nephew understood that the lawsuit was meant to cover her medical bills, and not a personal attack or statement on their relationship (Goldhill, 2015). However, this nuance was lost and she was quickly vilified online, with the hashtag #Auntfromhell trending on Twitter and news outlets dubbing her the "Aunti Christ" (Goldhill, 2015). Not only was she criticized on a national scale, but she also had difficulty finding a job, as employers turned her away due to her online reputation (Haberman, 2016). Others who have been publicly shamed have been fired, received death threats, or had to move to another city (Ronson, 2015) (Leopold, 2015).

Helping Clients Heal During Your Counsellor Therapist Career

During your counsellor therapist career you may notice that those who have been shamed on the internet often retreat from social life or fall into depression. Adam Mark Smith, who was rude to an employee at Chick-Fil-A, told CNN that after he was publicly shamed, "I went into depression" and had even contemplated suicide. Others have also come forward with similar stories, such as Lindsay Stone, who was publicly shamed for posting a rude picture. She told The Guardian that for close to a year after the incident, "I didn't leave the house. During the day I'd just sit here. I didn't want to be seen by anybody." (Ronson, 2015). In fact, "Often, those who experience an intense episode of online shaming live with the ramifications years later" (White, 2017). Some even "have signs of PTSD." (White, 2017).

Helping clients heal from such an experience during your therapist career can take time. In many cases, a client may need to acknowledge their wrongdoing in the initial incident that sparked outrage. However, it is also important for them to know that the incident doesn't need to define them. Counselling can help clients find their voice and gain perspective, so that they can once again feel comfortable leaving the house or spending time on the internet (Scheff, 2017).
Are you interested in pursuing a career as a counselling therapist? Learn more about the counsellor training available at Rhodes Wellness College. Works Cited
Clausen, D. (2018). Public Shaming of Women: An Ancient Purging Ritual. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/small-town-usa/201809/public-shaming-women-ancient-purging-ritual

Goldhill, O. (2015). If you sensed something off about the story of the woman who sued her nephew, you were right. Quartz. Retrieved from: https://qz.com/526941/if-you-sensed-something-off-about-the-story-of-the-woman-who-sued-her-nephew-you-were-right/

Haberman, C. (2016) Mob Shaming: The Pillory at the Center of the Global Village. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/20/us/mob-shaming-the-pillory-at-the-center-of-the-global-village.html

Leopold, T. (2015). The price of public shaming in the Internet age. CNN. Retrieved from: https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/living/feat-public-shaming-ronson/index.html Ronson, J. (2015) 'Overnight, everything I loved was gone': the internet shaming of Lindsey Stone. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/21/internet-shaming-lindsey-stone-jon-ronson

Scheff, S. (2017) 5 Ways to Heal from Online Shame and Digital Hate. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shame-nation/201709/5-ways-heal-online-shame-and-digital-hate

Tracy, L. (2015). "Game of Thrones" finale: Cersei's public shaming has deep historical roots. Salon. Retrived from: https://www.salon.com/2015/06/15/game_of_thrones_finale_cerseis_public_shaming_has_deep_historical_roots/ White, C. (2017) Public Shaming. Medium. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/s/digital-trauma/public-shaming-e9b0815d98fc

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Examine the Effects Public Shaming Has On Mental Health

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In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the character of Hester Prynne is publicly shamed for having a child out of wedlock (Clausen, 2018). Made to stand in the town square and then wear a red letter "A" on her clothes, she was forever shamed by those around her, living in isolation for the rest of her life (Clausen, 2018).

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Comparison of Public Shaming from the 1800s and 2020

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Comparison of Public Shaming from the 1800s and 2020

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This image is from the live action Scarlet Letter movie. This is what Hester Prynne's punishment looked like. Her letter is stitched on, boldly, so that even in black and white it is very prominent.

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Placing people in stocks was a common form of punishment/humiliation during the early 1800's, which was the time that the Scarlet Letter was set in.

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xMeCDvv1zlLrXYU1eRQvsXgb-ZeWiaiF8jFfSAxEZZ8/edit?usp=sharing