Meaning of Shame
Shame, in addition to being an emotion experienced by humans, is the term designated to public offense, launched towards an individual, so that the community can judge the actions committed by it. However, this has much more to do with ignominy, a related term, but which describes the feeling of dishonor that a being experiences, due to the uninhibited attitudes that he may show in front of the crowd. But seen from the emotional point of view, it is about the fear and anxiety experienced because of believing that one is creating a tarnish on the integrity of one's own honor; humiliation, being considered psychologically harmful, can also be a source of shame, due to the damage to honorwho suffers from it.
Charles Darwin stated that the frequent symptoms of shame are blushing (related to heat in the face, due to the dilation of blood vessels), lowered head, lost sight and a posture that showed little energy. According to him, these characteristics can be noticed in individuals who do not belong to the same community, culture or race, being something almost automatic in the human being .
Shaming , an act in which another person is declared the fact that they should be ashamed, is a social condemnation , for not having felt, in some way, restrained by the offenses given to a third party. This was much more serious in previous centuries, in which malefactors or people who disrespect the laws of the Church, not only spiritual, but also the earthly laws that she imposed , were condemned and judged in public . They were publicly shamed by making them carry out harsh punishments or being executed in public places.
What Does shame Mean
Shame , which comes from the Latin verecundĭa , is the disturbance of the mind that is produced by a fault committed or by some humiliating and dishonorable action, whether its own or someone else's. This feeling tends to turn on the color of the face, exposing the person who suffers from it.
For example: "I am ashamed to sing in public" , "I do not understand how Olga is not ashamed to dress that way" , "Ricardo stumbled in the middle of the room and blushed with shame" .
In addition to all the above, it must be emphasized that there are two types of shame that have been widely studied and analyzed by professionals in psychology and psychiatry. Thus, on the one hand, we find the so-called toxic shame, a term that is used to refer to the attitude that children take after having been victims of some type of sexual abuse.
And on the other hand, we would have to highlight the vicarious shame. Under this name is the attitude adopted by certain people who tend to blame themselves for certain actions with the clear objective of protecting another individual.
The operation of shame has to do with the fear of being embarrassed. When a person is afraid to speak in front of an audience, this fear is generated by the possible shame they would feel if they made a mistake or did not meet social expectations.
Shame, therefore, is usually associated with shyness that leads to not wanting to show certain facets of the personality or even the body in public : "At home I am funny and I tell jokes, but at parties I am ashamed" , "I feel ashamed when they look at my legs . "
Another manifestation of shame is linked to dignity or self-esteem : "The president has no shame: he talks about distributing wealth when his wealth tripled in the last year , " a few coins ” .
Nor can we forget that there is another term that uses the concept at hand. This is what is known as the Wall of Shame. This denomination describes all those constructions that are erected as limits of a specific geographical space and that oblige those who try to overcome them have to be subjected to a control by the pertinent authorities.
Among the most well-known walls of this type is, for example, the one located between the United States and Mexico. Preventing immigration and ending drug trafficking are two of the reasons why the decision was made in the 1990s to lift that one.
A scoundrel is one who has no decorum or whose morals do not prevent him from committing ethical mistakes: "This scoundrel continues to speak after having melted the country . "
In the same way, we cannot ignore that one of the most successful programs of recent years in the world is called "Shame of Others". The MTV chain is the one who broadcasts this space internationally, which consists of the reproduction of videos where ordinary citizens suffer falls, blows and all kinds of situations that make the public smile.
Finally, "Shame" is a film directed by Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman and released in 1968 .