When the Social Self Is Threatened: Shame, Physiology, and Health

Dickerson, Sally S.; Gruenewald, Tara L.; Kemeny, Margaret E.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2004.00295.x

Cited by 573 publications

(521 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…It is unlikely that these mood reports reflected demand characteristics, as women who were primed to feel shame uniquely demonstrated a rise of cortisol levels following the mood priming. The unique effect of shame on cortisol reactivity is consistent with reports indicating that emotional responses to threats that undermine the social self are associated with HPA activation (Dickerson, Gruenewald, & Kemeny, 2004;Gruenewald, Kemeny, Aziz, & Fahey, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Anger and shame elicited by discrimination: Moderating role of coping on action endorsements and salivary cortisol

Matheson

Anisman

2008

Euro J Social Psych

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Discrimination often elicits anger, and yet group members typically do not take actions to confront their situation. It may be that other emotions that run contrary to action-taking also arise (e.g., shame), limiting the active expression of anger. Indeed, Study 1 (N ¼ 36) revealed that, using a failure feedback paradigm, women expressed greater shame when their failure was due to discrimination, compared to a lack of personal merit. In contrast to anger, self-reported shame was not associated with action-taking. In Study 2, women (N ¼ 91) were emotionally primed to feel either anger or shame (vs. a no mood prime control), and the moderating influence of coping styles on the link between emotions, actions, and salivary cortisol levels following discrimination were assessed. Among women primed to feel anger, problem-focused coping predicted reduced self-reported shame, lower cortisol reactivity, and greater individualistic confrontational action endorsements. In contrast, priming shame increased cortisol reactivity, but diminished the relation between particular coping styles and their capacity to facilitate action. Findings are discussed in terms of the interactive influence of emotions and coping on responses to discrimination. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.The predominant emotion elicited by overt experiences of discrimination is that of anger, particularly when the situation is viewed as unjust and the ingroup as strong (Mackie, Devos, & Smith, 2000;Swim, Hyers, Cohen, Fitzgerald, & Bylsma, 2003). Feelings of anger typically serve as a catalyst for action (Frijda, Kuipers, & TerSchure, 1989), including confrontational strategies on behalf of the group (Gill & Matheson, 2006;Mackie et al., 2000;van Zomeren, Spears, Fischer, & Leach, 2004;Yzerbyt, Dumont, Wigboldus, & Gordijn, 2003). Yet, actions to overcome the disadvantaged status of one's group are not, in fact, common (Louis & Taylor, 1999;Wright, Taylor, & Moghaddam, 1990). The factors that attenuate the relation between feelings of anger and group members' willingness to act on them remain to be fully elucidated.Due to pressures to take personal responsibility for negative events (Garcia, Horstman Reser, Amo, Redersdorff, & Branscombe, 2005;Stangor, Swim, VanAllen, & Sechrist, 2002), group members might not simply feel anger when they encounter discrimination, but may also experience feelings of shame (Tangney & Dearing, 2002;Tracy & Robins, 2004). Feelings of shame, in turn, might militate against the use of confrontational actions (Frijda et al., 1989). The present investigation evaluated women's emotions, particularly anger and shame, and their relation to action endorsements when women experienced gender discrimination. Further, inasmuch as discrimination may function as a stressor, individuals' coping propensities might serve to moderate the impact of anger and shame on behavioral responses to a discrimination event. As well, particular emotional responses, and especially shame, have been linked to physiological stress reactions, su...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Anger and shame elicited by discrimination: Moderating role of coping on action endorsements and salivary cortisol

Matheson

Anisman

2008

Euro J Social Psych

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“…In the general population, the TSST usually induces decreases in T levels, increases in C levels and anxiety, and a worsening of mood (Dickerson, Gruenewald, & Kemedy, 2004;Heinz et al, 2003). However, the relationship between acute psychosocial stress and changes in T levels has not been frequently studied.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High testosterone levels and sensitivity to acute stress in perpetrators of domestic violence with low cognitive flexibility and impairments in their emotional decoding process: A preliminary study

Romero‐Martínez

Lila

Sariñana-González

et al. 2013

Aggressive Behavior

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Hormonal and neuropsychological impairment in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators could play a role in domestic violence. For characterizing whether there is a specific psychobiological response to stress, participants who had previously been jailed for IPV and controls were compared for testosterone and cortisol levels, tested for 2D:4D ratio (as an indicator of masculinization), and given several trait questionnaires and neuropsychological tests related to executive functions and theory of mind. After performing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), IPV perpetrators experienced decreases in salivary testosterone (T) levels, a moderate worsening of mood, slight anxiety, and a salivary cortisol (C) level increase. Moreover, high basal T was related with high levels of anger and anxiety and worse mood. However, that basal mood does not significantly alter T levels in response to stress. Nonetheless, controls experienced smaller changes in T and larger changes in C and psychological mood. With respect to neuropsychological and cognitive empathic features, IPV perpetrators showed poorer executive performance and emotional recognition than controls. In addition, deficits in both neuropsychological domains were positively associated. Regarding emotional empathy, IPV perpetrators showed higher levels of personal distress than controls. The 2D:4D ratio was lower in IPV perpetrators than in controls. Moreover, only in the former a smaller 2D:4D ratio was related to large increases in T in response to stress and poor emotional recognition. Together with social aspects involved in IPV, differences in psychobiological variables and their relationships could play a relevant role in the onset and perpetuation of violent behavior. Aggr. Behav. 9999:1-15, 2013.

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“…Perceptions of low status may themselves be sources of stress and engender health-damaging negative emotions such as shame (Marmot, 2006;Dickerson, Gruenewald, & Kemeny, 2004). Recent brain imaging data reveals that individuals lower on SSS have diminished grey matter in a region of the brain linked to emotion and stress reactivity.…”

Section: Us Samples: the Wisconsin Longitudinal Survey (Wls) And Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social status and health: A comparison of British civil servants in Whitehall-II with European- and African-Americans in CARDIA

Adler¹,

Singh‐Manoux

Schwartz

et al. 2008

Social Science & Medicine

265

258

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When the Social Self Is Threatened: Shame, Physiology, and Health

Cited by 573 publications

References 93 publications

Anger and shame elicited by discrimination: Moderating role of coping on action endorsements and salivary cortisol

Anger and shame elicited by discrimination: Moderating role of coping on action endorsements and salivary cortisol

High testosterone levels and sensitivity to acute stress in perpetrators of domestic violence with low cognitive flexibility and impairments in their emotional decoding process: A preliminary study

Social status and health: A comparison of British civil servants in Whitehall-II with European- and African-Americans in CARDIA

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