This study began testing the Sewell and Williams (in press) model that differing trauma types yield differing presentations in social versus event processing domains. Other hypotheses explored trauma type with levels of guilt, and shame-proneness with anxiety. Volunteers were 44 male combat veterans being treated for PTSD. Data analyses determined whether trauma type related to guilt and perceived social support and whether shame-proneness related to levels of anxiety. High shame persons may process anxiety and social support differently than low shame persons. Results can assist professionals understand how a person's functioning is affected by certain types of trauma. Future research should focus on increasing social support for persons who have experienced trauma.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the link between shame-proneness, guilt-proneness, attributional styles, and coping strategies, and then to determine which of these variables are significantly related to depressive symptomatology in the sample of Turkish undergraduates. Moreover, the association between shame-proneness, guilt-proneness and depressive symptomatology through attributional styles and coping strategies is examined. Four hundred undergraduates from different universities completed the Ways of Coping Inventory, Attribution Styles Questionnaire, Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 and Beck Depression Inventory in addition to the questionnaire surveying sociodemografic variables. The findings of the analyses have revealed that shame- and guiltproneness have a significant effect on coping strategies, attributional styles, and depressive symptomatology. The attributional styles also have predictive effects on the use of coping strategies. However, contrary to the researcher&#039 / s predictions, no relationship between attributional styles and depressive symptomatology has been found. In order to test the mediation model, mediation analyses have been conducted and the results of the analyses have been tested by structural equation modeling, which have confirmed the mediation effect of problem-focused coping only between shame- and guilt-proneness and depressive symptomatology. In conclusion, shame- and guilt-proneness are the strongest predictors of depressive symptomatology and their significant effect on depressive symptoms are above and beyond the other variables. The findings of the present study have suggested that the analysis of shame-proneness, frequency, and duration of feelings of shame and related occasions are crucial in psychotherapy process. The results of the study have emphasized the importance of taking shame-proneness into account and dealing with it in the psychotherapy process.

Background Shame is a powerful emotion involved in a wide variety of phenomena including psychopathology. The propensity to react with shame to situations of transgression is formed early in life, but the processes by which elevated shame-proneness causes higher levels of psychological distress and functional impairment in some people rather than in others is as yet poorly understood. Objectives The main objective of this thesis was to further elucidate these processes by investigating the implications for shame states, guilt, general coping strategies, attachment styles, and shame-related coping in this context, as well as to evaluate an assessment method for shame-proneness. Methods The self-report questionnaires Test of Self-Conscious Affect (TOSCA), Compass of Shame Scale (CoSS-5), Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), and an interview measure for event-related shame and guilt were used for assessment in adult normative, healthy-only, crime victim, and patient samples (n=25-361). A combination of uni- and bivariate approaches and multivariate soft and hard modeling approaches were used for statistical analysis. Results Paper I showed that the TOSCA could be used as a reliable measure for shame-proneness. Paper II showed that guilt was unrelated to post-victimization distress. Elevated shame-proneness was related to higher levels of post-victimization distress. This effect was partially mediated by event-related shame. Paper III showed that in CFS patients, higher levels of shame-proneness, escape-avoidance, and accepting responsibility coping contributed to elevated levels of psychological distress. Seeking support, positive reappraisal coping, and proneness to detachment contributed in the opposite direction. These relationships were weaker in the comparison groups. Paper IV showed that shame-proneness was associated with secure attachment style in a negative direction. Higher levels of secure attachment style contributed to lower levels of psychological distress, whereas shame-proneness, insecure attachment styles and withdrawal, attack self, and attack other shame coping strategies contributed in the opposite direction. There were mean differences between women and men regarding most of the variables, butiithe relationships between variables did not differ between men and women. Conclusions The association between shame-proneness and psycho-logical distress seem to involve a complex balancing act between motives toward preserving close relationships and protecting a relatively positive sense of self. If others are perceived as trustworthy and compassionate and are utilized for support in times of need, the effects of shame-proneness may be less debilitating, whereas if others are perceived as distancing or disapproving, and life stress and social transgressions are managed by escape strategies, social withdrawal, self-blame or by transferring blame onto others, the distress effects become more severe. The inner psychodynamics of these functional patterns seem to be rather similar in women and men.

The aim of this study is to discover nonverbal, bodily gesture and contextual cues indicating self-conscious emotions and use these clues to examine personal differences and psychopathological symptoms. Moreover, possible effects of cultural differences on self-conscious emotions&rsquo / recognition and their relation to psychopathology are meant to be discussed. To achieve aforementioned goals, the study is partitioned into three separate but interdependent phases. The aim of the study is scale adaptation for which the State Shame and Guilt Scale, Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3, Guilt- Shame Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory are applied to a group of 250 university students. The second study&rsquo / s objective is to determine the nonverbal expressions used in recognition of self-conscious emotions. To meet this goal, 5 TAT cards, whose compatibility with the research questions is verified, are applied to 45 university students in separate sessions by using close ended questions. In the third part of the study, 9 TAT cards, which include clues about recognition and nonverbal expressions of self-conscious emotions, adapted corresponding scales, and a psychopathological symptoms measuring scale (SCL-90) in self-report format are applied on a group of 250 university students. Factor and correlation analyses done in the first part reveal that adapted scales are reliable and valid, while group comparisons and measurements of the second part indicate differences in emotions. Findings reveal that shame can be recognized by nonverbal expressions whereas for guilt contextual clues are facilitated. In the third part, group comparisons and regression analyses, which are done in order to reveal self-conscious emotions&rsquo / recognition and their significant relationships with psychopathology, display that state self-conscious emotions and shame-proneness have very important roles on psychopathology. All these findings are discussed in the light of cultural effects.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka om det fanns skillnader mellan skambenägenhet, självbild samt generell symtomnivå hos en patientgrupp inför behandling i Känsloskola jämfört med en normgrupp. Ett ytterligare syfte var att hos patientgruppen studera sambandet mellan dessa tre faktorer. Mätinstrumenten bestod av TOSCA, SASB Introject och SCL-90 GSI. I studien medverkade 18 vuxna patienter, varav 4 män och 14 kvinnor. Patienterna rekryterades från olika öppenvårdsmottagningar vid en vuxenpsykiatrisk klinik i Umeå där studien genomfördes. Resultaten visade på en tydlig signifikant skillnad mellan patientgruppen och normgrupperna. Patientgruppen uppvisade högre nivåer av skambenägenhet, självkontroll, självkritik, självhat, självförsummelse och symtom samt lägre nivåer av självacceptans, självkärlek, självvård än normalgruppen. Studien fann även ett tydligt signifikant positivt samband mellan skambenägenhet, självbildsaspekterna självkritik och självhat samt symtomnivå hos patientgruppen. Studien bidrar med ny kunskap om känsloskolans patientgrupp. Ett lågt deltagarantal och ojämn könsfördelning uppmanar till försiktighet vad gäller tolkning och generalisering av resultatet. En initial bedömning av patienternas tillstånd kan tillvaratas i utformningen av psykologisk behandling av olika psykiatriska tillstånd. Inte minst kunskapen om skambenägenhet och självhat. / The purpose of the study was to investigate whether there were differences between shameproneness, self-image and general symptom level in a patient group before treatment in Känsloskola (Emotion school) compared with a norm group. An additional purpose was to study the relationship between these three factors in the patient group. The measuring instruments consisted of TOSCA, SASB Introject and SCL-90 GSI. The study involved 18 adult patients, of whom 4 were men and 14 women. The patients were recruited from various outpatient clinics at an adult psychiatric clinic in Umeå where the study was conducted. The result showed a clear significant difference between the patient group and the norm groups. The patient group showed a higher level of shame proneness, self-control, self-critisism, self-hatred, self-neglect and symptom and lower levels of self-acceptace, selflove, selfcare than the normal group. The study also found a clear significant positive relationship between shameproneness, self-image aspects self-criticism and self-hatred and symptom level in the patient group. The study contributes with new knowledge about Känsloskolans patient group. A low number of participants and an uneven gender distribution call for caution with regard to the interpretation and generalization of the results. An initial assessment of the patients condition can be used in the design of psychological treatment of various psychiatric conditions. Not least the knowledge of shame and self-hatred.