Poster #211 - Shame's a Pain: Exploring Complex Links Between Shame-Proneness, Aggression, and Perfectionism

• In Event: 3-053 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Entering University represents an important developmental transition in the social lives of emerging adults (EAs). However, although some EAs may flourish academically and socially during this transition, others struggle to adjust (Nelson & Padilla-Walker, 2013), and may experience internalizing (e.g., anxiety, perfectionism) and/or externalizing problems (e.g., risk-taking, aggression) (Caspi et al., 1997; Klajajic, Gaudreau, & Franche, 2017; Nelson & Padilla-Walker, 2013). One contributing factor to these adjustment difficulties that is starting to receive increase research attention in EAs is shame.
Shame is an intensely painful, complex emotion, characterized by feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, and unworthiness (Lewis, 1971; Tangney, 1995). Given the painful nature of shame, it is perhaps of no surprise that individuals may employ various defensive responses in attempts to mitigate the associated emotional discomfort (Nathanson, 1992; Tangney & Dearing, 2002b). Indeed, numerous studies have demonstrated associations between shame and both internalizing (e.g., perfectionism) and externalizing responses (e.g., aggression) (see Tangney & Dearing, 2002). However, despite decades of research, relatively little is known about the factors that underlie shame’s associations with these maladaptive coping responses. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine conceptual models that delineate complex associations from EAs’ experience of shame to externalizing (i.e., aggression) and internalizing responses (i.e., perfectionism).
To accomplish this goal, a sample of N = 967 (61.9% female) undergraduate students (Mage=20.1 years, SD=4.3) completed a series of online-questionnaires pertaining to their experience of shame, fear of negative evaluation (FNE), self-critical rumination (SCR), perfectionism, blame, hostility, and indirect aggression. A series of sequential mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS Macro, version 3 (Hayes, 2018). As illustrated in Figure 1, shame was indirectly associated with perfectionism through FNE and SCR, t(821)=1.94, p=.05. Furthermore, moderated mediation analyses revealed that the strength of this association was stronger for females, t(806)=2.00, p=.04. As illustrated in Figure 2, shame was indirectly associated with aggression through hostility and blame, t(863)=-4.55, p<.001. Furthermore, the strength of this association was stronger for males, t(863)=-2.31, p=.02.
Taken together, these findings suggest that for EAs’ transitioning into university, shame-proneness may serve as a risk factor for poor socio-emotional adjustment. Specifically, these findings suggest EA’s who are more prone to shame may develop excessive fears surrounding how they are being evaluated and perceived by others during social interactions. In turn such negative evaluative fears appear to promote negative self-focused ruminative thoughts. In turn these self-condemning thoughts appear to motivate the individual to rectify and compensate for those perceived inadequacies through engagement in perfectionistic behaviors. In contrast, highly shame-prone individuals may externalize their shame, developing hostile attitudes towards others. In turn these hostile attitudes appear to promote blaming others, which in turn may promote aggressive behaviours. Finally, these findings suggest that among EAs, females may be more prone towards internalizing coping responses (i.e., perfectionism), whereas males may be more prone to cope through externalizing responses (i.e., aggression). Overall, this study provides important findings that may allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the implications of shame during EAs’ transition to university.

Authors

• Danielle Baldwin, Carleton University
  Presenting Author

• Robert J Coplan, Carleton University
  Non-Presenting Author