The detection of shame in group psychotherapy: uncovering the hidden emotion

Abstract

Shame, recently so extensively investigated in the individual and family therapy literature, has remained curiously underexplored in the group literature since Alonso and Rutan's noteworthy article on the subject in 1988. Shame is frequently bypassed because, as a result of its hidden nature, its presence is often not detected. This article strives to insure that shame does not go unaddressed. We catalogue and discuss six defenses that may suggest the subterranean workings of shame: (1) focusing on themes that stress similarities among members, (2) generating feelings of scorn and disdain, (3) avoiding here-and-now material, (4) inducing guilt, (5) transference reactions, and (6) preserving the illusion of the leader's infallibility. The best antidote for shame's neglect is a heightened readiness to detect it. Such detection is important because shame plays some role in many of our patients' complaints.