Exploring the Multifaceted Concept of Shame

Can you remember the last time you were asked to define a word aloud? Can you remember if you effortlessly gave a dictionary definition or if you stumbled to define the word in your own vernacular? More often than not, we skip concise denotations in preference for a words particular connotation and what it means to us as individuals. Although a dictionary definition surely exists, many words have meanings outside of a black-and-white block of text in which the value of a word is explained. The word shame is a prime example of these kinds of words. Defined as a feeling of humiliation or regret in response to foolish behavior, shame has a definition in which many people are familiar with. But what, exactly, is shame? Shame is much more than what ink on paper can determine for us and amounts to more than any one individual first-handedly experiences. Shame comes from the Old English language

For me personally, shame is humiliation. It is a feeling of disgust caused by chain reaction. It is a feeling in which I experience as an aftereffect to my own actions. However, the things which cause me shame may not be similar to what creates feelings of shame in other people. This contrast in individualistic connotations is what makes shame limitless, in terms of negativity. Shame is a personal feeling. Someone with anxiety may feel shameful for stuttering whilst reading aloud or taking extra time to gather their things in a grocery store. People who exuberate confidence may feel shameful only in circumstances in which they physically affect other people negatively. At the same time, it is possible that someone who suffers from a personality disorder may lack the ability to feel shame. Shame cannot be written down and defined. Because of this, the usage of the word impacts each of us on an individual level. An excess of contrasting connotations exist in the world and no denotation of shame is paramount to these individual