The Rise of the Shame Society: America’s Change from a Guilt Culture into a Shame Culture

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Marcel H. Van Herpen

The Rise of the Shame Society

America’s Change from a Guilt Culture into a Shame Culture

Marcel H. Van Herpen

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English

Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
24 March 2023

History; Popular culture; Media studies

American society is often characterized as a “guilt culture,” as opposed to non-Western “shame cultures.” But is this distinction still valid today? Through examples like shaming penalties in criminal law, “fat shaming,” and cyberbullying on the social media, The Rise of the Shame Society: America’s Change from a Guilt Culture into a Shame Culture shows how shame is increasingly invading our lives, leading to feelings of humiliation and depression. Marcel Van Herpen identifies three causes of this phenomenon: new childrearing methods, the advent of the social media, and a transformation of Western individualism. He weighs the arguments for and against a shame society and concludes that a guilt-centered approach remains preferable. Although shame increasingly permeates everyday life, the author argues that its rise is not a fatality. He emphasizes that shame is a dynamic phenomenon and that one can observe trends which lead to an increase of shame, as well as to its decrease. Examples of the latter are a growing sensitivity to the pain caused by anti-Black racism, the decrease of anti-LGBTQIA+ prejudices, and efforts to end the stigmatization of people with disabilities. Along with exploring its increase, The Rise of the Shame Society demonstrates that there are ways to overcome shame.

By: Marcel H. Van Herpen
Imprint: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 228mm, Width: 151mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 367g
ISBN: 9781666914702
ISBN 10: 1666914703
Pages: 242
Publication Date: 24 March 2023
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Marcel H. Van Herpen is a Dutch sociologist and political analyst. He is director of the Cicero Foundation, a think tank, and a collaborator of the US think tank “The National Interest.” He is the author of seven books on political philosophy and foreign policy which have been translated in five languages.

Reviews for The Rise of the Shame Society: America’s Change from a Guilt Culture into a Shame Culture

Shame and guilt are not two sides of the same coin; rather, they differ in provenance, praxis, and consequences. Marcel H. Van Herpen's The Rise of the Shame Society is an insightful, deeply researched, and thoroughly readable treatment of a societal shift which has profound implications. Simply put, guilt as an internal ordering influence in America and the West is giving way to a 'shame culture' that has its roots in postindustrial narcissism, permissiveness, and the technologies that now facilitate so much public censure. This sweeping study borrows from a range of disciplines and draws on a wide array of thinkers, from Aristotle, Rousseau, and Nietzsche to Freud, Riesman, Sartre, and Lasch. The Rise of the Shame Society is an impressive work of scholarship that is sure to spur much discussion and debate. -- Joe Renouard, Johns Hopkins University