Acceso usuarios
Juan Pablo Kalawaski
En la literatura psicológica en inglés, es frecuente que se hable de “shame”, normalmente traducida como “vergüenza”. En inglés, se distingue shame de embarrassment. El español no hace esa distinción, siendo la palabra “vergüenza” más cercana a embarrassment que a shame. Se resumen estudios empíricos que muestran que el concepto de vergüenza no es equivalente a shame y que no hay una palabra precisa para shame en español. Esto constituye un caso de hipocognición, es decir, carecer de representaciones cognitivas o lingüísticas de conceptos para describir o explicar experiencias. Se introduce el concepto correcto de shame en base a la literatura empírica, tanto sobre el uso de la palabra en inglés como sobre la experiencia misma de la emoción de shame. Se distinguen varios tipos de shame y su relación con los problemas de salud mental. Finalmente, se plantean sugerencias para trabajar con shame al hacer terapia en español.
In the psychological literature in English, references to shame are common. “Shame” is usually translated to Spanish as "vergüenza". This article explains why this translation is not satisfactory, why Spanish speakers have difficulty understanding the concept of shame and why understanding it correctly can help them be better therapists, even when working in Spanish. This article discusses empirical studies showing that the concept of vergüenza is not equivalent to shame and that there is no precise word for shame in Spanish. In English, shame is distinguished from embarrassment. Spanish does not make that distinction. In previous research, American participants considered that the central characteristics of shame were: unpleasant, humiliation, moral transgression, guilt, wrongdoing, wanting to disappear, and vicarious shame. On the other hand, Spanish people considered that the central characteristics of vergüenza were: uncomfortable, blushing, ridiculous, unpleasant, inhibited, vicarious shame, and wanting to disappear. People rate "vergüenza" as less unpleasant than "shame" and "guilt", but similar to "embarrassment". The most important conclusion of these studies is that when Spanish speakers read a text in which "shame" has been translated as "vergüenza", they understand something significantly different from the intended meaning. Some authors have suggested that shame is a culturally specific concept. However, other studies suggest that the experience of shame, if not the concept, may be universal. For example, people in China, Germany, India, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States associate different nonverbal expressions to stories of embarrassment versus stories of shame. The lack of a shame concept in Spanish constitutes a case of hypocognition, that is, lacking cognitive or linguistic representations of concepts to describe ideas or explain experiences. Difficulty in symbolizing and distinguishing emotions is a risk factor for depression, suicidal behaviors, and depression. In the case of hypocognition for shame, it being a cultural phenomenon, the therapist will not be able to help the client symbolize this emotion, as both people suffer from the same hypocognition. Therefore, one of the objectives of this paper is to help Spanish-speaking therapists understand the phenomenon of shame. Even though the English concept of shame is associated with guilt and wrongdoing, cross-cultural research indicates that social devaluation is enough to trigger shame, while wrongdoing is unnecessary. Shame is designed by natural selection to limit the likelihood and costs of the person being devalued due to the spread of negative information about them. This threat involves the temporary or permanent loss of social support, socially derived benefits, or status. Shame is an emotion that motivates people to hide personal information. Research also shows that shame is associated with post-traumatic stress, self-harm, and social anxiety. Various types of shame have different relationships with mental health problems. Primary adaptive shame is an appropriate response to a moral transgression. In therapy, it should be acknowledged as a guide to behavior. Primary maladaptive shame involves a sense of worthlessness of the whole person. Here, intervention involves accessing the core sense of inferiority, exposing it to the experience of acceptance, and strengthening self-esteem. Secondary shame can be a reaction to deeper unacceptable emotions. In therapy, it is best to access these underlying emotions and work with them. Suggestions are made for working with shame when doing therapy in Spanish. "Vergüenza", “humillación”, and “culpa” may symbolize shame in psychotherapy, depending on the context. "Inferioridad" can symbolize maladaptive shame. Therapeutically productive symbolization of emotions often involves unfolding different aspects of experience rather than relying on just one emotional word.
