- Shame
- A self-conscious emotion arising from the global negative evaluation of the self in response to perceived failure, inadequacy, or moral transgression. The phenomenology involves shrinking, hiding, feeling small, worthless, and exposed. Motivational consequences include withdrawal, denial, and hiding from others — or, paradoxically, explosive externally directed anger (the shame-rage cycle) when the self cannot tolerate exposure.
- Guilt
- A self-conscious emotion arising from the negative evaluation of a specific behaviour, distinct from the self as a whole. The phenomenology involves tension, regret, and remorse about what one did. Motivational consequences include approach — desire to confess, apologise, make amends, and repair the damage done. Guilt that leads to reparative action is adaptive; guilt that becomes persistent and ruminative (chronic guilt) can be pathological.
- Self-conscious emotions
- Emotions that require self-evaluation — comparing one's behaviour or self against an internalised standard, ideal, or social norm. The set includes shame, guilt, pride, embarrassment, and hubris. They emerge developmentally later than basic emotions (around 18–24 months, when children develop objective self-awareness) and require higher cognitive capacities: self-awareness, theory of mind, and understanding of social standards.
- Shame-rage cycle
- A pattern described by Helen Lewis in which unbearable shame is rapidly transformed into rage directed at others, protecting the self from the intolerable experience of exposure. The person bypasses conscious awareness of shame and attacks others instead. This cycle underlies domestic violence, road rage, and narcissistic rage — the outward aggression is a defence against internal shame.
- Internalised shame
- A chronic, trait-like sense of shame that is not tied to specific transgressions but represents a global negative view of the self as fundamentally defective, unworthy, or inadequate. Paul Gilbert distinguishes this from transient state shame. Internalised shame is closely associated with depression, self-criticism, and submissive behaviour, and is a key target in compassion-focused therapy.
- Shame-proneness vs guilt-proneness
- Individual differences in the tendency to experience shame versus guilt in response to perceived transgressions. Tangney's TOSCA (Test of Self-Conscious Affect) measures these tendencies. Shame-proneness is associated with depression, anxiety, eating pathology, and interpersonal problems; guilt-proneness is associated with prosocial behaviour, empathy, and constructive conflict resolution.
- Social rank theory of shame
- Paul Gilbert's evolutionary account proposes that shame signals a threat to social rank and belonging — detecting that one has behaved in ways that risk rejection, exclusion, or subordination. The shame response (submission, hiding, withdrawal) is understood as an evolved strategy for managing social hierarchies. Chronic activation of this system, in contexts that trigger repeated social comparison or social defeat, produces depression.
- Compassion-focused therapy (CFT)
- An evidence-based therapeutic approach developed by Paul Gilbert specifically for people with high shame and self-criticism. CFT aims to activate the affiliative care system — associated with the parasympathetic nervous system, warmth, and social connection — to counteract the chronically activated threat system that drives shame and self-attack. Core practices include developing self-compassion, compassionate mind training, and imagery exercises.