Jakarta –
Feeling embarrassed is something human. From an evolutionary perspective, psychologists and anthropologists argue that belonging to a group was essential for the survival of our ancestors, and shame helped them to conform and follow group rules.
Cognitive neuroscientist Dr Christian Jarrett says feelings of shame are long-lasting and stronger than momentary feelings of guilt. However, the magnitude of emotional discomfort due to feelings of guilt can motivate reparation and recommitment to group rules to escape the shame.
This can make a person accepted back into the group, ultimately increasing their chances of survival. It’s just that every human being has different vulnerabilities in dealing with emotions such as fear, anger and disgust. So does the shame we feel, explains Jarrett.
According to him, people who experience shame more easily and frequently tend to be more at risk of experiencing depression, anxiety (especially social anxiety), obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, addiction problems, and personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder and other conditions.
Shame is one of the so-called ‘self-conscious emotions’. There are several other types of emotions in this category, such as pride, shame, envy, and guilt. These emotions all have to do with how we think about ourselves and what we believe others think about us.
Basically, people often confuse guilt and shame, or use them interchangeably. However, psychologists clearly distinguish between the two.
Guilt is an uncomfortable feeling felt when you believe you have done something wrong. Meanwhile, shame is an uncomfortable feeling that arises from believing that there is something fundamentally bad, damaged, or wrong about us. Shame may be caused by something we have done, but it can also be due to other reasons, for example because we have been wronged by someone else.
Why Are Some People Shameless?
Several studies have found a link between psychopathy and low levels of shyness. Moreover, there is also such a thing as ‘successful psychopaths’.
Psychopathy is one of the personality traits in the “dark triad of traits” along with narcissism and Machiavellianism. Her characteristics include having only superficial charm, impulsiveness, extreme self-confidence (and low anxiety), and a cold heart. These last two characteristics, in particular, contribute to low levels of shyness.
Successful psychopaths score high on extreme self-confidence and cold-heartedness, but are less prone to impulsivity and violent criminality. A sense of freedom from shame can also influence their success, because there is an ability to take social risks that sometimes pay off.
Evolutionary-minded psychologists call this kind of approach to life a “cheating strategy.” Psychologist Minna Lyons at the University of Liverpool in Journal of Psychology never explained this.
“Psychopathy has been called an evolutionary, genetically influenced deceptive strategy, consisting of skills and deficits that support social manipulation,” explains Lyons.
Lyons’ own findings showed a lower tendency toward shyness among those with high psychopathy scores. As he puts it, a lack of shame (and guilt) may give individuals high in psychopathic traits the ability to exploit others without feeling remorse.
In this day and age, where people are frequently subjected to online shaming, sometimes over trivial infractions, it would be surprising to meet individuals who seem completely unaffected by the risks and discomfort of being shamed.
It’s true, according to Jarrett as expressed by American researcher Jeremy Sherman, author of the book “What’s Up With A**Holes?” (2021), there is a concept called “meta-shamelessness”. This is seen in individuals who are not only shameless, but also take pleasure in their shamelessness when it is discovered.
As Sherman explains, if shamelessness is a form of “liberation,” then the meta-concept of shamelessness is self-giving. wildcard and trump cards.
In this context, you feel like you have absolute freedom to do anything, and whatever you do is considered correct and indisputable, something that can be demonstrated without shame.
Watch the video “Seconds Lukas Enembe Throws the Mic in the Courtroom”
(nah/pal)
2023-10-21 09:00:51
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