Shame as a Pillory of Musts: A grounded theory exploration of shame in the clinical population

This study uses a grounded approach with the aim of exploring shame in the clinical population and presenting a conceptual model for it. The participants consisted of 17 individuals (8 females and 9 males) who were chosen using purposive sampling at first and later using theoretical sampling. The data collection method was non-structured interviewing. To analyze data, the Corbin and Strauss method (2014) and the MAXQDA (2018) software were used. Based on the findings of this study, three conditions of shame were revealed as follows: “Do’s and Don’ts “, “Making a Mistake” and “The Others “. The revealed action- interaction was “Shame-relief Strategies “. The consequences of these strategies were “Being Fake” “Negative Self-attitude “, with three sub-categories of ”Clumsiness,” ”Inadequacy,” and “Worthlessness”. Based on the findings, the theory of ”Shame as a Pillory of Musts” was presented. According to this theory, violating ”Do’s and Don’ts” which has been transmitted to individuals leads to the experience of shame. In response, individuals use a variety of strategies to eliminate or reduce shame. Due to the continuous and inflexible use of these strategies, individuals feel distanced from their real selves and develop a negative attitude, which perpetuates the vicious cycle of shame.