Families, Social Responsibility, and Experiencing Shame

2025/07/30 by Kari‐Shane Davis Zimmerman · 1 voice · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health #Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology #Theological Perspectives and Practices

paper · pdf · doi:10.55476/001c.142752

openalex publication_date 2025/07/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21

Abstract

Prompted by conversations at the Society of Christian Ethics and the author’s own family history marked by divorce, single motherhood, and suicide, this essay examines how shame can isolate individuals rather than foster healing. Drawing on Brené Brown’s assertion that shame impedes empathy and engaging Greg Ten Elshoff’s work, the piece critiques how moral judgment within families and faith communities can deepen trauma. Ultimately, it challenges the practice of using shame as a tool for moral formation, advocating instead for compassion and support in moments of vulnerability and failure.

Cited by

• Introduction: Theologizing in a Time of Reckoning

Discussions

• In vol. 14.2, Kari-Shane Zimmerman Davis examines how shame functions in moral formation and explores how shame isolates individuals, especially in familial situations marked by trauma. See "Families, [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]

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