Once upon a time, a young Dutchman emigrated across the Atlantic in hopes of making his American dream come true. Some decades later, he was indeed a successful businessman, a millionaire, and respected in the highest circles. Grateful to his…
Many people think that government interference into peoples’ reproductive choices is largely a thing of the past, or only occurs in countries with repressive governments. Given this widespread assumption, you might be surprised to read some recent UK headlines: “Guidance…
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The speaking voice in my ears paused and then, with a soft breath, started to sing. I stopped in surprise. The daffodils I had watched peek through the peat and grow into spindly budded things were blooming bright yellow along…
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Embarrassment is shame’s awkward cousin. At least, that’s the story told by many theories of emotion. Shame is a feeling that floods our whole being, that colours us to the core. Embarrassment is skin deep. Sweats, stutters and blushes –…
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Research shows that many people living with obesity experience weight-related shame in clinical practice. Unsolicited weight-loss advice from GPs, medical equipment that fails to accommodate larger body sizes and concerns about being judged for their weight by healthcare providers are…
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The medical field is not where my own career path exists. I came to know the field from another point of view – from being the daughter of an ALS patient and a member of a family who has…
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Shame and Dentistry: Considering the Impact of Vulnerable Individuals’ Experiences People with complex lives and complex needs related to homelessness or other severe disadvantage are no strangers to shame. Many will have experienced judgement regarding their economic situation, literacy,…
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Avoidance of clinical care is common for those who experience shame and stigma often to the detriment of care procurement. This avoidance can be an effort to protect from further shaming. For those who experience chronic persistent pain (CPP)…
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The development of the first hormonal contraceptive in 1960 was considered one of the most important inventions of the 20th century, and worldwide it has continued to pave the way for sexual freedom and reproductive choice. Besides family planning,…
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‘Virginity testing’, which refers to the medical or non-medical practice that is expected to determine the existence of the ‘hymen’, has been covered by a wide variety of media outlets in the last few months of 2020. We have…
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“Is doctor something I wanted to do or something I wanted to be?” – Emily Silverman “Shame becomes inevitably bound up with the process of identity formation which underlies man’s striving for self, for valuing, and for meaning. The experience…
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In Imogen Tyler’s recent monograph, Stigma: The Machine of Inequality, she opens the introduction with a vignette describing her conversation with Stephanie, a woman who talked about her experience of joblessness, poverty, and housing and unemployment benefits. The vignette is…
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Disabled Ex-Soldiers, the Police and the Exeter Magistrates The difficulties that First World War ex-servicemen, particularly those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), experienced in civilian life have been researched and discussed specifically in the context of their medical treatment. Less…
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Alongside the official textbooks of the medical curriculum, there appears a second canon, a hidden curriculum. Consisting of essays, films, folktales, jokes, novels, plays, poems and television shows, this repository is a refuge, a place where doctors and other healthcare…
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Shame and stigma have been prominent features of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stigma, in particular, has been identified as an urgent issue related to COVID-19 by health organizations worldwide, including Public Health England, the CDC and the WHO. Stigma negatively impacts…
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Organisations are created with a purpose. In order to fulfil that purpose there needs to be forms of control within the organisation over the workforce. This post discusses the significance of shame as a disciplinary force explaining how and why…
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Having had the opportunity to read about shame in academic literature in more depth and detail, I became increasingly interested in learning about shame in relation to different cultural backgrounds, especially migrant and minority-ethnic groups in light of my past research…
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