(summarized from: Dr. Edward Teyber, Dr. Faith McClure, and Dr. Robert (Bob) Weathers in "Shame in the Therapy Hour" (R. L. Dearing & J. P. Tangney, eds.), 2011, Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association Press).
Our entire sense of self is derived from interpersonal experiences, particularly those that are laid down in our early psychological development. Hence if we are prone to shame states, it can be assumed that we have been profoundly affected by repeated shaming encounters with our primary caregivers.
For many individuals, psychological symptoms (and the suffering associated with them) persist, even after a course of psychotherapy, owing to the fact that the fundamental sense of self, rooted in traumatic developmental experiences of repeated shame, has never been truly or adequately acknowledged or brought to light of day.
