Feelings of shame in adolescents - an empirical study

The study investigates the extent to which feelings of shame are of concern for present day adolescents. The following questions were examined: (1) Do certain realms of body shame (nakedness, sexuality, attractiveness of one' s own body) produce different degrees of feelings of shame? (2) Does the fa ct that an observer is present produce higher levels of feelings of shame t han when an observer is only imagined? (3) Is the intensity of shame enhanc ed by negative evaluations expressed by other persons? (4) Are there any se x differences? The sample included 60 adolescents (28 f, 32 m; age range 14 to 16 years) mainly attending schools giving qualifications for vocational training (Hauptschule / Realschule). Data were collected using an inventor y of scenarios developed by the authors. The results revealed frequent feel ings of shame within the group of adolescents investigated. Higher levels o f shame were found with regard to nakedness than with regard to sexuality. Shame reactions were more intense when the subject had experienced negative evaluations. The presence of an observer did not enhance the intensity of body shame. We did not found :my sex differences.