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Winter 2000
The Experience of Shame
Peter Philippson
Most of the writing on shame focuses on the person
who is doing the shaming, rather than the experience of the person
who feels shame. This continues the message that the person who
feels shame is less significant. What is the experience of shame
in Gestalt theoretical terms? Philippson analyses this as a retroflection
of the disgust reflex, and alliance with a 'force-feeder' against
the self. Shame is not necessarily linked with fragility, but does
link to confluence. Therefore if the therapist assumes the client
is fragile, the client will show more fragility. Philippson discusses
the therapeutic requirements for undoing this retroflection.
The full text of this article will be available in
Australian Gestalt Journal,
2001
Email the author at:
Peter@mgc.org.uk
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