SHAME IS UNIVERSALLY EXPERIENCED but seldom discussed. We tend to keep it to ourselves as a way to avoid the discomfort it brings, but, when kept private, shame can feel like a personal, individual burden. And, in turn, this perceived uniqueness — the feeling that one is singularly and supremely flawed — gives the emotion its potency.
In her book The Shame Machine: Who Profits in the New Age of Humiliation, mathematician Cathy O’Neil finds that we will accept almost any conditions to avoid feeling shame.
We’ll Cede Our Rights to Make It Stop: A Conversation with Cathy O’Neil
