In our shame we make ourselves “other”

In our shame we make ourselves other. My sense is that this has to do with the cast-out feeling that typically accompanies shame. From an evolutionary perspective shame is closely associated with the feeling of being unacceptable to the social group/tribe one belongs to. In shame we we identify with our imaginings of the group’s attitude towards us and turn against ourselves as unacceptable. Shame is the inbuilt human response to the threat of being cast-out, the sense of being pariah… the sense of being bad, whether it be the actual eyes of others, or more commonly… our internal representation of others looking at us… our expectation of how others will see us.