Interconnections Between Shame, Religious Upbringing, Childhood Aversive Experiences, and Self-Compassion: Part 1

Abstract

Our paper discusses interconnections between shame, religious upbringing, childhood aversive experiences, and self-compassion. Shame is a socially structured emotion, referring to the assumed value or importance of the individual. It originates in childhood. Previous research has shown that religious upbringing has several positive consequences in adulthood, such as, for example, increased well-being, lower levels of risky behaviour, and improved physical health. However, shame may show a relationship with overly authoritative religious upbringing, as well as with various adverse childhood experiences. Self compassion enables one to face shame, and to healthily process the shame experience. High levels of self compassion are implied in Christian religious ways of thinking, which emphasize empathy, compassion, and self compassion, thus potentially helping to reduce the effects of experiencing shame. The present paper summarizes the theoretical background of our empirical study on shame and its interrelationship with religious upbringing, negative childhood experiences and selfcompassion, carried out in PPKE BTK, Psychology Institute. In the study we examined 234 participants using an online survey. Our results show that there is a weak relationship between shame and the qualities of the person, as well as strictness of religious education. In terms of self-compassion there is no difference between those who received a religious upbringing and those who did not. Self-compassion is negatively related to shame, and depending on its degree it moderates the relationship between religious upbringing and shame. The results of our study will be summarized in the second part of our article.