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

Abstract

Background: Our study examines how religious upbringing and negative childhood experiences relate to shame, with a particular focus on the role of self-compassion. As outlined in the first part of our article, shame is a socially structured emotion that reflects a person’s perceived worth or significance, and it motivates and regulates thoughts, feelings, and behaviors aimed at maintaining social acceptance. Self-compassion enables individuals to face and process shame in a healthy way. Higher levels of self-compassion are closely aligned with Christian religious thinking, which emphasizes empathy, compassion, and kindness towards oneself.
Method: Our sample consisted of 234 Hungarian participants, including 72 individuals without a religious upbringing and 162 with a religious upbringing. In addition to a religiosity questionnaire, we administered the Shame Experience Scale, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire.
Results: Shame was associated with the authoritarian and strict characteristics of religious upbringing. Self-compassion was negatively related to shame and moderated the relationship between religious upbringing and shame. Gender, age, and religious upbringing showed small predictive effects on shame, but self-compassion emerged as the primary protective factor.
Conclusions: A religious upbringing, when integrated in a healthy manner, can serve as a resource for coping with shame. Self-compassion is a significant protective factor against shame.