Trauma and Negative Underlying Assumptions in Feelings of Shame: An Exploratory Study

Shame is a common, although understudied, reaction to trauma. It is associated with numerous negative outcomes after trauma including emotional distress and health problems. Using a mixed experimental and correlational design, this study explored the association between trauma exposure, negative underlying assumptions (NUAs; attitudes such as “If I make a mistake, it means I am a bad person”), and feelings of shame. Our objectives were (1) to examine the association between trauma history and NUAs, (2) to examine the effects of trauma history and NUAs on shame in response to negative or positive feedback, and (3) to provide incremental evidence of validation for the Shame Posture Measure. After participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing NUAs, trauma history, and shame, they completed a short problem set and were randomly assigned to receive positive or negative feedback on their work. Changes in state shame were examined after feedback. We found that: (1) participants who scored high on NUAs were much more likely to have experienced a traumatic event than were people with low NUA scores; (2) people with high NUAs and with a history of at least one traumatic event were much more likely than any other group to experience shame in response to negative feedback; (3) the Shame Posture Measure demonstrated evidence of validity for measuring state shame. We discuss clinical implications of the finding that the unique combination of NUAs and having experienced at least one psychological trauma creates a strong vulnerability to shame.