The Many Faces of Shame

The Many Faces of Shame is the first volume to capture the range of current viewpoints on the concept of guilt. As editor, Donald Nathanson has not only assembled internationally prominent authorities in the field, but has engaged them in extensive dialogue about their topic areas. The result is a collection of papers, both rich and provocative, which achieve a scholarly impact and resonance often missing in edited works. As a further enhancement of the book's unified tone, Dr. Nathanson has provided introductions to each chapter which places the authors both historically and theoretically, and outlines their emphases and contributions to our understanding of shame. Topics covered range from Leon Wurmser's seminal work on the relationship between shame and narcissism to Silvan Tomkins's chapter on shame's central place in affect theory; from Otto Allen Will's thoughts on the interaction between Sullivanian theory, psychosis, and shame to Emmett Wilson's overview of shame in the literature of French psychoanalysis and philosophy.