Page 31 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 18

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Like a helpless ship in the grip of a powerful
ocean current, the cycle of shame and fear can
quickly suck us into a downward-spiraling whirl-
pool of despair. Friedemann Alsdorf’s ar�cle
“Ways out of the Shame-Fear Cycle” offers an
insigh�ul and ul�mately Christ-centered expe-
rien�al way of understanding and gaining re-
lease from this destruc�ve cycle. I offer here my
interpreta�on of Alsdorf’s ar�cle and some
complementary reflec�ons.

Alsdorf first offers a way of understanding sha-
me that is rooted in concealment. We hide from Nicholas DiFonzo (USA)
others the gap between our real and ideal sel- earned a Ph.D. in Social &
ves. The feeling of shame is characterized by an Organiza�onal Psycho-
intense desire to hide, and a global nega�ve logy from Temple Univer-
sense of worthlessness that is quite painful. In- sity in 1994. He is Asso-
deed, the desire to avoid of shame can become ciate Professor of Psy-
all-consuming—“Anything else, only not that!” chology at Roberts Wes-
leyan University (NY, US),
Shame, he says, is triggered by “boundary” vio- where he teaches cour-
la�ons. For example, we feel shame when ses in Social Psychology,
others harm or disrespect us, when we violate Research Methods, and
our own values, or when someone from our in- Psychology and Theolo-
group harms or disrespects others. When this gy. His research interests
happens repeatedly, the shaming is “toxic.” focus on Chris�an world-
view-based transforma�-
In response to these boundary viola�ons a per- ve approaches to psycho-
son can experience the “shame-fear cycle,” by logy, worldview influence
either conforming to social expecta�ons out of in psychological measu-
fear of public exposure, or by losing oneself in rement, and the psycho-
“addic�ons or parallel worlds” which then re- logy of rumor.
sults in more shame. The former response Als- difonzo_nicholas@ro-
dorf calls “dominance/self-discipline”; the berts.edu
la�er “rebellion/self-reward”. The former is
characterized by self-righteousness; the la�er Former contribu�ons in
by self-pity. These responses are mo�vated an our eJournal by Nicholas
all-consuming desire to enjoy respect and to you can see here:
avoid shame. These responses are ineffec�ve h�ps://emcapp.ignis.de/
and harmful. 14/#p=49

A third response is to “invite Jesus into the fee-
lings of shame”. This way of responding first re-
cognizes that the all-consuming desire to enjoy
respect and to avoid shame is idolatrous. That

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