Studies on the Functions and Mechanisms of Shame and Pride: A Systematic Examination of the Relationship Between Shame/Pride and Concealment/Exposure Behaviors

A series of four studies systematically investigated the boundary conditions of the shame-concealment/pride-exposure relationship through an experimental paradigm. Experiment 1 developed an experimental procedure to assess the shame/pride-concealment/exposure relationship. Shame and pride were induced by randomly assigning participants to either low or high fictitious IQ score conditions, followed by an assessment of concealment and exposure behaviors. The results suggested a strong relationship between failure and concealment, as well as between success and exposure behaviors, a finding that was replicated in the subsequent three experiments. Experiment 2 examined the sensitivity of the shame-concealment relationship to changes in social status by manipulating the relevance of those to whom IQ scores would be disclosed. The results suggested weak to moderate evidence for the effect of status relevance on the shame-concealment relationship. Experiment 3 investigated whether concealment was specific to IQ scores or generalized to other types of information. Moderate evidence was found for the generalization of concealment beyond IQ scores. Experiment 4 distinguished between the effects of receiving a low/high score, the disclosure of the score, and the anticipation of its disclosure on shame feelings and concealment behavior. Results suggested moderate support for the effect of receiving the score on the elicitation of shame and concealment, with inconclusive support for the effect of disclosure compared to anticipated disclosure. The relevance of these results to theories of shame and pride, intra- and interpersonal determinants, and a functional perspective on emotions is discussed.